“Thank you,” he said, and the door shut, leaving the clean scent of his deodorant.

“I’ll wait outside,” I said, glancing at the door.

“Thank you.”

It was short and clipped, and even through the door I could hear his irritation.

“Sorry,” I said as I moved away. He hadn’t been flustered at all by my bursting in on him. But then again, he didn’t have anything to be ashamed of. The man was built like one of his horses. Not an ounce of flab on him.

What is wrong with me? I thought as I snatched my bag up from the bed and went out, slamming the door hard enough to shake the windows and let Trent know I’d left. Jenks had been kidnapped, and I was thinking about Trent naked in the shower?

Ivy was walking toward me, the trucker revving up his diesel engine behind her, and she turned and waved when he yanked the horn cord to send an echo of it across the flat desert. I had to content myself with trying to guess her news by her posture as she made her slow way to me, arms wrapped around her middle and her head down. My head started hurting.

“It’s pixies,” she said when she got close enough, and my breath slid from me in relief.

“Are you sure?” I asked, hand on her arm.

She nodded. “He said they all had silver wings that made a lot of noise. The only noise fairies make is when they clank their swords against each other.”

I looked back at the motel, wishing Trent would hurry. “He’s probably alive then,” I said, my worry coming right back. Pixies wouldn’t kill an intruder wearing red, and Jenks had on enough to blind a horse. But why kidnap him at all?

The jingle of the restaurant door caught our attention, and we turned to see Vivian coming out, her head down as she looked at one of her amulets.

“Maybe she arranged it,” Ivy said, her dark eyes getting darker. “To slow us down. If you don’t make it in time, your shunning is permanent.”

Squinting at the slight but powerful coven member, I shook my head. “Not her style.”

Vivian looked up, blinking as she saw us standing in the parking lot. Turning, she looked to the west, then down at her amulet, then up again, clearly confused. Steps slowing, she halted on the covered wooden walkway that connected the motel to the restaurant.

My pulse hammered, and sweet, beautiful adrenaline poured into me. “She’s got a tracking amulet,” I whispered, knowing now how she’d been following us through the night.

“What?” Ivy said, but I was already moving to Vivian, arms swinging loose and free, my every motion full of intent. Vivian saw me, and her foot scraped as she took a step back.

“She’s got a tracking amulet tuned to Jenks!” I exclaimed without looking over my shoulder. “Like I made for Mia. That’s how she’s been following us!”