“And I love you.” Lucas draws his fangs and grazes them over the flesh on my neck. Goosebumps break out along my skin, and I inhale deeply, breasts crushing against him. He sweeps his hand down my back, squeezes my butt, and moves it between my legs.
“If Ruth didn’t summon Bael,” Lucas starts, drawing his fangs and putting his lips to my neck, careful to avoid the bruises. My eyes flutter shut when I feel the sharp points of his fangs, pressing into my skin but not breaking through the surface. “Then she’s still under the assumption the curse worked and I’m dead.” He moves his lips down my neck, tugging at my jacket. “It gives us more time.”
“Yeah,” I say, working hard to hold onto my resolve. “It gives us time to find her and strike when her guard is down.”
“I was thinking more along the lines of fucking you senseless tonight,” he goes on, urging my legs apart with his other hand.
“Lucas, she almost killed you.” I lean back, fighting to keep the tears from my eyes. “Seeing you like that…” I trail off and lose my battle with the tears. One streams down my face. “I was so scared, and now…now I want to get revenge.”
Lucas cups my face in his hands, wiping away the tear with his thumb. “Callie,” he groans and steps closer, pressing himself against me. “You are so fucking hot when you’re set for revenge.”
“Nobody hurts my family and gets away with it.” I fasten my arms around his waist, feeling anger burn inside me. “I want to hurt her like she hurt you. And once we’ve eliminated Ruth, I’m going back for B. Those things he conjured could have hurt Abby and Penny.”
“And Phil,” Lucas adds with a smirk. “Or does he not count?”
“He counts, and I’ll admit I misjudged him. He’s kinda cool.”
“Really?” Lucas raises his eyebrows.
“Not in that sense, but he’s trying to accept us both, which is cool given the fact he’s married to my sister.” I turn, looking at Scarlet for a second to make sure she’s not going too far into the yard, and then snap my attention back to Lucas. “You knew we weren’t related the first time you met Abby.”
“You didn’t smell alike. Immediate family always has a similar scent.”
I wrinkle my nose. “I’m glad I don’t smell people.”
“You also don’t eat people.” Lucas brushes my hair back, exposing the other side of my neck. “Speaking of…” He puts his mouth to my skin, kissing and sucking at my neck, fangs painfully scraping against my flesh in a way that hurts so damn good. He slowly starts to pull my jacket off, and I shiver from the night air.
“Is it too cold for you?” Lucas asks, putting his lips to mine. We kiss before I answer.
“Yes, if it wasn’t for the breeze, I could tough it out under a blanket. Though lighting a fire sounds nice, and we haven’t had sex in front of the fireplace while a fire is going yet.”
Lucas grins, kisses me once more, and then picks me up. I call for Scarlet as he carries me inside, laying me down on the couch and zooming out to the shed to get firewood. We’ve pretty much checked off all other areas of the house as far as places we’ve made love, and we are both very much looking forward to starting a new list once we move.
I take off my shoes and jacket and get an extra blanket from the bottom drawer of my TV stand and lay it on the floor by the fireplace. Lucas is back in just seconds and puts the firewood in the hearth.
“I got this,” I tell him, holding out my hands. “Fire, fire, burning bright, keep hot, keep warm, all through the night.” Little embers spark around the logs, and with a pop, they go up in flames.
“Show off,” Lucas teases, elbowing me.
“I can’t imagine not having magic,” I say, staring into the flames. “I’d actually have to do stuff.”
Lucas laughs and pulls me to him, laying us down on the blanket. I rest my head on his chest and close my eyes. The world is still spinning a bit, but being with Lucas is always grounding.
He’s my rock. My anchor. I love him more than I ever thought was possible.
I’m going to fucking rip Ruth limb from limb for hurting him.
“Mhhh, that feels good,” I say when Lucas moves my shirt up and starts rubbing my back. I could easily drift to sleep right now and know if I did Lucas would carry me up to bed. My heart swells in my chest, overcome once again with just how much I love him.
I snuggle closer, hooking my leg over his. Lucas slips his arms under me and brings me onto him. I run my hand through his hair.