Disclaimer: I DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT, OWN THE HOLLOWS SERIES (THE RACHEL MORGAN SERIES) BY KIM HARRISON

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I had written this story a little after A PERFECT BLOOD was released. Unfortunately, I never finished it, only managing to get to five chapters. When I read EVER AFTER, I re-read it and decided to re-write it occurring two months after EA ends. Enjoy!:)

RACHEL'S POV

In my sleeping state, I could sense the goose flesh forming on my skin. A chill ran through my bones. My heart beat sped up to the cool caress on my cheek and the soft murmurs besides my ear. The words were so low and running into each other that I couldn't interpret anything.

I no longer was asleep, but I tried to slow my breathing and kept my eyes closed. I hoped whatever was here would believe I was still sleeping and leave, undisturbing me. Somehow, I doubt that. I thought.

A sharp pain then vibrated throughout my body. I yelped, quickly standing up on my bed, pissed to the ends of the world. It was so rude to first wake me up, then to hurt me! Whoever it was, was going to be hurting soon! I vowed.

As my eyes adjusted to the dark, my body was trembling from my sudden movements and my hip gave a sharp pulse of pain. When my eyes came around, I was confused to not see anyone. Aware of the terrible ache, I carefully, yet as quickly as I could, jumped off the bed and limped my way to turn on the lights.
The bright haze was enough to make me blind again for a few seconds. No one was in sight.

My door was closed, my window was closed, even the turn blasted closet was closed. I looked under my bed to see only dust bunnies. No one was in my room; it's like whoever the hell it was had just vanished in thin air. Looking around my room to see if anything was out-of-place, I felt my hip, easing my fingers to the warm blood trickling down my thigh.

Right when I tried to see my injury, a high-pitched shrill made me do the stupid-girl scream. Spinning, I tripped on a boot and fell on my ass. The high-pitched sound began anew. But this time, it was joined with laughter. Annoyance swelled inside me, immediately pushed out by relief. So, I thought dryly, the four-inch pixy was playing a prank on me. It was a pretty good one, too.

" Ha, ha, Jenks," I said, unwilling to let him know I had been terrified. Sure, I was thrilled to know a big bad ugly wasn't in my room, breathing in my ear and cutting my hip, but the damn pixy wouldn't let me live it down.

"Tink's little red thong, Rache, don't you ever wear anything that hides your ass," he was grinning from ear to ear, probably already knowing he had scared the crap out of me.

"Well, I was sleeping you little twit." I stared accusingly at Jenks, grabbing my pajamas pants and wrestling them free from my comforter.

"I'm just saying you never know who might come in, seeing you in your little black panties." He was still laughing at me, flying up and down.

But something didn't settle in me well. Jenks wouldn't hurt me, I thought, gazing at the red blood smeared on my fingertips. Even if it was a joke he was playing, he'd want to startle me, not hurt me.

Just as I thought that, Jenks's wings gave a piercing chirp and he exclaimed, "Rache! You're bleeding!"

I dropped my cotton pants and wiped the blood from my knee as Jenks flew to my injured hip. The draft his wings made my hip flame up. I looked down at the pixy's tiny, blond head and the cut he was inspecting.

He flew back up, coming two inches from my nose. Feet wide and hands on his hips in his best Peter Pan pose, he said,"What in Tink's contractual Hell happened, Rache?" Black dust spilled from him.

Sensing Bis was crawling along the ceiling to my room, I reached for my robe. As Jenks swore under his breath and buzzed around my room to find the intruder, I pushed my arms through the sleeves and tied it closed, grimacing when the cloth stuck to my thigh. I wasn't sure why I wasn't going crazy looking around my church for whoever, but I had the odd knowing sense that whatever it had been was gone. It was just weird.

Ever the polite teenage gargoyle, I heard Bis knock at my door, his gravely voice worried,"Rachel?"

"Come in, Bis," I said, raising my voice so he would be able to hear me through the loud buzzing Jenks's wings were making. My door opened and in flown Bis, followed by three of Jenks's kids.

While Jenks ordered his kids to do a perimeter check, Bis landed on my dresser, knocking over a few of my perfume bottles. "What happened?" he asked.
Exhaling, I limped to my bed and sat, saying,"Something cut me while I was sleeping and now Jenks is having kittens."

Bis hopped onto my bed and stood next me, glancing over to Jenks. "Where?"

"My hip," I answered even as Bis saw the blood soaking into robe. His big, red eyes widened in alarm and his wings spread out, flapping about.

My hair shifted in the slight breeze he made. Getting up from my comfortable bed, I walked slowly out of my room and into the dark hallway. Ivy's door was closed in her attempt from keeping the pixy kids out of her underwear drawer, though we all knew it was pointless. She was in Flagstaff again, visiting Glenn and Darrell. Nina has had great weeks since Felix stopped wearing her meat-suit, surprising the hell out of everybody, so Ivy took the opportunity. Cormel allowed her leave for only a few days, though, but that was better than nothing. She'd only been gone since noon and she'd return in three days.

Walking into my bathroom, I flicked the light switch on with my elbow and grabbed a towel from atop the dryer. Just as I was gently peeling my robe to expose my hip, I looked up to find four pairs of eyes watching me. Tensing, I waited 'til Jenks gave a quick command to his two kids to leave. Biting my lip and debating whether I should ask Bis to leave, too, he frowned and settled himself on the washer, tucking his wings against his back.

Huffing, I revealed the wound and felt the sensitive skin pound against the fresh air.

Flying close, Jenks examined the four slashes, three of which were hiding underneath my 'little black panties'. I grimaced as I felt Jenks's cool, tiny hand on the lowest slash. "You're gonna need stitches, Rache," he said matter-of-factly, "How by Tink's little red shoes aren't your panties ripped?"

I looked down, briefly wondering how I missed that and silently thanking the gods out there; these are one of my favorites. Then I frowned, I hated getting stitches. Bending almost double, I wiped the blood that had flowed all the way to my calf and up my thigh. Feeling the cut, or cuts, whatever, I pressed the towel onto my wound and stepped out of the bathroom and into the kitchen.

Jenks got to the lights first and Bis flew the short way to the counter, concern etching his pushed-in face. A coldness was spreading throughout my hip. After I got myself a cup of water, I gazed at the clock above the stove to see it was 3:47.

I sat on my chair at the big farm table, gasping when I sat too roughly and my sore skin pulled. My cell began ringing from my room, and I groaned as I debated whether I should get up and go answer it. Thankfully, Jenks flew off to get it himself. I grinned as I heard him answer in an annoyed voice, then choked on the water I had gulped when Jenks shrilled to me," It's Trent!"