White Witch, Black Curse

"Not to mention I'd be frail and lower on the food chain," she added, a soft blush coloring her skin, attention going to the screen, avoiding us. "Anyone could take advantage of me and probably would, seeing as I've got a past. The way things are now, no one dares."

Cold, I tugged my robe closed. "You can feel strong without the vampire virus."

"Yeah, right," she said, and my expression froze at her flash of anger. "I like being a vampire. It's losing my soul that scares me. If I knew I wouldn't lose it when I die, I might try harder to…conform." Her eyes met mine, my magic books stacked between us, all brought down this morning from the belfry. "You really think you can make me human?"

Jenks's kids came rushing in with a burst of noise and silk, and I shrugged as he corralled them, pushing them out ahead of him as he went to see what had them in a tizzy. "I don't know," I said in the abruptly quiet kitchen. "Trent has a treatment. It only has an eleven percent success rate, and it only makes the virus and neurotoxins dormant. If you survived taking it, you'd still become an undead and lose your soul when you died. Rynn Cormel would say it was a failure." I smiled thinly, thinking it sucked to be a vampire, even one as respected as Ivy. "It might make your life easier. Or it might kill you." I wasn't going to risk an 11 percent chance of success. Not with Ivy.

"Actually," I said, hesitant to bring it up, "I was thinking along the lines of a curse that can turn you human."

"Or witch?" Ivy said, surprising me. There was a soft vulnerability in her and I blinked.

"You don't want to be a witch," I said quickly.

"Why not? You are."

Jenks came back in with one of his kids, her wings tangled up in what was probably spiderweb. "I think you should be a pixy," he said, fingers sifting dust as they gently ran over Jrixibell's wing to clean it. "You'd look so cute with your little wings and your sword. I'd let you fight in my garden anytime."

A smile quirked her lips, then died. "A witch can't be turned," she said shortly.

"Neither can a Were," said Jenks, smiling as he boosted his child into the air and the little girl zipped out, hurting my ears with her shout to wait for her.

Ivy was lost in thought, and I couldn't help my smile as I thought of David. I think she was, too, when she turned to her computer, blushing. Cormel would freaking kill me if I turned Ivy into anything other than a vampire with an eternal soul. But seeing as I couldn't be what I wanted, why not use my liability to give Ivy the chance to be what she wanted?

Feeling like something had been settled even though it hadn't, I pushed myself up and went to the pantry. Everything that had been in our fridge was outside. "You want pancakes? I feel like cooking."

"Sure." Her fingers were clicking on the keys, but her eyes were on the three bottles of potion against the wall by the disillusion pot of salt water. "You got the book?" she asked.

I came out of the pantry with the box of mix. "Last night. I'm going out to try it tonight at Fountain Square. You want to come?"

"Will there be news vans and screaming?"

"Probably," I said sourly.

"Count me in," she said, and Jenks snorted from the sill where he was feeding his sea monkeys. The tiny tank of brine had taken the place of honor at the window ever since I'd moved Mr. Fish to the ever-after as my canary, to know if the ever-after was poisoning me.

Leaning against the counter, I read the back of the box. If we had eggs, they were frozen. "Actually, I'm going to rent a van and park it in the garage. Could you help keep people away?"

"If the van's a rockin', don't come a knockin'!" Jenks said, gyrating beside me.

"God, Jenks," I said. "We do have kids in the church."

"How do you think they got here, baby?" he said, laughing.

I set the box down hard, and the mix puffed up into him. "Hey!" he shouted, dusting heavily as he shivered his wings and the mix made a cloud.

Ivy was smiling with closed lips. This was nice. We'd come a long way in a year—all of us. "After you whip that demon's ass, I'll take you and Pierce out for pizza," she offered.

"Deal." Bending, I got the frying pan out from under the counter and put it on the stove. My thoughts went to what spells I could make today to help ensure that Al wouldn't get so pissed he took his mistake out on me. They'd be earth charms, so I wouldn't have to tap a line, but that was where I excelled. Sleepy-time charms for sure.

Ivy stood in a fast motion, and Jenks and I jumped. Either she wasn't hiding her vampire speed, or she was having trouble controlling it. Seeing Jenks's and my alarm, her face scrunched in amusement. "Glenn's car is at the end of the street," she said, and Jenks rose higher, his expression one of disbelief. "I'm getting dressed." Coffee in hand, she walked out.

"Tink's little red thong," Jenks blurted, following her. "You can hear that from here?"

"Today I can," she said, her words fading as she went into her room.