“Are you to ready to go, my love?”
I close the book and put it on the coffee table. “I am.” Lucas extends his hand for me and helps me to my feet. “You look good tonight,” I tell him. “Though you always do, but the blue shirt brings out the blue in your eyes.”
“Is this the part where you tell me it looks better off?” he asks, wiggling his eyebrows. His large hands land on my hips and he brings me to him. I laugh and hook my arms around his neck, standing on my toes to kiss him.
“We do need to leave in order to make it in time,” he tells me, and has to force himself to let go of me.
“Right.” I slide my hands down his muscular arms before peeling myself off him as well. I give my familiars a kiss on the head and then put on my heels. The air is chilly tonight, so I put a black leather jacket on over my dress. Fall is on its way, and cool nights like this used to excite me, bringing with it a certain energy that reminded me of Sahmain.
Next year. Next year I’ll be able to partake in the festivities again. And I still have Yule. We’ll be in our house by then and I’m going to go all out and throw a crazy party.
Though if I want to invite more than just a few people, I need to start start being social.
“The plane is booked for the day after the wedding,” Lucas tells me as we drive. “And I made reservations for dinner throughout the week in Napa for us.”
“You’re so good to me.”
Lucas takes my hand and brings it to his lips, kissing my fingers. “Did you clean your ring today?” he asks when he lowers my hand.
“I did. It’s extra sparkly, isn’t it? Oh, that reminds me.” I pull my phone from my purse and pair it with the Range Rover’s Bluetooth. “I made a list of songs for us to pick from for our first dance.”
Lucas gives my hand a squeeze. “Let’s listen then.”
“I kind of feel sorry for you, yet at the same time I’m so grateful you don’t eat.” I dip a piece of toasted bread into the fondue pot of cheese on the table in front of us.
Lucas wrinkles his nose, looking at the cheese. “That is completely unappetizing.”
“Did you lose your human appetite right away?” I ask, licking the cheese off the bread. I’m the only one eating this. Might as well double-dip, right?
“Yes. It was gone as soon as I woke, and seeing food disgusted me for years. It doesn’t bother me now, but when I look at that.” He motions to the cheese. “It has no appeal.”
I dip the little piece of bread in the cheese again, blow on it, and then pop it into my mouth. “This is so good.”
“I will say I enjoy watching you put things in your mouth.”
“And you say vampires don’t always think about sex.”
“Fucking and feeding off you does cross my mind multiple times a day. I’m thinking about it now.”
I slide my foot over and rub against his leg. “What are you thinking about?”
“Right now?” He leans in and draws his fangs, taking my free hand—aka the one that’s not covered in cheese—and laces our fingers together. “I’m thinking about spreading your leg and licking your pussy. And then where I want to drink from you. Your pulse is strong in your neck, and the blood flows into my mouth with each beat. But your thigh…it’s so close to your pussy.”
My lips part and my breath comes out a little ragged. I need a cold glass of water and a fan—STAT.
“I want your blood again,” I say, feeling a little awkward. Dirty talk isn’t my thing, though Lucas’s blunt honesty and unabashed way he owns his feelings are starting to rub off on me. “I like tasting you.”
“And I like knowing part of me is always inside of you.”
I lean in closer, forgetting for a moment that we’re in the middle of a restaurant.
“Callie?”
I jerk back, looking up and needing to blink a few times to refocus my vision. It’s Ruby fucking Darrows.
“Ruby…hi.”
She hated me in our years together at the Academy, and still harbors the same feelings. Though she did stand up for me—and for Lucas—when I was on trial. She’s a professor at Grim Gate now, and is a stickler for the rules.
And I’m sitting here, holding hands and making sexy eyes with a sixteen-hundred-year-old vampire. She’s a witch, a smart one at that, and would have been able to sense that a vampire of Lucas’s age was here the moment she stepped foot into this building.
I pull my hand from Lucas’s and lean back in my chair, looking up at Ruby. She’s dressed in jeans and an ivory blouse, and it’s almost jarring to see her looking so normal. I haven’t seen her outside of the Covenstead in years.
Her eyes go from me to Lucas, whose fangs are still drawn, to the large ring on my finger.
“What are you doing?” she rushes out, eyes going wide. “You’re…you’re marrying a vampire?”
I open my mouth to tell her I’m leaving the coven, but then snap it shut. I can’t yet, because I might have to testify against Ruth.
“You were pardoned from a near death sentence and this is how you repay us all for testifying on your behalf?” She shakes her head, long braids swinging around her face. “I have to report you to our High Priestess.”
No, dammit. Tabatha already knows and has been turning a blind eye. But if Ruby thinks she’s informing her, then she’s going to have to follow through with some sort of punishment for me.
“Ruby, wait,” I call as Ruby hurries through the restaurant. The waitress comes over right after, blocking my line of sight. She sets a warm pretzel on the table for me to dip into the cheese. Normally, I’d be all over that, but right now I have to stop Ruby.
“I have to go after her,” I tell Lucas. “I’ll be back.”
“Do you need me?”
“No. I got this.”
“Okay.”
I stand and quickly walk to the back of the room, going in the direction Ruby went. There’s a door that leads to the small parking lot out back, and I’m guessing she went out there to make the call. I push the door open and see her standing against the side of the building with her phone in her hands.
“Ruby, wait,” I repeat, and she snaps her head up. “There’s no reason to involve Tab—the High Priestess.”
“You are going against a direct order from the Grand Coven. I have to report you.”
“No, you don’t.” Desperation plagues me and the streetlamp above us flickers. I squeeze my fingers into my fists, trying to get ahold of my powers. “Let me explain.”
“Explain what? That you ignored orders and obviously have been with that vampire for a while now since you have that monstrosity on your hand.”
“Hey!” I gasp, getting defensive of my ring. The streetlamp glows brighter and little tendrils of magic sizzle around my fingers.
“I’m calling.”
“No,” I shout and flick my wrist. I meant to just knock her phone out her hands. It’s in what looks like an Otterbox case so clattering to the ground won’t do it any damage. I’ve dropped my phone more t
imes than I can count, and my case has kept it safe.
But the phone goes flying, landing several yards away.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to—” I start, but Ruby doesn’t give me a chance to explain. She thrusts her hand out, shoving me back into the door. The knob bites into my back and I know it’s going to leave a bruise.
Oh hell no. I grit my teeth and bring both hands up, bright blue energy glowing around my fingers.
“Seriously?” I growl. “You want to start a fight with me? Didn’t you learn years ago that I will always kick your ass?”
She circles her wrist and conjures an energy ball, holding it up and taking her aim. A car pulls up right as she goes to throw it. I could have easily deflected the energy ball or simply dodged out of the way. But the man in the car turns right as the ball of energy is hurled through the air.
His eyes meet mine and suddenly I can’t move. My throat goes tight and I feel like I’m ten years old all over again, scared and cold and being tied down to a chair so more blood can be drawn. More tests can be done.
The energy ball hits me, burning through my jacket, down to my skin. But I hardly feel the pain, or anything at all. Because the man in the car inflicted so much on me.
“Callie!” Ruby exclaims, hands flying to her mouth. “Why didn’t you block that?”
“That man,” I breathe, still unable to move. “That’s Doctor Howard.”
25
The back door opens and closes as Lucas speeds out. He stands in front of me, hand going to the wound on my arm. He could smell my blood right away. He turns, flashing his fangs at Ruby.
“Wait,” I pant, and catch Lucas’s wrist. An engine starts, and I shift my gaze, watching Doctor Howard try to get his car started so he can get out of dodge. “That’s him.”