Demons of Good and Evil by Kim Harrison

            “Whoa, hold up,” Trent said, and I felt a quickening of hope. “Yes, Lee is an expert, but it’s demon twisted.”

            “He can at least look at it,” I said.

            “Mmmm.” Trent took one of his cookies and chewed in thought. “I wouldn’t mind seeing him try and fail. I wouldn’t mind that at all.”

            “So we convince him,” I said, and Jenks abruptly darted out into the hallway, his dust a bright silver. “It’s not as if we don’t know what buttons to push.”

            “True,” Trent said, a rueful smile gracing him.

            “He’s here,” the pixy shouted from the sanctuary, and my adrenaline jumped. It was a sign, damn it, and as Trent crammed his half-eaten cookie into his mouth, I paced to the front door, my steps unheard under a faint pounding.

            “Lee!” I exclaimed as I yanked the door open and the hush of rain washed over me. Light glinting on the wet street spilled into the dark foyer, and Jenks swore, quickly retreating to the warmer rafters. The thought of Lee’s daughter lifted through me, and I pushed it aside. “Thanks so much for coming over. I know you’re busy.”

            Lee was little more than a silhouette, but I drew him in, the scent of damp redwood almost a physical assault. He’d been spelling lately. A lot. A car waited at the curb, wipers on and still running as his driver/security watched me. “Your guy can come in,” I added.

            Lee half turned to the curb and gave the man a curt hand gesture. “No, I’m good.” He smiled, his dark eyes taking in what he could see of the sanctuary. “Hey, Kallie,” he added as Trent’s presence eased up behind me. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”

            “You think I’d leave you alone with Rachel?” His pleasure obvious, Trent pulled Lee deeper into the sanctuary. “Right on time,” he added, and then to me, “Told you.”

            “Yeah, whatever,” I muttered as Lee stood in the sanctuary and spun a slow circle.

            “Wow,” he said as he unwound his black scarf and unbuttoned his coat spotted with rain. “This is nice. Back porch, right?”

            My pulse quickened. “Yes, but I have a favor to ask.”

            Lee ran a hand over his damp hair, slicking it back as he glanced from Trent to me. “What?”

            “Rachel, don’t ask. It’s too dangerous,” Trent said, immediately piquing Lee’s interest.

            “He can say no.” I touched Lee’s elbow, feeling somewhat breathless. “Um, I have a door I can’t open. A demon put a ward on it. And you’re so good with them . . .”

            From the rafters, Jenks snickered. “It blew her into the wall when she tried to touch it.”

            “Hey, Jenks.” Lee craned his neck. “I didn’t see you up there. Damn, that must have been misery. Sure, I’ll take a look.”

            “Great! Thanks!” I said, overly cheerful as I looped my arm in his. A dart of energy tried to jump between us to equalize our internal balances, and I shoved my personal chi down. “It’s the one on the left,” I said as we passed the bathrooms.

            “I’m sure Hodin emptied his room,” Trent said from behind us, and Lee jerked to a halt.

            “Hodin? Isn’t that the demon who . . . You want me to . . . ah . . .”

            “See, I told you he couldn’t do it,” Trent said.

            Lee’s eye twitched. It was the one with the tiny scar, and I fought to keep from smirking. “I never said I couldn’t do it,” Lee countered, wary as he stopped before the door.

            I took a long step to put Jenks and me on one side, Trent and Lee on the other. “Well?”

            Lee’s thin lips pressed together, his dark eyes squinting as he raised his hand. Mien distant, he felt the ether. His hand was a good eight inches from the battered, scratched, hollow-core door, and I still felt a slight rise in the ambient power responding to him.

            Jenks’s wings rasped as he hovered over my shoulder. “Constance goes in and out all the time. I’d say it was her size, but I can’t even get close without it trying to fry my dust.”