Ellasbeth’s mother was staring at Jenks in fascination, and the pixy had noticed. Red-faced, he zipped from one side of me to the other in agitation, finally landing on a shoulder. Clearly the pixy paranoia went from coast to coast, and she hadn’t seen one in a while.

“I can’t keep your butts above the grass without him,” I continued, darting increasingly nervous glances at Ellasbeth’s mom, whose green eyes were bright and captivated. “And this overdone media circus is likely going to bring the weirdos out of the woodwork.”

I stopped, seeing as no one was listening. Mrs. Withon had blushed to look ten years younger, one hand on her husband’s shoulder as she failed to hide her desire to talk to Jenks.

“Oh, the hell with it,” I muttered under my breath. Then, louder, “Jenks, why don’t you escort the ladies into the church where it’s safer.”

“Rache,” he whined.

Mr. Withon pulled himself straighter. “Ellie,” he warned, and I reddened.

Trent cleared his throat. Stepping forward, he took my elbow in restraint, disguising it as a companionable motion. “Ms. Morgan’s commitment to her job is as obvious and up-front as her opinions,” he said dryly. “I’ve used her in the past, and I trust her and her partners implicitly in sensitive matters.”

Used me. That’s about right.

“I can keep a secret,” Jenks muttered, his fitfully moving wings shifting my hair.

Mrs. Elf beamed at him, and again I wondered at the possible species relationship elves and pixies might have had, broken when the elves went underground. Jenks’s kids loved Ceri. ’Course, they loved Glenn, too, and I knew he was a human.

Ellasbeth caught her father’s wary look, her red lips compressing at her mother’s charmed smile. “Trenton, dear,” the nasty woman said, looping her arm back into her mother’s. “I’m going to show my parents the interior of the cathedral while you instruct the help on their duties. It’s such a quaint little church. I honestly didn’t know they made cathedrals this size.”

I bit back my ire, proud of the Hollows’ basilica. And I wasn’t the “help.” I was the person who was going to keep the rabble from taking potshots at them as they paraded their rich elf asses down main street.

“That sounds equitable, love,” Trent said from beside me. “I’ll meet you inside.”

Ellasbeth leaned to give him a peck on the cheek, and though he trailed a hand along her cheek as she moved away, he didn’t kiss her back.

Heels clacking on the sidewalk, she led her parents to the side door, since the front was clearly locked. “Send Caroline in when she arrives?” she said over her shoulder, effectively telling us to stay outside until the maid of honor got here. That was fine with me.