The Witch With No Name
Page 11

Oh God. My bed. Dont worry about it. You saved the kitchen? Tired, I started for the hallway. Id send Cormel the cleanup bill if I thought hed pay it.
Sure enough, the bathrooms were trashed. I think every vampire in the Hollows had used my shower. Id probably just throw what was left of my soap away. Even so, it wasnt as bad as my bedroom.
Im really sorry, Rache, Jenks said as I peeked in, nose wrinkled as I hustled to prop the stained-glass window open. I couldnt deal with this just yet, and Trent went across the hall to make sure Ivys window was open as well. Someone had been through my closet and my clothes were everywhere. My perfumes, too, were knocked over, most of them empty. More clothes spilled from my open drawers, and I began to get mad. Multiple someones had had sex in my bed by the look of it. There were nasty scratches in the headboard and the top of the footboard had been snapped off as if someone had kicked it in the throes of passion.
Oh, Rachel, Trent breathed, his words making a warm spot on my shoulder. This was totally uncalled for. I am so sorry.
Angry, I turned to the kitchen. Not half as sorry as Cormel is going to be.
Belle, looking small without Rex beside her, stood at the threshold to the kitchen. She slumped, clearly fatigued as she leaned on her six-inch bow. Rachel. Her lisping, raspy voice, too, lacked its usual flair. Is-s-ss Ivy well?
Damn it, Cormel, if your people have hurt my cat . . . Yes, I said, again finding a drop of good in the ugly. Your sister and brothers are keeping her safe.
Jenkss wings cut out for a brief second. Holy pixy piss, really?
Trent nodded, a faint smile on his face as he put a hand on the small of my back and almost shoved me into the untouched kitchen. Ive let most of my security go, and at Quens urging, Ive come to an agreement with the clan thats been living in my gardens. Ive been told that pixies would have been better
Not likely, Belle interrupted as we came in.
But I appreciate their unobtrusiveness and good manners, he added, and Jenks frowned.
Slowly my shoulders eased. After the disaster of the rest of the church, the dishes Id left in the sink yesterday looked like heaven, even if everything was covered in pixy dust. Da-a-amn, Jenks must have worked his wings to bare veins to keep them out.
You guys are the best, I said, miserable as I stood beside the center island counter and looked at my spelling supplies hanging from the rack, the twin stoves sporting a thin layer of sparkles, and the huge antique farmhouse table shoved up against the interior wall. Ivys latest research was in her usual careful disarray, and the bag of cookies Id had for breakfast yesterday looked untouched. I cant believe you kept them out of here. Crap on toast, I was almost crying, and Jenkss wings shifted to an embarrassed red.
Trent set his book on the center counter with a soft thump. A thin cloud of spent pixy dust rose and vanished into nothing. So is the rest of the church as bad as the front? he asked as I slid the single window open. Thank God Als chrysalis is still here. The church stank, far worse than if it had simply been living vampires. It had been an all-access party. The sanctity of the church had been broken by Newt three months ago. I should have gotten it reinstated, but it was expensive, and insurance wouldnt cover it a second time. Cheaper to just move. I cant move, this is my home.
Ive yet to s-s-s-survey the damage in the garden, Belle said, having snaked up a thin line to stand on the counter. We kept them from the kitchen, though it was a mighty task.
I shook my head, imagining it. Thank you. Thank you so much. I cant ever repay you.
Jenks looked pleased, but Belle scowled, sullen. If I had a flight under my direction, the entire church would have been untouched.
They would have just burnt it to the ground, I said, eyes on the ceiling. You chose what I wouldve saved. It was going to be hard to find any sleep tonight, but then again, I probably wouldnt get the chance to sleep. My face scrunched up as I thought of my bed. No way. I was buying a new one.
Ill check everything out if you make coffee, Trent offered, and I nodded. He wasnt being sexist, he just didnt want me to see anything until he had a chance to maybe fix it. Half of me wanted to go through the church from the belfry to the most distant tombstone and use that anger to get through the next twelve hours, but the other half just wanted to get my sheets in the washer, ignoring the rest until I could deal with it.
The cat door in the back room squeaked as Belle went into the garden. I ran a finger across the pixy dust, head coming up in surprise when Trent pulled me into an unexpected hug. I went willingly, and for a moment, we just stood there, taking strength from each other as I breathed him in, finding his cinnamon and wine scent under the chaotic vampire mashup. The sound of Jenkss wings grew loud, then vanished as he followed Belle out. Trents grip was firm without being binding, and the faintest hint of energy slipped between us as our auras tried to mix.
You going to be okay? he said, and I nodded, pushing back even as I made sure he didnt slip away completely. Oh, I was still pissed, but after enough people try to kill or imprison you, the stuff that can be fixed and forgotten in a week tends not to matter as much.
Thanks, I said, and his smile became devious. Could you do me a favor and open the windows in the belfry first? With them and the back door open, the place airs out remarkably fast. Most of it was surface stink. They hadnt been here long enough for the pheromones to soak into the paint and woodwork.
You bet. Trent rocked back, and my hand slipped reluctantly from his waist. He was looking at my lips as if wanting to kiss me, but then he turned and headed down the hall. Just the idea that he was thinking about it was almost as good as the kiss would have been, and I found a smile. I could tell the instant the belfry windows opened as the pixy dust vanished in the fresh air. I could never repay Jenks for keeping the kitchen untouched, and as I ran the tap for warm water to make up some suds, I pulled Trents book closer.
It wasnt the first elf spell book Id ever seen, but again I was surprised that most of the charms I browsed past had the same mix of earth and ley line magic that demon magic did. Id be willing to bet the two branches of magic had developed hand in hand despite the long-standing anger between them.
Remembering that Id promised coffee, I set the book aside. The charm to capture a soul looked easy, I thought as I dumped yesterdays grounds and changed the water to cold. Easy, but I wasnt sure how I was going to do it without asking the Goddess for help. Lots of elves didnt believe and still got the jobdone. Landon, for example, though he probably believed in her now.
Landon. My lips twisted in disgust. Hed used Trent and me to try to destroy the vampires. That the elven muckety-mucks of both the religious-oriented dewar and the political-faction enclave had disavowed any knowledge of his plot made it obvious that theyd each backed him. Though still in charge of the dewar, Landon had lost credibility. Trent had lost more.
At least no one had died, I thought, my mind going to Ivy, still at Trents mini-hospital.
Apart from the quiet and the vague unease, it almost felt like a normal, quiet Saturday as I measured out the grounds, the scent of it reminding me of how much I enjoyed living here with Ivy, even as hard as it was sometimes. Understanding didnt come cheap, and I blinked back an unexpected surge of sadness at the thought that it might be ending. I wasnt moving in with Trent, but this latest snag made it feel . . . over somehow.
Stop it, Rachel, I whispered. Nothing was really ending. Jenks, Ivy, and I had been through worse. Wed get through this, and everything would return to normal. Better even.
But how many times can we get back up as if nothing has changed?
I folded the bag of the grounds down and fastened it shut with one of Ivys binder clips. I wished I had a reset button. How far back would I take it? I wondered. To the day I made that deal with Cormel? Farther?
I snapped the coffeemaker on, then found a smile when I heard Trent and Jenks in the hallway. Coffee ready yet? Trent called loudly.
Give it five! I shouted back. Smile fixed, I leaned against the counter and waited for them to come in. But they didnt, and I tiptoed to the archway, stopping when I heard Trent mutter, I know how to wash sheets, Jenks. Ive got two toddlers.
Hes doing laundry?
Hey, okay, cookie man, Jenks drawled. Its your funeral if you shrink them.
There was a hesitation, and I leaned closer. Shrink them? Trent asked.
Those are one hundred percent cotton, Jenks said importantly, not your richy-rich linen stuff. If you use the sterilize cycle, youll not only shrink em, but set the oils carrying the vampire pheromones into the fabric. Look, Ivys got a bottle of no-nose up here.
My brow furrowed. No-nose?
A cupboard creaked, loud over the sound of water filling the washer, and then Trents bemused Ive never seen this.
Put a splash in. Itll take care of the vampire cooties and the pheromones, too.
I could almost see the pixy preening in that hed known something Trent hadnt. Sure enough, Trents voice held a smidgen of humor and humility when he next spoke. Thanks. I shouldnt be so quick to prove I know what Im doing.
Dont sweat it, Jenks said, and I eased back into the kitchen. Thats why Ivy has silk sheets. Me, I dont like silk. The dust makes them as slippery as all hell.
Smiling, I busied myself with Trents book. I felt bemused and loved. Trent was washing my sheets, the one thing that I wanted most and didnt have time for. And I hadnt known about the no-nose, either.
The coffee was gurgling its fragrant last when they came in, the book splayed open before me as my interest in it went from pretend to real. Smells good, Trent said, Jenks a humming shadow behind him.
You want the rainbows or the smiley face? I asked, reaching for the mugs.
Trent eyed the two overly happy mugs. Ah, whatever. You need a fresh stick of yew. Ill be right back.
Ill get the yew, cookie man. Hands on his hips, Jenks yo-yoed before him. I want to make sure no one peed on it.
I can get it, Trent insisted, and Jenks darted forward, rocking the larger man back.
I said . . . Ill get it, Jenks said, and I rolled my eyes as the pixy bristled. Sit and drink your coffee. If I need your help, Ill whistle. I want to check on, ah, Jumoke, anyway.
Eyes wide in question, Trent took the rainbows. Ill sit and drink my coffee.
Good man. With a relieved sigh, Jenks flew out the back doors cat flap, whistling and calling coaxingly for Rex.
Eyebrows high, Trent leaned past me to look out the window. The scent of cinnamon and wine dove deep, and I almost sighed. Ah, why doesnt Jenks want me in the garden? he asked.
I sipped my coffee, thinking the scent went well with content elf. My guess is hes looking for his cat and he doesnt want you to scare her off.
Mmmm. Expression concerned, Trent dropped back to his heels, steaming mug behind his laced fingers. Cats like me.
My head slowly shook. Nah. A pixy dancing an inch off the ground is a lot more enticing than a man she barely knows. Besides, how often do we get the church to ourselves?
His eyes flicked to mine and held for a telling moment. Introspective, he went to the large table, turning one of the chairs halfway around before sitting sideways in it. My cleaning crew could be in and out of here in two hours.
Again, I shook my head. The thought of more people in my church made my skin crawl. Besides, I should wait until I knew if I was going to survive the next couple of days. Book in hand, I set my mug next to his before I shifted Trents arm and sat right in his lap, curving his arm around me. He grunted in surprise, holding me almost in self-defense as I dropped the book open before us. Oh, I like this, he said, tugging me into a more comfortable position.
I bet you do. Smiling, I thumbed to the proper page. I felt vulnerable, and this helped. Ive been looking at the charm you dog-eared. Changed aura or not, I cant imagine the Goddess wont recognize me if I petition for her help.
A memory of the Goddess shivered thorough me. Al had tried to kill me because of her, believing it was the only cure for the voices in my head. Id had to trick Newt into admitting the Goddess was real. It wasnt my fault the Goddesss mystics liked living in mass better than the space between mass. If they ever found me, the only way to survive would be to kill the Goddessturn her into something new.
Trents fingers were tracing a delicious path along the top of my waistband, and I jumped when he found my skin. The memory of the first time with him surfaced like bubbles in my thoughts, breaking with little tingles against the top of my mind. It had been in the kitchen. Well, wed started in the kitchen. Wed ended in the back living room.
He was smiling when I turned to him, and I let the pages shift so I could trace the outline of his ear with a slow finger. You want to find a different charm? he asked, a new thought hazing the back of his eyes.