Demon Hunters: Book 1 Faith [editing]

Chapter 56

Erica practically jumped. "Of course, I'll take Crispin with me. He looks so freaking adorable in that tie-dye shirt."

Zoe rolled her eyes at that comment. Teenage girls.

School had let out, and a wave of students flooded down the hallways and through the front doors. They moved with the crowd.

"Yeah, he does. I take full credit for that," Riley replied. "Zoe and I will meet you at the Basilica."

"Thanks for inviting me."

Crispin waited for them in the student parking lot, as Zoe instructed. She had gone through the steps. "Remember, ask about hobbies. It's important for a human boy to ask." Zoe remembered how awkward that conversation was with Mason in the bowling alley the week before.

"Crispin," Erica squealed. She displayed her tie-dyed shirt, which featured the same pattern and colors. "Totally twins!"

He glanced at Zoe, who nodded. "Uh, yeah. That's right. Twins." When Crispin grinned at her, Erica's heart fluttered so loudly that Zoe wondered if everyone in the parking lot heard it.

Riley gave Crispin a quick hug. "Thanks for going with Erica. Zoe and I need to catch up on girl-time."

"Girl time?" Crispin asked.

Erica and Riley giggled. Zoe mimicked them, but she had no idea what "girl time" meant either.

"See you there," Riley said. She winked at Erica before turning toward her car.

Zoe whispered in a voice only Crispin with his angel hearing could hear, "Remember, ask in the garden."

Riley started the engine. "This is so going to happen," she said. "Can you feel the love in the air?"

Love? "Uh..."

"Don't worry, Zoe. Just a matter of time. I got this all figured out."

"I guess, so." She shrugged. No angel could ever be in love with a human.

They exited the school. "So, have you ever been to Forest Park?"

"Is that the park nearby?" Zoe had seen it from the air, especially when she flew alone at night.

"Yup. It's pretty big. Has a zoo and everything. Let's go to the Jewel Box."

"Okay."

Riley swerved her car into the right lane, cutting off a vehicle—the driver of which honked his horn. "Get over it!" she rebuked. "Some people are just too high strung."

They turned off Kingshighway and barreled down the winding streets of the park. "There was some kind of world fair here back in the day. We learned about it in elementary school." Riley parked by the curb in front of a building that resembled a glass box. Water lilies, lotus flowers, and umbrella palms added a mix of green and red color to the blue waters of a reflective pool that ran down the courtyard.

Riley hopped out of the car, leaving her crutches in the backseat. "Let's sit over there." She pointed to a bench near the statue of Saint Francis de Assisi.

Zoe admired the sculpture. "The wolf-tamer," she said.

"What?" Riley settled onto the bench. "Wolf-tamer? What does that mean?"

"It's just a story about Saint Francis de Assisi. He negotiated peace between a wolf and a town so that the wolf wouldn't attack the townspeople."

"Saint Francis, huh? That's who that guy is." Riley shrugged and then patted the space next to her on the bench. "Anyway, let's talk about the important stuff."