Page 58 of How to Flirt with a Witch

She takes me past arched wooden doors, each one marked with an iron number.

“So.” I check over my shoulder. “Will seems like an ass.”

Natalie purses her lips, looking abashed. “Sorry about him. He’s not, actually. He’s a good Alchemist and a dedicated coven member.”

“Coworkers shouldn’t get in your face like that.”

“His anger was… misdirected. He was suspended for six months once for bringing his girlfriend to the lounge. He obviously thought I was making up a story to sneak you in.”

My brain wants to jump right into analyzing this—does this confirm that Natalie is into girls? But I force that aside for later. “Is Fiona your boss?”

“One of several. Here we are.” She motions ahead to an arched wooden door with the number 133 and an old-fashioned keyhole. “Put your palm on it to set the lock. That’s all you’ll need to do to access it in the future. It only opens for you and the cleaner, Elizabeth.”

I do what she says and press my palm flat to the lock. It clicks, and I push the door open.

The room is all brick, stone, and greenery like the rest of the building, with a queen bed, kitchenette and mini fridge, bathroom, and wooden desk and chair. The bedding is forest green, and instead of a bedside table, there’s a bonsai tree with a notebook and an alarm clock on its branches.

Natalie shuts the door, sealing us from the world—along with the judgmental glares and comments. The tension in my shoulders eases. It’s just the two of us again.

She must feel the same because her expression softens.

Ethel meows, and I put the kennel on the bed and let her out. She scrambles into my arms, digging into me with her sharp claws.

“I’m so sorry about that,” Natalie murmurs. “As if you haven’t been through enough tonight without my colleagues breathing down your neck.”

“It’s okay.”

“It’s not.”

A tingle goes through me as I look up at her, every cell in my body wishing for her to step in and wrap me in a hug.

Water whooshes beyond the walls—the pipes Natalie was talking about. I don’t mind it. In this unfamiliar place, it’s nice remembering ordinary people are around.

“So, um…” I hesitate, unsure how to word this. “I can leave here if I want, right? I’m not, like, trapped?”

Natalie nods. “I can take you home right now. But I hope you understand why I brought you here, and if you still want to leave, I hope you’ll let me or someone else come along as a bodyguard in case…” She lowers her gaze.

“In case I get jumped by a Madsen.” I nudge the bed with my toe, pretending a chill didn’t just run down my spine. The reality of the danger I’m in hits me all over again. “How many of them are there?”

“Three. Freddie, his sister Oaklyn, and their mom Sophia.” She hesitates. “Four, if you include the dog.”

I hug Ethel tighter, suppressing a shudder. “I will definitely be including the dog.”

So, three people and a German Shepherd want to kidnap me. Awesome.

Natalie steps closer. “Anything I can do to make you comfortable?”

I look around the thoughtfully furnished suite. “It’s already cozier than the basement.”

“Tomorrow, I’ll show you the courtyard. It opens up to the sky, and there are trees and a pond and a track.” She presses her lips together. “I don’t want you to think I’ve taken you to an underground dungeon.”

I crack a smile, wishing she’d brought me here under different circumstances. “It doesn’t feel like a dungeon. But the courtyard sounds nice.”

She nods. “Let me know if you need anything. Whatever you want.”

Ugh, she’s so apologetic it’s melting me.

We hold each other’s gaze, the silence charged. My pulse quickens and my lips tingle, as if my body is anticipating something my brain is unaware of.