My nostrils flare. “For three days in a row?”
“Are you serious right now? Why are you here, Seb? How did you even know where I live?”
I clear my throat and brush invisible lint from the sleeve of my shirt. “The manager at the Barrel Room shared it with me when I told him I had an opportunity for you.”
She licks her lips. “Is this the same opportunity we already talked about—twice—or something else?”
I sigh. “You said you no longer practice magic, but I… We…dragons desperately need the help of a witch. Lives are at stake. Many, many lives. I respect your refusal to help, but I was wondering if you’d had time to think of another witch who might.”
She sighs. “I haven’t, Seb. I’m sorry. I’ve been…busy…and haven’t had a chance to speak with anyone in my coven.”
“All I need is a name. Any witch who might help us, please.” I’m very close to begging.
“Why can’t you find them yourself? You found me.”
“Your voice betrays your magic.” I see her brow twitch at the corner. She likes what I’ve said, so I continue, taking a step closer. “It’s like hearing silk, you know. Like notes transform into something that caresses you from the inside. You may not practice the craft anymore, but your magic lingers in your voice like a siren’s. I listen to hundreds of voices a year, Zoe, and you are truly a rare talent.”
Her mouth works like she doesn’t quite know what to say. I look away when a tear rolls down her cheek. I hadn’t meant to make her cry.
“Was that what you’ve been doing in here for three days? Writing music?” I ask.
Her cheeks heat to a delicious shade of pink, and she swipes her fingers under her eyes. She doesn’t answer my question, though. “Say I did refer you to another witch who could analyze the enchantment on this object you mentioned. What would you offer them in exchange? I have to tell you, there aren’t many of us who could use a recording contract.”
“I’ll offer them whatever they want, within reason. And if they help us, there will be a bonus in it for you, of course, for making the connection.”
“Only if they agree to help you.”
I nod. “Yes. I’m a generous man, Ms. Willow, but I won’t pay you for a referral to someone who has no intention of giving us what we need.”
“Call me Zoe.”
“Zoe.”
She paces to the window. The glass is clean on this side, but the outer panel is dingy and cracked, framed by curtains that I presume were ivory when they were new but are now an uneven shade of tan.
“I think…” She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. “I’d like to try to help you myself, if the offer is still open.”
My heart leaps inside my chest, and my fingers tingle with the desire to touch her, to pull her into my arms and celebrate this turn of events. To have her in my cottage! My dragon roils under my skin with excitement. “The offer is still open.”
“There’s only one thing. As I mentioned to you at Alice’s, I’ll have to use gold dust. There’s a risk that if I try this, I will need care to recover from the side effects. I need your promise, whether I succeed in cracking this enchantment or not, I need you to promise you will care for me until I’m back on my feet. I’m talking medical, rehab, a place to stay…whatever is necessary. I won’t do it unless it’s in the contract.”
My dragon is as excited as a dog who’s had a raw steak thrown into his bowl. I don’t consider for a second that this is a terrible deal, that I’m promising everything for someone who has told me straight out she probably can’t deliver. “Done,” I say, without a second thought.
She holds out her hand. “Then you have yourself a witch.”
Chapter Ten
ZOE
When my hand connects with Seb’s, it’s like I’ve extended my arm through a portal into some tropical paradise. It’s instantly warm. Aruba, Jamaica, ooh my arm is taking me to a sunny beach somewhere. Is that a dragon thing? It must be.
So why does he look like he’s been punched in the gut? He’s bent over, holding his stomach, almost as if he’s bowing to me. Is he holding his breath? Sweat breaks out on his forehead.
“Hey, are you okay?” I ask.
He releases me, and it’s like the agony I saw only a moment ago was a trick of the light. He goes back to being as calm, cool, and collected as before. What was that all about? Maybe that’s a dragon thing too. Maybe they all bow when they strike a deal. Who the fuck cares. It’s done now.
But the feel of his touch lingers on my palm. Several truths tick themselves off in my head at that feeling.
