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)
“Nah. You’re busy bringing shame to the archangels now.”
We both laugh and she wipes her eyes. “It sounds so trivial to be this upset when you just killed a demon.”
“It’s not trivial. Trust me, I know how Scott and William can get under your skin and will push your buttons just to make you hurt. They had no reason to act like that and I’m sorry you have to deal with them.”
“Thanks. Then William said they wouldn’t watch Penny anymore if I’m not willing to be more supportive of the family, and I looked at Mom, waiting for her to say it’s not fair to punish her grandchild but she did nothing.” Abby’s voice breaks and she tips her head down, tears splattering into her lap. “Like how she did nothing when William sold you. Like how I did nothing.”
“Hey.” I put my hand on her arm. “Don’t you dare blame yourself for that anymore. We were kids.”
“I know. The final straw was when Scott said the reason I haven’t been able to get pregnant this time around was because God was punishing me. They’re fucking nuts, Callie.”
“Yeah. They are.”
“Anyway, I grabbed Penny before our food even came and got in my car and just started driving.”
“You know you’re welcome here anytime.” I look into Abby’s eyes. “You’re my sister. Always and forever and I’m glad to have you.”
“I’m glad to have you, too.”
“So, you didn’t eat lunch yet either?” I ask and roll my neck, feeling a cramp form between my shoulder blades again. “I’m starving.”
“I had a handful of goldfish from Penny’s snack up on the way here,” she says. “Do you want me to make you something? I did crash your day.”
“You didn’t,” I say again, though a sense of urgency starts to make me feel anxious. How much longer can Lucas stay with me? I want to put my arms around him, holding so tight Osiris can’t bring him back to the Underworld. “Though I will say your timing was either really good or really bad. Good in the fact that we had already gotten the demon, though if you were driving fast enough you probably could have made it through the warding in time.”
“You live an entirely different lifestyle than I do.”
“That’s for sure. And we can go into the kitchen and see what I have. It’s been a while since I’ve last been to the grocery store. I honestly can’t remember the last time I went.”
“Newborns do that to you.”
“Yeah,” I agree. It wasn’t Juliet that kept me from leaving the house, though.”
Lucas is coming back into the house when we get downstairs, and the sight of him, covered in mud and blood but this time bathed in sunlight, almost does me in. It’s probably wrong to find him so damn hot right now, but I do. Scarlet trots in behind Lucas and Abby screams, tripping over her own feet in her attempt to take Penny and run.
“It’s Scarlet,” I rush out, remembering I left her collar in the living room. “Scarlet, sit. Stay.” My hellhound listens obediently and I move a hand to the back of Juliet’s head, holding her still as I hurry through the kitchen and into the family room, getting the magical collar that works as a glamour, making Scarlet appear as an Irish Wolfhound.
“That’s what she really looks like?”
“When she’s in Hell, she has fire-fur,” I add and watch the horror on Abby’s face grow. I click the collar into place and Scarlet shifts back to a regular dog.
“Like I said, entirely different lives.”
Lucas closes the door behind him and takes off his muddy shoes. He comes over to me and tips my chin up, kissing me. My eyes flutter shut and I don’t care that he’s filthy or that my sister is standing just feet from me, terrified of my hellhound.
Lucas is here with me and that’s all that matters.
“Too bad you already showered,” he says softly, lips brushing against mine. “I’m sure I can make you dirty again.”
“You will.”
He rests his forehead against mine and my heart lurches in my chest. “I love you,” he tells me and then slowly moves his hand off my face, fingertips running down my neck. I get a glimpse of his wrist and the black mark is getting smaller. That must be how it works, and when the line is gone, he’ll have to go back. There’s no way I can just draw a line with Sharpie when he’s sleeping, is there?
“You two are so good together,” Abby tells me. “Especially after just having a baby. I wanted to punch Phil in the throat any time Penny woke up in the middle of the night and he slept through it.”
“Benefit of having a vampire husband.” I force a smile, not wanting to tell her our extra affection is because we both know Lucas is a ticking time bomb, so to speak.