Reign of Night (Thorne Hill 7)

“You were very divine last night.” Lucas wiggles his eyebrows. “You always are in the bedroom.”

“Oh my god, Lucas! Don’t talk like that in front of my dad! That’s weird.”

“Please. You’re pregnant. He’s an archangel. He knows how babies are made, and don’t forget he knocked up your mother.”

“Yeah, but you don’t have to mention it.” I stick my fork in my food again, and Kristy laughs.

“Some demons, yes,” Michael answers. “And more will seek it out since they know the rumors about you are true.”

“So things really won’t be much different than they were before.” I eat another bite of mashed potatoes with my dressing mixed in. “Only more demons than usual will try to kill me.” I let out a sigh. “Can you get me the cranberry juice?” I ask Lucas, who’s closer to the fridge than I am.

“Cranberry,” Michael says softly. “Your mother liked that as well.”

“She did?” I smile. “What else did she like?”

Lucas gets the juice from the fridge and pours me a glass. He kisses my forehead. “I’m going to start a fire in the living room.”

“I’ll help,” Kristy says, and I know they’re leaving to give me some alone time with Michael while he talks about my mom.

“Cheese.” Michael smiles back at me. “She put cheese on everything. When she was pregnant with you, she craved sour candy. I don’t quite get the human appeal to it,” he says, smile widening.

“I wish I could have known her.”

“I do, too,” he says gently, smile fading. “She would be very proud of the witch you’ve become.”

I blink away tears, mind racing with a million more questions to ask about her. “I’ve messed up a lot.”

“All humans do. And even angels from time to time.” He gets up and goes to the large window that looks out into the backyard.

“True, but declaring myself Queen of Hell was a pretty big thing to mess up.”

“You did what you had to do, and do not worry, my daughter.” He closes his eyes and holds up a hand, trying to sense for something. “And Lucifer will go back down and reclaim the throne. It will be over…as soon as I can find him.”

“What do you mean, find him? I thought you could just pop over to wherever he is.”

“Usually, but he’s cloaked himself from me.” Michael lets his hand fall, and I realize that’s what he was doing, trying to get a feel for where Lucifer is. “He does it anytime he comes to earth.”

“He’s done this before?”

“Yes,” Michael says, resting a hand on the window. “If there’s one thing my brother is good at, it’s deception. It could take us quite a while—again—to find where he’s hiding.”

My heart speeds up, and I remember something Julian told me. “But he went back to Hell…and he went willingly, right?”

“He did.”

“How can we get him to do that again?”

Michael slowly turns back around, gaze meeting mine. He holds it for a moment before continuing, and as those few seconds pass, I realize it’s the first time I’ve been able to simply look at my dad in person like this. I look like my mother, yet I see some similarities between Michael and myself, too.

“We can’t,” he finally says. “You…perhaps. You’re the closest to…” He trails off, getting a distant look in his eyes.

“To what?” I ask, almost afraid of the answer, and my nerves start to prickle with fear.

“Callie,” Michael starts, taking in a slow breath. “There’s something I need to tell you about your mother.”Chapter 4“Tell me everything about her,” I say, heart jumping into my throat. “I have so many questions. Where was she from? What was her last name? Did she belong to a coven? Probably, so which one? Do I have family on her side? Did they know about me? Can I meet them?” I shake my head. “Sorry.”

“It’s all right. I knew you’d have questions if you ever found out the truth.”

“If I ever? You never planned on telling me who I was?”

“It was safer keeping your identity concealed from everyone, including you.” He comes back over to the island. “You asked how your mother and I met.”

I nod eagerly, feeling like I’m going to get a missing piece of myself back.

“I was sent to earth twenty-eight years ago,” he starts, but suddenly stops and tips his head as if he’s listening to something. “I need to go.”

“Why?” I hurry off the stool. “Please stay.”

“I wish I could.” Michael’s brows push together ever so slightly, and he inhales deeply. I have no idea when I’ll see him again…or when I’ll find out more about my mother. “I love you, Callie,” he whispers. “And I know your mother does, too.”

Without another word, he flies away, leaving me standing alone in the kitchen.

Letting out a sigh, I shake my head and stare at the spot where Michael was just standing, disappointed more than anything. I want so badly to know more about my mother and get some family history, my real family. I don’t think I’ll get much from my dad’s side, and even if I do, I’m not sure I’ll be able to comprehend it.