“Thank you for bringing my partner home,” I said stiffly. “The door is down that hall.”

Trent didn’t say anything as he took in the wonderfulness that was my life. I had saved his friend, father figure, and head of security. Maybe he wanted to thank me.

Ivy’s eyes widened for no reason I could see, and before I knew what was happening, she ducked when a flood of pixy children raced in over her head by way of the open kitchen window. Shrieking and yelling, they swirled around their dad, making my eyeballs hurt. Ivy had her hands over her ears, and Trent looked positively agonized.

“Out!” Jenks cried. “I’ll be right there. Tell your mom I’ll be right there!” He looked at me in question. “You mind if I…take a moment?”

“Take all the time you want,” I said, slumping into my chair at the table and setting the open bottled juice beside the scrying mirror. I thought about hiding the mirror from Trent, then let it stay in view. My stomach hurt too much to drink anything.

Jenks headed for the kitchen window, hanging back until sure all his kids went before him. “I’m sorry, Jenks,” I said morosely, and he touched his forehead in a mock salute.

“No problem, Rache. Family always comes first. I want to hear all about it.”

And he was gone.

I puffed my breath out when the ultrasonic barrage vanished. Ivy turned to get a mug from the cupboard. I didn’t care that Trent was standing awkwardly within smacking distance, and I put my head on the table beside the mirror. I’m so tired.

“What do you want, Trent?” I said, feeling my words come back to me from the table as a warm breath. I had too much to do. I had to figure out a way to put the fear of God in Tom without getting caught. Or I could go for what was behind door number two and try to find a way to kill Al. They wouldn’t put me in jail for that, would they? Well, at least not this side of the lines.

Ivy set a cup of coffee by my hand, and I pulled my head up to give her a grateful smile. Shrugging, she sat before her cracked computer, and together we faced Trent.

“I want to talk to you about Quen,” he said, his dexterous fingers moving restlessly and his fair hair starting to float in the breeze from the open window. “Do you have a minute?”

I’ve got until the sun goes down, I thought. Then I’m going to step out onto unsanctified ground and try to kill a demon. But I took a sip of coffee and gave him a dry “Let’s hear it.”