by Sarra Cannon
“It was my fault they found us,” I said.
“You were just a child,” he said, pulling away to wipe the tears off my cheek. “You couldn’t possibly have understood there were people like that in the world.”
“Not people. A demon,” I said, wiping my face and turning back toward him. “His name is Dominic, and I’ve been his prisoner now for nearly thirteen years. He uses me as his personal lottery, in a way, and he’s kept me locked away in his private suite in Vegas for as long as I can remember. He used me to rig certain slot machines to pay out big jackpots to him and his demons. Over the years, I’ve made him millions, and the casinos have no clue he’s been robbing them this whole time. Even if they figured it out, they’re all too scared to confront him. He’s too powerful. Anyway, that’s why I’ve never seen the ocean or been anywhere on vacation. That’s why I’ve hardly experienced anything he didn’t want me to experience.”
“Oh my God, Eva, I had no idea,” he said. “But you did it. You escaped. You’re free now.”
I laughed through my tears. “I’m free right this minute,” I said. “But for how long? I’ve tried to escape before, but he always finds me. And every time he does, he punishes me a little harder for disobeying him. This is the farthest I’ve ever gotten, and I’m scared if he finds me this time, he’ll never let me out of his sight again.”
“I won’t let that happen,” Nik said, his jaw tensing. “If he comes here, this town won’t let him take you. We’ll fight back.”
I shook my head. “You don’t understand how powerful he is,” I said. “I could never put the people of this town in danger like that. Or you. I can’t stay here, Nik. He’s already searching for me, and it’s only a matter of time before he finds me. I shouldn’t be here when he does.”
“This is exactly where you should be,” he said. “This town isn’t like any place you’ve been before. There are magical borders set up to keep demons like him away, and if he does manage to slip through those protective barriers, the people of this town won’t allow him to hurt you or take you away.”
“They won’t have a choice,” I said. “He’s too powerful, and when he comes, he’s going to come with an army of both humans and demons with him. I can’t let that happen. I appreciate all you’ve done for me, and believe me when I say I wish I could stay here longer, but as soon as my car is fixed, I need to go.”
“Eva, this is the safest place you can be right now,” Nik said. “Stay here with me. Once you get to know this town, you’ll see what I mean.”
I looked out at the gorgeous moonlight falling against the waves and wished with all my heart that he was right. When I left Vegas, I knew that I would have to stay on the move for the rest of my life, just like my mom had tried to do before I ruined it and we were found. I wouldn’t make that mistake again. As long as I could keep my magic hidden, I would have a chance.
I couldn’t stay in a town where magic was known to exist. If Dominic knew anything about the existence of Willow Harbor, he would come looking for me here for sure.
“Look, we don’t have to figure this all out tonight,” Nik said. “Let’s get you settled at the Inn, and maybe after a good night’s sleep, you’ll be up for more discussion. Besides, tomorrow is Halloween. Trust me when I say you wouldn’t want to miss it. This town really comes alive on Hallow’s Eve, and there’s this amazing Fall Festival run by the local witches.”
“Seriously?” I asked, drying the last of my tears. I had never met another witch before, and I couldn’t help but wonder if they were like me. I also couldn’t imagine being so open with my abilities that I celebrated them with a festival.
The pain of wanting to really belong somewhere cut through all the fear for just a moment, and I imagined what it would be like to be able to stay and not be afraid all the time.
“Say you’ll stay,” he said. “Just for a few more days. We can figure this out, Eva. I promise.”
Nik stood and offered his hand to me.
Nodding, I took it and let him help me to my feet.
“Okay,” I said. “Just for a few days or until there’s any sign of Dominic coming remotely close to this town.”
Nik smiled and sighed in relief. “That’s good enough for now,” he said.
This time, I didn’t drop his hand or move away from him, and we walked the rest of the way down the beach together.
Nineteen
Nik
“You’re going to love the Willow Harbor Inn,” I said as we walked back toward the town square. “The owners are gnomes, and they live for this bed and breakfast. Coraleigh’s family has been running it for just about forever, from what I’m told. Nearly a hundred years. It’s very eclectic, but it’s comfortable and affordable. You’ll love it.”
“Gnomes? It sounds like this town is full of interesting characters,” she said, smiling. “In Vegas, it’s a constant stream of people coming and going, never staying long enough to really get to know anyone else. At least that’s the way it is on the Strip. I’m sure it’s different in the neighborhoods and stuff, but in the thick of the Strip area, it’s almost nothing but tourists and hustlers.”
“I imagine it gets pretty lonely living in a place like that,” I said, wondering what her life must have been like. I still couldn’t believe she’d survived so much.
“Extremely,” she said, sadness thick in her tone. “I got to know some of the people who worked in housekeeping and a few of the dealers at the tables, but it never lasted long before Dominic put an end to it. He didn’t want anyone getting too close to me.”
“I’m glad you got free of him, then,” I said as we paused in front of the Willow Harbor Inn. “And I’m glad you found your way here, even if these few days are all the time we have together. Eva, I can’t remember having such a good time with anyone as I’ve had today with you.”
Her eyes widened and then she looked away, fidgeting with the sleeves of my jacket. She was nervous, and so was I. I had never wanted to kiss someone so much in my life.
“Can I come by tomorrow and pick you up for the festival?” I asked. “I have some work to do in the morning, but I could be here around six. Things will just be getting started in the square around then, anyway.”
“That would be great,” she said. She was avoiding my eyes, but I wanted to look at her. I wanted her to know my feelings were real.
Heart racing, I stepped closer and placed my hand under her chin.
She turned to look into my eyes, and her lips opened slightly. Her chest rose and fell with each quickened breath. I wanted to let her know that I could see how strong she was from the moment I first met her.
I wanted to tell her I would die before I let anything happen to her.
I wanted to tell her I was falling for her.
“Eva, I—”
“Don’t say anything,” she said, breathless. “Just kiss me.”
I didn’t hesitate. I pulled her body against mine and claimed her lips, pouring everything I’d been feeling for her and everything I’d been wanting to say into this one wordless connection that meant everything.
Her fingers dug into my arms, pulling me even closer as her lips parted against mine and our kiss deepened.
For the first time since I’d opened the door of her car to look into her emerald eyes, I understood why I had been so drawn to her. There was something more going on than just two strangers meeting by chance.
I wasn’t sure if it was the whisper of the branches of the town willow or just a whisper somewhere deep inside my heart, but I knew in that moment we were somehow destined to find each other.
I had grown up around magic my entire life, both at home in the sea and here in Willow Harbor, but I had never known such magic until the moment her lips touched mine. I had never even known this type of magic existed, but I knew I did not want to let her go.
Eva gently pushed me away and stepped back. She ran a hand through her auburn hair and then brought a finger to her lips.
There were tears in her eyes.
“What was that?” she asked. “Tell me I wasn’t the only one who felt it.”
“You weren’t,” I said, hardly able to find my voice. Her kiss had rocked me to my core, and all I wanted was more of her.
I reached for her again, but she shook her head and held up her hand.
“I’m sorry, I have to go,” she said.
She slipped my jacket off and handed it to me, and before I could say a word in protest, she had gone up the steps and disappeared into the Inn.
Shocked and confused, I wanted to follow her, but I knew the sitting room would be full of people. The Finnygoods always had friends over playing cards or singing songs at the piano. No doubt they would all be drinking wine and sharing stories.
And most of the people who hung out in the parlor here were terrible gossips. If I ran in there after her now, word about our kiss would travel back to Selena faster than a fire through a bookstore.
Why had she left like that? What had I done wrong?
She said she’d felt it, too. Didn’t that mean something?
I couldn’t have just found my true soul mate after all this time—after everything I’d been through—only to have her run away without a second glance.
Dammit, I had never been more confused or frustrated in my life. I paced outside the Inn for a long time, but once I was sure she wasn’t coming back, I reluctantly slung my jacket over my shoulder and walked back to Drifter’s alone.
Twenty
Eva
Every inch of me was shaking as I threw open the door to the Willow Harbor Inn and stepped inside. An entire room of people turned to stare, wine glasses frozen in their hands.
I forced a smile and tried to steady the wild beating of my heart.
“Hi,” I said nervously. “Sorry to barge in like this, but I was hoping I could get a room for the night.”
At first, no one said a word, and I worried maybe I’d just barged into someone’s house instead of an inn, but finally an older gentleman no taller than a preschooler hopped off the glamorous velvet sofa and held his hand out to me.
“Oh, my goodness, child, you are more than welcome,” he said. “I’m Chester Finnygood, and my wife and I run this place. What on earth brings you to Willow Harbor? I would have recognized someone like you if I’d seen you in town before.”
I glanced around, noticing no one else had gone back to their game of cards. They were openly staring and listening. There was a woman with shockingly white hair and a black dress with long pearls sitting on a high-backed antique chair near the fire, an elderly black man in a brown suit with one hand resting on the handle of a large umbrella, and a woman who looked to be just as small as Mr. Finnygood all staring straight at me.
In the corner closer to the fire, a set of perfectly identical twins wearing matching blue dresses paused in their game of chess, their elbows resting against the table in exactly the same manner as they raised an eyebrow my way.
Flustered, I searched for an answer.
“I honestly can’t say what brought me here,” I said, unable to come up with anything better than the truth. “I was up all night driving and must have fallen asleep for a moment when I crashed my car into a tree near the docks last night.”
“Well, my word, child,” the small woman said as she stood and rushed over. “It sounds like fate brought you here to us. We are absolutely delighted when that happens. Just delighted. What’s your name, child?”
The whole place was a bit overwhelming with its dark wood and massive fireplace. There were antiques and paintings everywhere I looked, giving it a cluttered, but homey feel. Not to mention the fact I’d just left Nik standing in the street after the single greatest kiss of all time. I couldn’t get my thoughts straight, and I ended up just standing there, unable to say a word in response.
“I think you’ve scared her,” the black man said. “Give her some space, Coraleigh. Give her some room to breathe.”
“Oh, hush, Cooper,” the woman said. “She’s not scared. She’s just a bit taken aback, and can you blame her? She’s had a car accident recently, although I can’t say that I see any wounds in particular. In fact, it looks like she’s been for a swim today.”
“A swim?” the woman in black said. “In this weather? Nonsense.”
“Well, just look at her hair,” Mr. Finnygood said. “She’s definitely been swimming, haven’t you girl? Are you a mermaid? You don’t have the look of a mermaid to you. Or a siren for that matter. Of course, if you were a sea-dweller, you wouldn’t have come here by car, now would you?”
They were talking about me as if I wasn’t even standing here, listening.
“You all need to hush,” one of the twins said. “You’re fussing over her too much. Poor girl probably just needs a bed to rest in for the night. She didn’t come in here expecting to get the third degree, and here you all are asking her about mermaids and such. Shame on you.”
I cleared my throat, unable to get a word in.
The small woman, Mrs. Finnygood I assumed, put her hand in mine and turned me toward a dark mahogany desk in the entryway.
“Come, child, let’s get you registered,” she said.
She left my side and walked around to the back of the desk where she climbed up a stool that put her at even height with me. She picked up a colorful feather quill and dipped it into an ink pot as she opened a hefty leather book filled with beautiful calligraphy.
“Now, give me your name, first and last,” she said, looking up at me expectantly.
“My first name is Eva,” I said. “Eva McKay.”
“There we are,” she said, writing my name in her book. Her handwriting was mesmerizing. She dipped the pen again. “Affiliation?”
I tilted my head. “Excuse me?”
“Affiliation,” she said again. “Clan, coven, family?”
“Oh,” I said, flustered. “I don’t know.”
She shared a glance with her husband, and he raised an eyebrow.
“Human?” she asked, but then shook her head. “Possibly human, yes, but not a typical human. You’ve got an energy coming off of you that screams of ancient magic.”
I suddenly wished I hadn’t run away from Nik so fast. He might have been able to warn me about the questions they would ask, or at least guide me through them. I had no idea how to answer. Or if I should answer.
“Do I have to tell you?” I asked. “That seems awfully private.”
“Uh oh, here we go,” the woman in black said. “She’s done it now.”
“Well, I’ll have you know it’s not every person who can open their home to supernaturals of all types in this world,” Mrs. Finnygood said, setting her pen down quite hard on the table. “Do you think it would do for me to place a vampire next to a werewolf upstairs? Or have a siren and a succubus sharing a bathroom? No, it would not, I tell you. I take pride in my work, and it’s a very serious thing to come in here expecting to keep your heritage a secret.”
Her wrinkled face was nearly red by the time she finished talking, and I had no idea how to respond to her. I hadn’t meant to upset her, but I also hadn’t expected her to call me out on being a witch five seconds after I stepped inside.
I wanted to just turn around and leave, but where else would I go? Nik had said it could be dangerous to be out there alone tonight, and I really didn’t want to make the trek back to Drifter’s right now by myself. I wasn’t even sure he’d want to see me after the way I treated him.
I was going to have to just tell this woman who I was and hope it was the right thing to do.
“I’m sorry,” I said finally. “I’ve never been to a place like this before, and I didn’t mean to offend you. This is all new to me.”
“I should say so. I have half a mind to kick you out right now, but I can see from your eyes you’re a sweet girl,” she said. “And I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I put you out on the street so close to Hallow’s Eve. Shall we try this again?”
/> I nodded, thankful she was willing to let me stay, even if this place was the weirdest place I’d ever been. This couldn’t be farther from a Vegas hotel if it tried.
“My name is Eva McKay. I have no idea what my affiliation might be, because I’m the last of my particular line,” I said. “But I’m a witch, I know that much.”
“I could have told you that,” the woman in black muttered.
“Now, that wasn’t so hard now was it?” Mrs. Finnygood asked. “What particular type of magic is your affinity?”
Another question I had no idea how to answer. Nik had said the Tillmans around here were earth witches, so what did that make me?
“I don’t know,” I said, but when she nearly put down her pen again, I quickly added, “I’m very good with different types of energy. Electricity in particular. Machines, that sort of thing.”
“Is that so?” she asked, tapping the feather against her lips. “Not something you want to be saying too loud, I imagine. A rare gift, indeed.”
Rare, yes, but hopefully not as high demand in a town like this, thank goodness.
I relaxed, hoping that was the last of the invasive questions. She wrote a few things in her ledger and closed it up with a heavy thump before rummaging around in a box below the counter.
After a moment, she set an antique brass key on the counter. The handwritten tag attached to it read Room 3.
“I’ve decided to give you our best room with a view of the willow tree,” she said. “I can tell it speaks to you, and for some reason, it’s the tree that’s brought you here, child, and that’s good enough for me. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like. You’ll have your own private bathroom, but just let me know if you need any extra towels. We don’t typically do meals here, but if you’re hungry and I’m awake, I’ll happily round something up for you.”
“Thank you,” I said. I was nervous to ask about the price. I wasn’t sure I could afford their best room. “I’m sorry to ask, but how much is this particular room? I would be willing to take something smaller or share a bathroom if need be.”
