“It’s fine. And the truth is, Timmy won’t even notice if I’m not at the party. Next week we’ll figure it out, and I’ll come back and give him a big hug. I really can’t wait to get back. I miss you guys, Kate.”
“I miss you, too. But I was going to call you today anyway.” I gave her the rundown about my idea for a training center, hoping that she’d jump all over the idea of being on the faculty, then relieved when she did exactly that. So much so that she was practically squealing with glee.
“I would dance around my apartment if I could. Stupid cast. This is the best. This is such great news. And that’s a perfect location.”
“With all the occult weirdness in the past, it seems strangely perfect, too. It’s like turning something bad into something good.”
“Speaking of occult weirdness, one of the reasons I called is that I have this strange feeling.”
“Strange how?”
“I don’t know, like something bad is going to happen. And then you tell me that Allie is somehow earmarked as the only one who can defeat Lilith. Or the demons seem to think she can. I mean, that’s big stuff, right?”
“Yeah. I’d say it qualifies as big.”
“Well, it may sound crazy, but I had this sense that whoever hit me with that car was aiming for me. That it wasn’t really an accident. And now I’m thinking—well, what if they’re trying to pick off anybody who might be around to protect Allie?”
I suddenly felt cold all over. “I don’t think that’s silly at all,” I said, thinking about the attacks on me and on Eric. On Jared, too. “I really don’t.”
“Oh, God. Then you need to be careful. Promise me?”
“We are,” I assured her, although I wondered just how accurate that statement really was. My daughter was out patrolling with a vampire, after all.
I put Eliza on speaker so I could pull up the tracking app. They were still at the park. The same park that Eddie and Rita were at. I sent Eddie a quick text, asking him to go to the location and make sure all was well.
“Kate?”
“Sorry. Just taking your advice,” I said, then told her what I’d just done.
She laughed. “Sorry to make you paranoid. Let me know what Eddie says.”
Eddie’s text came back immediately.
Already with the kid and the vamp. Both doing fine.
“I guess all is well.”
“For now,” Eliza said. “But I was listening to the news this morning. Did you know there’s a daytime meteor shower this week. Arietids or arachnids or something like that. I don’t know. But air and fire are Lilith’s elements.”
“How do you know that?”
“My mom used to do tarot cards, and she was into astrology and astronomy. I don’t know if it really means anything, but I can’t help but think that it’s a sign that Lilith’s up to something.”
I thought about it. Air and fire. Meteors and the atmosphere.
And my daughter at the center of it all.
By four, both Allie and Timmy were back home safe and sound. In a normal family that wouldn’t even be something to take notice of, but in my household, it was to be celebrated.
At five, I started to get ready to go to the community theater. By seven, Laura was in the living room sipping a glass of wine. I joined her, and we waited for Allie and Stuart, the latter having rushed in from the office only half an hour ago.
Eddie was staying to babysit, and Rita was going to join him. They didn’t intend to miss out on Mindy’s show, but planned to skip the preview and just go to opening night.
“Are you nervous?” I asked Laura.
“Absolutely not,” she said nodding her head in what was undoubtedly the true response.
I laughed. “She’ll do great. She’s got an incredible voice.”
