Page 4 of King of Night

“What the fuck?”I ask and hold out my hands.“No, it can wait.Juliet.”

“I’ll get her,” Kristy says from inside the car.“You should…um…handle that.”Her eyes are on the body.“Is that Jacob from the bank?”

“It is,” Lucas answers without missing a beat.“He was possessed.”

“Was?”Kristy asks skeptically.We used to think there were only two ways to stop being possessed: one is to have an exorcism performed and the other is if the demon leaves the body it’s possessing.We’ve since learned that divinity can burn up a demon, but I’m certain my dad or Lucifer didn’t pop back into Thorne Hill and un-demon this guy.

Sensing Kristy’s apprehension growing, I move forward and hold out my hand.“He’s still alive.”

“He is,” Lucas goes on.“He’s knocked out.Binx tackled him and it was like the demon got knocked out as he hit the ground.The dark energy went into the earth.”

“Fuck.The Ley line,” I mumble under my breath.“Okay, so a demon possesses Mr.Rogers over here, sends the angels packing, and then just disappears?What’s the end goal here?”

“Getting rid of your father and uncle gets rid of two powerful beings.”Lucas’s dark blue eyes meet mine.“We need to get home.”

I nod, both of us feeling the urgency to get to our daughter.Lucas speeds forward and slumps the body into Eamon’s arms.

“Take him back to our house and do not kill him yet.”

“Or at all,” I add.

“Not until after we question him,” Lucas continues.

“He doesn’t need to be killed,” I chide.“Remember the wholeno murderthing we agreed upon?”

“I’m hungry and my god, you’re boring,” Eamon huffs.

“I wish we were,” I say and feel the anxiety start to set in again.“Juliet.”

“I will take you,” Lucas says, able to move through the woods faster than Kristy can drive down the road.She closes the car door as Lucas picks me up, moving us both at vampire speed, not stopping until we’re on the porch.We can hear Juliet crying from inside the house, and I want nothing more than to bring her to me, letting her nurse herself back to sleep.

“Thank fucking god,” Eliza says, throwing the door open.She has Juliet in her arms, but she took her onesie off.It takes only a second to realize that something is wrong.I’ve never heard that cry before.Juliet isn’t hungry or in need of a diaper change.Something is wrong.

Eliza’s eyes round with concern as she looks from me to my baby.

“She’s burning up.”

ChapterThree

“What?”I ask even though I heard Eliza clearly.Lucas speeds forward and Betty, who’s standing by the staircase, gasps.Technically, I still own this house and any vampire who I invited in can still enter until I revoke their invitation.Just being associated with me puts Betty at risk so letting Eliza and Lucas enter at will could come in handy.Revoking their invitation wouldn’t be a good idea.

Lucas takes Juliet from Eliza and holds her against him, bending his head down so the cool skin from his cheek presses against her forehead.She’s wailing and the sound of her cries breaks my heart.

“The spell,” I stammer, my throat feeling like it’s closing up.“It must have…have…” I can’t finish my sentence.I’m still feeling a bit off from it and I’m an adult.Was it too much for her little body to take?

“The hospital,” Betty stammers, looking down at her phone in her hand.“Should I call?”

“No.She’s not fully human.I need to take her to the Covenstead.”I turn, forgetting that Kristy isn’t behind me.“I…I…fuck.”I look back at Lucas, tears in my eyes, and reach for my baby.It’s been so long since Lucas dealt with any sort of human sickness.When I was infected by Pestilence, Lucas almost came undone.He didn’t know what to do and was going to turn me before he let me die.

“She should nurse,” Lucas tells me, relenting and letting me take our baby from his arms.“Keeping her hydrated is important.”

“Right,” I say with a nod.He read all the baby books while I was busy sharpening my weapons and prepping potions and spell bottles.“Kristy.I need…” I trail off, fumbling with my shirt.Juliet turns her head in, rooting against me between cries.

“I’ll call her,” Betty says and Eliza steps forward, putting her hand on my shoulder and gently urging me into the living room.We left most of my furniture and it’s almost weird being back in my old house.If I wasn’t so panicked, sitting here might be a little emotional.I’ve always loved historic homes, and the big white house in the woods was always a goal for me.A goal that was unrealistic and out of reach at my current salary, but this little brick house was perfect, even though it wasn’t.

There was water in the basement, lead paint throughout, and a couple of rowdy spirits.I got rid of the water and the lead paint first, and then somewhat reluctantly helped the spirits cross over.They were endearingly annoying and helped this house feel like a home for a while.I painstakingly worked on one room at a time, renovating what I could afford over years until it was perfect in my eyes.

I’m damn proud of it and glad Lucas suggested renting it out instead of selling.This house feels like a little part of me, and it worked out perfectly having it ready to rent when Betty needed a safe and affordable place to live.

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