Chapter Seven

The Mystery Guy

It had been a week since Trent had come to me in my sleep and told me the truth, well I knew the truth but still. I asked if I could tell Ivy and Jenks so they would stop looking at me like a wounded puppy, I have no more wounds to lick, it was getting annoying. He said I could if I made sure they knew how many people would die, including their families, if it got out. I decided to play a dinner and tell them, so I bought groceries at my new favorite store. The lady who had told me that she was on my side and I had become real good friends. Her name was Susie, we had so much in common, her first boyfriend also was a thieving human. I found it quite funny, and suddenly felt bad for Nick, only for a moment. I also considered telling Al, but that'd be suicide. Since dinner wasn't until late tonight, I decide to finish the sell to see what the hair Ivy had found was, since last time I sort of beat up Al, in the middle.

"This time I will set a strong circle... though he has no reason to appear and beat me up again. Then again it is Al..." I shrugged and set up my supplies, I had to buy a new mixing bowl and supplies as my tantrum last time ruined it all. Ivy wasn't here this time, she was out on a run with Nina.

"Okay, let's see. Poppy seed, dandelion fluff, daisy petals, add some oil." I added each one as I said it, then mixed it all together. All I had to do was add some blood and a piece of hair, and it would glow green for Human, blue for Inderlander, and red for Demon. Can't get more specific then that...

"Okay, now for my blood. I swear one of these days I'm going to start pouring blood out of all these finger stick holes." I snorted as I pricked my finger and dropped it into the blood, I watched as the mixured turned a dull grey, first I paniced until I realized I didn't add the hair...

"Duh, Rachel!" I snorted again and opend the baggy, I pulled out of strand and dropped it into the mixture. Like expected there was a flash and poof of smoke, as it worked its well, magic. Once the smoke had cleared, which smelled oddly of cinnamon, which made me think of Trent and sigh. I looked down into the bowl, it was a bright shade of red. "Figures... but he didn't smell of demon though. Maybe he lives on this side of the lines like I do? I'm sure Al would know of another demon over here... hmm..." I was about to call him, when the mixture turned blue, then back to red, then a mixture of the two colors.

"What on Earth is that supposed to mean..." I sighed and slumped against the sink. "Maybe Al has a more specific spell?" I bent down and dug around for my scrying mirror. I found it behind my spell books, I set it down beside my mixture bowl incase I need to show him, in a sense.

"Earth to Al, come in Al." I snickered as I heard him grumble.

"What is it Itchy Witch, I'm busy?" He puffed some hair out of his face.

"I wanted to ask you if had any more specific locator spells then mine? Also if you knew of any demons that lived over here? I have a very interesting problem..." I glanced at the mixture it was red again, but it was slowly turning blue. I sighed.

"Let me check... and no demons can live over there, you know that." He snapped, I sighed, I knew of two.

"I know of two... me and Lee... " I smiled when I heard him curse, having forggoten us.

"Well, you two don't exactly count. You were not born in the Ever-After and only became demons after your hunny buns daddy turned you into one." He said as he riffled through some old books.

"He's not my hunny bun... he turned everyone against me remember?" I snapped, but it was Als turn to smile.

"Your hunny bun isn't very good at keeping his communications closed, I heard everything during your night time chat Itchy Witch..." He beamed, my face however fell and probably flushed at that.

"How... never mind. Shh... if anyone finds ou-" I started, but Al cut me off mid-sentance.

"Relax, I don't plan on telling anyone, at least no one of consequance... I don't know anyone important. Why can't you just kill the elfin bitch?" He said as he picked up a book and made a sound of delight.

"If only Al, if only. But, that would bring her father and the whole west coast down on us. Unfortunately... trust me, I want her dead too." I sighed and jumped when a book appeared next to me.

"Laws are a pain aren't they..." He sighed sadly. "Page 306, the locator charm on that page will find everything you need to know about who you are looking for." He smiled and started fussing over something.

"It's not the laws I'm worried about, it's retribution from her family and follows. All I'd have to do is set a demon on her... and make sure it didn't trace back to me. Easy when that demon's you." I smiled as I heard him chuckle.

"That's my demoness... " He chuckled once more, I felt myself giggle, a real giggle in two weeks, it felt great.

"Thanks Al, can you do some searching on the demon thing please?" I told Al the description of the guy and everything I knew, before he cut he connection to finish his spell for a new familiar.

"Okay, this one's a bit more complicated. Set Circle, check. Get ingredients, willow bark, willow leaves, vine juice, and cotton. Okay, I got all those." I placed the mixture in a vat of salt water and gave it a good scrub along with my hands, before I rinsed it off and placed it back on the counter. I put away the other ingredients and got out the willow bark, willow leaves, vine juice, and cotton.

"Okay, so crush up the willow bark and place it into the bowl." I crushed the bark in a seperate bowl and sprinkled it into th bowl. "Next add the cut up willow leaves, okay." I pulled out my spelling scissors, I dunked them in the salt water before using them, I cut up the willow leaves and dumped them in with the powdered bark. "Next drizzle the vine juice over the bark and leaves, then mix them together until well blended." I grabbed my container of vine juice. Jenks once thought it was honey and drank some, boy was he mistaken, he had the runs for a week. I giggled at the thought and drizzled everything with the juice, making sure it get plenty in.

"Now mix it..." I grabbed my spelling spoon and mixed them together until nothing dry was left. "Next, take a piece of cotton dunk it in the solution and rub it all over the item you want spelled. Okay, that's odd..." I pulled out a third bowl and dropped one of the hairs in side of it, next Igrabbed some cottom soaked it then dripped it onto the hair, before I rubbed it in all over. "Now what...?" I looked at the book. "Last thing is you add you blood to the item and then place it in a still bowl of water, and watch the magic happen. Very odd." I grabbed another finger stick and poked my finger, I dropped three blots of blood onto the hair, then slid it intoa bowl of water.

"Okay, now what?" I reread the last line. "Watch the magic... happen." I sighed and sat back to wait, I didn't wait long, when the bowl of water started to turn red. "How's that any different?" Then it shimmered into a gold color, before blue, then out of the bowl a voice boomed.

"You said you would get this done. That summoning that demon would kill her, or we could. You lied to us McShammon" Said a voice I remembered as the fifty-ish woman from the black coven raid.

"I said, do it and she will come. I never said she be killed by the demon or her. I just wanted to see her abilities. She is quite talented." Said the person called McShammon.

"Talented? All she did was set a demon on us and watched. What's talented about that?" She screamed, I could almost feel the man smile at her stupidity.

"She released a demon, forced him to attack you and survived. How is that not talent?!" He shouted back, he coughed and adopted that smile he had earlier.

"...Oh... right. Now what do we do?" She asked a little more subdoed.

"Now, now we wait for her to make the next move Susie, we wait for her to make the next move." He chuckled, as the sound was cut off.

"Whoa!" I sat shocked on the counter, so his name was McShammon, sounded Irish. "So he's smarter then he appears, and more powerful if he can best a living vampire easily." I tapped my chin as I wondered about this man, McShammon, and how was Susie not in jail or the hospital?

"Too many questions... not enough answers. Not to mention I can't stop thinking about Trent... so worried about him and that bitch. I never should have left the IS." I sighed and slide off the counter and slid to the floor.

"Rache, you okay? You seem a bit down..." Jenks landed on my knee, that was when I realized my circle had broken.

"My life is a mess, that's what!" I snapped, then sighed.

"My life ain't roses, neither is Ivys. Why we fit together perfectly." He smiled, and I knew he said it to cheer me u, but it didn't.

"Wish these guys would leave me alone, and Trent would make a choice, me or them. Then I can live my life." I knew that was never going to happen.

"Okies, off to work then. Find out who this McShammon and Susie are, and what they want." I stood up to stretch and clean u, when I found Ellsbeth in my kitchen.

"...Ellsbeth... I haven't been anywhere near Trent!" I found myself saying, no clue why, not like the bitch scared me.

"I know, I know, I need your help. Someone's trying to kill Trent." She pulled out a tissue and blew her nose.

Two things about that shocked me, one she asked for my help, and two she was crying.

"I've not allowed within feet of him remember?" I said, a little to snottily for my liking.

"You don't have to, just find out who's trying to kill him." She sniffed and sat down at the farm table, in my spot.

"Why?" I asked, I wasn't sure if she was serious or not, also I had to play the scorned lover, who hated Trent. If I jumped in to eagerly she'd be suspicous.

"Because you love him?" She said shocked.

"Love him? He ripped my heart out while you laughed. And now you want meto save him?!" I said shocked, as how much what they had done still hurt even though I knew the truth.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry! I forced Trenton into doing it. He loves you and not me, and I hate you for that!" She snapped, but sighed and slumped against the table. "But, please help him."

I was shocked, apparently so was Jenks from the color of his dust. "Wait, you made him say all that nasty stuff, and now you expect me to hel you?" I snapped at her, I already knew that, but hearing her admit it made it hurt all over again.

"I know, I know!" She yelled, but then sighed and buried her head in her hands. "My fathertold me to keep Trent at all costs, all costs. Now, I see that is wrong... you can't make someone love you... it has to just happen. I'm jealous of what you have with Trent, that's all I've ever wanted."She didn't lift her head up, but I knew she was crying.

"Okay, I'll do it... but, only if you drop this charade and let us be together. And tell Cincy it was all a lie... I might have horrid reputation but I was never a slut." I expected her to argue and complain, but to my surprise she didn't.

"Done, I'll even apologize to Trenton." She stood up and smiled for the first time.

"Ellsbeth, I'm a demon, with a nasty mentor, If you are lying there won't be any place in the ever after or reality for you to hide, understand?" I tried to make sure I was using my dangerous voice, but I wasn't sure I had one,m but she looked pretty scared.

"I understand, please, can we hurry? Trenton woke to find one of his horses heads in bed with him..." She shivered and covered her mouth with her hanky.

"Yuck! Did it make bad horse jokes?" Jenks laughed, until I gave him a dark look, he coughed and decided to excuse himself.

I hadn't told Ivy or Jenks about Trent and mines dream talk, as they would have just whined it wasn't real and stuff, easier to just not tell them. "Let me clean up here and shower." I sighed and cleaned up my mess, she must have been terrified, not one threat at all. I knew I should be suspicious, but I didn' get any bad feelings from her, she was truly terrified.

"Jenks show her the bathroom..." I shouted as I pulled my cell out to text Quen.

'Did Trent wake to find a horse head in bedwith him?'

'How did you know?' He replied, I sighed relieved.

'I was just hired by Ellsbeth to "save" him.'

'Ah, I'd wondered where she had gone. Are you doing it?' Heasked, even though I'm pretty sure he knew the answer.

'Duh! I told her she had to remove this restraining order on me, and if she goes back on her word, nothing in both worlds can safe her!' I blinked at my anger.

'I believe it, and I... hope she does. Trent is unbearable.' He replied, I could just picture him sighing.

"Are you ready Rachel?" Ellsbeth smiled at me.

I sighed and decided to just shower and spray self with perfume. "Let me change, then we can go."

"Great, I'll be in the car." She walked out.

"That wench had better not betray you or she'll have a lot more then just you and Al after her!" Jenks sneered, I smiled, it was nice to feel loved.