Darren gave her another slow sweep of his gaze, respect now lighting his eyes. He was a water witch and typically water and fire repelled each other. All the same, Darren seemed quite attracted to her. But Sarafina was all filled up with Theo. She didn’t share Darren’s feelings; hers were already reserved.

Too bad she’d picked a lost cause.

Theo stood. “Come here. I have a charm to give you.” She set her mug and croissant down and walked over to him. He took a small silver necklace from his back pocket and dangled it in front of her. It winked prettily in the morning light.

“Do you understand the significance of the pentagram?” he asked her.

She reached out and fingered it. The metal was still warm from his body heat. “I know the Wiccan hold it dear, but I don’t know what it symbolizes. My birth mother raised me Baptist, so it’s a little, well . . .” She trailed off, not wanting to offend anyone.

Rosemary had been agnostic and Sarafina’s churchgoing had ended with her. Still, as a throwback to her childhood, the thought of Wicca made her sweat a little. The upright pentagram, as a symbol of that pagan religion, made her a bit nervous, she was ashamed to say. Early childhood experiences cut deep, it appeared, clung hard to the psyche. Her recurring nightmares were evidence enough of that.

She looked up at Theo who studied her solemnly. Theo probably was Wiccan. Figured. What he’d said earlier about the afterlife had made her think that. Everything else about him made her sweat, so why not his religion, too?

“It’s not a symbol of Satan,” said Theo. “That’s a myth fundamentalists believe, partially based on stuff cooked up by fifteenth-century Christian propagandists to vilify pagans. Wiccans don’t even believe in Satan.”

She nodded and licked her lips. “I know. I mean, I’ve read that.”

“Good.” His hand closed around hers. He placed his index finger to each point as he spoke. “Air, water, fire, earth. This last one is for spirit.”

She frowned, feeling the pendant. “It’s thick.”

Theo nodded. “It’s got water in it, water I charmed this morning so that Darren can use it to track you. Wherever you go, we’ll follow.”

She turned and gathered her hair on top of her head so Theo could put it on her. Was it her imagination or did his fingers linger at the nape of her neck longer than they should have? Did they brush the tiny hairs there a little? His touch gave her goose bumps, made her tremble.

Theo stepped away from her; she noticed the loss of his body heat. “It’s also calibrated to gauge your emotion. If you have a surge of fear or panic, we’ll know something is wrong and come in after you.”