Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 98961 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98961 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
“You have to care, my love,” he says gently and brushes my hair back. “Paimon was going to burn all the divinity in your body and use the little bit Juliet had inside of her. How do we know that’s still not his plan? He could be biding his time in Hell, waiting until she’s older before he strikes.”
“I can’t do it without you.”
“Yes, you can.”
“But I don’t want to.” My throat tightens and my body shakes with a sob. “Please don’t make me.”
“Callie,” Lucas says, and his own voice breaks. “You are the strongest person I know.”
“Then I’ll be weak. If that’s what will make you stay.”
“My love,” he whispers and stops, pressing his forehead against mine. I silently cry, not wanting to wake Juliet. Lucas kisses my forehead and gets up, carefully putting Juliet in her swing. He turns on the music and a soft lullaby that starts playing.
He comes back to bed and pulls me to him, laying us both down.
“I’m never letting you out of this bed,” I tell him, pulling a blanket over us both.
“Normally, I’d take you up on that offer. Though never leaving bed means you’re open to trying—”
“No butt stuff,” I say and laugh. Lucas kisses me and holds me tight against him. I splay my fingers over his chest, finding comfort in the way it doesn’t rise and fall.
“How did you come across a djinn?” Lucas asks, amusement in his voice. He pulls up my shirt and starts rubbing my back.
“In my attempt to find the oracle, I kinda went into crazy research mode, if you’d believe it.”
“You? No?”
I smile and let my eyes fall shut as I slowly rake my fingers up and down Lucas’s arm. “That Egyptologist you’d been emailing sent another email saying they had an object they thought to be cursed and hired the fucking Order to come get it. So, I had Easton help me break into the warehouse where they house said cursed things and a djinn bound to a ring attached itself to one of us. I’m not really sure who. We were both stuck in the same wish-mare. It’s what I’m calling it since it was like a nightmare form of a wish gone wrong.”
“Whose wish was it?”
“Easton’s. But I knew it wasn’t real and I kept going back to you. It’s how I was able to pull myself out. Though wish-Lucas did kill me once.”
“That had to have been disturbing,” he says slowly.
“Not as disturbing as knowing if I wasn’t born with magic, I’d work an office job.”
“I can’t see you any other way.”
“I don’t want to be any other way.” Sleep starts to take hold of me. “Easton’s fine, by the way. I know you’re so worried.”
“I’m not a fan of him, but he did help you get the oracle.”
“Which helped me get you.” My words come out slow and Lucas turns his head, kissing me again. He rolls over on his side, enveloping me in both his arms. I don’t mean to, but I end up falling asleep and don’t wake until the sun starts to rise. I sit up in a bit of a panic, looking for Juliet and Lucas.
“Shhh. She just fell back asleep.” Lucas is sitting in the rocking chair, with Juliet in his arms. There’s a stack of at least a dozen books on the floor next to him and the sight of them together melts my heart.
“You’re still here.”
The arm with the tattoo is under Juliet, but Lucas nods. “It seems I have more time.” His full lips curve into a smile. “Go back to sleep, Callie.”
“I have to pee.” I make a face and get up, realizing I never showered or even used the bathroom after having sex last night. Quickly, I use the bathroom, get a drink from the bathroom sink, and then go back to bed. Lucas is in his spot, holding Juliet. I wave my hand, magically closing the curtains, hoping the dark room will help Juliet stay asleep a little longer.
“That’s the longest she’s slept,” I say, snuggling up next to Lucas, looking down at our daughter.
“And you.”
“Yeah. Mind-blowing sex and then nearly five hours of sleep is enough to make me feel like a new woman.” I reach over and brush Juliet’s hair back. “She missed her daddy.”
“I missed her,” Lucas says honestly.
“Don’t worry,” I tell him. “You won’t have to miss her again. We’ll figure something out.”
Lucas doesn’t respond, but just kisses me instead. Twenty or so minutes later, Juliet wakes up needing a diaper change. Lucas doesn’t even give me the chance to get up and changes her diaper dresses her for the day. This is the longest she’s gone without eating and hungrily nurses until she passes out in a milk coma. Lucas takes her back, walking her around the room for a while and then lays her down in her bassinet.