Page 1 of Blood of Night (The Thorne Hill)

ChapterOne

“Lucas!” I scream, fury rendering my body useless as I watch his deep blue eyes turn the darkest shade of black. “Lucas!”

“Callie, no.” Lucifer pulls me back, fingers wrapped tightly around my arm. I jerk forward, trying to break free from his grasp. My breath leaves me as Lucas shudders, dark smoke rising around him, cloaking his body in a dirty brown robe. The hood falls over his head, shading his eyes from the moonlight shining down on us. His eyes are still locked with mine, and the desperation is palpable.

This is not happening. I won’t allow it.

“Let go of me!” I say through gritted teeth, trying to break free of Lucifer’s grasp. He’s an archangel and is much stronger than me—physically. Hellfire burns around my fingers again and I wildly reach for Lucas. He’s gone completely still now, and the horse’s nostrils flare as it paws at the ground. I just have to knock Lucas off the horse, d rag him out of the trap, and he’ll shake whatever dark hold has been cast over him.

Then we’ll come up with another plan—one Eliza will say is annoyingly heroic—and things will be okay. Because they have to be. My life has gone from complicated to impossible in just a few short months. From finding out I’m not a Martin to becoming a mother…it’s all happened so fast. I wouldn’t have been able to do it—any or it—if it wasn’t for Lucas being my absolute rock.

I love him with every fiber of my being. He makes me better. He gives me confidence and hope. He keeps me strong. I can’t…I can’t do this without him.

“Lucas!” I scream again and send a shockwave of energy at the black horse. The demon horse’s eyes glow and it’s pushed back, but Lucas doesn’t falter. Dammit! Why does he have to be so naturally athletic? It’s going to make it even harder to get him out of the damn saddle, which I will.

If it’s the last thing I do, I swear to fucking God I’m not letting my husband become one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Lucas turns, tearing his eyes away from me, and looks at Osiris. Pestilence does as well, and War follows suit. Death, sitting on a pale horse, points a boney finger at me and then shifts his attention to the God of the Underworld.

The energy coming off Osiris is chaotic, and I can’t get a good read on him. He’s powerful, like Lucifer, but he’s older. Physically, he looks to be in his thirties and has a shock of thick, dark hair and a pharaoh’s beard at the end of his defined chin. He’s handsome, yet the sight of him makes me shiver. Dressed in an off-white colored robe with a white, feathered atef crown on his head, he holds a crook and flail in each hand. What looks like mummy wrappings cover his lower legs, and while I can’t place his aura, there’s no denying his power.

I watch in horror as the blue hellfire springs from the ground, burning hot and cold at the same time. The horses all stand transfixed, and Osiris lifts his hands. He turns his head, amber-colored eyes meeting mine in a fleeting moment before the hellfire swallows them, burning a hole in the ground. All four Horsemen sink into darkness, and Osiris keeps his eyes locked with me as he starts to fade from view.

And then they’re gone.

My breath leaves in a ragged huff as I look at the empty spot in the yard where they once stood. Where myhusbandwas just standing. Lips parting, tears burn in my eyes. I inhale only to gasp out my breath and quickly suck in another. Lucifer lets go of my arms and I take a few wobbly steps forward.No…. No!This isn’t happening. Things were perfect. Juliet was born only two weeks ago. Lucas and I are still getting used to being a family.

He can’t—he’s not—

“No.” Gritting my teeth, I turn toward Lucifer. “You…you…” I start, feeling magic gathering around my fingers. My breath quickens and my heart is racing, pounding so hard I can hear each and every beat echoing in my ears.

“Callie,” Lucifer says, face set. His hands are out slightly at his sides, and he takes a step back. “You need to calm down.”

“Are you fucking serious?” I quickly inhale and suck back a sob. My brain refuses to accept what happened. Because it didn’t. Lucas isn’t—no. He can’t be. “Calm down?” The energy gathering around my hands increases and the earth below me starts to vibrate. “You…” I start, remembering Lucas’s words. If Lucifer had stayed in Hell, if he sat on the throne, none of this would have happened. I was so blinded wanting to see the good in him, I didn’t allow myself to see the truth in Lucas’s words.

But he was right.

Bael. The Horsemen escaping. Paimon.

None of that would have happened if Lucifer kept his ass on the throne. I felt bad for him, but now I see that he’s selfish.

Blue energy sparks around me, rising from the ground. It cracks and pops, burning the already dried out grass and weeds beneath my feet. My lips curl back in a snarl, and I inhale, shock turning into rage.

“You could have stopped him!” I ball my fingers into fists, digging my fingernails into the skin on my palm. The pain only fuels my anger, and pure, white light starts to hum around both of my hands. It feeds the blue hellfire at my feet, and I stare at my uncle, one of the most powerful beings I know. “You just stood there and did nothing! If you would have let me go—” I cut off, energy thrumming around me. It’s causing the whole ground to vibrate, and the low hum reverberates off the surrounding trees.

“We didn’t have a choice,” Lucifer shoots back. “Osiris made a deal for four horsemen. Lucas knew it was the best chance—”

“Bullshit,” I interrupt, words sending a pulse of energy right at Lucifer. It jolts him back a bit and his eyes widen in surprise. “We could have killed them all.”

“No, you couldn’t, Callie,” he says almost gently. “And Lucas knew that too.”

“Don’t,” I start but the words die in my throat. I blink and see it all play out in front of me again. Lucas isn’t gone. He’s still in there, somewhere. And I’m going to do whatever it takes to find him, yank him off that damn horse, and bring him home to me.

To our daughter.

Because I can’t do this without him. Iwon’tdo this without him.

The rage starts to swirl inside me at a dizzying rate as the fire at my feet grows taller and brighter. I clench my jaw and look at Lucifer through the flames. He knew. He fucking knew. Julian made the deal and Lucifer knew. But he didn’t say anything. He couldn’t be bothered to come here and fill me in on the plan. Julian is dead. If my dad knew then Lucifer knew too. There’s no way I could have known about the deal unless Lucifer told me about it.

---