Oath Bound

Chapter 1

The Harker name had earned a wary regard from the Supernatural Community long before Bram Stoker ever wrote his book. Rumors of deals with demons and unbridled power faded as the family became less involved in worldly affairs. The name became nothing other than a legend fallen from time. At least until Emmit Harker showed up in the city and people in the Community started dying.

Mira caught sight of Emmit several times during the conclave of supernatural groups. His presence had caused a stir at less formal events, but she hadn't expected to find him in her shop.

She drummed her fingers on the counter, unsure of whether to approach Emmit or treat him like any other customer.

"Miss Owens, may I have a word?"

Internally, she cringed. "Mr. Benton, I didn't notice you come in." She mentally berated herself for not seeing him right away. Usually, she made an effort to meet him as close to the door as possible to discourage him from staying any longer. "How can I help you?"

"I'm stopping by to leave that proposal I mentioned." He dropped a folder onto the counter.

"Oh." Several phrases passed through her head starting with, I told you I'm not leaving, which somehow expanded to, you can't force me out of here, you little bastard. She settled on, "That wasn't necessary. My partner and I are very happy with this location."

"Huh," he scoffed. "Well, my lawyers have already drafted it, so it wouldn't hurt to take a look."

Mira tried to tell herself that she wasn't going to be intimidated by an implied threat of lawyers. "I'll take a look when I get the chance." Brian Benton had been trying to force her out of her shop since the day after his father's funeral, but her lease was still standing its ground against any legal action. "Can I get you a cup of tea or coffee?"

It crossed her mind that if he drank something, she might be able to spell him to the point that this whole mess would go away. It was an ugly thought and one that no witch should ever have. Still, the idea lingered. For some reason that made her look toward Emmit. One of her employees, Ana, was speaking with him.

"No, thank you." Brian Benton responded in answer to Mira's offer. "I'll stop back in a few days to see what you think of the proposal." He didn't bother waiting for a response.

Flipping open the file folder, Mira glanced through a couple of pages. It was written in legalese, a foreign language far from the scope of her normal one. Luckily, Della Yates, her best friend, happened to work for the attorney general and spoke the language well.

Looking around the shop, she saw that Emmit was watching Brian leave the store. There was no way Emmit could know what was going on, but he glared at the back of the man until Brian was out of sight.

When Emmit turned away, he noticed Mira. The harsh look he had given Brian was gone. His gaze wasn't exactly friendly, but his face had softened, and for the first time since Mira had seen him, she realized he didn't seem intimidating. Why were people whispering his name in dark corners, as though afraid of what might happen if they were overheard?

Emmit turned his attention back to the wall of ingredients that could be mixed together to make unique flavors of tea. Was he looking for something to drink or spell ingredients? The best thing about running the Essence of Tea was the fact that she had an ample supply of materials for witches throughout the city. She'd even started to supply witches living further away through online sales.

Tearing her eyes away from Emmit, she flipped through the folder again. The sight of it only made her stomach queasy, so she shoved the documents under the counter and out of sight. She helped a few customers, those coming in for coffee before the lunch rush. Once they left the store, she found herself face-to-face with Emmit.