“Jih and her new husband…,” she protested, but I could see her desire to be closer to Quen.

“I bet Trent would let pixies in his garden if you asked,” I said with a smirk, imagining the man covered in them. “Quen is trying to convince Trent how good pixies are at detecting intruders.” Brand-new gargoyle in our eaves aside. “And Trent is trying to impress you, even if he’s as ignorant as a duck.” Her eyebrows were high in speculation, and I added, “He insists he’s going into the ever-after to get that tissue sample.”

“He can do more good in his lab,” she said caustically.

“That’s where he belongs,” I agreed, taking a sip of tea. “Little mouse burger.”

Ceri’s eyebrows went up, and she lost her stiff, formal stance. “I’m safe here,” she reaffirmed. “Nothing will harm me or Keasley. I have defenses that I can raise in an instant.”

I didn’t doubt it, but demons were able to pop in anywhere but holy ground. “There’s Al to think about,” I added. “He’s gone rogue. Ivy told you, yes?”

She nodded, eyes on the distant vines, and I felt a frown come over me. “Someone has summoned him out of confinement and let him go three nights in a row,” I said sourly. “David is checking the incoming claims to see if it’s someone local out to get me, or if it’s just Al giving some nameless idiot a wish per night to let him go.” My lips pressed together and I thought of Nick. My gut said no, and I was going to believe that.

“He tried to kill me last night,” I said. “While I was shopping with my mom.”

“K-Kill you?”

My attention swung back at her faint stutter. “He says he’s got nothing to lose, so he’s not going to hold to his agreement to leave me or my kin alone.” I hesitated. “Does that mean I can teach anyone how to spindle line energy?” Demon immunity for keeping our mouths shut had been the deal.

“He said he wasn’t going to hurt you,” she said, looking rightly frightened. “I mean, they aren’t going to let him get away with breaking his word, are they? Did you call Minias?”

I let out a puff of air, not eager for the bill from the charm shop to hit my desk. “I didn’t have to. He showed up and chased him off,” I said, wondering whether, if I asked, if she would come over and sleep in the sanctuary until they found a way to contain Al. “Minias doesn’t even care that Al’s breaking his word. He’s only upset that he’s slipping their cell. They pulled Minias off babysitting Newt and put him on demon-catching detail.” I looked up, seeing an almost panicked look on her face.