California Demon (42 page)

“Why?”

Another big question, but this one I was prepared to answer. “Because when I met Stuart, my demon-hunting days were long behind me. He fell in love with a single mom with a great kid who happened to be a lousy cook and a mediocre housekeeper.”

“Mediocre? Puh-lease.”

“Compared to the way you keep your room,” I countered with a laugh, “I’m mediocre. And the point is that my past wasn’t part of the equation. So I’ve always thought it would be unfair to spring it on him now.”

“Yeah,” she said after pondering that for a bit. “I guess that makes sense.”

I’m glad she thought so because I needed her to help keep my secret. As it was, I expected that I’d soon have to come clean with Stuart anyway. As much as I feared that the truth would drive a wedge into our marriage, I was equally afraid that keeping secrets would do the exact same thing.

“The whole thing’s kinda freaky,” she said as we headed back toward the parking lot. “But it’s pretty cool, too.”

I fought a grin, unable to help the little trill of satisfaction. Having your teenager say you’re cool is a rare treat, and one that must be savored.

“What about Aunt Laura? Does she know?”

Laura Dupont lives directly behind us and also happens to be my best friend.

“Yes,” I admitted. “Laura knows.”

“Umm.” She chewed a bit on her lower lip as she processed that tidbit of information. “So, then I can tell Mindy?” she finally asked, referring to
her
best friend and, conveniently enough, Laura’s daughter.

“I don’t know. Let me think about it. And let me talk it over with Laura. It’s a big deal knowing demons are out there. That may be more than you want to dump on a friend.” It had been more than I’d wanted to dump on Laura, but she’d stumbled across my secret and I’d had no choice. Now, I was glad she knew. Everyone needs a confidante, and even though the rules of
Forza
require the ultimate secrecy, some rules just scream to be broken.

We walked a bit more in silence until Allie stopped abruptly, anxiety coloring her face. “Oh, God, Mom,” she said, making me totally fear the worst. “I can still go back to Coronado after the Christmas break, right? I mean, just because there was a demon in the surf club, that doesn’t mean I have to switch to a private school or anything. Does it?”

“That’s it?” I said, completely unable to keep my amazement—and relief—to myself. I’d just told her that not only had demons infiltrated her school, but that her mother, her father, her pseudo-great-grandfather, and her chemistry teacher were all Demon Hunters by trade. And the primary question on her mind is whether or not she’s going to stay at the same high school? “That’s what you’re worried about?”

Call me crazy, but I was expecting . . . I don’t know. Just
more,
I guess. Fireworks. Teenage angst. Huffing and stomping and storming about. Accusations about keeping secrets. Possibly even the silent treatment.

I’d been expecting that, prepared for it, even. And I’d also been expecting that at the end of all the shock, she’d beg to follow in her parents’ footsteps. I figured she’d plead for a trip to Rome. Want to meet Father Corletti. At the very least, insist on keeping a stiletto and a vial of holy water in her purse.

That, honestly, was one of the reasons I’d held off so long on this talk. Because that’s not a life I want for my daughter. I want her safe, secure in her home, tucked into bed at night, and not worrying about monsters in the closet or walking the streets. That’s one of the reasons I agreed to come out of retirement, after all. To make San Diablo a safer town. Tossing my daughter into the fray wasn’t part of what I was hoping to accomplish.

Apparently, though, I worried for nothing. Because I got none of that. Not then, not during the remainder of our walk back to the museum parking lot, and not during the entire four weeks of Christmas vacation. Instead, I just got . . . well,
Allie
. A little more introspective version of Allie,maybe, but nothing to suggest there’d been any life-changing mother-daughter talks in the last few days.

“It’s almost like I told her I was secretly an accountant,” I told Laura on a balmy Thursday in January, just a few days before school was scheduled to start up again. In a moment of rare domesticity, Stuart had taken Allie and Timmy to the mall for an afternoon of exchanging presents and scouring sales, so Laura and I had the house to ourselves. I had to assume Stuart’s assumption of mall duty meant that he’d be calling in a favor soon. Because any time Stuart willingly takes our almost-three-year-old shopping, there’s usually a request for a favor waiting in the wings.

“An accountant?” Laura repeated. “You can’t even keep your checkbook balanced.”

“Very funny,” I countered. “My point is that even though she asked some questions while we were at the museum, since we’ve been home, she’s been completely uninterested.”

“Completely?” Laura asked, looking at me over the rim of one of my festive holiday mugs, currently brimming with cocoa and whipped cream.

“You know what I mean,” I said. “She’s asked a few questions here and there about hunting and about Eric. But no begging me to teach her how to throw a stiletto. No pleading for lessons on how to pick a demon out of a crowd. Nothing like that at all.”

“And you told her all of it? Even that you came out of retirement after what happened last summer?”

“Ah, well. I kind of hedged on that,” I admitted. “It wouldn’t have made a difference, though. She’s interested in boys and cheerleading and school. Demon hunting isn’t on her radar.”

“You’re sure?”

“I haven’t caught one whiff of interest there. Trust me,” I said. “I was worried for nothing.”

“I hope you’re right,” Laura said.

“I am,” I assured her. “I know my kid.”

“Just like you knew she had a crush on Troy?” Laura asked. “Just like you knew she wouldn’t do anything like sneak out of the house when she was grounded?”

I didn’t say anything because Laura had a point. The kind of point that I can’t ignore, even though I might want to.

The truth is, Allie’s growing up. And as hard as it is for me to admit, I can no longer look at her face and see what’s going on in her head. As life skills go, I suppose she’s learned from the best. I am, after all, a master at lying to my family.

I scowled at my Santa Claus mug and avoided Laura’s eyes. Because I’d been perfectly happy in my delusion that my daughter was concerned only about school and school-type things.

Laura was right, though. I hadn’t dodged a bullet at all. It was still speeding toward me.

And I didn’t have a clue when it was going to hit.

From USA Today bestselling author

Julie Kenner

Demons Are Forever

Confessions of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom

It isn’t easy when your daughter’s figured out that her mom’s a Demon Hunter—and wants to grow up to be just like you. Or when you suspect your dead husband used the forces of darkness to filch the body of another human. For a stay-at-home mom, Kate Connor’s putting in a lot of overtime.

Available wherever books are sold or at
penguin.com

From USA Today bestselling author

Julie Kenner

Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom

Retired Demon Hunter Kate Connor must go back to work when she spots a demon lurking in the local Wal-Mart. But she’d better not arouse suspicion. This kind of thing could really hurt her husband’s political career.

Available wherever books are sold or at
penguin.com