Heir of Night (The Thorne Hill)

“I am the High Priestess of the Grim Gate Coven. If werewolves have any issue in this town, I am speaking to them.”

Lucas turns with his fangs still drawn, annoyed he can’t go out there and rip the weres apart just for setting foot on our property.

“Wait,” I repeat, eyes wide as I look through one of the front windows. “If they can cross the warding, then we’ll know they’re not here to do me any harm.”

“Why are they here?” Ruby comes to a stop next to me.

“I’ll find out,” Tabatha tells us. “And as your High Priestess, I’m telling you all to stay inside.”

“You’re not my High Priestess,” Melinda says a little shyly. She pulls a knife from her purse and holds it up. “Solid silver. Just in case.”

Tabatha purses her lips but nods. “Keep it out of sight.”

Lucas moves away from the door so Tabatha can open it, joining me by the window. She leaves the door cracked open so we can hear what’s being said.

“Stay,” I tell Scarlet, who wants to go out and raise hell just as much as Lucas does. “They’ll be able to sense you’re not a regular dog, and we don’t need more werewolves finding out I have a hellhound.”

Disguised as an Irish Wolfhound, Scarlet is intimidating enough when people think she’s a regular dog. Her collar is an advanced cloaking spell crafted by Lucifer himself and keeps her real identity hidden. Unless you specifically read her energy, you wouldn’t know she isn’t a real dog, which is impressive, really. I don’t know if these weres will go sniffing around—literally—and I don’t want to take any chances.

The driver’s side door of a black SUV opens, and a middle-aged woman with gray-streaked blonde hair gets out. She’s wearing jeans and a red tank top and looks completely normal.

“How can I help you?” Tabatha steps onto the front porch and is temporarily out of sight. I rub my thumb over my fingers, conjuring a string of blue magic.

“I’m looking for Callie King,” the werewolf replies with a slight Southern accent. I look at the SUV again but can’t quite make out the plates.

“May I ask why?” Tabatha comes down the porch stairs, holding her left hand up, ready to cast a spell if need be.

“Can you read the license plate?” I ask Lucas. “I can’t make out the state.”

“Tennessee,” he replies. “These aren’t the same wolves we came across before.”

“We…we heard she might be able to help us,” the woman says, looking at the car. The windows are tinted, but I think I can roughly make out the outline of at least two other people.

“If you seek Callie’s help, I suggest you stop being so elusive,” Tabatha warns and comes to a stop at the bottom of the stairs. “Now tell me, why do you want her help?”

“I think it’s best we show you.” The werewolf woman waves her hand, and two guys looking to be in their late twenties get out, going around to the back. They open the hatch, and the whole SUV rocks for a few seconds.

Then they bring someone around, someone whose hands are tied and their mouth is gagged. The air shifts, and I sense it before I see the black eyes.

“My son,” the woman says, voice tight. “He’s been possessed by a demon.”

“Well, shit,” I sigh, rubbing my forehead. “I’ll tell her to bring him in.”

“Absolutely not.” Lucas grabs my wrist, keeping me from going outside. “We have enough going on. This isn’t your problem.”

“The fact that they know Callie can help with demon problems is kind of a problem,” Ruby tells him.

“That’s true,” Eliza agrees, almost wincing as she talks. “We should at the very least find out who they got her name from.”

Lucas growls, hating that it’s true. “Bring them in, and I will deal with them.”

“No murder,” I remind him. “We don’t have time to bury bodies today, and starting a war with a faction of Southern werewolves is the last thing we need.”

“Again, you underestimate my ability not to get caught. I should be insulted.”

I roll my eyes, shaking my head as I try not to laugh. “Before they come in, there’s something you guys should know.” I quickly glance around. “With the gates of Hell being shut, I don’t think I can perform an exorcism. Demons can’t be sent to Hell.” My mind whirls as I glance outside again, listening to what Tabatha is saying. “I mean, I think I can expel the demon, but it’ll just go…I don’t know…into the air?”

“To possess someone else,” Lucas affirms.

“Well, yeah.”

“Werewolves are stronger than humans. It might be best to leave it where it is.”

He has a point. Still, there has to be something we can do to help since possession causes the human body to start to break down from the inside out. Werewolves aren’t exactly human, but they’re still close enough that this demon is going to do damage to his body.