Free Magick Rising by Evelyn Vaughn, Parker Blue, P. J. Bishop, Jodi Anderson, Laura Hayden, Karen Fox

arms. Now
    this woman, descended from Samurai magickers far away from his
    birthplace, demanded to become part of his fight, putting herself at risk.
    From her reporting on the victims of the crimes she covered, he knew a
    crusader’s heart beat within her warrior’s body.
    Hadrian drew her closer. She was muscular but fit well against him.
    With more time, she might fit well in this life he realized he no longer hated
    if she were there. She brought light to his darkness, passion to his
    single-mindedness.
    But his fate loomed. This battle was his last. Heaven and those who
    preceded him waited. His longing for a release from centuries of hunting
    and killing vanished in the face of leaving behind Miko Jones. The few
    weeks he had observed her, the few hours he had spent in her company, the
    single time he had held her as a man holds a woman filled his heart.
    It didn’t matter. His fate was sealed. And tomorrow she would join him,
    protecting the innocents while he took on the most demons he’d ever faced
    at once.
    DAWN BLOSSOMED late. Dusk closed in early. Clouds scudded across
    the full moon as a biting wind coursed through the mountain passes and
    scoured the city. Bonfires lit the riverbank. Larger fires illuminated men
    whose faces morphed into familiar animals and unfamiliar creatures.
    Miko and Hadrian paused in the shadow of the trees overlooking the
    main bonfire. Miko forced herself to breathe, to find her center. It wasn’t
    clear what a battle to prevent a Gathering of demons entailed, but based on
    her experience last night, the outcome was in doubt.
    One Hunter, a cat, and a reporter against how many and what kinds of
    demons?
    Hadrian pulled her against him, laying his cheek against her hair.
    “When this is over, you’ll still be in danger. Leave and go somewhere far
    away.”
    “I can’t do that. Uncle Nic is still out there somewhere. He may be in

    more danger than I am. I have my kanzashi . He doesn’t have anything to
    protect him.” She turned her face into his neck and inhaled his scent.
    Memory was all she would have after this.
    His sigh ruffled her hair. “Then I’ll just ask that you take care in your
    search. Find your uncle. Perhaps he can protect you.”
    He crushed her against him as if to fuse them together, and she melted
    into him. They clung to each other. Miko hoped he understood what she
    could not say. He was heading for Heaven, and she was doomed to live
    without him.
    Through her closed eyelids, she saw the firelight increase. His lips
    brushed her forehead, then he loosened his embrace.
    “It’s time.” He looked toward where Appoloin waited. “Father Daniel
    is expecting you?”
    “He said he’d have the sanctuary stocked and ready. He spent the
    afternoon blessing everything within reach and filling every container he can
    lay hands on with holy water. He’ll be ready.”
    Hadrian drew his sword and dagger. “We begin.”
    Neither one of them said goodbye. She didn’t want it to be the last
    word she said to him.
    She waited for him to disappear into the trees before she started down
    the hill toward the homeless camp. Without Bert, convincing the group to
    take refuge in St. Michael’s might not be easy.
    As it turned out, they were uneasily watching the growing bonfire less
    than a quarter mile away. A scream from that direction erased their
    reservations, and they collected their possessions without complaint.
    Following the stragglers, she chivvied them to hurry. Chanting echoed
    along the river, dark and wrong and far removed from the world she knew.
    Would Father Dan and St. Mike’s be enough to protect them?
    The priest met the men on the church steps, welcoming them and
    passing them through to a trusted few he’d recruited after Miko’s call. She
    didn’t know why he believed her or what he’d experienced that made him
    agree to her request. But he didn’t hesitate. If they all survived this night,
    she’d buy him a cup of coffee and find