“Yes. A month is not much time to plan a wedding,” she says as if I don’t know. “Six months is even cutting it close. We’re going to have to take what we can get at this point.”
“Okay.” I blink a few more times and then follow Eliza into the living room.
“The venue will provide basic table linens, but we need to decide on table centerpieces like yesterday.”
“You know there’s only going to be like twelve people there, right?” I ask slowly.
“I don’t care if there are only going to be two people. Lucas is over sixteen hundred years old and not once in those years did he have the slightest inkling that he wanted to marry. Not even as a human. The fact that he wants to marry you is enough alone to make sure this day goes off without a hitch.”
I stare at Eliza, almost unable to believe it. Then I smile. “You’re my wedding planner.”
“Call it what you will as long as I am in charge.” She opens the binder. “I spoke with Wendy at the venue today, and she gave me a list of the top local bakers they see making cakes. I’ve already called and was able to get you in at this one on Friday at three for a tasting.” She pulls a piece of paper from the folder. “They’ll do the full custom cake—whatever you want.” She wrinkles her nose. “Thinking about the texture of cake is disgusting.”
“That’s sad. And reason enough alone to not become a vampire. I love cake.”
Eliza rolls her eyes and pulls an iPad from her purse. “If you approve of the tasting, then you can give them your design ideas that day. So let’s pick out a cake. Do you have a theme in mind?”
“Enchanted forest.”
“I can work with that.” Eliza pulls up a Pinterest wedding board that already has a bunch of stuff pinned. “Once we get the cake narrowed down, we’ll move onto flowers and centerpieces. I’m assuming you’re going to want to have an open bar. Drinking seems to suit you. Signature cocktails are a thing people do now. I’ve already found a few things I thought you might like.”
I get comfy on the couch next to Eliza, pulling a blanket over my lap. I always wanted a wedding planner, but might have imagined someone a little more stereotypical, like a flamboyant man who’s better dressed than I am, and who gets just as excited about the wedding as I do.
Eliza is the exact opposite of that, but having her here, helping me plan a whirlwind wedding, is more than I could ever ask for.
“Callie,” Lucas whispers softly, hand landing on my shoulder. My eyes flutter open. I fell asleep on the couch, going over wedding plans with Eliza. Without saying another word, Lucas scoops me up and carries me upstairs and into bed.
He gets in next to me, cold skin a shock against me. My eyes fall shut again and I hear him click on the electric blanket.
“Did you get everything taken care of?” I mumble.
“Yes, I did.” He brushes my hair back. “And I got the police files on the missing persons as well as the three victims.”
“You are so good to me.” I lazily reach for him.
“There are no similarities,” he says. “Nothing obvious, at least. I’ll assist you with researching them more in the morning.”
“Thank you.”
He kisses my neck. “Now get some sleep.” Not having to tell me twice, I relax against him, and slip into a peaceful sleep, not waking until seven glorious hours have passed. I could stay asleep longer, but get up, needing to use the bathroom.
The guest bedroom door is closed, and I realize that Eliza is here. She’s never spent the night before, and she’s never woken up with the sun.
I use the bathroom, shower, and then go downstairs to look over the police files. I make a pot of coffee as I look them over. Lucas is right: there is nothing to link the victims, and while I plan to dive into this a bit deeper by doing a social media search, I’m pretty confident I’m not going to find any connections.
The demon wanted a heart, so it got a heart. Then it wanted another, so it got another. The only thing these victims had in common were that they were in the right place at the wrong time.
“Holy shit.”
I whirl around, looking in the direction of Eliza’s voice. She’s just come down the stairs and is standing in the hallway off the foyer. Her blue eyes are wide and she looks almost disturbed.
“It’s the first time you’ve been in the sun,” I say, getting up from the stool at the island counter. “Since you’ve become a vampire, isn’t it?”
“It is.” Her eyes are filled with tears and one rolls down her cheek. “I never thought I’d see it again.”
“It shocked Lucas too.”
“It’s…it’s…” Eliza holds out her hands, looking at her skin in the light. “It’s so fucking bright.”
I laugh. “Yeah. It is.”
“And warm. I don’t remember it being this warm.” She quickly wipes at her eyes. “I didn’t think I’d forget.” She closes her eyes in a long blink. “I feel like I’m back in the garden, drinking tea with my sister.”
Neither Lucas or Eliza speak about their human days very often. I know Eliza came from a wealthy family, and she mentioned her sister only once before. Eliza slowly spins around, and the sunlight catches on golden strands in her blonde hair.
“Now I know why Lucas spends so much time here.”
“I think the fact that he loves me has a little to do with it.”
“Perhaps.” Eliza moves closer to the living room window, moving low as if she doesn’t trust not to get burned. I go back into the kitchen to keep looking over the files and to let Eliza have some time alone with the sun.
I spend half an hour searching the victims on social media only to confirm what I thought all along: the demon is just grabbing random people.
It’s typical, but also makes the demon hard to track. Anyone could be its next victim if you happen to cross paths. Anyone…including me.
19
“I will be fine,” I press, grabbing my purse. It’s Friday, and the week passed without anything out of the ordinary happening. I spent hours in the Academy library again, researching demons, but came up empty-handed once again, as there was nothing specific enough about a demon demanding hearts and livers as a form of payment.
“Bring Binx.” Lucas takes my hands in his. “As well as the others.”
“I’ve put a cloaking spell on myself so the hunters won’t even be able to find me,” I remind him. “And I’m meeting Abby at Ricci’s house. We met her at Penny’s party.”
“Yes, the wife to the real estate agent who sold me my house.” Lucas’s nostrils flare. “She’s obnoxious.”
“She’s watching Penny so Abby can go to the cake tasting with me. But yes, she was. And she totally thought you were a hot piece of ass. I’ll have to make sure to let her know to stay away from my man.”
“Do you want me to meet you back in Chicago tonight? You haven’t really left your house all week, and it would be good for us both to get out and do something other than lie around watching TV.”
I narrow my eyes. “Are you implying that my plans of drinking alone while snuggling with an ancient and powerful spirit who has taken the physical form of a cat is lame? Because that's my idea of a good time. Besides, we
just started binging Gilmore Girls and if I watch an episode without Binx, he's going to be mad. He's totally team Dean and I can't break it to him that things will not work out in his favor.”
“I am implying,” Lucas says, cutting right to the chase, “I’d like to take you out on a date.”
“I’d like that a lot.” I pull my keys from my purse. “I’ll let you know when we’re headed back. It’ll take a while, though. I’ll text you throughout the day,” I promise, knowing he’s not comfortable with me going out without him when there are multiple people trying to kill me. Though it’s kind of my new normal.
“Enjoy yourself,” he tells me, pulling me into a tight embrace.
“I will. It’ll be nice to hang out with Abby again.” I wrap my arms around Lucas’s shoulders. We’re not having a traditional wedding at all, and we’re not having a bridal party. But I do want Penny to be a flower girl in some sense, just because she’s so darn cute. And I’d joked long ago with Kristy that Binx would be the ring bearer whenever I found someone worthy of settling down with.
He’s wearing a bow tie, and Freya and Pandora are wearing bows on pink collars as well. They’ve been grumbling about it every since I told them my plan a few days ago, but I know they won’t object come the day of the wedding.
Lucas and I kiss goodbye once more and then I get in my Jeep to drive to Chicago and pick up Abby.
“It would be nice if I knew how to do that whole flying thing,” I say out loud as the Jeep bumps along the gravel driveway. I’ve tried praying to Julian a few times throughout the week but haven’t gotten an answer. He might be able to help me with this demon, now that I’ve narrowed it down to, well, any freaking demon.
I’ve prayed to Michael too, and hoped with my whole heart he could hear me. Julian made it seem like he could hear me, even when he wasn’t able to come down to earth. Michael is an archangel. Don’t people pray to him all the time? He might not even be able to hear my voice amongst the million others.