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FIFTEEN
“For Phoenix?” I asked in a whisper. “Shehasbeen drinking a lot.”
“No, dear,” Dean Book said with another sigh. “For you. Can we please come in? This weather you’ve raised is quite chilly.”
“And likely to get colder as the night goes on,” Diana Hart said, shaking the water from her down coat before stepping in. “I do hope it doesn’t freeze. We lost so many trees in the last ice storm.”
They all came into the foyer. I had to struggle to close the door behind them. “How did you know …?”
“I saw that you took the demonology book from my office,” Soheila said, handing me her cloak. “I was at Liz’s house telling her when the wind came up.”
“And I saw the animals breaking from the forest and then heard the wind,” Diana said, handing me her damp down coat. “I called Liz right away and confirmed it was coming from Honeysuckle House.”
“We knew then that you must be trying Angus’s spell for banishing incubi,” Liz said, handing me her heavy fur coat, which gave off a spark of static electricity.
“I could have told you the spell has its drawbacks,” Soheila said. “It certainly should never be used by the person possessed by the incubus.”
“I am notpossessed,” I said huffily. I was going for righteous, but since I was weighted down by the women’s threeheavy coats—Elizabeth Book’s fur alone must have weighed twenty pounds—I sounded more like an aggrieved housemaid. Or, I realized as the women exchanged pitying looks, a dope addict in denial.
“No one everthinksthey’re possessed, dearie,” Diana said, patting me on the arm. “Now why don’t you put those coats away and we’ll sit down with some hot tea. I brought homemade donuts.” She plucked a fragrant paper bag from her quilted purse.
Of course, I thought grumpily as I wrestled the heavy coats into the hall closet—Elizabeth Book’s kept slipping off its hanger as if it didn’t want to go—donuts and caffeine, staples of twelve step programs everywhere. And speaking of rehab…where was Phoenix? She’d been in the library when I went to the door. Had she passed out?
But when I came into the kitchen I found her opening cabinet doors.
“We have an electric kettle,” she was saying, “but I don’t know where it’s gone to. And I can’t find the sugar bowl anywhere…”
“Um…I borrowed those, Fe, they’re up in my room.”
“Well, I’ll just go get them.”
“We can use the kettle on the stove,” Diana said. “I think you probably should stay downstairs, isn’t that right, Callie? I imagine your bedroom’s a little…messy right now.”
I nodded and sat down at the kitchen table. Diana and Elizabeth exchanged a worried glance behind Phoenix’s back.
“I suppose we could try a sleeping spell on her,” Elizabeth said.
“Not advisable for bipolars,” Soheila said, giving Phoenix an assessing look. “Especially if she’s on Depakote.”
“Who’s bipolar?” Phoenix said, popping her head out of the mugs cabinet. It struck me that that was the word that caught her attention, notspell.
“You are, sweetie,” Diana said, putting an arm aroundPhoenix’s shoulders. “Which means you don’t react well to magic. I’m afraid you’re going to have to be around some tonight. I’ll give you some herbs for your nerves later.”
“What are you three?” I asked, tired of feeling ignored in my own kitchen. “Witches?”
Diana laughed. “Well, Liz is, of course. She’s one of the most powerful witches I’ve ever met.” Diana smiled lovingly at the dean and I wondered why it had taken me so long to realize they were a couple. Apparently my gaydar was working about as well as my witchdar. “But me, I’m just a garden variety fairy.”
“Oh my dear, there’s nothing garden variety about you.” Elizabeth slipped an arm around Diana’s narrow shoulders. “Diana is from the ancient line of Fiadh who have tended the fairy deer of the Fairy Queen for time immemorial.”
“I see,” I said, surprised at how unsurprised I was. “And what about you, Soheila—are you a fairy or a witch?”
“Oh, neither,” Soheila said, smiling. “I’m a demon.” Seeing the expression on my face, she laughed. “Ordaemon, as the more politically correct of my tribe call themselves now.”
“Soheila, you really mustn’t be shy about your origins. Soheila is descended from a great Mesopotamian wind spirit…”
“Really, Liz, I don’t think it’s necessary to go into that right now. The important thing for Callie to know is that most of us are no more dangerous than the fairies—although that’s not really saying much. We can discuss genus and species later when we have more time. I’m afraid all you’ve managed to do with your spell is rile up your incubus. We’ve got our work cut out for us.”
There were a lot of surprises in store for me that night, but the first was how easily Phoenix took to the idea that we’d both landed in a college populated by fairies, witches, and demons.
