Page 43 of Beyond the Cottage

Ansel’s product would keep them in line forever.

“I’ve been researching spells for years,” he said. “I’m nearly finished with the repellent, but the formula might need tweaking. I have no means of testing it on a larger scale.”

“How much can you make? We need to spray down the whole damn country, maybe introduce it to the water supply.”

“That’s the other problem. The main ingredient is silver. I have limited resources, so I need investors to bring it to market.”

That was hardly a problem—Nat was going to throw so much money at this, it would make the Merecian economy look like a yard sale.

Gretta’s giddiness waned.

Pitching the repellent to Nat meant bringing Ansel to the capital. When Nat inevitably pounced, Gretta would haverewardedAnsel’s treachery. Letting him walk away from what he’d done was one thing. Repaying him with gobs of cash and a cushy job was another.

She picked up the repellent and rubbed her thumb over the smooth glass. The liquid inside swirled, shimmering with glittery sparkles.

It was almost magic itself. A bottled miracle.

Helping Ansel defied every instinct in her, butnothingmattered more than fighting witches. Whatever benefit he gained from this would be the cost of war. Being stuck with himfor a few extra days would be her personal sacrifice, proof of her total commitment to the cause.

Gretta heaved an internal sigh. “I know an investor.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. My boss. He’s loaded, and his motivation to stop witches is as big as ours.” At least, it used to be. Maybe this would relight the fire in him.

“I see.” Ansel eyed her skeptically. “And I’m to believe you’ll introduce me to your wealthy employer with no hard feelings, water under the bridge?”

“This is more important than our personal issues, Ansel. I don’t need to like the people I work with.” Once Nat invested, he’d probably pawn Ansel off on Philip, anyway.

A tiny flinch cracked his expression. He snapped the gloves off and took the repellent from her.

She grabbed his arm. “I want a sample.”

The muscles in his forearm tensed as he studied her hand. “What will you do with it?”

“Protect myself. This will be a game changer for hunting.” It would also be a failsafe in case he refused to go to the capital with her. If she couldn’t convince him, Nat might find a way to have the formula reverse engineered.

He set the bottle down. Staring at her, he leaned a hip on the table. Gretta stared back, chewing her lip.

Like that first night he’d visited her cell, weird tension filled the silence, and she once again refused to break it.

“Alright,” he finally said. “You can have one.” She reached for the bottle, and he slid it out of reach. “I’m not just going to give it to you, though.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means I want something in return.”

“…What?”

More silent tension. He crossed his arms, biceps straining his sleeves. “You won’t like it.”

“Okay…what?”

His expression darkened, and the vibrations pulsing between them went from weird to grueling.

He stood straighter and skulked closer. A lantern on the bench lit his face from below, casting ghoulish shadows in his cheeks and eyes.

Startled, Gretta stepped back.

---