DISCLAIMER: THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE HOLLOWS AND ALL CHARACTERS THEREIN ARE OWNED BY THE LOVELY KIM HARRISON.

In the Bedroom

CHAPTER 2

I told Bis to wait for me in the kitchen and I headed off to my bedroom to change and make sure I was reasonably presentable. Okay, so maybe I wanted to look more than presentable. Al always responded favorably when I looked put-together. Above almost anything else, Al held a great appreciation for aesthetics. I wanted to look my best.

I untied my apron and tossed it into the hamper and then changed into a pair of fitted jeans and put on a clean, black tank top. I pulled a dark green sweater over my head and adjusted it as I looked at myself in the floor-length mirror mounted on the back of my bedroom door. The sweater was lightweight and feminine - a v-neck, cashmere blend Ivy had bought me one Solstice. It brought out the green in my eyes and made me look really good, hugging what little curves I had as if it had been custom made to fit my body. I pulled on a rugged yet sexy pair of black boots to complete the outfit. Looking into the mirror, I was pleased with what I saw. I had spent extra time this morning blowing my hair out straight and had tied it back in a low ponytail. I even put on a bit of makeup – nothing dramatic, just subtle enough to bring out my best features. One final check in the mirror confirmed that I was looking great and ready to go.

I reached down and grabbed a small messenger bag I had packed with a change of clothes, and headed back out to the kitchen to find Bis waiting on top of the refrigerator where I had left him.

"What's the plan, Miss Rachel?" he asked, his red eyes glowing with excitement.

I looked down at my wrist and I knew it was purely psychological, but the weight of the silver bracelet felt more leaden than ever. "Before I left the hospital, Trent gave me the incantation to remove the bracelet," I explained to Bis.

"So I was thinking," I continued, "it'd go something like this. Step 1, I say the magic words. Step 2, the bracelet falls off. Step 3, I spindle just enough line energy to keep us in tact for the duration of our trip, but hopefully not enough to alert the demon collective, or Al, to my presence."

Bis frowned and shifted his weight from foot to foot, a move he only displayed when he was nervous. He said, "Sounds okay to me, I guess. But don't you think Al will know you're alive as soon as you tap a line?"

"Which is why we're doing this during the day," I explained. "Even if he feels it, he can't just pop over here during the day when the lines are closed to summoning."

Bis' frown deepened. "I sure hope Al's not angry," he cautioned.

"Don't worry, Bis," I assured him with a smile. "It will be fine. That's why we have the cake!" I exclaimed.

I looked around the floor of the kitchen and found one of the eco-friendly, cloth bags Ivy made me use when we went grocery shopping. Shaking out the bag, I said to Bis, "I'm just going to pack a few more things and then I'll be set."

I opened the refrigerator and retrieved the bag of fresh morello cherries for the cake topping, setting them on the center island to be packed last. If they didn't go in last, they'd be squashed on the bottom of the bag and turned into jam before Bis and I even got into the ley line. I loaded in a block of sharp, English farmhouse cheddar and a fresh baguette Ivy had picked up for me at the bakery this morning, both of which I intended to use to make Al a few sandwiches. I may not be great at math, but who can argue with the equation that good food = happy demon?

I crouched down to reach one of the shelves below the counter and pulled out a few ley line supplies I might need, should Al decide to turn our reunion into a tutoring day. My calling mirror, a fresh stick of magnetic chalk, and a handful of candles in assorted colors rounded out the cargo I threw into the grocery bag.

"So," I said, turning back to Bis. "What do you think? Are you okay spending a day in the ever-after?"

"Yeah, Miss Rachel," he agreed. "It's okay," he said, with sullen resolve.

After a brief pause he added, "I sure wish Al's gargoyle was more friendly. She's kinda scary," he remarked, the tufts of his ears going white.

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she is a bit testy, isn't she? But," I said, "we're gonna bring something for her as well."

Bis perked his ears forward, looking hopeful. I reached under the island again and found the two coffee cans I had stashed there this morning in preparation for the trip. Who says I can't plan as well as Ivy? Pfft!

I held up the first can and shook it a bit, the contents sounding like seeds rattling inside a maraca. "Fresh coffee grounds," I explained, and tossed the can into the bag. "And," I continued, "some river rocks from one of the flowerbeds in the garden," I said, holding up the second can as its contents shifted. Bis flattened his ears against his head at the piercing sound of hard objects clanging against the metal of the can.

I rearranged the contents of the grocery bag to make room for the cans and suggested, "If we can soften Al up with food, maybe we can do the same for Treble."

Bis eyed me in wary skepticism, then shrugged his wings. "It can't hurt," he agreed.

Bis spread his wings and floated down from his perch atop the refrigerator, landing on the center island with grace and skill and hardly making a sound.

"So where do you want me to jump us?" he asked. "The easiest way to locate Al will be for me to tune into him through your demon mark," he explained, shifting his gaze to the scar on my arm that held the flourishing script of a circle and slash that was Al's signature, evidencing that the person wearing the mark (that'd be me) owned the demon a favor. The whole concept of demon marks still made me a wee bit squeamish, but demons didn't seem big on 'trust'. They were like dogs, in a way, peeing on fire hydrants to mark their territory. Only demons did it with slightly more style, I'd give them that.

For half a second, I thought about what Bis had said. That… did not seem like a great idea. "Is there another way? One that won't potentially put Al on high alert?"

"I dunno, Miss Rachel," he admitted. "I've only been to Al's place one time. Not enough to have remembered the exact resonance of his domain, though," he confessed, bowing his head as if he was afraid he was letting me down.

"Hmm…," I thought aloud, cocking my hip to the side. "Well, if that's the way we need to do it, then that's the way we'll do it."

Piling in the cherries on top of everything else, I took one last look at the contents of both bags, feeling confident I had packed everything I wanted to take with me. The only thing left to do was prepare the cake for transportation and then we were good to go.

"Hey, Bis, help me with something?"

"Sure, Miss Rachel," he said.

"We're going to put the cake on this," I explained, retrieving a cake stand from one of the kitchen cabinets. The stand had a sturdy pedestal and was cut from heavy, lead crystal. My mom had given it to me before selling the rest of her worldly belongings and moving out West. It wouldn't have been my style, but it had a domed lid that would hopefully keep my creation safe during transit. There was really no other option if I wanted the cake to arrive at Al's in one piece.

Bis held the base of the stand as I held my breath and carefully slid the cake from the baking sheet onto the stand. Letting out a sigh of relief, I placed the dome on top.

"Okay, Bis. I'm ready when you are."

Bis flew to rest on my shoulder, his tail wrapping around my upper arm.

"Here we go!" I proclaimed.

My heart was racing as if I'd done a hard sprint up Carew Tower. I took a deep breath to steady myself, and on a slow exhale, I spoke the incantation:

Jam tibi impero et
praecipio, libera me

Elven magic, wild and unpredictable, swirled around us in an invisible cyclone. The silver chain chimed in harmonic resonance, like the pulsing, soul-drenching tone produced by a Tibetan singing bowl. As the sound rang out, the wind around us smelled of grass and forest and I watched as the clasp of the bracelet suddenly released with a ping. The band that had kept me hidden from the demon collective for the past two weeks fell to the counter. An unseen hand began unbraiding the delicate metalwork, the individual silver strands then dissolving into a puff of white smoke that was carried away on the wild wind, leaving Bis and me in a deafening silence.

"Well," I breathed, "time to see if I can tap a line. As soon as I do, Bis," I said, looking at him perched on my shoulder, "do your thing. You handle the journey. I'll circle my thoughts to keep us together."

"You got it, Miss Rachel."

I reached down and grabbed both bags, then gently grasped the base of the cake stand, placing one hand on top of the dome to keep the cake steady and secure.

My heart still racing, I reached out and attempted to connect with the small ley line that ran along the back of the church. I felt the line's familiar energy rush into me in an instant, warm and welcoming like a favorite comfort food. Quickly, I spindled only a fraction of the energy I could hold in my chi, hoping it was enough to keep us together when we traveled the lines but not enough to alert the entire demon contingency to my apparent resurrection.

"Do it, Bis!" I shouted.

In an instant, I felt my body dissolve and instinctively circled my thoughts around Bis and myself, keeping our essence whole as we were propelled along the line at lightning speed.

We had traveled for what seemed like only a few seconds when I heard Bis echo in my thoughts. We're almost there, Miss Rachel. And then world came back to me in a rush. I quickly looped my energy around us, pushing our souls back into our rematerialized bodies. A wave of nausea enveloped me but receded quickly. In the disorientation, I fumbled to maintain my balance and bumped my elbow on what felt like a piece of sturdy furniture, nearly dropping the cake.

"Ow!" I gasped, struggling to regain my equilibrium. Why the hell do they call it the 'funny bone', godamnit? There is nothing funny about hitting it – ugh!

The throbbing in my elbow retreated to a dull ache and I tried to get my bearings. The room was pitch black and somehow unfamiliar. I shifted my feet and the sound was muffled. I was definitely standing on a hardwood floor, but something was dampening the sounds – either tapestries or rugs, I was guessing, or a combination of both. The only room it could have been was Al's library, but the smells were all wrong. This room smelled of old wood and earth, with the definite, masculine scent of sandalwood.

"Crap on toast," I swore. "Where the hell are we?" I whispered to Bis.

"Can you jump down off my shoulder, Bis?" I asked. "I need you to hold the cake for a sec."

Bis jumped and landed to my right, presumably onto whatever piece of furniture had assaulted my elbow. I felt his clawed hands brush mine as he grabbed onto the base of the stand. "Got it, Miss Rachel," Bis replied, his voice a gravely hush.

I blindly reached into the grocery bag until my fingers found the waxy texture of a candle. I pulled it out and lit it with my thoughts, using the last of the remaining energy I had spindled in my chi.

The candle provided minimal light - not enough for me to be able to recognize where the hell we were.

"I don't know where we are, Bis. Are we in a closet or something?" I asked, my voice still a hushed whisper. Maybe Al had managed to get that extra room from Tron? It had, after all, been a couple of weeks. And Al was one hell of an enterprising demon.

"I don't think it's a closet, Miss Rachel," Bis replied.

"Well," I said, "this isn't the kitchen. And it isn't the library. It's not even the foyer," I remarked, moving the candle around and squinting, trying to get a better sense of the room we had transported ourselves into. "Are you sure this is Al's place?" I asked Bis.

"I'm sure, Miss Rachel. Al's here. I followed his energy signature and this is where it led."

I held the light out in front of me and looked down to find dark wood floorboards covered with what appeared to be an authentic Persian rug. My eyes were slowly adjusting to the darkness but I was still disoriented. I took a tentative step forward and followed the outline of the rug until it met a chunky, intricately carved pillar in the same or similar wood as the floorboards. I raised the candle, tracing the outline of the pillar as I moved my gaze upwards with the light. My eyes followed the carvings as they rose up on a column that almost touched the ceiling before meeting a chunky, wooden canopy.

Oh, shit!

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!

I froze - my pulse racing, my heart beating out of my chest.

I moved the candle slightly to my left. Dark fabric pooled next to the column of wood and cascaded to the floor, shifting slightly as the Al-shaped lump that lay beneath moved under the covers.

"Oh, shit, Bis!" I exclaimed. "You jumped us into Al's bedroom!"