Cold of Night: (A Thorne Hill Christmas Novella), page 1
COLD OF NIGHT
A THORNE HILL CHRISTMAS NOVELLA
EMILY GOODWIN
COLD OF NIGHT
A THORNE HILL CHRISTMAS NOVELLA
Copyright 2021, Emily Goodwin
A note from the author: Cold of Night is a standalone novella set in my Thorne Hill world. While it can be read alone, but it does contain spoilers from books 1-7. This short story fits in between chapters seven and eight in Reign of Night (book 7).
Created with Vellum
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Thank you
About the Author
Also By Emily Goodwin
CHAPTER 1
“Should I be worried?” Lucas cocks an eyebrow.
“Normally I’d say no, but this is getting a little out of hand,” Kristy replies with a shake of her head, swinging her blonde ponytail back and forth.
I turn, hand hovering in the air as I telekinetically add another piece of garland to the chandelier above the dining room table. “I’m right here, you know.”
“Oh, we know.” Kristy picks up Pandora, one of my familiars who takes the form of a pretty calico cat, who’s doing a good job avoiding eye contact. She has let me know before just what she thinks of my over-the-top Christmas decorations. “You went all Elsa with the Christmas tree in here. It’s kind of hard to miss.”
Looking back at the garland, I use magic to get it just right and stand back, smiling at the chandelier.
“I didn’t freeze anything. I just made the flocking on the tree look a little more realistic and sparkly. What’s the point of being a witch if I can’t use my powers to spread holiday cheer?” My hands settle on my stomach, feeling the small baby bump. “It’s the most wonderful time of the year, after all.”
Lucas comes up behind me, hands folding on top of mine. He pulls me against him, lips going to my neck. I close my eyes and lean back, feeling his cock press against my ass. He’s not hard right now, but that thing is still impressive and makes me want to take him by the hand, drag him upstairs, and cast a silence spell on my bedroom since Kristy is here. I always want Lucas, but these damn pregnancy hormones are making me as horny as a teenage boy.
“Did your matching Christmas pajamas come in yet?” Kristy asks with a pointed grin.
“They’re supposed to arrive tonight, though I don’t know if Scarlet’s will fit.”
“You bought Christmas pajamas for your hellhound?” Lucas asks incredulously.
Kristy laughs. “You’re surprised?”
“I should be, but no. And I still haven’t agreed to wear anything.”
I spin in his arms and give him my best puppy-dog eyes.
“You’re really going to deny your pregnant wife Christmas cheer? — Oh!” I gasp. “You can tell me tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago because you’re old!”
His brow furrows, and he opens his mouth to say something but stops, looking from me to Kristy. “I’m either missing something or she’s officially lost it.”
“It’s part of a song,” Kristy tells him.
“See?” I poke his firm chest. “Though, I won’t argue that I haven’t lost it with everything going on.”
My mind clouds with dark thoughts and, for a split second, I can feel the crown of hellfire burning around my head, vividly remembering the night I accidentally crowned myself Queen of Hell in order to save Lucas and Kristy from a powerful demon. It’s not just my declaration of being the current ruler of Hell that scares me, but it’s the fact that I want to feel that crown of fire again.
I want to wield that much power.
I want the demons to tremble before me...
Blinking, I hook my hands around Lucas’s neck, mentally singing Christmas carols in my head to distract myself from how a part of me longs to be the Queen of Hell, going into the family business in some aspect since Lucifer is my uncle.
Maybe I am losing it.
“I can’t believe you never celebrated Christmas before,” I say to Lucas, forcing my thoughts away from that dark place.
“Once I became a vampire, nothing of that sort mattered to me anymore. Though once Christmas started becoming more commercial, it did make it easy to be invited into houses full of people I could—”
He stops, noticing the way Kristy is looking at him. He knows I fully accept his murderous past, but it’s a pill that’s still hard for my friends to swallow.
“Celebrate with them...” he quickly adds.
“Sure,” Kristy says under her breath, letting Pandora jump out of her arms, gracefully landing on the dining room table and then shifting into shadow-form so she can slip out the back and go hunt in the woods with my other familiars Binx and Freya.
“What about when you were human?” I ask, letting my hands slide down his chest.
Lucas shakes his head. “This is a first for me.”
“I’m surprised Eliza didn’t make you buy her Christmas presents.”
“Oh, she did.” Lucas’s hands land on my waist. Eliza is his only vampire progeny and is very spoiled by Lucas. “But we didn’t do any of this.”
“Get used to it,” Kristy chuckles, and Lucas and I break apart.
I open a box of delicate glass ornaments and carefully pick up a silver bulb. Lucas goes into his office to get some work done while Kristy and I add the ornaments to the garland.
“You’re going downtown for the Holiday Festival, right?” Kristy asks once we’ve hung up the last ornament.
“Of course. Are you sure you don’t want me to cover a few hours at the store?” Kristy and I co-own Novel Grounds, an indie bookstore, and I miss working. I haven’t been able to much — thanks to nonstop demon action.
“We’ll be fine. Though, if you want to stop by and hang out, I wouldn’t object. Especially if you can get Binx to wear the Santa hat again. People go crazy over him.”
“He loves it,” I say with a laugh. All my familiars enjoy acting like the normal house cats they pretend to be and eat up all the attention they get, enjoying getting fawned over. “Lucas and I are getting dinner at Maria’s...well, just me, I suppose. Want me to bring you back anything?”
“Yes, please! The vegetarian tacos with a side of rice. And a margarita if you can, ya know—” She holds up her hand and wiggles her fingers. “Work some magic to take one to go since they usually don’t let you leave with booze.”
I chuckle. “I can do that, and I’ll be a bit bitter as you drink it.”
“Hah. Get a virgin for yourself.”
“I plan to, but it’s not the same. Though oddly enough, just the thought of tequila makes me feel sick.”
I splay my fingers over my stomach. If you didn’t know me, you wouldn’t suspect I was pregnant yet, especially since my husband is a vampire who shouldn’t be able procreate, but my life is never that simple.
“I’ll have a baby next Christmas. That’s so fucking weird.”
“It is,” Kristy admits honestly. I’m not offended since this is the last thing we thought would happen. “I’m scared for her already. She’s only going to wear green and red the whole month of December, isn’t she?”
“I’ll throw in some silver and blue too.”
We both laugh.
“Speaking of holiday clothes, I need to get home and change so I can get over to the store before the festivities start.” Her blue eyes meet mine. “I’m glad you’re going tonight.”
She means it more than just a I’m glad to see my best friend kind of way. A lot of shit has hit the fan and I’ve kind of holed up in the house: worrying and planning and driving myself, and everyone around me, crazy.
“Me too. Today makes the official start of the twelve days to Christmas countdown and I’ve kind of run out of rooms to decorate. Though I’m considering doing a gingerbread theme in Lucas’s office once he’s sleeping.”
Kristy raises her eyebrows. “Not even I would be mad at him for draining you if you did that.”
I let out a snort, thinking of my minimalist husband walking in to find his office transformed into something out of Hansel and Gretel’s nightmares. “You know, I just might cast a glamour and set up a camera.”
“Okay, I might want to see that.”
“I’ll live stream it for you.”
I walk her to the door and give her a hug before she leaves. Then I go find Lucas, pausing in the doorway. He’s on the phone, speaking in another language. His eyes meet mine and my heart swells in my chest. Things are a fucking mess right now, but I know I can muddle through with him. Twisting my hair around my finger, I cross the room and sit in the window seat while I wait for him to finish his call. Gray clouds are stretching over the late afternoon sky, giving a promise of a thin blanket of snow. It will be melted by morning, but walking through the first day of the Holiday Festival while it’s snowing will be so perfect.
Shivering from being close to the window, I pick up a blanket and wrap it around my shoulders. The contractors recommended we replace the old windows of this century-old house when we did the renovations. But Lucas and I were both in agreement to keep as much of it original as possible —even though these old windows aren’t the most energy efficient.
Scarlet, who’s been snoozing by the large fireplace in the family room—I think it reminds her of the hellfire of her previous home—lazily plods in and comes over, lifting her head so I can scratch under her chin. I watch Lucas work while I pet my hellhound, who is disguised as an Irish Wolfhound thanks to Uncle Lucy.
It looks like Lucas is buying another property somewhere in Germany, maybe? He’s good at investing and has tried to explain it to me but it goes right over my head. Being nearly two-thousand years old has allowed Lucas to buy and sell properties over the years for a very large profit, and he turns around and invests that money in something else. I don’t stop and appreciate the business savvy side of him often enough. What can I say? He initially won me over with fangs, muscle, and bloodshed.
“Done?” I ask, seeing him close his laptop.
Instead of answering, he moves with vampire speed and comes to the window, picking me up and moving me onto his lap. His skin is cool against mine and he covers me back up with the blanket.
“It’s starting to snow,” I say, resting my forehead against his.
“Maybe we’ll get snowed in.” He cups my face, bringing my lips to his.
“That would be—” We kiss. “—just terrible.”
“Awful.” He bunches up the hem of my black sweater. “We’d have to find a way to entertain ourselves.”
“I don’t suppose you have any idea how we’d pass the time, do you?”
Lucas picks me up in a graceful movement, and my legs wrap around him. “I might have thought of something.”
“Doesn’t this look like something from a movie?” I sweep my hand out at the store fronts along Main Street, all lit up for Christmas. Yellow lights have been wrapped around the trees, and wreaths hang from the streetlamps. Thorne Hill is a picturesque small town filled with mom-and-pop shops and cafes, looking like it could very well be a setting for any Hallmark movie. Never mind the fact that a Ley line runs right under the surface of Main Street, attracting supernatural creatures and demons alike.
“Maybe a horror movie.”
Pouting, I look up at Lucas.
“Oh, come on. Even you, Mr. Big Bad Vampire, have to admit this is pretty.”
“I like that it makes you happy,” he says carefully.
“It makes a lot of people happy. You can feel the energy just buzzing!”
Lucas stops short, grip on my hand tightening.
“Energy?” His eyes go to the middle of the street.
“Not that kind of energy. The Ley line is fine—for now,” I chide with a shake of my head. I give Lucas’s hand a tug, wanting to keep walking. I’m starting to get cold and, mostly, I’m just really hungry and want to get to Maria’s so I can eat chips and salsa.
“Hey, Callie,” someone calls, coming down the sidewalk in the opposite direction.
“Oh, hey,” I say back, needing a few seconds to try and recall this guy’s name. He’s a warlock from my coven and is walking with two other guys I vaguely recognize. I keep my social circle small but I’m fairly well known by the other members of Grim Gate Coven.
“Enjoying the festivities?” I ask him.
The warlock, who I think is Tim, eyes Lucas, and his opinion of vampires is obvious on his face. Vampires and witches are forbidden to be together, by both the Vampire Council and the Grand Coven. It’s a stupid old rule and Lucas has proved over and over that he’s no threat to our kind, yet not everyone in my coven approves. Just wait until the rest of the coven finds out I’m pregnant with his baby.
“Yeah, we are.” He says, voice strained from Lucas’s presence. “We’re on our way to get a Yule log from the Covenstead now.”
“I still need to do that,” I reply awkwardly.
Lucas pulls his hand from mine and wraps it around my shoulders. Vampires are possessive by nature and Lucas is no exception. And now that I’m carrying his child, on top of powerful forces from both Heaven and Hell wanting to see me dead, he’s not just extra possessive: he’s downright vigilant. I can feel Lucas glowering at the warlocks, and I wouldn’t be surprised to look up and see that he’s drawn his fangs.
I’ve never been scared of Lucas—not truly, at least. Partly because I just knew I could trust him for some reason, and the other part is because I’m powerful enough to stop him. But I’m a Nephilim, more powerful than a regular witch, and the rest of my coven should be wary around vampires.
“The Yule Lads really aren’t that bad,” I add with a laugh. “Just annoying.”
Tim laughs. “Right. You’ve dealt with them before.” He nervously looks at Lucas again. “See ya later.”
“Yeah, see ya.” I step in closer to Lucas, though his body offers no warmth from the cold. “I think they’re scared of you,” I say to Lucas once Tim and his friends are out of earshot.
“They should be.”
Raising my eyebrows, I look up at him.
“They’re members of my coven and are harmless.” I let out a breath and rest my head against Lucas for a second. Being constantly tired isn’t something I’m used to. He kisses my forehead and then we start down the street again. The Mexican restaurant is busy this evening, making me glad I made a reservation. I wave to a few other witches from my coven as we’re led to our table.
I order a virgin margarita and scoot the chips and salsa from the middle of the table to right in front of me. It’s not like Lucas is going to eat them anyway. We have a nice dinner and, by the time Kirsty’s takeout order arrives, I finally got Lucas to give me a couple hints at what to get him for Christmas —despite him insisting he doesn’t want or need anything. I already gave him the sun and now I’m giving him a child—a living, breathing child.
What more can he want?
We walk hand-in-hand to Novel Grounds, meeting Kristy, Betty, and Vanessa. I put Kristy’s food in the back for her and then hang out by the registers for a bit. I’ve never been a people-person, which might be weird considering it was my idea to open a store in the heart of downtown Thorne Hill. Books have always offered me an escape, and I want to share that with the rest of the town. There aren’t any big-chain bookstores around here anymore, and we feature a lot of indie authors. It’s a happy place for me, and I really do miss it.
“Calling it a night already?” Vanessa asks, seeing me put my coat on.
“Yeah, I’m tired,” I reply without really thinking.
It’s only a little after eight p.m., not exactly my bedtime, but this baby is sucking the life out of me. I’m not keeping my pregnancy a secret, but I’m not ready to explain how my undead husband was able to knock me up to everyone just yet.
“Have a good night.” I smile and rush off to find Kristy to give her a hug goodbye.
Lucas takes my hand again as we leave the store. We’re parked a little way down the street, but as soon as I step foot into the night something feels off. I hold out my hand to get a feel for the energy. At the same time, Lucas sniffs the air and pulls me against him, stepping back into the store right as someone lets out a blood-curdling scream.
CHAPTER 2
“Stay here,” Lucas tells me, looking up to find Kristy. A few customers near the front of the store also heard the screaming.
“I smell blood.” He lowers his voice. “A lot of blood.”
“All the more reason for me to go with you.” I grab his wrists, not letting him go out there alone. “Something feels off.”
“All the more reason for you to stay,” he counters, using my own words against me. “You’re taking it easy, remember?”
“I’ll be—” I don’t get a chance to get the rest of the words out before chaos erupts along the street. Several people are running, and someone screams again.
“Stay,” Lucas growls and then speeds out the door. Kristy rushes to me, taking my hand. Her blue eyes are wide and she glances outside.
“What’s going on?”
“I don’t know.” I take a step toward the door but Kristy pulls me back.
“Lucas said he smelled blood,” I update her.
“Cal, what the hell?”
“I really don’t know.” I shake my head. “We stepped outside and the energy felt dark. Like demonic.”
