Good Intentions (Book 3 in the Road to Salvation Series)

CHAPTER 7

Katie eventually had to start breathing again. It was taking Deb a while to respond. But what had she really expected? With a sigh, she placed her phone in her pocket and headed into the kitchen to see if her mom needed help. Deb could still text her back. Her mom said she went home to sleep. Maybe she was still napping. She definitely needed it. She'd been through a lot. And Katie remembered she'd said she had been dreaming about Paul and not sleeping well. But if she didn't text back, Katie was not looking forward to hunting down the shadow. For a black mass, that creature was creepier than the demons she'd seen in Hell.

She felt bad about not involving Josh. He was the only one she really trusted. He had been truthful with her since the beginning, but lately, it felt like he was keeping secrets from her. She was sure it wasn't his fault. He was still low on the demon totem pole, even though his position had supposedly improved. After she got the information she needed, then she would bring Josh back into the fold. That way they'd both be on the same page.

Thank goodness she had some sway with the higher demons. Otherwise, she'd never get any information. If it wasn't for her insistence, she would have never found out about Lilith. And that was an important bit of information she needed to know. It seemed like Josh probably could have told her that without getting in trouble, but who knew? Katie had little knowledge about how the hierarchy worked.

Which was another troubling thing. Josh said things were getting better for them, but Katie had yet to see it. In fact, it seemed like some things had gotten worse. If he had more power, shouldn't he be able to divulge more information? And why did he still have to answer to Braden? None of it made a lot of sense.

When she stepped into the kitchen, her mom put her to work browning the hamburger while she set the table and kept an eye on the noodles. Katie stared at the pink meat in the pan, watching it turn brown, wondering if she was doing the right thing by talking to Braden. He could be so difficult, and his presence made her skin crawl. Wasn't there a better way?

"How was it being back at school?"

It took Katie's brain a moment to register the question, and she thought for a few brief minutes about how to answer it. She wanted to say that it was great to be back in a normal situation, but then she'd have to explain how things had been abnormal. She had to come up with a safe answer.

"Well ... um ... it's been different but nice to be back on a schedule." She pushed her eyebrows together and cocked her head to the side to look at her mom. "Does that make sense?"

She nodded. "It does. And give it time. Things will get better." She patted Katie's shoulder as she slid by to stir the noodles.

They stood side by side at the stove. Their arms touched. Katie couldn't remember the last time they had hung out like this, and she kind of enjoyed it. Since her dad died, it had just been the two of them, and they had always been so close. They used to do everything together, from cooking to laundry to just hanging out. Things changed as Katie got older and she started hanging out with Deb, but there were still nights when it was just her and her mom. All of that changed dramatically after Katie had been attacked by a Hell Hound and the world of demons and Praesuls became known to her. Katie had tried to bring her mom in, but her mom didn't believe her. She'd thought Katie was crazy. A distance grew between them. Katie felt an emptiness in her soul. Her mom had always been her champion, her protector, and there was a sense of betrayal and loss when she didn't fulfill that position. It devastated Katie that her mom didn't believe her. Katie was well aware that she could probably change the situation if she wanted to, but she felt justified in her actions. Her mom had refused to listen to her and thought she was infected with rabies. How was she supposed to make things the way they were when trust had been broken? Sadness drifted over her. Would her relationship with her mom end like it had with Wes and Deb? Would she feel indifference with that too?