“No, we had plans to take the kids out to dinner.” She takes Penny from my arms. “Today was…it was…fun.” She closes her eyes and shakes her head. “It was fun,” she says firmly, and it was, until just now. “Thank you for inviting me to go with you.”
“You’re my sister. I’m glad you came with. I know it was pretty awful having to taste a bunch of designer cakes.”
“It was pretty awful. When you test out different cocktails, I suppose I can suffer with you and try them too.”
I smile. “Thanks. It’ll be nice to have someone else suffer with me. Eliza actually has a few ideas on what our signature cocktail should be.”
“Really?”
“She’s been working as a bartender for years. She might not drink anything she mixes, but supposedly she’s good at coming up with concoctions.”
“It if gives me an excuse to take a night off and drink, I’ll take it,” Abby laughs, and I love how fast we became friends after going years without speaking. I suppose trying to cure me from a demon virus is as good a way as any to bond, right?
Ricci sets Ben down only to pick him back up again. He’s full-on having a fit now, and is screaming and crying and just wants down. She walks me to the door, thanks me a million times again, and then I finally leave.
I think I’m going to agree with Lucas on taking an extended vacation after we get hitched.
“Honey, I’m home!” I drop my purse on the floor right inside the foyer and kick off my heels. Lucas is in the office, talking to someone on the phone. He’s not speaking English, but looks up from the glow of the computer screen to smile at me.
My familiars come running and I’m looking forward to a quiet night at home with them and Lucas. I go right into the kitchen and get something for us all to eat.
“You could hunt,” I tell my familiars as they wind around my feet. “Some witches don’t feed their familiars at all, let alone cook chicken just for them.” Binx meows and rubs against my legs.
“You’re right,” I agree with a laugh. “I do like making you food.”
Lucas comes into the kitchen as the chicken is cooking. He takes me in his arms and kisses me, picking me up and putting me on the counter.
“How was cake tasting?”
“It was fun. You’ll be very excited to know that I picked out a French- vanilla cake batter with strawberry filling.”
“I have no idea what that even looks like,” he laughs. “But as long as you like it.”
“I think I’m going to take you up on the offer to go on a long vacation.”
“Did something happen today to change your mind?”
I rest my hands on his broad chest. “Ricci’s kid climbed up and over a bench by her balcony railing. I stopped him from falling to his death with magic.” I let out a sigh. “She saw, wanted to post the security footage of me saving him with magic online, but I altered her memory to make her think she didn’t want to share it or tell anyone who I was.”
“I can erase her memory completely.”
“I know, and I thought about asking you to, but I think she needs to know her professionally decorated house might look pretty but isn’t the safest. If I hadn’t been there, not just at her house there, but standing in that very spot, the kid probably would have died if not been severely injured.”
“Look at you, saving lives all the time.” He runs his hands up and down my arms.
“I didn’t even mean to.” I rest my forehead against his. “It’s just been one thing after another and I want nothing more than a quiet few nights together, feeling the still of night without having to worry about angels or demons or being excommunicated.”
“Let’s get away then, right after the wedding. Take a traditional honeymoon for a week. Then we can come back, you can take care of things here, and we can leave again before Samhain. Spend the weekend in Disney World.”
“You need more than a weekend at Disney. We should stay for at least eight days so we get two at each park.”
“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about, you know.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll show you the ropes. It’s been a few years since I’ve been there, but I’ll get us both caught up to speed by watching YouTube videos.”
Lucas laughs like he thinks I’m joking. Folding me in his embrace he puts his lips to my neck. “You’re so warm.”
“There are other parts of me that are warmer.”
“Fuck, Callie,” he groans, pulling me closer. My phone rings and we both let out defeated signs. “Stay here, I’ll get it,” he tells me and zooms away, returning only a second later. Whoever is calling has a Chicago area code.
I answer and put the call on speaker.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Callie. It’s Easton.”
My brows go up. “Oh, hey. Is something wrong.”
“Something is always wrong,” he says and I think he’s trying to be funny, but the joke falls flat. “I did some digging into who hired the Order.”
“Did you find anything out?”
“Possibly. I can’t confirm if it’s true or not, but according to one hunter, the Order was paid a big sum of money to take out some witch in Chicago. The guy emphasized that they were paid much more than normal, like a hundred grand more than normal.”
“Did they say who paid it?”
“Not who, but what,” Easton pauses for a second. “Callie,” he starts again, slowly saying my name. “The money was paid by a vampire.”
21
“A vampire?” I echo.
“Yeah. A rich one.”
I look up at Lucas, whose face is tense.
“You’re not suggesting that Lucas paid someone to kill me, are you? Because I sleep next to him every night. He could easily slit my throat then for free.”
“No,” Easton says. “I don’t think it was him, nor did I. I can tell he really cares for you.”
“I do care for her,” Lucas says, wrapping his arm around me possessively. I want to elbow him away and remind him that Easton can’t see us.
“Oh, I’m, uh, on speaker,” he says ruefully. “Should have figured he’d listen in on all your phone calls.”
“Yeah. What else did you find out?” I ask, ignoring his snide comment.
“That was pretty much it. There’s a hunter hangout, and this guy got shit-faced. He was spouting off about getting paid a ton of money and I got as much info out of him as I could before he puked all over his shoes.”
“Gross. Wait,” I look up at Lucas and slowly shake my head. “He already got paid? Don’t hit men have to finish the job before they collect?”
“I’ve never been a hired assassin, so I’m not sure,” Easton starts. “But I’d assume so.”
“Did he act like he killed me?”
“Not really.”
“Not really?” Lucas echoes. “What does that mean?”
“It means he wasn’t bragging about it, but he didn’t talk about missing his mark either. If a hunter had killed a witch, they tend to talk about it,” he admits ruefully. “But he did act like he’d already gotten the money.”
“Did he tell you anything about the vampire?” Lucas asks. “Anything at all.”
“All he said was some old, undead fucker—his words not mine—paid him to kill a witch.”
“What did he look like?” I ask.
“Hang on, let me text you a picture.” A few seconds pass before the text comes through. The guy is obviously drunk, and Easton took the photo inconspicuously, holding his phone down at his side. It’s not the best photo, but it’s good enough for me to know it’s him.
“That’s the guy I tackled. The one who shot at me when I was leaving Abby’s house.”
“Did you get a name?” Lucas asks, drawing his fangs.
“Robert. He didn’t have ID on him and once he got too drunk, some of his buddies took him away. They left in cars with New York plates. I got a partial number. I’ll text it to you.”
“Thank you, Ea
ston” I let out a heavy sigh. “If you hear anything else, let me know.”
“I will. And I’m going to keep digging. The Order detests anything remotely non-human. Taking money from a vampire goes against what they stand for, though I suppose they’ve shifted from actually fighting the good fight to doing whatever pays the most.”
“It’s human nature,” Lucas muses. “I’ve seen it many times over the years. Thank you,” he says and sounds like he really means it.
“Yeah, sure. Be careful, Callie. I…I don’t know what kind of business you got yourself mixed up with, but this is deep shit. If you need anything, Miranda and I are here.”
“Thanks,” I tell him. “And same here. Actually…what are you guys doing the last Saturday of August?”
“Um, nothing?”
“Want to come to my wedding? The cake is going to be very good.”
“Um, I, uh…um…sure?”
“I’ll text Miranda the info. Thanks again.” I end the call and close my eyes. I want one night—just one fucking night—where I’m not worried about anything.
“You invited hunters to our wedding?” Lucas eyes me like I’ve officially lost my mind. Who knows? Maybe I have.
“We have the venue space.”
A beat passes and then he laughs. “Let’s go to bed. Make popcorn or cheese or whatever it is you eat and we can watch a movie.”