Secrets of the Demon (Kara Gillian 3)

“Space age engineering,” I replied. “Make you better runner. Faster. All that stuff.”

“Ha. Make you broker runner.”

“Y’know, if your shoe is falling apart, it might be safer to not run,” I said, probably a little too hopefully.

She gave me a quelling look. “Nice try. You’re not getting out of this.” She laughed as I stuck my tongue out at her. “So I hear you had fun the other night!”

“Would have been a lot more fun without the whole chase-the arcane-creature-through-the-city part.”

“You chased something?” she asked, skepticism heavy in her voice.

I planted my hands on my hips and tried to look offended. “Is it really that hard to believe?”

“Yes!” she said with a laugh. “I’m your running partner, remember? Or should I call it your wheezing shambling jogging partner?”

“You are such a bitch,” I muttered, unable to keep from smiling.

“Yep, which is why I’ll go ahead and remind you now that the PT test is in two weeks, and we’re running again on Friday, and you need to have your butt over here by six A.M.”

I scratched the side of my nose with my middle finger cocked in a rude gesture. “Seriously, you’re really a bitch. I don’t know why I bother with you.” I took a dramatic breath. “Okay, so I might have hitched a ride with a demon while Ryan and Zack did the actual running part of the chase.”

“Now that I can believe!” Her blue eyes were bright with amusement.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” I planted myself on a stool. “Now, in the spirit of me putting off running as long as possible, I was hoping you could help me with something.”

“Sure thing, as long as it doesn’t take so long that you try to weasel out of running altogether.”

I batted my eyes innocently. “Would I do that?” I ignored the rude noise she made. “Tell me everything you know about golems,” I said.

She blinked at me. “Excuse me?”

“Ummm, aren’t you Jewish?”

She gave the most withering look I’d ever experienced. “Okay, I like you,” she said, “and so I’m not going to say something that I would probably go ahead and say to anyone else.”

“Er, thanks?” I said tentatively.

She laughed. “Look, golems are part of Jewish lore, but I don’t know much more about them than anyone else. Hell, most of what I know is from watching The X-Files.”

“Oh, no,” I breathed in horror. “Don’t tell me you’re a nerd too!”

“Well, I can’t hold a candle to Ryan and Zack, but yeah, I liked X-Files when it was on. Anyway, there was one episode about golems that was fairly true to legend.”

I groaned. “Please don’t make me go watch it. Can you sum up the legend stuff for me?”

“You are so damn pathetic,” she said, eyes flashing with humor. “Well, all I really remember is that they’re animated creatures made from inanimate matter. And there’s usually something written on the forehead, or a piece of paper in the mouth. Erase the letters or remove the paper and the golem stops or falls apart.”

“I don’t remember seeing any letters on the thing’s head,” I said with a shrug. “Heck, I’m not even sure it was that sort of golem, but I know that a lot of legends have a seed of fact at their core.” Inanimate creature animated by magic, or in this case some sort of arcane power I wasn’t familiar with.

“So you think that’s what grabbed Lida Moran off the stage?” Jill asked.

“It’s a theory.” I gave her the summarized version of what happened.

“Too weird,” she said with a shake of her head after I finished. “And you’ve stalled long enough.” She bent over in a stretch, placing her palms on the floor with her legs together and knees straight.

I winced. “Show-off. I can barely touch my toes.”

She straightened with a grin. “I used to be a gymnast. Had a gymnastics scholarship and everything.”