She doesnt need to be touched by you. I leaned back with my arms crossed over my middle. My gaze went to my mother, who was flirting in an old-lady way with the counter kid, and I paused. She hadnt remarried when Dad died, hadnt even dated. I knew she intentionally dressed herself to look older than she was to keep men at a distance. With the right haircut and dress, we could pass as big sister, little sister. As a witch, her life span was a good hundred and sixty years, and while most witches waited until they were sixty before starting a family, she had had Robbie and me very early in her life, giving up a promising career to raise us first. Maybe we were accidents. Passion babies.
That brought a smile to my face, and I forced it away when I noticed Minias watching me. I straightened as my mom approached with a canister of cinnamon and her plate of cheesecake; the kid behind the counter was following with the rest. Thank you, Mark, she said as he placed everything on the table and backed up a step. Youre a sweet boy.
I smiled at Marks sigh. Clearly he wasnt happy with the title. He glanced at me, then Jenks, his eyes brightening. Hey, he said as he tucked the tray under his arm. I think Ive seen you somewhere.
I cringed. Most times people recognized me, it was from the news clip of me being dragged on my ass down the street by a demon. The local news had incorporated it into their front credits. Sort of like that guy on skis pinwheeling over the finish line in the agony of defeat.
No, I said, unable to look at him as I pulled the lid off my cup of coffee. Ah, coffee.
Yes, he insisted, weight on one foot. Youve got that escort service. In the Hollows?
I didnt know if that was better or not, and I looked tiredly up at him. Id done escort service before, not that kind of escort service, but real stuff, dangerous stuff. I had a boat blow up around me once. Yeah, thats me.
Minias looked up from shaking cinnamon on his coffee. Jenks snickered, and I bumped my knee on the underside of the table to make his espresso slop over. Hey! he shouted, rising up a few inches, then settled back down, still laughing.
The front door jingled, and the kid shot off his glad-to-have-you-here spiel and left. Minias was the only one listening.
My coffee was steaming, and I hunched over it while I watched the demon. His long fingers were interlaced about the white soup-bowl mug as if relishing its warmth, and though I couldnt tell for sure because of the sunglasses, I think his eyes closed as he took the first sip. A look of bliss so deep it couldnt have been faked slipped over him, easing his features and turning him into a vision of relaxed pleasure.
Im listening, I said, and a mask of nothing fell between us.
My mother quietly ate her cheesecake, her eyes flicking uneasily between us. I had the distinct impression she thought I was being rude.
And Im not happy, I added, making her lips press tightly. You told me Al was contained. I lifted my coffee and blew across the top. What are you going to do about him breaking his word and coming after me? What do you think will happen when this gets out? I took a sip, forgetting for a moment where I was when it slipped down, easing my slight headache and relaxing my muscles. Jenks cleared his throat, bringing me back.
You wont have a chance of luring anyone into any agreements again, I said as my focus cleared. No more familiars. Wont that be nice? I finished with a simpering smile.
His eyes on the delights of that fruit-baby picture, Minias sipped his drink with his elbows on the table and his mug propped up at mouth height. This is much better this side of the lines, he said softly.
Yeah, Jenks said. His espresso cup came up to his waist. That burnt amber really sticks in your throat, doesnt it?
A flicker of annoyance flashed across Minias, and a thread of tension entered his stance of relaxed idleness. I took a deep breath, smelling only coffee, cheesecake, and the characteristic redwood scent of a witch. I was sure my mom had slipped him a charm, and I wasnt looking forward to finding the cost of such an expensive amulet tacked on to the losses from the store. But if it kept him from smelling like a demon and causing a panic, I couldnt complain.
Well, what do you want? I said, setting my cup down. I dont have all night.
My mom frowned, but Minias took it in his stride, easing back in his stiff chair and setting his giant mug aside. Al is being summoned out of confinement
We figured that part out, Jenks said snottily.
Jenks , I murmured, and the pixy walked across the table with his makeshift sword to the cheesecake.
Weve never run into this before, Minias said, hesitating as he took in Jenkss whatever attitude. Because of his extraordinary amount of contact with this side of the lines, Al has arranged for someone to summon him every sundown. They get what they want, then release him without the compulsion to return to the ever-after. Its a win-win situation for both of them.
And a lose-lose for me. My thoughts flashed to my old boyfriend, Nick. Jenks eyed me over a chunk of cheesecake as big as his head, clearly thinking the same thing. Nick was a thief who habitually used demons as a source of information. Thanks to Glenn at the FIB, I had a copy of his file in my dressers bottom drawer. It was so thick a monster rubber band barely kept it shut. I didnt like thinking about it.
Someones freeing a demon without compulsion to return to the ever-after? I managed, my eyes lowered. Thats not very responsible.
Its extremely clever. For Al. Miniass one elbow found the table as he took a draught.
I cringed, fully conscious of my mom listening quietly. You think someones doing this to kill me? I finally asked.
Minias shrugged. I dont know. Nor do I care, really. I simply want it to stop.
A reproachful huff came from my mother, and Minias pulled his elbow from the table. We can regain control of him after sunup, the demon said, his eyes hidden behind his glasses. When the lines close to cross-traffic, hes snapped back to our side. Finding him then is just a matter of using his demon marks.
I pulled my hands from atop the table, my fingers pushing aside Kistens bracelet to feel the raised scar. The demon mark had flared into pain just before Al showed up, and a new worry settled in beside the old ones. Thats how Al had found me. Crap. I didnt like feeling like a tagged antelope.
Al doesnt have access to a lab while in custody, Minias said, drawing my attention back. So he only has simple, easily performed curses, but hes exceptionally adept at line jumping.
Well, hes been in someones kitchen. He looks like he always does, and I know thats not his natural form. I dont want to know what he looks like. I really dont.
Miniass head moved up and down once, and he swallowed his coffee. Yes, he said softly as he leaned back. Someone has been helping him. That he tried to take you tonight went a long way toward convincing me it wasnt you.
Me? I blurted. You really think Id work with him? Then my fingers, gripping my coffee, went weak. Appearance charms didnt just happen in one night. That meant that AlMy eyes rose, and I wished Minias would take off his glasses. How long has Al been slipping your containment?
Miniass lips twitched. This is the third night in a row.
Fear jolted me, and Jenks rose from the table, red dust slipping from him.
And you didnt think I might want to know that? I exclaimed.
In a smooth motion, Minias took off his glasses. His arm flat on the table, he leaned in to me. How much effort do you expect me to exert? he said tightly, and I blinked at the irate emotion reflected in his goat-slitted eyes. We dont care if he kills you or not. I have no reason to help you.
But you did, I said belligerently, thinking anger seemed better than fear. Why? Immediately Minias backed down, and seeing there was something here he didnt want to talk about, I decided I did.
I was tracking Al, the demon said. That you were there was merely helpful.
Jenks began laughing, and all eyes turned to him as he rose several inches. You got sacked, didnt you, he said, and Minias stiffened.
My first impulse to protest died at Miniass stoic face. You got fired? The demons reach for his oversize mug almost smacked Jenks in its quickness.
Why else would he be tracking Al instead of watching TV with Newt? Jenks said, flitting to the safety of my shoulder. You got canned. Outsourced. Pink-slipped. Handed your walking papers. Given the go light. Slipped on the banana. Served the dead slug.
Minias put his glasses back on. Ive been reassigned, he said tightly.
Suddenly I was afraid. Really afraid. You arent watching Newt? I whispered, and Minias looked surprised by my fear.
Who is Newt? my mother asked, dabbing a napkin at her lips and sliding the last half of the cheesecake to me.
Shes just the most powerful demon they got over there, Jenks boasted as if he had something to do with it. Minias was her babysitter. Shes more dangerous than a militant fairy on Brimstone, and shes the one who cursed the church last year before I bought it. Didnt twitch a wing. Shes got a major burr up her ass about Rachel.
Minias bit back a snort, and I wished Jenks would shut up. My mother hadnt known about the blasphemy incident.
There are no female demons, my mother said, fumbling in her purse to bring out a compact and her lipstick. Your father was very clear on that.
Apparently he was mistaken. I picked up a fork but immediately set it down. Id lost my desire for cheesecake about five surprises ago. Gut clenching, I turned to Minias. So whos watching Newt?
The demons face lost all its amusement. Some young punk, he said sullenly, surprising me with the modern phrase.
Jenks, though, was delighted. You lost Newt one too many times, and they replaced you with a younger demon. Oh, thats beautiful!
Miniass hand quivered, his fingers abruptly loosening on his mug when a soft crack rang out from the porcelain.
Stop it, Jenks, I said, wondering how much of Minias losing his job was due to Newt slipping away on his watch, and how much was from the demons inability to make impartial decisions regarding her security. Id seen them together, and Minias clearly cared for her. Too much to lock her up when she needed it, probably.
How do they expect me to seduce her and maintain her adherence to the law simultaneously? he snarled. It cant be done. Damned fool bureaucrats dont know the first thing about love and dominance.
Seduce her? I arched my eyebrows, but an icy sensation rippled through me at the glimpse of his anger and frustration. Silence, thick and uncomfortable, took over, making the surrounding conversation seem louder. Seeing us staring, Minias forced his tension from him. His sigh was so soft, I wasnt sure I hadnt imagined it.
Al cant be allowed to flaunt the rules, he said, as if he hadnt just shown us the pain in his soul. If I can contain him, I can return to supervising Newt.
Rachel! my mother exclaimed, and I turned to see a familiar mask of lighthearted ignorance on her. Hes a runner, just like you! You should go out to a movie or something.
Mom, hes a I hesitated. Hes not a runner, I said, stopping just short of saying he was a demon. And he certainly isnt date material. Guilt hit me. Id pushed her, and she was slipping into old patterns. Cursing myself, I pulled my attention to Minias, just wanting to wrap this up and get out of here. Sorry, I said to apologize for my mother.
Miniass face was still empty. I dont do witches.
I had a hard time not finding offense in that, but Jenks saved me from making a total ass out of myself by buzzing his wings to gain everyones attention.
So let me get this straight, he said, hovering a breath above the sticky table with one hand on his hip, the other pointing that plastic-coated paper clip at Minias. You lost your cushy babysitting job and are now trying to gain control of a demon who has limited power and resources. And you cant do it?
Its not a matter of gaining control over him, Minias protested indignantly. We can catch him. We simply cant contain him after sunset. As I told you, someone is summoning him out of confinement.
And you cant stop them? I questioned, thinking of the charmed zip-strips that the I.S. used to keep ley line practitioners from jumping out of custody via a ley line.
Minias shook his head and his glasses caught the light. No. We catch him, confine him, and when the sun goes down, he pops out, rested and fed. Hes laughing at us. Me.
I disguised my shiver by taking a sip of my coffee. Any idea whos doing it? My thoughts went to Nick, and the coffee turned to acid in my stomach.
Not anymore. His boots scraped against the gritty floor. Soon as I find out, they die.
Nice. Fumbling for my moms hand under the table, I gave it a squeeze.
Do you have any idea as to who might be helping him? Minias asked next, and I forced myself to keep breathing.
Nick, I thought, but I wouldnt say it aloud. Not even if he was sending Al to hurt mebecause if it was Nick, Id take care of him myself. I could feel Jenkss eyes on me, wanting me to say it, but I wouldnt. Why dont you just get rid of his summoning name? I said, looking for other options. You do that, and he cant be summoned out.
The skin visible past Miniass sunglasses tightened. He knew I wasnt saying something. You cant throw away a password. Once you have one, its yours. He hesitated, and I felt the gathering of trouble. You can exchange it with someone elses, though.
The ribbon of tension around my chest squeezed, and all my warning flags went up.
If someone exchanged names with him, Minias drawled into the conversation-rich air, we could contain him. Unfortunately, because of his job, hes been very lax with his summoning name. There are an astounding number of people on this side of the lines who know it, and no demon will willingly take it. Minias stared at me. They have no reason to.
My fingers tightened on my waxed paper cup, sure now I knew why Minias was sitting at a table sipping coffee with me. I had a password. I had a reason to trade. I had a major problem.
So what does that have to do with my daughter? my mother said, her voice thick with warning. Fear caused her to drop the scattered-thoughts image she used as a buffer to hide the damage my dads death had wrought.
Minias adjusted his glasses to give himself time to weigh the emotions at our table. I want your daughter to exchange passwords with Al.
No fairy-crap way. The dust slipping from Jenks was a red so deep that it seemed black.
Absolutely not, I echoed. I scowled and slid my chair back.
Unperturbed, Minias shook more cinnamon into his coffee. Then hell kill you. I dont care.
Obviously you do or you wouldnt be here, I said sharply. You cant hold him without my name. You dont care if I live or die. Its you youre worried about.
My mom sat stiff and miserable. Will you remove her demon marks if she does this? All of them?
Mom! I exclaimed, not aware that she even knew about my demon marks.
Green eyes full of pain, she took my cold fingers in hers. Your aura is filthy, honey. And I do watch the news. If this demon can remove your marks and purge your aura, then you should at least find out what the consequences or possible side effects are.
Mom, its not just a password, its a summoning name!
Minias gazed at my mother with a new interest. Its a summoning name that has no pull on you, he said. The most that will likely happen is you fielding a few months of redirected calls to Al.
I took my hand from my mothers, not believing this was happening. You said I had to pick a name no one could figure out, that if someone did, they could make my life miserable. Do you know how many people know Als name? I dont, but its more than know mine. Done with this, I pushed myself from the table. The chair scraped, and the vibration went all the way up my spine and made me shiver.
Thats the point, witch, Minias said, making the word an insult. If you dont, youre going to die. I intervened tonight in the hope youd be willing to come to an arrangement, but I wont do it again. I simply dont care.
Fear, or maybe adrenaline, sparked through me. Arrangement? He meant a deal. A deal with a demon. My mothers eyes pleaded with me, and Jenks lifted his poker, bristling. Is that a threat? he snarled, his wings going red with his increased circulation.
A statement of odds. Minias set his cup down with a sense of finality. The napkin was next, folded and laid flat beside it. Yes or no.
Pick someone else, I said. There are millions of witches. Someone has got to be more stupid than me and say yes. Give them a name and exchange it with Al.
He looked at me from over his shades. Youre one of two witches this side of the lines whose blood is capable of making a strong enough bond. Yes or no?
Oh, back to the demon magic thing. Swell. So use Lee, I said bitterly. Hes stupid. As well as aggressive, ambitious, and now a basket case from having been Als familiar for a couple of months before I rescued him. Sort of. God, no wonder Al hated me.
Minias sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. A faint whiff of Brimstone tickled my nose. He has too close a tie to Al, he said, his gaze on the ceramic mug cradled in his hands. He wouldnt do it. I asked. The man is a coward.
My neck stiffened. And if common sense makes me say no, then Im a coward, too?
You cant be summoned, he said, as if I was being obstinate. Why are you balking?
Al would know my name. Just the thought made my pulse quicken.
You know his.
For one brief moment I considered it. Then the thought of Kisten flashed through me. I couldnt take the chance. Not again. This wasnt a game, and there was no reset button. No, I said abruptly. Were done here.
My mothers shoulders eased and Jenkss feet touched the table. I was wire tight, wondering if this truce would last now that I had said no, whereupon hed return to a normal demonic frame of mind and trash the place along with what was left of my reputation. But Minias finished his coffee in a final swallow, raising his hand and motioning for the clerk to make one more to go. He rose, and my held breath escaped. As you want it, Minias said as he picked up the cinnamon and stood. I wont be conveniently coming to save you a second time.
I was about to tell him where he could shove his convenience, but Al was going to show up again, and if I could call Minias to collect him, my chances of survival would increaseI thought. I didnt have to take Minias up on his offer, just survive until I figured out who was summoning Al and deal with him or her myself. Demon summoning wasnt illegal, but my foot in their gut a couple of times might convince them it was a really bad idea. And if it was Nick? Well, that would be a real pleasure.
What if I think about it? I said, and my mother gave me a nervous smile and a pat on my arm. See, I can use my brain, too.
Minias smirked as if he saw right through me. Dont think too long, he said, accepting the paper cup Junior was extending to him. Ive gotten word that they caught him on the West Coast trying to ride the shadow of night into tomorrow. The pattern-shift indicates he has everything he needs and all thats left is implementing it.
I refused to show my fear, not swallowing though my mouth was dry.
Minias leaned close, the scent of burnt amber high in my imagination as his breath shifted my hair. Youre safe until the sun goes down tomorrow, Rachel Mariana Morgan. Hunt fast.
Jenks rose up on his dragonfly wings, clearly frustrated as he stayed just out of the demons easy reach. Why dont you just kill Al?
Tucking the entire container of cinnamon into a jacket pocket, Minias shrugged. Because we havent had a demon birth in five thousand years. He hesitated, then shook his arm to cause an amulet to slip from his sleeve and fall into his fingers. Thank you, Alice, for the use of your amulet. If your daughter is half as skilled in the kitchen as you, she would make a fine familiar.
Mom had made it herself? I thought. Not simply invoked a pilfered one?
The cloying scent of burnt amber rolled over me, and my mother blushed. It was obvious by the protests of the surrounding people that they had noticed the stench as well, and Minias smiled an empty smile behind the mirrored black glasses. If you would banish me?
Id totally forgotten. Oh. Sure, I mumbled as the people behind him turned with their hands over their noses in complaint. Ah, demon, I demand that you depart here and return directly to the ever-after to not bother us again this night.
And with a nod, Minias vanished.
The people behind him gasped, and I waved. University professor late for a class, I lied, and they turned, laughing at their fear and dismissing the stench as an early Halloween prank.
Lord help you, Rachel, my mother said sourly. If thats how you treat men, its no wonder you cant keep a boyfriend.
Mom, hes not a man. Hes a demon! I protested softly, pausing as she pocketed that charm. Clearly hair straighteners werent the only thing she was trading to Patricia. Scent amulets werent hard to make, but one strong enough to block out a demons stench was highly unusual. Talk about your niche market. Maybe she was specializing in charms no one else bothered with to avoid competitionand thus lawsuitsfrom annoyed, licensed charm makers.
Eyes on my coffee, I said, Mom, about those amulets youve been making for Patricia.
Jenks took to the air, and my mother huffed. Youre never going to find Mr. Right if you dont start playing with Mr. Right Now, she said, gathering everything up on her plate. Minias is obviously Mr. Never, but you could have been a little nicer.
Jenks shrugged, and I sighed.
I noticed he didnt offer to get the tab, though, did he? my mother finished.
I took another swallow of my coffee and gathered myself to rise. I wanted to get home to my sanctified church before any more demons popped into my life with nasty solicitations. Not to mention I had to talk to Ceri. Make sure Ivy had told her Al was out.
As I slowly followed Jenks and my mom to the trash and then the door, my thoughts swung back to what Minias had said about no new demons being born for the last five thousand years. He was at least five thousand years old and had been assigned to monitor and seduce a female demon? And why no new demons? Was it because there were so few female demons left, or because having sex with one could be deadly?
Three
I set the stack of unopened desk organizers Id bought last month on the scratched hardwood floor of the sanctuary, wincing at the high-pitched squeal of pixy children as they swarmed into the nook of my desk that I had just opened up. They werent moving in for the winter yet, but Matalina was getting a jump on prepping my desk. I couldnt blame her for the fall cleaning. I didnt use my desk much, and there was more dust gathering than work done at it.
The urge to sneeze took me, and I held my breath, eyes watering until the feeling evaporated. Thank you, God. I glanced at Jenks at the front of the church, where he was keeping a fair number of his younger kids busy, and out of the way, with decorating the sanctuary for Halloween. He was a good dad, a part of him that was easy to overlook when he was out busting bad guys with me. I hoped I found half as good a man when I was ready to start a family.
The memory of Kistenblue eyes smilingswam up, and my heart seemed to clench. It had been months, but reminders of him still came fast and hard. And I didnt even know where the thought of children had come from. There wouldnt have been any with Kisten, unless we fell back on the age-old tradition of borrowing a girlfriends brother or husband for a night, practices born long before the Turn, when to be a witch would sign your death warrant. But now even that hope was gone.
Jenks met my eyes, and a gentle dusting of gold contentment slipped from him as he watched Matalina. His pretty wife looked great. She had been fine all this summer, but I knew Jenks was watching her like the proverbial hawk with the onset of the cold. Matalina barely looked eighteen, but pixy life spans were a mere twenty years, and it made me heartsick that it was only a matter of time before wed be doing this with Jenks as well. A secure territory and steady food supply could do only so much in lengthening their lives. We were hoping that by removing the need for them to hibernate they all would benefit, but there was a limit to what good living, willow bark, and fern seed could do.
Turning away before Jenks could see my misery, I put my hands on my hips and stared at my cluttered desk.
Scuse me, I said, pitching my voice high as I edged my hands among the darting shapes of Matalinas eldest daughters. They were chatting so fast that it sounded like they were speaking another language. Let me get those magazines out of your way.
Thank you, Ms. Morgan! one hollered cheerfully, and I carefully pulled out the stack of Modern Witchcraft for Todays Young Woman out from under her as she rose up. I never read them, but I hadnt been able to turn down the kid on my doorstep. I hesitated with the stack in my arms, not knowing if I should throw them out or put them next to my bed to someday read, maybe, finally dumping them on the swivel chair to deal with later.
A fluttering of black paper rose up as Jenks flew into the rafters with a small paper bat trailing after him by a thin thread. The smell of rubber cement mixed with the spicy scent of chili slow-cooking in the Crock-Pot Ivy had bought at a yard sale, and Jenks taped the string to a beam before dropping down for another. The swirl of silk and four-part harmony pulled my attention back to my desk, now barren, making the tiny nooks and drawers a pixy paradise done in oak. All set, Matalina? I asked, and the tiny woman smiled with a duster made from the fluff of a dandelion in her hand.
This is wonderful, she said, her wings a blur of nothing. You are too generous, Rachel. I know how much of a bother we all are.
I like you staying with us, I said, knowing Id find pixy tea parties in my spice drawer before the week was through. You make everything more alive.
Noisy, rather, she said, sighing as she looked to the front of the church and the papers Ivy had spread to protect the hardwood floor from the arts and crafts. Pixies living in the church was a bloody nuisance, but Id do anything to put off the inevitable another year. If there was a charm or spell, Id use it in a heartbeat, regardless of its legality. But there wasnt. I had looked. Several times. Pixy life spans sucked.
I smiled wistfully at Matalina and her daughters as they set up housekeeping, and after rolling the top of the desk down to leave the now-traditional one-inch gap, I grabbed my clipboard and looked for somewhere to sit. On it was a growing list of ways to detect a demon summoning. In the margin was a short list of people who might want me dead. But there were safer ways to kill someone than sending a demon after them, and I was betting the first list would get me closer to who was summoning Al than the second. After I exhausted the local stuff, Id look out of state.