Spells on Shelves

Chapter 10 || The Crazy Uncle

"A proper chat?" I spat out, working my jaw. "Then choose a different day. Make an appointment."

"I don't make appointments," Paxton replied smoothly.

I plastered a smile onto my face, marched up to the kitchen aisle, and plucked the peach out of his hand. "First," I said in a chipper voice. "You threaten me at my shop. Now you have the nerve to break into my home?"

He acted as if he was following a guide on How to Insult a Witch in Three Steps.

Witch hunter or not, I was done tip-toeing around him. I tried that and he'd seen right through it. Besides, right now, he needed me.

Paxton tilted his head to the sides. "Let's call it a good instinct. I know you're hiding something and I intend to find out what. You can make this easy or hard, your choice."

My choice huh? What had Cameron said? It was never easy.

My smile dropped. "You're paranoid."

His eyes flashed. "Maybe so. But why has no one heard of a witch like you in Chicago."

"Because I lived as a human, genius. Covens don't exactly line up at my doorstep ready to recruit me."

Liar.

He placed his hands against the counter. "You entered the forest, and shortly after, we discovered a dark ritual and Kai's magic ran wild. Tell me, Ms. Williams, do you believe in coincidences?"

My heart sank. No. I did not believe in coincidences. But I also wasn't involved in any of this.

"I collected moongrass," I said.

"How come you chose to move here out of all places?"

"I-I just saw the ad!"

He tapped the counter with one of his long fingers. I was tempted to pull out my revolver, half-expecting claws to come out at any moment.

"Do you know how long this ad has been up?" he asked softly. "Three. Years. No one applied. Then all of a sudden some weak run-of-the-mill witch shows up with no real background and things start happening."

A throb pulsed beneath my temples. Put like that, it did sound suspicious.

Paxton smirked, his voice almost a purr. "Just try to run. I haven't had a good chase in years."

"Is that a threat?"

"A promise. As I said, I haven't threatened you yet."

And that was just about enough.

Enough of his blatant insults, and underhanded threats. This was my turf. I placed my clammy hands on the aisle between us, mimicking his posture.

A gust of wind ruffled the curtains.

"No matter how weak I am, this is still a witch's home!" The kitchen drawers rattled as if to underline my words. "Never threaten a witch in her domain. Don't you know the saying?"

His face tightened slightly.

My chest heaved, a numb cold spreading from its center down my limbs. The door toward the pantry shut with a bang. Chairs skidded across the floor. Some fell over, others bumped into the walls. The jade pendant around my neck began to vibrate with energy.

Magic pinched me but I paid it no heed. Nothing was more humiliating than threatening a witch in her own home.

"I'm not the villain here Mr. Turner, you are. You came to me to intimidate me when all I did was my job. The way I see it you need my help because otherwise, you wouldn't be asking a witch who stayed here for less than a month to assist your case. So you can take your promise and get out of my house or I swear I'm gonna learn how to sacrifice pets and start by burying your furry butt inside my backyard!"