Demons in My Driveway by R.L. Naquin Read Free Book Online Page B

nudging on Maurice’s part before she let go of my hand and followed him into the house. Maurice amazed me with how he took care of her. To my knowledge, Sara never let anyone do that for her. Maurice had a knack for taking care of everyone, but Sara was a special case.
    Once Sara was safely inside, I moved closer to my mother at the edge of the fairy ring. We waited while our friends examined the Terrible Thing that floated in the air and was preparing, no doubt, to smite us.
    We stood that way for a few minutes, watching. Waiting. Listening.
    No. Not listening. If I’d been listening, I might have registered sooner the weird, low chanting coming from up the street.
    “Do you hear that?” I asked.
    Kam tilted her head. “Somebody’s singing.”
    “A lot of somebodies,” Riley said.
    I took a step down the driveway, but Mom grabbed my arm. “Let them check, Zoey. That’s why they’re here.” She shook her head. “All these people around you wanting to help, and you jump into the fray every time. I’ll never understand how you’ve managed to stay alive.”
    She folded her arms against the chill and, still shaking her head, turned and walked up the steps into the house as if washing her hands of me.
    My shoulders slumped. Having my mother back after twenty years was a miracle. The last six months with her had been a gift I’d never thought I would have. But she wasn’t who I’d always imagined she’d be—and I wasn’t who she’d imagined I’d be. People told me we were so much alike.
    But I didn’t see it.
    Mom was content to take directions and allow others to protect her. I didn’t seem to have the knack for either of those things. I wasn’t sure which one of us that bothered the most—her for thinking I was stubborn and prone to irrational flights into danger, or me for thinking that she was... Well,
weak
seemed like a harsh word to put on it.
    It ate at me a little that what she called my recklessly jumping into the fray was why she was alive at all.
    The best thing to do was accept our differences and move on.
    Riley had watched the exchange and my mother’s exit. He gave me a look of sympathy. “I’ll go see where the singing is coming from. I’ll be quick, I promise.”
    Kam wandered over to keep me company while the menfolk checked on choir practice in the street. “Somebody’s got to keep an eye on this thing from now on,” she said, waving at the portal. She leaned down and adjusted one of her short white socks, then straightened, fiddling with the wide gold bangles covering her wrists.
    I nodded at the jewelry. “How much juice have you got saved up these days?”
    She peeked at me from the corner of her eye. “Not as much as you think I should have, but more than you might expect.” She slid a bracelet up her arm to show me. Three jewels imbedded her skin, two of them swirling with colors and light. The third gave off a slight shine, and reds and golds flashed at intervals, but didn’t remain lit.
    I nodded, impressed. “Not too bad. That last jewel looks like it could be recharged in—what—two weeks? Three?”
    She smiled and slipped the bracelet down to cover her magic. “About that, yeah. If all goes well.”
    “And if you don’t get the urge to blow it all to dress up like Marie Antoinette.”
    Her black eyes grew wide. “That would be awesome!”
    Riley and Darius strode up the driveway, their faces sour.
    “It’s that damn religious group, The Church of Hidden Wisdom,” Darius said. “And they’re marching their way here.”

Chapter Four
    The Church of Hidden Wisdom had been making a nuisance of itself lately. The church had been a thing for a long time—possibly centuries—but until a few years ago, its membership had been more concerned with Wednesday night choir practice and the occasional bake sale. I had no idea what had changed, but they’d gone from quiet, private worship in small numbers to vocal protests, aggressive recruitment and tasteless