The Nix strode around the house, without so much as a glance our way.

“Jaime!” I called. “We’ve ordered pizza. It should be here—”

“Not hungry,” she snapped. “I’ll be upstairs unpacking.”

Lucas and I waited until she was gone, then exchanged a look.

“I believe a firm push is in order,” he said.

“Before or after the pizza?”

“After. While I trust that we will be able to resolve this situation satisfactorily, in the unlikely event that things do go awry, I believe I am entitled to a last meal, even if it is pizza without pineapple.”

“You want cookies?” I said. “I saw cookies downstairs.”

“Chocolate chip?”

“Sure looked like it.”

“Paige has been hiding them on me, has she? Bring some up, then. Savannah knows how to bake them.”

The Nix spent dinner in Savannah’s room, ostensibly unpacking. As we ate, I tried to resume the boy-talk conversation with Savannah, and earned myself a look of such horror that I spun around, expecting to see Jaime behind me with a hatchet. Seems that engaging in boy-talk while boys—or men—are present just isn’t done, at least not if you’re fifteen. Lucas seemed more than willing to join in, but after a murderous glare from Savannah, I changed the subject.

After dinner, I helped Lucas load the dishwasher and, with the aid of privacy spells, we discussed our next move. We decided to give the Nix one last chance. Lucas would help Savannah with her math homework while I retreated to Paige’s office.

Once the cleanup was done, I thumped upstairs loud enough for the Nix to hear me. Then, for good measure, I called down from the top of the stairs, telling Lucas to hold my calls for the next hour.

Thirty minutes later footsteps sounded in the hall.

“Ready, Trsiel?” I whispered. “You’d better be right where you said you were going to be, ’cause this demi-demon is going down.”

I reached up to Paige’s hair and fingered the ribbon. As much as I longed to use my hands for this job, the situation seemed to call for something different. I slid from my chair, grabbed the second one, and pushed it behind the door. Then I climbed up on it, adding the extra elevation I needed. Life is so much easier when you’re tall.

Balancing on the chair, I tugged out the ribbon. Then I wound it around my hands and waited. The doorknob turned. I crouched, ribbon at the ready.

The door opened, and Lucas walked in.

Chapter 49

49

“DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT WOULD HAVE WORKED?” he asked, looking from the ribbon to me.

“With a binding spell, it would have,” I said as I hopped down. “Let me guess. Our Nix is showing no signs of impending murderous rage.”

“She came down to ask me to take a look at Paige’s car.”

“Huh?”