I cut off when Roger—the hunter who was hired to kill me—comes into view. He’s holding a gun, and it’s pointed at Abby.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I huff. “It’s my day off.”
“I should have known it was you,” he says, words slurring a bit. Great. He’s drunk. “You…you drugged me.”
“It was a truth potion and you tried to kill me.” I slowly raise my hand.
“Don’t move!” he yells and thrusts the gun forward, pointing it right at my head. His finger slips, and he pulls the trigger. Without even having to think about it, I react, throwing up a telekinetic shield and stopping the bullet from ripping through my skull.
I flick my wrist, pulling the gun from Roger’s hands. It clatters to the ground, and I shake my head, pissed the fuck off.
“Cal…” Abby stammers, hands going to her stomach. Blood pools around her fingers, and she staggers forward, falling into her entryway table as she slumps to the floor.
Everything happens in slow motion. A white ginger jar full of faux cherry blossoms rattles loose off the table and crashes to the floor, breaking into a hundred little pieces. Blood spatters the gray wall and soaks through Abby’s pale pink shirt.
“Abby!” I scream, dropping to the ground. “No, no, no.” I grab her shoulders and roll her over, putting my hands over the bullet wound on her stomach to try and stop the bleeding. “It’s gonna be okay! It’s gonna be okay!” I push harder on the wound, but it just seems to make more blood spill out. I don’t know what to do.
Abby is human. She got shot in the stomach. If the blood loss doesn’t kill her, having her internal organs torn will.
“Julian!” I call. “Julian! Help!”
“I…I…didn’t mean to,” Roger says and takes a step toward the door, intending to run. I jerk my head up, anger surging through me.
“You…you…” I start but can’t get the words out. The door slams shut behind him, and I thrown him back against it with magic. His head whacks with a sickening thud, and he slumps down, unmoving.
Abby’s body convulses, and I look back at her. Her eyes are wide with fear and pain, and her skin is paling. She opens her mouth to say something.
“Shhhh,” I say, tears filling my eyes. “It’s going to be okay. Julian! Please!”
“Tell Penny,” Abby grunts, “I love…” Her words die in her throat, and her eyes roll back.
“No, Abby!” I sob. “Julian! Dad! Please! Help me!” No one answers me. No one is coming to help. I need to call 911 and get Abby to the hospital. My brain isn’t working right now, and I can’t think what to do.
Phone.
I need to get my phone.
And it’s…it’s…in the kitchen.
But I can’t leave Abby.
“Julian, please!” I cry, and Abby’s head rolls to the side. “No, Abby! Hang on, just hang on!” I squeeze my eyes closed. “Heal,” I say through gritted teeth. “Heal, dammit!”
Nothing happens, and every second that passes is one more closer to losing my sister. “Dad!” I lower my head, tears rolling down my cheeks.
“Need some help, my niece?”
I jerk my head up and see Lucifer standing in the foyer. He’s wearing a black suit again, with a blood red tie and matching pocket square. His eyes go from Abby to Roger.
“Racking up the body count, I see.”
“What…what are you doing here?” My breath leaves in a ragged huff.
“You asked for help and no one else came, did they?” He holds out his hands and looks around.
“But how?” My hands shake, and the blood leaving Abby’s body starts to slow. She’s bleeding out and is slipping away, right before me.
Lucifer winks. “I got skills, kid.” He steps over and crouches down, eyeing Abby. “Ohhh, she doesn’t look very good.”
“Can you heal her?” I ask before I even realize what I’m saying.
“It’s been a while since I’ve reversed pain, but maybe I can dust off the ‘ole wings and give it a try.” He puts his hands together and stretches out his arms. Then he closes his eyes and holds a hand over Abby.
The air vibrates around us, and the blood starts to get sucked back into Abby’s body. I rock back and look at Lucifer. His dark eyes are glowing a brilliant soft blue, and when I blink, I can see his wings.
They’re beautiful, with silver and blue feathers, looking nothing like the bat-like wings Lucifer is depicted with. Right now, he looks like the epitome of divinity, and Abby’s eyes flutter open.
The bullet rises from her body, and Lucifer grabs it. “You want to keep this as a souvenir?”
“I…uh…I…”
He sets it down and gives me a wink. “You might want it later.”
Abby gasps, eyes wide, and her hands fly to her stomach, feeling for the wound. Lucifer moves his hand up and touches her forehead. In an instant, Abby’s eyes close, and her head falls to the side.
“What did you—”
“Relax. She’s just sleeping.” He motions to Roger. “I figured you’d want some time to clean up. There’s no reason she has to remember this.”
My head bobs up and down on its own accord. Lucifer stands up and steps over to Roger. There’s a smear of blood on the front door where his head hit.
“It’s almost a pity,” Lucifer says. “I could have had fun with this one.” He waves his hand over Roger’s body, and hellfire rises from the floor and swallows him whole.
My heart is pounding, and I feel like I’m going to throw up. I press my lips together and breathe out of my nose. The smell of blood is getting to me. Come on, baby. Cut me a little break. I almost lost my sister.
“You okay, kid?”
I look up at Lucifer, not sure what to think. But I know how I feel, and I’m so fucking thankful he answered my prayer.
“Thank you,” I tell him. “You saved her.”
“I did, didn’t I?” He brings his hand to his chest. “I saved her. That almost feels…good.” His eyes meet mine, and he takes a step forward.
And then it hits me. Lucifer is out of Hell. He showed up and saved Abby. He did me a favor.
“What do you want?” I ask, voice tight.
“I don’t want anything,” he says. I stagger to my feet, hands still covered in Abby’s blood. Lucifer tips his head, eyes narrowing as he looks at my stomach. “But maybe I do.”
He disappears in a rustle of feathers, and I’m left rooted to the spot, frozen in terror. He knows I’m pregnant.
The devil doesn’t do favors for free. He always expects payment. And I think he just found how he wants to be paid.
Queen of Night, book six, is coming this June! Click here to preorder.
Want to see Callie and Lucas on the big screen? Sign the fan requested petition to get the Thorne Hill series made into a movie or TV show! Click here to show your support!
Join the Thorne Hill Facebook fan group!
Thank you
Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy life to read Curse of Night! I hope Callie and Lucas held you spellbound! :-) I appreciate so much the time you took to read this book and and would love if you would consider leaving a review. I LOVE connecting with readers and the best place to do so is my fan page. I’d love to have you!
www.facebook.com/groups/emilygoodwinbooks
About the Author
Emily Goodwin is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of over a dozen of romantic titles. Emily writes the kind of books she likes to read, and is a sucker for a swoon-worthy bad boy and happily ever afters.
She lives in the midwest with her husband and two daughters. When she's not writing, you can find her riding her horses, hiking, reading, or drinking wine with friends.
Emily is represented by Julie Gwinn of the Seymour Agency.
Stalk me:
www.emilygoodwinbooks.com
[email protected]
Also by Emily Goodwin
Contemporary romance:
Stay
All I Need
Never Say Never
Outside the Lines
First Comes Love
Then Come Marriage
One Call Away
Free Fall
Hot Mess (Love is Messy Book 1)
Twice Burned (Love is Messy Book 2)
Bad Things (Love is Messy Book 3)
Battle Scars (Love is Messy Book 4)
Cheat Codes (The Dawson Family Series Book 1)
End Game (The Dawson Family Series Book 2)
Side Hustle (The Dawson Family Series Book 3)
Cheap Trick (The Dawson Family Series Book 4)
Fight Dirty (The Dawson Family Series Book 5)
Paranormal romance:
Dead of Night (Thorne Hill Series Book 1)
Dark of Night (Thorne Hill Series Book 2)
Call of Night (Thorne Hill Series Book 3)
Still of Night (Throne Hill Series Book 4)
Immortal Night (Thorne Hill Companion Novella)
Dystopian Romance:
Contagious (The Contagium Series Book 1)
Deathly Contagious (The Contagium Series Book 2)
Contagious Chaos (The Contagium Series Book 3)
The Truth is Contagious (The Contagium Series Book 4)
Curse of Night (A vampire and witch paranormal romance) (Thorne Hill Book 5) Page 43
