And yes, there were names and faces that haunted me, people who died because I hadn’t been quick enough, or I’d made a poor decision, or simply because they had the bad luck to be at the wrong place at the right time. But never intentionally. My vision went distant as I thought of Peter, a living vampire in agony looking for passage to his second life. That was a mercy killing.
My focus sharpened on Pike. He was staring at me, thoughts unknown. “I’m not killing Constance,” I said, and Trent seemed to relax even as Hodin made a bird-chortle. “I’m convincing her to cut her losses and leave. That’s it.” But how, I wasn’t sure yet.
Mrs. Sarong frowned at her watch. “Cerberus’s balls. I have wasted too much time here to be delicate. Rachel. If you do not kill Constance and end this feud, we will band together to kill you to end it.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Edden said as my lips parted. “I didn’t agree to that.”
“I’d like to see you try.” Jenks dropped down before her, brilliant sparkles falling from him.
“This is not why I’m here,” Vivian said quickly. “Mrs. Sarong, you do not speak for anyone but yourself. Killing Rachel is not a solution. She said she’s handling it. For God’s sake, if you don’t want another San Francisco, let her work.”
Grinning, Pike settled deeper into the couch. “This just got interesting. I vote with Mrs. Sarong to kill Rachel.”
“Hey!” I exclaimed, feeling attacked. “If you don’t like how I’m handling Constance, handle her yourself.”
“That is what I’m doing.” Mrs. Sarong’s eyes were brilliant. “Fix it, or I will by taking you out.”
Pike snickered as he rose. “I think I’ll have another bowl of that chili.”
“One of you has to die,” Mrs. Sarong said, “and frankly, Rachel, you are the easier target. Living in a church with no security the way you do.”
Jenks’s wings rasped. “Try our security. I haven’t shaved a Were’s tail in a while.”
“Letting anyone in who shows up at your door. Trusting everyone,” Mrs. Sarong continued, her expression twisted as she looked over the sanctuary cluttered with other people’s lives and needs.
David smirked, leaning to whisper something to Zack that made Etude, way on the other side of the sanctuary, chuckle.
My coffee was cold, but I didn’t dare warm it. I’d probably set it on fire. “You’d be surprised how few people I trust,” I said, not happy that Hodin, much less Pike, was hearing this.
“You certainly don’t show it,” the stiff woman said, but I was watching Trent. He’d gone to get a second cup of coffee. It put him right next to Pike, and that was where he stayed, a faint glimmer of magic playing about his fingertips. Kaspar, too, had shifted closer to Zack in protection. Jenks’s dust was starting to look like migraine sparkles. Hodin was the only one seeming to be enjoying himself, the bird bobbing his head as if in laughter. Things were getting out of hand, and I wished Edden wasn’t so vulnerable.
“That’s because I don’t have to,” I said as I crossed the room to get beside the FIB captain. If spells started flying, I wanted him in a bubble. “Look,” I said when I felt Vivian strengthen her grip on the nearest ley line. “And listen good. Some of you know me better than others, but for those of you who don’t, I’m going to be really clear here. If you kill me to put Constance in charge, it won’t only be Constance’s unbalanced, ego-driven politics you will have to deal with.” I turned to Kaspar. “The man over there who saved your species from extinction?” I turned to Vivian and Mrs. Sarong. “The one who keeps the Brimstone flowing so you don’t become prey?” I turned to Pike. “Or you from having to take the unwilling and start an interspecies war? The only person besides myself and Etude who has ridden with demons in the Hunt and might have half an ounce of pull with them? If you kill me, that man is going to return to being a power-hungry, zero-empathy, backstabbing bastard set on world domination.”
Across the room, Trent saluted everyone with his coffee. Vivian nodded as Mrs. Sarong made an ugly face. Pike looked confused, as if not knowing how big a power-hungry, zero-empathy, backstabbing bastard set on world domination Trent could be, but David? David’s expression was deadly serious. He’d once told me I’d saved Trent’s life by showing him he could be someone other than what his father had made him.
“And trust me,” I added as Etude chuckled, the sound like rocks in a crusher. “He’s a lot more dangerous now than he was three years ago when he had his fingers in everything east of the Mississippi.”
“Not everything,” Trent said modestly as he took a sip.
“How is he dangerous?” Mrs. Sarong said, a delicate hand placed on a knee. “I see a man losing things, not gaining power.”
Jenks landed on my shoulder in a show of solidarity. “Things don’t make you powerful.”
“They help,” Kaspar muttered, and Pike nodded.
“Perhaps. But I showed Trent that magic had no rules. You really want that plus his money combined in an elf set on revenge?” I hesitated. “Kill me to curry favor with Constance, and that is what you will get.”
For a moment, there was only the sound of a passing car. Then it was gone, filling the church with silence.
Etude shifted his great feet, his claws leaving not a mark on the new floor. “I didn’t come here to threaten Rachel Morgan.”
“Neither did I,” Edden said, and I gave him a thankful smile.
“Me either,” David chimed in. “I came to see what I can do to help her. Mrs. Sarong, go chase a ball to hell.”
Zack stood, his youthful face red in rebellion as Kaspar tried to get him to stay silent. “I’m not making one move against Rachel,” he stated firmly.
“Sa’han,” Kaspar protested, and the young elf rounded on him, looking powerful even in my blue terry-cloth robe.
“Are you serious?” the kid said, and Jenks chuckled. “She just got me away from the most depraved undead who has lived in the last three hundred years! Threatening to kill the one person who isn’t afraid to stand up to Constance is not my idea of a good life choice.”
A knot of worry slowly unraveled around my chest, and I took a breath, now understanding why Trent had invited Pike. He had arranged this, got Mrs. Sarong’s opinion out in the open where it could be seen. And in the process, confirmed the support of those who were behind me. I wasn’t sure how I’d get Constance to leave, but now I knew who I could depend on, and that was more than half the task. Thank you, Trent.
“Okay,” I said, and all eyes came back to me. “I’ve heard your complaint, Mrs. Sarong. Now you need to leave.” I looked at Pike. “You too.”