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The black plastic slipped from my lap, and Ivy drew the heavy book off the table. Retreating to her end of the table with quick steps, she set the directory on her knees and pulled a legal pad from a stack. While Jenks laughed, she sketched a graph with columns headed by phone number, availability, cost, and religious affiliation. Confident wed be on holy ground before the week was out, I stifled my ire that she had taken over.
Jenks was smiling when he flitted from the windowsill, gold sparkles landing in my teacup before he settled beside it. Thanks, I said, knowing Ivy would hear me even if I whispered. I dont think Im going to sleep again until were resanctifiedand I like sleeping.
Head bobbing in an exaggerated motion, he nodded. Why dont you just put the church in a circle? he questioned. Nothing can get through that.
It wouldnt be secure unless we removed all the electricity and gas lines coming in, I explained, not wanting to tell him that Newt could apparently get through any circle with enough reason. You want to live without your MTV?
Oh, hell no, he said, glancing at Ivy when she offered the person on the phone double to get the job done before sunset tonight. Ivy didnt get along with her mother very well.
Tired, I slumped back into my chair, feeling the weight of the insane morning hour fall on me. Jenkss wife, Matalina, had gotten the pixy kids out of the living room, and the sound of them in the garden slipped in with the morning breeze. Ceri said if Newt doesnt show up in the next three weeks, shell probably forget about us, I said around a yawn, but I still want to get the church resanctified. I looked at my chipped nail polish in dismay. Minias hit her with a forget charm, but the demon is freaking crazy. And she shows up without being summoned.
Ivy stopped talking on the phone, and after she and Jenks exchanged a look, she clicked it off without saying goodbye. Who is Minias?
Newts familiar. I gave her a tight-lipped smile to soften the shortness of my answer. Sometimes Ivy was like an ex-boyfriend. Hell, she was like that most times, as her vampire instincts fought with her reasoning. I was not her shadow, aka source of blood, but living with her blurred the lines between what she knew and how her instincts said she should feel.
She remained silent, clearly having heard the lack of completeness. I didnt want to talk about it, the fear being too damn close to my skin. Literally. I stank like the ever-after, and all I wanted was to clean up and hide under my covers for the next three days. Having had Newt in my head gave me the willies, even if Id regained control almost immediately.
Ivy took a breath to press for more, dissuaded when Jenks clattered a warning with his wings. Id tell the whole story. Just not now. My blood pressure dropped at Jenkss show of support, and, lurching to my feet, I went to the pantry for the mop and bucket. If we were going to have a holy person in our church, I wanted the blood circles gone. I mean, really
Youve been up since noon yesterday. I can do that, Ivy protested, but lack of sleep had made me bitchy, and I dropped the bucket in the sink, slamming the cupboard door under it when I brought out the disinfectant and tossed the scrub brush in.
Youve been up as long as I have, I said over the rush of water. And youre arranging whos going to bless the grounds. The sooner we get that done, the better Ill sleep. Something I was taking care of until you butted in, I thought snarkily as I took off the metallic bracelet Kisten had given me and draped it around the base of Mr. Fishs bowl. The black gold of the chain and mundane charms glittered, and I wondered if I should take the time to try to put a ley line spell into them, or just leave them as something pretty to wear.
The sharp orange scent tickled my nose, and I shut off the tap. My back protesting, I lugged the bucket over the edge of the counter, spilling some. I awkwardly rubbed the mop over the drops and headed out, bare feet squeaking. Its not a biggie, Ivy, I said. Five minutes.
The clatter of pixy wings followed me. Isnt Newts familiar a demon? Jenks asked when he landed on my shoulder.
Okay, so maybe it hadnt been a show of support but merely him wanting to feel me out as to what info to give Ivy. She was a worrywart, and the last thing I wanted was her thinking I couldnt go out for a can of Spam without her protection. He was a better judge of her mood than I was, so I set the bucket by the circles and whispered, Yeah, but hes more of a caretaker.
Tinks a Disney whore, he swore, taking a potshot at his infamous kin, as I plunged the mop up and down a few times before squeezing out the excess water. Dont tell me you got another demon mark?
He left my shoulder when I sent the mop across the floor, apparently finding the back-and-forth motion too much to take. No, he owes me, I said nervously, and Jenkss jaw dropped. Im going to see if hell take Als mark off me in exchange. Or maybe Newts.
Jenks hovered before me, and I straightened, tired as I leaned on the mop. His eyes were wide and incredulous. The pixy had a wife and way too many kids living in a stump in the garden. He was a family man, but he had the face and body of an eighteen-year-old. A very sexy, tiny, eighteen-year-old with wings, and sparkles, and a mop of blond hair that needed arranging. His wife, Matalina, was a very happy pixy, and she dressed him in skintight outfits that were distracting despite his minute size. That he was nearing the end of his life span was killing me and Ivy both. He was more than a steadfast partner skilled in detection, infiltration, and securityhe was our friend.
You think the demon will do that? Jenks said. Damn, Rache. Thatd be great!
I shrugged. Its worth a shot, but all I did was tell him where Newt was.
From the kitchen came Ivys voice raised in irritation. Its 1597 Oakstaff. Yes. There was a hesitation, then, Really? I didnt know you kept those kinds of records. It would have been nice if someone had told us we were a paranormal city shelter. Shouldnt we be getting a tax break or something? Her voice had gone wary, and I wondered what was up.
Jenks lighted on the edge of the bucket, wiping a spot to sit before settling himself, his dragonfly wings stilling to look like gossamer. The mop wasnt doing it; I would have to scrub. Sighing, I dropped to my knees and felt around the bottom of the bucket for the brush.
No, it was sanctified, Ivy continued, her voice growing louder, clear over the hiss of the bristles. It isnt anymore. A slight pause and she added, We had an incident. Another hesitation and she said, We had an incident. How much to do the entire church?
My stomach clenched when she added softly, How much to do just the bedrooms?
I looked at Jenks, guilt rising thick in me. Maybe we could get the city to defray the cost if we refiled as a city shelter. It wasnt as if we could ask the landlord to fix it. Piscary owned the church, and though Ivy had dropped the facade of paying rent to the master vampire she looked to, we were responsible for the upkeep. It was like living rent free in your parents house when they were on an extended vacationvacation being jail in this case, thanks to me. It was an ugly story, but at least I hadnt killed himuh, for good.
Ivys sigh was audible over the sound of my work. Can you get out here before tonight? she asked, making me feel marginally better.
I didnt hear the answer to that, but there was no more conversation forthcoming, and I focused on rubbing out the smears, moving clockwise as I went. Jenks watched for a moment from the rim of the bucket, then said, You look like a porno star on your hands and knees, mopping in your underwear. Push it, baby, he moaned. Push it!
I glanced up to find him making rude motions. Doesnt he have anything better to do? But I knew he was trying to cheer me upleast thats what I was telling myself.
As his wings turned red from laughter, I jerked my robe closed and sat back on my knees before I blew a shoulder-length red curl from my face. Taking a swing at his smirk would be uselesshe had gotten really fast since his stint under a demon curse that made him people-size. And turning my back to him would be worse.
Could you straighten my desk for me? I asked, allowing a touch of annoyance into my voice. Your cat dumped my papers.
You bet, he said, zipping off. Immediately I felt my blood pressure drop.
Ivys soft steps intruded, and Jenks cussed fluently at her when she pulled the papers off the floor and set them on the desktop for him. Politely telling him to shove a slug up his ass, she strode past me to her piano, a spray bottle in one hand and a chamois cloth in the other.
Someones coming out this morning, she said, starting to clean Ceris blood from the varnished wood. Old blood didnt flip any switches in living vampsnot like the chance to take it did. Theyre going to give us an estimate, and if our credit checks out, theyll do the entire church. You want to pay the extra five thousand to insure it?
Five thousand to insure it? Holy crap. How much was this going to cost? Uneasy, I sat back up on my heels and dunked the brush. My rolled-up sleeve slipped, soaking in an instant. From my desk Jenks called out, Go for it, Rache. It says here you won a million dollars.
I glanced behind me to find him manhandling my mail. Irritated, I dropped the brush and squeezed the water from my robe. Can we find out how much its going to cost first? I asked, and she nodded, giving her piano a heavy coat of whatever was in that unlabeled spray bottle. It evaporated quickly, and she wiped it to a shine.
Here, she said, setting the bottle down beside the bucket. It will get rid of the Her words stopped. Just wipe the floor with it, she added, and my eyebrows rose.
Oka-a-ay. I bent back over the floor, hesitating at the circle Ceri had scribed to call Minias, then smeared it to nothing. Ceri could help me make a new one, and I wasnt going to have demonic blood circles on the floor of my church.
Hey, Ivy, Jenks called. You want to keep this?
She rocked into motion, and I shifted to keep her in my view. Jenks had a coupon for pizza, and I smirked. Right. Like she would even consider ordering anything but Piscarys Pizza.
What else does she have in here? Ivy said, throwing it away. I turned my back on them, knowing that the clutter I kept my desk in drove Ivy insane. Shed probably take the opportunity to tidy it. God, Id never be able to find a thing.
Spell-of-the-Month Clubtoss, Jenks said, and I heard it thunk into the trash can. Free issue of Witch Weeklytoss. Credit checktoss. Crap, Rachel. Dont you throw anything away?
I ignored him, having only a small arc to finish. Wax on, wax off. My arm was hurting.
The zoo wants to know if you want to renew your off-hours runners pass.
Save that! I said.
Jenks whistled long and low, and I wondered what they had found now.
An invitation to Ellasbeth Withons wedding? Ivy drawled in question.
Oh, yeah. I forgot about that.
Tink knocks your kickers, Jenks exclaimed, and I sat back on my heels. Rachel! he called, hovering over the invitation that had probably cost more than my last dinner out. When did you get an invitation from Trent? For his wedding?
I dont remember. I dunked the brush and started in again, but the hush of linen against paper brought me upright. Hey! I protested, wiping my hands dry on my robe to make the tie come undone. You cant do that. Its illegal to open mail not addressed to you.
Jenks had landed on Ivys shoulder, and they each gave me a long look over the invitation in her grip. The seal was broken, Ivy said, shaking to the floor the stupid little white tissue paper I had carefully replaced.
Trent Kalamack was the bane of my existence, one of Cincinnatis most beloved councilmen, and the Northern Hemispheres most eligible bachelor. No one seemed to care he ran half of the citys underworld and worked a good slice of the worlds illegal Brimstone trade. That wasnt even considering his punishable-by-death dealings in genetic manipulation and outlawed medicines. My being alive because of them was a big part of my keeping quiet about it. I didnt like the Antarctic any more than the next person, and thats where Id end up if it got out. That is, if they didnt just kill me, burn me, and send my ashes to the sun.
Suddenly having a demon trash my living room didnt seem so bad.
Holy crap! Jenks swore again. Ellasbeth wants you to be a bridesmaid?
Jerking my robe closed, I stalked across the sanctuary and snatched the invitation out of Ivys hand. Its not an invitation, its a badly worded request for me to work security. The woman hates me. Look, she didnt even sign it. I bet she doesnt even know it exists.
I waved it in the air and shoved it into a drawer, slamming it shut. Trents fiancée was a bitch in all ways but the literal. Thin, elegant, rich, and bitingly polite. We had gotten along really well the night we had breakfast together, just her, me, and Trent caught between us. Course, part of that might have been from my letting her believe that Trent and I had been childhood sweethearts. But she was the one who decided I was a courtesan. Stupid Yellow Pages ad.
Ivys expression was wary. She knew better than to push me when it came to Trent, but Jenks wouldnt let it go. Yeah, but think of it, Rache. Its going to be a hell of a party. The best of Cincinnati is going to be there. You never know who will show up.
I lifted a plant and ran my hand under itmy version of dusting. People who want to kill Trent, I said lightly. I like excitement, but Im not insane.
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