“What is it?”
“There was another reason I was hidden with the Martins.” I take in a steadying breath. “He had to switch me with a baby who’d died at the same time I was born to be able to convince the other angels that I was the one who’d perished during birth. Nephilim aren’t allowed to be. If the other angels find out about me, they’ll kill me.”
“And now demons are finding out about you. It’s only a matter of time before the angels do too.”
“Right. He said he’d try to keep them off my trail, but…I…I don’t know how to fight angels.”
“Stay calm, my love.” Lucas softly strokes his fingers over the curve of my hip. “You’ve lived twenty-five years on this earth and haven’t been tainted with evil. You won’t be now. Doesn’t that eliminate your threat?”
“I suppose so.” I splay my fingers over Lucas’s muscular chest. “I wish I knew how to talk to him.”
“Go play in traffic. Maybe he’ll show up.”
“Hilarious,” I retort dryly and an unsettled feeling washes over me. “I almost wish I didn’t know.”
“And before, all you wanted was to know the truth.”
“It changes everything I thought I knew. Not only am I not really a Martin, but I’m not fully human. Angels aren’t the pretty, ethereal beings you can pray to and have them grant miracles. They’re fierce warriors who kill each other’s babies.” I feel like I’ve been tipped upside down and I’m dangling from the ceiling.
“You were right when you said you’re still you. Nothing has changed that. You’re still Callie. Badass witch and incredible lover. You have the same kind heart, you still show mercy for those who don’t deserve it, and you’re still the woman I love.”
His words turn me back around, and things start to feel better.
“You have an indiscernible amount of power inside of you, power that could have been swayed to the light or the dark. You’ve never once come close to choosing the dark side, even when you were treated terribly.”
My eyes are all misty again and I push up, putting my lips to Lucas’s. I taste my own blood on his mouth, and he flips me over, pinning me against the mattress. My heart swells in my chest, and I just want to feel. Bucking my hips, I rub myself against him and his cock hardens. We kiss as he pushes into me, fucking me hard and fast as our love for each other physically manifests between us.
We come at the same time, and then fall back onto the mattress, tangled in each other’s arms. It’s mid-morning, and Lucas hasn’t slept in over a day. I should be tired, but when Michael healed me, it reset everything and I feel full of energy. I stroke Lucas’s hair until he’s asleep, and then I slip away to use the bathroom and get something to eat.
I take my food onto the rooftop patio, enjoying the warm sun along with Binx as we share the leftover breakfast food Lucas had delivered earlier this morning. Binx doesn’t see me any differently. He wouldn’t if he found out I was half demon either. We’ve bonded and no matter what I do, Binx will be on my side.
We hang out in the sun for an hour and then I’m too hot to stay out any longer. Lucas is up and in his office when we go back inside.
“That’s all the sleep you need?” I ask, finding him incredibly sexy. He’s shirtless, wearing those damn gray sweatpants that drive me crazy, and sitting behind his desk.
“Your blood…it tastes the same but feels different. It’s more filling than before.”
“Michael said he was slowly unlocking my angel grace, whatever that means.” I shrug. “I think that’s why my powers have been a bit wonky lately. They’re stronger than before because I’m tapping into a different part of me.”
“I’ll tap into a different part of—”
“No butt stuff.”
“You’ll enjoy it with me.”
“Nope.” I cross my arms and laugh. “Like I said, I wouldn’t be able to sit for a week with you.”
Lucas closes his laptop and gets up, speeding over and taking me in his arms. “Do you want to go out on a date tonight? We keep talking about it but it hasn’t happened.”
“Yeah, I do…but can we go back to Thorne Hill? I want something low-key.”
“If that is what you want, then yes.”
“It is.”
He puts his lips to mine. “Good, because I have business there.”
“In Thorne Hill?” I raise my eyebrows.
He nods. “Some real estate has come up for sale that would be a good investment opportunity for us.”
“I’ll leave that to you. And I want to see our house.”
“There’s a good chance it’s safe enough to fuck you in it now.” He pulls my hips to his, and even though his cock isn’t hard, feeling it against me makes warmth spread through me. We just marathoned sex this morning yet he’s turning me on again. “And if not, the porch is always a good option.”
“Is it now?” I stand on my toes and kiss him. His phone rings, and he goes to answer it, getting back to business. I go into the theatre room and make popcorn, trying to keep my mind busy.
Normally, after I defeat a big-bad demon, a sense of peace comes over me knowing I have a few days at least until something else tries to kill me. But now…now I can’t stop thinking about what I am.
Half witch.
Half angel.
I just want to feel like me again.
It feels good to be home.
Freya and Pandora bombard me as soon as I’m through the door. Relenting, I sink down onto the floor and let them rub against my face, purring loudly.
“I missed you guys too,” I tell them. It’s about an hour after sunset, and the moment we drove into Thorne Hill, I felt like I was home. Lucas carries my bags in and puts them upstairs for me. We get settled inside, and I look through my pantry for something to eat.
“Let’s go out,” Lucas suggests. “We can stop by our house on the way.”
“Okay. I’ll change really fast,” I tell him. Freya and Pandora follow me up the stairs, rubbing all over me again. “I promise I’ll take you with next time.” I give Pandora a look. “I know, you’re right. I could have used your help.”
I change into a sleeveless black dress. Using magic, I curl my hair, and I quickly put on the minimal amount of makeup I need to look put together.
“You are beautiful, my love,” Lucas tells me when I come back down the stairs. He’s wearing dark jeans and a gray t-shirt. Always effortless in appearance, it’s unfair how good Lucas looks without trying.
We get into my Jeep, and turn down the road, driving only a few miles until we get to our house. There’s a distinct path in the grass now tha
t’s been used as a driveway. Two large dumpsters sit in the yard, and part of the roof is covered with big blue tarps right now. Most of the windows have been removed and are temporarily covered as well, and it looks like the trash and ruined furniture that was left behind has been cleared out and moved into the dumpster.
“Oh wow,” I say when we get out. “I didn’t know what to expect, but they’ve gotten a lot done already.”
“Wait until we go inside.” Lucas takes my hand and leads me up the stairs. The front doors are locked, but all it takes is a quick wave of my hand over it to unlock them. I conjure an energy ball so I can see, and this one is bigger and brighter than usual.
“Tapping into your angel side, I see.” Lucas looks at the magic with awe on his face, not caring that if he gets too close it will burn him.
“I need to be careful I don’t blow shit up.”
“Right. Not in the house at least.”
I laugh and gently toss the energy ball up, lighting the foyer, and look around. The door and any remaining fixtures have been removed so they can be restored and put back if possible. We pick our way through the house to see what else has been done.
The awful kitchen is in the process of being gutted, and the linoleum has been removed, revealing severe water damage to the floorboards beneath it. It smells like mold and rat droppings, but at least these rats aren’t demonic.
Nothing has been done upstairs, so we go back onto the front porch. Lucas closes the doors and I magically lock them.
“It’s coming along nicely,” I say and rest my hands on the porch railing, looking out at the woods that surrounds the house. There’s something about the woods at night that’s always drawn me to it, and I remember Michael’s words about feeling the call of night from my mother’s side.
Knowing I’m half angel is a big pill to swallow, but knowing my mother was a witch…it changes everything even more.