Reign of Night (Thorne Hill 7)

“That would be.” Naomi holds her hand over her potion, heating the bowl with magic. “Are you nervous for the ultrasound? You have no idea what to expect when it comes to you.”

“I am a little nervous, though if it’s just Abby in the room, it’ll be fine. I won’t have to worry about altering her memory or anything. What if anatomically, I’m not right on the inside?”

“You are on the outside, so I’d think everything is in place.” Kristy waves her hand up and down my body. “And if not, like you said, you have Abby there to tell you and make sure no one else finds out.”

“Yeah, good points.”

“When tomorrow?” Kristy asks.

“Sunset so Lucas can come.”

“I bet he’s excited.”

“He is,” I say with a smile. “And I am, too.” We go back to drinking and potion making, taking me back to our days at the Academy together. It’s nice to hang out with my friends, and though we’re prepping for demon attacks, we try and keep the conversation light.

I didn’t know how much I needed that until they leave. I walk them to the front door and then go back into the kitchen to finish off the rest of the virgin margarita. Lucas is in there, looking at the potions we made.

“You look happy,” he says, setting down a banishing potion.

“I am. It was nice to hang out with the girls.”

“I’m glad, and it looks like you got a lot accomplished.”

“We did. Most of these are protective potions, but I did have everything I needed for some more truth potion. If the demon is possessing a human whose body is still alive, it might work. I do not think it’ll work on a demon in a dead body, but it won’t hurt to try.”

“That’s a really good idea. We could finally get answers without wasting the time to torture.”

“Right? And Pandora came up with it, so I can’t take credit.” I pick up a bottle and look at the amber-colored liquid. She added a couple extra things that made it almost tasteless, too. It can be a little strong, and if you mix a few drops in someone’s drink, they might think something is wrong with their drink and not finish it.

“It seems like a good thing to have on hand.”

“Oh, for sure. I need to do a better job keeping my witchy cabinets stocked, too. I should have these potions ready at all times.”

“How long do they last?”

“Different ones last different amounts of time. The truth potion will only keep for a few weeks, but these banishing potions will be good forever if you don’t open the lids.”

“Are you done for the night?”

“Yeah. These have to cool on the counter, and these three in the moonlight. They’ll freeze outside, but the conservatory has more than enough windows.”

“Good,” Lucas says, taking both my hands in his. “Let’s watch a movie tonight. Show me how to use the popcorn maker and I’ll make you some.”

“I can do it,” I say, remembering the last time Lucas attempted to make me popcorn. It burned, and the whole downstairs reeked like burned popcorn for a day. “That popcorn machine is fun to use.” I stand on my toes to kiss him and take my potions that will spend the night in the conservatory.

Then I change into PJs and meet Lucas in the den, which is our main TV-watching room. This house is huge and has been modernized as minimally as possible to keep it original. The kitchen and bathrooms got the biggest updates, followed by this den. There’s a large TV on the wall, with surround sound and mood lighting.

I make the popcorn, eat so much I feel sick, and then fall asleep halfway through the movie, which isn’t surprising. Lucas carries me upstairs when it’s over, and I lazily wash my face and brush my teeth, eager to go back to bed.

As soon as I lie down, I feel that fluttering feeling again, but this time it’s much stronger.

“Lucas,” I whisper, afraid I might startle the baby. “Feel.”

He puts his hand on my stomach and waits a beat. Of course, she stopped moving and then—

“I felt that.”

“You did?” I put my hand over his.

“I did.” His whole face lights up, making my heart swell in my chest. “That’s our daughter in there.”

“She can hear us now,” I tell him, though I’m sure he knows. Lucas read through a dozen or so pregnancy books before I even downloaded a pregnancy tracker app on my phone.

“Right, she can.” He moves his face down and kisses my stomach. “Hi, Elena,” he says, and I’m instantly choked up with emotion. “You’re going to be strong just like your mother, and those little kicks are proving it.”

It hits me once again just how much is on the line here. When I’m at risk, our baby is, too. Being completely responsible for someone else’s life is a ridiculous responsibility to put on anyone, and if something happens to me, then it happens to Elena, too.