Cantrips: Volume #2: Minor Magics Crafted to Amuse and Entertain by Joey W. Hill

Author:Joey W. Hill
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Story Witch Press

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Farida frowned as Kane moved to the wheeled cart to buy a hot cider and a large stuffed pretzel and the prostitute went down the hallway to the restroom. “What is he doing?”

“Being Kane. People interest him. They always have. He gets in their heads, figures them out. He doesn’t like not knowing the answers.”

“You know him so well.” She stayed silent a moment. “You did good back there. Kept us both okay.”

“It’s not so hard. All I have to do is remind him he’s supposed to protect you. That always brings him right back on point.” John stretched an arm out behind her shoulders, an affectionate contact between friends. She drew her feet up on the bench, looped her arms around her knees and laid her head back on his arm. “Hey.” She rolled her head back and forth, testing the terrain. “You have biceps now. You must be working out.”

“Some. Strength training helps mental focus, stamina, for long hours in the lab.”

She chuckled. “I should have known. It wouldn’t simply be because you were trying to impress a girl. Nothing normal like that.”

John snorted. “Like me impressing a girl has ever been possible when I’m with Kane.”

“Well, you’re not around Kane as much anymore, are you?”

As his expression shuttered, she gave him a shrewd look. He drew her attention to Jackie’s return. “Look at that. He got her to change clothes. She’s actually prettier that way, I think.”

Jackie wore an old pair of jeans that fit her lower body well, but the long sleeved thin T-shirt and patched quilted vest for outerwear emphasized how thin she was, making Farida’s heart twist with pity despite her wariness of the woman. It wasn’t like she could do anything to hurt Kane, but John was right. Sometimes Kane seemed inordinately interested in the goings-on between humans, even unsavory ones. Still, Farida saw something in her face, maybe what Kane had seen. There was more there than just a hardened streetwalker.

The woman had removed her makeup. Though Farida could sense the age of a human and knew Jackie was no older than John, those years had taken a far greater toll on her. Farida watched the two settle on a bench, Jackie a little distrustful when Kane gestured her to sit first. Then he bemused her further by sitting down and leaving an appropriate amount of space between them. She offered him a sip of her cider a few moments later, hesitant, and he took one brief swallow, smiled. Kane’s smile could muck up a woman’s radar, even a pro’s. He knew it, but his use of it was never calculated, making it all the more appealing.

Glancing at John, Farida saw the brooding look in his eyes she’d seen on both his and Kane’s faces far-too-frequently during this particular visit. Especially when one was looking at the other and thinking the other didn’t notice. Girls didn’t have near as much drama as two men on the outs with one another did, she reflected darkly.

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