Page 57 of Hooked on a Witch
Chapter Thirteen
“Can you give me a ride somewhere, Eli?” Shannon found him typing on his laptop on the sun porch. It seemed ages ago when he and her father had argued with her outside of Merck’s car, but it’d only been this morning. Cooking helped her forget the stress, if only for a while.
Danny’s check-up phone call, although seemingly sweet, set off warning bells. Something was up with Merck. It was odd he wouldn’t call himself.
Eli’s gaze shot up from his screen. His eyes narrowed, suspicious. “Where to?”
“Next door to see Merck.” She held up the pie in her hands as if its existence answered all questions.
“To take him pie?” Eli’s eyebrows slowly rose.
“He’s had a rough few days and he did save my life twice. That deserves some pie.”
“Pie…” Eli nodded and silently stood. He led her out of the house. As he started the car minutes later, he asked, “You okay?”
Her grip on the pie plate tightened. “I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.” The concern in his gaze threatened the dam she’d erected while cooking, the one holding back her emotions. She kept a wall of confidence in place for fear of losing it in front of him or any of the other guys. She didn’t know what she was doing taking Merck pie. She only knew something prodded her to go to him, pie or not. The impulse had intensified into a must-do over the past hour.
“Maybe I’m panicking a bit with the clock counting down. Merck is the only one who’s offered sensible options to find answers.”
Eli rubbed his chin. She should’ve made Eli pie too. For being here. For caring so much.
The trip around the corner was short. Eli cut the engine in front of Merck’s house. She’d never been on this forbidden property. Never seen the house’s lawn with its impeccably maintained landscaping down to the wisteria creeping up an ancient fence. The white clapboard house had been well maintained. It wasn’t as large as the one on their property, but exuded Colonial-era charm. The raised foundation spoke of years of hurricanes and flooding that this structure had survived. Everything about it was beautiful, down to the black-shuttered windows. They were real shutters, which meant they functioned and weren’t the decorative crap used on newer houses. The gardens, the landscaping, the house…all of it was the opposite of the hard edges of Merck.
The one time she’d ventured across the creek, they’d met by accident in the woods. But she’d never seen his house, which was well off the main road, like hers. He’d never had a birthday party. There’d never been neighborly borrowing. She’d never been allowed to trick-or-treat here.
“Thanks for driving me over. I’ll be good from here.” She reached for the door handle.
“How do you know he’s home?” Eli gazed at the front door.
She pointed at the SUV. “That’s his car. I texted him that I was coming over.” She hadn’t gotten a reply, but the presence of his car gave her confidence he was home. The nagging feeling she needed to be here pressed her with its urgency.
“Your father wouldn’t want you here.” Eli shifted to face her. “This goes against everything I am to drop you off and leave. How do I know you can trust this guy? Are you reallywithhim? Is he your destined?”
“I don’t know. I don’t have answers. I only know what’s real. Being here with him feels like where I should be. I jumped dimensions with him, which means something. We’ve known each other a long time. And I trust him.”
“All right. Level with me. What is he? I don’t mean what he is to you, but what type of magic does he have?”
Shannon slowly turned toward Eli. “I’m safe with him.”
“That’s not an answer. He’s not druid. He’s something else, isn’t he? What?”
The stubbornness etched into Eli’s face meant the easiest path was to answer. If she didn’t, he’d accompany her inside, which was guaranteed to be awkward, or he’d drive her home.
She cleared her throat. “This is between you and me. No sharing, not even with Dad. Merck is half god. Poseidon’s son.”
“What?” Eli’s eyes went wide. “First generation? A demigod?”
She nodded. “So, you can see his Poseidon connection makes him important in figuring out my dilemma.”
“Uh-huh. What about the fact he’s a witch hunter? Your father wouldn’t stop reminding us after you left with Merck this morning.”
“I’m sorry about how I handled this morning. Thank you for…well, you probably got him rational again. Merck fights evil beings who use magic and are a threat to humans. That’s his job. It means he does technically hunt witches sometimes, but only the really bad ones. I don’t know the extent of his abilities. What I do know is he’s never hurt me.”
“I can’t let you go alone. You understand that, don’t you?”
“Please, make an exception right now. I know this is hard for you.” She squeezed his forearm. “I don’t detect any evil auras here. The place feels protected. It’s probably like ours and he’s done some sort of spell or something on the property. I’ll be okay. If there’s trouble, I’ll pop away. I promise. If I need you, I’ll text or call, and you can arrive with guns blazing. It takes two minutes to get here, maybe less. I need to do this alone. He’s our only hope.”
