Warrior's Craft Four Guys & A Witch by Cheryl Dragon Page A

who went out to do battle. Wiccans were anti-violence except in cases of self-defense, but Phoebe saw the shades of gray others refused to acknowledge. Protecting innocents from vampires and demons was as noble as any calling.
    DC shrugged. “They moved again. We need to know where they are. And if you have any ideas of how to increase our luck or protection, I’ll try anything.”
    Phoebe touched his arm and he flinched. Pulling her hand away, she focused on her work, not her feelings for these men. Despite their tough exteriors, honor ran deep through all these men. Between cases, she missed them. She knew they missed her too, although they didn’t admit it.
    “I can find them, but we’ve already tried the basic protection spells. I’m not with you guys so I can’t be there to help. Reed won’t let me go into battle.” She frowned.
    “You’re not a killer. You won’t even step on a spider. Plus, if you were there, we’d lose our focus. Reed’s right about that. All of us would be worrying about you and not concentrating on the job.” DC sat back as if the matter was closed.
    “You have no idea what I’m capable of if I were threatened or if someone I cared about was in danger. I’ve got more powers than you do,” she calmly asserted.
    DC shook his head. “Reed and Andy created this group to fight paranormal danger -- men who risk their lives and sacrifice their time to protect innocents and keep evil under control. We know the deal and we’ve accepted it. We need your help as a witch, not a fighter.”
    Same conversation, different case. Her friends wanted her safe, and she had to appreciate that. Something was still missing. Phoebe just couldn’t put her meditative mind on it.
    She tucked her hair behind her ears and grabbed her crystal on a string. It helped her locate things. She pressed it between her hands, cleared past searches, and focused on what they needed. The silence was tense as she made a gentle circle with the crystal over the map, letting nature pull the crystal to the spot.
    When the crystal rested, she circled the area on the map and carefully put the crystal away. “The demons are there. It’s in a rundown area. You’re not going today?”
    “We need to discuss it but we can’t let them get stronger. They’ve killed one person already.” DC worked on his computer. “The only spells I’ve come up with to increase our strength and protection aren’t workable.”
    “Spells have lots of options but we’ve tried most of them. You’re humans, not paranormal creatures. Plenty of demons will be stronger and faster than you. I can help some in the field, but spell-wise, I can’t put shields around you from a distance.” There was one approach, advanced and unorthodox, which could work for them.
    “We need to bond together, to share our energy so if one is hurt, the others can help.” DC stood and paced the length of the dining room.
    Phoebe slid her feet out of her funky purple and green wedge sandals and wiggled her toes. Magical ideas teased her there for some reason, and she wanted to ignore it. Giving herself to the answer DC was circling would be too hard if it didn’t work.
    DC stopped and stared at her. In his eyes she could see the revelation. “We can’t do that,” he said.
    “We can do anything we need to do to save lives. It’s not as easy as it sounds. You should at least bring it up to the group.” Flexing her glitter-painted toes, she slid them back in her shoes. If they were willing to try it, she absolutely wanted the experience.
    * * *
    DC sat down across from her and watched her. “You know what I’m talking about?”
    She rolled her big green eyes rolled skyward and her curly brown hair slid from behind her ears to cover her dangling earrings. The woman always looked like a goddess in long skirts and fitted tops that showed her curves. With a funky and unique style, she was as sweet and smart as the girl next door.
    “I’m not stupid, DC. I’ve