Reign of Night (Thorne Hill 7)

“What happened to staying home?” Lucas asks, rushing to me.

“I heard screams and I couldn’t stay,” I tell him honestly. “But I’m not fighting. I’m just providing protection spells.”

He pulls me to him, too relieved right now that I’m okay to get upset, and kisses my forehead, getting the demon blood that’s on his lips on my skin. “Stay here,” he growls, anger and concern flashing in his eyes. Inching back, I step behind the line and hold my hands out, ready to fuel it if necessary.

Another demon rushes at us, moving fast, but Lucas is faster. He catches it by the throat, fangs ripping into its skin. He pulls his head back, and flesh and muscles snap and break, spraying blackened blood all over him. The demon slumps down, and Lucas spits out the blood.

Letting out another growl, he looks around the woods, trying to sense for more.

“Invoco luna mitte lucis. Defendat. Solem dico. Mitte lucem tuam et. Defendat. Invocabo elementum. Commodare nos in tua potestate. Defendat,” the circle chants, words speeding up. ?Invoco luna mitte lucis. Defendat. Solem dico. Mitte lucem tuam et. Defendat. Invocabo elementum. Commodare nos in tua potestate. Defendat!”

“Now!” Tabatha tells them and I turn, seeing everyone take a silver dagger, raise it into the air, and then plunge it into the earth. There’s an unmistakable shudder that reverberates through the entire forest. I can feel the power of the Ley line surging through the ground, connecting us to the other covens. The air is electric, and for a few seconds, everything is still.

I’m holding my breath, watching and waiting. Pandora shadows back, shifting into her pretty calico cat form. She meows and rubs against my legs, wanting to be held and praised for going after demons. She’s my least combative familiar, preferring to make potions and help with spells instead.

Freya trots out of woods next, carrying a finger, which she proudly places at my feet, just like a real cat would with a mouse.

“Good girl,” I tell her, setting Pandora down so I can run my hand over Freya’s head. Binx and Scarlet come back next, and Binx is still in his shadow form. He still towers over Scarlet, even in her true form, and is just as frightening. Lucas brings me Scarlet’s collar and I clip it back into place, shifting her back into an Irish Wolfhound.

Everyone lets out a collective sigh of relief. The demons are gone, having been defeated, and the spell was cast at the same time all over the country.

“Did it work?” Kristy asks almost shyly.

“I believe it did,” Tabatha tells her. “I suppose there’s only one way to know.”

“And what’s that?”

“If we wake up tomorrow morning or not.”Chapter 36“It’s morning.” Lucas pulls back the curtains. “And the sun is still shining. Hell didn’t come to earth.”

I slowly sit up, blinking in the bright light. “We did it?”

“You did.” He smiles and speeds over to the bed, cradling me in his arms. “You fucking did it, Callie. You saved the world.”

“I guess we can have my baby shower after all.”

He laughs and nuzzles his face in my neck. “Yes, we can. Though we’re going to face another end of the world situation with Eliza not being able to prepare the night before like she planned.”

I laugh. “Now that is something I can live with. And I never did cancel the caterers. I figured if the world ended, that would be least of my worries, right? Though if they happened to deliver all that food before Doomsday, I could stick it in the freezer and live off leftovers for the next few months.

“I’m glad it didn’t come to that.”

“Me too.”

He kisses me and slides a hand over my stomach and down between my legs.

“Hang on,” I tell him. “I gotta pee, and Elena is kicking my bladder. Ugh, okay that hurts.” Lucas helps me sit up and I put my hand on my stomach, gently pressing two fingers into my side to get the baby to move. Whatever she’s doing is painful. I feel a little better after I pee, and I think the added pressure was too much.

I’m hurting again when I get back into bed, and Lucas notices the slight grimace on my face. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I say, immediately dismissing that anything could be wrong. “It’s that round ligament pain again.”

“Lie down,” he orders and gets up, fussing with the pillows. “Are you comfortable?”

“That damn sciatic nerve is a little sore. I was on my feet too much yesterday, that’s all, but for good reason. And now that the gates of Hell are staying shut, I’ll happily take the next three months off.”

“I look forward to that.” Lucas drapes his arm around me. “We haven’t had a change to simply relax in a while without it being forced.”

“True.” I run my fingers up and down his arm. “What should we do for the next three months?”