Heir of Night (The Thorne Hill)

“It’s wise to be wary around my kind,” Lucas goes on. “Not all have the control Eliza and I do, and not all are happy about being forced to abide by human rules.”

“That’s good to remember, right? You and Eliza are the only vampires I know. I mean, it’s not like Phil and I come across them in our line of work, which I’ve never really thought about until now. Vampires don’t need healthcare.”

“No, we don’t.”

Penny cries, and Abby goes back downstairs to get her. Scarlet jumps off the bed and swipes a giant paw at the door, wanting out. To anyone else, I could lie still, keep my eyes closed, and I’d look like I was sound asleep.

But my husband is a vampire and can hear my heart beating and knows it hasn’t slowed like it does when I’m asleep.

“Callie?” he calls softly. “How are you doing?”

“I’m okay.” I slowly sit up and yawn. “I’m so freaking tired. Everyone is still here, right?”

Lucas crosses the room and sits on the bed. “Your Doomsday Crew, as I believe you said earlier.”

“It’s fitting. I think we should make matching shirts.”

“Please don’t.” He chuckles. “Though if you want to wear some sort of superhero costume for me later, I wouldn’t object.”

“I did make a good Wonder Woman.”

“You made the best Wonder Woman.” Lucas leans down and kisses me. For a moment, everything fades away.

“Lucas,” I say softly, taking hold of his arm and pulling him to me. “Lay with me for a second?”

“Of course.” He spoons his body around mine, holding me against his large frame.

“Demons escaped before we closed the gates,” I start and roll over, moving a bit awkwardly since I’m still not used to having this belly. “Four specific demons you’ve probably heard of.”

Lucas takes my hands in his. “Who are the demons?”

“The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.”

Lucas tightens his hold on my hands. “Fuck.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

“How do we kill them?”

“Your eagerness to help me kill demons is a turn-on, you know.”

Lucas grins. “Want to have sex now?”

“Hah. If we didn’t have a house full of people, yes.” Elena kicks me in the ribs, and I gently push on my stomach, trying to get her to move. She kicks me again instead. “And I don’t know. Lucifer didn’t seem to know, either. Julian thinks he can’t kill them, and that’s why he locked them up in the first place instead of killing them when he got to Hell and took over.”

“Archangels can die. Certainly, the Horsemen can too. Are there books about them at the Academy?”

“I don’t know, and I didn’t even know they existed until today. It’s one of those things that exists in mythology but we had no reason to think they were real—even for us witches. I got infected with what we thought was a disease created by Pestilence, but still…I didn’t think the Horsemen were real.” I suck in a ragged breath. “War, Pestilence, Famine, and Death. They’re real, and they’re going to bring real destruction.”

Lucas rests his large hand on my stomach. “We are having our daughter in just three short months. We will find a way to make the world safe for her again.”

“You sound so sure.”

He pushes up on his elbow and kisses me. “I am, Callie. You have family that will stop at nothing to protect both you and our daughter.” He moves his hand in a slow circle on my stomach. “This child is already loved. Her existence is nothing less than incredible. I won’t let anything happen to either of you.”

“I know,” I say weakly, tears pooling in my eyes again. And I do know, all too well. Lucas will stop at nothing to keep me safe. Nothing. He’s risked himself time and time again, and when he thought I was going to die from a demonic virus, he was going to turn me into a vampire to keep from losing me.

“Family has always meant everything to me,” he goes on. “I thought I was forced to give it up once I was turned, and then realized I could have some semblance of a family when I turned Eliza. She’s every bit as much my daughter as Elena is. Thankfully I didn’t have to go through her moody preteen years. She’s moody enough as it is now.”

I laugh. “I wasn’t big on the drama as a child, but I did have a knack for getting into trouble.”

Lucas cocks an eyebrow. “Did? You still do.”

“But that’s why you love me, right?”

“One of the many reasons.” He brings his hand up, moving my hair back. “I love you, Callie. So fucking much.” His fangs come down, and he goes in to kiss me. Desire floods through me, like it always does for Lucas. Hooking a leg around him, I grab the hem of his shirt and ball it in my fist.