Read Online Demon 04 - Deja Demon by Julie Kenner - Free Book Online
Authors: Julie Kenner
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were spouting all sorts of nonsense about payback for stuff that happened in the past, so you ought to watch yourself. Plus, it turned into something of a party and I could use a hand cleaning up. So call me when you get this.”
Hopefully he would call, and not simply show up. I had no idea what I’d say if he was here when Stuart woke up. Allie in the backyard made sense. The high school chemistry teacher? Not so much.
Still, as awkward as his showing up unannounced might be, at least it would be confirmation that he was alive and well. Considering our intertwined pasts, any demon seeking revenge against me was probably also interested in getting revenge on Eric, too. And for all I knew, Sammy’s best demon buddy might have shown up at David’s apartment about the same time I was shoving a stake through Sammy’s eye.
I frowned, then called his cell one more time, this time stressing that he needed to call me the second he got the message. I forced myself not to grab my car keys and race out of the house. I was operating now off nothing but blind paranoia. For one thing, as far as I knew, most of the demon world had no idea that Eric had resurfaced in David’s body. A few demons were privy, sure. But I didn’t think that all of hell had yet got the message. And even if our former enemies were aware of his new identity, David knew how to take care of himself. I’d survived; I had no reason to think he wouldn’t also.
Even so, if he didn’t report by the time my household was awake and moving around, I’d drive over myself and check on him. Right now, though, I needed to make one more quick call before I checked on the beasties in my backyard.
This time, I dialed Forza . And once again, I got dumped into voice mail. Honestly, was I the only person right where I was supposed to be?
I left Father Corletti a detailed message of what had happened, focusing primarily on what the demon had said. Not only the reference to the mysterious Sword of Caelum, but also the bit about “he who seeks revenge” and who was “thrust into cardinal fire.” And just for good measure, I threw in how vengeance would be combining with revenge.
To be honest, my call to Father Corletti was completely outside the bounds of protocol. I had an alimentatore in town, and Father Ben should have been my first call. But I felt justified in circumventing channels because it sounded like this attack was personal. And if it stemmed from a demon I’d encountered in my past, then contacting Father Corletti first made sense. He’d been there, after all, living those first years alongside Eric and me. Celebrating our victories and, yes, mourning our losses with us.
I hung up, then hurried outside, making use of the limited ambient light to navigate safe passage through the obstacle course that is our yard until I reached the shed. I opened the door and immediately saw the big, blue Rubbermaid tub I’d used to hold all the plastic Easter eggs, party favors, and other paraphernalia I’d collected for the upcoming Neighborhood Association Easter Fair. I’d tried keeping the stuff in cardboard boxes in the kitchen, but the lure was too much for Timmy, and I’d had to pry eggs and candy out of his disappointed little fingers one too many times.
The candy, of course, existed to fill the eggs. And that, unfortunately, was my job. And for no other reason than that I am an easily manipulated raving idiot.
Our house is in a planned subdivision and, like virtually every house in Southern California, we’re part of a homeowners’ association. And this year, the association is putting on an Easter fair, complete with Easter egg hunts, a moonwalk, a dunking booth, a bake sale, and, of course, the Easter Bunny.
One guess who got roped into organizing it all. What can I say? They asked me early one Saturday morning after I’d been out until four chasing down a teenager who’d been killed at a skateboarding competition and—you guessed
Hopefully he would call, and not simply show up. I had no idea what I’d say if he was here when Stuart woke up. Allie in the backyard made sense. The high school chemistry teacher? Not so much.
Still, as awkward as his showing up unannounced might be, at least it would be confirmation that he was alive and well. Considering our intertwined pasts, any demon seeking revenge against me was probably also interested in getting revenge on Eric, too. And for all I knew, Sammy’s best demon buddy might have shown up at David’s apartment about the same time I was shoving a stake through Sammy’s eye.
I frowned, then called his cell one more time, this time stressing that he needed to call me the second he got the message. I forced myself not to grab my car keys and race out of the house. I was operating now off nothing but blind paranoia. For one thing, as far as I knew, most of the demon world had no idea that Eric had resurfaced in David’s body. A few demons were privy, sure. But I didn’t think that all of hell had yet got the message. And even if our former enemies were aware of his new identity, David knew how to take care of himself. I’d survived; I had no reason to think he wouldn’t also.
Even so, if he didn’t report by the time my household was awake and moving around, I’d drive over myself and check on him. Right now, though, I needed to make one more quick call before I checked on the beasties in my backyard.
This time, I dialed Forza . And once again, I got dumped into voice mail. Honestly, was I the only person right where I was supposed to be?
I left Father Corletti a detailed message of what had happened, focusing primarily on what the demon had said. Not only the reference to the mysterious Sword of Caelum, but also the bit about “he who seeks revenge” and who was “thrust into cardinal fire.” And just for good measure, I threw in how vengeance would be combining with revenge.
To be honest, my call to Father Corletti was completely outside the bounds of protocol. I had an alimentatore in town, and Father Ben should have been my first call. But I felt justified in circumventing channels because it sounded like this attack was personal. And if it stemmed from a demon I’d encountered in my past, then contacting Father Corletti first made sense. He’d been there, after all, living those first years alongside Eric and me. Celebrating our victories and, yes, mourning our losses with us.
I hung up, then hurried outside, making use of the limited ambient light to navigate safe passage through the obstacle course that is our yard until I reached the shed. I opened the door and immediately saw the big, blue Rubbermaid tub I’d used to hold all the plastic Easter eggs, party favors, and other paraphernalia I’d collected for the upcoming Neighborhood Association Easter Fair. I’d tried keeping the stuff in cardboard boxes in the kitchen, but the lure was too much for Timmy, and I’d had to pry eggs and candy out of his disappointed little fingers one too many times.
The candy, of course, existed to fill the eggs. And that, unfortunately, was my job. And for no other reason than that I am an easily manipulated raving idiot.
Our house is in a planned subdivision and, like virtually every house in Southern California, we’re part of a homeowners’ association. And this year, the association is putting on an Easter fair, complete with Easter egg hunts, a moonwalk, a dunking booth, a bake sale, and, of course, the Easter Bunny.
One guess who got roped into organizing it all. What can I say? They asked me early one Saturday morning after I’d been out until four chasing down a teenager who’d been killed at a skateboarding competition and—you guessed
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