Heir of Night (The Thorne Hill)

I throw the door open and watch Lucas shove a demon aside. The demon is tall and burly, with dried blood on his face and shirt from a nosebleed. The demon gargles and snarls, lashing its hands in the air. It falls with a heavy thud, and the demon inside the child’s body holds out his hands, summoning that same black smoke that tethered Lucas to the ground.

“Fuck no,” I grumble and hurry down the stairs. “Somnum,” I say, and the kid slumps to the ground. The demon inside him is powerful and is fighting to regain control.

“Get inside!” Lucas demands and punches a demon in the chest, hand going right through. He pulls out his heart and tosses it to the ground. The big, burly man sways on his feet and then falls to the ground with a heavy thud.

I go down the stairs and stop at the edge of the warding. I could recast the line and strengthen the protection. Binx shadows behind me, and Scarlet and my other familiars race from the house as well. Growling, Scarlet leaps forward, soaring over me and tackling another demon that I didn’t even know was there.

Eyes wide, I catch a glimpse of the demon’s face a second before Scarlet’s teeth sink into her arm, yanking her down and then going right for her throat. It’s Mrs. Bishop, an older lady who hates vampires and owns the antique store downtown by Novel Grounds. Owned, I should say.

Lucas picks up the kid, and I wait until he’s crossed back over the weakened line to hold up my hands and recast the circle of protection.

“Terra. Aeris. Aqua. Ignis.” Blue magic glows around my fingers, and I concentrate on pulling on the power of the elements, when Binx and Freya shadow around me. I lose my grip on the spell. “Guys, what—” I cut off when I see the demons emerging from the woods. “Oh, fuck.”

Freya guards me, and Binx springs forward, taking out the closest demon with a loud snap of the neck. There are more than the thirteen Lucas saw earlier, and the dark energy presses down on me. Pain radiates from my midsection.

“Now’s not the time, baby,” I say through gritted teeth. Inhaling, I try to square my shoulders so I can cast the protection spell on the house. Binx protests, coming back from killing another demon. He wants me to get inside.

“Callie,” Lucas booms, wanting me to do the same.

“Earth, air, water, fire,” I chant, calling on the most basic of spells. “Keep me safe is all I desire.” I sweep my hands out, magic leaving my fingers. But the second before I can draw a line, a tendril of black smoke wraps around my ankle and yanks me off balance. I fall hard, catching myself. Shock shoots through my wrists, and I twist, fumbling with my pregnant stomach.

“Get away from me,” I growl through gritted teeth and thrust my right hand forward, blue light glowing around my fingers. The demon shrieks and slinks away, and pain shoots through me. God fucking dammit. I need to access my angel powers now without my baby magically growing and causing me crippling pain.

If she wants us to live, she needs to cut it the fuck out. Demons charge at me, and Binx and Freya both go for them. But there are too many. Another rises from the darkness, and the tendril of smoke twists around my ankle, yanking me forward and knocking me to the ground. I fall hard, the back of my head whacking against the soft earth beneath me.

“Lucas!” I scream when the black magic pulls me forward, bringing me to the forest. I throw out my hands, blasting whatever’s in front of me with white light. The black magic wrapped around my ankle dissipates, and I scramble to turn over, army-crawling a few paces with my stomach against the ground before I get to my feet.

But as soon as I do, something grabs me again. It’s not magic this time, but a demon. A woman about my age growls at me, dark eyes reflecting the light of the house behind us. She opens her mouth, as if she were flashing her fangs, and Pandora jumps in, knocking her off me. I continue my mad dash up, heart racing.

I need to get back inside.

“Lucas!” I scream again. Why isn’t he answering? Why isn’t he here? I scramble up, clawing my way past the weak border of my line of protection. Dirt is jammed under my nails, but I don’t notice, let alone care. “Lucas!”

Scarlet lets out a sharp bark, and I jerk my attention to her. My familiars are battling demons in the woods, and Binx lets me know more are coming. And Lucas—fuck—I can’t get a read on him.

“Lucas!” I shout again, desperation coming off in forms of blue sparks. I stumble to the crumbling railing that leads up to the side door and look out at the yard. The body of the child is lying on the ground only feet from me, and Lucas isn’t there.