Dr. Anders made a bitter-sounding bark of laughter. “It’s nothing to be proud of, Ms. Morgan. Taking a human as a familiar is heinous. It’s slavery. Demonic.”

“Hold up,” I stammered, feeling myself go cold. “It was an accident.”

The woman’s eyes turned hard. “Remember what I said about a practioner’s abilities being linked to his or her familiar? Demons use people as familiars. The more powerful the person is, the more power the demon can wield through him or her. That’s why they are forever trying to educate the foolish in the dark arts. They teach them, gain control over their souls, then make them their familiars. You used demon magic by mixing earth and ley line witchcraft.”

I put a hand to my stomach. “I’m sorry, Nick,” I whispered.

He was pale, and he stood unmoving by my shoulder. “It was an accident.”

Dr. Anders made a rude noise. “Accident or not, it’s the foulest thing I’ve heard of. You have put Nick in a great deal of danger.”

“How?” I fumbled for his hand. It was cold in mine, and he gave my fingers a squeeze.

“Because he’s carrying some of your aura. Ley line witches give their familiars a portion of their aura to act as an anchor when they pull on a ley line. If something goes wrong, the familiar is pulled into the ever-after, not the witch. But more important, familiars insulate you from going insane from channeling too much ley line force. Ley line witches don’t hold the energy they store from a line in themselves. They keep it in their familiars. Simon, my parrot, holds it for me, and I draw upon it as I need. When we’re together, I’m stronger. When he’s ill, my abilities decrease. If he’s closer to a line than I am, I can reach it through him. If things go wrong, he dies, not me.”

I gulped, cold as Dr. Anders eyed me as if I had done it on purpose.

“That’s why animals are used as familiars,” she said coldly. “Not people.”

“Nick,” I murmured. “I’m sorry.” That was what, three times now I’d said it?

Dr. Anders’s face wrinkled up. “Sorry? Until we get him unbound, you will not store any ley line energy. It’s too dangerous.”

“I don’t know how to bind ley line force,” I admitted. I had made Nick my familiar?

“Wait a moment.” The woman put a thin hand to her forehead. “You don’t know how to store ley line force? At all? You made a circle six feet across strong enough to keep out a demon using energy straight from the line? You didn’t use any previously stored energy at all?”

I shook my head.

“You don’t know how to hold even an ounce of ever-after?”

Again I shook my head.