The pixy flew over the confines of the hole in three seconds flat as he took inventory. “You know me, Rache. I ain’t never been to get no schoolin’. I don’t have class.”

Pierce got to his knees to reach for his clothes. He was still naked, as was I, and seeing him, Jenks shot to the ceiling, gold sparkles falling from him to make a puddle of light. “Oh! God! Naked witch!” Then he hesitated, his altitude slipping. “Hey, dude, I’m sorry about that.”

He was laughing, and I frowned, seeing where Jenks was looking.

Pierce snatched his underthings, sitting on the corner of the blanket as he put them on. “He’s just tired, little man. He had a busy night.”

This was so not how I envisioned my day starting. Wincing, I sat up, blanket held tight to me. I was a mess. “Jenks, in this case, it’s truly what you can do that matters.”

Jenks was waving his hands at me, hovering backward. “Oh God! Shut up!”

“Then you shut up,” I said, eying my clothes, abandoned in the corner. I didn’t want to put my leather pants back on, but I didn’t want to walk out of here in a blanket either. Stretching, I reached for a sock, feeling its stiffness before dropping it. No way.

Pierce looked at Jenks with a dark expression and, rubbing his thicker stubble, said, “Can we get out of this hole, master pixy?”

Clearly in a good mood, Jenks dropped to alight on the peg holding Pierce’s still soggy coat. “Yeah, the woods are clear. Ivy’s in lockdown at Cormel’s—”

“What?” Suddenly I was a lot more awake.

“She’s fine,” he soothed, his glow dimming as his wings quit moving. “The coven’s on the scout for you, and Rynn won’t let her out for her own safety. She is so pissed.”

“I can imagine.” I glanced at the ceiling as Pierce, now wearing at least his thin shirt and trousers, grabbed his hat and crab-walked to the far end. Good thing I kept the elven porn. I’d never get it back from Rynn Cormel and not get caught. How we were going to run the end of this without Ivy might be tricky. Plans were going to have to change.

With a sifting of earth, Pierce slipped the locking bar out of the trapdoor and opened the hatch, carefully shifting it to the side to keep the moss from being damaged. Sun and noise spilled in, shocking after so long a silent existence. Birds were singing, and a flickering sun made shadows on the earth floor. I had to get out. The fresh air only highlighted how nasty it was down here.

Pierce stood up through the opening, eclipsing the light until he levered himself out and the sun beamed in again, unimpeded.