I put a steadying hand on her knee. “Like he said, he likes this world. So do a lot of demons, actually. That tells us something, though, right?”
She scowled. “Dunno.”
“Yes, Allie, you do. I know this hurts. I know you like this boy, and now you’re not even sure if you can trust him. For what it’s worth, I think you can. But whatever your emotions are, you have to turn them off. You have to think like a Hunter, baby. That’s what Father Corletti told you, and Marcus, too, right?”
At the mention of the priest and theForzatrainer, she nodded. “Yeah. You’re right.”
“So?” I pressed.
She exhaled loudly, the way she does when I ask her to empty the dishwasher even though she’d rather watch TV. “It tells us that whatever bad thing is brewing, it’s end of the world kind of stuff. Like what opening the gate would have done.”
“Exactly,” I said, as proud as I could be of my daughter. “How’d you get there?”
My eyes had adjusted to the dark, and I could easily see when she rolled her eyes, obviously frustrated with my shift into both mom and teacher mode. But she didn’t complain aloud. Instead, she said, “Because it’s like you said. He’s a vampire. But he likes this world. Which means that he’s going to fight the other demons who want to end it all and turn this place into some nasty hell dimension.”
“Exactly.”
“And you trust him?” she asked me.
“He worked with Duvall,” I said. “The Duvall demon, I mean.”
“Really?” That perked her up. “Well, that puts him on the good side. Are you sure?”
“That’s what Father Corletti said.”
“Wow. I guess that means we really can trust him,” Allie said.
“Looks like it.”
“So I guess we’ll let him babysit me, then, since that’s all he wants to do.” She sniffled. “I thought he liked me.”
I reached for her hand. “I know you did, sweetie. But isn’t he a little old for you?”
She flopped back against her headboard. “Whatever. Doesn’t matter. He just sees me as someone he has to protect. It’s not like he likes me.”
“Hey, I like you. And I know you can take care of yourself, and I still think you need to be protected.”
“That’s not exactly the point, Mom.”
“Isn’t it?”
She huffed again, and said nothing, just waited her out.
It didn’t take long.
“Do you mean it?” she asked.
“Mean what?”
“Do you really think I can take care of myself?”
I reached forward and took her hands. “Yes, I do. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have a lot to learn. About fighting, sure, but also about this,” I added, taking her hand and pressing it to her heart. “But you’re a remarkable kid. I’m really proud of you.”
She smiled, and her whole face seemed to light up. “Thanks, Mom.” We shared a quick smile, before hers turned into a frown.
“Oh, no,” I said. “What did I say?”
“Kid.”
