"Her body was sliced up beyond recognition," Steven said. "She didn't deserve that."

"Robbie did that," Evie said. "Not me."

"I'll bet you didn't try to stop him," Roy said.

"No, I didn't," she replied. "Look, I don't care how angry you are at me. I'm far more angry at myself. I was tricked. I was supposed to keep Robbie safe for someone, and I failed."

"Don't you mean 'safe from someone'?" Steven asked. "Most mothers try to keep their children safe from harm."

"I think you already know what's going on here," Evie said, "so let's not play games."

"Why don't you tell us?" Roy asked. "Start at the beginning."

Evie sighed. "From the beginning... Alright. My father introduced me to the gift when I was seventeen. I loved it, but after a while it bored me. He bored me. He was very specific about what I could use it for, but I didn't agree with his rules. I sensed there was a lot more out there for me that he wouldn't let me explore. So I went out on my own.

"He was very upset. Like most fathers, I imagine. Tried to reign me in, but wasn't able to do it. I rebelled, big time. I did things just to p.i.s.s my parents off. Got arrested a few times that really angered him. I was delighted whenever he'd become upset with me. It meant I was succeeding somehow, becoming the opposite of what he was, and I liked that. I explored things I could do with the gift that he considered off-limits and evil. It was thrilling. He never knew about most of it. I sensed if he knew all of it, he'd cut me off. I didn't want to be disowned, I just wanted to really p.i.s.s them off."

Steven glanced at Bill, watching his face for a moment as Evie told her story. He could see in Bill's reaction the recognition of Evie's history as true these were things he'd seen Mark and Evie go through.

"I was hawking some of my mother's jewelry one day," Evie continued, "but there was this one ring I kept. I was drawn to it. And when I went in the River, it glowed. I knew it was interesting, so I kept it. Turns out it was the opening."

"Something that allowed a demon a way in?" Roy asked.

"Yes," Evie said. "I a.s.sumed it was my father's and somehow got mixed in with my mom's jewelry, because it was powerful, and something my mother wouldn't know anything about. I couldn't believe he'd leave something like that just lying around. Maybe he didn't know what it was. Anyway, I used it. I put it on. I focused on it. It called someone. Next thing I knew, there was this man in my life. He was huge powerful, s.e.xy, very seductive. He followed me for days. I knew he was different, not normal. When I took him to bed, he revealed himself. I was so enamored with this guy, I would have done anything he asked. As he f.u.c.ked me, he explained what was going to happen. I didn't care, I was getting off on the evilness of it all. It felt like the ultimate f.u.c.k you to my parents, the worst I could hurt them."

"He told you that you'd have a child," Roy said.

"Yes," Evie said, "and that the child was his. I was to raise it to p.u.b.erty, then he'd take it."

"How could you raise Robbie," Bill asked, "knowing this?"

"I just cut myself off from him," Evie said. "At first it was easy. I moved back in with June and she did all the mothering. She thought I was incapable of it, a bad mother, all of that. She gave Robbie everything he needed. I knew what was going to happen to him, so I kept my distance. It got harder as he got older, I'll admit. But I knew there was no point to loving him."

"And the demon?" Roy asked.

"He checked the baby as soon as it was born," Evie said. "Looking for markings, like the ones I have."

"You're marked?" Steven asked, surprised.

"Yes," she said. "On my hands. You'd need a special gla.s.s to see it. I think that's why the demon was interested in me. He was hoping that since I was marked, the baby would be marked too. It doesn't always pa.s.s from parent to child. When he saw the marks on Robbie, he told me it was my job to make sure he was safe until p.u.b.erty. I think if Robbie had been born without the marks, he wouldn't have cared, he would have just moved on, or killed the baby right then, I don't know."

"Did this demon have a name?" Roy asked.

"Normally, telling you his name would involve you," Evie said, "but you're already involved up to your necks. His name is Vohuman. The reason I asked Bill to contact you is to warn you. You're both in danger, but you especially," she said, nodding at Steven.

"In danger?" Steven asked. "Why?"

"Vohuman was supposed to take Robbie," Evie said. "But I was tricked. Another demon named Aka Manah took him."

"How do you know this?" Steven asked.

"As things began to happen the last couple of weeks," Evie said, "I knew Robbie's time had come. There were several demons in the house, all drawn to Robbie. I knew Vohuman would drive them away when he came to take Robbie. But then you showed up. You scared the demons. When Aka Manah showed up to take Robbie, I thought it was Vohuman. I learned later that I'd been tricked."

"How did you learn that?" Steven asked.

"Vohuman came to me," Evie said. "Explained that it wasn't him that'd taken Robbie, but another demon named Aka Manah. It's what he'd planned all along, what he wanted to happen. The two of them have history that goes way back. Vohuman used Robbie to draw Aka Manah out of hiding. My son was just bait. Ever since the other day, Vohuman has been tracking Aka Manah. He's the one who told me you're next."

"I'm next?" Steven asked. "Why?"

"The other demons in the house were scared of you," Evie said. "But apparently Aka Manah found you intriguing. He wants you for some reason. I thought I'd warn you. Your intentions were good, I could tell that, but you didn't have a clue what was really happening. In the end you were just an innocent bystander, like Robbie. So I thought I'd warn you."

"I wish you would have worked with us before," Roy said. "We might have been able to save June and Robbie."

"You couldn't have saved them," Evie said. "I've spent the last ten years studying up on Vohuman. He's an ancient demon, far more powerful than any of us. Aka Manah is the same. You can't defeat them. They just use us."

"Hey," Roy said, "keep me out of this. I didn't open my legs for a demon."

"You should be careful what you say," Evie said. "Even saying some things can bring them about."

Roy scoffed.

"What now?" Steven asked. "I've been warned. What am I supposed to do? If these demons are as powerful as you say they are, how am I supposed to defend myself?"

"Well," Evie said, "I've always enjoyed the company of demons, so I'm no expert at keeping them away. But I do know you have to open yourself up to them. At least that's how it works with me. I use the ring to invite them in, and they come by the dozens. I have my pick of them."

"Pick of them? For what?" Steven asked.

"Don't be dense," Roy said. "She f.u.c.ks them."

"They're far better f.u.c.ks than a human," she said. "Far better."

"Christ," Steven said. "Aren't you afraid of getting pregnant by them?"

"Oh," Evie said, smiling, "I've given birth to a few things since Robbie."

That's where they come from, Steven thought. Creatures like Lukas.

"I think I've heard enough," Bill said. "Are we done here?"

"You're wanted, you know," Steven said to Evie. "The cops blame you for what happened at the house. Three deaths, maybe four."

"Yeah," Evie said. "They'll never find me. After I leave here, I'm back underground for a while."

"Probably where you belong," Roy said.

"It was a risk to come here," Evie said. "I didn't have to help you."

"Why did you then?" Steven asked.

"I could tell you cared about Robbie," Evie said. "And anything you do to thwart Aka Manah will help Vohuman. The more I thought about Robbie after he died, the angrier I became at the whole f.u.c.ked up situation. Both my mother and son are dead because of me. That's enough death. You don't deserve to die too, just because you wanted to help."

"You'd think you'd be angry at Vohuman," Steven said, "for lying to you all those years about Robbie."

"Oh," Evie said, "I love Vohuman. I always will. And demons always lie, it's part of the package. You don't hate a leopard for his spots."

Steven drove Roy home, then went to his own house to be alone with Judith's book. He spent the rest of the day with it, determined to read it from cover to cover. The book was disturbing, and in many sections he felt the hair go up on the back of his neck. Once or twice he wondered if the book itself wasn't an opening, a way for evil beings to find him and enter his home. Judith wouldn't keep an opening in her house, he thought. But then, she might read it in some protected way. I'm reading it completely unprotected.

He stopped and went to his kitchen to find the Mason jar of his father's protection he kept in a cabinet. He poured himself a tall shot and downed it. May not be the same as Judith's, he thought, but it's better than nothing.

He resumed reading. Although he was primarily interested in learning more about his markings, he found the rest of the book too fascinating to ignore. It catalogued many demons and their habits. There were specific ways to invoke them and appeal to them. Their abilities and dangers were listed, including ways to protect yourself from them.

Steven paused. Why would you want to invoke a demon if you had to protect yourself from it? he wondered. This book didn't provide any information on how a person would benefit from demonic involvement. So why the interest? Why was Evie so drawn to them? Is the draw entirely the demon's doing?

From what he could decipher, demons rarely involved themselves unless invited. He wondered if this would apply to Aka Manah as well Evie said it had developed an interest in him, would it leave him alone if he showed no interest in it?

He snapped the book closed, afraid he might be digging himself deeper without realizing it.

I'll just read it for the parts on markings, he thought. That's what I wanted in the first place. That can't be mistaken as interest in demons.

He reopened the book and tried to scan over the parts that didn't relate to his markings, but an occasional word would pop out at him and catch his eye. He'd read a sentence or two, feel the hair go up on his neck, and force himself to skip to a new paragraph. He'd never felt so creeped out by a book before.

I need a break, he thought, closing the book and setting it aside. It was nearly dinnertime. He decided to reach out to Jason and return his call. Jason didn't pick up. Steven left him a message wondering if he had dinner plans.

For the next hour he killed time by reading a magazine, cleaning the kitchen, and watching some television. A news report said that the officer wounded at June's house had died. Steven turned off the TV, more depressed than ever. He knew Roy would take the news hard.

The book occupied his thoughts. He knew he was avoiding it, like some kind of evil talisman. I'm turning it into something it isn't, he thought.

After another hour and no return call from Jason, Steven decided to make dinner on his own. He turned on the radio to listen to news, hoping it would distract him while he ate.

After dinner, he decided to read some more, but the book was gone. He'd left it on a sofa in the living room. It was missing.

s.h.i.t! he thought. I'm obsessing so much over this book I'm forgetting what I've done with it.

He started searching, room by room. He checked under the sofa, concerned he might have kicked it under by mistake.

The last room he checked was his bedroom. The book was there, on his nightstand, right where he normally kept the current book he was reading.

I don't remember putting it there, he thought. But these days I forget what I was supposed to buy at the grocery store if I don't write it down.

He picked up the book and brought it with him into the living room. He turned on a light and sat down to read again.

The moment he opened the book he felt his skin crawl. He snapped it shut immediately, and went to the kitchen to taken another dose of protection. Then he returned and tried again.

He slowly settled into the flow of the book. The sections on invoking and protecting oneself from evil didn't bother him as much. Probably the protection I drank, he thought. He continued reading about how to interact with demons, and the varieties of demons. Soon he had abandoned his quest for information on his markings and was completely wrapped up in the information he was picking up about demonic ent.i.ties.

He felt the protection swirling around inside him, radiating warmth. Steven didn't know the exact ingredients of Roy's concoction, but he knew it was primarily vodka. He began to feel comfortable.

He progressed through the section of the book that catalogued demons. He noticed he was about halfway through the book. He turned the page, and another book appeared.

Steven sat back, startled. The new book was sitting on top of the one he was holding. He turned the page back, and the new book was gone.

What the f.u.c.k? he thought.

He turned the page forward again, and the book reappeared. It was a little smaller than the book he was holding, but it was a real book, a half-inch thick, leather bound, sitting on top of the open pages of his original book. When he turned another page forward, the book disappeared again. He turned the page back, and the new book popped up. The book was somehow hidden within the original book.

He studied the cover of the new book. It was smooth brown leather, stained in places and cracking at the corners. There was no t.i.tle on the cover.

He opened the new book. It was handwritten.

"There is no going back," the first sentence read.

Christ, should I keep reading? he thought. Certainly Judith expected me to find this.

"Once the connection has been made between you and the evil one, you can't ignore it. It's unlikely you'll be able to kill it. Your only hope is to make the connection unpalatable to the evil one."

Steven gulped. The author of the book seemed to be writing directly to him.

"You'll be tempted to find a way to live with it. That's what the evil one wants. It wants you to go along with its plan. It will seduce you. Acquiescing will be the path of least resistance. It will seem pleasurable. You will enjoy the attention. You will either succ.u.mb or resist, but either option will be on its terms, not yours. If you want to resist, keep reading. If you want to succ.u.mb, stop reading and simply enjoy what it offers you. But you cannot go back."

Steven closed the new book and turned the page. I want to find information on my markings, he told himself, not wanting to admit that he was frightened to keep reading the new book.

He continued reading the original book, the catalog of demons progressing. After a while he felt his eyes become heavy, and realized it was time for bed. He went through his nightly routine of securing the house and brushing his teeth. He went to the kitchen and took another swig of Roy's protection from the Mason jar, leaving it on the counter. Then he wound up in bed. He reached for the remote to turn on the television, wanting to drift off to the sound of something other than what he'd been reading about. On his nightstand was the book.

I must have brought it in here with me, he thought. He ignored the book and used the remote, setting the timer to shut the TV off in an hour. Then he drifted off.

He awoke in the middle of the night. He awoke most nights. Since he'd gotten older, a middle of the night trip to the bathroom had become routine.

He crawled back into bed, looking up at the ceiling above him. The room was dark except for the dim light from his alarm clock. Even though he'd lived in the house for only a short time, he was used to the shadows on the walls and the feel of the room at night.

He was about to close his eyes when he noticed movement. There was something in the air above him, twisting. He strained his eyes to let in more light. It looked like a very long piece of thread, twisting back and forth into itself, straight above him in the bed. It formed a twisted ball, its size undulating as it moved. He reached over and turned on the light next to the bed, and it vanished.

He dropped into the flow. He saw nothing.

He slipped out of the flow, and as a pinch of pain hit the back of his neck he reached over and turned off the light. He waited for his eyes to adjust, and looked above him again.

The thread was there, moving and twisting.

There's no going back, he thought. The connection has been made. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore it, hoping sleep would come back. He turned on his side so he wouldn't be tempted to open his eyes and see the phenomena above him.

He wasn't sure if he'd made it asleep or if he was just close to it, when he felt the warm body slide up next to him in bed. I must be dreaming, he thought.

He felt the body press against his back. He could feel b.r.e.a.s.t.s pressing into him. It reminded him of the early years of his marriage, when he and Sheryl actually touched each other. Definitely a dream, he thought. The warmth of her body calmed him and he felt as though he was about to drift off completely. Then he felt the warmth of something slipping between his legs just above the knees. It forced its way upward as it grew and enlarged.

Steven threw himself out of bed and onto the floor. He stood and made his way to the light switch on the wall. He flicked on the light and turned to face the bed.