“Rache!” Jenks yelped. “You can’t defend him! He sold you out!”

My head jerked up. “I’m not defending him!” I exclaimed. “But we need him alive and cooperative. The Weres have to see him die along with that…thing,” I said, nudging my bag with a foot. “I’ll think about beating him to a pulp later.” I looked up at Ivy’s blank expression. “I’m going to use him, then cut him lose. And if he ever does anything like that to me again…”

I didn’t need to finish the thought. Jenks shifted from foot to foot, clearly wanting to take things into his own hands. “Where is he?” the pixy asked, grim-faced.

My breath came and went. “I don’t know. I told him to go away.”

“Go!” Ivy exclaimed, and I made a wry face.

“Out of the van. He’ll be back. I still have the statue.” Depressed, I stared at the floor.

Jenks hopped out of the van, and the light coming in brightened. “I’ll find him. Bring his punk-ass back here. It’s been a while since we…talked.”

My head came up. “Jenks…”I warned, and he held up a hand.

“I’ll behave,” he said, gaze darting over the parking lot and to the nearby bar, his face frighteningly hard. “I won’t even let him know you told us what he did to you. I’ll pick out a movie from the front office on the way back, and we can watch it, all nice and friendly like.”

“Thanks,” I whispered.

My head was down and I didn’t hear him leave, but I looked up when Jax’s wings clattered and found them gone. Ivy was watching me, and when I shrugged she shut the door to seal out the cold air. The sound of the metal on metal struck through me, and I gathered myself into some semblance of order. Ivy hesitated, looking torn between wanting to comfort me and afraid I’d take it the wrong way. And there was the blood thing too. It had only been a day since she had sated it, but it had been a very stressful day. Today wasn’t looking any easier.

I looked at the matted throw rug, wondering what kind of person I was, afraid to hug my friends, and sleeping with people who used me. “I’ll be okay,” I said to the floor.

“Rachel, I’m sorry.”

My throat hurt. I put my elbows on my knees, set my head into my cupped hand and closed my eyes. “I don’t know. Maybe it was my fault for trusting him. I never dreamed he would do something like this.” I sniffed loudly. “What’s wrong with me, Ivy?”

I was disgusted with myself, the emotion edging into self-pity, and I met her gaze in surprise when Ivy whispered, “There’s nothing wrong with you.”

“Yeah?” I shot back, and she went to the van’s tiny sink and plugged in the electric kettle. “Let’s take a look at my track record. I live in a church with a vampire who is the scion of a master vampire who would just as soon see me dead.”