For a Few Demons More

My posture stiffened, and I tugged my blanket up when it slipped. 'Just what in hell does that mean?' I snapped, dropping the gun in with the radio.

Keasley, though, smiled, his narrow chest moving as he caught his breath. 'Either make your relationship official or let her go.'

Surprised, I stared at him, squinting in the strong morning light. 'Excuse me?'

'Vampires have an unbreakable mind-set,' he said, putting an arm over my shoulder and starting us to the gate. 'Apart from the master vampires, they physically need to look to someone stronger than them. It's hardwired in, like Weres and their alphas. Ivy looks powerful because there are so few people stronger than she. Piscary's one. You're another.'

My steps, slow to match his, grew even slower. 'I can't best him. Despite what I wanted to do last night.' God, it was embarrassing. I deserved to have been downed by my own spell.

'I never said you could beat Piscary,' the old witch said as we helped each other over the uncertain footing of the graveyard. 'I said you were stronger than him. You can help Ivy be who she wants, but if she can't let go of her fear and make peace with her needs, she's going to fall back to Piscary. I don't think she's decided yet.'

I felt odd. 'How do you figure that?'

His wrinkles deepened. 'Because she didn't try to kill you last night.'

My stomach clenched. How come he can see things so clearly and I'm thicker than a cement wall? Must go along with the wise-old-man image. 'We tried it once,' I said softly, wanting to touch my neck. 'She almost killed me. She says the only way she can control her blood lust is if we mixed it with sex. Otherwise she loses control, and I'd have to hurt her to get her to back off. I can't, Keasley. I won't mix the ecstasy of bloodletting with hurting her. It's wrong and sick.'

My pulse had quickened from the foul thought that that's what Piscary did… and what he had turned her into. I knew that my face was red, but Keasley didn't seem shocked when brought his attention up. His brow pinched, he gave me a pitying look. 'You're in a spot, aren't you?'

We passed the foot-high wall that divided the graveyard from the backyard. Pixies were everywhere, the sunlight flashing on their wings. This was really uncomfortable, but who else could I talk to? My mom? 'So,' I said softly, angling us to the tall gate that led to the street, 'you think it's my fault she went running to Piscary? Because I can't bring myself to hurt her if she loses control and I won't sleep with her?'

Keasley grunted. 'Ivy thinks like a vampire. You should start thinking like a witch.'

'You mean like a charm?' I offered, recalling Ivy's aversion to them, then flushed at the eagerness in my voice. 'Maybe one to mute her hunger or calm her without hurting her? '

His head went up and down, and I slowed our pace, seeing him start to labor. 'So what are you going to do?' he asked, his hand landing on my shoulder. 'I mean today.'

'Plan something out and go get her,' I admitted. I didn't know what to think anymore.

He was silent. Then, 'If you try, he'll tighten his grip on her.'

I went to protest, and he pulled me to a stop, facing me. His dark eyes were thick with warning. 'You walk in there, and Piscary will make her kill you. Trust her to get herself out. Piscary is her master, but you are her friend, and she still has her soul.'

'Trust her?' I said, shocked he thought I should do nothing. 'I can't leave her there. He blood-raped her the last time she said no when he told her to kill me.'

A soft hand on my shoulder pushed us into motion. 'Trust her,' he said simply. 'She trusts you.' His chest rose and fell in a sigh. 'Rachel, if she walks away from Piscary without someone to assume his protection, the first undead vampire she runs into will use and abuse her.'

'Like Piscary isn't abusing her?' I scoffed.

'She needs protection as much as you do,' he chided. 'And if you can't give her that, you shouldn't condemn her for sticking with the only person who can.'

Put that way, it made sense. But I didn't like it. Especially when, if you thought about it, Piscary was protecting me through her. Oh, swell…

'Give her a reason for her to get herself out and she'll stand with you,' Keasley said as we reached the wooden gate. 'You know what that will make her?'

'No,' I said, thinking it made me a coward.

He smiled at my sour expression, then took his thermos out of the bucket. 'It will make her into someone no one can manipulate. It's who she wants to be.'

'This is crap,' I said as he lifted the latch and the gate opened. 'She needs my help!'

Snorting, Keasley propped the folding chair against the wall and shuffled over the threshold. Past him, the street was quiet and damp with dew. 'You've already helped her. You gave her a choice besides Piscary.'

I dropped my eyes. It wasn't enough. I wasn't enough. I couldn't protect her against the undead. I couldn't protect myself—thinking I could protect her was ludicrous.

Keasley paused in the threshold. 'I'll be honest with you,' he said. 'I don't like the idea of same-sex relationships. It doesn't seem right to me, and I'm too old to start thinking different. But I do know you're happy here. From what Jenks tells me, Ivy is, too. Which makes it hard for me to think you're making a mistake or that it's wrong. Whatever you do.'

If I knew the charm to curl up and die, I would have used it. As it was, I watched my feet and moved forward to stand in the gate. Sort of like what I was doing in my life.

'Are you going after Piscary?' he asked suddenly.

Warm under my blanket, I jiggled on my feet. 'I want to.'

'Smart decisions, Rachel,' he said with a sigh. 'Make smart decisions.'

Restlessness filled me as he headed to his tired-looking house a few homes up the street. 'Keasley, tell Ceri I'm sorry for pushing her down,' I called after him.

He raised a hand to acknowledge me. 'I will.'

Jenks dropped from the tree overhead to land atop the gate, making me think he'd been eavesdropping again. I glanced at him, then yelled to Keasley, 'Can I come over later?'

Pausing at the curb to let the minivan belonging to the only human family on the street pass, Keasley smiled to show coffee-stained teeth. 'I'll make lunch. Tuna sandwiches okay?'

The minivan beeped, and Keasley returned the driver's wave. I couldn't help my smile. The elderly witch carefully stepped off the curb and started home, head up and eyes scanning.

Jenks rose when the gate thumped shut, and with the splat gun rattling against the radio, I made for the back door. 'And where were you when Keasley downed me?' I asked Jenks tartly.

'Right behind him, stupid. Who do you think told him what you stocked your splat gun with?'

There wasn't much I could say to that. 'Sorry.' I took the porch steps, juggling everything in my arms to manage the door. Jenks darted in to do a quick run-through of the premises, and, remembering him in his robe last night, I hollered, 'Is Matalina okay?'

'She's fine,' he said, swooping back in.

I wedged my soaked shoes off, padding into the kitchen to leave wet prints as I dropped the bucket just inside it. Continuing on, I headed to my bathroom to wash my comforter. 'Ceri's upset, huh?' I asked, fishing to find out what had happened while I was out.

'She's crushed,' he said, landing on the raised lid as I punched buttons to get it going. 'And you're going to have to wait. The power is out. Can't you tell?'

I hesitated, only now realizing it was eerily quiet in here, lacking the usual hum of computers, fridge fans, and everything else. 'Not doing too well, am I?' I said, remembering Ceri gaping up at me, her hair in disarray and her eyes wide in shock at my having shoved her.

'Ah, we love you anyway,' Jenks said, taking flight. 'The church is clear. The front door is still bolted. I've got some things to do in the garden, just yell if you need me.'

He lifted up, and I smiled at him. 'Thanks, Jenks,' I said, and he darted out, the buzz of his wings obvious in the power-outage-silenced air.

Shoving my comforter into the washer, I started to plan out my day: shower, eat, debase myself to Ceri, call the holy guy and offer to have his baby if he would find a way to remove the blasphemy and resanctify the church, prep some spells to storm the evil-vampire fortress. Typical Saturday stuff.

Barefoot, I wandered into the kitchen. I couldn't make coffee with the power out, but I could make tea. And