I was too nervous to apologize to Nik or bring up last night’s kiss as we walked toward the sound of the festival.

Instead, I focused on the incredible decorations adorning the town square. Earlier today, there had been a few pumpkins here and there, but the whole place had been completely transformed.

Strings of orange lights looped around the entire square, even though I couldn’t see what they were attached to. Swarms of bats seemed to constantly flutter overhead, though I was sure they had to be mechanical.

A giant spider that looked real enough to scare me a little had been placed on the steps of the massive library across the street, and the front windows of all the shops had been decorated with cobwebs, skeletons, and other spooky things.

Dozens of booths and tables had been set up around the square selling everything from orange and purple cotton candy filled with candy spiders to caramel apples. At one end, near the willow tree, a tent was set up that advertised a real fortune-telling witch inside. Unlike most fortune tellers, I had a feeling this was probably the real deal.

Everywhere I looked, kids in costumes were racing from booth to booth, holding up plastic pumpkins and decorated bags and yelling, “Trick or treat!”

Everyone seemed to be having an amazing time, but I couldn’t help but feel nervous.

Besides, I wanted to know what Mrs. Finnygood had meant earlier about someone named Selena.

I was just about to ask him when a short girl with long, blonde hair ran up and threw her arms around him. She was wearing a black dress with black tights, black boots, and long black fingerless gloves. She was also wearing a pointed black witch’s hat.

Please don’t be Selena.

“Nik, you made it,” she said. “I’m so happy to see you. It’s been weeks. What have you been up to?”

“Anna, I want you to meet someone,” he said. “This is Eva McKay. She’s new in town.”

“Hi,” I said, letting out a sigh of relief. I recognized her as the witch Nik had said made the underwater potions for him. Anna Tillman. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Nik has said wonderful things about you.”

She immediately pulled me into a huge hug that nearly knocked the breath out of me. She giggled and the sound was full of pure happiness.

“Oh my goodness, I’m sorry,” she said, finally pulling away. “I’ve had way too much witch’s brew already today, and I’m just so excited to see Nik here with a girl. Where in the world did you guys meet?”

Nik told her the story of my fateful crash near the docks, and Anna hung on his every word.

“That’s so fascinating,” she said. “The tree brought you here, I just know it.”

I had no idea what to say to that, but it was seeming more and more likely that it was more than just a coincidence I had ended up in Willow Harbor. She wasn’t the first to mention the tree, and I couldn’t deny my connection to its power.

“What else have you guys been up to?” she asked. “Did you show her all around town? What about the boardwalk and all the shops? I want to know everything.”

“I took her to the cave,” Nik said with a nervous smile.

Anna’s eyes grew so big, I thought they were going to pop out of her head. “Okay, this is serious,” she said. “What did you think?”

“It was incredible,” I said. “Have you seen it?”

She shook her head. “Nik never takes anyone there,” she said. “It’s his special place to be alone and reconnect with the ocean. He’s described it to me, though, and it sounds amazing. Come with me, I’m going to get my Aunt Ritzy to make you some of her special brew, and you’re going to tell me all about it. Nik, go mingle for a few minutes. We’ll be right back.”

Anna took my arm and dragged me away before I even had a chance to protest. She was strong for such a petite girl, and she seemed to have more energy in her pinky finger than I had in my whole body.

Once we were out of earshot from Nik, she stopped and pulled me over to a more private space behind a booth selling what appeared to be voodoo dolls.

“Oh my God, you have to tell me everything,” she said. “Nik never dates. Like, ever. You guys seriously just met two days ago? He’s already in love with you, I can tell. I’ve known him for forever.”

Just like last night, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by the invasion of privacy and the expectation to just lay it all out on the line. I came from a life where I had to fight to keep everything secret, and I would have been severely punished if I had told anyone the truth about my life in captivity. Here, though, it seemed like everyone was pushing for the truth.

And was she serious about Nik being in love with me? That wasn’t possible. We’d only just met.

My fingers went to my lips, though, as I remembered the kiss and the truth it seemed to whisper in my ear.

“He kissed you,” Anna said, bouncing with excitement. “This is huge. What are you guys going to do?”

“About what?” I asked.

“About Selena,” she said. She placed a hand on her hip and squinted her eyes, as if she was trying to figure out a really tough math equation. “I’m sure Nik has it all figured out, but you’re probably scared to death. Don’t worry, though, he isn’t going to let anything happen to you.”

There was that name again. “Wait, who is Selena?” I asked. “Mrs. Finnygood at the Inn mentioned her, too. She isn’t Nik’s girlfriend, is she?”

Anna’s eyes grew wide again. “Oh crap, he hasn’t told you about her?” she asked, biting her lip. “He’s going to be furious I said anything. I’ll let him tell you. It’s his place, anyway. I shouldn’t have said anything. I just assumed—”

“Who is she? At least tell me if they’re dating,” I said. “I have a right to know.”

“No, they definitely are not dating,” Anna said. “Come on, let’s get that witch’s brew. You’re going to need it.”

She pulled me along through the massive crowd to a group of women standing around a giant black cauldron filled with some kind of smoky liquid.

“What’s in it?” I asked, peering inside.

“A witch never tells,” the blonde woman standing in front of the cauldron said. She looked strikingly similar to Anna, though she was quite a bit older. She handed me a cup. “Just drink it, you won’t regret it, I promise.”

I took one sip and instantly fell in love with its strange mix of fruity flavors. I suddenly felt like laughing. I had expected it to contain alcohol, but I quickly realized that its secret ingredient was much more magical. I immediately felt lighter and happier, as if I couldn’t help but smile.

I practically forgot all about Selena. It was as though the drink made it impossible to focus on anything negative. All I felt was joy. It was exhilarating.

Just then, I caught sight of Drifter walking through the crowd, a smiling Marla at his side. I had to resist the urge to run over to them both and throw my arms around them.

Suddenly, Anna’s bubbly attitude about everything made a lot more sense.

“What do you think?” she asked.

“I love it,” I said. “I’ve never met another witch before tonight, but I think I could get used to a town like this where you’re free to be yourselves.”

“This is my Aunt Ritzy,” Anna said. “Ritzy, this is Eva. She’s new. And wait, did you say another witch?”

I nodded, taking another sip of the brew.

Anna hugged me again, nearly causing me to spill my drink.

“I can’t believe it,” she said. “Nik has fallen in love with a witch. You have to tell me all about your family. Where are you from? What kind of witch are you? I want to know everything.”

I was listening to her, but I was also scanning the crowd, watching the creative costumes parade by. I was filled with happiness from the drink and feeling like I belonged here more than I could have ever imagined when my eyes landed on Nik across the grass. He was talking to a woman in a sparkling silver gown, her white-blond hair flowing down her back in waves that seemed to sparkle even more than her dress.

I couldn’t see her face, but I could see Nik’s, and he was upset. He was arguing with the woman, and I knew instantly this was the infamous Selena. She placed her hand on his arm, and he jerked away.

Anna kept rattling on beside me, but when she stopped for air, she seemed to notice I was only half paying attention. Her eyes followed mine, and she gasped.

“What is she doing here?” she mumbled. “She never comes to town gatherings. Why haven’t the police taken care of this? Stay here, I’m going to see if I can find Cole.”

I had no idea why the police would be involved, and I was tired of all the secrecy surrounding this Selena woman. I also had no intention of staying put while Anna went to look for the cops.

I dropped the rest of my witch’s brew into a nearby trash can and made my way toward Nik and the woman.

As soon as he saw me approach, though, he quickly shook his head to warn me away. But it was too late.

Selena spun quickly, her eyes locking on mine.

The longer I looked at her, the more I couldn’t help but be drawn to her. I couldn't exactly explain it, but I needed to be closer to her, even though I instantly despised her.

“So, this is the beautiful new witch you’ve grown so attached to that you would disobey me?” Selena asked. She was looking at me, but her words were for Nik. “I don’t see what’s so special about her, to be honest.”

“Selena, you need to go,” Nik said through clenched teeth. “This isn’t the place, and you know it. I’ll come by tomorrow and we can talk about this, but tonight is a town event. There are families here. Unless you want to get the hunters involved, I think it’s best that you go.”

The crowd around us had thinned and spread out, leaving a wide-open area with the three of us inside. I noticed a few men in uniform approaching, Anna close behind.

Selena must have noticed them, too, because she turned quickly to face Nik.

“This isn’t over,” she said. She sounded angry, but her voice was silvery smooth, like moonlight on the water. “I assure you, you’ll be paying for this the rest of your miserable little life.”

The officers approached, but Selena raised her hands and shook her head.

“I’m going,” she said. “Although, it is a town function, and I’m just as much a part of this town as anyone. Still, I know where I’m not welcome. But don’t worry, I’ll settle this later. On my own terms.”

She turned and gave me one last look, pure hatred in her gaze, before she walked away.