“Just let it go,” I said, pulling him aside. As soon as we were out of earshot—except Jared was a vampire and had extraordinary hearing, so who knew?—I said, “What’s going on?”
“I told you I had a dream about Lilith,” he said.
“Yeah?”
“I dreamt that Allie was dead, and that Lilith was looming over her.”
My heart stuttered in my chest. “So you believe him? About Allie being the one who can stop Lilith.”
“Well, he did just say that Lilith wanted her dead, so it lines up with my dream.”
“He worked with Father Donnelly,” I said, because how could I keep that to myself now?
Eric scowled. “I suppose the kid could still be okay despite that black mark.”
I said nothing. With regard to Father Donnelly and whether not he was a help or a hindrance, I really didn’t have an answer. I knew what Eddie would say—he didn’t trust that priest as far as he could throw him—but I hadn’t made up my mind yet.
“The truth is, Jared’s been at Coronado High for almost a year. “He could’ve killed Allie already if he wanted to,” I said.
“Unless it didn’t matter until after Rome,” Eric pointed out. “She changed that day.”
“I know. But he also could’ve killed her that day on the boardwalk. Instead, he sent that other demon running.”
“Also true,” Eric said. “If he’d wanted Allie dead, it would have been easy enough.”
“So you’re saying you trust him?” I asked.
“I’m saying let’s give him some rope and see if he hangs himself.”
CHAPTER 16
As soon as Jared arrived in the ballroom, the girls begged to go outside and practice knife throwing and fighting.
Eric and I agreed, and after giving her “Uncle David” a huge hug of greeting and thanks, Allie led Mindy and Jared down the staircase that led from the ballroom’s balcony to the larger balcony one level below.
That main balcony had been damaged during Lilith’s temper tantrum, but Stuart and Bernie had already implemented the structural repairs to both it and the spiral staircase leading down to the cemetery.
That’s where the kids went now.
As far as cemeteries go, this one was unusual. Not only did its location offer a stunning view of the Pacific, but it had also been mystically enchanted decades ago. As far as I knew, though, there was no active enchantment at the moment.
I considered that a good thing.
As the kids got settled in the cemetery and began practicing with their knives, Eric and I stood in companionable silence watching.
“How bad do you think it’s going to get?” I asked.
“With Lilith involved, it could get beyond bad.” His voice was steady and conversational, but I knew him well. I also knew what he’d been through. And I knew that he was scared. I couldn’t blame him. I was scared, too.
“We beat her before,” I said. “We’ll beat her again.”
He turned to face me, and as he did, his eye-patch came into view. “I believe you,” he said. “But at what cost?” He turned his head again so that he could look down into the cemetery with his good left eye.
“I only lost an eye in the last battle. Do you think either of us could stand it if we lost our daughter?”
I shivered and shook my head. “Don’t.”
“We have to think about it.”
