“I wanted to give you this in private,” he said, handing me a tiny package wrapped in red paper. I opened it carefully to reveal a typical department store jewelry box. I grinned up at Jared, expecting to find a bracelet or some other piece of jewelry he’d seen me admire.
Instead, I found a treasure. A ring of delicate silver filigree cradling a small blue stone that caught the fairy lights and scattered them like tiny stars.
“It was my mother’s,” he said, slipping it on my right forefinger, the only finger it fit. “She always meant for it to go to Celia.” He shrugged. “I never gave it to her. I’m not sure why. Once we were turned, and she was going to be ten forever, it just seemed like a reminder of what she’d never have. But I’ve always loved the ring. And now I think maybe it was somehow always really meant for you.”
I blinked back tears, thinking of sweet Celia. I missed her, too. I can only imagine how much Jared’s heart still hurt. “No,” I whispered. “It was always meant for her. And that makes you giving it to me even more special.”
His smile was tremulous as he brushed away the tear that snaked down my cheek. “I love you, Alison Elizabeth Crowe,” he whispered.
“I know, I whispered back. I love you, too.” He pulled me to him, and his soft moan seemed to echo through me. It was the first time we’d said it out loud. But we both knew. We’d both known for a long time.
“It’s not an engagement ring,” he added quickly. “I don’t need your mom staking me.”
“Chicken.”
“Happy birthday,” he said again, and for a moment, standing there in the fairy lights with Jared’s ring on my finger and his hand in mine, everything felt absolutely right.
Then the side gate exploded inward and shot all of that to hell
12
ALLIE
Wood splintered and metal screeched and then they were pouring through, fast and wrong, and hungry.
Demons—a lot of them.
“Get Timmy and Elena inside!” Mom shouted, already moving, a stiletto appearing in her hand like magic.
Fran scooped up Elena, but Timmy was on the other side of the garden, frozen in place, his eyes huge.
“Timster!” I called, moving that direction. But Trevor was already sprinting that way, and without slowing down, he grabbed Timmy around the waist, and bolted inside as a broad-shouldered demon lunged, pinning me down. He smiled as he straddled me, and it was the smile of something that had been waiting a long time. “Pretty girlie gonna die.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. I also didn’t like the fact that I’d been stupid enough to put my weapons down during present time. Not that the lack of a weapon slowed me down—it didn’t. It just meant my defense option sucked.
I did it anyway, cringing as I shoved my finger into his eye—all the way up to Celia’s ring—and then I sighed with satisfactionas I saw the telltale shimmer that indicated the demon had left the building.
I shoved his fallen body off me, then bolted to the table where I’d left my stiletto. I wanted the crossbow, but now was not the time to get familiar with a new weapon.
A quick glance around and I found Jared as he sped over the grass to tear into a hunchbacked demon that he’d been advancing on Aunt Laura. One twist, one strike, and the demon dropped.
Mom and Cutter were both on the slope that led down to the cemetery, each fighting a demon of their own, and working in perfect sync. I looked around for Stuart, then remembered he’d gone inside for a phone call. I hoped desperately that he was safe in there, along with Signora Micari and the kids.
As for the others, Marcus was holding his own and Gramps was making a meal of the demon who probably thought it would have it easy attacking an old man.
I looked for Zane but didn’t see him, and I said a silent prayer that he was safe inside. I was about to go check the mansion to make sure no demon had breached it, but I stopped cold.
Sophie.
She was facing a demon alone—a woman in a designer business suit trying to tear Sophie’s throat out. Sophie was backing up, one of the cake forks shaking in her hand, and I started to run toward her?—
But I didn’t need to.
She feinted left, and when the demon lunged, she drove her fork straight through its eye. The body dropped. Sophie stood there, breathing hard, looking a bit queasy as she stared at what she’d done.
“Holy shit,” she finally whispered.
“Good kill!” I shouted, and she looked up at me with an expression that was equal parts terror and triumph.
