“I think you have reason to be.”
“I was thinking about Allie earlier. About her children.” I looked over at Laura, whose eyes were wide.
“Is there something you haven’t told me?”
“I hope not,” I said. “If there is, I’m going to have harsh words with Jared.” We shared a smile and for a moment—one tiny little moment—everything felt lighter. Then the weight of everything pressed down again, and it felt like my back was going to break.
“Tell me,” she said, getting up and tugging me over to a bench to sit. I managed it for about a second, then stood up and started to pace. But in deference to Laura, I stopped kicking things.
“I was thinking that she’s the last of a line. If Lilith really does win and takes Allie out, then if one of those gates opens again they can’t be closed. That would be the end. The real end.”
“Yeah,” Laura said. “I hadn’t let myself think about that.”
“And it’s all on my family. Mine and Eric’s. I don’t know how to feel about that.”
“About creating the gates? You don’t have to feel anything at all. Not anything other than the rest of us do. Scared, angry, confused. But it’s not your fault, Kate. You weren’t around.”
“True. But now Allie has the power to stop it. What if I can’t protect her? What if she can’t protect herself?”
“You’re thinking that if Allie has kids, the line will continue. That she’ll be the mother of the next generations of Demon Hunters with the power to close those gates.”
“It sounds crazy when you say it, but it’s true.”
“There’s always Eric.”
“No, I told you. He tried to close the gate. We assumed he was the one. But it didn’t work. It’s Allie.”
“And he’s Allie’s father.”
“Oh.” She’s right. I’d never thought of that. If Eric had more children, they might be like Allie.
“Do you think it’s all on him? Or is Allie what she is because of both of you?”
“I don’t see what I could have brought to the mix.”
“Yeah, but how could you? You don’t know a thing about your parents. Not really.”
I shook my head, not liking this whole conversation.
“You brought it up,” Laura said, when I told her so.
“I don’t want to think about Allie dying or Eric having more kids.”
“I get that,” she said, her eyes a little too understanding.
I turned away.
“Want to talk about it?”
“I hate it when you read my mind.”
“No you don’t. I can only do it because your my best friend. Ergo, you love me.”
I laughed. “Now I really do hate you.”
“Has it been going on for long?”
I sighed, giving in. “Just once. Right before Stuart woke up.”
