Free Sucking in San Francisco by Jessica McBrayer Page A

wonder if Aidan had anything to do with it. A young guy with dreads and a scruffy goatee is playing a guitar and singing on the sidewalk and I toss a dollar in his cup. Aidan and I walk across the street to the key coded door so I can let us into the building. We head through the narrow entryway to the office.
    “Hey, Janet, I just came by for my check.”
    Janet is one of the supervisors that likes me. She really likes me. Sebastian thinks I’m starting to glamour people and she may be one of them.
    “No problem, Lily, who’s your friend?”
    Before I can answer Aidan sticks his hand out and shakes Janet’s.
    “I’m Aidan, Lilith’s special friend.”
    Then he gives her the look. The one that implies he is something much more than a friend. If I could curl up and hide under the rug I would right now. Just then my phone plays Sebastian’s ring tone telling me I have a text. Perfect timing as usual. I look down to see what it says.
    Are you OK?
    Yeah busy. I text back to him.
    “Ohh, I see. It’s about time Lily had a friend like that.” And she smiles hugely.
    Great, now Janet thinks I’m dating Aidan, which is exactly what he implied. We leave the office and I glare at Aidan.
    “Was that really necessary?”
    “What? I didn’t say one thing that wasn’t true. I am a special friend. How many djinn friends do you have?”
    “Ugh!”
    “You have a lovely energy, Lilith, did you know that? It swirls around you, delicate pinks, vivid reds and bright purple. It’s very exciting. All the brighter when I stir you up.”
    Great.
    “Who’s texting you?”
    “Just Sebastian, a friend of mine. He’s a bit obsessive with new technology and my safety.”
    Aidan’s eyes narrow slightly.
    We cross the street to my Prius and my eye starts twitching again. I hope it isn’t a permanent condition. I’d hate to have to cut out my caffeine. I try to relax, reminding myself that I have superlative reflexes and extraordinary vision.
    “Hey, Aidan. Do you know anything about a coven in the city making trouble? In particular, two witches named Indio and Iris.”
    Aidan turns in his seat to face me. “Very naughty duo. They caused the blackout the other night,” he says as we go up and down hills. He starts messing with my radio and picks up music from the Middle East. He starts humming along. “Sisters, not too talented, but they have enough power to be trouble.”
    “We picked up on their pranks. They seem to be on the darker end of things,” I say, feeling him out for more information.
    “They’re trying to summon a jinni,” Aidan says, assessing me. I wonder if he thinks I have anything to do with this. I suddenly feel much more uncomfortable being in such close proximity with him.
    “What?!”
    “Yes, I thought you knew that,” he says.
    “No, I had no idea. That’s a terrible thing. Are you protected?”
    “Uhmm, yes. I think so.”
    He regards me with increased interest.
    “I suppose you won’t tell me how you bind a djinn?”
    “Certainly, you must know the right incantations and you must know his true name.”
    “Oh, Aidan isn’t your name?”
    He throws his head back and really laughs this time. I amuse him.
    “No, just like this isn’t really what I look like but it is what I choose to look like now.”
    He has good taste in bodies. He also has a beautiful, warm laugh that fills me up.
    “What do you look like otherwise?”
    “I’m a fire spirit. My essence is fire, warmth, wind. Imagine a hot desert wind and that would be me.”
    I didn’t want to tell him that I found that side of him just as appealing as the English accent speaking, nice-ass walking human he presented me right now. Being enveloped in a warm wind would feel wonderful to my circulation starved, cold body.
    “Lilith… Lilith...?”
    “Umm, yes, sorry, a little thought crossed my mind. Do you think they know you’re in town?”
    “I don’t think so. It’s possible with the right incantations they could have deduced I