Page 19 of Demon's Bluff

“Scott,” Elyse warned, and the old man ignored her.

“Yeah? Well, that would make sense, because I think she wrote the spell,” I said sullenly.

“Yeah?” Orion mocked. “Seeing as the ever-after was demolished, you have a problem.”

Oh. Right.I leaned back, ticked. “Not everything was destroyed when the original ever-after fell,” I said. “We got all the people out. And the demons got their books and most of their stuff.” I jumped when Elyse yanked the book out from under me and closed it, bookmark still in place. “Hey, I’m not done with that. Let me get a picture of it. Trent can read ancient elven.”

Smug, Elyse had handed the book to Orion, who went to put it in the cabinet and lock it with a whispered word. “The deal was see, not copy,” Elyse said, practically singing the words.

You little canicula…“Al might have Newt’s mirror,” I all but growled. “He hasn’t been through all her things yet. There’s like an entire room of her stuff.” Which wasn’t true. A box, maybe.

“Rachel…” Elyse coaxed me mockingly as she came closer. “Why are you making this so difficult?”

I stood, done with them. “I have until June. Someone might have the mirror.”

“June.” Elyse stretched to flip my curse book closed, and both Orion and Yaz grimaced, annoyed. “I don’t think so. Decide now.”

I stared at her, forced my hands to unclench. Suddenly, I knew what it felt like to be a demon trapped in a circle. “This wasn’t the deal,” I said, voice low.

My breath came in smoothly as I felt Elyse and Scott pull on the ley line. Yaz and Orion were fingering charms, and one of Adan’s rings was glowing a hazy red. It was five on one. The odds were not in my favor.

Wait, I have Jenks,I thought when he darted down, sword unsheathed and wings rasping as he hovered beside me, eyeing that crow.Even odds.

“And you are still making mistakes,” I said, voice holding a bitter threat. “Elyse, you gave me until June. You don’t want to change the deal. Trust me on this.”

“Elyse,” Scott whispered. “She has until June.”

Elyse’s lip twitched. “I didn’t promise anything,” she said, and Scott shook his head.

“Vivian did,” Scott said, and I thought it odd he was letting Elyse run this pony show. He clearly had the most sense. “If she can’t find a mirror, then I will vote with you, but until then, I don’t, and confining someone to Alcatraz has to be unanimous. That curse isn’t anything worse than you’ve done yourself and you know it.”

Elyse broke eye contact with me, flushing. “Shut it!” she shouted, sounding like a kid.

Scott shook his head, grim and determined. “Rachel might have twisted the curse for selfish reasons, but I think it benefited the public greatly.”

Orion winced, his sigh saying he agreed.

“She is already in service to the city,” Scott said. “If she’s going to be coven, I’d rather it be a real choice, not one between Alcatraz, exile, or us. And not because we reneged on a deal and forced her into it.”

“We can’t stop her from vanishing into the ever-after,” Yaz said nervously.

Elyse cradled my book on her hip. “Which is why we are going to keep her book as collateral.”

Wait. What?

Jenks shook his head as he hovered beside me, a thin trail of silver dust escaping him. “And that is your second mistake,” he said. “Three strikes, and you’re out.”

“Don’t do this, Elyse,” I warned again, my thoughts resting lightly in the ley line they all had a death grip on. The air was practically sparking, and my hair was threatening to spill from my topknot even as that crow of hers cawed and flapped his wings when the woman carried my book to her shelf, sliding it into an open spot and locking the glass behind it.

My hands slowly fisted. I exhaled, pushing the line from me. If I did anything, they would react. She was being stupid, but that didn’t mean I had to be.Pause, think, then beat the hell out of them. Be the demon.

“Rache?” Jenks said, and I made the finger motion for retreat. Yeah, I was going to walk out of here without my book. That didn’t mean I was going to leave it here.

“Come on, Jenks,” I said as I shouldered my much-lighter bag, and Yaz stupidly relaxed, apparently thinking they had me by the panties.

Jenks dropped down to stab a piece of cheese with his sword. “You guys are really dumb. The first rule of dealing with demons is never break a deal with them. Ever.”

The second rule was don’t piss them off—which kind of went with thefirst. Angry, I pushed the glass door to the library open with a stiff arm and walked out, leaving a sudden conversation in my wake. There was no way in hell I wasevergoing to work with these people.

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