Black Magic Sanction

'It's gone,' I said, meaning the demon mark. 'I've gotten rid of two, now. Just the one left.' The one I got thanks to Nick.

Ivy leaned over to see, holding her hair back as she peered at my foot. Jenks flew closer, the draft from his wings a breath of chill. From the corner, Lee jerked upright in his chair. 'You got a mark off?' he questioned, almost spilling his coffee. 'You gave him Pierce?'

My foot hit the floor, and both Ivy and Jenks backed up. 'I didn't give him Pierce. Did it look like I gave him Pierce? Huh? Did it look like I told Pierce to follow me? Did you hear words come out of my mouth saying, fierce, save me!' No. He already belongs to Al. Got himself demon snagged last winter. He's on loan right now, babysitting me. He'll be back.' I looked at Ivy and Jenks, frowning. 'Count on it.'

Lee raised a hand in protest. 'Sor-r-r-ry,' he said dryly. 'What did you give him, then?'

Brow furrowed, I brought my other foot up and undid my remaining boot and kicked it off. Rex, Jenks's cat, went to investigate, and I crossed my arms over my middle. 'I gave him his summoning name back, if you have to know. The mark I got rid of tonight was the one I originally took from Newt the day you tried to give me to Al and I had to buy my way home.'

Jenks landed on Ivy's shoulder with his hands on his hips. Ivy, too, looked severe as they stared at him. Lee, though, looked just as peeved. 'Who gave whom to Al?' he said darkly. 'I was the one who took the long tour of hell.'

'You bought your own ticket,' I shot back. 'Next time listen when I warn you, okay? I'm not as stupid as you'd like me to be.'

Lee frowned, but then his face eased and he chuckled. 'I think you're just lucky. I'm listening now, if that means anything.'

Immediately, I lost my ire. Belonging to Al must have been hell. That Pierce was there now really bothered me. It would bother me more if I didn't know he'd be back babysitting me before too much longer. Unless Al accidentally killed him and I became Newt's ward. Shit.

'Tell you what, Lee,' I said as the tension in the room eased. 'How about we simply agree that you be nice to me and I be nice to you? It seemed to work today.'

'He locked you in a boat and blew it up,' Ivy said darkly.

'Kist planted the bomb,' I said, wishing she'd quit bringing it up. My attention returning to Lee, I said, 'How about it? I'm not talking about a partnership. More like a truce. You don't have to trust me, just stop pissing me off. And don't spell me again. Ever. Even if I am going to cause us to drive into a bus.'

'You remember that?' Lee asked, and I nodded.

'Most of it.' I'd be mad at Lee for knocking me out, but it was probably the only reason we made it home. King of the world... jeez, how embarrassing.

Lee's dark eyes became thoughtful. Jenks's wings slowed, and even Ivy seemed to relax. My eyes fixed on Lee's disheveled but staunchly upright posture, I crossed the room and held out my hand. It hung there all by itself, and I tilted my head, wondering if he was going to be stupid about this and let his pride put him in the crapper again. But then Lee's thin lips quirked, and finally a smile showed. With the sliding sound of his dirt-marked suit, Lee stood and we shook hands. There wasn't a whisper of power threatening to spill between us. His hand felt small in mine after Al's, and firm. 'This is going to rot Trent's bridle,' the man said as he let go.

Chuckling, I nodded. Poor Trent. Hope he choked on it. Eying Lee's coffee on the table, I turned to the coffeemaker. Jenks went to 'chat' with Lee about the dangers of going back on even our informal truce, and I fumbled in the cupboard for a mug. Ivy was suddenly at my elbow, and I gave her a quick look to make sure she wasn't vamping out, then relaxed.

'Pierce?' she whispered, and my elation at getting rid of a mark and mending a fence with a city power evaporated.

'Al's beating him up for threatening him with Newt,' I said, and she winced. 'I'm sure he'll show up before long.' But in what state, was the question. He should have kept his mouth shut. I was handling it. Interesting, though, that I was allowed to threaten Al and Pierce wasn't.

I bowed my head, and my hair made a curtain between me and the rest of the world as my grip tightened on the cold porcelain. This wasn't right.

Ivy's hand touched my shoulder, and she gave me a quick sideways hug. 'I'm sure he'll be fine,' she said, her lips inches from my ear.

I pulled out of her hold to see her smirking good-naturedly. 'You're something else, vampire,' I said sourly even as my neck started to tingle and she moved away, but I couldn't contain my growing feeling of excitement. My foot was clean. I had one less tie to demons. One less reason to be shunned. One more mark to go, I thought, looking at my wrist.

Jenks darted from Lee, satisfaction on his small features as the much larger man nodded, clearly understanding the threat that Jenks could be, even as small as he was. 'Rachel,' the witch asked as he set his mug down on the table, 'would you mind if I used your phone? Brooke took my cell, my wallet.' His face shifted, eyebrows rising. 'Damn, she mugged me! I need to call my wife and tell her I'm okay. Have her send a car.'

Surprised, I leaned back against the sink with my coffee mug warming my fingers. Ivy's and Jenks's expressions were as confused as mine. 'You're married?' I asked for all three of us.

Lee grinned, looking like another person—a happy one. 'Six weeks. Nice woman. Met her on one of my boats. She's got her own money, so I know she's not a gold digger.' His head dropped, and a shocking amount of honesty shone from him when he looked up again. 'I asked her to marry me for the selfish reason of making my nights easier, but I love her.' He chuckled. 'It's... weird. I never thought... you know.'

A small sound of understanding slipped from me as I thought of Kisten. It must have been hell to be trapped in one's own skull while a demon used your body for whatever it wanted. 'I'm happy for you. Congratulations.'

Jenks flew to Ivy, who had slipped in behind her computer to distance herself from the touchy-feely emotional crap. Pushing myself into motion, I grabbed the cordless phone from the cradle and handed it to him. Lee took it, hesitating. 'You did good, Rachel,' he said, surprising me and making Ivy stop her irritating tapping. 'You got rid of a demon mark without hurting anyone. The coven should leave you alone. I'd speak for you if it would help, but I'm going to be scrambling for enough favors to keep from being shunned myself.'

Warmth touched my face, cooling when Jenks landed on my shoulder. 'They will,' he said staunchly. 'Leave her alone, I mean. They can't shun you. You own too much.'

'Must be nice,' I said, looking at my shoulder bag on the table and remembering that Brooke had my phone, too. 'Ivy, can I use your phone? I need to call Brooke so she doesn't try to summon me again.'

Not missing a beat, Ivy pulled her slim phone from her back pocket and tossed it.

Lee gave me a nod in understanding, then went into the back living room with the landline for some privacy. Jenks, though, was not happy.

'You're warning her?' he said, wings clattering at my ear. 'What the fairy fart for?'

I scrolled through Ivy's phone, noticing she'd been talking to Daryl a lot lately. 'I don't know,' I said as I found my phone number and hit dial. 'It just seems fair.'

'Why do you care?' Jenks needled from my shoulder. 'Let Al have them. No council equals no more worries!'

He was too close to look at on my shoulder, and I grimaced. Just what I need. My own personal shoulder devil, wearing black and smelling like the Garden of Eden. 'What if they survive?' I asked. 'Who do you think is going to get blamed for the attack?'

A faint smile quirked Ivy's lips. 'You sure know how to make friends, Rachel. Al is going to be ticked that you warned them.'

'Al isn't trying to give me a lobotomy,' I said, then turned away as the line clicked open.

'Rachel Morgan's phone,' came a polite voice. 'Can I take a mes-sage?

It was Vivian, and Jenks flew backward as he laughed with the sound of tinkling bells. Both he and Ivy would be able to hear both ends of the conversation with their better hearing, and I crossed my ankles, feeling only a twinge from my knees. 'Well, well, well. A coven member is playing secretary for me? I kind of like that.' Vivian had to have seen that it was a known number, but 'Ice' probably hadn't meant anything to her.

'Morgan!' the woman barked, followed by a muffled exclamation and a demand to pass the phone. I took a breath to say something, waiting at the distant yelp of pain.