Black Magic Sanction

"It will take a moment to work itself through, but yes, she should wake now."

Tears warmed my eyes, and I suddenly remembered I was kneeling on the cold wooden floor, my knees the size of grapefruit and aching. Ivy was going to be okay.

"Ivy!" Jenks exclaimed, hovering by her nose and jabbing it with his foot. "Wake up!"

Ivy gasped, and I jumped as Jenks darted up, wings clattering. My hand went out, and I reached for her, jerking back when she yelped as I touched her shoulder.

"You said she was all right!" I exclaimed, horrified, and Pierce looked mystified.

"Broken," Ivy said, breath hissing when she tried to sit up. "I broke my arm when I fell."

"Ivy! You almost died!" Jenks said cheerfully. "Pierce saved you!"

Ivy glanced at him, holding her arm and pain etching her features. "Thanks, Pierce," she said dully. "Did she get away?" she asked as she took in the broken glass, smoldering couch, and burnt pool table.

Thank you, God, I thought, trying to calm myself so Ivy wouldn't know how close it had been. "Of course she did." I awkwardly took my pain amulet off and looped it over her head.

"Ow," Ivy hissed through clenched teeth as she looked at her arm and turned gray.

"Yup, that's broken," Jenks said, hovering over it and dusting heavily. "Just like the window. She broke my window, Ivy!"

"The woman didn't break the window, I did," Pierce said, looking embarrassed.

"You!" I exclaimed, and his eyes flicked to the ruination. But the glass had fallen inward. How could he have done it? Unless it had been a curse...

"I didn't do it a'purpose," he said, affronted. "I was aiming at the coven woman." Turning from me, Pierce leaned close to Ivy, not afraid that she was a vampire and that her eyes were going black in pain. "Ms. Tamwood," he said. "Thank you for taking the spells for me. I'm obliged to you."

"Well, if you saved my life, I'd say we're even," she said sourly. "I have to get my arm looked at," she said, her voice thready and her face pale.

I sat and twisted my knees to a more comfortable position, feeling the cool breeze coming in the shattered window and gaping door and wondering how I was going to get up. My knees were doubly in pain now that Ivy had my amulet, but I wasn't going to ask for it back. It was so unfair. The coven could kill people using white magic with no reprisal, but I use a black curse to save someone and I get shu

Jenks hovered between us, flying in a slow arch and spilling blue sparkles. "Ivy, I'm sorry. Crap-for-brains is gone. Jax, too."

I exhaled heavily and looked to the back of the church. Why am I not surprised?

"It means naught." Pierce's expression was grim. "He's a no-account scoundrel, and we're better off without. Mistress Ivy, can you stand?"

No-account scoundrel? Nick wasn't the one who'd been buried alive, I thought, disgusted with myself while eying Pierce as he helped Ivy up. God, he looked good—capable and sure of himself even as my life twisted into a more complicated knot. A pang of fear hit me, unexpected and shocking as I remembered crying for Kisten. I can't do this.

"Pierce, do you think you could drive if I coached you?" Ivy asked, long fingers gripping his shoulder with a white-knuckled strength.

Swallowing hard, I forced my thoughts from Kisten. Heartache echoed in me as I lurched upright, my knees protesting. "I can take you to the hospital. Where are my keys?" She needed to be checked out. Get a CT scan or something.

"Not your car," she said breathily as she gazed at the floor. "It's totaled."

"Totaled!" I cried. "When were you going to tell me?"

Jenks sifted gold dust to make a temporary sunbeam on the old oak floor. "Some time between telling you David had to drop you from his insurance and that the state is taking your driver's license. Something about a condition that causes you to vanish suddenly."

I put a hand to my middle. I couldn't take the bus for the rest of my life. This was so unfair.

"Ow, ow! Don't touch it, Pierce! You idiot!" Ivy shouted as he probed her arm. "I told you it was broken!"

Pierce pulled his hand away, glaring right back at her black-eyed stare, and I jerked when there was a scuffing of shoes on the stairs outside.

"It's Gle

"Gle

Ivy held her arm to her middle, looking up past her hair to the open door, shrugging.

"Hello?" the big man's voice boomed out, cautiously. "Rachel? Ivy? Everyone okay?"

Pixies flew over us in a wave, going to meet the FIB detective. I swear, the man had to have some elven blood in him the way Jenks's kids took to him. Either that, or they liked the smell of gun oil.

"Come on in, Gle

"Ivy?" Gle

"Rachel, what do you do? Put an ad in the paper for trouble?" Gle

"Ha, ha. Very fu

I watched Pierce closely as Gle

"It's my arm that's broken. I can walk," she said irately, pulling away from both men.

Pierce shook Gle

Gle

I started hobbling to the kitchen to get another pain amulet, my grip tight on the smooth wood of the pool table. The pixies were hovering over it, heads down as they poked the burnt felt with their swords. It was totally ruined. I'd have to get it refelted. Sorry, Kisten.

"Ah, I came over to tell you I have an ID on the woman who attacked you," Gle

"Let me guess," I said, inching along. "Vivian Smith is a member of the coven of moral and ethical standards."

"The witch broke into my church." Jenks darted about the sanctuary, counting his kids.

"Really." Gle

"Yeah. And now they want my ovaries," I said dryly. Step-ow. Step-ow.

Gle

Ivy looked ill on the pixy-dusted, smoldering couch, her arm cradled against her. "Gle

"I can so," I complained, but he was watching me inch along, shaking his head.

"Looks like you need to be admitted, too," he said. "You want to file a report?"

I grimaced. "Against the coven? Ri-i-i-ight." Accepting Gle