Page 63 of Blood of Night (The Thorne Hill)

“I’m not a fan of him, but he did help you get the oracle.”

“Which helped me get you.” My words come out slow and Lucas turns his head, kissing me again. He rolls over on his side, enveloping me in both his arms. I don’t mean to, but I end up falling asleep and don’t wake until the sun starts to rise. I sit up in a bit of a panic, looking for Juliet and Lucas.

“Shhh. She just fell back asleep.” Lucas is sitting in the rocking chair, with Juliet in his arms. There’s a stack of at least a dozen books on the floor next to him and the sight of them together melts my heart.

“You’re still here.”

The arm with the tattoo is under Juliet, but Lucas nods. “It seems I have more time.” His full lips curve into a smile. “Go back to sleep, Callie.”

“I have to pee.” I make a face and get up, realizing I never showered or even used the bathroom after having sex last night. Quickly, I use the bathroom, get a drink from the bathroom sink, and then go back to bed. Lucas is in his spot, holding Juliet. I wave my hand, magically closing the curtains, hoping the dark room will help Juliet stay asleep a little longer.

“That’s the longest she’s slept,” I say, snuggling up next to Lucas, looking down at our daughter.

“And you.”

“Yeah. Mind-blowing sex and then nearly five hours of sleep is enough to make me feel like a new woman.” I reach over and brush Juliet’s hair back. “She missed her daddy.”

“I missed her,” Lucas says honestly.

“Don’t worry,” I tell him. “You won’t have to miss her again. We’ll figure something out.”

Lucas doesn’t respond, but just kisses me instead. Twenty or so minutes later, Juliet wakes up needing a diaper change. Lucas doesn’t even give me the chance to get up and changes her diaper dresses her for the day. This is the longest she’s gone without eating and hungrily nurses until she passes out in a milk coma. Lucas takes her back, walking her around the room for a while and then lays her down in her bassinet.

Eliza, who must have been listening from down the hall, cracks the door and steps inside, offering to sit with Juliet while Lucas and I shower. I go into the bathroom to get the shower turned on, giving Lucas and Eliza a moment to themselves. Lucas is thanking her for stepping up when I turn the water on, and I know now more than ever that my nonconventional family is every-fucking-thing to me.

I get in the shower and shave before Lucas gets in. It’s been several days since I’ve shaved, not caring enough about leg hair when my husband was stuck in the Underworld. Lucas joins me and we utilize the large shower and have sex again. My brain is doing that wonderful thing of ignoring my issues and I allow myself to feel happy again for the first time since Lucas swung up on that horse.

Eliza takes Juliet downstairs while Lucas and I get dressed, and then it’s as if things are back to normal. Lucas grumbles about all the missed emails he has to catch up on and I go into the butler’s pantry, annoyed at myself for not rinsing out my coffee pot yesterday. We all know what lies ahead, yet we need this bit of normal. Even if it’s just for the day.

Once my coffee is ready, Lucas and I go into the family room, laying on the floor to do tummy time with Juliet. Lucas reads to her and then I get her down for a nap, ready to pounce on Lucas as soon as I see that Juliet is sound asleep in her Pack n’ Play. Lucas leaves the family room, and I assume it’s so he can go reply to a few more emails.

But he’s not in his office, and I’m a little startled to see him in the foyer, standing by the front door. He’s looking at the tattoo on his arm, brows pushed together.

“Hey. What are you doing?” I ask, telling myself that wasn’t a weird, vague look in his eye. Lucas is here and he’s fine. Completely fine. But then I see him put his hand on the doorknob.

“Testing a theory,” he says and opens the door, stepping out into the sun.

ChapterTwenty-Seven

“Lucas!” I yell and sprint forward, ready to magically shove his crazy ass back inside. He’s made it all the way down the steps and is halfway onto the cobblestone path by the time I get outside. Binx and Pandora shadow behind me, able to sense my panic.

But Lucas isn’t on fire. His skin isn’t even starting to char. Blinking rapidly, he holds his hands out in front of him, turning them over.

“Is the sun always this warm?”

I come to a stop in front of him, eyes wide and mouth agape. “This…this is nothing. Wait until August.” I shake my head. “What…h-how?”

“The Horsemen can go out during the day.”

“And you…you guessed you could too?”

“It’s more like I just knew,” he confesses and turns to me. “Your hair shines in the sun. More so than it does when you’re in front of a window.” He combs his fingers through my hair. “And your eyes sparkle.” His lips curve into a smile. “It’s so warm.”

I laugh. “It’s the sun.”

He tips his head up and inhales. This is the first time in over sixteen hundred years Lucas has smelled fresh air during the daytime. He hasn’t felt unfiltered sunlight since he was a human, and even then, his final years as human were as a captive, kept in the dark unless being made to fight.

“We should take Juliet for a walk,” Lucas says, trying to be practical and make use of our little time together.

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