“Figures.” Johnny pointed at the stairs. “But now you can go.”

“Wait.” I waved at the smoky air to encourage it up and out into the night. “If, despite the wards, you can enter because of our binding, does your binding to the fairies follow the same principle?”

A gratified expression registered on Menessos’s face. He’d recognized my question as somewhat insightful and seemed pleased. “I am not certain. That is the second reason for my presence: to stand guard over you until your perimeter wards can be rebuilt.”

Johnny crossed his arms for bouncer-perfect emphasis. “I can protect her.”

“Yes, but with your pants off and your other head doing all the thinking, perhaps it is best to let me have that responsibility for a night.”

Exasperated, I angled myself between them with my palms out like a boxing referee. “I increased my wards after Aquula was here.” A mermaid water fairy, Aquula was one of the four fairies bound to Menessos—and the only one who didn’t resent the connection and wish him truly dead and gone. In fact, she’d actually swooned at the mention of his name.

“Your wards are strong, Persephone, but now that you’ve killed one of them you must not take the chance. You require something specifically antifey. Xerxadrea and her talented lucusi are preparing it even now.”

“They let me fly home on the broom and they didn’t say anything about it.”

“Of course not. But I am certain they saw you home safely, whether or not you were aware of it. Xerxadrea and I discussed all of this at the Ball. I left early, as you may recall. I did so in order to make arrangements that would allow me to comply with her request.”

Curious. “What was her request, exactly?”

“That I come here and watch over you until they had the wards up—”

“You could have stayed outside and done that,” Johnny said under his breath.