Page 39 of Demon's Bluff

“Hey, Rache?” Jenks said, his wings clattering in the chill of the place. “Check this out.”

He had alighted on a rack of red shirts and blouses. Beyond him, Trent stood in the men’s area, one foot up as he held the bottom of a shiny dance shoe to the bottom of his boot. He had insisted on coming, and I had agreed, but only after I used the transposition stone to make him into Ivy. Which, now that I thought about it, might account for the odd looks he had been getting, and a smile quirked my lips as I closed the gap between me and Jenks.

“Whatcha got?” I said as I fingered the vibrant red short-sleeved shirt. It had a flattering V-neck, but I hesitated at the sequins making a surprisingly subtle pattern of a happy monkey on the sleeve.

“It’s a Simation,” he said, flitting over the monkey-adorned tag at the neck. “Witchwear bought them out seven years ago and they changed labels. It will last the trip.”

Still not sure, I held it up to myself, and he nodded his approval. “How on earth did you find it?”

“It smells old.”

My motion to drape it over my arm slowed.I can wear something with sequins for a day,I thought as I looked for the jeans. Trent had moved into the toddler area, a studious, wistful look on his face as he held up a jumper.The man does like to shop…

Smirking, I turned away. He hadn’t been shopping since going into hiding last month. Never in a million years would anyone expect to find him here, at a secondhand store. My smile faltered. It was sort of my fault.

“Is that all you need? A shirt and pair of jeans?” Jenks asked.

The jeans were by the registers, and I pushed into motion. “I have socks and underwear old enough.” Both of which either fell down or rode up because of elastic issues. I should have thrown them out, but you never know. “I have a jacket that old, too. I’m good.” Not the one Elyse had torn but another, still serviceable even if it had a rhinestone pentagram on the back.

I checked on Trent before following the pixy’s low-dusting trail weaving through the displays to the jeans. He had scoped out the entire store in the first three minutes we’d been here, and whereas I was concerned about the slight chill, Jenks obviously wasn’t.

“Thanks, Jenks,” I said as I settled in and began to dig through the stacks of folded jeans, only to hesitate when my phone hummed. My gaze shot across the store to Trent, but it clearly wasn’t him, and I pulled my phone out, glanced at it, and hit the accept icon.

“Hi, Mom. Everything okay?”

Jenks’s wings rasped as he eavesdropped, and I put her on speaker.

“I heard an undead passed at Piscary’s,” my mom said, her voice intent and anxious. “I wanted to make sure it wasn’t Ivy’s girlfriend.”

Immediately I relaxed and Jenks darted to the other side of the table, his curiosity satisfied. “Oh! No. She’s fine. I would have called you, but I didn’t think it would make the national news.” I lifted a pair of bejeweledjeans to check for size against my hips. “Constance was making an example out of someone.”These look familiar…I thought as I ran a thumb over a missing stone. Flushed, I put them back on the table. I had too much bling as it was.

“I was worried,” my mom continued. “They only said it was an undead vampire, and I couldn’t find anything more online. I’m glad you’re both okay.”

Both,I mused, remembering Ivy’s expression when she cremated Brice. “She’s fine. I’m fine,” I said, then mouthed to Jenks, “You want to talk to her?” to which the pixy violently shook his head, sparkles falling from him like rain.

“You sound tired. Are you getting enough sleep?”

I stared pointedly at Jenks, and the pixy laughed at me.Fine.“Hey, Mom, I want to talk to you, but I’m sort of in the middle of something. Can I call you in about half an hour?”

“Oh, no need,” she said. “I simply wanted to check on Ivy.” She went silent for a moment, then added, “Where on earth are you? I haven’t heard ‘The Sound of Silence’ done in bagpipes since…You’re at Second-Hand Charm? Rachel, you haven’t been shunned again, have you? Do you need money? I can wire you—”

“Mom. No.” Embarrassed, I glanced around the store, glad no one but Jenks was in earshot. Trent, though, was coming my way, a pair of shoes and two little-girl outfits in his basket. “I haven’t been shunned, and I don’t need money.”Not yet anyway.I’m cleaning out my closet and am dropping some things off.”

“Cleaning your closet?” my mom said in disbelief, and then, voice laced with pity, “Oh, honey…were you cursed again?”

Cleaning my closet?I thought, wincing. Yeah, that was hard to believe. “I was not cursed,” I said, uncomfortable, as Jenks darted off to meet Trent halfway. “I’m prepping to go into the past, and I need clothes from the era or I’ll show up naked.”

My mom was silent for a telling heartbeat. “I think I’ll tell Donald thatyou got cursed again; otherwise neither one of us will be able to sleep tonight.”

I picked up the phone and took her off speaker. “Mom, it’s okay,” I said softly, but I knew I must have looked sick when I met Trent’s worried gaze and he settled in beside me. “I’m joking. I’m shopping for something Trent wouldn’t be caught dead in so we can go out to a movie or something.” I put my phone to my leg to block the mic. “Say something to her,” I whispered to Trent, and the man shook his head, eyes wide in alarm.

“I’m so proud of you,” came distantly from my phone, almost unheard. “Don’t give those coven bitches anything. How far are you going into the past?”

Sighing, I put the phone to my ear. “Five years,” I said, wondering where Jenks had gotten to. “It’s safer if I’m not on anyone’s radar.” Meaning Al, Trent, the I.S. hit squad. Vince’s Were pack from Mackinaw. Though it might be nice to drop in on Nick and smack him up a little.

“Good.” Her voice was heavy with pride. “Call me when you get back, mmmm? Don’t make me worry.”

I exhaled. My mom was a little unbalanced from what she had dealt with in her life, but on the rare occasion, that worked for me. “Okay,” I whispered. “I love you, Mom.”

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