“What do you think I did?” Millie challenged.
“You sold me out to the highest bidder,” I replied without hesitation. “Okay, you thought you only had one bidder at the time. You didn’t know we had a plan for you. I get it.”
Millie looked troubled but remained silent.
“When did he approach you?” I asked. I wanted a full picture of what we were dealing with.
“This morning.” Millie sat on a log about five feet from me. She was restless, but there was determination in her eyes. “He found me at the bluff.”
“He specifically came looking for you?”
“No. He was looking for someone to use as leverage against the naiad. He’d heard about the family, of course. No one can live in the area and not hear about the Winchesters, especially if you’re in the trade.”
“He knew us.”
Millie didn’t want to meet my gaze. “He knew. He didn’t care until after … well, you know.”
I tried shifting my shoulders. They were stiff. “What’s the plan?” I asked, glancing around. “Why am I here?”
“Greg knows the naiad is going to come for him. He wants to have some leverage,” Millie replied, matter of fact.
“The naiad isn’t interested in me. If he’s planning to make a trade?—”
“He doesn’t want to trade your life for his. He wants you to talk the naiad out of attacking. He thinks we all can get what we want … especially now that I’ve told him about the plane door. You told me about the door. He was going to leave a trail of your blood between the bluff and here to serve as an enticement before I told him. You should thank me really.”
The more time I spent with Millie, the more I realized she was nothing like Aunt Tillie. Had it always been that way? Did she make a conscious choice?
“He doesn’t fear witches,” Millie volunteered. “He probably should.”
“He definitely should,” I agreed grimly.
Millie’s lips hitched, reminding me so much of Aunt Tillie. She looked just like her, but the more time she spent in our world, the more her mannerisms diverged. “He’s not going to kill you,” she said. “I made him promise.”
“Yes, the warlock who used his magic to have a group of men torture a naiad to death is definitely trustworthy.”
Millie’s countenance darkened. “He said he was acting in self-defense.”
“I didn’t realize torture was a tenant of self-defense.”
Millie grew defensive. “I wasn’t there. Neither were you.”
“I’ve heard the story. Let’s just say I believe the source.” I tugged my hands in an effort to loosen the ropes. “Where is Greg?” I had to laugh. “A warlock named Greg. I guess there’s a first for everything.”
“Gregor,” she corrected. “His real name is Gregor. It’s a family name.”
“His father was Gregor, so I guess that tracks.”
“Who cares about the name?” Millie’s patience was wearing thin. “As for the plan, when the naiad comes, he’ll make a deal with her. You’ll make sure that deal is carried to fruition. Then everyone will go their separate ways.”
“Where are you going?” I couldn’t help being curious.
“Well, you did mention the plane door,” she said, shifting on the log to get more comfortable. She acted as if she had creepy-crawlies in her pants. “I like the idea of starting over.”
“You no longer want to replace Aunt Tillie?”
“That was just a fleeting thought.” She waved off the suggestion. “I thought that’s what I wanted but … it’s weird.”
“What’s weird?” I kept working on the ropes. I felt a slight amount of give. It would take time, however. I made sure not to scan the woods. If Millie caught me looking around too much, she would figure out that the others had come for me.
