KATE
We gathered in the library because Eddie refused to move from his favorite chair, where he’d been curled up all day with Sherlock Holmes. We didn’t argue. The rest of us had learned long ago that it was easier to bring the mountain to Mohammed.
Timmy was on the floor by the fireplace with his crayons, happily scribbling away while we talked. He was supposed to be in bed where I’d left him, but he’d woken up inconsolable, so Stuart had brought him down when he’d joined the meeting. Now Stuart was settled in the wingback by the window, looking more present than he had in days.
Laura and Cutter were on the loveseat, and Allie sat perched on the arm of Jared’s chair while Mindy sat cross-legged on the floor beside them. Only Marcus and Eliza were missing. Eliza, because she’d gone back down to San Diego to help a friend move, and Marcus, because he was pulling Instructor duty and was outside in the cemetery putting the students through night training with various weapons.
Once everyone was settled, Eric and I took turns laying it out—Samarek’s freakish history. The ritual Gregory Matheshad performed twenty years ago, calling on that dangerous and powerful demon to perform a ritual that used Eric’s blood and saved my life.
And our certainty that Samarek was back—his mark on Antonio had been the demon’s calling card.
When we finished, the room was silent.
“But why is it here?” Cutter finally asked. “Revenge on Eric for using his magic?”
“Partly,” Eric said. “But I think the bigger target is Allie.”
All eyes shifted to my daughter.
“She closed the gates of hell,” Eric continued. “Locked Samarek and a huge number of hibernating demons on the wrong side. That’s not something he’s going to forget.”
“Or forgive,” Eddie added grimly.
“But it’s more than revenge.” Eric’s jaw tightened. “Allie’s powerful. Samarek would want that power for himself. To use. To control.”
“So I’m what? A trophy and a weapon?” Allie’s voice was flat, but I could see the fear beneath it.
“You’re a threat,” I said. “And a prize. That’s a dangerous combination.”
“Great.” She crossed her arms. “So we know he wants me dead or captured. What we don’t know is how he plans to get to me. He’s stuck in hell, right? That’s the whole point of closing the gates.”
“That’s what I’ve been researching,” Mindy said. I remembered that she’d been the one to hack the USB and had been working with Marcus on sorting everything out. Considering how gifted she was at research, I wasn’t surprised she was already on the trail.
“I’ve been going through everything Antonio compiled, and there’s this one bit in his notes. Hang on. She pulled out her tablet, scrolling until she found what she was looking for.“Here. This text’s about Samarek specifically. It calls himPons Fabricator.”
“Bridge builder,” Eric translated, leaning forward.
“Exactly. According to this, Samarek is known for creating bridges between realms. Except, I don’t think you can build a bridge out of hell from the inside.”
“So he’s pissed,” Eric said, nodding slowly. “Allie locked him in the one place he couldn’t escape. Not from the inside, anyway. He’s immortal, so eventually he’d find a way. But he wants revenge. So he’s doubling down on finding an exit point to get past that closed gate.”
“By building a bridge,” I said, nodding slowly as all that settled in my mind. “And if he can’t build it from inside hell, he’s going to try to figure out a way to influence demons on this side to do his bidding and construct the thing.”
“Yes,” Allie whispered, her eyes going wide. “But it’s not a bridge.” She looked between me and her father. “It’s a door.”
She nodded to Timmy and the picture he was drawing. “Lots of little kids sense weird stuff, you see it all the time in haunted house lore. They grow out of it, but the little ones know. I think Timmy’s drawing the door that Samarek’s going to come through.”
“Going to,” I whispered, thinking about the demon attack at Allie’s party. “What if he’s already succeeded?”
I crossed to my son and knelt down beside him. “Hey, baby. That’s a pretty picture.”
“It’s a door,” he said without looking up.
“I see that. You’ve been drawing a lot of doors lately.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Where do you see this door, sweetheart? Is it somewhere in the house?”
