“Oh. Well, that’s awkward.”
“Thank you for that insight,” I snapped, and we both laughed. For a second, it even felt good.
“Just tell me if you’re okay.”
“I’m fine. Or, no, I’m confused. And I’m feeling terribly guilty. But all of that is very petty compared to what I need to be doing.”
“Have you told Stuart?”
“No. I need to, but no.”
She frowned, then sat back, studying me. “Are you sure you need to? Are you doing it only to clear your conscience, or are you planning to leave him? Because if it’s just to clear your conscience, and it’s not going to happen again, then maybe you shouldn’t say anything.”
“Do you really believe that? Paul cheated.”
“And if it had been once and I never knew about it?” She shrugged. “That would have been better, I think.”
“Really?”
“I don’t know. But it wasn’t one time and he didn’t cheat on me with a woman who was also the wife he lost only because he died.”
She squeezed my hand. “You’re in a completely different situation than every other person on this planet. Cut yourself a little slack, okay?”
“Why haven’t they reached out?”
Her brow furrowed. “The other people on the planet?”
“No. Changing topics. Lilith’s demony minions. When Lilith kidnapped Celia, arranged for Celia to reach out telepathically to Jared. It was just to torment him, but she did it. Why hasn’t she done the same with Allie?”
“Maybe because you guys aren’t telepathically connected?”
“Maybe. But it seems like she’d want to taunt me. I mean, right now I make a pretty good target. Highly emotional. Very tightly strung.”
“She’s being careful. Or maybe she has a weakness and doesn’t want you to get a hint.”
I stood up and started pacing again. “I like that. And if we can find and exploit it, we’ll get Allie back.”
“What do you think the weakness could be?”
“No idea. Or maybe Solomon’s Stone. Quiric said she was looking for it. But she won’t find it since it doesn’t exist. That’s not a weakness so much as—I don’t know, but something not convenient for her. She needs it for the ritual. I’m guessing that in this new ritual she supposedly has, Solomon’s Stone does the same thing as the chalice stone did before.”
“Before, she wanted Eric, too.”
I frowned. “Yeah. He’s being careful. I can’t lose both of them.”
I glanced down at my wedding ring. “I have to tell him, “ I whispered.
“I guess you do,” Laura said. “For what it’s worth, I think he’ll understand.”
* * *
I found Stuart in the bedroom, his back against the headboard. His eyes were closed and a book lay open on his lap.
I knew he was frustrated from being constantly interrupted, and I hated to wake him, but Laura was right. We needed to talk.
With a deep breath for courage, I stepped inside and shut the door, and when I looked back at him again, his eyes were open.
“Hey.” He smiled, then patted the bed beside him. “Come tell me how it’s going.”
