Free No Rest for the Wicca by Toni LoTempio

were plummeted to the ground, landing, swack! On top of more garbage next to his friend. The two of them stumbled and grumbled through the mess, and when they were both finally free, lumbered down the alley and out of sight, still covered in remnants.
    I hobbled toward Cole, still a little unsteady.  “Why are you still standing here,” I cried.  “Go after them!  They’re dangerous, they’ll end up attacking another unsuspecting female, and the next one might not be so lucky.”
    He put his fingers against his lips, gave a small yawn.  “You don’t give me enough credit, Morgan.  I made a call just before I joined the melee. There’s a squad car just around the corner, waiting for them to show their ugly faces.”
    “Yeah, well—good.  Great.”  I scooped my hair out of my eyes, wondering if I looked as unkempt as I felt.  “Thanks,” I mumbled softly.
    Cole bent his head down to mine.  “What?  I couldn’t quite hear you.”
    I snapped my neck up.  “Thanks.  I said thanks for helping out.”
    His lips twitched.  “You’re quite welcome.”  His hand brushed against my forehead, and he frowned.  “Got a nasty cut, there.”
    I shrugged away from his touch.  “I’ve gotten worse.  My cousin has some special ointment.  By tomorrow I’ll look as if nothing ever happened.”
    “Ah.  That’s fortunate, then.”
    We stood awkwardly for a few moments, then I said, “I appreciate it, but I could have handled them on my own, you know.”
    He looked me up and down. “No doubt.”
    I pushed my blouse back into my waistband.  “I could.  I was just toying with them, lulling them into a false sense of security. I had every intention of making my move.”
    He nodded. “Of course you did. Sorry to intrude, but I just needed to exercise my levitating abilities a little.”
    I pulled on my jacket to straighten it, not meeting his gaze. “Well, I guess I’ll be going now.”
    He fell into step beside me, and I slid him a look.  “I’m okay, honest.  No need to keep following me.”
    He took a step back, hands upraised.  “Fine.  Perhaps I’ll run into you again sometime, in another alley.”
    “Ha, ha.  Yeah. Maybe.”
    He regarded me with a hooded stare.  “You’re certain you won’t change your mind?”
    I nibbled at my lower lip.  “No. Sorry.”
    He shook his head. “You are quite stubborn, aren’t you, Morgan Hawkes?”
    “I’ve been called worse,” I said.  I turned, walked down the alley to my convertible, and slipped behind the wheel.  As I tooled away from the curb I stole a glance in the rear view mirror.
    Cole still stood on the sidewalk, watching me.  As I made the turn onto Pine, I could still feel the searing heat of his gaze burning into the back of my head.
    The feeling, I grudgingly admitted, was not altogether unpleasant.

Chapter 6
     
    Over the next two days I had more than enough work to occupy my mind and keep me from giving Cole St. John more than a passing thought. Spirits trapped between worlds suddenly seemed to crop up everywhere, from a theatre to a restaurant to one daemon caught in a toilet bowl. When I entered PSI Headquarters late Wednesday afternoon, Danny slouched behind the main desk, feet up, speaking in low tones into his headset. When he caught sight of me his eyes widened. As I started to pass, he whipped the headset off and his free hand shot out, grabbed my wrist.
    “Holy Zeus, Morgan. You look like Hell.”
    I managed a wan smile. “Gee thanks. You don’t look so bad yourself.”
    He clucked this tongue. “I’m not kidding. There’s bags under your eyes deep enough to put a couple steaks in. What’s been going on?”
    I shrugged. “Not too much. The usual. Especially tough daemon today, though. Little bugger just didn’t want to leave the manhole on Eighth. Seems he pissed off his succubus lover, who paid a Castor Witch a good amount to strand his soul between worlds. It took a lot out of me.”
    He clucked his tongue.