“Hell yes!” Clearly relieved, he dropped down to Trent’s shoulder since Bis was on mine. “You’re lucky I’m not human size or I’d give you a smack,” he said, and Trent hid a grin. “Where’ve you been? Eww, the ever-after,” the pixy said, answering his own question. “Is that where you ditched the mystics? Your aura looks great. The demons are here. In reality. Why by Tink’s little pink dildo did you let them out?”

“I didn’t,” I said, and Jenks looked at Trent, the shock on his angular features lit from his own dust.

“It was Landon.” Trent grimaced at his shoes, now three inches deep in the mud that had once been my backyard. “He made a mistake.” He took my hand, and I gave it a squeeze. His eyes held a thread of heartache, a need to talk. This wasn’t a mistake. Al was bitter and jealous, unable to look past his own hurt, and Trent loved me. But even I knew I wouldn’t be able to help him reach his goal. His goal of elf supremacy? God, I wasn’t going to do this right now.

Jenks’s wings brightened to a hot silver. “Landon? Figures.”

I shivered when a drop of water from the big tree landed on my back. The bark was singed, and I hoped the fire hadn’t killed the tree outright. “Apparently, if you engineer a curse loophole big enough to allow shambling zombies/surface demons through, real demons can follow.” I picked my way through the mud, both wanting and dreading to see what was left.

Jenks’s wings clattered. “Ah, you have to go in around the front if you want to go in. I wouldn’t. It’s pretty bad. They hosed everything down.”

Nice. How many times is my church going to be trashed this week?

Jenks winced, arms over his chest. “Cleaning crew comes Wednesday. I would’ve had them sooner, but the building inspector has to give it an all clear.”

Again Trent’s hand found mine, his touch easing my clenched jaw when a soft warmth stole into me, sparkling where our fingers twined. “I know it’s uncomfortable with Ellasbeth there, but I could use your help with the girls,” he said, his anger at Ellasbeth making ugly, half-heard shadows in his voice.

“Tink’s panties, yes!” Jenks exclaimed, and Bis shifted his wings, clearly uneasy. “Your house. That’s a great idea. Jumoke and Izzy are already there.”

Jenks wants me to leave? Maybe it was worse inside than I imagined. My gut said Ellasbeth wasn’t doing anything other than trying to roll with the punches, but logic said otherwise. The chance to look her in the eye might tell me more.