The Undead Pool

Long face becoming longer, she sat stiffly, making me wonder if she was going to cry. I was trying to be calm, not only because it looked good but because an easily unbalanced vampire was sleeping in the next room over and Ellasbeth was kicking out enough anger to wake the dead.

“Now, would you like some coffee while you wait?”

“Yes, thank you.” Her voice was softer, not subdued, but it had lost that I-sneeze-sunshine lilt she had. “I’ve been up for hours.”

“Welcome to the club.” I took the pot to her and filled her mug. She made sure I saw that ring again, and Ivy quietly went back to work.

“Actually, I’m glad to have this time with you,” Ellasbeth said, and I leaned back against the counter. “May I be frank?”

You can be Frank, Paul, or Simon, I don’t care, I thought, and Jenks snickered as he sat at the window where he could watch his kids as he sharpened his sword. He knew the joke. “I wish you would.”

Ellasbeth eyed Ivy across the table. “Alone?”

Ivy’s eyes met mine, and I sighed. “Sure. Garden okay?”

Again she looked at Ivy, as if wondering why the woman wasn’t leaving. Grimacing, Ellasbeth stood. “That’s fine.” Heels clacking and purse held tight to herself, she set her mug down and headed out, already knowing the way. She’d been here once before to pick up Lucy when I’d rescued her from Ku’Sox.

Jenks landed on my shoulder as I went to follow. “You want me to keep an eye on you?”

“No. Yes.” I hesitated. I’d likely be more vocal in my opinions if we were out of the church and away from Nina. “Eye, yes. Ears, no.”

He flew backward, out of my way. “You’re no fun.”

Ivy took the pen from between her teeth. “Be nice,” she said, and I smiled, then hustled to catch the screen door before it slammed.

Ellasbeth was already outside, her cream heels looking odd in the sun-starved grass that eked out a living under the big tree. Her nose was wrinkled, and I could hear pixies in the branches. I hoped to God that they wouldn’t start dropping things on us. “Okay, shoot,” I said as I came down the stairs, and she turned to me, that ring of hers sparkling even in the dim light.

“I’d like to ask you to stop confusing Trent.”

Tired, I sat down at the picnic table, the wood still slightly damp from the last rain. “No problem.” I’d missed a chip, and I flicked it off me.

“Stop being so flippant,” she said, frowning. “I’m not blind. You’re confusing him. Making this harder than it needs to be.”

For who? You or him? “Ellasbeth, Trent and I already had this talk.” And then we went on a date. “As long as Quen is making the trek out to your place every three months, I’m going to be doing security while he’s gone. I know he’s going to marry you, and quite frankly, I can’t stomach the idea of being a mistress even if I did like him that way.” Liar, liar, pants on fire. “So as long as Quen keeps leaving, I’m the one for the job. And it is a job.”

She was eyeing me, looking for lies, her hat shading her face whereas it shone hot and full on mine. “Then you’re not . . .”

Guilt tugged at me. Want was not an action. “I’m not sleeping with him, no.” Damn fine kiss, though. “Never have.” My gut hurt, and I looked out over the graveyard. The grass was long and needed cutting. Everything was going to hell with Jenks’s kids leaving.

“Thank you,” she said, appearing to take that on faith.

Reclining against the damp wood, I looked at her. “But if I find out you’re not treating him right, I’ll make your life miserable.”

Her expression blanked, and I wondered if she was trying to figure out if it was a joke. Above us, the eavesdropping pixies shot out of the trees, arrowing for the chimney and vanishing down it as if someone had shouted “Honey!”

From inside, Ivy’s voice rose. “Nina! No!”

I stood as the torn leaves drifted over us. “You had to wake her up,” I said bitterly, then strode to the steps. Ivy might need some help. “Stay out here!” I told Ellasbeth. “You’re too angry to be around her right now.”

“Rache!” Jenks shouted from inside, and I took the stairs two at a time.

I yanked open the back door, reeling as the vampire pheromones hit me like a wall. My hand clamped to my neck and I staggered through the living room, other hand on the archway, to look into the kitchen. Ivy had Nina pinned front-first to the wall, Nina’s head turned to me as Ivy wrenched the woman’s arm up behind her. There was a huge knife in Nina’s hand, and I felt myself pale. Both women’s eyes were black, and Ivy looked scared that she might hurt Nina.

“It’s okay, Nina. Breathe,” she said as she struggled to keep Nina unmoving. “Look at me. I’m not angry. Breathe.”

“Morgan,” Nina snarled, a heavy intelligence glittering in her eyes. “Tell Tamwood to let me go.”