Father Alfred smiled, but it wasn’t a nice one. “I’m not sure we have much experience with demons. What type are you trying to raise?”

Of course they’d assume I wanted to raise demons. They were evil. They’d expect me to want to do evil things, too, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t horribly outraged by the suggestion. “There’s been a misunderstanding. I don’t want to raise any demons.”

“Oh, well, then.” Father Valentine bristled. “I was going to say that it would be very difficult for someone like yourself to raise a demon. That means you want to fight them?”

I nodded.

“That’s not wise,” Father Valentine said. “If you see one, you should leave the area. Fast.”

I wasn’t going to take this personally. Nope. Not at all. “I understand that would be the best thing to do, but sometimes that’s not an option. Sometimes you have to fight.”

“I see.” Father Valentine pressed his lips together firmly as he judged me.

This wasn’t working. I needed to not do what I always did—follow where I was led. I needed to be like Teresa. If someone wasn’t giving me what I wanted, I needed to get it myself.

I took a little sip of the tea and instantly regretted it. The brew was bitter and foul. I barely managed not to make a face as I set down the cup. “I’m sorry. It’s been a long journey. I know you said you didn’t have any facilities here, but is there an outhouse or…?”

“Oh. Yes, of course. Out the door to the left, behind the next building. You can’t miss it.” Father Valentine grinned, and it chilled me to the core. “Come back and finish your tea, and we can see what we can tell you about fighting demons.”

I plastered on a grin. “Thank you. I’ll be right back.”

“Take your time, dear. It won’t do to rush a lady.”

I nodded, not sure what to say to that, and left the suffocating room. Another slithering wave hit me as I crossed the line of horseshoes and I gasped for breath in the fresh air.

The street outside was totally empty. If they were telling the truth, then only the two of them were here. And if they thought I was “taking my time” in the outhouse, then that gave me at least five minutes of safe snooping.

The only problem was the wards. Passing over them could sound some kind of silent alarm. Lucas had mentioned it, so I had to be very careful. If I set one off, there was no doubt in my mind the Fathers would be breathing down my neck in seconds.