man was more interested in the spell pots over the counter, his hand gently patting Lucy as she slept. “I should have said that first off.” Belle’s sparse eyebrows rose, and he added, “Thanks for telling them what to do. They’re good kids, but—” He tried again. “You saved their lives. Please…stay in
Even as hesitant and possessive as that had been, I looked at Bis in wonder. The gargoyle was grinning, accepting Jenks’s change of heart with a quickness only a kid could possess. I’d be a little more hesitant, but Jenks wouldn’t say anything unless he meant it.
Belle’s long features were pale and out of place with the pixy colors on her. “Your hair is getting long,” she said shortly, her tone giving nothing away.
Jenks’s hand went up to touch it. “Yeah, well, I don’t have anyone to cut it anymore.”
I wondered how these two warriors were going to find a way to exist together. Belle finally nodded her acceptance of his apology but clearly was withholding complete judgment.
Feeling awkward, I opened the fridge and cringed. Yep, we were down to water, ketchup, and a tub of butter. Maybe I could make Trent a virgin Bloody Mary; we had some Worcestershire sauce, too. “Anyone want to order pizza?” I said softly, wondering how long it would take for Quen to check out the graveyard.
“I do!” Bis chimed out, and I ducked when Jenks’s kids swarmed in from the garden and hallway, shouting out their toppings. Their high-pitched voices woke up Lucy, and she began to wail, frightened. Bis pinned his ears to his skull and made the jump to the top of the fridge. Trent frowned as he tried to calm Lucy, but the pixy girls were humming over her and scaring her even more. Clearly they had been eavesdropping, and the lure of pizza had overridden their fear of their dad.
“Jenks!” I exclaimed as I shut the fridge door, and he shrugged.
Belle, too, had sat down, her bored expression clearly saying that it wasn’t her problem. “You’ve had nothing but pizza for a week,” she complained, her voice loud to be heard over the noise. “I would have thought you’d be tired of it by now.”
“Pizza?” Jenks exclaimed. “What about all the good food I put aside…” His voice faltered. “Never mind,” he finished, scowling at Bis, and the gargoyle went three shades darker in embarrassment. “I want you all out!” he shouted, and the noise was cut by about half, leaving only Lucy crying. “Out and watching that elf in the garden!”
“But, Papa,” one of his younger daughters complained, “he’s only sitting in the car.”
That figured, and I gave Trent a sidelong glance.
“Go! All of you!” Jenks said, pointing, and they flowed from the kitchen, a mix of complaints and shouted topping requests. “Asleep when the garden was invaded! You’d all be
Lucy’s blanket was almost slipping from her, and I wanted to go tuck it back around her. Trent had given her a pacifier, and Lucy was wide-eyed in his arms, quiet but sucking on it with a vengeance, angry almost. It brought a smile to my face.
The sound of Ivy’s boots was loud as she came in, having changed into lots of leather. Hand on her hip and posture screaming sexual domination, she gave Trent the once-over as he sat in
Across the kitchen, Trent’s posture seemed to relax, which only tightened mine. He wanted to talk to me alone. Great. We had just spent five hours in a little tin can flying through the air. Couldn’t he have brought it up then?
“Go.” I wiggled my fingers for the pizza coupons stuck to the fridge, and she handed them to me.
“If you’re sure,” she prompted, and my eyes met hers, sending a shock of realization through me. We were home, and though everything had changed, we were still solid. Better, even.
“You really want to stay for pizza?” I asked, and she took a backward step to the hallway, smiling as well to tell me she knew it too.
“No. See you after sunup. Bye, Trent,” she called over her shoulder when she reached the hallway, then louder, “Jenks! Can I talk to you for a moment about our security?”
A knot in me unraveled. We were okay. Grinning at me, Jenks rose up. “Coming, Mother!” he mocked.
Her boots clunked into the sanctuary, and I watched Belle snake down to the floor, sword ready as she braved Jenks’s cat to go outside.
“I’m glad you’re home, Ms. Rachel,” Bis said shyly, taking his shirt off and leaving it on top of the fridge before he jumped to the ceiling and crawled out after Belle. There was a faint scrape of nail on stone, and I figured he’d slithered out through the flue in the back living room instead of using the smaller cat door.
Yes, it was a weird life, but it was mine, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Trent scuffed his foot cast against the floor, and my anxiety came flowing back. Ignoring him, I wiped the dust from the phone and scooted up onto the counter as I tried to remember what he liked on his pizza. Just in case he was staying.
The bracelet on my wrist jingled, and I breathed deeply for the faint scent of burnt amber still clinging to me. The band of silver around my wrist seemed to send sparkles into me, and I shivered. I could hear the pixies playing in the night, the near and far-off sounds of life in motion. Exhaling, I remembered the glory of the collective rolling through my mind, the power at my fingertips, and the knowledge that I could create something from nothing. It was gone. Forever.
“You could have all this, too, Trent,” I said, hearing the dissatisfaction in my voice. “All you have to do is quit your job, piss off the vampires, the Weres, a stupid human who knows black magic, and let a demon loose on a major metropolitan area. Oh wait, you did that.”
He laughed, but his smile faded fast. “You don’t have to keep it,” Trent said suddenly, his gaze going to my wrist. “I gave it to you so you’d have a choice, not to hide from them.”
I cringed inside, not liking that I’d telegraphed so much. “I already made my choice,” I said, but I couldn’t meet his eyes.
He was silent, buying time by tucking Lucy’s blanket up as she willfully kicked it off. “It was an awful lot of power to give up,” he said, and a flash of anger lit and died in me.
“It was an awful lot of trouble it caused,” I answered, uncomfortable as I looked over the coupons. They were expired, but the delivery guys didn’t care if you tipped them enough.
“I don’t know if I could make myself that vulnerable after making so many enemies,” he said, his gaze on the smudged counter where we’d cut out cookies.
I looked up, wondering if he was going to offer me protection, and if I could get Lucy away from him before I smacked him in the bahoogies. “Enemies are nothing new,” I said calmly. “At least no one is gunning for me. And I can still do earth magic.” He looked to the dusty bowls overhead. “Maybe I can relax for a while. Rescue some familiars out of trees for a change.”
His expression smoothed, almost becoming a smile. “I do believe that’s why you quit the I.S., remember? Boring runs?”
I snorted, nodding as I scanned the coupons. Everything was for Alfredo pizza as they tried to curry the favor of humans. “Be careful what you wish for.”
“Because you might get it.” Trent gazed at the dark square of night past the window.
The memory of that kiss we shared rose up in my thoughts, and I grimaced. “I’ll be fine,” I said softly.
“I’m not so confident,” Trent said, and he raised a hand. It was the one with the missing fingers, and I hesitated. “You’re not helpless,” he added, “but I’ve had my lawyers look into your situation, and it’s not as clear cut as you want it to be.”
“My situation,” I scoffed. Agitated, I slid from the counter to throw the coupons away. Pizza had the appeal of cardboard right now. “There aren’t any laws for demons,” I said, fidgeting. “And if there aren’t any laws for demons, I can’t break them. I don’t need a license to practice magic. I’m not shunned. I can sell stuff now. People can sell to me.”
“But will they?” he asked, his brow furrowed as he gave voice to my real worry.
