Demons are Forever: Confessions of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom (34 page)

I loved him, though. And so help me, with the key to his salvation right there in my hand, I couldn’t bear to lose him again.

I crossed myself, wishing I were stronger, but knowing that I wasn’t.

And then I opened the bag.

I looked once at Eddie, who crossed himself, too, but didn’t make a move to stop me.

With one hand, I held tight to my daughter, and with the other I sprinkled the dust of the Lazarus Bones on David’s lifeless body. I’d heard the incantation only once, and I hoped that the intricate Latin preface had only been for show. I didn’t remember that part. I remembered only the end. And after taking a deep breath, I spoke the words:
“Resurge, mortue!”

At first, nothing happened. And then David’s body began to glow with an eerie yellow light. Allie’s hand was tight in mine, and together we watched his face as David seemed to burn from within.

After what seemed an eternity, his eyelids fluttered. I looked down, my eyes seeking the wound. As I watched, the skin knitted together, the wound healed, and David’s body became whole.

Whether Eric’s soul had returned though ... that, I didn’t yet know.

He stirred, just the slightest of movements. Behind us, I heard Eddie shuffle to the side of the tomb, then come over with a crumpled shirt. He spread it modestly over Eric’s hips, then put a supportive hand on my shoulder.

In front of us, David’s eyes opened. For a moment, he looked confused, and then his expression cleared. “Katie,” he said, his voice as raspy as a man lost in the desert.

“I’m here,” I said taking his hand.

“What happened? Why aren’t I—”

I pressed a finger to his lips. “Later,” I said.

Beside me, Allie squirmed, her gaze darting between the two of us, and hope flooding her bloodshot eyes. “Daddy?” she asked, her voice small and tentative.

David looked at me. I froze, wishing we’d never reached this moment, but knowing that it was impossible to go back. And then, ever so gently, I gave one tiny nod of my head.

“Yeah, baby,” he said, holding his arms out for her as the tears spilled from his own eyes. “It’s me.”

Stay tuned for
Kate Connor’s
next demon-hunting adventure

Deja Demon

now available from Berkley Books