Page 40 of Hooked on a Witch
“What do you think Poseidon’s Trident has to do with them?” She sipped coffee.
“It promises unlimited power. I’m sure that’s the necromancer’s goal. She may not have counted on you to survive Rick’s attack, definitely not to take the Trident’s power with you. I wonder how they harnessed its power. Or maybe they didn’t know about the Trident until after you’d been stabbed.”
“You said no person could touch the Trident. Why is it possibly in me?” She ran a hand over her stomach, disturbed.
“Told you, darlin’. I don’t have answers. Wish I could help.”
You can help.“Do you have something at your work that could help me find the Trident?”
“Nope.”
“Not a single thing in all that junk you have sitting around, which reeks of magic?”
“It’s all confiscated items. They’re relics best left alone.”
Time to push Merck a little bit. “If you’ve got nothing, then it sounds like I need to pay Owen a visit.”
“Stay away from him and Anaïs.”
She shot him a challenging glare.
“The world of black magic is pouring into South Carolina in search of you. Let’s assume Owen’s friends are interested in you for the same thing. Anaïs will kill you if she thinks it’ll grant her more power.”
“How are you related to Poseidon?”
He slid his chair back and took his dishes to the sink. “He’s my father.”
“What?”
The gaze he cast her clearly indicated that was as much information as he was willing to dish out on the matter.
Merck was a demigod. Oh my. The strength of his power now made sense.
“Can you talk to Poseidon for me?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know him. He’s never wanted anything to do with me.”
So far, the recruit-Merck plan was tanking. She cleared her throat and slid her chair back. “I’ll do the dishes and then see if I can get us back to South Carolina.”
“I can do my own dishes.”
They both washed and dried dishes, and placed the leftover buns in the freezer.
After the plates had been returned to their place in the cabinet, he said, “Don’t go after Owen.”
“You can’t help me. So I need to talk to people who might know something.”
“You have no idea what you’d be up against.”
“I’m fully capable of dealing with whatever comes my way. I’ll do whatever I need to in order to get this situation resolved. Sounds like Owen or his undead fiancée may be my only leads.” She pushed to get past him.
He caught her arm, spun her, and caged her against the refrigerator. His palm supported her chin and fingers wrapped her jaw. “Anaïs is as strategic as she is cunning. She targeted you. It’s not over with her, not so long as whatever has to with the Trident still involves you. The stupidest thing you can do is seek her out, whether you go alone or with your druids.”
She struggled against his hand until he released her face. She bucked, getting herself locked tighter between him and the refrigerator. “Get off me.”
“Not until you promise you won’t do something reckless like fly out to California.”
“Since I’m on my own, I’ll decide my next step. I’m not even sure if you and I are on the same team or if you want to be enemies. We could be on the same team...” She stared at the temptation of his lips. Was she above a little seduction? Naughty witch time. With a smile she leaned in and kissed him hard.
