Demon Ex Machina: Tales of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom Read Online Free PDF

Forza .”
    She took my hand in sympathy. “It’s harder on him than it is on you,” she said. “He’s all alone. And he’s going through a lot.”
    “Yeah,” I said. “And he needs help. It’s not like he’s got a sinus infection. This isn’t going away simply because he hides in the dark and wishes it gone.”
    She squeezed my fingers. “I’m so sorry.”
    “I hate that he’s not coming to me,” I said, my voice thin as we got down to the heart of the matter.
    “He probably hates it, too,” she said. “But I can see why he’s not. You’ve got Stuart, after all.”
    I nodded, knowing it was true. Knowing that I was selfish for wanting Eric to still depend on me even after Stuart and I had repaired the rifts in our marriage. I loved him, though, and the thought that he was going through this alone broke my heart.
    “Have you told Stuart?”
    “Yeah,” I said. “I told him last week.” I’d hated doing it. Stuart’s acceptance of my world was still understandably fragile. But he’d sworn an oath to take me “for better or for worse,” and he’d come back to me promising to honor that oath.
    Since a demon-possessed ex-husband definitely counted as a tick-mark in the “for worse” column, I had to force Stuart to put his money where his mouth was.
    “Exactly,” Laura said, when I explained all of that. “Full disclosure. My little girl’s growing up.”
    “It wasn’t easy,” I admitted. “He left because he was scared of the danger inherent in my job. Now the danger’s gotten personal.”
    “It was always personal, Kate.”
    Score one for Laura.
    “Are you scared?”
    “Of Eric?” The idea of being scared of Eric seemed hugely disloyal. “Let’s just say I’m worried.”
    “What about Allie? Is she worried, too?”
    “Absolutely not. The demon may be coming,” I said, “but it isn’t here. Not yet. Eric’s still patrolling. He’s killing demons side by side with me. He’s still Eric,” I said, filling my voice with certainty. “And she hasn’t got a clue.”
    “You sure about that?”
    I hesitated, my chest tight merely from the suggestion. I didn’t want to believe, but more than that, I didn’t believe. “She never heard the description of who could wield the sword,” I said, referring to the vaguely worded prophecy that, ultimately, had proven the existence of Eric’s demonic hitchhiker.
    “She might have read it. Overheard you talking. Figured it out somehow.”
    “She would have told me,” I said, then frowned as Laura stared me down. I knew what she was thinking without her having to say a word. Allie was fourteen years old. And although I might have an exceptionally close relationship with my adolescent Hunter-in-training, I was an idiot if I thought she confided all to me. I caved. “Or maybe you’re right. I’ll pay attention. See if I can figure out if she knows without actually telling her.”
    “Secrets within secrets,” Laura said.
    “Welcome to my world,” I deadpanned. “Completely screwed up, but always interesting.”
    “Would it help if I told you I was pretty sure my husband actually is a demon?”
    I almost cracked a smile but managed to bite it back.
    “Didn’t think so,” she said.
    “I can kill him for you,” I said. “If he’s demonic, it’s totally within my province.”
    “Tempting,” she admitted. “But probably not the best idea.” She got up and started moving around the kitchen, wiping the squeaky-clean counter down with a damp rag and otherwise telegraphing the fact that she didn’t know what to say or how to make me feel better. And the hell of it was, I couldn’t help her out. I didn’t know what I needed, either, except to have Eric back to normal. And I didn’t have a clue how to get there. To be brutally honest, after everything that had happened, I wasn’t even sure what normal was anymore.
    “They didn’t stay too long at the mansion,” Laura said, peering through her kitchen