Page 12 (1/2)

And I caught a flash of pink, and Cherise ran out in front of the advancing flames, and stopped just in front of Lewis

"No!" I screaed up "Cherise, no! He can’t see you!"

Kevin’s vieas blocked by the flames Maybe he could see Lewis, I didn’t know, but he couldn’t possibly have seen Cherise, and he was going to kill her

And she wasn’t going to move

Lewis put out one hand, palers curled down, and so did the blaze, collapsing into a confusion of hot strea out of existence a bare two feet from Cherise’s pale, terrified face

When he saw her, Kevin’s mouth opened, a dark O of horror, and he lurched forward at the same ti away the snow, as the two of thes

Kevin was talking as he kissed her, but the words were only for Cherise, and besides, the noise of the approaching helicopter was rattling around the valley like thunder Itired and achy and even more anxious than before What if Kevin was still possessed? What if we had to kill him? Oh, God

Leas ready for that; I could see it in the way he was standing, watching the two of theht it was adorable, the slacker and the beach bunny reuniting, he kept it well hidden behind a blank, empty expression

"Stay behind me," he said as I approached I nodded and obeyed "Watch for the helicopter Signal it when you see it"

I risked a glance over his shoulder and saw that Cherise had taken Kevin’s hand and was leading hio and step aside"

"But-"

"Do it"

I’d have done what he said, too; that tone didn’t leave any roo but low, gray clouds-and peeked again Cherise let go of Kevin’s hand and h for Lewis’s purposes, apparently

Kevin glared at his As Lewis took a step forward, fire began dripping froso that made me feel sleepy even in the corona effect; I saw Cherise yawn and stagger "Cherise is fine Let us take care of you now I knohat happened You have to stop fighting, Kevin I’le at his sides, and fire dripped and s into the snow "Don’t," he said "Don’t touch me You shouldn’t touch rabbing range "It’s okay It’s gone now You’re going to be all right"

Kevin staggered and collapsed to his knees in the snow Where his hands met the white powder, the snow sizzled into stearily Fire flew like drops of sweat "I tried to stop it It ca like that before; I didn’t knohat toI couldn’t protect her I thought I could, but-"

Leas there by then, and without any hesitation at all he grabbed Kevin and pulled hiht "It’s not your fault," he said "There’s not a Warden alive who could have done any better Including "

Kevin was barely conscious, and Cheriselooks at Lewis that silently pleaded for hiht I heard the thu clearer, and finally spotted a shadowh for the up and down and yelling, even though I knew the yelling was useless The helicopter headed toward us, hovered overhead, and started circling in for a landing

As I loweredsnow, I saw so She was tall, and she had long, dark hair that blew in a silken sheet on the wind She wasn’t wearing a coat, just a pair of blue jeans, some not-very-practical boots, and a baby-doll tee in aqua blue I had that disorientation again, the sah Cherise’s eyes, but this was different For one thing, it wasn’t ame, in real time

It took exactly one second for the full i train

"Iht in lanced desperately at Lewis, but he was occupied with the kids, and besides, he couldn’t possibly have heardmachine "Oh, God Ihter, didn’t it? She looked just like ht, the sah hers looked better cared for at theher face fully She sooseflesh, because that s I felt the dark impact of it all the way across the open snowy space She was not , sticky sense of evil to it There was also an overwhel any overt moves in my direction

She wasme

"Lewis!" I said, startled into a yell

He can’t help you, she said, as clearly as if she were standing at norh Not really If he does, I’ll have to take action Do you wantto hter

She was the Demon

Walk toward me, she said Walk toward me, and no more have to be harmed That’s what you want, isn’t it? I promise you, I will make it painless

"Lewis," I said, louder "Lewis, dammit, look!"

You’ll only make this harder in the end

She turned and walked back into the trees Gone I couldn’t even seen tracks where she’d been standing

"What?" Lewis shouted tohis head close to mine to be heard over the noise The dull blunt-force thud of helicopter blades was very loud now "What’s wrong?"

Would he believe me if I told him? Or would he think I’d just finally lostto see there now, and as I extended the senses that Lewis and David had been showingtrees and a slow, sleeping presence that I assu," I said "Never an its descent I held ed wind it kicked up, and backed up with Lewis to give it room to land The helicopter touched down, and the rotors slowed but didn’t stop The enized

A burly shape, well er door, ducked the way people instinctively do when there’s sharpthe air just about head level, and hurried towardto me that sounded like, Need a ride? which was fine with me