Free Demon Ex Machina: Tales of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom by Julie Kenner Page A

ran through my schedule and realized I was. My class on tiling at Home Depot wasn’t until two. “Yup. What do you need?”
    “Lift to work,” he said. “Gotta be there at one. Working the afternoon shift.”
    I raised my brows. “Work?” This was news to me.
    “Been putting in a few hours,” he said. “A fellow needs his spending money.”
    “Oh.” I had a sudden image of Eddie working the checkout line at Walmart, and counted the days until he was fired. Somehow I didn’t think his generally grouchy attitude fit the corporate profile. Actually, I couldn’t think of any jobs where Eddie fit the profile, except Demon Hunter, and he was quite retired from those ranks, his current forays into hunting now focused primarily on announcing how much I still had to learn and how limited Forza was in its view of the world. It would be annoying were he not so often right. “So where are you working?” I asked.
    “New shop in Old Town,” he said. “Doubt you’ve heard of it.”
    “Really?” I pondered the possibilities along with the fact that Eddie seemed so reticent to share the details.
    “So can you give me a lift or not? If I gotta call a taxi I need to know now. Damn cabs need half a day’s notice to get anywhere on time.”
    I licked my lips as a new thought occurred to me. “Actually, maybe we could trade favors.”
    His eyes narrowed, bushy eyebrows twitching like caterpillars. “Eh?”
    “I need help,” I said. “I need an alimentatore .”
    “Ah,” Eddie said, all humor draining from his face. “Right.”
    I swallowed, determined not to cry. “I could really use the help. Please?”
    “The Vatican ain’t got a spare?” Eddie asked, lightening the mood.
    “I’m sure they’re working on it. I want you,” I added, realizing as I spoke how much I meant it.
    “Do you now? Ya wanna tell me why?”
    I could have rattled off a hundred reasons, starting with the fact that Eddie had seen things I’d only imagined—and I’d seen my share of the horrific. I could have cited his knowledge and his experience, not to mention his tenacity. I could have even bribed him with a TiVo box.
    Instead, I settled on the one thing that mattered to me most of all. “It’s because of Eric,” I said, and watched as his eye twitched at Eric’s name. “You know about the demon,” I said. “But there’s more.” I gave him the quick and dirty overview of what had happened before he and Stuart and Allie had arrived home the night before.
    “Ain’t it always the way. Some power-hungry demon moves into town and right away tries to take you out.”
    “It’s the job,” I deadpanned. “They’re all so jealous.”
    He snorted. “Yeah, there’s that. So you want my help tracking She-Ra down.”
    I did, of course, but it was more than that. “The demon scented Eric. I need answers, Eddie. And I need them fast.”
    “Heh,” he said. “You want an answer? I got one for you right now, free of charge.” He poked me in the chest with one bony finger. “Shove a knife through his heart before the demon takes root. Kill the boy now and consider yourself lucky.”
    “He’s Allie’s father, Eddie. She loves him.” I paused, then looked him dead in the eye. “And so do I.”
    His shoulders drooped, all the vinegar disappearing from his attitude. “Kate.”
    “No,” I said, shaking my head. “No, you can’t say no. You can’t walk away from this. I want to help him, Eddie. I have to help him. And I need someone who’ll see what I can’t.”
    “The demon, you mean. If you’re gonna fight it, ya gotta at least say it.”
    “Fine, then,” I said, more harshly than I intended. “You’ll see the demon, Eddie. You won’t see the man I love. And I need that. I need your perspective. I can’t do this without your help.”
    “And if there is no help?”
    “I don’t accept that as a possibility.”
    “And if there is no help?” he repeated.
    “Then I’ll take a knife and do exactly what you