Sourly contemplating my new and improved list, I cracked the bottled water Ivy had brought me. I thought about heading into the kitchen for a glass of wine, but after glancing at Ivy, I decided to make do with what I had. The pheromones she was kicking out were enough to relax me as much as a shot of whiskey, and if I added to it, Id probably fall asleep before two in the morning. As it was, I was feeling pretty damn good, and I wasnt going to feel at all guilty that most of it stemmed from her. It was a thousand years of evolution to make finding prey easy, but I felt I deserved it for putting up with all the crap living with a vampire brought. Not that I was that easy to live with either.
I tapped the eraser against my teeth and looked at my list. The Weres were probably out, and Lee. I couldnt imagine the Withons would be that ticked, even if I had busted up their daughters marriage to Trent. Trent might be angry, though, seeing as Id gotten him jailed for all of three hours. A sigh lifted through me. Id built up a lot of animosity with some pretty big people in a remarkably short time. My special talent. I should concentrate on finding traces of demon summoning and go from there, rather than investigating people who might hold a grudge.
The dinner bell Ivy and I used as a doorbell bonged, startling us. A jolt of adrenaline pulsed through me, and Ivys eyes dilated to a thin rim of brown.
Ill get it, Jenks said as he flew up from the coffee table, his voice almost lost in the commotion his kids were making from the front corner of the newspaper-plastered sanctuary.
As Ivy went to turn down the music coming in from the back room, I wiped my mouth of cracker crumbs and did a quick tidy at the table. Ivy might take a job two days before Halloween, but if they were looking for me, they were going to be sadly disappointed.
Jenks worked the elaborate pulley system wed rigged for him, and as soon as the door cracked, an orange cat streaked in. Cat! the pixy shrilled as the tabby headed right for his kids.
I bolted upright, breath catching as every pixy in the sanctuary was abruptly eight feet higher. Shrieks and calls echoed, and suddenly the air was full of little black paper bats dangling enticingly from thin strings.
Rex! Jenks shouted, darting to land right before the black-eyed animal, which was entranced and frozen by the overwhelming sensory input of twenty-plus dangling bits of paper. Bad cat! You scared the fairy-loving crap out of me! His gaze went to the rafters. Everyone up there?
A shrill round of Yes, Dad, made my eyeballs hurt, and Matalina came out of the desk. Hands on her hips, she whistled sharply. A chorus of disappointed complaints rose and the bats fell. A flow of pixies vanished inside the desk, leaving three older kids to sit and dangle their feet from the rafters as casual sentries. One of them had Jenkss straightened paper clip, and I smiled. Jenkss cat patted one of the fallen paper bats and ignored her tiny master.
Jenks , Matalina said in warning. We had an agreement.
Ho-o-o-oney, Jenks whined. Its cold out. Shes been an inside cat since we got her. Its not fair to make her stay outside just because were inside now.
Her tiny, angelic face tight, Matalina disappeared into the desk. Jenks streaked in after her, a mix of young man and mature father. Grinning, I snagged Rex on my way to the door and the two shadows standing hesitantly in my threshold. I had no idea how we were going to handle this new wrinkle. Maybe I could learn how to make a ward to let people through but keep felines out. It was just a modified ley line circle. Id seen someone do it by memory once, and Lee had put a ward up across Trents great window. How hard could it be?
My smile widened when the light from the sign over the door illuminated who was there. It wasnt a potential client. David! I exclaimed when I saw him next to a vaguely familiar man. I told you I was okay earlier. You didnt have to come over.
I know how you downplay things, the younger of the two men said, his face easing into a few smile wrinkles as Rex struggled to get away from me. Fine can be anything from a bruise to almost comatose. And when I get a call from the I.S. about my alpha female, Im not going to take that at face value.
His eyes lingered on the faint mark on my neck where Al had gripped me. Dropping the wildly wiggling cat, I gave him a quick hug. The complicated scent of Were filled my senses, wild, rich, and full of exotic undertones of earth and moon that most Weres lacked. I drew back, my hands still on his upper arms, peering into his eyes to evaluate his state of being. David had taken a curse for me, and though he said he liked the focus, I worried that one day, the sentient spell would risk my anger and take him over.
Davids jaw clenched as he reigned in an urge to flee that stemmed from the curse, not himself, then smiled. The thing was terrified of me.
Still got it? I said, letting him go, and he nodded.
Still loving it, he said, dropping his head briefly to hide the need to run shimmering behind his dark eyes. He turned to the man beside him. You remember Howard?
My head bobbed. Oh, yes! From last years winter solstice, I said, wiggling my foot at Rex so she wouldnt come in and reaching to shake the older mans hand. His grip was cold from the night and probably poor circulation. How you been doing?
Im trying to stay busy, he said, the tips of his gray hair moving as he exhaled heavily. I never should have taken that early retirement.
David scuffed his boots, muttering a quiet I told you.
Well, come on in, I said, waving my foot at the disgusted cat so shed go away. Quick, before Rex follows you.
We cant stay. David hotfooted it inside, his old business partner quick on his heels despite his accumulated years. Were on our way to pick up Serena and Kally. Howard is driving us out to Bowman Park and were going to run the Licking River trail. Can I leave my car here until morning?
I nodded. The long stretch of railroad track between Cincy and Bowman Park had been converted to a safe running surface shortly after the Turn. This time of year, youd only find Weres on it at night, and the rails-to-trails path ran fairly close to the church before it crossed the river into Cincinnati. David had used the church as an endpoint before, but this was the first time he had the ladies with him. I wondered if it was their first long fall run. If so, they were in for a treat. To run full out and not get hot was exquisite.
I shut the door and ushered the men from the unlit foyer into the sanctuary. Davids duster brushed his worn boot tops, and he took off his hat as he entered, clearly uncomfortable on the holy ground. As a witch, Howard didnt care, and he smiled and waved at the tiny hellos from the ceiling. I probably owed Howard a big thank-youit had been his idea that David should take me as his new business partner.
David set his worn leather hat on the piano and rocked from heel to toe, looking every inch the alpha male, albeit an uncomfortable one. The faint hint of musk rose from the sturdy but graceful man, and his hand nervously ran across the hint of stubble the almost-full moon was causing. He wasnt tall for a man, standing almost eye to eye with me, but he made up for it in sheer presence. Sinewy would be the word Id use to describe him. Or maybe yummy, if he were in his running tights. But like Minias, David had a problem with the different-species thing.
Hed been forced to assume the title of alpha male for real when he accidentally turned two human women into Weres. It wasnt supposed to be possible, but he had been in possession of a very powerful Were artifact at the time. Watching David accept his responsibility left me both proud and guilty, since it was partly my fault. Okay, mostly my fault.
It would be a year come the winter solstice since David had started a pack with me, pressured into it by his boss and obstinately choosing a witch instead of a Were female so he wouldnt have to take on any new responsibilities. It was a win-win situation: David got to keep his job, I got my insurance cheap. But now he was an alpha for real, and I was proud of him for accepting it with so much grace. He went out of his way to make the two women he had turned with the focus feel wanted, needed, and welcome, taking every chance he could to help them explore their new situation with joyous abandonment.
But I was most proud of his refusal to show the guilt he lived with, knowing that if they knew how bad he felt for changing their lives without their consent, they might feel that what they had become was wrong. He had gone on to `prove his nobility by taking the Were curse from me to save my sanity. The curse would have killed me by the first full moon. David said he liked it. I believed him, though it worried me. I appreciated David for everything he was and who he was becoming.
Hi, David, Howard, Ivy said from the top of the hall, her hair freshly brushed and shoes now on her feet. Can you stay for dinner? We have a slow cooker full of chili, so theres plenty. Ivy, however, just wanted to get in Davids pants.
David had started at her voice. Shifting his long coat closed, he took a step back as he turned. Thanks, but no, he said, eyes down. Im going for a run with the ladies. Howard might want to come back after dropping us off, though.
Howard mumbled something about a meeting, and Ivy turned to the stained-glass window and the moon, just shy of full but hidden behind clouds. Weres could change anytime, but the three days of a full moon were the only time it was legal to roam the citys streets on four paws, tradition turned to law by paranoid humans. What Weres did in their own houses, though, was their own business. The moonlit trail would be busy tonight.
Ivys foot twitched like a cats tail as she sat, turning her magazine over to hide the headline. I had to work to keep a straight face. It wasnt often that she was smitten enough by anyone to look like a high schooler with a crush. And it wasnt that she was obvious about it, but she was so closed with her emotions that any indication of attraction was as clear as finding love notes strewn on her bedroom floor. Shed probably recognized the sound of his car and had gone to tidy up, using the excuse of lowering the music.
You should have called me when the demon showed, David said, edging to the door.
Jenkss wings clattered as he darted from the desk to the center of the room. I was there to save her ass, he said belligerently, then added a belated, Hi, David. Whos your friend?
This is Howard, my old partner, David said, and Jenkss head bobbed up and down.
Oh, yeah. You stink for a witch. Whatcha been doing?
Howard laughed, the sound echoing into the rafters and setting the pixies giggling. Some freelance work. Thank you, Mr. Jenks. Ill take that as a compliment.
Its just Jenks, the pixy muttered, giving Howard an unusual, cautious look as he landed on my shoulder.
Ivy was making eyes at David from over the crackers, and the small man started edging toward the door in earnest. Do you want me to stay until sunup? Just in case?
Good God, no! I exclaimed. Im on holy ground. Im as safe here as if I was in my mothers arms.
Weve met your mother, Ivy said lightly. That doesnt instill any confidence.
What is this, pick-on-Rachel night? I said, tired of it. I can take care of myself.
No one said anything, the silence broken by a stifled laugh from the rafters. I looked up, but the pixies had hidden themselves.
Guess what shes doing tonight? Jenks said, leaving me to escort a quickly retreating David and Howard to the door. Making a list of people who want to kill her, followed by ways to detect demon summoning.
She told me. David retied his coat closed and headed for the door. Dont forget to put Nick on there.
Got him, I said, flopping into my chair and scowling at Ivy. She chased David away almost every time. Thanks, Jenks, I shot at the pixy, but he wasnt listening as he opened the door for David and rose up out of the cold draft.
David turned at the threshold. Behind him, Howard was heading down the steps to an unfamiliar station wagon. Parked by the curb was Davids gray sports car. Bye, Rachel, David said, the light over the door glinting on his black hair. Call me tomorrow if I dont see you. Summoning demons usually results in a claim or two being filed. When I get back to the office, Ill see if anything unusual has come in.
My eyebrows rose, and I made a mental note to add insurance claims to the list. David worked at one of the largest on-paper insurance companies in the United States and had access to just about everything, given time. Actually, maybe Id call Glenn at the FIB to see if they had any complaints recently. They kept great records to compensate for their utter lack of Inderlander talents.
Thanks, Ill do that, I said as David followed his old partner out and shut the door.
Ivy frowned at the dark foyer, sipping her drink as one foot bobbed up and down. Seeing me track the motion, she forced it still. I jumped at the high-pitched burst of noise from my desk, eyes widening as four streaks of silver raced out from it and into the back of the church. A crash brought me around in my seat, and I wondered what had just fallen off the overhead rack in the kitchen.
And so it begins.
Jack! came Matalinas shrill cry, and she zipped out of the desk after them. Jenks intercepted her, and the two had a rapid high-pitched discussion in the hallway punctuated by bursts of ultrasonic sound that made my head hurt.
Honey, Jenks coaxed when she slowed enough that we could hear them again. Boys will be boys. Ill talk to them and make them apologize.
What if they had done that when your cat came in! she shrilled. What then?
But they didnt, he soothed. They waited until she was secure.