His shoulders were stiff, his jaw clenched and his cheeks faintly red without a hint of stubble. When had he had time to shave? “Pierce,” I said, knowing Jenks was eavesdropping. “Thank you for getting Al to … I mean, you didn’t have to … I was handling it,” I said plaintively, then gave up, slumping. “Thank you,” I said earnestly. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Pierce’s posture eased, and he lost his hard expression. “You’re welcome.”

“But I’m not leaving the church,” I said, and his frown returned. “I tried that, and it went wrong. These are my friends, and I’m sticking with them.”

My fingers lightly ran down his injured hand’s arm, tugging it out to see the damage, but he wouldn’t let me see. “Just how mad is Al?” I asked. Rex was rubbing against my leg asking to go out, and I picked her up. “That’s why you want me to go back, isn’t it? You figure if I go back looking for protection, he won’t be so mad about you shooting him.”

“Perish the thought,” Pierce said, his eyes glinting. “It’s your safety I’m thinking of.”

Like I believed that. “And you think I make bad decisions,” I said, carrying Rex to the kitchen as I went to get a burn charm. I knew he’d follow.

“He was savage as a meat ax,” he said from behind me. “I might be beaten come sundown, but it was worth it,” he muttered. “I opine that we both like what scares us most.”

The kitchen was blue from the pulled curtains, peaceful. “Excuse me?”

He shrugged, his shoulders looking hunched under the duster. “I like trying to kill demons, and I think you fancy Ivy.”

My fingers fondling Rex’s ears hesitated. “Excuse me?” I said again, more stridently.

Pierce leaned in, surprising me when his forehead almost touched mine. “She can save you, you know,” he whispered, his own fingers going out to touch Rex, between us, and I froze. “If you abandon yourself and cleave to her, fully accepting her sovereignty over you, you will be protected by the vampires to the death. They see you as their next leap.”

Oh. That. I couldn’t look up, and I focused on our fingers, touching among the purring cat’s fur. “I wouldn’t be myself,” I said, wondering why he was bringing this up.

“True, you would be different. But you’d be strong. And remembered forever.” He took a breath, and as his fingers left mine, I looked up. “Do you love her?”

His question shocked the hell out of me. “You are full of questions, aren’t you?”