Reign of Night (Thorne Hill 7)

“You can have space when Heaven and Hell aren’t looking for you.”

“That could be for the rest of my life!”

“Once Lucifer is back on the throne and in charge of the demons again, the rumors about you should quell.”

“And if that doesn’t happen?”

“Then I will do everything I can to keep you safe.” He takes me in his arms. “I told you I didn’t think I was capable of loving someone until you proved me wrong, but you made me feel other things, too, Callie. Things I hadn’t felt since in centuries.”

“Like what?”

“You kept me guessing and were constantly surprising me. That was a first in a very long time. But that night when Varrador almost killed you…it when then I realized I love you because I felt something else, something I hadn’t felt since I was human: fear. The thought of losing you terrifies me. I’m not alive, but I don’t want to live without you, so if that means sitting in the car in the parking lot while you get a massage, then that’s what I’m going to do.”

“Sitting in the car is still creepy, but better. Won’t you be bored?”

“I’ll bring a book.”

“Overprotective, rich, great in bed, and a reader. You really are my dream man, Lucas King.”

He flashes a cocky grin that shows off his fangs. “I am no man.”“Really, guys,” I press, flipping a page in my Book of Shadows. It’s Sunday afternoon, and Kristy, Nicole, and Naomi are over. We’re in the kitchen, making potions and margaritas at the same time. Mine’s virgin, of course, but still tastes pretty damn good. “It’s not that much different than how things were before.”

“Oh no,” Naomi quips. “Instead of demons wanting to kill you, they want to kidnap and marry you.”

“I’m sure they wanted to marry me before. I mean, who wouldn’t want to?” I run my finger down the ingredient list, though I have this potion memorized.

“And archangels haven’t wanted to kill you before,” Kristy adds pointedly.

“Technically, they have,” Nicole interjects. “They just didn’t know who the Nephilim was. But since it was talked about, they wanted to be sure the abomination was destroyed. No offense.”

“None taken, as that’s pretty damn accurate.” I go to my spice cabinet, feeling rather adult by how excited I get to have everything organized in matching glass bottles. The builders thought I was some great cook, needing extensive shelving put in to hold all my spices. These cabinets were designed specifically for holding all my jars. Everything is in alphabetical order, making it easy to find everything.

“But the angels are busy looking for your uncle,” Naomi adds a shot of tequila to her glass before pouring the margarita mix in, keeping the pitcher alcohol-free for me.

“Right. They’re very distracted, and if I wasn’t worried about staking a claim for the throne, I’d almost be happy he took the attention off of me.”

Pandora jumps off the counter, shifting into her shadow form, and looks at the herbs. She’s good with potions and is helping me come up with something new. The more potions I have, the better, because we have no idea what we could be dealing with in the upcoming months.

“I still can’t believe I met the devil,” Kristy says and reaches for the tequila. “He looked so…so human.”

“Oddly enough, he acts the most human,” I say, getting the Vesta powder down as Pandora suggested. “Maybe it’s because he actually spends time with them—well, their souls—in Hell. The other angels aren’t very interactive when it comes to humanity.”

“Julian is quite awkward,” Nicole laughs. “I think it’s cute, though.”

“It is, and he’s getting a little better. The more time he spends with me, the more he picks up on all things human. Watching TV helps, depending on the show.”

“Do you have any Devil’s Shoestring?” Naomi asks.

“I should. Not much.” I grab the jar from the cabinet and give it to her. “Will this do?”

“Yes, I only need one small piece.” She unscrews the lid of the jar and takes one two-inch twig out.

“Abby is going to try to sneak me into the ER and get me in for an ultrasound tomorrow,” I tell everyone as I mix more herbs into a bowl, following Pandora’s instructions.

“I expect pictures,” Nicole says.

“And I expect a video of the heartbeat.” Kristy smiles. “And I know you’ve already settled on Elena for the name, but Elena Kristina King sounds wonderful.”

“It has too many ahs in it,” Nicole shoots back. “Elena Nicole sounds much better.”

“That actually does sound nice,” Kristy laughs.

“Are you really going with Elena?” Naomi asks.

“I’m pretty sure. Lucas suggested it, and I really like it. It’s different but not like weird different. And as for the middle name, I have no idea. I wish I knew my mom’s middle name. I have her first name, so it would be neat to give my daughter her middle name.”