“She’s not going to drag us into the ever-after. Get a grip!” Vivian shouted, and Oliver finally shut up. “And get off your holier-than-thou pedestal! One person for an entire civilization? One person sacrificed for an entire world saved is cheap as far as I’m concerned!” she exclaimed, her face red in shame. “He’s the one who cursed her. What did you expect? We’ll give the elf a medal posthumously and put his daughter through college. Case closed. Life goes back to normal, and in twenty years, no one cares!”

“You are as black as Pierce!” Oliver shouted, his face red in the hissing kerosene light, and the two of them started a loud, angry argument that I decided not to listen to anymore. The sad part was Vivian was right. That didn’t make me feel any better, though. They were ready to give me a person because they saw me as a way out. My God, who did we put our trust in?

My anger fanned to life, and I frowned. “You think I want Trent as a familiar?” I said over their raised voices. “Take him into the ever-after with me and make him twist curses? Punish him for the curse he put on me? I just wanted to talk to the man. Funny how you all thought I wanted to drag him back with me or kill him outright. Thanks a hell of a lot. I appreciate that.”

Oliver’s pudgy cheeks quivered. As his broken-voiced harangue echoed into nothing, he turned. Vivian, too, stopped yelling, and I crossed my arms over my middle and frowned, wondering what they’d do if I simply walked out of here. Would I be pulled back to the ever-after when the sun went down? I honestly didn’t know. When Trent cursed me, he hadn’t said anything about being pulled back. Since I was out of the circle, maybe I could stay?

His head down, Pierce edged away from them, his shoes grinding the grit from the ceiling reminding me of the salt on my kitchen floor. “I never thought you were going to take Kalamack,” he said softly, and as his gaze darted from me to them, he asked, “You have a plan? You need Trent for it? I can find him.”

I stifled a quiver at a surge of adrenaline. “I have an idea,” I admitted, “but Ivy’s the planner. Where is she?”

Oliver and Vivian looked at each other, then me.

“If you can get rid of Ku’Sox, you will be reinstated as a white witch,” Vivian said, not answering my question. “You’ll be pardoned for the black magic you have done up to and including what you perform to get rid of Ku’Sox,” she added. “The coven will leave you and your family alone. We don’t know the magic to get the demon curse lifted from you.”

“Trent does,” I said, seeing no need to tell them that I knew how to get rid of it myself. Mostly. The Turn take it, I hoped I wasn’t being stupid again. I didn’t mind being stupid once, but twice with the same person was getting old. “But I’m not a white witch,” I said, forcing my teeth not to clench. “I am a demon, and I want it to be official. Other than that, we have a deal. Oh, and I don’t want to be responsible for the damage I do trying to get rid of him. Okay?”