"She's turning blue," Nick said, whispering. "Do something. "
"Rachel!" Jenks shouted. "You stupid witch! What have you done!"
Pierce was shaking. "My God, how much line can you hold, mistress witch?"
"She can spindle it," Ivy said. "Give her everything you can handle, and then some."
It was as if light sparked through me. Pierce dove through my soul, reaching for a line through me and pulling it into himself. Gasping, my back arched and my eyes opened wide.
"You're killing her!" Jenks shouted, and I fell back into Pierce.
My arms moved, and my lungs expanded. Gulping the air so hard it hurt, I coughed.
"Catch them!" Jenks exclaimed, and my eyes flashed open as Ivy darted forward to catch Pierce and hold us both upright. His arms were still wrapped around me, and his head was beside mine. He was panting, lips parted and brow furrowed in pain. His breath came fast, and I could feel it on me, coming and going.
"I swan," he breathed. "You can hold a considerable amount of line, Rachel."
I shifted, and his eyes opened, finding mine. Something pinged through me again, painful in its exquisiteness. I recognized it, even as I tried to deny its existence. And I smiled, weak as a kitten as I rested in his arms. "Hi," I whispered so I wouldn't start coughing, concentrating on small, even breaths.
"Hi back at you," he said, the modern phrase sounding funny with his accent, and then Jenks was there, spilling a green dust and looking panicked.
"Rache, are you okay?" the pixy demanded. "Was it a curse? Trent tried to kill you?"
"Looks like it," I said, vowing to jam a curry brush down his throat the next time I saw him.
Jenks started swearing in one-word syllables. My thankful gaze went to Pierce. Damn, the man could hold a lot of energy. Maybe as much as me with a little stretching. And he was holding me. On my bed.
My expression became empty. I didn't have time for this, and it hurt too much when it was over. "Phone," I rasped, trying to untangle myself. The bed shifted as Ivy got off it, and the cooler air hit me when Pierce let go and moved to stand awkwardly beside me. "Where's my phone?" I asked, then remembered it was in San Francisco.
Nick's eyes were wide, and Jenks was spilling a red dust, but Ivy seemed to be thinking the same thing I was, and she handed me her cell. "Use mine."
"Tink's titties!" Jenks was saying, darting up and down, making me nauseous. "Rache, you're not calling him, are you?"
"Watch me." My fingers trembled as I punched in the numbers. I was so pissed. How dare he. How dare he give me a charm and try to kill me with it. Was this his backhanded way of threatening me? Do what he wanted or else? He hadn't changed at all from the brat of a boy demanding I hold his horse's head when there was a post only two feet away.
"Don't call him! He'll know it didn't work!" Jenks shouted, and I waved him back. The pixy's wings clattered noisily, but then went quiet. "You know his number by heart?"
Yes, I had Trent Kalamack's number memorized. Sort of like when you remember the name of the kid who beat you up in the third grade. Some things you don't forget.
"Quiet. I want to hear," Ivy demanded as the phone rang, and my anger tightened when Jenks landed on my shoulder. Together we listened to the line click open.
"Kalamack Industries," the woman said, but I couldn't tell if it was Sara Jane or if she'd gotten smart and run away. "How may I help you?"
A thousand smart-ass answers went through my head, but my eyes on Ivy's, I managed, "This is Rachel Morgan - "
"Yes, Ms. Morgan," she interrupted. "Mr. Kalamack has been waiting for your call."
"I'll bet," I said, but she'd already put me on hold. If there was elevator music, I was going to scream.
"Rachel!" Trent's voice came clear and clean, a hint of warmth to it that slid out of the professional into genuine pleasure.
"You son of a bastard!" I exclaimed, and Jenks snorted.
There was a slight hesitation, then, "I take it this isn't a social call?" Trent said dryly, his entire mood shifting.
How could he sit there like nothing had happened? "It didn't work, you bastard. I'm still alive, and you'd better start watching your back. I should have let