Somebody else’s holy water felt inappropriate. At the same time, Tyz’vel had shown absolutely no fear of holy things or people from Asgard. So, it was probable that it was the only thing that would actually work. Which meant I had to pay a visit to Father Will.

Before I did so I stopped and bought one of those bottles people use to deter cats from scratching. Which was, yes, treating him as an animal.

It was quite intentional. He was, after all, acting like one. Although, did demons have any choice? They started out as angels, and then they did something to get themselves tossed out and into Hell, where they had to be bad people.

They still didn’t have freedom, even though they thought they did. Spray bottle tucked into my purse, I headed for Father Will’s church with that thought in my mind.

They still didn’t have freedom, even though they thought they did. That might be important in some way, at some level.

That might be important and I frowned a little and then quickened my pace. I was still going to keep him away from me, but now I felt just a little bit sorry for him. Not that I was sure how much free will I had either.

Maybe free will was for mortals. But I had chosen to let myself love Kanesha. I had chosen to be a model. Maybe there were just more restrictions.

Or maybe, as Thruor had implied more than once, what I was still wasn’t set in stone, giving me choices a true goddess would not possess.

I reached the church and stepped inside, glancing around for Father Will, angels, or anything else. No, but there was a pregnant woman praying. I gave her a polite wide berth. She looked very pregnant indeed, and maybe she was asking for an easy birth. Who wouldn’t, in her situation?

The sense of being in somebody else’s house was strong as I slipped back towards the vestry. Right as Father Will stepped out of it.

“Hello, Jane.”

“Can you do me a favor?” I asked.

“Sure.”

“Couple of bottles of holy water.”

“I heard he was back. Banishing him again…”

“…will just slow him down. I need to convince him to target somebody else.”

“I’ll get it for you. Come in back?”

The pregnant woman watched a little bit oddly as we left. I hoped she didn’t think her priest was breaking his vows with an underaged girl. “Maybe I should…”

He laughed. “Nah. They think you’re interested in a career that involves veils.”

I blinked and laughed louder. “I’d almost rather they thought we were having an affair.”

We ducked through the connecting hallway to his vicarage, and he headed further inside. I was stopped in the entrance.

“I didn’t know you had a cat.”

“I didn’t. She decided to move in.”

I made sure the cat wasn’t a shapeshifter before reaching down to rub her behind the ears. She started up a purr a tiger would have been proud of. “She’s gorgeous. What’s her name?”

“Gertrude. Or Gertie. After Gertrude of Nivelles.”

“I’m guessing she’s the patron saint of cats.”

“Yup.”

Gertie, not particularly caring about her name, just purred.