ancient evil was going to be contained.
Devin Cline’s face danced through my mind. Harsh angles and half-crazed eyes were all I remembered of him. I wondered if he’d changed at all.
Judging by the way he was grumbling and swearing in his dreams the night before, no, probably not.
I fished some shorts out of my bag and pulled them on, trying to keep Devin out of my mind. Focusing on the good things like Damon and Hunter and how much I just knew Caitlyn was going to love hanging out with Hunter helped some.
“Come on, Leroy.” Grandpa shouted again. “Bacon’s getting cold!”
If nothing else, I always had my grandpa.
“Coming!” I yelled, and slid my phone in my pocket, then pulled on an old Ghostbusters shirt, and popped my neck.
Out in the hall, the smell really hit me.
And, yeah, those were fresh baked biscuits.
Grandpa and I ate in silence. We were both lost in thought as we chewed our food. It was a comfortable silence. A safe one.
I knew, somehow, this was the calm before the storm. I wished that the storm would never come, that Poko was wrong.
Everything was going to be fine, I told myself. Damon’s able to handle anything. He’s strong and smart and kind. Just thinking about him sent a thrill up my stomach.
And he’s mine.
That got me smiling, at least until it was time to get up, and get on with life.
-8-
––––––––
“H ey, Caitlyn?”
I was a little nervous when she picked up on the second ring, but not really sure why. It was probably just a mixture of everything slamming into me at once. I felt shaky and unsure. I shut my eyes, and tried to brush it off.
“Hey... It’s Lily.”
“Yeah!”
I exhaled a sigh of relief. Caitlyn sounded so excited to hear from me that it made me relax.
“How ya been?”
Her voice was so up-beat, so bubbly, that a few seconds after the relief, came a feeling of guilt. She was going to find out Devin was back, and it was going to break her heart. No, maybe not, I thought. Maybe she won’t. Maybe, it’ll be smooth. Like, Damon will come back, he and Devin will do whatever they have to do, and then he’ll go back on his way.
Maybe.
But, then again, maybe not.
“Lily?”
“Oh, shit,” I said. “Sorry. I kinda zoned out there for a second. I have some good news! Sort of. Actually, I have a favor to ask. That’s not too forward, is it? Not talking to you for, like, two months, and then asking a favor?”
She snorted a laugh.
“Come on, Lily,” Cat said. “We went through some stuff, you know? We’ve both got our own lives. You don’t have to do the whole worrying-about-social-graces thing with me. Whatever you need, I’ll help, if I can. It’s nothing bad, is it?”
I wanted to spill my guts to her, but I knew that wasn’t the best idea. Really, I wanted to spill my guts to anyone who would listen. I couldn’t do that though. I had to keep stiff, keep strong.
“No, it’s nothing like that. Damon’s doing great. Actually, it isn’t so much a favor. I need – I mean, I guess it is, but really, it’s...”
Cat started cracking the hell up. Really like sputtering and almost choking on her laughter. The kind of thing you do before telling someone they owe you a new keyboard.
“Lily, come on. You’re getting all worked up. It’s just me. Just Cat. What’s up?”
“I have no idea why I’m so nervous. Look...” I took a breath, getting ready to spill it all. “Damon’s friend is in town tonight, and—”
“Does he look anything like Damon?” she asked, cutting me off.
Before I knew it, I said, “Yeah, they look like they could be brothers.”
At that, I bit my tongue, but Cat didn’t react. At least, if she did, she hid it really well.
“Meaning, yes?” she asked.
“Yeah, they... Almost creepy, really, how much they look alike. Got the same hair, the same kinda...”
“What you’re saying here,” Cat cut in, again. “Is that you’re asking me to go on a date with a tall, dark-haired,
Devin Cline’s face danced through my mind. Harsh angles and half-crazed eyes were all I remembered of him. I wondered if he’d changed at all.
Judging by the way he was grumbling and swearing in his dreams the night before, no, probably not.
I fished some shorts out of my bag and pulled them on, trying to keep Devin out of my mind. Focusing on the good things like Damon and Hunter and how much I just knew Caitlyn was going to love hanging out with Hunter helped some.
“Come on, Leroy.” Grandpa shouted again. “Bacon’s getting cold!”
If nothing else, I always had my grandpa.
“Coming!” I yelled, and slid my phone in my pocket, then pulled on an old Ghostbusters shirt, and popped my neck.
Out in the hall, the smell really hit me.
And, yeah, those were fresh baked biscuits.
Grandpa and I ate in silence. We were both lost in thought as we chewed our food. It was a comfortable silence. A safe one.
I knew, somehow, this was the calm before the storm. I wished that the storm would never come, that Poko was wrong.
Everything was going to be fine, I told myself. Damon’s able to handle anything. He’s strong and smart and kind. Just thinking about him sent a thrill up my stomach.
And he’s mine.
That got me smiling, at least until it was time to get up, and get on with life.
-8-
––––––––
“H ey, Caitlyn?”
I was a little nervous when she picked up on the second ring, but not really sure why. It was probably just a mixture of everything slamming into me at once. I felt shaky and unsure. I shut my eyes, and tried to brush it off.
“Hey... It’s Lily.”
“Yeah!”
I exhaled a sigh of relief. Caitlyn sounded so excited to hear from me that it made me relax.
“How ya been?”
Her voice was so up-beat, so bubbly, that a few seconds after the relief, came a feeling of guilt. She was going to find out Devin was back, and it was going to break her heart. No, maybe not, I thought. Maybe she won’t. Maybe, it’ll be smooth. Like, Damon will come back, he and Devin will do whatever they have to do, and then he’ll go back on his way.
Maybe.
But, then again, maybe not.
“Lily?”
“Oh, shit,” I said. “Sorry. I kinda zoned out there for a second. I have some good news! Sort of. Actually, I have a favor to ask. That’s not too forward, is it? Not talking to you for, like, two months, and then asking a favor?”
She snorted a laugh.
“Come on, Lily,” Cat said. “We went through some stuff, you know? We’ve both got our own lives. You don’t have to do the whole worrying-about-social-graces thing with me. Whatever you need, I’ll help, if I can. It’s nothing bad, is it?”
I wanted to spill my guts to her, but I knew that wasn’t the best idea. Really, I wanted to spill my guts to anyone who would listen. I couldn’t do that though. I had to keep stiff, keep strong.
“No, it’s nothing like that. Damon’s doing great. Actually, it isn’t so much a favor. I need – I mean, I guess it is, but really, it’s...”
Cat started cracking the hell up. Really like sputtering and almost choking on her laughter. The kind of thing you do before telling someone they owe you a new keyboard.
“Lily, come on. You’re getting all worked up. It’s just me. Just Cat. What’s up?”
“I have no idea why I’m so nervous. Look...” I took a breath, getting ready to spill it all. “Damon’s friend is in town tonight, and—”
“Does he look anything like Damon?” she asked, cutting me off.
Before I knew it, I said, “Yeah, they look like they could be brothers.”
At that, I bit my tongue, but Cat didn’t react. At least, if she did, she hid it really well.
“Meaning, yes?” she asked.
“Yeah, they... Almost creepy, really, how much they look alike. Got the same hair, the same kinda...”
“What you’re saying here,” Cat cut in, again. “Is that you’re asking me to go on a date with a tall, dark-haired,
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