He nodded. “Yeah, it was. I was hit pretty hard but I wasn’t badly injured. I mean, yeah, I had a broken leg and some bumps and bruises, but I was mostly okay.”
“Mostly okay? With a broken leg?” I grinned.
He grinned back. “Well, it could have been worse. Anyway, your mother felt so bad about it she hung around at the hospital every single day. She was determined to take care of me even though there were nurses that could have done that. At first, I thought she was a little annoying and even a little weird, but I grew to like her over time.”
“You thought Mom was weird? Has she ever heard you refer to her like that?”
Dad chuckled. “I did at the time. I don’t anymore, obviously.”
“Did you finally agree?”
“To what?”
“For her to take care of you.”
His grin enhanced. “At the time I didn’t want her around, but I felt bad for her. It might sound a little strange, you know, feeling bad for the person that rammed her car into you, but I did feel bad. I knew she was really sorry and I didn’t want to send her away with that guilt hanging over her, so when I was discharged from the hospital, I told her I would need someone that could help me around my apartment.”
It was hard to envision my parents not liking each other. They always acted like they were in love. In fact, I couldn’t even remember ever hearing them fight. If they had, which I imagined they must have at some point, they were very discreet about it since I never heard them raise their voices at each other.
Oh, there had been hints here or there that told me they were displeased with each other, but it had never lasted more than a day.
“So, she helped you out?”
He smiled. “It was tough at first. She got on my nerves a lot, but I grew to like her over time. She was stubborn and wouldn’t be persuaded to leave that easily. At least not until she was sure I was okay. By the time I was well enough to have the cast removed, we were in love.”
I could see the love he held for Mom in his eyes. I felt lucky to have parents like them. My parents must have had to overcome obstacles in their marriage. Given that Mom was a witch and Dad was just an ordinary human, I couldn’t imagine anything harder than that, but they made it. They were going to celebrate twenty years of marriage in six months, so I could say they had worked through many of the challenges they had to begin with.
“Thanks, Dad. Talking to you always helps.”
He looked at me and grinned. “You’re welcome, honey.” He planted a kiss on my forehead before picking himself off the floor. He offered me his hand and when I took it, he helped me off the floor.
“I’ll see you later.” I sauntered over to the door, reached for the doorknob, but stopped short of opening it. “I needed cheering up.”
Dad chuckled behind me. “What else am I here for?”
I laughed, swinging the door open and exiting the apartment. I didn’t stop to talk with my prisoner this time. I’d have plenty of time to converse with him later. Right now I needed to talk to Mom.
I ran all the up to Mina’s apartment and rushed in, relieved to find Mom and Renee sitting on the floor, playing a game of Connect Four.
Mom looked up as I walked in. “Hey, Demi. How did things go?”
I walked over to the couch and sat, my gaze on Renee. “Not as easy going as I thought it would.”
Renee looked up and grinned. “I’m winning.”
Mom turned her attention to Renee. “Why don’t you watch a movie while Demi and I talk outside?”
Renee nodded. “Okay.”
I turned on the TV while Mom popped in a DVD. After I picked up all the game pieces and put them back inside the box, we stepped out of the apartment, leaving Renee with Mr. Snuggles sitting comfortably on the couch.
“What’s going on?” Mom asked as soon as we stepped out.
I held up my hand. “Where’s Mina?”
“She’s in her bedroom, talking on the phone.”
I tugged on Mom’s hand as I stepped away from the door. “Mom, I think I have a real problem in my hands.”
Her eyebrows arched as she stared me. “What do you mean?”
“Okay, so I met up with Ezekiel.” I shivered as I recalled those dark eyes assessing me. Now there’s someone I was bound to remember for a while. “He gave me this.” I fished the piece of paper out of my pocket and handed it over to her.
Mom opened it and inhaled sharply as she read the name.
“Yeah, that was my reaction,” I said. “Mom, Renee has been marked for death. That sweet little girl. Can you believe this?”
“Calm down, Demi. I know you’re upset. I am too, but we won’t fix anything by panicking.”
Mom was right. Renee needed me lucid. Calm.
“This means that you have to find out who is after Renee before she comes to any harm.”
“That’s what Ezekiel said.” I pushed my hair back from my face, somewhat annoyed by having cut it all the way up to my chin a couple of weeks before, because it was too short now to tie back into a ponytail. “The problem is that he said the one that’s after her is someone close. Someone she trusts. How am I going to find out who it is?”
“You don’t have a choice but to figure it out and figure it out quick. Meanwhile, don’t trust anyone,” she said, mirroring Ezekiel’s words.
“Not even you?” I countered before I could stop myself.
Mom was surprisingly calm, which threw me off. I expected her to be angry at my insensitive remark. Or look like she was about to slap me upside the head, but she didn’t.
“Not even me, Demi. If a shifter demon is behind this, it can make itself look like anyone of us, remember that.”
How could I distrust my own mother? I knew my mom, and I knew she would never let any evil creature take over her body without a fight.
The word demon triggered the memory from the encounter with my supposed half human, half demon living next door.
“Mom, I had a really interesting encounter with our next door neighbor this morning.”
“Which one?”
“The one from 4B.” I watched for her reaction as I added, “He claims to be a half demon, half human person, creature, I don’t know what to call it…him.”
Mom’s face grew pale. “What?”
“Yeah, and he says he lives there. I’m so confused by how unexpected his presence is that I’m not even sure if all this is real.”
“I haven’t seen either of the occupants for a while, but the landlord assured me someone lives there, though.”
I looked at her as if she’d just grown a second head. “When did you talk to the landlord?”
“Well, remember when my friend Abby was looking for a place to rent?” When I nodded, she continued, “I talked to the landlord about 4B, thinking it was empty, but he assured me the apartment was occupied.”
Could Mr. Demon be the tenant in question? Was he being honest when he mentioned he lived there? If he’s telling the truth, and he does live there, why would he opt for living just like any other person? Going to college? Working? Paying rent? There’s something seriously wrong with this picture. Since when do demons pay rent? Go to college? Work?
Then again, I may be assuming too much. For all I know the guy probably lied about going to college and working. And he may have the landlord under a dark spell.
“This all sounds bad. A mysterious neighbor we never see, Renee being my charge, the whole half human, half demon thing.”
“Demi, your priority is Renee.” Mom took a hold of my wrist. “You only need to worry about her.
“What about Mr. Demon I trapped in the apartment? What if he’s after her? Ezekiel said it wasn’t possible, but I’m not willing to forget about him so easily.”
“If Ezekiel said he’s not after her, then he’s not. He might have another purpose for being here, but Renee isn’t it.”
I blanched. “What if he’s after us?”
Mom shook her head. “You’re str
essing yourself out, Demi.”
How could I not stress myself out? There’s a demon living next door, for Pete’s sake. Fortunately, if he turned out to be half human, I could bully the truth out of him if it came down to it. But first I needed to prove he was only half demon. That wouldn’t be easy, but I could do it.
“Maybe you’re right,” I murmured. “I’m just worried about Renee.”
“I am, too.” Mom pulled me in for a hug. “But I trust you, Demi. You’re my daughter and I know you can protect her. I have faith in you.”
Great. Now everybody had faith in me. If only I had so much faith in myself.
“Thanks, Mom.”
She stepped back and touched the side of my face. “I was once new to the Keeper trade. I know how hard this is. The first assignment is always the toughest, but I guarantee it will get better with the rest.”
My first assignment was hard, no doubt. With my parents and Ezekiel the angel putting their trust in me, and Renee’s life in the balance, I was up to my head with stress. But I also knew it came with the territory. Being a witch isn’t easy but I was determined to make the best of what I was.
“Don’t worry, Mom. I won’t let you guys down.”
Mom smiled. “I know you won’t. Well, I have to go. Your father and I are going out for lunch, but if you need us, just call, okay?”
I hugged her again. “Okay.” I took two steps back. “Have fun.”
“Will do.” Smiling, Mom started for the stairs.
I stood at the top of the stairwell until she disappeared from sight before walking back in to the Mina’s apartment.
Chapter Six
Safeguarding
The rest of the day went by mostly uneventfully. Mina and I had hardly spoken since she spent the better part of the afternoon locked in her bedroom, talking on the phone with her new love interest, so I kept busy with Renee and her needs.
After dinner, I prepared a bath for Renee, making sure to only fill the tub ever so much, and while she splashed in the water, contentedly playing without a care in the world, I discreetly cast a spell over Mr. Snuggles so he could act as a protection charm in case any form of evil approached her.
It was the first step to safeguard my charge. I had no idea whether Renee was just a test run or if she had really been marked for death, but I was determined to keep her alive at all costs. As long as Renee was my charge she wouldn’t come to any harm. Of course, since I had yet to find out who or what wanted to hurt her, I had to take measures to ensure her safety when I wasn’t around. This probably wouldn’t put a strain on me. There was only so much I could do. My powers were more effective when I was present and able to combat the threat personally, but being that I was away all night, I couldn’t protect her all the time. Plus, my moving to college was but a mere six weeks away and that put me under more pressure. I had to find and destroy whoever or whatever was after Renee before it was time for me to move to campus.
Once Renee was bathed and in her pajamas, all set and ready for bed, I read her a story like I did every night and tucked her in when her eyes began to droop. Exhausted, Renee cuddled with Mr. Snuggles and drifted off to dream land.
Setting the book on top of the bookcase on the right hand side of her bed, I hurried to the door, closed it all the way, and turned to face the room. Since Renee was in trouble and I couldn’t be with her twenty-four hours a day, I needed to ensure she was safe when I wasn’t around. The only way I could do this was by safeguarding her room—or demon proofing her bedroom.
It was imperative that she remained alive and well. She was now my responsibility, too. And if whomever or whatever marked her for death was determined to find a way to get to her eventually, things would get ugly fast. If there was one thing I learned from watching my mother battle with the many supernatural evils out there, it was that once they wanted something, they never stopped until they got it or got killed trying.
Concentrating on Renee’s breathing, I cast a spell that would prevent evil from entering her bedroom at any point in time. The spell was designed to ensure she would be safe in her room, which was the only place a sneaky demon would try to attack or take her away due to her state of vulnerability. Most supernatural creatures preferred to strike while their intended victim was alone.
Once a slightly yellowish mist appeared and spread throughout the room, touching every inch of the living space, I knew the spell was set and ready to work its magic. Thankfully, the light hadn’t disturbed Renee’s slumber and she still slept soundly in her bed.
I was about to exit the bedroom when the full length mirror standing next to the closet door caught my attention. For some reason, the face with the hollow eyes from Renee’s sketch came to mind. Why had she sketched such a scary looking face? Yes, the girl had a very active imagination, but a face with hollow eyes? Children are usually scared of things that most likely represented their worst fears.
I walked over to the long mirror, my steps determined and never faltering. Feeling the sudden urge to reach out and touch it, I hurried to it. If there was any form of evil using the mirror, I’d know the moment I came in direct contact with it.
As soon as I was standing right in front of the mirror, I reached out and allowed the tips of my fingers to glide from one side of the smooth glass surface to the other. I don’t really know what I was expecting, but when my witch sense didn’t pick up on anything, I was greatly relieved. One quick glance at my ring confirmed there was nothing evil within the mirror.
Since my body didn’t break out in goose bumps, and my ring failed to get hot—as it tended to do when evil was out and about—I was a little more at ease. Maybe the face with the hollow eyes was just part of Renee’s innocent imagination and nothing more. Well, it definitely paid to be cautious. In this case in particular it was extremely important for me to leave nothing to chance.
Sighing heavily, I walked back to the bed, clicked on the tiny night light sitting on top of the night stand, and flipped off the lights before marching out of the bedroom. As tired as I was, my duties for the day weren’t over yet. I had something equally as troubling to contend with in apartment 4B.
“Boy, you look like your mind is working on something either really important or really stressful,” Mina shouted from the living room.
I glanced up, not even aware that I’d been standing there, staring at my feet with my hand still on the door knob of Renee’s bedroom.
“I still have a lot to do,” I said, more to myself than to her.
“Like what?” she asked, gazing back at me from over the couch’s back rest.
Ignoring her question, I started toward her. “Done talking with the next Mr. Right?”
Mina made a face at me. “I love your sarcasm.” She slumped back down on the couch. “For today, anyway. He wants us to meet up tomorrow.”
“Mind keeping your voice down? Renee is sleeping.” I gazed down at her from my position behind the couch.
Shrugging, Mina said, “He really sounds like a great guy.”
“Where is he taking you?” I asked.
“Well, he said that since he has to work tomorrow, I could stop by during his lunch break and we could talk in person then.”
“Why not meet you after work?”
“Albert is saving up to buy a car before he heads out to college, so he took on a second job. He works double nearly every day. It sucks, but I totally get it.”
It was the responsible thing to do. If only Mina would take that as an example.
“Are you going?”
Mina gave me a look that told me just how stupid she thought my question was. “Of course I am.”
I opened my mouth to respond when the sound of jiggling keys, followed by the door knob turning caught my attention. I spun around in time to see Evan walk in, a look of exhaustion marring his handsome features.
“Hey, girls,” he greeted as he shut the door behind him.
“You look like crap,” Mina said.
Evan stop
ped halfway to the kitchen and glared at her. “Ever so pleasant as always, huh, Mina?”
She shrugged. “I was just pointing out a fact.”
Ignoring Mina’s comment, Evan placed his briefcase on the kitchen counter, followed by his keys and cell phone.
“How was Renee?” he asked me.
“Great. Her asthma didn’t act up at all,” I replied, watching as Evan walked over to the refrigerator, opened it, and took out a bottle of water. “I had to practically hold her down, though. You know how much she loves to bounce around.”
Evan chuckled. “Don’t I know it. She reminds me so much of myself at that age.”
“She didn’t protest much,” I added.
He uncapped the bottle of water and drank half of it before turning his attention back to me. “I assumed she was doing great since I didn’t hear from you girls all day.”
I nodded. “She’s fine. A little tired, though.”
“Thanks, Demi.” Evan set the half empty bottle on the counter and looked at me. “I’m going to hit the sack soon. You girls have fun.” He walked around the counter and headed in the direction of his bedroom, which was across the hall from Renee’s.
“Oh, I’m not staying.”
Mina shot out of the couch. “Why not?”
“I have something important to do,” I replied.
“At ten thirty at night?” She gave me an incredulous look.
I avoided making eye contact. Whenever I lied, she could easily see through me. The last thing I wanted was for her to question my motives for running back home before midnight, which was something I normally didn’t do.
“Yeah, well, I have something I need to get done. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I backed up and turned my gaze to Evan. “By the way, I promised Renee I’d take her out for a new sketch pad tomorrow. I was thinking about maybe eating out, but don’t worry, I won’t make her walk too much.”
Evan nodded. “No problem. Do you need any money?”
I shook my head. “No. This is a gift from me to her.”
Mina raised her hand. “I could use a few bucks.”
Keeper of the Innocents Page 7
