“No,” she says firmly. “I still fear there are those on the Council who are not to be trusted. Ruth was ready to kill you just from thinking you had been given power by Satan. If she were to find out you two are related—”
“Callie is related to the Devil?” Nicole blurts.
“Her father is an archangel,” Naomi sighs. “Keep up. Lucifer Morningstar started out as an archangel and fell from grace. Has it been that long since you’ve opened a history book, sister? The archangels are all brothers in some sense, so Callie’s father, Michael, is the Devil’s older brother, which makes the Devil himself Callie’s uncle.”
“Damn,” Nicole breathes. “Talk about a complicated family tree.”
“Right?” I agree and think back to the man from my dreams. Which were just dreams. Freaky dreams. “It’s crazy to think about.” I look at Tabatha. “And I agree. I think the less who know the better. Though I was kind of hoping they’d find out I wasn’t a full witch and would waive the rule about not being allowed to be with a vampire.” Lucas rests his hand on my thigh, and I lean into him. “It’s just so fucking stupid.”
“It is,” Tabatha agrees. “I think it’s high time we stop judging single people—or vampires—by actions done by their ancestors.” Tabatha takes another drink of wine and then brings her hand to her chin, tapping it as she thinks.
“I may have another idea.”
“On what?” Evander asks her.
“On how Callie and Lucas can get married.”
I lean forward. “You do?”
“If you two were to get married without the Grand Coven knowing, without me knowing,” she adds with a wink. “There might not be much they can do about it. Marriage is a sacred union, and the joining of two people as one is taken seriously within the coven. The basis of what we believe in is built on rituals, ceremonies, and verbal arrangements. The spoken word is held in high regard, since what we speak has consequences,” she explains quickly so Lucas understands.
“So we get married in secret and then what? They just have to let things go on as normal?”
“Quite the opposite. You’ll most likely be excommunicated from the coven, but there won’t be a mark for your head.” She takes a deep breath. “Though with the Order of the Mystic Realm after you, having a vampire ally could prove useful once again. Remind the coven that our enemies have shifted from vampires to humans.”
“Right.”
“Excommunication isn’t always a life sentence. I’ve seen witches kicked out of their covens for a few months. Others years. By then they’ve usually moved onto another coven.”
“That’s not much of a consolation,” Naomi quips.
“Showing a vampire the door to the coven is a great offense,” Tabatha goes on. “But the circumstances caused the ruling to be in Callie’s favor. If Lucas hadn’t been at the door at that exact moment, we all know what would have happened to the witches trying to ward off the demons.”
“You’re saying if I take out the Order,” Lucas starts, “the Grand Coven might let Callie back in.”
“Might,” Tabatha presses. “The reason for forbidding vampires and witches to be together is that it’s dangerous. All of us here know you are no threat to witch-kind. We just have to prove it to the Grand Coven.”
I smile, feeling like this is actually going to work out. “I guess I should thank Scott for hiring someone to take me out.”
“You really think it was Scott?” Kristy asks, not wanting to believe that someone I lived with for ten years could be so cruel. People are more evil than demons sometimes.
“Yes,” I tell her. “It’s just too much of a coincidence that I run into Nancy and then someone tries to kill me later that night.”
“Right. And now her super conservative friends know you’re marrying a vampire,” Kristy goes on. “As far as they know, there are no issues between you and the Martins.”
“I cannot wait until I’m not a Martin anymore,” I mutter. I considered changing my name before but refused to out of principle. I’m proud of who I am, and every bad thing that happened made me who I am today. “And right. When I saw Scott at Penny’s party a few months ago, he was still telling the story that his baby sister was off in a third world country helping Ebola patients or something for all I know.”
“So finding out that you’re marrying a vampire goes against everything your fath—Senator Martin has built his platform on,” Kristy finishes.
“Exactly.”
“You still need to be careful,” Tabatha warns. “And I am alerting the Grand Coven. They need to know the Order is in Chicago so they can warn the other covens in the area.”
“Will they kill other witches?” Nicole asks. “If they haven’t been hired to do so?”
“If they come across one, yes.” Tabatha lets out a deep breath. “Like other hunters, they don’t consider witches human or worthy of life.”
I shudder. And the Grand Coven thinks vampires are our enemies.
“And as for the Gates of Hell opening…” Evander looks around the table. “Am I the only one who remembered that part of the conversation?”
Tabatha gives him a pointed look. “We all need to be extra careful, though I think we all know if a demon did come from the pits of Hell, it’s here for you, Callie.”
I nod, mind whirling. If a demon did come here nearly a week ago, why haven’t we found any carnage? There are no dead bodies, no blood trails.
Which makes me think a demon didn’t come out of Hell, but Lucifer did, and he’s here for me.
13
I stand at the kitchen counter, drumming my fingers against the cool quartz.
“What are you doing?” Lucas asks, coming in from the porch. He stepped outside to talk to Eliza after my friends left.
“Debating on making a cup of coffee or not. I’m tired.”
“Go to bed,” he suggests and locks the door behind him.
“It’s only nine-thirty. It’s so early.”
“If you’re tired, sleep,” he says with a laugh. “You haven’t gotten much lately, and while you don’t need as much sleep as an average human, you still need sleep.”
“I know,” I sigh. “I’ll make chamomile tea instead.”
“That helps you sleep, correct?” I nod as I reach for my tea kettle. “If you’re tired why are you making tea that helps you sleep?”
So I don’t have creepy dreams about Uncle Lucifer. I shake my head. “Just to help me relax.” I’m not lying to Lucas, just not telling him the whole truth so he doesn’t get worked up and worried over nothing.
Because these dreams are nothing.
I go to the sink and groan. It’s piled with dishes and I have to move several plates just to be able to fit my kettle under the faucet.
“I’ll do the dishes,” Lucas says, coming around behind me and kissing my neck. “Tomorrow,” he starts but stops to kiss my neck. I tip my head back, offering my neck to him. He doesn’t draw his fangs, and I have the feeling he won’t tonight. He’s in baby Callie mode, and I don’t particularly mind it. “You should call and see if you can put a rush on your dress.”
“If I can, it will cost a lot.” I stick the lid on the kettle and reluctantly move away from Lucas, going to the stove. I turn on the burner, groaning again at the sight of my dirty oven.
“Pay it.” Lucas slips his hands under my shirt, cold skin shocking me. “Pay double the cost of the dress. I don’t care. I want you as my wife.”
I spin in his arms. “And I want you as my husband.”
“Are you going to be okay with being excommunicated?” he asks gently and cups my face with his hands.
“No,” I say honestly. “Fall is coming up, and the Samhain fest is something I look forward to all year. It sounds childish to want to go to a party, I know.”
“It doesn’t. You should be able to do things that bring you joy, no matter how simple they may seem. Halloween and witches kind of go hand and hand,” he says with a smile. “For what it’
s worth, Callie, I don’t believe you will be excommunicated for long. It’s just a feeling I have.”
“I have the same feeling, or maybe it’s more of a hope. I’d rather have you than the coven, and I’ll still be able to talk to my friends. I’ll see Tabatha too, even though she technically shouldn’t associate with me.”
Lucas’s handsome face clouds with worry. “Are you sure you want to do this, Callie?” This isn’t the first time he’s asked me.
“You’re making me think you’re not.” My throat tightens and my brow furrows.
“I want nothing more than for you to be happy,” he says, speaking each word slowly so I know he means it. “If that means marrying you, then let’s get married. If it means waiting until after Halloween so you can go to the feast and wear a mask, then let’s wait.”
“I don’t want to wait. I can go to next year’s feast.” I smile up at Lucas. “Though I’ve always wanted to host a crazy Halloween party, and our house will be done by next Halloween.”