White Witch, Black Curse

Ford grunted, getting to his feet. Holly cooed in her sleep as he extended his free hand and I slowly found my balance, leaning against the wall until I was sure I wouldn't fall over. The cement was cold on my feet, and I shifted to stand on a corner of the blanket.

"We'll take it slow," he said, clearly unused to Holly's unfamiliar weight.

"Yeah," I whispered, my thoughts turning to him and the relief Holly was giving him. It was beautiful, and I wondered if Ford was truly a human, or a very rare type of Inderlander who hadn't been discovered yet. One who balanced out a banshee. Vampires balanced Weres. Pixies balanced fairies. Witches…okay, maybe there wasn't anything to balance banshees either. Unless witches balanced out demons?

"Ford," I said as we started for the stairs, Mia's light bobbing. "I'm happy for you."

He smiled that blissful smile again when he glanced over his shoulder. "Me, too. She's a gift, and I'll have to give her back someday. But even this little bit is heaven. I'll try to repay Mia by teaching Holly what love is. I can show her that, though I believe Mia and Remus were already doing that admirably. In their own way."

My pace bobbled when Ivy's and Edden's voices filtered down the stairs. Kisten had died to save us both, to keep some lame-ass vampire from screwing our lives up any more than they already were. And he had loved us enough to give his life in exchange for ours. How could I tell Ivy?

My strength pooled out of me, and blinking fast, I stopped, slumping against a pillar. Ford looked uneasy. "Rachel, you're a good person," he said from out of the blue, surprising me. "Remember that. Just…don't worry about the next few hours."

I stared at him, becoming frightened. What did he know that I didn't?

"Call me tomorrow if you need to talk," he said before I could ask. "There's nothing that will ever make me think you're not a good person. That's what's important, Rachel. Who we love and what we do for them."

A last smile, and he started up the stairs with Holly. I heard him speak to Ivy and Edden on the stairs, and then Ivy's familiar steps continued down. She rounded the bottom of the steps, and I smiled thinly when her pace quickened. "Are you okay?"

Kisten, I thought, and my eyes teared. "Yeah," I said softly, and she stood there, looking helpless. Throat thick, I gave her a hug.

And this time, Ivy returned it, her grip almost pressing the air from me.

My first startled reaction shifted to heartache, and I hugged her back, my eyes closed and my heart clenched all the harder. Her vampire incense lifted through me, soothing and exciting at the same time. "You scared me," she said when she let go and backed up a step. Edden was now behind her, playing his flashlight over the ceiling. "I don't like it when you tag someone without backup. Jenks said you tore out of there like a bat out of hell."

"Is he okay?" I asked, and she let go, head bobbing as she wiped her eyes. My own tears threatened as I tried to find the words to tell her I remembered Kisten's death. Thoughts of him were ringing from one ear to the other, making me dizzy.

Knowing something was wrong, Ivy took my arm and didn't let go. "Where's Pierce?" she asked as her eyes lingered on the scrape on my cheek.

My thoughts went to Tom, hanging in the demon's grip, and I hesitated. Had it really been Pierce? Either way, Tom was gone and Mia had seen the entire thing. Misreading my sudden worry, Ivy said, "Al took him, didn't he."

I shook my head. "Yes. No. It wasn't my fault," I said, and Edden squinted at me.

"Rachel…," the FIB officer warned as he took the lantern and gestured to the stairs. "Tell me now, or I'll make you fill out paperwork."

I swallowed hard and shifted my feet because of the cold. The stairs were only thirty steps away—it looked like a mile. My finger throbbed where Al had cut it, and I curled my hands into fists. "Tom Bansen was down here. He was working a deal with Walker to get Holly. He saw Ford touch Holly, so he thought she was safe. Holly killed him."

Edden grunted. "Where is he? Corpses just don't get up and walk away."

"Yes they do," Ivy said, and I leaned heavily on her arm as I looked up the long stairway.

Forcing my breath to stay even, I decided a little lie wouldn't hurt anyone. No one needed to know I'd made the spell that put Pierce inside the shunned witch. "Al got him breathing again and dragged him off," I said softly.

Edden's mouth dropped open, but Ivy snorted. "It's not my fault," I protested.

Crap, I was tired, and as Edden winced, I started for the stairs, muttering, "I'm going home." I wanted to move fast, but it was barely a crawl as Ivy and I shuffled along.

The light swung in Edden's grip as he waited for us to actually reach the stairs. "I want a statement before you leave," he said, and I made a noise of disgust.