Reign of Night (Thorne Hill #7) - Emily Goodwin Page 0,26

remember it. “…Lucifer is my uncle. I didn’t mean it, though, and I only said it so I could kill that high-ranking demon, but other demons saw me with a crown of hellfire around my head, and now they’re gonna go run their mouths and tell everyone in the underworld I’m trying to take over.”

“Huh,” Abby says, no doubt at a loss for words. “How did you make it to Australia and back already?”

“Michael took me.”

“Oh. Makes sense in a crazy, I can’t quite process this way. I also feel silly asking if you’re okay.”

“Yeah, things are fine. Not much different than they were before. Michael is gonna sort it all out for me and I’ll be good. Oh, and he said I’m having a girl.”

“Really?”

“That’s what he said, and I’m taking it as the truth.”

“Oh my god, Callie, that’s so exciting! Little girls are the best, though I might be very biased in that. Have you guys picked out names yet?”

“Lucas suggested Elena, and I think that’s what we’re going with. I just, um…” I’m aware Lucas can hear every damn word I’m saying, and not that I want to hide anything from him, sometimes I’d like to have a conversation without him listening, though it’s not like he purposely eavesdrops. “I have time to decide,” I say instead of telling Abby the truth that I’m scared I won’t be able to carry this baby long enough for her to be born.

“Yeah, you do. Are you coming to Chicago anytime soon?”

“I’m not sure. I like seeing the trees at the Museum of Science and Industry. I haven’t done that in years.”

“Oh, I love the trees! Phil and I always go, but he gets bored, and I’d rather not take Penny, so if you have time to go, let me know when!”

“I’m trying to take it easy, so I’m pretty much free whenever. What’s your work schedule like next week?”

“I have Wednesday off, but Phil will be in surgery. I can see if Mom—I mean, Nancy—can watch Penny.”

“That should work. What time?”

“Ten?”

“What about eleven? Or noon? I’m an hour away.”

“Oh, right. Eleven is fine, noon too if you want to sleep in. I know how exhausting the first trimester is. Call me when you’re on your way, how’s that? Do you want to meet there or here? You’ll drive past the museum on your way to Lincoln Park, I know.”

“We can drive together. That way we only have to deal with finding one parking spot.”

“Sounds good. I’m excited!”

“Me too. Give Penny a kiss for me.”

“I will. Take care, Callie.”

“You too. Bye.” I end the call and put my phone down, pulling the blanket up over me. I’m still so chilled from walking through the woods.

“Do you want a fire?” Lucas asks, sitting on the couch. He slips his hand under the blanket, and I shy away from his cold skin. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay. I can’t get warm.”

“I’ll be right back.” He speeds out of the room, returning soon after with an electric blanket. I learned quickly that sleeping next to someone who is room temperate can be quite chilly. A heated blanket solved that issue, and we have several now, kept around the house. It’s weird, I suppose, but it works and keeps me comfortable. Vampire don’t really feel hot or cold, unless exposed to extreme temperatures. Even still, their bodies wouldn’t react the same way a human’s would.

“I turned it on high just to warm you up,” Lucas says, running the cord over the couch. We had the wiring updated to code with multiple outlets in every room. “A few minutes should be fine.” He spreads the blanket over me and disappears again, coming back with an armload of firewood. “Another delivery is coming tomorrow,” he tells me as he puts the logs in the fire. In my previous house, I’d light a fire occasionally at night in the winter, and it would warm up my little living room in no time. This house is so big, with much taller ceilings. We need to have fires going all day to keep it warmed up in the winter. Luckily, there’s a tree-trimming company that serves the whole county, and they have a delivery service. The benefits of the modern world, right?

“I didn’t realize how much wood we’d go through.”

“This is nothing compared to how it used to be. While we weren’t so concerned about staying warm, you didn’t want your house getting too cold and damaging your possessions. Eliza had quite