Chapter 18
“There must be no obstacles,” SourBitch said, looming over me as I thrust up with my index finger.
“Kate?”
I froze, my fingertip a millimeter from SourBitch’s eye . That wasn’t Laura.
“Oh my God, Kate!”
I glanced over SourBitch’s shoulder to see my friend Fran gaping at me as Laura raced to her side. Her shout had startled SourBitch, who clearly hadn’t anticipated someone behind her, and it gave me a split second in which I could change my course of action.
So instead of impaling the demon with my non-acrylic fingernail, I smashed my palm hard against her face, forcing her off me. Then I shifted my weight as I rolled to the right. I thrust up and out with my left leg, my hands on the concrete giving me extra leverage.
Blam—I got her right in the chest, and she stumbled backward as Laura moved protectively in front of Fran.
“Go,” I said, now on my feet with my knife in my hand. “If you don’t,” I added for Fran’s benefit, “I’m calling the cops.”
The demon showed yellow teeth, then turned and sprinted out of the alley.
“Kate! Why did you let her go?”
“She’d been drinking,” I lied. “Got upset when I accidentally bumped her with my shopping bag.” I winced, hoping the listening device hadn’t broken when I dropped it. “I think she just needs to sleep it off. And, honestly, I don’t want to deal with the paperwork and fallout.”
And wasn’t that the understatement of the year?
“Well, I still can’t believe it. But my gosh, Kate! That was even more impressive than what you and Cutter have shown us in class.”
“Thanks,” I said. “I guess we can call it an in-the-field demonstration.” Fran’s one of the mom’s in the women’s self-defense class I started.
She’s also a good friend, though nowhere near Laura’s place on the hierarchy.
Since her daughter Elena and Timmy are the same age, we’ve bonded over play dates and birthday parties.
And now that her mother, Rita, is dating Eddie, I imagine I’ll be seeing even more of Fran.
I frowned, wondering how much of the truth Rita knew. She’d seen Eric lose it once at Allie’s birthday party, but as far as I knew, she thought it was temper or drugs—not a demon. Honestly, I’m not sure that’s a plus.
I made a mental note to ask Eddie the status. In the meantime, I was operating on the assumption that Fran was clueless about the demon situation.
“Wow,” she said again. “Sorry, but my heart is still pounding.”
“It’s all fine now,” I said, although it wasn’t. SourBitch was still out there, and I hoped I’d made the right call in letting her go. After all, I could have killed her and then told Fran the truth…
“Kate’s going to start more classes up soon,” Laura said. “I’m setting up an email list. You’re on it.”
“Great. I can’t wait. And speaking of anticipation, Elena is so excited about Saturday.”
“Timmy is too. I think the kids will have fun.” Yesterday, we’d looked at all his party decorations and he’d practically vibrated with energy.
“That’s why I came here, actually. The alley, I mean,” Fran told me.
“I was in the toy store and saw you through the window. I wanted to ask about Timmy’s present.
I saw the cutest little box with stuffed monsters and monster coloring books.
I thought it was adorable, but wanted to make sure that was okay.
Some kids don’t even like the cute monsters. Too scary.”
“No,” I said. “That sounds great.”
After all, as far as I was concerned, the more he knew about monsters, the better.
“What did she mean by no obstacles?” Laura asked, once Fran had returned to the toy store and we were hurrying to the park, foregoing the ice cream so I could make certain that SourBitch didn’t show up to give Jared and Allie a hard time.
“I have no idea,” I admitted. “Something to do with Allie?” That was where my mind went, of course, but only because as far as I was concerned, everything in the demon world these days had to do with my daughter.
Still, I had to acknowledge that my thinking was probably a little bit narrow. I was worried about her, yes. I didn’t understand what had happened to her, true. But that did not mean that everything happening in the supernatural realm revolved around my daughter.
“I guess we need to do research.”
Laura actually smiled.
“What?”
She shrugged. “I’m a complete klutz where fighting is concerned, but with research, I’m a whiz.”
“You are,” I agreed. “Not a lot to start with, though, is there?”
She shrugged. “Well, I’ll poke around. Who knows, maybe we’ll get lucky.”
As far as luck went, we managed to find Allie and Jared without needing to look at the tracking app again.
They were exactly where they’d been before, near the little duck pond in the center of the park.
An excellent location for two reasons. First, there were hardly any people there today.
Just a few random joggers on the path that ran by the pond, but most people were over on the soccer field or at the playscape.
And second, because the pond stood near a cluster of trees and flowering plants that made for excellent camouflage.
I felt a little bit like a parent out of a comedy movie as Laura and I tried to hide behind those tree trunks. But Jared and Allie seemed so intent on talking to each other, that neither even looked in our direction.
I made a mental note to talk to Allie about that. She needed to be more aware of her surroundings. Right now though, her lackadaisical attitude towards her safety worked in my favor.
Laura and I each put in our headphones, and then I aimed the device, feeling a bit like James Bond. Moments later, I had it set properly and Laura and I could hear their conversation.
“—so embarrassed. I know, it’s stupid, but I thought that you were really in high school and you liked me. I can’t believe I’m telling you that,” Allie said. “Except I guess you should know why I was so bitchy before.”
“I get it. And I’m flattered. And, honestly...”
“What?”
He shook his head. “Nothing.”
“Is it weird? Looking seventeen but being, like, so much older?”
“Yeah. Some. I don’t know.” Jared shrugged. “I’m just me. I’ve lived a long time—well, not lived—and seen a hell of a lot, but at the end of the day I am who I am. Do people really change that much over the years?”
“I don’t know,” Allie said. “I only have fifteen to judge by. You’re the only one who’s been around long enough to ask.”
Even from this distance, I could see their shared smile. I could also see that the age difference hadn’t dimmed Allie’s crush at all. Which meant that I needed to add Talk With Daughter About Older Men to my very long To Do list.
“Listen,” he said. “I’m flattered that you think of me that way. If I didn’t think your mom would stake me—”
He was cut off by the sharp sound of Allie’s squeal as a passing jogger veered off the path and leaped toward Allie. I started to race that way, but Laura pulled me back, and I watched as Allie expertly dodged the jogger even as Jared caught the demon by the shoulder and spun her around.
Two more joined the fray, and I held my breath, mesmerized, as Jared and Allie worked in tandem in a violent ballet of fighting skills that made me proud.
They took out the jogger first, then the second assailant, both demons going back to the ether without Allie or Jared breaking a sweat. Though, honestly, I was pretty sure that vampires didn’t sweat.
Jared was poised to take out the final demon when it spoke. “He cannot walk again. He cannot have his mate.”
“Just go back to hell you bastard.” And Jared slammed the stick through the demon’s eye. I saw the demon rise into the ether, and once again, I wanted to run forward.
Once again, Laura stopped me. “Don’t,” she said. “They’ve got it under control. Allie needs to know she can do this on her own. And that she can trust Jared.”
I nodded. She was right.
It wasn’t just me and Eric who had Allie’s back anymore. This boy—this man—was watching out for her too.
I didn’t understand why, but right then it didn’t matter. He’d saved her, and for that he would always have my gratitude.
“Are you okay?” Laura asked, once Jared and Allie had walked away from the pond.
I nodded. I’d been catching my breath, thinking about my past and my family. Remembering that rhythm I’d had with Eric and the other fighters on my team. The way we’d all practice in the Forza training rooms below the Vatican. It had been intense, but the training had saved my life more than once.
For that matter, it had saved the world.
I turned to Laura as something else occurred to me. A thought, just taking form. “Is Cutter back in town?” I asked.
“Yeah. Later tonight. Why?”
“Do you think he could meet us at the mansion tomorrow?”
“Sure. What for?”
“I’ll tell you tomorrow,” I promised. “But I think I have a really interesting idea.”
Because Cutter had classes all day, he was only available first thing in the morning.
Which explained why I was awake and at the mansion far earlier than should be allowed during the summer when the kids didn’t have to get up early.
It was especially unfair since Timmy was finally sleeping in these days, and most days I could stay gloriously asleep until at least eight o’clock.
Not so today. It was seven-thirty in the morning, and I was wandering bleary-eyed through the entrance hall, giving the side eye to the contractors who were awake and perky and working hard.
Laura was with me, also awake and perky, and Cutter was beside her, equally bright-eyed.
I clutched my coffee closer and tried not to show how much I would prefer to be back in my bed.
“Stuart’s not coming?” Cutter asked.
I shook my head. “I wanted to get your thoughts on this before I talked it over with him. But we do need to wait for—” I cut myself off as Eric stepped in through the open doors. “Never mind. He’s here.”
“He is,”Eric said. “But why is he here at this hour? It must be important since you’re up and dressed.”
After all these years, he still knows me so well…