“This prophecy thing. What if it’s really bad?”
“Don’t.” Mindy’s voice was sharp. “Don’t go there.”
“I’m just being realistic.”
“You’re being morbid. There’s a difference.” She was quiet for a moment, picking at a thread on the couch cushion. “I’m a little jealous, honestly.”
“Of what? Being the subject of some horrible prophecy? My mom almost catching me topless? Demons the world over wanting to kill me?”
“Of having someone.” She said it lightly, but I heard the weight underneath. “You have this gorgeous vampire boyfriend who literally lives down the hall. Who looks at you like you’re the only person in the room. Meanwhile, my love life consists of arguing with strangers on Demon Hunter forums.”
“DemonSlayer666?”
She stared me down. “He has a very sexy command of demonic terminology.”
I laughed, and it felt good—like releasing a valve. “Maybe one of the new students will be cute.”
She grimaced. “With my luck, they’ll all be trolls. Or worse—cute but boring.”
“Statistically unlikely. Three new students, at least one has to be interesting.”
“Your optimism is noted and ignored.” But she was smiling now.
Outside, the sky was starting to lighten—the first pale gray of pre-dawn creeping past the curtains. We’d been up all night, and the day ahead was going to be brutal.
“Are you scared?” Mindy asked. “About the prophecy?”
I thought about brushing it off. But this was Mindy—my best friend, the person who’d stuck by me through demon attacks and family secrets and all the insanity that had become our lives.
“Terrified,” I admitted. “Not just for me. For Daddy, too. Living shadows—that’s both of us. Maybe Jared, even though his demony bits are pretty small. And the worst part is...” I swallowed hard. “The worst part is that I almost wish it was just me.”
“What? Why?”
“Because if it’s just me, I can handle it. I can be brave. I’ve done it before—sealed the gates, faced Lilith, all of it. But knowing my dad might be in the crosshairs too? That I might have to watch him get hurt, or worse?” My voice cracked. “He’s been through so much already.”
Mindy’s hand found mine and squeezed. “He’s tough, Allie. Actually trained and everything. And he’s got your mom and Cutter, and Eddie. A whole army of people watching his back.”
“I know.”
“And you’ve got all of them plus the rest of us. Whatever this prophecy means, you’re not facing it alone.”
I turned my head to look at her—this girl who’d gone from normal teenager to demon-fighting researcher in record time. We’d had a couple of rough patches—secrets do that—but in the end, she’d adapted to the insanity with color-coded notebooks and internet sleuthing and a loyalty that still amazed me.
And like me, she was a hell of a lot older than almost seventeen, whether our parents believed it or not. I flashed a grin. “Thanks, Min.”
“Anytime.” She yawned, finally letting the exhaustion show. “Now go to bed. New kids are coming around four, and we need to look intimidating and competent, not like sleep-deprived disasters.”
“Since when are we intimidating?”
“I’m extremely intimidating. I have a spreadsheet for every demon type and their weaknesses. Let’s see you match that.”
I laughed. “I concede your point.”
I headed for the door, expecting to walk back alone, only to find Jared waiting in the hallway.
“Told you he’s a good one,” Mindy whispered as she passed me on the way to her dorm.
“I heard that,” Jared said.
