Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 80563 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80563 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
“Yes, my love,” Lucas says and takes both my hands in his. “He’s gone.”
My lips curve into a smile. “Let’s go home.”
“Next time you go through a demon portal to Hell, I’m coming with.” Eliza paces back and forth, unable to shake her fear even though Lucas and I have been back at the house for over an hour now. “You have no idea what it was like being stuck inside, waiting, not knowing if you were coming back.”
“Let’s hope there never is a next time,” I reply, resting my head on Lucas’s shoulder. I’m exhausted and I can’t stop thinking about how good it felt to wear the crown. That’s a tomorrow problem, as well as telling my friends that things happened a lot faster than planned…but we got him.
Paimon is dead.
“I missed out on the action too,” Eamon notes. He’s still here for some reason, and I can only hope seeing everything transpire the way it did the last few days is going to change his mind, or at the very least delay his plans for starting his war.
“And we feel so sorry for you,” Lucas says dryly and then looks at Eliza. “You kept Juliet safe. Thank you for that.”
“You both stink like brimstone.” Eliza narrows her eyes. “You should shower.”
“That does sound lovely,” I say to myself, looking down at Juliet. She’s asleep in my arms, and the mental exhaustion is starting to really get to me.
“Tomorrow,” Lucas says with finality. “I will tell you in detail every single thing that happened. For now, we are going to shower and go to bed.”
Eliza gives us her trademark eye roll. “Fine.”
Lucas gets up and helps me to my feet. We go upstairs, get Juliet changed and into her swing. It’s a bad habit to let her sleep in here, I know, but if that’s the biggest problem in my life going toward, I’ll count it as a blessing.
Lucas and I have sex in the shower and then crash into bed.
“You haven’t eaten recently,” I tell him.
“It’s okay,” he replies, kissing me once again. “I’ll sleep a little extra tonight and I’ll be fine in the morning.”
“You sure?” I ask, still thinking it’s strange how vampires can make up for lack of food by just sleeping more.
“If I wasn’t I wouldn’t have said so.”
“Okay. I love you.”
“And I love you, my goddess.”
“Oh god,” I groan with a laugh. “I’m never going to live this down, am I?”
“You shouldn’t. Not ever.” He covers us both up and pulls me close, wrapping me tight in his embrace. I fall asleep quickly, feeling safe in Lucas’s arms. A war is coming, but tonight, I sleep well knowing I won this battle.
I sleep for a solid five hours, until Binx gently paws me awake, letting me know there’s someone on the porch. He can’t get a read on their energy, yet it’s familiar and a tad chaotic.
“Julian,” I breathe, heart skipping a beat. Careful not to wake Lucas, I slowly and silently slip out of bed. Juliet is asleep in her swing like usual and the rest of the house is quiet and still. I pad down the hall with Binx weaving between my legs. Osiris said he’d make things up to me, to prove he didn’t trick me into claiming my birthright.
I’m beaming when I get to the front door, quickly waving my hand in front of it to undo the magical locks I put on last night. I can’t freaking wait to see Julian again and tell him everything he’s missed. And—oh my god—to introduce him to Juliet! He may or may not understand when I say we named her after him, just with a feminine twist.
“Juli—” I exclaim as I throw open the door, but my voice dies in my throat. Julian isn’t on my porch. There’s no man at all. Instead, a woman stands before me, and it’s almost like I’m looking into a mirror. Her dark brown hair hangs in loose curls, coming down just below her shoulders. She’s wearing a fitted navy blue suit that was in fashion twenty five or so years ago. But the most striking thing about her are her eyes.
Emerald green, just like mine.
We stand there, neither of us speaking for what feels like forever. Then her lips part and she looks me up and down.
“It’s you,” she whispers, eyes filling with tears. “You’re alive.” She reaches out and I take a step back. “It’s okay,” she tells me as a tear rolls down her face. “It’s okay, Callista. It’s me. Your mother.”
The End
FALL OF NIGHT
BOOK 11 IN THE THORNE HILL SERIES
COMING 2025
Part One
Immortal Night
Immortal Night
A companion novel to Dead of Night (Book One in the Thorne Hill Series)
Copyright 2019
Emily Goodwin
Chapter
One
There’s a darkness inside of me. A black void that’s been there for so long I don’t remember what it’s like to not feel the painful numbness. Maybe the darkness has always been there.