Free Endlessly by C.V. Hunt Page A

She’ll forgive you. If she doesn’t, dump her.
You’ll find another.”
    “No, man. Sorry. I really got to do
this,” I said.
    “You got it for her pretty bad, huh?
Well, I hope she can cook. Someone needs to feed your ass. Jason
don’t cook for shit, does he?” He was talking in a stage whisper so
Jason would hear. Of course, Jason would’ve heard Chris’s slightest
breath.
    “Hey! I can cook!” Jason
shouted.
    “No, you can’t, dipshit!” Chris
laughed. “All right, all right. Since you got a hot date, I’ll
swing by tomorrow. Just remember, Verloren, when Jason says no, he
means no.”
    “Ha ha very funny.” I flipped him off
as he walked out laughing.
    Jason spent the rest of the morning
getting ready. I double-checked my books and herbs, then got ready
to open. I felt bad leaving Jessica in the store by herself all
day. She had the seminars going on in the back. But I knew she
could handle it.
    Though Jessica knew more than I did
about many things, I still didn’t completely trust her. She wasn’t
giving me answers about the flashes. Whenever I brought it up she
changed the subject, diverting me until I forgot what I’d asked. I
think she was using some kind of spell. Every conversation we had
ended with my thoughts getting hazy.
    Jessica had agreed to work all day, so
she would be there if any problems came up. I knew that meant she
would stay there until we returned. I trusted her to do this, but
if anything bad happened I knew she could resend her soul. That
would be a last resort. There’s seldom any reason to give up the
body, and wipe the memory clean, but it happens. Sometimes an
incarnate will simply decide that this present life isn’t worth it.
This occasionally happens to a werewolf, troll or fairy. When it
does, a witch can resend the soul and make the person forget
whatever horror made it necessary. It’s a lot like permanent
amnesia.
    I waited on Jason to finish grooming
himself. This took awhile. He was sure he was going to be with Ash,
so he pondered over clothes, hair, and every other part of his
appearance.
    Finally I’d had enough. “You’re acting
like a girl,” I said. “Knock it off and hurry up.” Just then I
heard the shop door open. Jessica had arrived. “I’ve got to talk to
Jessica. When I get back you better be ready.”
    He rolled his eyes. “Or
what?”
    I sighed and walked away before we came
to blows.
    In the store I saw Jessica’s fiery red
hair bobbing down an aisle. Her movements were light and buoyant.
She was getting back to her usual self. As she pulled a wheeled
suitcase toward me she smiled broadly. “Good morning,
Verloren.”
    “What’s with the extra supplies?” I
asked her. I stuffed my hands in my pockets, not wanting her to
touch them. Even a brush of our fingers would let her glimpse my
thoughts.
    “If you boys run into problems I’ll be
fully equipped,” she said, still smiling. She reached for my
hand.
    I shoved my hands even deeper into my
pockets. “I’d rather not, if you don’t mind. Once was
enough.”
    She jumped at me trying to get at my
hands, but we both knew that it was pointless. I gave her a
devilish grin. She wanted to know everything, while I wanted her to
know only that which was absolutely necessary. Though I could
confide in Jessica about things that I wouldn’t discuss with anyone
else, I had to consider the law. Besides, the onetime she’d read my
thoughts, she’d acted so strange.
    Jason appeared in the apartment
doorway. “What the hell are you guys doing?”
    Jessica bounced over to him. “Let me
see your hand.”
    Jason knew the routine. He towered
above her as he held out his hand. She gazed at his palm, then laid
her own tiny palm against it. Jessica stared into his chest as if
she were looking right through him. Jason glanced at me, grinning
like a crazy man.
    She mumbled something, then gasped and
let go. As she recovered herself she smacked him hard on the arm.
She was blushing. “Jason, you