Demons of Good and Evil by Kim Harrison

            No worth for him, I thought. “So we’re good?” I said brightly. Get Walter’s finding amulet from Glenn, break into Hodin’s room for the cure’s phrase. Uncurse Cassie’s employees. Al gets the ring. Destroys it. Cincy’s power balance course corrects. Walter and his mage go home.

            Piece of cake.





CHAPTER


            11

            The light from the church spilled out onto the cold ground to make confusing shadows on the street as I pulled into my carport and cut the engine. Stef’s electric car was not at the plug. She was at work, and I smiled, glad the woman had gotten her hospital job back. Smutty auras had traditionally meant illegal behavior, and I was pleased to see that inaccurate prejudice beginning to correct itself. Or maybe they simply really needed the help.

            “Tomorrow is going to be a killer,” I whispered as I stared at the car’s dash clock. It was almost two a.m., and though that wasn’t unusually late for a witch, I’d been trying to crash closer to midnight, when Trent went down. I could have gotten a few extra hours of sleep if I’d stayed at Trent’s—at least in theory—but I wanted a crack at Hodin’s door. Not to mention that Glenn had promised to drop off the finding amulet. Martie had been wearing it all day to no avail.

            I felt the late hour all the way to my bones as I dragged my shoulder bag across the seat, but before I could get out, my phone hummed. Vivian.

            For three rings, I debated letting it go to voice mail as I got out of the car, and then, reluctantly, I hit the accept icon. “Hi, Vivian,” I said, heart in my throat.

            “Where have you been?” she said, clearly tense. “I’ve been trying to reach you all night.”

            “The ever-after,” I said, not liking her tone. “Finding out all sorts of things about the ring that cursed David. It’s the same thing that hit Cassie Castle’s employees, and I’m this close to finding the cure. When I do, do you want to meet me at the hospital and see how it works?”

            “You were in the ever-after?” she said, voice tight. “Rachel, I can’t express how important it is you remain in Cincinnati.”

            My bootheels were a soft thump on the cement walk, and I tugged my jacket closer against the chill and waved to Bis. The cat-size gargoyle was perched on the roof, an eerie sentry with his red eyes glowing. He took to the air, his huge bat-like wings cutting a threatening shadow across the night sky as he dropped to me.

            “Why?” I said as Bis landed on my shoulder, his white-tufted tail wrapping securely behind my back to help cut his momentum. A faint rise in energy lifted through me at his touch. It was an echo of the nearest ley lines, and though it was only a hint of what I should be feeling through him, even that little was appreciated. “Am I a person of interest?”

            Bis’s red eyes met mine when Vivian didn’t answer. Worried, I stopped on the stairs, not eager to take this inside, where Jenks would complicate things. “Vivian?” I prompted, and she sighed. “Hey, I was there trying to find out how to untwist the curse, not skip town,” I said, feeling miffed. “Isn’t that a good thing? Finding the cure? Walter already used it to uncurse David. He’s going to be okay, by the way,” I finished tartly. She hadn’t even asked after him.

            “I’m pleased to hear that,” she said faintly. “I know how important he is to you. I agree that on the surface, you finding a countercurse seems positive. But it also links you to the initial chakra curse that much stronger.”

            Knowing how to twist a curse wasn’t the same as using it, and I felt myself warm. “You can’t put someone in jail for the ability to do something,” I said in my own defense. “They have to knowingly do it.” And get caught. They have to get caught, too. “Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?”

            “You are not being reasonable, Rachel . . .” she coaxed. “The coven is not happy about me asking them to wait on filing a formal complaint concerning Brad. If they find out you went to the ever-after . . . don’t make me regret this.”

            She was worried about me skipping town? “Hey, Vivian? I gotta go,” I said bitterly. “My goats just came in from the farm, and I have to get them into the basement.” Mood bad, I hit the end icon and stuffed the phone into a pocket. I wasn’t ready to go in yet and deal with Jenks, and Bis’s wings flashed open, beating once to keep his balance as I sat down. Knees up and chin on my cupped hands, I stared into the peaceful, chill night.