exorcism.
“I should go fix my hair. Gotta look right for this afternoon. So he’ll say yes.”
And then she caught herself grinning madly. Yes to the grimoires, or yes to sex? A positive answer to either would please her. A girl couldn’t survive on spellcraft and cleaning alone. One must tend the sensual demands her body craved.
Did she crave CJ?
“No. Yes. Maybe? Oh, yes, I do want another taste of his chartreuse kiss.”
* * *
The sky was fast growing dark. CJ did not like this. The weather service had predicted rain all week. Not the most favorable conditions for him to spend any amount of time with a gorgeous witch whom he’d like to kiss again. But he refrained from an inward chastisement of his demonic hitchhikers, knowing his emotions regarding the woman would only feed their determination to overtake him. The sun was still high in the sky, albeit slipping behind clouds every few minutes.
He’d hope for the best.
He strode to the place where the werewolf had died. He and Vika had agreed to meet here. He kept an open mind and heart for the feeling if any wayward soul may inadvertently brush against him. If the soul were anywhere in his vicinity, he should sense the brightness again.
A corpse light. Shouldn’t he be able to see it? They usually glowed phosphorescently. Not that he’d ever seen one before.
The white hearse was parked near the brick wall, the opposite side from where the incident had occurred. Vika had wanted to broaden the search today. He spied her brilliant red hair, curling over her narrow shoulders and down the center of her back. She must always wear long dresses, which he liked, because they fit tightly and emphasized her slender curves. She had a bit of the Morticia style going, while he had noted her sister was Retro Rocker Chick.
Either way, Vika looked amazing. Like a porcelain doll standing on a natty Paris street, she looked as if someone had plucked her out from their collection and set her against an urban backdrop for a high-fashion photography study.
She waved as he approached. A goofy grin spread on CJ’s face, and he surprised himself because he couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so unfettered with worry. He felt great, and if being around Vika did that for him, he planned to spend a lot more time with the witch.
He walked up to her, threaded his fingers through hers and spun her into an embrace so he could kiss her. Just going with his feelings. And she responded in kind, affixing her body along his and melting into the kiss like a sweet Sunday treat.
“Well, hello,” he said. “Feels like you’re happy to see me.”
“A girl could never have enough of those kisses.” She tucked his hair behind his ear. “I don’t know what it is between us,” she said on a breathy tone, “but whatever it is, I like what’s happening so far. You ready to do a little soul hunting?”
“I am.”
“Will the cloudy sky interfere?”
“Probably. You prepared for that?”
“I’m not sure. Are you?”
He shrugged.
She stepped from his embrace and smoothed her palms down her unwrinkled skirt, worry shifting her eyes from his to all about them. “Don’t you have some kind of safety measure? A flashlight? It worked in the car.”
“Yes, well, Menace was winding down already when it worked for you. When I’ve attempted the same, the demons usually break the flashlight in half and toss it at the nearest passing human. I’ve found if a demon does break free and takes over, its steam runs out quickly. Usually no more than ten, fifteen minutes tops.”
She absently clutched the nail at the base of her throat. “A war demon could do a lot of damage in that time.”
“I know. And I happen to have one inside me. Maybe I should do this alone while you wait in the hearse for a speedy getaway?”
“We’re both needed. You might feel the soul, and I need to draw it into me. And...I thought if we could find it, and if the timing was right, I might try...”
“Another sneeze?”
“I don’t think I could make myself sneeze, but I do have air magic. A forced gust would produce the same result a frenzied sneeze would.”
“But then you’d lose the soul again.”
“No, this time I’d keep an eye out for it. If it moves through you, I just need to track it. Right before it enters or exits a body it glows brightly.”
“I sensed that