Heir of Night by Emily Goodwin
Chapter 6
“Lucas, wait!” I call, standing up so fast my stomach hits the table. It hurts, but not bad enough to slow me down. “You can’t go outside!”
“I’ll tear them apart before I burn,” he snarls. “They know better than to come back to Thorne Hill.”
He’s right. Unable to keep up with him, I slow. One hand goes to my stomach, and I wait for the others to come into the hall with me so we can walk into the foyer together.
“I spoke to the alpha myself,” Tabatha says calmly. “And she assured me we would have no more issues. Thorne Hill is witch territory, and they know it.” She sweeps her hands out in front of her, giving Lucas a magical shove away from the door. He only falters slightly and grunts in annoyance.
“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.
We have to help, and these wolves have done nothing to us to make us refuse. Vampires don’t like other supernatural species for some reason or another. The War of Light and Dark was started by a group of vampires who were jealous of how the witches could walk in the sun as well as the night and our ability to do magic.
Stepping away, I hold out my hand and telekinetically open the front door the rest of the way, inching it back slowly to make sure Eliza and Lucas get out of the harmful rays of the sun. Though I’m sure Lucas is more than willing to temporarily burn so he can stay by my side.
“I’m Callie,” I tell the woman and move onto the porch. My familiars shadow by me, shifting into cat-form and staying by my feet. “And I’ll do my best to help. Come in and tell us what happened.”
The possessed werewolf breaks free from the two who were struggling to hold him.
“Somnum,” Tabatha says, flicking her wrist. The werewolf slumps down, and the two guys catch him before he hits the ground. “It’s a sleeping spell.” Tabatha turns, eyeing me for a moment in a silent thank-you. Not all that long ago, she was right where the wolves are, watching her own son get possessed. “It won’t last long.”
“You can come inside,” I state, almost out of habit. They’re werewolves, not vampires. They don’t need to be invited in, but I do have to temporarily dispel the final warding around the house. The demon is basically hibernating inside the sleeping wolf but crossing the line could still cause some harm to fall on this kid.
“Oh, goodness,” the woman says when the door is closed behind her. “Did we interrupt a party?” Her eyes are wide, but she’s not worried about crashing my baby shower. She’s worried nons could be here. Humans fear what they don’t understand, leading them to hunt the witches. Werewolves are just as feared and hated, and in old demon-hunting groups like the Order of the Mystic Realm, killing a wolf is bragging rights.
“Uh, not exactly. It ended a while ago,” I say and motion for them to follow me into the library. “Lucas, can you move the coffee table?” I ask when we are in the library. Grumbling, Lucas speeds forward, making all the wolves gasp.
“He’s a vampire,” the younger of the two brothers says with a snarl, eyes flashing yellow for a second. “Out in the day. How is that possible?” He hefts up his unconscious brother and looks at his mother in concern, thinking them coming here was a big mistake.
“Good observation,” Eliza says, flashing her fangs. “I thought you mutts were supposed to have a good sense of smell.”
The wolves sputter, eyes going from the large windows to the two vampires in the room. “How—that’s not—what’s going on?”
“The windows are spelled,” I quickly explain and grab a pillow from the couch. “Lay him here.” I look at my friends. “What do you think? Containment spell on top of being tied and put in a salt circle? A demon in a werewolf’s body will put up a good fight.”
“Don’t forget to enchant the rope.” Evander’s voice comes from behind us, making me jump. Hah, I forgot he was astral projecting in so I could tell them about the Four Horsemen.
But then four werewolves showed up instead.
“Now, can someone tell me what the devil is going on?” Evander’s projection moves right through the coffee table, and the wolves look like they’re about ready to bolt out of here. “Is this why you wanted me to astral project here?”
“Unfortunately, it’s not,” Tabatha tells him. “I think we may need you in the flesh. Bring black salt and the sleeping draft I have in my office cabinet.”
Evander takes another look around the room and then disappears.
“Okay,” I start, leaning over to put the pillow on the floor. Elena’s foot jabs me in the ribs, and I make a face, grunting when I stand back up. I suddenly feel bad for thinking pregnant women were dramatic to huff and puff with every movement. “How long has he been possessed? And did the demon do anything to make you think it had any powers or mention any names?”
Mama Wolf stares at me, unblinking, before sucking in a shaky breath. “Last night, and…and I don’t know. We think it’s speaking Latin. We don’t know Latin.”
“There are a few of us here who do,” I assure her.
“We need to know everything that happened.” Tabatha pulls out a chair from the desk for Mama Wolf as the others lay their possessed brother down. Kristy grabs a canister of salt from my secret stash in one of the bookshelves, and Naomi, Nicole, and Ruby stand in a circle around the wolf, holding out their hands to cast the containment spell. Melinda reties the ropes around the wolf’s hands, knotting it in such a way it won’t be as easy to pull apart this time.
“The pack was out for a run,” Mama Wolf starts. “Things were normal until the energy shifted. It felt like it does during a full moon, but the moon is far from full, as I’m sure you know.”
“Were you by the Old Stone Fort Park?” Ruby asks.
“Yes,” Mama Wolf replies, brows furrowing. “H-how did you know?”
“A Ley Line runs nearby. It wasn’t a hot spot,” she adds, meaning the local coven didn’t gather to cast a protection spell.
“What happened after the energy shifted?” Tabatha goes on, calm as always.
“Nothing. We kept running like normal, but then Noah didn’t come home this morning.” She looks at the wolf on the floor. “He was found in a cafe, covered in blood, and his eyes…his eyes were black.” Her own eyes fill with tears. “He’s still in there. He has to be.”
“Yes, he is.” Tabatha pats her hand.
“It’s been over twelve hours,” Lucas says, being the voice of reason we don’t need right now. “How long can a demon possess a human before they start rotting?”
I press my lips together and glare at him for half a second before answering honestly. “It depends on a lot of things. The physical and mental health of who they possessed, as well as how powerful the demon is.” I inspect the wolf on the floor. He’s in good physical shape, as most wolves are. He doesn’t have any sores on his flesh that I can see, and I’m not getting hit with an overwhelming scent of sulfur.
“If the demon doesn’t have powers, then it’s most likely a lower-level demon. I’ll talk to it when he wakes up. The best thing right now is to let him rest as long as he can to preserve his strength. Then we can figure out exactly what we’re dealing with and where we can go from there.”
Mama Wolf’s eyes fill with tears. “You’ll help us?”
“Of course,” I say, much to Lucas’s annoyance.
“Thank you,” she says, voice filled with relief. “Sorry.” She wipes away a tear. “I’m running on no sleep.”
“I’ll make some tea.” Kristy takes the blanket from the back of the couch and drapes it over the sleeping wolf. “Are you hungry?”
“Starving,” one of the brothers replies, and his mother shoots him a look.
“We don’t want to impose more than we already have,” she counters.
“It’s fine,” I promise. “I have a lot of leftover food from that party that got interrupted. You can come with me into the kitchen. He’ll be fine.”
The younger brother starts in my direction, but his brother grabs his arm. Eyes narrowed, he looks at Lucas, the distrust obvious on his face. To be fair, my dear husband is looking rather menacing, standing there in the corner of the room, arms crossed against his muscular chest. Now that the wolves are aware he’s a vampire, they’re able to sense just how old he is. Vampires over a thousand years old are rare and give off a different kind of energy than a vampire Eliza’s age.
It’s part of what made me so damn curious about Lucas when we first met. I knew he was dangerous. I knew he could eviscerate me in five seconds flat. Being with him was risky, and it excited me in a way I didn’t want to admit. Plus, knowing that he was the strongest being I’d yet to come across opened up a whole new world for me to be myself around him.
“He’ll be fine,” I press, automatically getting a little annoyed and a lot defensive of Lucas. “Even if the sleeping spell wears off soon, he’s not getting out of the circle. I’ll have my familiars watch him.”
“We’ll stay too,” Naomi says, head tipped to the side. “He’s cute enough for me not to mind being a babysitter.”
The wolves look at each other nervously. I’m not sure what they were expecting, but this definitely wasn’t it. Though, really, they should consider themselves lucky. They came for one witch and instead got a house full of them, along with two vampires and a demon-hunter.
“I will as well, since I know Latin,” Ruby says. “Just in case he wakes up feeling chatty.”
“He’s in good hands.” Tabatha gets to her feet. “From one mother to another, I know how hard it is to see your children suffer. But in order to take care of them, you have to take care of you as well. Come, get something to eat and drink while we wait.”
Scarlet, who’s been avoiding the wolves like I asked her to, is waiting outside the library and gets excited when we leave the room. She greets me like a normal dog would. “Why don’t you go outside?” I whisper, since I have a tendency to speak Enochian to her. She gives me puppy-dog eyes, which surprisingly works, even though she’s the size of a pony, but she bounds away.
“We jumped right into the action,” Tabatha starts when we get into the kitchen, “and forgot introductions. I am Tabatha, the High Priestess of the Grim Gate Coven.”
“I’m Alyssa,” Mama Wolf says. “These are my sons, Brock and Alex.”
“I’m Kristy,” my best friend says with her usually cheerful smile.
“You know I’m Callie,” I say and wait a beat for Lucas to introduce himself. He doesn’t. “And this is my husband, Lucas.”
Alyssa sits at the island counter. “You’re a witch and you’re married to a vampire?” Her words come out slowly, and her gaze goes to my stomach. I don’t look as obviously pregnant in Lucas’s baggy shirt, but I’m definitely to that point where there’s no passing my stomach off as a food-baby.
“Breaking rules kind of runs in my family,” I say with a shrug.
“You allow it?” Alyssa asks Tabatha. “We’ve always heard the tension still runs high between the vampires and the witches.”
“I’ve made an exception.” Tabatha smiles.
“So, where in Tennessee are you from?” Kristy fills the kettle with water and puts it on the stove.
“Manchester,” Brock replies, looking at Kristy as though he’s seeing her for the first time. The guy’s eyes are bloodshot, and he has fresh scratches on his face from his possessed brother. He sits up a little straighter when Kristy turns around.
“Where is that?” she goes on.
“Halfway between Nashville and Chattanooga,” Lucas answers.
“Yeah,” Brock says. “He’s…he’s right.”
“It’s been a century since I’ve been there,” Lucas says. “It was a quaint town then.”
“It still is,” Alyssa replies. She’s nervous around Lucas, which is smart on her end.
“I gotta ask.” I pull out a disposable container full of perfectly cooked chicken from the fridge. “How did you know I could help?”
Brock and Alex exchange looks. “It might sound crazy,” Alex says.
“Trust me, nothing can out-crazy what my daily life has become.” I arch my eyebrows, knowing I’m a few seconds away from cracking again. Because when a possessed werewolf is a welcome distraction, you know your life is fucked up.
Brock gives his brother an encouraging nod. “Fine,” he mutters. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Alyssa rests her hands on the counter. “I was given your name when I sought help for Noah.”
“Given by whom?” Lucas demands.
“An angel.”