Page 6 of The Witch & the Tiger

“Of course. But that doesn’t mean other people should be dragged into the situation. That wouldn’t be fair.”

“Maybe not,” Willow agreed, “but it’s clear you care enough to come and talk about him with me. And though I don’t know your brother well, I don’t mind helping if it will do any good and as long as it doesn’t interfere with my studies or anything, that is.”

Eva tapped her fingers on the table in front of her, thoughtfully pursing her lips. “I can pass the word on to him. Just make sure you don’t get dragged into anything you don’t want to be dragged into. But honestly, I’d appreciate some help for my brother. Me, my family, and his friends are worried about him. He doesn’t let us in, and he seems a little too obsessed at times.”

“Which was why you mentioned the enchanting,” Willow murmured. “Did you already talk with any of the teachers about it?”

“Yes. They say they can’t know for certain – but don’t bring it up with him, just in case. Enchanted individuals don’t believe they are under a spell. Of course, he may not be enchanted at all. We don’t really know for certain.”

“Got it.” Willow considered the situation. Talking to Harrow or Chloe afterward might be a wiser option. She wasn’t as close friends with Chloe as she was with Harrow, but they all interacted to some degree.

Willow said, “You can give him my number if you want.” She entered her number in Eva’s phone. “And you can call me, too, any time.”

“If it’s not too much of a bother, could you keep me updated if anything big happens? We don’t want him to go missing again, and he’s not always so eager to communicate.”

“If I think it is necessary,” Willow said, nodding. She wasn’t sure if she liked the concept of spying on Martin, but the situation seemed so out there that she figured it was best to have someone to check in with.

“Be careful. My brother’s a good person, but he’s not really been himself lately.”

Understandable, Willow thought. Given that he lost all his friends on a trip they went on together. He must have some crazy survivor’s guilt.

Yet he seemed… well-adjusted when they spoke.

Or was he?

Maybe his reaction to her water stunts was a little more primal. She didn’t know. She wasn’t a mind reader.

“Thank you,” Willow said. “Hopefully, it’ll all turn out fine. And as I said – if I can help even a little, maybe he’ll gain some sense of normalcy.”

Eva’s smile was genuine this time, and when they got up to leave, she hugged Willow as a thank you for her efforts.

Naturally, Willow passed all the information on to Chloe and Harrow – who spread it among their friends.

Chloe and her boyfriend Tiran seemed particularly interested in the news. Messages from all her friends flooded Willow’s phone on the newly created group chat.

Chloe: Hey, this honestly sounds like what the Dryad wanted from me. They were mentioning something dangerous happening. Back me up, Tiran.

Tiran: Maybe? I don’t think you ever mentioned a coastal area

Arlo: Maybe it’s related to what’s been happening with the ghosts. Some of the ghosts Holly and I contacted were disturbed by what seemed to be dark magic…

Chloe: And that sounds like what’s been happening with the Dryad and their woods lately! Something’s going on here, all right. Gosh, what if it’s a repeat of the summer?

Harrow: Hell, no. Besides, it’s not the same as what happened. We had a full-on ice storm and crap. Things still seem pretty normal here.

Tiran: Wait…

Chloe: What?

Tiran: You mentioned this guy was possibly enchanted?

Willow: Yes?

Tiran: I mean, something like that kind of happened to me, but it was really confusing. I didn’t even know I was enchanted, but I was

Willow: You WERE?

Chloe: He was! Some fae from the Unseelie Court.

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