“Why not?” I said, liking the idea if only because he didn’t. I recalled Trent saying I made decisions on the basis of how much I could irritate people, and I frowned. Minias, though, didn’t see it, since he had made a huff of noise and turned his back to me.

His shoulders were very broad, and with the robe he looked regal and elegant next to me in my sandals, jeans, and chemise. I was still connected to the line, and I could feel my hair starting to snarl. I ran a hand over my curls, thinking I was really stupid to be worrying about my hair when I had a demon in my kitchen.

Minias’s head came up, and I heard the front door shut.

Ceri. Finally.

Ceri’s light steps were soft in the hallway, her pleasant voice tight with worry when she called for me. She halted in the threshold, her wide eyes darting from Minias in my circle to me. She was still wearing the same summery, lightweight linen dress she’d had on earlier, and her toes were wet, telling me she had walked through the dew-wet grass barefoot. Jenks was sitting on her shoulder to look as if he belonged there, and I wasn’t surprised to see Rex, Jenks’s cat, in her arms. The orange kitten was purring, her eyes closed and her paws damp as well.

“God protect us,” she said in relief. Jenks flew up in a sparkling of gold, and she let the cat slip to the floor. “Are you all right?” she asked, coming forward but not taking my hands as she used to.

“So far,” I said, wondering if she was still mad about last night despite her assurances. I had set the calling circle properly—I just hadn’t known it was ringing. Ceri was a hard taskmistress, but she wouldn’t stay angry because I was slow on the uptake. Would she?

Rex stood in the middle of the kitchen, her tail twitching in bother as she found herself on the linoleum. She wouldn’t let me touch her, but a demon standing three feet away didn’t seem to bother her at all. Stupid cat.

“Good evening, Ceri,” Minias said pleasantly, but she ignored him, the slight tightening of her lips and her fingers going to her crucifix the only sign she had heard him.

“Have you come to an agreement?” she asked me, worry obvious in her pinched features.

Jenks darted from the window, where he had been checking on his kids. “We were waiting for you.”

My chest clenched. We. He said we. It was a small thing, but knowing he hadn’t turned his back on me for dealing with demons meant a lot. Damn it, I didn’t ask for this!