Chapter 3
Three
“Tea?” Theo called, like this was all natural and he was casually hosting me in his house or something.
My feet bounced against the worn rug as I watched from my perched seat in the living room. He walked around the kitchen with ease, like he was already familiar with where everything was.
He’d put on a shirt now and the dark tattoos being hidden was at least mildly comforting.
But my thoughts swam.
A warlock? Was he for real?
The idea seemed preposterous. Could he be one of those delusional tourists who visited Mystic searching for another realm?
I half-wondered if he was in some weird cult or club that Lori had met him through. She was like that. Always picking up strays, including her own granddaughter.
If someone told her he was a warlock who’d gotten into some trouble and needed a place to hide out, she was exactly the type of person who would take him in. “He seemed nice enough,” she’d say.
But that still didn’t explain what I’d seen with my own eyes.
The door slamming.
The knife block flying.
Either I was going insane or this guy had actual magical abilities.
“Sugar?” he asked.
“Uh huh,” I mumbled weakly.
As if adding insult to injury, he started stirring and a sugar cube flew out of a bowl by the coffee pot and plunked down into the cup…by itself.
My mouth hung open as he strode in casually, balancing two brimming cups in one hand in an unnatural way that certainly should have resulted in both cups toppling to the floor, before setting one down in front of me.
“Here you go,” he said before taking the small armchair to my left. His large frame looked comically huge in the small leather chair.
I eyed the tea warily and once again wondered if I was having some sort of medical episode.
“Thanks,” I breathed, eyeing him as he took a sip of his own tea first.
“You seem edgy.”
I choked on a laugh. “Wonder why that could be?”
I picked up my own cup and dammit, it smelled heavenly and I was absolutely jittery. I sipped it, hoping it was decaf but too flustered to ask. The minty flavor curled around my tongue. I sighed and took another sip.
Theo waited a moment, eyebrows raised. “So, it’s working? You’re calmer?”
His hopeful expression caused me to freeze, the tea still at my lips.
“What’s in this?” I asked skeptically.
“Noth—”
“Did you drug me? Is this some sort of potion or something?” I set the cup down and pushed it away with trembling hands.
“What?” He let out a soft sound of disbelief. “No. It’s peppermint. It’s supposed to be soothing.”
I stared at the cup warily, no longer trusting it.
“Look, potions aren’t my specialty and even if they were, there’s very limited resources in your realm.” He delivered those words nonchalantly.
“Right, of course,” I said sarcastically. “I’m sure the local grocery store in our ‘realm’ doesn’t carry the good stuff.” I put air quotes around realm, feeling punchy now.
He frowned, a deep eleven forming between his brows. He opened his mouth to speak but then closed it again. “Will you please drink it? I promise, it’s just tea.”
I folded my arms across my chest instead and stared at my feet.
“I don’t suppose you have any proof that you know my grandmother.”
He scrambled to set his tea down and pulled out an old cell phone from his back pocket. “Here, Lori gave me this,” he said, pulling it out and pulling up a call log.
My grandmother’s name did indeed appear a few times. And he did call her Lori with familiarity vs. Loretta, the name she went by with most.
Surely if he’d wanted to hurt me by now he’d have done so, right? But my guard was still up.
“She was friends with my grandfather,” he added.
I sank back into the couch. “Your grandfather?”
“Right.”
“Another warlock?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
I shot him a look when he didn’t continue. “I’m going to need more information than that.”
He blew out a breath and glanced over at me with unease. “He spent a lot of time in Mystic. Even stayed here for a short while. It’s not uncommon in this area, given it’s so close to one of the main portals.”
“Portals,” I repeated. The word hung in the air between us. He spoke as if none of this should come as a surprise to me.
“Right.” He nodded.
I stared at him as if he had completely lost his mind. Suddenly, I longed for my disgusting apartment back in the city, bed bugs and all.
“You seriously want me to believe this? Are you just some nut obsessed with the rumors surrounding this town?”
He frowned. “The town, while charming, is all fake. They don’t actually know anything about the real portal. Their knowledge of our realm is limited. No one that actually knows anything is feeding into these rumors.”
I scoffed. “Right. Okay.”
He placed his forehead in his hands and shook his head in defeat. “Sorry, I’ve never explained all this to an outsider before. I’m not doing a very good job am I?”
I scoffed at the word outsider. Was he serious?
We sat in silence for a spell. I waited for him to say more, but he rubbed his temple.
“Well, if your plans don’t include murder, I think I’m going to go back to bed,” I said, rising from the couch.
“You sure? We can talk more?” He scrambled to get up from his own seat.
I tried to ignore my heart picking up rhythm as I stared up at him.
The top of my head came up to his chest. This guy was massive.
Were all warlocks this size? What sort of trouble had he found himself in?
Could he be dangerous? He didn’t seem all that dangerous.
“As chatty as you seem, I think I’m good for now. You aren’t planning on killing me, right? And you don’t have my grandmother tied up somewhere?”
His eyes widened. “Of course not.”
“Great. Since that’s settled…” I let my words trail off as I stared up at him. “I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”
“It is the morning,” he protested.
“A more reasonable hour of the morning, then.”
I tried to give him a cool look before I walked upstairs, hoping he didn’t notice how my entire body was still shaking.