Chapter 1
“What do you see when you look at this one?” The doctor holds up a card, showcasing an ink splotch that’s twisted and creepy, with eyes that follow you no matter where you go.
I look at it, heart hammering away inside my chest. The mess of ink on the white paper reminds me of the monster that lurks in Nana and Papa’s basement, the one that tried to get Abby and Scott to go downstairs with it.
The one I stopped from attacking my siblings by throwing a ball of light at it.
But even at the young age of ten I know I can’t say that. I look at the card, remembering Abby’s screams like it was yesterday. Feeling Scott clutch my hand, eyes full of fear.
I swallow hard and shift my eyes to the man in the white coat. “The tree in our backyard,” I tell him.
He doesn’t react, doesn’t show the slightest of emotion. He puts the card down and picks up another. This one resembles a house, with a star-like drawing at the center. My heart lurches, longing for something I’ve never known.
“And this one?” he asks.
“Home.”
This time, he makes a note, jotting something down so fast there’s no chance I can look into the notebook and see what he wrote. We go through eight more cards, and I give the answer that I think should be said.
The one that proves I’m not crazy. Because I’m not.
I’m taken back to the space they call “my room”, and that’s where the real monsters come out. The door, which is a large piece of strong clear plastic in a metal frame, slides open, and the sound of metal on metal makes my heart race. When I hear that sound, I know they’re coming.
Coming to take more blood.
Coming to perform more tests.
Coming to force me to use my powers.
And coming to try to take them away.
I step into the small area, arms wrapping around myself. I’ve been perpetually cold since I’ve been here. Going to the cot with a thin, foam mattress and even thinner blankets, I pick up a stuffed black cat. My sister gave it to me for my birthday last month, and I’m still shocked I was allowed to keep it. Hugging the stuffed animal to my chest, I lay down and huddle under the sheet.
Tears roll down my cheeks and I squeeze my eyes closed, hugging the little cat tighter. It’s the only thing I have that brings me comfort.
“I want to go home. I want to go home. I want to go home,” I whisper over and over. Bright blue light starts to glow above me. I slit my eyes open and look at it, feeling power pulsing from the light.
Suddenly, an alarm sounds. I look up, seeing someone rushing toward the glass door with a syringe in their hand.
“No,” I cry, tears falling faster and faster. The blue light darkens, and I stand, terrified of what’s to come. “No!” I shout again. “No!”
“Callie.” Lucas’s hand lands on my shoulder. My eyes flutter open and I sit up, messy hair in my face. “Your heart is racing, and I can smell your fear. You’re having a nightmare.”
“Yeah,” I breathe. “I was. Thanks for waking me up.” Lucas sets a book down and takes me in his arms. His cool skin against mine is comforting. I let my eyes fall shut for another few seconds as he slowly runs his hand up and down my back. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
“You haven’t gotten much sleep lately.”
I tip my head up, smiling when I look into his dark blue eyes. “And who’s fault is that?”
He flashes a cocky grin. “I suppose I’m a little selfish, but fucking you all night is never something I’ll apologize for.”
“I don’t expect you to.”
He leans down, kissing the top of my head. “This nightmare,” he starts and doesn’t have to finish.
“It was a normal nightmare,” I tell him. I haven’t had any cryptic warnings about demons or being burned alive in my dreams for about a month now. “But it reminded me why your automatic blinds startle me so much.” I close my eyes and the sound of the see-through door opening echoes around us. It’s metal-on-metal, motorized, and served as a warning of what was to come.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
My lips part and my heart lurches. I should talk about it. I should open up and tell Lucas everything. I should deal with the emotions I’ve repressed for the last fifteen years.
“Not yet.”
“When you’re ready,” he says softly and kisses me. I sip my arm around his neck, kissing him back harder. I’m so fucking grateful for him. We’re both naked, with the covers on my bed tangled around us from having sex not that long ago.
“What time is it?” I ask, not feeling sleepy but not wanting to get up and move away from Lucas.
“About an hour until sunset. You slept for three hours.”
“I guess I did need it.” Smiling, I look up at Lucas. Soft sunlight fills the room, filtered by magic through the enchanted glass of my bedroom window. When Lucas doesn’t have vampire business to attend to in Chicago, he likes to spend the day here in the sunlight, which is something he hasn’t done in over sixteen-hundred years.
“I should get up and get my shit done before we leave tonight,” I sigh and untangle myself from Lucas, missing him almost instantly.
I get dressed and hurry out of the room, closing the door the second I’m in the hall. I haven’t quite figured out how to enchant every single window in the house yet. The kitchen window still lets harmful light in, but I’m working on it.
“Anyone want to go for a run with me?” I ask, looking at my three familiars who are lounging on the front porch, very much looking like the normal cats we pretend they are. Freya rolls over on her back and stretches out. Pandora closes her eyes, going back to sleep. Binx stands and stretches before lazily trotting over.
“I’m spending the night in Chicago again,” I remind Binx as we make our way down the gravel driveway. “Lucas has some sort of meeting about that group who are
trying to sabotage other vampires who follow the Vampire Council’s laws.”
Lucas has told me about it, and while he acts as if it’s just a mere annoyance, we both know things could get ugly fast. There are plenty of humans ready to rally with wooden stakes and demand vampires be stripped of all their rights. Give the humans a reason and they’ll be quick to act.
Vampires like Lucas have lived a long time without any of those rights, and he has done more than all right for himself, but he’s in the minority. The newer vampires depend on having legal rights so they can own businesses, get a job, and travel by plane. Not to mention being a registered vampire gives you some protection against being staked by your neighbor. Some protection.
Killing a vampire isn’t considered murder since vampires are already dead. It’s very much a topic of hot debate, and something I try not to follow. I stay away from non-magical politics as much as possible. But I do know that the VC looks into vampire deaths and will hold another vampire accountable.
But only if you get caught.
“Ready?” I ask Binx, pushing into a jog when my feet hit the rough pavement of the country road. We make it only two miles into my run before I slow, seeing utility trucks pulled over along the shoulder. There’s an old estate just past them, and it’s been abandoned for years. Several guys work on clearing out what used to be the driveway, making it accessible once again.
A wave of disappointment goes through me, though it shouldn’t come as a surprise. It was only a matter of time before the bank got tired of that thing and sold it to the highest bidder. The house was one of the first to go up in Thorne Hill and caught my eye as soon as I took residence in this town.
I’ve wanted to buy it but hadn’t been able to afford what the bank was asking, let alone the good million it will take to properly restore the mansion back to its former glory. Just making it safe to live in is more than I can afford.
Sighing, I push forward again. It’s been unseasonably hot all week, and while I love the hot sun and the heat, I’m not a fan right now. I’m sweating already. Another mile later, I slow again. Binx, who’s several yards ahead of me, stops, standing in the middle of the street.
“I feel it too,” I tell him, holding out my hands. “It’s like the air is…is vibrating.” Eyes wide, I look at the woods. The Ley line runs right down the middle of Thorne Hill, through these woods, and then eventually all the way to Lake Michigan. It’s pure magical energy at its finest, and all sorts of life is attracted to it. Is that what we’re feeling?
But as quickly as the air became static, it goes back to normal. I tip my head, looking at the woods. I felt it, and more importantly, Binx felt it. I open my mouth to ask him about it, but he shifts into cat-form, letting me know a car is coming down the road.
Tearing my eyes away from the woods, I turn and see one of the utility trucks coming down the road. I pick up Binx, making it look like I’m just some random girl going for a run with her cat.
Which is totally normal, I know.
“When I’m away tonight,” I start and let him jump from my arms. “Keep an eye on the Ley line. If anything weird happens, come and get me right away.”
Chapter 2
“Hey, Rene.” I slide onto a barstool, smiling at a pretty red-headed vampire.
“Hey, Callie,” she replies cheerfully. “Red or white tonight?”
“I’m in the mood for red.”
Rene smiles, flashing her fangs. She keeps them drawn most of the time while she works, saying it helps with tips. “Same.” She winks and turns, grabbing a wine glass and a bottle from the fridge under the bar.
Halliwell’s Taproom and Grill—or just The Taproom, as the locals call it—is busy tonight, as it usually is. For a hipster bar located in one of the more expensive parts of Lincoln Park, this place does very well for itself.
“Thanks,” I say, taking the wine from her. Rene tends to other customers while I sip my wine. I pull my phone from my purse and scroll through social media, not looking for anything in particular but keeping myself entertained enough while Lucas talks with Eliza in the office.
Kristy calls, and I finish my wine and answer. It’s too loud to hear her, so I tell her to hang on and slip out the back and into a little alley that runs behind the businesses on this street.
“Sorry,” I say into the phone.
“Are you at Lucas’s bar again?”
“Yeah.” I lean against the outside of the building. “He’s meeting with some other vampires tonight to talk about that whole anti-assimilation issue.”
“Sounds fun. Be careful though, Callie.”
“I’m always careful,” I say, and Kristy laughs. “Okay, not always, but this time I am being careful. All I’m doing is hanging out at the bar drinking free wine.”
“Tell the truth. That’s the real reason you’re sleeping with Lucas.”
“You do know how much I love wine,” I laugh. “You’ll have to come up with me again sometime soon.”
“A girls’ night in Chicago does sound nice. Anyway, the reason I called was to tell you the good news.” She pauses, making me wait.
“And?”
“Francine Henderson can make it tomorrow after all! She’s feeling much better.”
“Yes!” I exclaim. “This has nothing to do with that health spell you did last night, does it?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Kristy laughs. “I’m just glad she’ll be the one reading her book to the children and not me. It’s crazy our little event sold completely out.”
“It’s going to be great,” I tell her, knowing she’s still a bit nervous for the Story Time event we have planned at our bookstore tomorrow. The whole thing is for charity, with all the money from the tickets going to Thorne Hill’s 4H group. We have three authors coming to read their favorite children’s book to the kids participating, and then Kristy has the cutest book-themed crafts planned after that.
But the best part is that we’re all supposed to dress like our favorite book character.
“Thanks. I hope it goes smoothly.”
“It will,” I assure her. “You’ve worked so hard on this. It’s going to be amazing. Take a deep breath and leave the store.”
“How did you know I was still here?”
“I know you.” I shake my head and smile. “Now lock up and go home.”
“Fine. Leaving now. Love you, Cal.”
“Love you too.” I hang up, stick my phone in my purse, and turn around to go back in the way I came out. “Dammit,” I mutter when I realize the door locks from the inside, and I’ve accidentally locked myself out.
Which isn’t a big deal since I could just walk around to the front of the bar and go back in. But I’m a witch, and locks aren’t usually an issue for me. I step in closer to the door and raise my hand, whispering the incantation.
“So, you’re Lucas King’s latest plaything?” A voice rings out behind me as soon as I get the door unlocked.
“Excuse me?” I whirl around, eyes narrowing at the man in the alley. He’s tall, with long dark hair swept back and secured in a low ponytail. He looks like he’d fit right in with the hipsters at this bar, but he’s had that hairstyle for centuries. For he’s not a man at all, but a vampire. Magic burns at my fingertips, and I suck in a breath, tying to hold it back.
The vampire advances, moving fast and trying to startle me. I cock an eyebrow, unamused, and it pisses him off even more. He flashes his fangs, yet still doesn’t get a reaction out of me. I hold steady, curling my fingers into my fist.
“Don’t think you’ve gone unnoticed, my darling. Mr. King hasn’t taken interest in a human in well over a hundred years. What makes you so special?” He brings his hand to my neck, fingers dancing over my jugular vein. My heart skips a beat, but I swallow my fear.
I’m well aware this vampire is old. I can feel his age in the energy that’s coming off him. Seven hundred? Seven-fifty, if I’m being generous. Barely half the age of my beloved.
r /> “Don’t you know?” I rasp, slowly bringing my hand up and twirling a blue strand of magic between my fingers. “I’m a witch.”
The vampire jerks back, eyes wide. “You’re a—”
“Any vampire worth their salt would have been able to smell the magic,” I shoot back, not entirely sure I used that phrase correctly. The magic sizzles stronger at my fingertips. “But you didn’t, did you? You have no idea how easily I could kill you right now. How I could burn you from the inside out.”
The vampire steps back, eyes flitting from my neck to the strand of magic I’m holding. “And do you have any idea how fast I could rip you to shreds?”
“You’d die trying, you undead asshole.”
“You’ve got a mouth on you. No wonder King has taken a liking to you. I’m sure you’re a fun plaything.”
“I’m his,” I sigh, hating that I pulled that line. When a vampire claims ownership over a human, it makes them off limits to other vampires.
“For now.” The vampire leans forward, inhaling deep. “You smell almost as good as you’ll taste.”
“Fuck off,” I retort, getting annoyed with him. I raise my hand, and the magic I’m holding glows brighter.
“You’re a grumpy plaything.”
I narrow my eyes. “Call me plaything one more time.”
He snarls. “Worthless plaything,” he spits.
“I warned you.” I throw my hand out, hitting him with the energy ball I’m holding in my hand. It smashes into his chest, and strands of blue light flash through his body, lighting up every vein under his skin.