Burning Bright (Ivy Granger) by E.J. Stevens

Author:E.J. Stevens [Stevens, E.J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sacred Oaks Press
Published: 2014-06-06T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 29

Sparky and I made it to Wharf Street with two minutes to spare. I yawned and rubbed a hand over my face. Oberon’s eyes, I was tired.

My eyelids drifted closed for a second, but the scrabbling of claws on stone woke me from my near-nap. God, I was stupid. I couldn’t let my guard down, not in this city, not with Moordenaar hot on my tail.

“Humphrey?” I asked. A growl from behind me lifted the hairs on my neck. “That you, big guy?”

I turned to see the gargoyle baring it’s fangs at Sparky. The imp, to his credit, stood at my back, pencil at the ready. Though what he thought it would do to a stone gargoyle was anybody’s guess. I suppose he could get in some graffiti before Humphrey crushed him. Not much of a consolation prize that.

Guess it was up to me to make sure that didn’t happen.

“Um, Humphrey, meet Sparky,” I said. “He’s with me.”

“He’s a demon,” Humphrey hissed.

“Well, yeah, I know,” I said. I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. I should have thought about the gargoyle’s reaction sooner. “Actually, there’s another demon coming too.”

Unless the bastard stood me up. Forneus was late.

“Not inside,” Humphrey said. The gargoyle cracked his knuckles, which was just damn creepy. “Not without Madam Kaye or Mistress Arachne’s permission.”

I held up my hands.

“Okay, okay,” I said. “Let me call Arachne.”

The gargoyle and imp stared each other down while I grabbed my phone and dialed the witch.

“Ivy?” she asked. “Everything alright?”

“Um, not exactly,” I said. “I’m outside with Humphrey and I’ve got a demon with me…and another one on his way. I was hoping you could give us all permission to enter.”

“You’re kidding, r-r-right?” she asked.

“No, I wish I was,” I said with a sigh.

“But Kaye’s still not here,” she squeaked.

I lowered my head and massaged my temple. I’d held out a slim hope that Kaye might be here when we arrived.

“Yeah, I figured,” I said. “But you and I need to talk, and Forneus might be able to help us figure out how to fix Jinx.”

“Forneus?” she asked. “Isn’t he the demon Kaye rages about?”

“Um, yeah,” I said.

Arachne let out a laugh.

“By the Goddess, Ivy,” she said. “You don’t ask much, do you?”

Yeah, I was a shitty friend. That wasn’t news to me.

“Sorry, kid,” I said. “Kaye’s gone and it’s up to you to make the call. I can leave the demons outside, but I’d rather have them where I can keep an eye on them. And, for what it’s worth, Forneus has helped us in the past…and he cares about Jinx.”

I left it at that, letting the silence hang between us. Either Arachne would let us in, or she wouldn’t. There was nothing left to say, and begging wasn’t my style.

“Fine, whatever,” she said with a sigh. I heard the girl set down the phone, mutter something unintelligible, and come back on the line. “There, it’s done. You can pass through in the company of two demons. But if they do anything I don’t like, I’ll let Humphrey eat them for breakfast.

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