My pulse leapt, fueled by anger and fear. “What did you do to Jenks?”

The man started at the threat in my voice. Moving back a step, he almost got out of the way. “I didn’t want him to overhear our conversation.”

My stomach clenched in fear. “You knocked him out? You knocked Jenks out to get rid of him?” I took a step forward, and Tom retreated. “You son of a bastard.”

Yeah, I was mixing my phrases, but I was really mad.

Eyes wide in surprise, Tom took another step back.

“He’s a person, you know!” I said, my face hot. “He would have left if you asked.” Worried, I leaned into my car and carefully edged Jenks into my palm before his wings burned from the hot dash. His small body was limp and felt far too light. I remembered him carrying me when I’d been weak from blood loss, and a panicked fear slid through me. Horror joined it when I saw that he was bleeding. “What did you do?” I exclaimed. “He’s bleeding from his ears!”

The ley line witch stood before me, three feet back with his hands behind him. “Rachel Morgan, I would like to ask—”

Tension pulling tight through me, I held Jenks close. “What did you do to Jenks! Do you know how dangerous it is for a pixy to lose blood?”

“Ms. Morgan,” Tom interrupted, “this is more important than your backup.”

I couldn’t seem to get enough air. “He is my friend!” I exclaimed. “He’s not a tissue!”

I stepped forward, and Tom retreated. “Don’t touch me,” he warned.

But I got in his face, shouting, “I care more about this pixy’s hang-nail than your whole stinking life, you sanctimonious little prick. What did you do to him?”

“Stay back,” he said, backing away even farther with his hands in front of him.

“I’ll touch my foot to your face if you don’t take off that spell!” With Jenks held carefully to my middle in my cupped hand, I took another threatening step. The hair on my arms pricked when Tom tapped a line, and before he could say or do anything, I lunged forward, betting he was setting a circle. A circle can’t form through a person coated in an aura but will slide to either the front or the back of him or her. I had a fifty-fifty chance. I would either make it into his circle or crack my nose open running into it as Minias had.

I jolted, the electric taste of tinfoil stabbing through my teeth. Gasping, I hunched over Jenks. Tom’s power iced through me, and for an instant the world went black. My chi filled from him to me in an eerie sensation of wrongness. It overflowed, the excess running to spindle in my mind, rolling the power of the line into storage. I jerked, trying to break the connection.