She smiled. “Not a chance in Hell—”
I winced and Samantha laughed.
“But I’ll let you know.”
“Okay.” I blew out a breath. “Well, thank you. If you need anything…” It was the same thing that I’d said to the Were driver, but I felt like I owed her even more. She’d risked her life for us.
She nodded. “I’ll let you know if something comes up.”
“Great.” I still felt like I was leaving unfinished business with her. I just couldn’t look away.
Chérie. She’s a big girl. She’ll be fine.
He was right, but still. “You sure it’s safe for you to go home?”
“Yeah. Astaroth isn’t after me. Don’t worry about that, but I just want to reiterate the forty-eight hours thing. It’s not precise, just a guess. But be careful.”
I stepped closer. “Can you tell me what you are?”
“I can, but you have to promise not to hold it against me.”
“I won’t.”
“I’m sort of part demon.”
My eyes were open so wide, they nearly fell out of my head. “How is that possible?”
“It’s not entirely accurate, but it’s the easiest way to explain it. My father was possessed and the whole parentage thing is a little blurry. But my mom totally makes up for how evil my dad is.” She shrugged like it was no big deal, but it totally was a huge deal. “Anyway, that’s life, right? Kind of intense for people like us.” She stared off into the distance for a second.
Jesus. It was worse than I’d thought. I wasn’t even sure what to say to that. “I’m sorry.”
“No. I’m sorry I couldn’t do more for you. The thing is, Astaroth really tied into you. Into your soul. The tie is on both planes, and I don’t know how to break it, but I was thinking on the way here and I have a guess.”
Yes. This was it. I knew it. “I’ll take it.” Any guess was better than none.
“You’re going to need something to cut the tie that exists on both planes, and before you ask, no. I’m not it.”
“Then what?” I needed to know what to look for.
“I don’t know. A spell won’t do it. It needs to be something more concrete. Maybe a crystal. Or another demon. Or some sort of weapon. Just keep your eyes open to possibilities.”
That wasn’t as a good of a clue as I’d hoped. “Even if I found something like that, how would I even be able to see the tie to cut it?”
“I don’t know.”
I blew out a hard breath. “Thank you.” It was more information than I had ten seconds ago, and she might have been saving my life. “Just. Thank you.”
“No worries.” She gave me a half-smile. “I gotta get home before my mom loses her shit completely. I’ll see you around, okay?”
I sighed. “Okay, but you’ll let the driver give you a ride home?”
“Nah. I’ve got an app for that. He’s got a lot to deal with.” She motioned to the empty hole in the car where the door had been.
“If you’re sure?”
“I’m sure.” She reached for me and pulled me into a hug. “I know it doesn’t seem like it now, but you’ll find a way to get rid of Astaroth.”
I swallowed. “You think so?”