Free Stranger at the Hell Gate by Ash Krafton Page A

time."
    Enzo crossed his arms.
    "Yeah, well, there's going to be a shortage of honest work around here for a while. Good thing you saved your coin. Nonetheless." He slapped Jagger on the shoulder once more. "Glad to have you back. You look starved. Can I get you something? A pizza? I heard some ginger chick is driving delivery now."
    "Maybe later. I want to lay down a while. My ass is dragging."
    "No problem. I'll get a couple trays and keep 'em warm." He peered up into Jagger's face. "You okay?"
    "Yeah, I'm just tired."
    "That's why I'm wondering. You don't lay down often."
    Jagger spied the magic chalk that had dropped into Enzo's hand. Really? The witch was going to truth-spell him? "Put the effing chalk away. It's really me, and I'm really not in the mood."
    "You gotta admit—it's not like you."
    "I'm ready for a change." Jagger rubbed his hair back. "Call me down if anything comes up."
    He didn't think anything would, not for a while. Acheron's final hell gate was closed. Hope for this world—and for Jagger himself—had been restored. He was counting on things to be quiet for a while.
    Until Sunny returned with their child.
    A family? Jagger scratched his head and grinned. He spent his entire life cursing his wretched lack of a real family and suddenly…well, he never thought he deserved anything he didn't earn. That child was her gift—one he never expected.
    Jagger opened the door to the second floor and trudged up the stairs, hoping that the bed was still made. Would the pillow still smell like her? He looked forward to falling asleep in that bed and had a feeling that, if he dreamed, he wouldn't mind.
    He was right.
    For the first time in Jagger's life, Acheron didn't haunt his dreams. He was truly dead and gone. Jagger slipped deeper into sleep, floating in the dream world and feeling a lifetime of worry slip away, layer by layer.
    Sonya, dream-thin and glowing with ephemeral warmth, leaned close and kissed him, feather soft, whispering her promise again.
    Jagger smiled and turned over in his sleep, hugging the pillow closer. Until they met again, he'd be satisfied to dream.
    A word about the author...
    Author Ash Krafton is a speculative fiction writer from northeast Pennsylvania. She is best known for her urban fantasy Demimonde series, which began with the debut Bleeding Hearts . Ms. Krafton also writes short fiction and poetry; one of her pieces has even been nominated for the Pushcart Prize.
    She frequently blogs at
    http://ash-krafton.blogspot.com
    as well as
    The QueryTracker Blog at
    http://querytracker.blogspot.com .

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