Part 22 (1/2)

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 s.h.i.+fted, eyebrows rising. ”d.a.m.n, 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 h.e.l.l 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 c.r.a.p. Pus.h.i.+ng 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. 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?” ”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 m.u.f.fled exclamation and a demand to pa.s.s the phone. I took a breath to say something, waiting at the distant yelp of pain.

”You're dead, demon witch. Dead!” Brooke shouted, probably having wrestled the phone from Vivian. ”You signed your death warrant when you spilled coven blood. You, Saladan, and whoever that was in the hall with you-all of you are dead” dead”

”Sure. Okay,” I said with more confidence than I felt. ”You go ahead and bring charges against Lee. I'm sure his lawyers would love that. What was it, Brooke? Kidnapping? Forcing him to summon a demon? You might be able to hide me in a hole, but Lee will be missed. You want to speak with him? He's in my living room.”

I could almost see her jaw clench as she said with clipped words, ”I can make people disappear, Morgan. I don't care if you're G.o.d G.o.d You don't scare me.” You don't scare me.”

Jenks was hovering a foot in front of me, and he made a motion to get on with it.

”Look, I'm not going to use up my roommate's minutes arguing with you,” I said. ”I only wanted to let you know that Al took his name back. If you summon me, you'll get him instead, so I'd advise against it.” And I got rid of a demon mark, la, la, la-a, la, la-a-a, la. And I got rid of a demon mark, la, la, la-a, la, la-a-a, la.

”Demon sc.u.m wh.o.r.e. I'll give you a lobotomy myself, with a f.u.c.king ice pick!”

Ivy's eyebrows rose, and Jenks grinned. ”Oooh, nice manners, babe!” he said loudly.

I sighed, wis.h.i.+ng I'd just kept my mouth shut and let them figure it out for themselves. Lee came back in, quiet as he set the phone in the cradle and stood listening. It was embarra.s.sing to have my baggage displayed like this, but he knew it all already.

”You're dead, Morgan!” Brooke shouted. ”Dead/”

Faint in the background, I heard Vivian. ”I'm not going after her alone again. I almost killed six people, Brooke. Innocents. You want her? You catch her.”

”You had justifiable cause. There won't be any charges,” Brooke said. ”Relax.”

”Justifiable cause?” Vivian's voice was barely audible as she shouted. ”I'm not worried about charges. I'm worried about the people I hurt on that bus! She wasn't even on it!”

”s.h.i.+t happens, Vivian. Grow up. You're playing with the big boys!”

I felt sick, glad now we hadn't gotten on the bus, but if we had, maybe they would have been all right. ”Brooke, this has gotten out of control. How about you leave me alone and I'll leave you alone? Huh? If it doesn't work, you can kill me then.”

There was silence on the other end of the line, and I s.h.i.+fted my weight to the other foot. Maybe that had been too much, but then she came back after a short, private conversation. ”You there, demon wh.o.r.e?” Brooke snarled.

”Yeah, we're listening,” Jenks said from my shoulder. ”What do you want, flabby b.u.t.t?”

Brooke made a bitter bark of laughter. ”Vivian thinks you still retain your ability to be reasoned with, so here it is. You've got one chance to turn yourself in. Be at Fountain Square tomorrow at sunup, or I'm going to burn your church to the ground. Got it? And I hope you hide, because I want you dead!” she shrieked.

I went to answer, but the line was m.u.f.fled as Vivian and Brooke fought for the phone. ”So it's Alcatraz or be made infertile and stupid?” I said sourly, glancing at Ivy. ”Nice choice.” Why am I trying so hard to stay here? Why am I trying so hard to stay here? In the archway, Lee shrugged. In a burst of motion, Jenks darted out of the kitchen, leaving a sifting beam of burnt gold sparkles. From outside came a gathering whistle followed by a burst of pixy light. Looked like he was telling Matalina the news. They'd likely have pixy lines strung in five minutes flat, rain or no. In the archway, Lee shrugged. In a burst of motion, Jenks darted out of the kitchen, leaving a sifting beam of burnt gold sparkles. From outside came a gathering whistle followed by a burst of pixy light. Looked like he was telling Matalina the news. They'd likely have pixy lines strung in five minutes flat, rain or no.

The sound of someone at the receiver pulled my attention back to the phone. ”Just leave me alone, Brooke,” I said. ”I'm not hurting anyone.” Except myself. Except myself.

”You are are a threat, and those are our terms,” Vivian said, sounding irritated. ”I suggest you take them. At least you'll be alive.” There was a click, and she was gone. a threat, and those are our terms,” Vivian said, sounding irritated. ”I suggest you take them. At least you'll be alive.” There was a click, and she was gone.

Lips pressed tight, I closed the phone, unable to meet anyone's eyes. Maybe warning them hadn't been such a good idea, but at least my conscience was clear. Crossing the room, I handed Ivy her phone, and she tucked it away. ”Sorry, Rachel,” she said, sounding resigned.

Forcing a smile, I turned to Lee. ”How's your wife?”

”Scared,” he said. ”I'm going to talk to Trent. I need to be sure my kids won't be-”

His words cut off, and I finished it for him. ”Demons?” I said, wincing in sympathy. ”The coven doesn't know Trent's dad fixed you, do they?” I asked, realizing why Lee looked so tense in his rumpled suit. Lee shook his head, and I touched his shoulder in support. ”Lee, even if they find out, you can't pa.s.s on the cure. Your kids are going to be okay. They will be carriers, but that's it. Besides, Trent won't tell the coven about you. The only reason he told them about me was to force me to come to the elf side.”

”The what?” Lee asked, looking confused as well as relieved.

Ivy clicked her pen in quick succession. ”Trent told the coven she could invoke demon magic to convince her to sign a lifetime contract with him.”

Squinting, Lee said, ”I'm not following you.”

Huffing, I rolled my eyes. ”Trent told the coven that he can control me since his dad helped make me, and that there's no reason to kill me if he has legal responsibility for me.”

”He can't control you,” Lee scoffed, and I bobbed my head.

”I know! He's doing it because he's ticked about the familiar bond we have. He says if I own him in the ever-after, then he's going to own me here.” I was starting to get mad just thinking about it, and I crossed my arms over my middle and fumed.

”Sounds like Trent,” Lee said, shaking his head in amus.e.m.e.nt. ”You going to sign it?”

”No, she's not going to sign it,” Ivy said. ”We're going to get the coven to back off.”