I hated leaving Brooke, especially after such an awkward goodbye—what the hell was that? She suddenly pulled away from me, as if I were the enemy. It didn’t make sense.

What also didn’t make sense was how affected I was by her. The pull toward her, it had still been there even after taking Anna’s potion. It was probably because of the dreams … I felt so attracted to her because I had been dreaming about her. But why had I been dreaming of her?

I parked my car by the side of Drifter’s and sent Anna a text.

Me: I don’t think your potion worked.

Anna: I assure you it worked.

Me: Then why do I still feel attracted to her?

My phone rang.

“Then you’re really attracted to her,” Anna said as soon as I answered the call.

I frowned. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“Why not?”

“Because …” Because I had just met her. How could I feel this attracted to someone I just met? Well, physically, I could. As a man, I could be physically attracted to Brooke. I guess I was. Okay, I was sure I was. But this, whatever this feeling growing in my chest was, it felt like it was more. To be honest, it had been growing since the dreams started after she left town five years ago, but now … now that she was here and right in front of me? I sighed. “Just because!”

She chuckled. “Nathan, consider that some things are more than magic.”

I wasn’t so sure about that. If the tree had made me dream of her all these years, then it was magic. “You seem to be enjoying this.”

“It’s not every day I see a disconcerted hunter.”

I grumbled under my breath. “Do you have more?”

“Potion? I can make that one fast. Stop by tomorrow morning and I’ll have some ready for you.”

“Thanks.” I disconnected and, still grumbling, left my car and marched inside Drifter’s.

As usual, the place was deserted except for a handful of the men who came out to drink their weight in beer each evening. And one of them happened to be one of the nagas that lived in town.

Drifter saw me approaching the bar. “I hope you came here to drink,” he said, drying a glass with a white dishtowel.

“Not this time,” I said, walking past him.

“No trouble or fights in here, boy.”

I dipped my chin once in acknowledgment, not entirely sure what would happen. If a fight ensued, then it would be because the other guy was asking for it.

Dour was seated at a table with his buddy, Sebastian, a male succubus.

“Well, well, well, look who the cat dragged in,” Sebastian said. He loved provoking others. I guess it was in his succubus’ blood.

I halted beside their table. “Take a walk, Sebastian.”

He glared at me. “Excuse me? What do you th—?”

Staring up at me, Dour said, “Just go, Sebastian.”

“But—”

“Now,” Dour barked.

The succubus shot to his feet. Almost as tall as I was, he dared glare at me for two seconds before walking to the bar and ordering another beer.

I sat down on an empty chair. “I just need information.”

Suspicion danced in Dour’s brown eyes. Nagas, even the good ones, weren’t trusting people. After all, our species had been at war for centuries. The tense mood would forever be around us. “About?”

“I think a naga managed to contact his daughter. She moved away years ago, but she’s back in town and looking for him.”

“Wait.” His eyes bulged. “I heard about the new young woman in town looking for her father. You think she’s a siren?” Brooke had been in town for less than ten hours and everyone had already heard about her. Great. I pressed my lips tight, not sure if I should tell him the truth or not. My hesitation did it for me, though. “Shit! She is a siren.”

“Yes,” I confessed through gritted teeth. “And I want to know about her father.”

“You don’t think it’s me, right? Come on, man. I’ve been married for twelve years now. I’m happy with my wife.”

“And before that? Before you gave up your ways and came to land.”

He looked down at his empty beer bottle. “I had given up my ways long before that. It was just the courage to show my face here that I was lacking.”

Even though there was only a fine line between war and peace between nagas and the hunters, I believed him. I knew the nagas who chose to reject their traditions and their way of life to live in Willow Harbor could be trusted. Most of the time.

I sighed. “I know, but you could know about something, heard about something. Maybe a new naga around, or someone who comes and goes. Or a naga who has left that way of life recently …”

He shook his head. “Sorry, man, I don’t know. I only know a few nagas and they all have been here for many, many years now.”

“All right.” I slapped my hand on the table. “I had to ask. And, if you wish, you can tell all the other nagas you know that me or one of the other hunters will interrogate them too. Maybe one of them knows other nagas you don’t. And maybe that naga will lead us to yet another.”

“You know Willow Harbor is a small town, right? Everyone knows everyone.”

It was astounding how little the town was and how many faces we still didn’t know. I stood from the chair and adjusted my jacket. “If only that were true.”

---

After leaving Drifter’s, I almost drove back to the inn.

My strategist mind won, though. Caleb was there on watch. In a couple of hours, Amber would switch with him. Hopefully, Brooke was sleeping by now, and I should rest too so I could take over for Amber tomorrow morning and spend the rest of the day watching over Brooke.

Something tugged at my chest at the prospect.

Was Anna sure the damn potion had worked? Then why did I still feel like Brooke was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen? Why did I feel like I needed to help her, to be beside her, to be there for her?

Then you’re really attracted to her.

Anna’s words echoed in my mind.

Well, could someone blame me? She was beautiful, had a contagious smile, and her personality was incomparable—she had come from South Dakota to Willow Harbor to find a man who wrote a half-assed letter to her. That showed her strong will, her courage, and her determination.

I shook those thoughts from my head and entered the manor through the underground garage. I heard Aidan and Amber arguing in the kitchen before I even started climbing the stairs. As usual, brother and sister were bickering. Trying to be unnoticeable, I slipped past them, but before I left, I stopped by the fridge and grabbed a cold slice of pizza and a beer. Two steps out of the kitchen, I saw Sophia in the dining room, her books spread over one of the long dining tables.

I frowned at her. “Don’t you have a desk in your bedroom?”

“I do but I was getting distracted there, so I thought a change of scenery would help.” She raised her voice and said, “But then I’m getting distracted here too!”

Amber’s and Aidan’s argument continued.

“I don’t think they heard you,” I said.

“I know.” Sophia slapped closed one of her books. “I’ll go back to my bedroom. I’ll probably spend the night studying though.”

“As long as you get an A.”

She stuck her tongue out at me. “Don’t mother me, Nathan.”

“Don’t show us you need mothering, Sophia.”

She rolled her eyes and I suppressed a chuckle.

A few more feet down the hall, I found Landon and Tessa coming down the stairs, their hands linked together.

“Hey, there you are,” Landon said. They paused at the end of the stairs. “I thought you were gonna spend the night with the siren.”

Tessa slapped his shoulder. “Landon!”

“Ouch.” He pretended to flinch in pain. “I meant, you were going to watch over her. What the hell?”

“Ignore him, Nathan,” Tessa said. She turned warm, blue eyes to me. “How is she?”

“A little shaken, I think,” I said. “I guess it’s not easy to suddenly hear you’re a siren and you’ve been enchanting men without meaning too.”

“Damn, that must be hard.” Tessa turned to Landon. “Maybe we shouldn’t go out for ice cream. May—”

“You two were going out for ice cream? At ten at night in January? You know it’s below thirty right now, right?”

Tessa smiled. “I know, but come on, it’s ice cream! Every night is a night for ice cream, even during the winter.”

Landon pointed his index finger at Tessa, but kept his eyes on me. “Look at that face. How can I say no to that face?”

Chuckling, Tessa slapped Landon’s finger away. “Stop it. Anyway. As I was saying, maybe what this Brooke girl needs is some girl talk, you know. I could go and talk to her.”

An idea popped in my mind. “That is a great idea, Tess. I just think it’s late now. She drove all morning and has had a lot happened this afternoon. She needs to rest. But I’ll take you up on that tomorrow.”

She smiled. “Sounds good.”

“Now, can I take my girl out for ice cream?” Landon asked, sounding bored.

Shaking her head, Tessa waved goodbye at me, then pushed Landon down the hallway.

Next, I went to the library, where I knew I would find Douglas seated on one of the big armchairs, reading.

He lifted his eyes to me. “How was it with Dour?”

Arms crossed, I leaned against a bookshelf. “As expected. He says he doesn’t know anything. How about the others?”

“Landon, Tessa, Cole, Aidan, Amber, Caleb, Ash, and I went to see the other nagas, and they all said the same thing.”

I nodded. “They could be hiding something.”

“Or they could be telling the truth.”

I let out a long breath. “I know. I just don’t know what else to do.”

“We continue investigating and someone stays with the girl at all times.”

“Caleb is outside the inn right now.” I glanced over my shoulder, realizing I hadn’t seen Ash or Cole at the manor. There was a total of sixteen hunters living in the manor, but it seemed rare when all of them were here at the same time. Cole was probably at the police station, but … “Where’s Ash?”

“He went to the police station to check on something. Apparently, there are reports of demons sighted around Charleston.”

“That’s too close.”

“Yeah. We need to make sure they don’t come to Willow Harbor.”

Shit, there were too many cases spreading us thin. “Maybe I should be out there helping them.”

“We can’t have all hunters working all cases at the same time. Focus on Brooke and the mystery behind her letter, and we’ll see what we can do about the rest. Besides, new cases will never stop showing up. Taking a break from it for one night won’t make a difference.”

Not unless something big happened tonight.

Even though I felt like I had to work on all cases and help as much as I could, that solution suited me fine. “All right. I’m gonna turn in then. Night.”

“Good night,” Douglas said.

I didn’t encounter anyone else on my way upstairs to my bedroom. I tried keeping my mind blank as I showered and put on sweatpants, but I couldn’t. When I sat down at the desk on the corner of my suite, Brooke was all I could think of. I opened my journal and started a new entry.

Today was an interesting day.

The girl I have been dreaming about for the last five years appeared right in front of me.