CHAPTER 6

Newt returned to the bed and touched Rachel's face.

"You have so much potential, and Algaliarept is squandering it."

Rachel pulled away. She heard Ivy breath a sigh of relief. "Tell me something I don't know."

"I have spoken to Dali. I explained to him how Algaliarept is failing you as a teacher, and he ultimately agreed to shift your internship to me for a time, to see if I can do any better."

'Oh crap.' Rachel didn't know whether to be angry or scared. "You didn't think to ask me?"

Newt frowned. "No."

"This is my life we're talking about! I'm having a hard enough time keeping Al's paws off me, while squeezing out a few facts from his books every now and then. You're insane! What am I supposed to learn from you?"

"You know how to jump a line. Witches need a gargoyle to do it without hurting themselves. You can do it without hurting yourself without the gargoyle, but Algaliarept won't tell you how, will he?"

Rachel blinked. "No."

"You just have to make a solid connection between where you are and where you're going. If you just step into the line and go to the ever after, of course it's going to hurt. The more specific your destination the smoother the ride." Newt cocked her head. "Like today. You went to see Algaliarept, did you not?" Rachel nodded. "You just went. That was foolish. If you had focused on, say, his kitchen, the transition would have been so much less jarring. The same is true for coming back home."

"It can't be that easy. Pierce told me he always got headaches."

Newt nodded. "Gordian Nathaniel Pierce is just a witch. You are so much more." She smiled. "Like me."

"Stop saying that! God! I am nothing like you!"

"We are kin, Rachel Mariana Morgan."

Rachel frowned. "Witches evolved from demons, thanks to the elves." She shook her head. "We may have a similar genetic background but that doesn't actually mean we are related to one another."

"No, but we are."

"You're babbling again, demon."

Newt's brow furrowed. "I am not babbling. I do not babble. No babbling for me. We are kin."

"No, we…"

"Your witch line descends from my offspring. You should know this already."

Rachel shuddered. 'Newt is my ancestor? That's a scary thought.' "What are you talking about?"

"I told this to Ivy Alisha Tamwood." Newt sighed as Rachel resisted the urge to look over her shoulder. "You've had a lesson for today, and there are things I must attend to. I'm not like Gally. I have no interest in keeping you on a leash. I'll see you…" She shrugged. "…when I see you." She tapped the line behind the church, and vanished.

Rachel turned to Ivy, who refused to meet her gaze. "I think we need to talk."

Jenks went over to Keasley's to get his kids, while Rachel retreated to Ivy's bedroom. She couldn't stand being in her own right now, not with the lingering thought of Newt walking around naked in her closet, touching her things…she shuddered, and focused her attention instead on Ivy, standing in the corner with arms crossed protectively over her chest.

"Why did she say she told Ivy? When she was here, a month ago?" Ivy nodded. "You've known for a month that Newt is, or says she is, my ancestor, and you didn't see fit to tell me?"

Ivy shrugged. "It's not like that. A month ago, you and I weren't…you and I yet. I was going to tell you, after everything calmed down, then Skimmer showed up and we started…" She sighed. "To be honest, it didn't seem that important. You've told me how crazy Newt is. I just assumed she was mixed up or confused, or maybe just flat out lying."

"You still should have told me."

Ivy came forward, stopping just short of actually touching her witch. Her eyes were ringed with black from the emotions Rachel was giving off, but neither of them was about to back down. "I don't get it. Even if it's true, what does it matter? You already knew witches come from demons. You…your mom…your brother…Takata…Marshal…Lee…what difference does it make if you happen to know the identity of the particular demon part of your family line originates from?"

"It just does, Miss Tamwood." The name came out harsher than she intended, and Rachel regretted it as soon as she said it, seeing the upset look on her lover's face. Vampires bloodlines were important to them, the further back it could be traced the more prestige and power, at least in a political sense, the family had. "Ivy, look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

"Yes you did," Ivy hissed. "And you're right. I was out of line. Will you forgive me?"

Rachel smiled. "I already have."

"Still, I feel like I should try and make it up to you." Ivy arched an eyebrow as she got a good sense of what her witch was thinking, and she gave her a knowing, half-smile. "Any ideas how I can do that?"

Rachel licked her lips. "I have a few."