We’d defeated Lilith, though, and I needed to keep remembering that. We’d done it once, we could do it again.
“Anything you can find,” I urged Laura. “No matter how improbable. “She’s regrouping. We need to be prepared.”
We started walking toward the training center. We were close enough to hear theoofsandthudswhen Laura stopped again.
“She doesn’t know what the ritual is either,” Laura said, her words coming slowly, as if the thought was just starting to make sense to her.
“Why do you say that?
“Because if she had one, she’d have had her minions try to take Allie. To get her away. Imprison her so she’d be handy.”
“But if she doesn’t have the ritual, she’s not going to risk it. Not yet. We might track Allie down before she’s ready. Mess up some essential component.”
“She’s searching too,” I said, then grinned. “And we’re going to win.”
“Pressure,” Laura said. “I need to remember that I work well under pressure.”
“You do,” I assured her as we starting walking again. Relief flowed through me. Not the big, robust kind. But a little thread of relief that accompanied a small victory. Eventually, of course, Lilith would come up with a solution. Demons were pesky that way. But until then … well, until then my little girl had an invisible force field against demons.
A supernatural Get Out of Jail Free card.
At that, at least, was a tiny bit of good news.
* * *
We found Cutter and Marcus already in the training room with Allie and Mindy. “She’s looking really good,” I told Laura as we stood in the doorway watching the girls train. “Mindy, I mean.”
“I know. I’m terrified she’s going to want to switch from books to fighting.” She glanced sideways at me and shrugged. “Sorry, but I am.”
“I get it. Even with her skills coming along the way they are, I still get it. I mean, I almost wish that Allie wanted to go thealimentatoreroute.”
I looked again at my daughter, knowing that wasn’t possible. Her path had been chosen for her. “She’s getting better every day,” I said. “Exponentially better.”
“You’re worried.”
“On the one hand, I’m not,” I told her. “Gives me a nice, warm fuzzy feeling knowing that she can take care of herself.”
“But...?”
I shrugged as I watched my daughter, my eyes on Allie as I spoke to Laura. “I’m afraid she’s going to get cocky.”
“Yeah, I get that. I’m afraid for that, too. With Allie, I mean. Mindy might get cocky, but I doubt it.”
We both laughed. Mindy was about as uncocky as they came.
“Kate...”
“What?” I could hear the heaviness in her voice. “Is something wrong?”
“No.” She shook her head, her forehead creasing. “No, not wrong, just ... just after yesterday … I … I don’t know. I’m scared. About the school. For these kids.”
“I know. Me, too. Yesterday was scary.”
“It was more than scary,” Laura said. “Demons were right here. In the school. And we actually invited them in.”
“We did. And Eric and I have already talked about that.” We’d talked late into the night, in fact. Although before the talk there had been tears. And he’d held me and told me that we were still learning, just like the students. That I had this.
Thatwehad this.
