“Welcome,” Bas said, her voice calm, measured, and entirely unbothered by sentient doors. “You’re early.”
“Habit,” Brianna replied. “Anxiety doubles if I’m late.”
A corner of Bas’s mouth twitched up. “You’ll tour the house first. On your own. Training starts later.”
Brianna blinked. “You’re just… letting me wander?”
“I trust you,” Bas said, simply.
That was either very reassuring or deeply ominous. Brianna gazed up at the massive double staircase. "Where should I begin?"
Bas just shrugged and walked away.
"Okaaay..." She ascended the stairs, letting her hand run over the mahogany banister. Its smooth, polished surface felt almost sensuous.
Upstairs, each door bore a rune. She'd bet they were more than decorative. Brianna paused at one and squinted at it.“Not touching you,” she told it firmly. “We just met.”
Soft music drifted from behind one closed door—wordless, haunting, intimate enough that Brianna backed away instinctively. Whoever was in there deserved privacy.
Another open doorway revealed a room that looked like a witch’s personality had spilled everywhere. Artifacts, bright colors, books stacked sideways. She smiled, then moved on.
At the next doorway, she nearly collided with a pretty redhead. Brianna’s red hair was called “auburn,” a darker, muted orange.
“Oh! Hi. I'm Magda Bloomer,” she said brightly, holding a plant whose leaves shimmered. “You must be new.”
“Is it that obvious?” Brianna asked.
“You still have the what-have-I-done look,” Magda said. “It fades. Mostly.”
Brianna glanced inside the room just long enough for her gaze to land on a pile of books on a side table.
"Ah! Many of us write romance novels in our spare time and act as a critique group for one another. May I offer to show you around the lower floors? I need to go to the greenhouse anyway.”
Brianna didn’t know which room she had been assigned to and had left her suitcase in the car, so going back to the ground floor seemed sensible.
They toured the lounge, where she spotted the truth chair but wasn’t asked to sit in it, then on to an impressive library, formal dining room, and large industrial kitchen. Magda explained that they frequently took turns cooking because they enjoyed it. But there was a non-magical employee who would take care of meals if no one else was up to it—like after a demanding assignment. He was also the “pool boy.” Magda described him as a ‘delicious man’ and hinted that he’d volunteered to slake other appetites as well.
Brianna kept her opinion on that to herself. She was a serial monogamist and liked it that way.
At last, they arrived at the greenhouse. It was more of a conservatory since it was attached to the mansion. Large glass panels and a hexagonal glass ceiling gleamed in the afternoon light.
Brianna let out a slow breath. “Yeah. Okay. I’m sold.”
Magda smiled. “I knew you would be. It’s an honor to be invited here. They take care of us. And wait until you get your first paycheck.”She winked.
Oh, yes. Brianna could use the money to pay back some debts incurred while she and her grandmother were in the seventeenth century. Between a well-paying job and learning to control her time-traveling talent, accepting Bas’s offer had been a no-brainer.
Or was it the worst mistake of her life?
12
“Am I being punked?”
Chad glanced around his closet-sized office, looking for cameras. “There’s no such thing as tenure hazing, is there?”
He read the bizarre email from Brianna Suretti for the third time.
Where the fuck are you, Mad-hatterson? I’ve been standing outside this funeral home for an hour. I can’t keep them waiting any longer. Do I have to plan this shindig by myself? Unless you wrapped your zippy around a tree… In which case, I’ll just plan two shindigs while I’m here.
