Queen of Night (Thorne Hill 6)

“I did. You know I can’t sit still when you’re out in the woods at night.”

“You don’t need to worry about me,” I tell Lucas, though we both know that’s not true. “The house looks great. I didn’t even notice last night.”

“You were a little distracted. And whatever laundry was in the washing machine smelled like it’d been in there for a while, so I washed it again and put it in the dryer.”

“Thank you, that’ll help speed things up.”

“When do you think you’ll be ready?” he asks. “I need to give the pilot a time frame.”

“Give me at least two hours to wash the rest of my clothes. We’re driving to Chicago still, right?”

“Yes. I’ll let Eliza know she can expect Scarlet earlier than planned.”

I take another bite of my donut and get up, feeling a little excited and nervous to leave all of a sudden like this. “I’ll go throw some clothes in now. Thanks again for cleaning. It was really thoughtful of you.”

“I live here too,” he says. “Though you are undoubtably the messy one in this relationship.”

“And I one hundred percent own that.” Bringing my coffee with me, I go upstairs and pull out outfits to pack. I’m rolling them up and jamming them into my suitcase when my familiars come back, shadowing into the room and letting me know they found three dead deer in the woods…all with their hearts removed.

I throw my head back, clenching my jaw. “Fucking demons.”Chapter 24“I’m just going to deliver the book,” I tell Lucas, repeating it out loud for my own sake as well. “I’m meeting Evander halfway to the door.” I put the heavy book back in the box it came in. My plan was always to give the Infernal Dictionary to Grim Gate Academy, anyway, knowing this kind of information is invaluable to the witches and warlocks studying there. “And then I’m coming right back, as I promised Evander when I talked to him.”

I astral projected to the Covenstead, surprising Evander’s class by popping in unannounced. It’s kind of fun, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like the looks of awe from the young students. But most importantly, I needed to tell him what my familiars found, because heart-eating demons aren’t something we can ignore.

“And Binx is coming with me,” I add. “Damn, this thing is heavy.” I pick up the box and give Lucas a kiss goodbye. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. It’d be faster to trek through the woods if I had that pony,” I joke.

“You need a horse.” Lucas pulls me in, squeezing my butt and kissing me once more. “I’ll get you one.”

“I don’t know how to ride a horse.”

“You’ll learn.” His eyes go to my stomach. “In a few more months.”

“The thought of riding a horse after giving birth is painful.”

Lucas makes a face. “It is for me too. Luckily you heal fast.” He pulls me in for one more kiss. “Be careful, Callie.”

“I will be.” We kiss again before I finally make it outside. I stop on the porch to zip up my coat. It’s sunny today, but the air is chilly, making me even more excited to get to hot and sunny Florida. “Sense anything?” I ask Binx. He jumps ahead, running into the forest and shadows back. He doesn’t, and I don’t either.

I’m nearing the halfway point when there’s a shift in the energy around me. I slow to a stop, setting the book down on the ground. Binx shadows around me, and I hold out my hands, magic sizzling around my fingers.

“Who’s there?” I ask, whirling around.

“It’s me.”

I jump. “Fuck, Julian!”

“I am sorry.”

Letting out a breath, I shake the magic from my hands and give Julian a hug. “It’s okay. I’m glad you’re here. I was kind of worried.”

He awkwardly hugs me back. “I was tracking another demon who mentioned you—by name.”

“Well, shit.” I pick the book back up. “On that happy note, I might as well tell you everything now.”

“Everything?”

“Yeah…every fucking thing.”

Julian stares at me, unblinking. “What?”

“A hunter who was out for revenge shot at me. I deflected the bullet and it hit Abby instead. I called for you and my father, but Lucifer showed up instead.”

“He healed a human?” Julian’s brows pinch together. “I didn’t know he could do that.”

“I didn’t either. But she’s fine. And then last night…”

“That blast of energy, it was you?”

I nod. “I didn’t mean it. I was pissed and it kind of…just…came out. You felt it?”

“I was underground in a demon dimension, so I didn’t, but others did. And Lucifer was tracked here and then in Indianapolis, Nashville, and along the east coast.”

“So, he did distract the angels from me.”

“Yes, he did.”

His words should bring me comfort, shouldn’t they? Lucifer did exactly what he said he’d do. He took the attention away from me in order to save my life. And now I feel even more conflicted because everything in my head is screaming at me not to trust him, but my heart wants to.