Final edits are going well for Pretty Witches All in a Row, but in the meantime, here’s a brief sample of a scene from Mercy for the Wicked where we see Sam try to broaden his horizons a little bit.

“Sam?” I stepped out into the hallway, wrapping my warm, fuzzy cardigan a little tighter to my body. There was no answer and I started to wonder if it wasn’t such a hot idea to be stepping out of my apartment into a deserted hallway with a pack of demons on my trail. “Sam, is that you or should I be calling the cops?” The top of Sam’s head peeked out of the stairwell, just his eyes visible, and he gave a shy, little wave. “What are you doing down there?” I waved him over. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack? I started to think there was someone out here waiting to get me,” I grabbed his elbow and tugged him closer once he came into reach.

“I panicked,” he said softly and I blinked at him, digesting that for a moment. The big bad angel of death (formerly anyway) who I’d seen slam a demon down on a bar one handed, had panicked?

“Why?”

“It wasn’t you who came to the door.”

I mashed my lips together to keep from smiling over the admission; it was a big step that he was there at all. “It’s only Daphne, who you’ve seen a zillion times, why don’t you come on in and meet her?” I could see her out of the corner of my eye, practically vibrating with excitement to finally meet my ‘guardian angel’.

“Alright,” he nodded, looking all around as he stepped over the threshold, as if he hadn’t been inside my apartment before. Come to think of it, it was Adam who’d spent more time at my place, not Sam.

“Sam, this is Daphne, Daphne, Sam,” I did the honors, and Daphne stuck out her hand.

“How do you do?” she said formally.

“Very well thank you, and yourself?” Sam took her hand and clasped it in his briefly before letting go.

“Fine, thank you.” They were both so friendly and polite; I hoped it wouldn’t be awkward for the rest of the night. I shut the door behind us, turning back to see them staring back at each other, neither one of them uttering a word until Sam spoke again.

“I have heard many good things about you, Daphne, Mercy speaks well of you, indeed.”

A smile spread over Daphne’s face as she came back to life. “She talks up a storm about you too. Though I have to admit, for a while I wasn’t sure if you were real or a figment of her imagination.”

“Understandable,” he nodded soberly.

“Jiminy Christmas, but your eyes are blue…” she murmured and Sam stood very still while she finished her inspection.

“Yes, they are,” he nodded again. “You are quite colorful as well.”

“I am?” she looked down at her clothes. Dressed casually for her impromptu date with Mitch, she was wearing a pale blue sweater over slim fitting jeans.

“Yes, I can see why Mercy is so fond of you.” Sam’s eyes swept over her body and I began to understand he was talking about the quality of her soul which radiated a bright, cheerful orange with warm pink highlights. Sensing her confusion, I decided to break up the little love fest in the hallway, moving past them into the living room.

“Okay guys, its time for the movie. Sam, would you like some ice cream?”

“No, thank you.”

Daphne followed my lead, with Sam following along behind. “Are you sure? It’s chocolate fudge explosion.”

“Explosion is good?” his brows climbed dubiously, taking a seat beside me on the couch. Mimsy immediately jumped onto his lap and he stroked her back absently.

“Very good,” I nodded, putting a small bite on the end of my spoon and holding it up to him. “It can’t hurt to try it, right?” He leaned towards the spoon, eyeing the melting concoction warily before taking the tiniest bit between his lips. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen someone taste chocolate for the first time ever, but I swear it was right up there with a religious experience, and for an angel, that’s saying a lot. Sam’s entire face transformed into a wondrous smile, tongue darting out to moisten his lips. “What do you think?” I grinned.

“Explosion is very good,” Sam nodded, with a longing look to the rest of my ice cream.

“Here, knock yourself out,” I handed the stein full of ice cream over and rose to make myself another. “Oh, but don’t eat it too… fast…” I looked back to see his mouth closing around an enormous bite of ice cream, his eyes widening slightly at the temperature change. “You might end up with an ice cream headache.” It was a little late for the warning now, and sure enough, his face scrunched up tight with pain.

“Ahhh… I do not like ice cream explosions,” he frowned, setting the cup down on the table as he pressed a hand to his head.