“But you won’t hurt me?” Allie said, taking a step toward him. “Why?”
I froze, trying to communicate with her telepathically to be careful and stay still. The wrong move, and Mindy died.
Apparently my telepathic skills needed work, because she took another step. “Tell me why.”
“You know.” The demon said. Allie took another step. “No, I don’t. What’s going on?”
“Come. No. Closer.”
“But I don’t get it,” Allie said. “Why aren’t you coming after me?”
And then, before I realized what was happening, Mindy opened her mouth and let loose with a high note so intense and powerful it’s a wonder the windows didn’t shatter. What itdiddo was cause the demon to loosen his grip, so Mindy was able to break away at the same time that Allie burst forward, leaped on the demon, and knocked him flat on his back.
A blink of an eye later, her stiletto hit home, and the demon had been released.
And me, the Level Five Demon Hunter in the room had stood there useless, watching it all.
“They what” Eric asked, when I relayed the entire story to him less than ten minutes later.
I’d texted him to come get the body and couldn’t help but give him the blow by blow the moment I saw him. “Apparently they were thinking about ways to combine their skills and using Mindy’s voice as a distraction was their favorite plan.”
“Sounds like it worked.”
“Like a charm.” I was glowing with pride. “They’ll want to tell you all about it, I’m sure.”
“I look forward to it. The body’s upstairs?”
“Yeah. The girls, too. They’re still practicing in the ballroom.” He took a step that direction. “You might want to wait. I nodded to the tile deliverymen who had texted right before the demon episode. They were currently bringing huge bundles of tile and hardwood into the mansion. “I don’t know how we could explain you hauling out a body.”
“A good point.”
“How did you get here so fast, anyway?” His apartment is on the far side of town. I’d expected at least a half hour wait.
“I was on my way over anyway. To be honest, I expected to see Stuart.”
I lifted a brow.“Mano y mano?”
“Just the opposite. I want to make a truce.”
“Really?”
He frowned at me. “Is that a problem?”
I shook my head, then pointed to a far corner as one of the delivery men caught my eye about where to unload his bundle. “No,” I said to Eric. “That’s definitely not a problem for me.”
“Are you saying it might be a problem for Stuart?”
There were so many ways I could answer that question, and I wasn’t sure what would be the best. I started with the most obvious. “I think Stuart’s a little concerned about why you weren’t at Mass yesterday.”
Eric chuckled. “What? Is your husband afraid I can’t walk into the Cathedral?”
“A little. But I think he’s more concerned about our daughter.”
“That son of a bitch...”
I could hear the anger in his voice, and I grabbed hold of the wrist above the hand that had just curled into a fist. “Hold on there. Truce, remember? He doesn’t understand it. Honestly, I don’t get it either. It hurt you to walk into the Cathedral near the end of that whole thing with Odayne, remember? And, yes, I know there was a demon inside you,” I say lowering my voice in case Allie was listening, or the delivery guys for that matter. “But there’s something in her, too. We just don’t understand what it is.”
“Didshe have any problem walking into the Cathedral?”
