“I should probably change Scott back now.”
“I still think you’re being too nice,” Lucas says.
“Oh, I know I am. But now…now that I told you everything and got my little fuck you speech in there to my father…” I shake my head. “I want to be done with them. I know I have a lot left to deal with, like my fear of needles and hospitals. Plus, the nightmares. And the things I’ve buried in my subconscious, like the sound of your blinds closing. Fuck I’m messed up.”
“We’re all a little messed up.” Lucas puts his arm around my shoulder. “I’d say that’s what makes us human, but I’m a vampire.”
“You’re still human. Or at least I think so in a way. There’s humanity in you.”
He smirks. “You’re the only person who’s ever said that, and I feel confident saying you’ll be the only one who ever will.”
I brush my hand through his hair. “There is kindness in you. Maybe just for me, but I see it.”
Lucas turns his head, looking out the window that faces the front yard. “A car pulled into your driveway.” He gets up and goes to the large window, moving apprehensively. I know he trusts my powers, but sixteen-hundred years of living in the dark would make anyone leery of the sun.
“It’s so bright.” He pulls back the curtain.
“Just wait until the first cloudless day.” I smile and go to the window next to him.
“Your eyes sparkle in the sunlight.”
“Yours do too. I can see little flecks of green amongst the blue. They’re really pretty.”
A black SUV slowly makes its way toward the house, and my stomach tightens just a bit at the thought of seeing my father again. He parks and gets out, but this time he’s not alone. Three men in black suits get out with him.
“Security guards?” I raise my eyebrows. “Really?”
“I told you, you’re badass.”
“I don’t always feel like it,” I confess.
“That’s what makes you a badass. You don’t let fear hold you back. You push through, face it, and get over it.”
I inhale deep and slowly let out my breath. The front porch steps creak as the men and my father come to the door. Someone knocks, and I wait a beat before going into the foyer, looking behind me to make sure Lucas is out of the line of light that will stream into the house when I open the door. My heart beats fast and anxiety takes a hold of me.
All of my familiars stand by me, and knowing Lucas is only a room away helps.
“Hello, Callie,” my father says. “Everything has been taken care of at home. Is Scott ready to come back to the city?”
“Almost.” I stand back, letting my father and the security guards to come into the house. “He still has to get up and get changed.”
My father fakes a laugh. “I see one night of the country life is already getting to him.”
I raise my eyebrows, looking at my father like he’s crazy. Though I suppose saying Scott came to stay at his estranged sister’s house in the country for a break from big city life is better than saying I transfigured and catnapped him.
Shutting the door, I move a few paces into the foyer, hearing Scott meowing like crazy upstairs. The floor creaks as Lucas joins us from the dining room. The security guards tense at the sight of someone new, but assume Lucas is human. The house if full of bright sunlight, after all. Besides, there are three of them and one of him. They think they’d be able to take down Lucas.
Hah.
My father scrambles back, hitting the wall. “Vampire! He’s a vampire! Shoot him!” he cries, raising his hand and pointing at Lucas. His security team looks at each other, all thinking the same thing. Sunlight is steaming through every single window, shining right down on Lucas’s face. Still, they go on the defense, but Lucas is faster. He speeds over and looks into their eyes, holding all three spellbound.
Impressive.
“Go wait in the car,” he tells them.
“Don’t look at him!” my father orders, but Lucas’s hold is too strong.
“You showed up, and no one was home. Nothing happened here today. You didn’t even get out of the car,” Lucas tells the security guards. “Now go back and wait there.”
“And crack a window,” I add. “It’s hot out.”
“Fine. Open the windows or turn the AC on. But go. Now.”
The first guard turns, going to the door. When he opens it, unfiltered light will come in and burn Lucas. One person dashing in and out as fast as they can causes minimal damage. But exposure longer than that will hurt him, and injuries from the sun take longer to heal.
I don’t think, but instead act on instinct. I throw out my hand, conjuring a ball of dark blue magic. I hold up the other hand, creating a telekinetic shield that I hold in front of Lucas. I throw the energy ball, and it splatters in a sense against the shield, acting like an umbrella held up to block out the sunlight.
Short-term, it works, and keeps the burning minimal.
One by one, they filter out the door. When the last guard is out, I flick my wrist and shut and lock the door with magic. Lucas stands behind me, eyes shimmering with his fangs drawn.
“It’s…it’s…daylight,” my father stammers. “How is this possible?”
“Anything is possible with magic,” I say, and Lucas’s hand lands on my shoulder. My father’s face pales, eyes flitting from me to Lucas as he realizes how dangerous we could be together. He has no idea vampires and witches are sworn enemies. I should make him think we’re all working together, and vampires will be able to walk in the sun soon.
“Don’t forget, I know what you did to her,” Lucas starts, deep voice rattling right through me. His blue eyes darken and the sunlight glints off his long fangs. He walks over to my father, his large frame towering over his, casting a shadow over him. Fuck, Lucas can be terrifying when he wants to. “All it will take is for you to look at her wrong again and I can’t promise I’ll hold back. The only reason you’re still alive is because Callie doesn’t think you’re worth the trouble of killing. You should be thanking her for your life, because if it weren’t for her, you’d be buried in the woods right now.”
“Where is Scott?”
“I’ll get him,” I say. “In the meanwhile, why don’t you and Lucas have a little chat. I mean, he is dating your daughter after all.”
Binx follows me up the stairs. Scott comes running as soon as I open the door, tripping as he races down the stairs and into the living room. The look on my father’s face is priceless, and I can tell he doesn’t know if he should shoo the cat away or pick him up.
I snicker, feeling my pettiness showing again, and go into the kitchen to get the supplies needed for the spell. Tabatha left a spellbook open to the page I need, and I quickly grab all the herbs, grind them in the mortar and pestle, and divide them in half.
I take the first half and boil up a potion, saving the second half to sprinkle on the candles that will be placed around my circle. This is a complicated spell, and having an audience always makes me nervous.
“You resurrected an entire graveyard full of bodies,” Binx reminds me. “This spell is child’s play.”
“Thanks, Mr. Prickle Paws.” I smile at his shadowy figure, and Pandora jumps onto the counter, looking into the bubbling saucepan on the stove. It doesn’t have the same appeal as a cauldron, but it’s much easier to wash since it fits inside the dishwasher.
The potion has to be stirred three times counter clockwise with one of the human ribs after it’s been at a roaring boil for exactly seven minutes. I flick off the burner and let the potion cool for a few minutes before I scoop some up and put it in a potion vial.
Grabbing the book, potion and herbs, I go into the dining room to get my salt and candles to cast a circle. Lucas, knowing what the spell entails, has already moved the coffee table and rug for me.
I make a circle of salt on the floor, place my candles, and sit cross-legged in the middle. Closing my eyes, I take a minute to ground myself, which is proving to
be much harder than normal. I can’t turn my brain off, and being distracted for this sort of spell can be dangerous.
“Okay,” I start, opening my eyes and looking at the orange cat who’s sitting on the couch next to my father. “Scott, take a seat in front of me. Stay quiet and still while I do the spell.”
Growling, Scott moves from the couch to the circle. I put the two remaining ribs on the ground in front of me and hold out my hands, magically lighting the candles, and look down at the book in my lap. “Tolle quode est, et mutare eam.” I sprinkle a bit of the ground-up herbs on the candle closest to me. The flame burns bright blue, and I can feel the magic working. “Tolle quode est, et mutare eam,” I repeat and sprinkle herbs in another candle.
I hold my hand over Scott. The energy coming off of him is manic, vibrating like mad. The spell is working. I have one more candle to invoke with the herbs. “Tolle quode est, et mutare eam.” The flames rise, and a blue band of magic forms from each of them, circling around us. I grab the potion vial, pull out the cork, and hold it over Scott’s head.
“Tolle quode est, et mutare eam!” I dump the potion on him, and the flames go out. The smoke wafts over, circling Scott much like the energy did the first time I cast the spell.
I bring my hand back, holding my breath. The smoke starts to settle, and instead of a fluffy orange cat, Scott is on the floor, crouched down on all fours. It worked.
“Hey, bro!” I say with a smile.
“Why you little bitch!” Scott lunges forward, and Lucas stops him, shoving him back across the room. My father jumps up and runs to Scott, pulling him to his feet.
“Let this be a reminder,” I call as they run out of the house. “Don’t mess with me or my friends ever again.”
Chapter 17
“We are going to have a boring, uneventful afternoon followed by a riveting time signing papers with the bank, and then finally a hot date back in Chicago.” I look up at Lucas, smiling. “Or I’ll be damned.”