For a Few Demons More

was still on her lap, and her fingers were gentling the animal. Taking a steadying breath, I said, 'I've got someone I want you to meet.'

Her green eyes met mine, and a smile grew. 'Who?'

I looked at Jenks, but he was out of it, sleeping under the napkins. 'Uh, Trent.' My chest clenched, and I prayed I was doing the right thing. 'See, he's an elf.'

Beaming, Ceri pushed Rex to the floor so she could lean across the table. The cat stalked out of the room, and the scent of wine and cinnamon filled me when Ceri gave me a quick hug. 'I know,' she said as she leaned back and smiled at me. 'Thank you, Rachel.'

'You knew?' I said, warm from embarrassment. God, she must think me an insensitive boob, but she settled herself in her chair and smiled as if I had just given her a pony. And a puppy. And then the freaking moon. 'Kalamack, right?' I stammered. 'We're talking about the same Trent? Why didn't you say anything? '

'You gave me back my soul,' she said, her hair drifting. 'And with it the chance to redeem my sins. I look to you for guidance. Until you approved of him, it would have caused problems. You made no attempt to hide that you don't like him.'

She smiled shyly, and I stared. 'You knew he was an elf?' I asked, still not believing it. 'How? He doesn't know about you!' At least I don't think he does.

Embarrassed, she pulled her feet up under her to sit cross-legged, looking both wise and innocent. 'I saw him in a magazine last winter, but you didn't like him.' Her eyes flicked to mine and then back down. 'I knew he had hurt you. Keasley told me he controls the Brimstone trade, and, like anything in excess, it's damaging. But, Rachel, how can you condemn all the good for a little bad?' she said, not a hint of pleading in her voice. 'It's been illegal for thirty-two years out of five thousand and is a blatant way for humans to try to control Inderland.'

When you put it like that, Trent almost sounded respectable. Bothered, I leaned back. 'Did Keasley tell you he blackmails people using illegal genetic research? That his Make-A-Wish camps are underground genetic labs where he helps children in order to blackmail their parents?'

'Yes. He also told me that Trent's father cured your blood disease because your father was his friend. Don't you think you owe him a debt of gratitude?'

Whoa. My breath caught, and I felt cold, not about the debt-of-gratitude thing, but that Keasley knew something I hadn't until last solstice. 'Keasley told you that? '

Ceri watched me over her teacup. Her head went up and down, nodding sharply.

My worried gaze went to the blue-curtained window above the sink and the sunlit garden beyond. I was going to have to have a talk with Keasley. 'Trent's father saved my life,' I admitted, bringing my attention back to her. 'My dad and his were friends and work partners. And they both died because of it, so I think that rubs out any gratitude I might have.' Stupid-ass elf thinks the world owes him everything.

But Ceri only sipped at her tea. 'Maybe Trent put you in the rat fights because he blames your father for his father's death.'

I took a breath to protest, then slowly let it out. Crap. Is Trent as insecure as the rest of us? Smug, Ceri topped off her cup.

'Didn't you blame him for the loss of your father?' she asked, unnecessarily, I might add.

'Yes,' I said, realizing that her putting it in past tense worked. I didn't blame him anymore. Piscary had killed him—in a roundabout way. Somehow. Maybe. And if I was a good little witch and kept Trent's little elf ass above the green, green grass during his wedding, he just might tell me the details. Giving myself a mental shake, I filed that away to think about later. 'Do you want to meet him?' I asked tiredly, sounding oh so thrilled at the prospect.

Her remaining ire vanished, and she smiled from across the table. 'Yes, please.'

Yes, please. As if she needed my okay. 'You don't need my permission.'

My tone was almost sullen, but she dropped her eyes demurely. 'I want it.' She set her cup on the saucer with a clink. 'I was raised with the expectation that someone would guide me in matters of the heart: a guardian and confidant. My mother and father are deceased. My kin has been diluted by time. You rescued my body, freed my soul. You are my Sa'han.'

I straightened in my chair as if ice had washed over me. 'Whoa! Wait up, Ceri. I'm not your guardian. You don't need one. You're your own person!' Is she nuts?

Ceri set her feet on the floor and leaned forward, her eyes asking for understanding. 'Please, Rachel,' she begged. 'I need this. Being Al's familiar tore everything from me. Give this piece of my life back to me? I need to resume ties to my old life before I can cut them and move into this one.'

I felt panicky. 'I'm the last person you should seek advice from!' I stammered. 'Look at me! I'm a mess!'

Smiling softly, Ceri dropped her eyes. 'You're the most caring person I know, consistently risking your life for those who can't fight on their own. I see this in the people you love. Ivy, who is afraid she can't fight her battle alone anymore. Kisten, who struggles to stand in a system where he knows he's too weak. Jenks, who has the courage but not the strength to make a difference in a world that doesn't even see him.'

'Aw, thanks, Ceri,' the pixy mumbled from under his napkin.

'You often see the worst in people,' she said, 'but you always see the best. Eventually.'

I gaped at her. Noting my unease, she hesitated. 'Do you trust Trent?'

'No!' I blurted, then paused. But here I was broaching the subject of introducing Ceri to him. 'Maybe in some things,' I amended. 'I trust your judgment, though.'

Apparently it was the right thing to say, since Ceri smiled and put a cool hand upon mine. 'You believe in him more than you realize, and I though I may not know him, I trust your judgment, slow as it is in coming.' Her smile turned wicked. 'And I'm not a silly girl to be blinded by a tidy posterior and expansive landholdings.'

Tidy posterior and expansive landholdings? Was that the Dark Ages equivalent of a tight ass and a lot of money? I chuckled, and her hand slipped away. 'He's devious,' I warned. 'I don't want you to be taken advantage of. I know he's going to want a sample for his labs.'

Ceri sipped her tea, her eyes focused on the sunlit garden. 'He can have it. I want my species to recover as much as he does. I only wish I'd predated the curse so the damage could be fixed completely instead of the bandage he has been slapping on our children.'

My fingers curled around the cool porcelain, but I didn't bring the cup to my lips. Trent owed me big time. Ceri was giving him one hell of a better bandage. 'He's manipulative,' I added, and she raised one eyebrow.

'And I'm not? Do you think I couldn't wind this man about my finger if I wanted? '

I looked away, worried. Yeah, she could.

Ceri laughed. 'I don't want a husband,' she said, green eyes twinkling. 'I have to reinvent myself before I can share my life with anyone. Besides, he's getting married.'

I couldn't help my snort. 'To a really nasty woman,' I muttered, starting to relax. I did not want Trent marrying Ceri. Even if Trent weren't such a dirtbag, I'd probably never see her again after she found his garden.

'I do believe,' Ceri said wryly, 'you think this wedding is just punishment for past sins.'

Nodding, I glanced into the garden following a flash of motion. I stood up and went to the window to see that it was just Jenks's kids driving a hummingbird out of the yard. 'You haven't met her,' I said, marveling at their teamwork. Ceri came to stand beside me, the rich scent of cinnamon drifting off her to tickle my nose. ' She's a terrible woman,' I added softly.

Ceri's gaze followed mine into the garden. 'So am I,' she said, more softly still.

Twenty-two

Slumped in the back of the cab, I watched the passing buildings and imagined Ellasbeth's distain for the clearly lower-class shops. Though the Hollows' cathedral was world-renowned, it was in a somewhat depressed area of town. Unease trickled through me, and I straightened, pulling my bag with its charms and splat gun onto my