“Maybe that’s what you need to spark said fiery passion,” Nicole suggests.
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “It won’t work because you’re meant to be with Evander.”
Kristy rolls her eyes. “Stop it with that.”
“Nope,” I say right back, trying not to smile. “You two are meant to be.”
“Only because you’ve deemed it so.” She chuckles.
We talk and laugh about how difficult it is to date now that we’re all getting older, and everyone agrees that Lucas and I have set unrealistic couple goals when it comes to romance. It’s a nice escape to hang out with my friends, and they leave shortly after dinner—which they brought and cleaned up so I wouldn’t have to, and basically forced me to change into PJs and get ready for bed on their way out.
Lucas is in the office on his phone, and I find Julian still in the library. He’s sitting on the floor with over a dozen books laid out in front of him.
“Need any help?” I ask, coming up behind him.
“I’ve gone through everything twice now,” he says and gets up.
“And did it give you any insight on what to do about the Horsemen?”
“Not on how they were created. Those books are very interesting. My interactions with humans have been limited, as you know. That includes witchcraft.”
“Oh, right, that makes sense.”
“You seem troubled,” he says.
“Well, aren’t we all right now?” A strangled laugh escaped me. “Though I am wondering something specific. Are the gates still closed?”
“Yes. Why do you ask?”
“Because I can do this.” I hold out my hand and summon the blue hellfire. “It doesn’t feel like normal hellfire.”
Julian inches forward, holding out his hand, and sticks his fingers into the flames. It burns his skin, and the wounds heal instantly when he pulls his hand back. “The gates are still closed, and you’re right, it doesn’t feel like normal hellfire.”
“If the gates are closed and nothing is going in and out of Hell, then that would mean I can’t summon hellfire, right?”
“I believe so.”
“Then where is this coming from?” I flip my hand over, playing with the flames.
“I don’t know.” Julian looks from the fire to my eyes. “But it’s somewhere other than Hell.”
Chapter 29
I look at the fire in my hand, trying to get a better read on the energy. It’s familiar yet not and has a cold, distant feel to it.
“Where else has fire like this?” I ask.
“A few places.” Julian tips his head to the side, watching the flames dance around my fingers. “I have to go check something.” He flies away, and I’m left standing there in the living room, holding fire in my bare hand. Waiting a few minutes, I don’t move and hope he’ll come right back.
Sighing, I put out the flames and sit where Julian had been sitting, looking at the books. Most are still open, and I don’t want to close any up or turn any pages in case he needs to come back to this. I’ve looked through most of these books before, and a few are in different languages that I don’t know. I pause on a book about Greek mythology. It’s the same book Lucas got out before when he suggested I’m summoning hellfire from a different hell dimension.
I run my finger over the faded ink drawing of Hades standing in the Underworld. Lucas was right to say it’s presumptuous for us to assume Lucifer is the only one who punishes those who did bad things on earth. Hell and demons were a thing before he got cast down to the pit, anyway.
“Callie?” Lucas calls from somewhere inside the house.
“In the library,” I say, not bothering to raise my voice. Lucas can hear me anyway.
Lucas speeds in. “Where’s Julian?”
I turn and shrug. “He said he had to go check something. Help me up?” I hold out a hand, and Lucas pulls me to my feet. “This whole gain-a-few-weeks-overnight thing is really throwing me off balance,” I admit. “When you slowly get bigger, you don’t notice as much.”
“Good thing you’re taking it easy.” His hands land on my stomach, waiting to see if he can feel the baby move.
“I think she’s sleeping,” I tell him and put a hand over his. “You’re the only person who can touch my stomach without asking. And the only one who doesn’t annoy me when you do.”
“No one else should ever touch you. You are mine.” He slides his hands from my stomach to my butt, pulling me against his firm body.
“I don’t think you need to worry when Betty or some students at the Academy ask to feel for kicks.”
“Betty, fine. Students…I don’t like it.”
I shake my head and loop my arms around his neck. “What are you going to do about it?”
“I’ll fuck you at the Academy again, without the soundproof spell, so everyone knows without a doubt I’m the only one who gets to touch you.”