Demons of Good and Evil by Kim Harrison

            Jenks was on Vivian’s shoulder, his whispers making the small woman smirk. “I am so sorry about that,” I said, not liking her stifled laugh. “The free publicity from the news didn’t hurt, though, did it.”

            Vivian cleared her throat to hide a chuckle, her evaluating calm as steady as always. Her fall dress suit was a crisp gold and brown, and her fingernails were polished to match. A diamond-encrusted Möbius strip pin glinted in the shop’s lighting, and her heels didn’t have one scuff on them. It had to be a spell, even though the head of the coven of moral and ethical standards probably didn’t have much to do with running the bad guys down. She was an administrative figure now, and I wasn’t sure she was happy about it, having once been the coven’s go-to for solving complex problems quickly, quietly, and with lots of magic. I know I’d miss it.

            “She doesn’t seem to be trailing any demons now,” Vivian said, and Patricia’s attention flicked uneasily between us.

            “I just need a set of unprimed finding amulets and a package of milkweed fiber,” I said, not willing to give up. Not when Vivian was sitting there, calm and composed, clearly seeking Lee’s advice. I wasn’t sure what to think. Why was Vivian asking Lee for help? Maybe I should have answered her texts. “And maybe a book on auratic locks,” I added sourly.

            “What are you stirring?” Vivian asked, her childlike voice high in question, and Patricia fidgeted, stymied. Kicking me out was harder after a coven leader asked me something, and as the older woman clenched her hands into fists, I eased forward so I wasn’t hiding behind the amulet rack.

            “Finding charms for the FIB,” I said, not wanting to elaborate. The charms weren’t legal without a judge’s order, and everyone in Cincy knew about David’s mishap by now.

            “And Getty used all my milkweed fiber,” Jenks added, still sitting on her shoulder.

            Vivian glanced at Lee, something unsaid passing between them. “Oh,” she said, voice calculating. “I was hoping you might be working on that countercurse for Brad Welroe.”

            Worry pinched my brow. “I ran into a snag,” I said, then stiffened when Patricia took a large breath.

            “Patricia?” Vivian said, and the woman jerked to a halt, hearing the warning as clearly as I did. “How long has it been since your stock was inventoried?”

            “Um, last April,” she said, eyes wide in question.

            “Can I see the paperwork?”

            Jenks snickered as the woman went red. “You want it now?” Patricia said, and Lee hid a smirk behind a quickly raised hand and a cough.

            Vivian never lost her smile. “Or, you could get Rachel’s order,” she suggested.

            Lee flashed an uncomfortable red as Patricia stared at me. And where I usually might have done something to irritate her, like give her a vampiric kiss-kiss, this time, I only felt a growing dread. There were far too many high-end magic users in this tiny shop.

            “Excuse me.” Patricia turned on a heel and walked to the back room.

            I exhaled. “Thanks, Vi,” I whispered as Jenks followed her to make sure she didn’t spit in anything. “But I’m not sure I can trust anything that crosses her counter anymore.”

            “It will be fine. Sit.” The coven leader patted the couch. “I insist.”

            I smiled weakly, wincing at the sound of a muffled tantrum. “Sure.”

            Lee, though, sort of bounced on his toes, clearly eager to leave. “Vivian, can we finish this later?” Vivian nodded, and the elegant man swooped forward to drag his coat from a nearby chair. “I’ll see you later, Rachel,” he said as stuffed his arms in the sleeves. “I, ah, am sorry about your pack leader. I hope he’s okay. Is there anything I can do?”

            “No, but thanks.” I inched deeper into the tiny alcove full of books. “Ah, hey, if you have time before the party, my new porch—”

            “Trent told me,” Lee interrupted, grinning to flash his very white teeth. “I’d love to help. Tomorrow night okay?”

            “That would be great.” I sat down beside Vivian, a little nervous. She was one of the premiere spell slingers in North America, but it was the law behind her that made me uncomfortable. “Should I pick up anything?”