Demon Ex Machina: Tales of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom (31 page)

I cried because I wanted to save him and I had no idea how.

And I cried because I was tired. I was so damn tired.

“You’re a fool,” Nadia said, and I whipped around to find her behind me, now wearing one of Eric’s shirts and nothing else.

“Careful,” I said. “You’ll catch cold.”

“Stay away from me, Kate. Don’t get ideas. Don’t think you can play the hero and win this round. You’ve won too many times, darling. You’ve used up your quota.” She leaned in close, her face only inches from mine. “It’s my turn, sweetheart. It’s my turn to win.”

I tried to think of a snappy comeback, honestly I did, but my mind wasn’t sharp enough. My reflexes were a hell of a lot sharper, and I kicked up with my knee at the same time I smashed forward with my head. I caught her hard in the crotch at the same time I smashed her nose. A second later, I had her by the shoulders and sent her tumbling down so that her bare ass skidded hard on the rough concrete sidewalk.

Her face curved with fury, and she stood, eyes black now, the whites totally gone.

I stepped back, realizing I’d crossed a line. Realizing for the first time that Lilith was no ordinary demon and that I’d just fucked up, but good.

“You won’t kill me,” I said, praying that Eddie was right. “You
can’t
kill me.”

“The hell I can’t,” she said, her voice seeming to reverberate throughout me. “But you are right. I won’t. Do you know why?”

Something squeezed at my throat, and I realized it was her hand. I blinked, not at all sure how she’d moved that fast. My body was icy with fear, but I fought it. Told myself to steady. I wasn’t dying today. Not now.

A small comfort considering there were lots of ways to hurt me. Lots of ways to make me beg for death. And lots of ways to punish me without ever giving me that sweet release.

“Do. You. Know. Why?” she repeated.

“I die, he dies,” I said, working hard to speak with my throat held so tight. “And all this work is for nothing. They’re both gone. Back to the ether. And your precious Odayne will have to start all over again in some other body.”

Her brows lifted. “Aren’t you the clever one? But you’re wrong. So very wrong.”

“The hell I am.”

“Something like that,” she said with a smile. “The truth is that if you die,
Eric
dies. Eric dies, but Odayne stays, warm and cozy in that body I like so much.”

I swallowed, trying to process what she was telling me. Because what she was saying—what I was hearing—was that
my death
was the unbinding spell I’d been looking for.

“That’s right,” Nadia said, apparently reading my thoughts. “Odayne is within the flesh now, and there he will remain.”

“You lie,” I said. “If that were true, you’d be trying to kill me right now.” Yet even as I spoke the words, I knew that she was telling the truth. And I also knew why she wouldn’t kill me—why she wouldn’t release Eric’s soul from Odayne. It was for the reason Allie said—Lilith wanted that brush with humanity, and she wanted her lover to have a bit of humanity as well.

“You understand,” she said. “I see it in your eyes. I want my beloved back. Is that so hard for you to understand, Katie-kins? Is it so hard for you to see how we are alike? You should be supporting me, not hunting me. For that matter,” she said, with a flick of her wrist, “you should be down on your knees worshipping me.”

And then I was. She’d tossed me down like so much garbage and the hand that had been on my throat was now on the top of my head, grasping my hair, tilting my head back so that I had no choice but to look at her.

“I have her in me now, the Hunter who vexes you so. Her humanity flows in this body that I now fill. We are not yet one, but we will be soon enough, and when that happens I will be open to all the pleasures of your world. I will wish to share them with my beloved. And for that, he must feel the sting of humanity, too. For that, he needs his counterpart. The human soul with which he has been twined lo these many years.”

“It was an empty threat, then,” I said. “Inside. When you threatened Eric with the knife.”

She laughed then, and her hand shook as it did, jerking at my hair and making me wince. “Not at all. Kill the flesh, and the soul lives inside. Once Odayne is fully bound to the flesh, the death of Eric’s body will not break the bind between them.”

I licked my lips, my mind racing. I had no reason to doubt what she said, but at the same time, she
hadn’t
shoved the knife into Eric’s heart. There could only be one reason why she held back, and that was that Odayne still wasn’t yet fully bound in the flesh. He was emerging, but the game wasn’t over yet. Which meant—or at least I hoped it meant—that there was still time to save Eric.

“But killing me is different than killing the body,” I said. “The Lazarus Bones tied my soul to Eric’s. Kill me, and you free Eric’s soul. And your lover loses his grip on humanity.” I managed a smile. “Quite the conundrum, I’m sure. It must really irk you not to be able to kill me.”

“Not at all. I’m a patient woman, after all. After so many millennia, patience comes quite easily to me. And once Odayne and Eric are fully bound, the ties between you and your husband will be broken. He will no longer be yours; he will be fully mine. And once that happens, dearest, I assure you that I will kill you without hesitation.”

“He’s fighting it,” I said. “I don’t care what show you put on for me in there. Eric’s fighting it.”

“Yes,” she said. “He is. But that hardly matters. He’s losing the battle. He’s tiring. He’s weakening. And even if he weren’t, I’m unwilling to take chances.”

“You’re going to do something,” I said, thinking of all those ceremonies Eddie was talking about. “Something to fuse Odayne and Eric.”

“Clever girl. I merely intend to hurry the process along.”

“How? When?”

“Such curiosity! But it doesn’t matter. There’s nothing you can do to stop it. And once it’s done, I promise I’ll put you out of your misery. You can thank me for that later.”

“You’ll never touch me,” I said, but considering she had me by the hair, I’m certain my words lacked their full impact.

“Oh, I assure you I will. And in the meantime, dearest, I may not be able to kill you, but I know how to hurt you. You, and those you love.”

And with that, she hauled back with her free hand. Lightning fast, her fist flew at me, and with her other hand holding my head in place, there was nowhere to go. I screamed when she made contact, the world turning red, then gray, then black.

And as my head hit the pavement, I was vaguely aware that she was gone.

And after that, all was black.

The light tap at my
bedroom door startled me, and I lifted my head from the pillow, my fingers still stroking Timmy’s hair. I’d been lying there for an hour, my little boy asleep beside me, and I’d been watching him. Just watching. And trying hard not to think.

“Hey,” Allie said, poking her head inside. “Daddy called.”

That got me moving, and I sat up, angering the headache that was pounding against my eyes. I don’t know how long I’d lain unconscious and sprawled out on the sidewalk in front of Eric’s apartment, but it was long enough to make my muscles stiff. I’d gone home and moved straight for the bedroom, taking Timmy with me, only giving Stuart the barest overview of what had happened as he taped up my broken nose.

“What did he say?” I asked, and saw Allie wince at the nasal quality of my voice.

She came over slowly and sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to wake her sleeping brother. “He said to tell you he was sorry,” she said, and I felt the tears start to well. “And that you shouldn’t give up on him because he’s going to beat this. He says he doesn’t know what happened. That it was important for me to tell you that he doesn’t remember any of it. That it was Odayne, and he was inside, but he was lost and he couldn’t get out.”

“But he’s out now.”

She nodded, her own eyes brimming. “And he said that he loved me. And that I was supposed to tell you that he loves you, too.” She drew in a deep breath. “Mom, what happened?”

I shook my head. Never was I going to tell her that truth. “The demon,” I said simply. “The demon is taking over, and Lilith is right there moving it along.”

“And Nadia?”

“As far as I’m concerned, they’re one and the same.”

She licked her lips. “Can we really stop her? I mean, she’s, like, hugely powerful.”

“We have to,” I said, refusing to harbor any doubts. “It’s the only hope your dad has. Stop Lilith, and he can fight Odayne. Buy some time. But if we can’t stop her, she’s going to do the binding ceremony, and Eric really will be lost.” I reached over and squeezed her hand. “I need to talk to Stuart and Eddie, okay? Don’t you have some research to do?”

“Tons,” she said. “Does that mean I don’t have to worry about homework?”

“No school for you tomorrow,” I said. “Or Friday.”

“Next week?”

“This will be over by next week,” I said firmly. “One way or another, it’s going to be finished.”

She stood up and moved to the door, then paused and looked back at me. “I called everyone and canceled my party.”

“Allie!” It was, of course, the right thing to do. I’ll confess, though, that I was amazed that she’d done it.

“They’re trying to hurt you through us. I figured they wouldn’t hesitate to go after a bunch of my friends. Slaughter a bunch of innocent teenagers, and—” She broke off with a shrug. “Well, you know.”

“You’re absolutely right,” I said, coming to a decision. “And you’re still having the party.”

She frowned. “Are you nuts?”

“Not with your friends. But with us. The family. Laura. Mindy.” I tried to smile, but stopped when it made my nose hurt. “You deserve it, and we won’t be in any more danger in the theater than at home.” And though I didn’t say it, the truth was that we were probably in less danger. After all, home had a multitude of windows and doors whereas the theater had only the main entrance and one fire exit. And if nothing else, it was another evening during which I would know everybody’s exact location.

“You really mean it?”

“Absolutely,” I said. “We’ll bring extra holy water, stock away a few weapons, and pray,” I said. “It’ll be smaller than we planned, but it’ll still be a party.”

“Yes.” She made a pumping motion with her fist, then flashed me the kind of grin that assured me I’d made the right decision. “And, Mom? Sorry about your nose.”

My fingers automatically rose to brush my battered nose, and I winced. “That’s okay,” I said. “I was getting tired of seeing the same reflection every time I looked in the mirror. Stuart and Eddie,” I reminded her. “Can you get them for me now?”

“Right.”

She scooted out, and a few moments later my husband and Eddie trundled in. Stuart immediately came to the bed and put his arm around me. Eddie paced, hands shoved deep into his pockets.

“The stone’s supposed to arrive on Friday. I talked to Father Corletti this morning.”

“So that’s the plan, then,” I said. “We get the stone, we corner Lilith, and we hope for the best.”

“How are we going to corner Lilith?” Stuart asked.

“Eric,” I said. “We use him as bait.” I looked up, met my husband’s eyes. “She loves him, you see. We get him away—make her think he’s in danger—and she’ll come. She’ll come, and we’ll be ready.”

“That she-bitch is wicked strong,” Eddie said.

“So’s the stone. It held Andramelech. It’ll hold her.” I spoke firmly, but I couldn’t help the way my confidence wavered. “Won’t it?”

Eddie drew in a breath, then nodded. “I think so. So long as we can get through the ceremony before she rips the skin from our bones. And so long as Eric’s willing to jam his finger into the queen bitch’s eye. So, yeah. Except for those few minor points, then yeah. I think it’ll work.”

I swallowed. “Good,” I said, with more confidence than I felt. The truth was, I didn’t feel much at all except numb. I’d taken a beating, both emotionally and physically. And what I wanted right then more than anything was for this all to be over. “What about the book?” I asked.

“Gone missing from the Vatican library,” Eddie said. “Last time anyone saw it was right around the time Eric went back to Rome to work through some of his issues.”

“Shit,” I said, and heard both Eddie and Stuart grunt in agreement. I looked from one to the other, and my feeling of being at loose ends dissipated. No matter what, I wasn’t alone in this. “Thank you both,” I said.

“For what?” Stuart asked, while Eddie harumphed and turned a bright shade of pink.

“For helping. For understanding. I don’t know,” I said, suddenly flustered. “Just for being there.”

Stuart sighed and took both my hands in his. “I don’t know Eric. Not really. And what I know, I don’t much like. No, don’t say anything,” he added, when I started to protest. “It’s jealousy, and I know that. But I don’t have to like the guy to know that I would never, ever wish what’s happening to him on anyone. Worst enemy or my wife’s first husband. I love you, Kate, and you love him. So there’s no question. Of course I’ll help.”

“Thank you,” I said, then shot a sad smile toward Eddie. “Are we pretty sure that it’ll be Odayne who’s sucked into the ether?”

He shook his head. “Mildly sure. But it could be Eric. Or it could be both of them. As far as we know it’s never been done before, but if we do the ceremony in the safe room, then the demon is going to want to leave—it’s gonna want to get the hell out of there, no pun intended. And Father Corletti agrees that that’ll increase our odds.” He shrugged. “It’s the best we can do. It’s a risk, though. For all of us, and mostly for Eric. You willing to take that risk, girl?”

I nodded. “I don’t think we have a choice.” I took Stuart’s hand and tugged him down next to me on the bed. “I need to talk to Stuart for a minute, okay?”