Ever After (Rachel Morgan)

book open as I went to the cupboard. Muttering under my breath, I grabbed the first cup I touched, only to realize it had blue butterflies on it.
    “Who in hell bought a mug with blue butterflies on it!” I shouted, slamming it on the counter beside the stove. “We are serious people doing serious things! I don’t have time for butterflies!”
    Chamomile. That’s supposed to be soothing, right? I thought as I ripped the individual package open and dropped it into the cup. I didn’t drink tea often, but it was getting late and I was going to have a hard enough time getting to sleep as it was. Gone. Bis was with that monster, and I was more than livid; I was panicked.
    Unthinking, I reached for the teakettle, jerking my hand away and shaking it as the steam hit my fingertips, burned from trying to break Ku’Sox’s circle. “Damn it!” I exclaimed, slamming drawers until I found the potholder and, more carefully this time, filled my cup. Bits of herbs floated up, and the fragrant steam bathed my face. Crap on toast, the bag was broken.
    My shoulders slumped, and I stopped. From the hallway came the tiny whispers of the pixies—fresh from their midnight nap—watching my tantrum. Sniffing, I pushed my hair out of my face and tried not to cry into my tea as I imagined Bis trapped with Ku’Sox. The little guy was my responsibility. He was probably terrified.
    Staring at my stocking feet with one hand over my middle and the other holding my forehead, I forced myself to breathe. Then I put my arms down, exhaling slowly. I could panic later. Right now, I had to concentrate. The sun would be up in a few hours, and if I didn’t have a plan by then, I’d never get any sleep.
    My hands shook as they encircled the mug. The ceramic was hot on my burned skin, and I changed my grip as I carried it back to the big farm table. I had to shove my spell and curse books to the side, and they threatened to spill off. There was nothing in them. I was coming up empty.
    Depressed, I set the tea down with a soft thud. Elbows on an open book, I stared at the yellowed pages. The plop of a tear on the faded print surprised me, and I wiped it away, sitting up and away from it.
    Bis was gone. Lucy was gone. Ceri was gone. Quen was with us again but unable to do magic. I had until Friday midnight to fix the line and prove to the demons that I could keep Ku’Sox from killing them. I knew how to fix the line, but I couldn’t do it without Bis. If I told the demons what Ku’Sox was doing, Ku’Sox would turn everything around onto me. I didn’t have any demon-magic-invoking babies for them to escape the dying ever-after with. They wouldn’t help me. The truth didn’t matter. It was all about perception.
    I jerked, my head nearly exploding as, in shrill shrieks, six pixies skated in from the hall on my slipper. Scoot-the-shoe could usually make me laugh as five or six pixies jammed into my slipper; their screaming like they were on a roller coaster and being chased by an orange cat was hilarious. But tonight . . .
    “Jenks!” I shouted, my frustration finding a convenient outlet.
    Jenks darted in, his voice hushed as he corralled his kids, almost unheard as his kids complained, fussed, and finally left, flying my slipper out three feet above the floor. “Sorry, Rache. They’ll leave you alone.”
    I looked up. He was hovering miserably in the dark threshold, a faintly glowing yellow dust slipping from him. Immediately a layer of guilt slathered itself over my already bad mood, making me even more depressed. “I’m sorry,” I whispered, my hand gesturing uselessly as it sat on the table. “Your kids are okay.” God help me, I’d only made things worse.
    He drifted up and down, looking as helpless as I felt. “We’ll get him back,” he finally said, then darted out when someone yelled at her brother to leave her alone.
    I turned to the book, not seeing the print. Flipping a page, I felt the tingle of black magic stab my burned fingers. Hissing, I curled my hand into a fist and shoved the book away. I flopped back angrily into the chair, almost knocking myself backward. I knew how to fix the line, but not without Bis. I could get Bis back, but only if I fixed the line.
    Jenks and Belle were in the hall, Belle’s lisping whispers obvious but not clear enough to decipher. Depressed, I slumped. I was ruining everyone’s day. Yay, me. I was still staring at the faded demon print when Jenks edged into the kitchen, looking as