Lucifer is free, and I think he wants our baby. I suddenly feel exposed, like he’s watching through the windows and listening to my every thought. I’ve been careful not to call out to Julian or my father, careful not to accidentally pray and have Lucas intercept it.
“Julian will be back soon enough,” Lucas says, able to sense my rising anxiety. “Until then, we should look into ways of warding against Lucifer.”
“Ruth used necromancy to get rid of Julian. She called him a fallen angel, and said the spell wasn’t strong enough to keep Lucifer away.” My throat starts to get tight. “Who knows if she was right or not, but that spell hurt. It felt like my body was ripping in two. Even if we did find a magical angel-repellent, I don’t see how I could cast it without it affecting me too.”
“You’re right, unless we can find something specific to Lucifer. All archangels have a sigil. Could you use that to narrow down your spell?”
“In theory, but…ugh.” I close my eyes, trying hard not to throw up. “Can you bring me a trash can?” I ask Lucas, doubting my ability to move right now. He gets up and hurries into the office, coming back with a little white garbage can that I use for recycling. I get it just in time, and Lucas holds my hair back as I throw up.
“It came out my nose,” I whimper, shuddering.
“What can I get you?”
“A tissue and water.”
“I’ll be right back.”
I let out another breath and lean back. The last few times I got sick, I felt better almost right away. Not this time.
“You’re so little,” I groan, looking at my stomach. “How are you making me so sick?”
Lucas returns with a box of tissues and a glass of water. I wipe my mouth and rinse out my mouth, needing another minute or two for the swirling feeling to go away. Lucas takes the trash can into the kitchen, emptying it into the large garbage under the sink, and then hurries back.
“I’ll take it outside for you once the sun sets.”
“I can get it,” I say and sip my water. “I should drop off that prescription now and then beg Tabatha for her potion.”
Lucas rubs my back. “Yes, you need it. And don’t worry about Lucifer. Not now. We’ll figure something out.”
There’s nothing like morning sickness to deflect my troubles. I stay on the couch with Lucas for another few minutes, and then get up to brush my teeth. It’s nearly eleven AM, and the summoning is at two in the afternoon, which isn’t a normal time for a gathering. Usually, we meet at night, close to—if not exactly at—the witching hour.
Taking Freya with me, I go into town and go into Hagen’s Pharmacy, a little family-owned pharmacy that’s been in Thorne Hill since the town was officially founded in the late 1800s. The Hagens are nons, but I think they know something is up in this town. I don’t see how you can’t, really.
We have a very low crime rate, yet our yearly body count is always high thanks to all the demons who come here, attracted to the Ley line that runs right under the Main Street of the town.
The pharmacist today is a woman named Missy, and I’ve seen her around town before. She eyes me curiously, probably recognizing me as one of the girls who own Novel Grounds. Kristy and I know a lot of the other business owners downtown and have gone to a few Local Business Guild meetings.
Missy says she’ll have the meds ready to pick up in about half an hour. Instead of going home, Freya and I walk down the street and go into Thorne Hill’s only antique store. It’s run by Mrs. Bishop, an older woman who’s very vocal about her hate of vampires. Most of the items in her store come from flea markets, and Kristy and I used to come through here a few times a month, looking for haunted items.
It was a bit of a game for us, seeing who could find something with the strongest connection to a spirit. We laughed about how we were single-handedly saving the residents of Thorne Hill from being haunted while at the same time, releasing a spirit from this world and enabling them to move on.
Mrs. Bishop’s granddaughter is manning the register today, and she only glances up from her iPad when I walk through the door. She doesn’t even notice my little tabby cat walking along next to me.
“Let’s look at the jewelry in the back. Maybe we’ll find another charm bracelet with a sad, teenage spirit attached to it,” Freya rubs against my legs and prances ahead. Holding out my hands, I let my eyes fall shut as I read the energy of the store. Nothing speaks particularly loud to me today, but on my way back to the front of the store, I spot a pretty pink tea set.