“What if Rick has claws to your’n throat making you say that?” she said through the door.
A laugh stuttered in my chest. “I promise I’m good. On the soul of my land.”
I heard something heavy being slid across the floor. The door cracked open. A dog snout stuck through, then Mud’s right eye. The door went all the way open and Mud and the dog threw themselves at me, Cherry running in circles, wrapping us both in her leash. There was a line of benches stretching from the door to the wall opposite.
“I was scared,” Mud said into my shoulder. Into myshoulder. With her head ducked. She was growing so fast. Not a little girl, no matter how I still thought of her.
“It’s... not good. But it’s okay,” I said. “We’d make tea in the break room, but something’s happening. I need to get to work.”
“Something bad. I know.” She eased away and met my eyes, our eyes nearly on a level. “If it’s okay with you’un—withyou—I’ll be in the sleeping room with Cherry with the door locked.”
“That’s good. Drag in a desk and a chair and anything else you need. I love you, sister mine.”
“Barricade. Yeah. I can do that. I love you too. Be careful.” My sister raced to my office, taking whatever she needed to be safe in the makeshift sleeping room. I went to the conference room and logged on to the communications channel of PsyLED. There were messages already waiting. I opened the one from the local witches, who had been avoiding this case and Unit Eighteen as if we had the plague. The greeting was to T. Laine, but the e-mail had gone to the PsyLED address available to the general public. It read:
Tammie Laine Kent,
A demon is being summoned.
The Knoxville Coven of Witches
I sent the message out as an emergency text to the cells of every PsyLED member, which was the easiest part of the communications I needed to transmit. I then sent them a text about Rick and the grindy, which was a little more complicated. If someone was listening in or reading the text, I had to make sure they understood that Rick had gone into the cage voluntarily, not been forced into his cage by the grindy. Then I had to tell the unit about Soulwood’s reaction, the most tricky part. I hadn’t exactly told them that my land was semisentient or that it wanted to be fed blood. I wasn’t going to tell them that now, either. I reread the last part twice before I sent it. It said simply,I felt it through the earth. A large blood sacrifice. I may be able to track it but need protection.I didn’t add that I needed protection from roots trying to grow into me. Or that the blood was still flowing. Or that Soulwood was awakening, reaching toward the blood. So many things I couldn’t add.
In less than thirty seconds I had replies from Tandy and T. Laine and the rest of the team. They were in vehicles, coming to HQ. Coming to me. Then a text came from JoJo, private, to me.Call FireWind. We need him.
I was shaking, so I made a pot of Community Coffee, which was all the unit drank, wondering why Jo didn’t call our new boss. I poured a cup. Added milk and a lot of sugar to combatmy shakes. I ate the last donut in the box, and it was stale and crumbly and it wasn’t the blood my land wanted, but it settled my stomach. I drank down the coffee for the caffeine.
Ayatas FireWind’s number was in my cell. We all had his number. I punched it. He answered.
“FireWind. Nell Ingram, right?”
“Yes.” I stopped.
“Ingram?”
I was shaking again, not sure why talking to the boss I hadn’t yet met was making me so shaky. “Are you in Knoxville?” I managed.
“Yes. I just checked in to my hotel.”
“You might want to come to HQ. The...” I hesitated and found the proper term in my memory of Spook School classes. Remembering it settled me. I could do this. Steadily I briefed FireWind. “The blood sorcerer has begun a major sacrifice. He’s using alotof blood. Rick was called to his cat and climbed into a silvered cage with a grindy before he shifted. The team is on the way in. I’m going to read the earth and see if I can locate the sacrifice site. If I can, we might need you for backup since mundane cops won’t be any help.” We didn’t know what effect the curse would have on humans. FireWind wasn’t human, and the effect on his species was in doubt too, but I didn’t say that.
From Rick’s office I heard a heavy body hitting metal. The cage rattled hard. Rocked up, slamming down. I peeked through the glass office wall and saw a black leopard in a cage. The calling/curse spell had forced my boss into his cat, inside of silver. That might have forced Rick-the-human to sleep and allowed the wereleopard to take over. And the leopard was trying to get out of his cage. Ramming the walls. The grindy screamed. I felt more blood.
“Is LaFleur being summoned?” FireWind asked.
“Yes.” I wanted to see if I could calm Rick, but the blood sacrifice that was attracting Soulwood’s attention might make things worse.
My cell buzzed and I glanced at the screen. Yummy. Dagnabbit. The vampires might be feeling the spell too.
“On my way. ETA fifteen,” FireWind said. “I’ll bring Loriann Ethier.” The call ended.
I answered Yummy’s call but no one was there. No voice mail. I sent a fast text.Spell of calling. You okay?
I realized that Loriann was likely staying in the same hotel as FireWind. The curse and the blood pulled at me. Iwanted. I swallowed. Groaned. Sat down. Missed my chair, spilling the last sip of my coffee from my mug. I leaned my back and head against the wall. Time passed.
And then Occam was kneeling beside me. He murmured, “Nell, sugar. I’m here.” He touched my shoulder.
I threw myself into his arms. And burst into tears.
