Page 19 of White Little Lies

I glanced at Sebastian, wondering just how much I should tell this woman, but he was being absolutely no help. “She’s a nymph,” I explained. “We don’t know exactly what happened to her, but she has no visible injuries. She couldn’t walk, and was incredibly weak.Eventually she lost consciousness, and her heart rate is starting to slow.”

She pursed her lips and tilted her head at my words. “I might be able to work with that.” She gave me a pointed look. “But it doesn’t come cheap.” Her eyes drifted once more to Sebastian.

“What do you want?” I asked.

“Your soul, of course.” Before I could respond, she laughed. “Oh, wait, I guess that’shisthing.” She rolled her eyes again toward Sebastian, who was finally starting to show his irritation.

Not seeming to notice, she continued. “What I want depends on what kind of magic you have. You do have magic, don’t you? I highly doubt this guy would be toting around alowly human.”

Sebastian sighed heavily. “Isadora is human. She can’t tell what type of magic you have. She can only use alchemy to include it in her concoctions.”

Isadora lifted a hand to cover one side of her mouth as she whispered, “He says human like it’s such a dirty word, doesn’t he?”

Sebastian huffed again. “I’m going to wait outside.” Rather than using the door, he disappeared in a cloud of darkness.

Isadora watched the darkness slowly dissipating from the center of her shop. “Why are the handsome ones always such assholes?”

“You have no idea,” I laughed.

Her curious eyes lifted back to my face. “So whatare you doing with him? You don’t seem—” she wiggled her fingers in the air, “evil.”

“A contract of convenience,” I said vaguely. “And no offense, can we get back to the potion? The nymph seemed stable, but I’m not sure how long she has.”

“Of course,” she chirped. “Let the bargaining begin. First, I’ll need to know whatflavoryou are. As Mr. tall, dark, and arrogant already explained, I’m human. I can’t read your magic, I can only use it in my experiments.”

“I am a night runner,” I said. “Half celestial.”

“Ooh, star magic.” Her eyes widened as she glanced down at my messenger bag. “And what precisely is that?”

Ringo gasped, then retreated back into the bag.

“You’ve never seen a goblin?”

Her brows lifted. “Human, remember? I’ve had a few dealings with people with some goblin blood, but it’s not like I can go to the Bogs.” She put her elbows on the counter again, peering at the bag as if she could see Ringo through the fabric. “I’ll give you all the potions you want if you let me keep that little guy.”

“He’s not for sale.” Was this woman nuts?

She straightened. “Worth a try. Some of your fancy star magic will do.” She jerked her head toward the back room. “Let’s go.”

Giving my bag a reassuring pat to let Ringo know he wasn’t going anywhere, I followed her back into her work room. A few lamps lit rows upon rows of bottles, some filled and some empty. There was a smallrefrigerator next to a clinical looking workstation with a sink in the center. I spotted a few metal tools that looked suspiciously like torture devices, and wondered if this was how Sebastian planned to finally be rid of me. Maybe he was tired of all my failed realm jumping attempts.

Isadora grabbed an empty bottle from one of the shelves, the bulbous base the size of a softball, then she reached for a separate jar filled with a milky liquid. She turned toward me, extending the jar in front of my face. “This is the carrier, and no, I’m not gonna tell you what’s in it. It’s a proprietary secret. All you need to know is that it has the ability to infuse itself with magic, thus making it a liquid and not just energy. Once the magic is a liquid, I can study its properties and use it in different potions, which I then sell to the highest bidder.”

I peered skeptically at the milky substance. “And how do we meld the magic and the liquid to begin with?”

She scoffed. “How should I know? You’re the magic user here. Wiggle your nose, do a little dance, or whatever else it is you do to call your fancy powers forth.”

Should I tell her that lately my magic mostly reacted to making out with hot men?

Probably not.

“Okay… so I put the magic in the bottle, then you give me the poison cure?”

“Exactly.” She winked. “And don’t worry about mestiffing you. I’m not about to run off with your payment when you have a devil waiting outside.”

“Okay, sure.” This was the weirdest thing ever. I took the milky substance from her, then unscrewed the lid of the jar. I gave it a sniff then instantly jerked my head back, my eyes watering.

Isadora smirked, then turned toward her workstation. She started stirring something purple and viscous in a metal bowl. “Take your time, star lady.”

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