Heir of Night (The Thorne Hill)

“The demon said she made a deal to become a vampire, so he sent one?”

“I believe so. Vampires were quite prevalent in that area at the time.”

“Don’t tell me you’re responsible for starting the whole Dracula rumors.” I smile, feeling some of the tension leave myself as well.

“This was well before Dracula’s time,” he answers seriously. “Not everything the demon said was true. Bogdana isn’t alive and looking for me. That was said just to get under your skin.”

“How do you know?”

“She tracked me down a few years after she was turned, and I killed her.”

“Oh. Lovely.”

“You asked,” Lucas says with a shrug and picks up the books.

“I did. Why…why did you kill her?”

“She annoyed me,” he admits with no hesitation.

I nod, not really sure what to say. You shouldn’t ask questions you don’t want to hear the answer to. Freya and Binx shadow down the hall, and we meet Pandora by the door. I yawn most of the way home.

The house is dark and quiet with Eliza already long gone. She left a note on the counter saying someone delivered the porch swing and hooked it up for us. Lucas puts the books in the library, and I go upstairs to change into pajamas. Grabbing a fuzzy blanket from the back of the living room couch, I go onto the porch to check out the swing. It’s nothing exciting, I know, but I’m dying to try it out. Funny how different things excite you as you make your way through life.

Lucas joins me, and we sit in silence for a few minutes, looking out at the dark yard. He drapes his arm around me, and I rest my head against his chest.

“This is nice.” I snuggle closer to Lucas, eyes falling shut as the sounds of the night surround us. “It feels so peaceful. I could fall asleep out here.”

Lucas pushes off the ground with one foot, gently moving the swing back and forth. “Go to sleep. I’ll carry you in later.”

“I think I’ll take you up on that offer. You know you’re the only person in the world who makes me feel this safe.”

“I’m not a person.”

Does this have something to do with the conversation we had when we were leaving the Covenstead? He knows I don’t judge him for his past. “Yes, you are. You’re my person.”

“I’m a vampire.”

“And I’m half-witch, half-human, but I’m still a person. If you want to get technical, you can say you’re an undead person,” I offer sleepily. “You don’t consider yourself a person at all?”

“After I died and awoke as a vampire, I considered all my humanity to be gone.”

Looking up, I put a hand on Lucas’s chest, right over his heart. “You still have humanity left.”

“Do I?”

I can see the question in his dark blue eyes, afraid he won’t believe what I’m going to tell him. “Of course you do. You love me, Lucas, and our love is one of the few things in the world I don’t question. You wouldn’t be capable of love if you had no humanity.”

“There is so much good inside of you, Callie. You’re willing to look for even a shred of it in anyone else. You know the things I’ve done.”

“I do, but it doesn’t change how I feel about you. Besides, it’s been like, what, a full century since you slaughtered an entire village?” I smile and rest my head against his broad shoulders.

“Close enough. The last few years have been tame.”

“You said that before.”

“I did?”

“Maybe it was Eliza,” I say. “It was the night I accidentally raised a bunch of zombies from the dead. I overheard you guys talking. She told you I was dangerous because I could summon white light like Marie Lancaster, which is funny in hindsight, since I’m probably related to her. But she also said you hadn’t seemed like yourself in years.”

“I remember that,” he says, somewhat distantly. “After being undead for over a thousand years, it felt like I’d done everything. Nothing was new. Nothing surprised me. I’d never sought out a purpose in life. I’d always lived for me and me alone. But the boredom…the monotony of every day after another…” He shakes his head. “And then I met you, and it was more than worth the thousand-year wait.”

My heart swells in my chest, and if my eyes weren’t closed, they’d be welling with tears.

“You’ve given me so much, Callie. A love I never thought I was capable of. You surprised me—and continue to do so. You’ve given me the sun and now you’re giving me a daughter.” He tightens his embrace. “If it weren't for the constant danger, I’d wonder if this is all a dream.”

My lips curve into a smile. “Almost being kidnapped or killed is a good reality check.”

“Unfortunately.” Lucas chuckles. “It’s late. Get some sleep, my love. Enjoy the peaceful night.”