Nathan had offered to drive me to the inn, but I thought it would be best if I had my car with me. From the willow tree, he walked me to my car. After picking up his, he drove by me. I followed him for a couple of blocks before we were in front of the Willow Harbor Inn.

I sat behind the wheel of my car and stared out the window at the inn. Like everything else in town, it looked the same. An old and big inviting house with large windows and charming porches.

Charming …

I didn’t like this. I didn’t like any of this. I let my head fall, resting my forehead on the wheel. Holy crap … all the things Nathan had told me? It couldn’t be true. Mermaids, vampires, werewolves, hunters … sirens? That was all make believe.

A knock on the window startled me, but it was only Nathan, waiting for me. I unlocked the doors and he slipped inside, taking the passenger seat.

“I guess you remember the inn, right?”

I nodded. Then I frowned. “Wait … how is this place safe?”

“Because it’s run by a couple of gnomes that know about all the magic in Willow Harbor.”

I gaped at him. “W-what?”

I glanced at the building again. How hadn’t I known that? I always thought Mrs. and Mr. Finnygood were a couple who had dwarfism, not … gnomes.

One more item to add to the this-is-crazy list.

I closed my eyes for a minute. It didn’t matter. As far as I knew, this was the only place to stay in Willow Harbor.

“You’re sure I’ll be safe here?” I asked, not even sure about what I was asking. It was not like I believed him, right? Because it didn’t make sense. How had I never known? How was I born and raised in this town and never realized it was full of supernaturals?

“I promise,” he said, his dark eyes fixed on mine.

The light coming from a lamppost outside the car cast a slight shine over half of his handsome face. Shadows emphasized the sharp angles of his chin and jaw on the other side. My fingers itched to touch him, to run over his hard lines and make sure the skin was smooth over those sharp edges. I felt drawn to him … probably almost the same way he was drawn to me, because of my power.

I gulped, realizing that all the times he had stared at me, that I had imagined seeing something there, were probably because of my magic. I looked down at my palms. A magic I couldn’t feel, a magic I couldn’t control.

A magic I didn’t want.

He placed his fingers under my chin and made me look at him “Hey. What’s the matter?” His voice was gentle, with a touch of concern, and his eyes softened a little.

My heart clenched. “I …” I didn’t know what to say. Why tell him about how lost I felt? How stupid and silly and clueless I was? I had come to Willow Harbor without thinking things through and ended up lost and alone. Now, after finding out this siren stuff, the mess only grew bigger. I couldn’t process it all. It was too much for my head. But this wasn’t his problem to deal with. I inhaled deeply and leaned toward the door, away from his touch. “It’s nothing.”

I slipped my hand on the door handle.

“Wait,” he said. Nathan exited my car and ran to the other side. He opened the door for me before I could. He offered me his hand.

My cheek heated as I took it and let him help me out. “Thanks.”

He squeezed my hand. “You’re welcome.” He let go and grabbed my duffel bag from the back seat. He slung the strap over his shoulders and looked at me. “Come on.”

I followed him up the stairs. He opened the door and allowed me to go in first.

Even though I had lived fifteen years of my life in Willow Harbor, I didn’t think I had ever entered the inn, and seeing it now, I was sure that I would have remembered it.

The foyer was decorated with lots of wood and antiques and paintings. To the side, a huge fireplace was lit, the orange flames emanating a welcome warmth. High-back chairs flanked the fireplace, and in the corner, there was a table with a beautiful chessboard.

“Mr. Knight,” a woman said from behind a tall mahogany desk. I gawked at her. I thought I had seen Mrs. Finnygood before, but now that I knew she was a gnome, it was like seeing her for the first time. Though she stood tall, her short arms and small hands and head pointed otherwise. She turned her round eyes to me and her wrinkled face opened up in a soft smile. “And you must be Brooke Ellis.”

I glanced at Nathan. He shrugged. “I called on the way to make sure they had a room for you.”

It seemed he always called before bringing me places.

“We always have room for special guests, Mr. Knight,” Mrs. Finnygood said.

I raised an eyebrow. Special guest? Had he told her I was a … a siren? I wasn’t sure I was okay with that. I mean, I wasn’t okay with knowing that myself. Not yet. Why would other people be?

“I appreciated that, Mrs. Finnygood,” Nathan said, almost too formal. He took a wallet out of the back pocket of his pants. “You can charge me for—”

That enraged me. “I can pay my own expenses,” I said.

“We can talk about that later, Mr. Knight,” Mrs. Finnygood said. Her voice gained a hard tone whenever she talked to Nathan. She turned to me and her voice and expression softened. “My word, child, how are you feeling? I heard you’ve been through quite the ordeal this afternoon, poor thing. And finding out you’re a siren, that won’t do, will it?” She shook her head. “I can’t imagine what you’re going through. But don’t worry, child, I have a kettle on the fire and my special tea will make you feel better in no time.”

I frowned. “Yes, um, thank you, Mrs. Finnygood. But … about the room. I can pay for my own expenses.” I opened my purse and picked up my wallet.

Mrs. Finnygood shook her hand and waved me off. “You already have too much on your mind, child. Don’t worry about that now.” She glanced up the stairs past the entryway. “Oh, there you are. My dear husband, Chester, was getting a room ready for you.”

The man—short like I imagined dwarves, or gnomes, would be—descended the stairs. Mr. Finnygood looked at his wife, at Nathan, and even at the floor, but not at me. I frowned.

“Good evening, Mr. Finnygood,” Nathan said as the man approached.

“Yes, yes, evening.” The man stopped in front of me. He looked into my eyes and bowed his head. “Welcome to the Willow Harbor Inn.” He handed me a heavy brass key with an attached paper tag. “I hope you enjoy your stay here.” Then he was gone. He scurried out of the room as if I could snap my fingers and break him.

Mrs. Finnygood tsked. “I’m sorry about that. To be honest, we don’t know the effects of a siren on our kind. For precaution only, Chester will have minimal contact with you.” She tilted her head and the sympathy in her eyes was almost too much. “I hope you understand, child.”

Understand? I thought it was rude and unnecessary, but after the events of this day, I didn’t know anymore. Maybe everyone should stay away from me, even women. Even Nathan. I looked at him and found him staring at me. I averted my eyes, remembering that all the staring and everything else I had seen in his eyes were a product of my magic, of the effect my magic had on him.

I sighed.

“I’ll bring out your tea and then I’ll escort you to your bedroom,” Mrs. Finnygood said.

She disappeared behind the counter. Eyes bugged, I wondered if it was magic or some hidden door, but then I saw as she crossed through a door in the back. I frowned. She was as tall as Mr. Finnygood—up to my chest—but she had looked so much taller behind the counter. Hoping I didn’t look like a creep, I leaned over the counter and saw it. A large step stool.

Nathan chuckled.

I turned to him. “What?”

He raised his palms up. “Nothing.” He fixed his gaze on me. His smile faded and his eyes grew serious. Deep. “Brooke, I—” He closed his mouth, cutting off his words.

My heart skipped a beat. “Yes?”

He didn’t say anything for a moment. He just looked at me before his brows dipped down, and he cleared his throat. “Um, I’m guessing by now most of the town know there’s a new girl around looking for her father, which means if the letter is true, your father might have already heard you’re here.”

“What do you mean if the letter is true?”

“I mean …” He paused. “It’s true, of course it is. I just want to ask you one thing.”

I folded my arms, on the defensive. “What?”

“If a man shows up saying he’s your father, please, don’t go anywhere with him and let me know right away.” He went to the desk and took the first page of a notepad. With the feather quill from beside Mrs. Finnygood’s big leather book, he wrote something on the paper and handed it to me. “If I’m not with you, call me. Please, promise you’ll call me.”

I glanced at his number written on the paper. Why did it matter? I thought that after this mess with the siren magic was solved, after I started taking this potion that would inhibit my powers, I would be able to resume looking for my father. And I had this crazy idea Nathan would help me. Now he was telling me to not trust my father? He hadn’t said those exact words, but it sure as hell sounded like that.

“I …” I shut my mouth. I couldn’t promise him something I wasn’t sure I would do.

“Brooke?”

“Here it is,” Mrs. Finnygood came back, walking fast for someone with such short legs. She carried a brass tray with a beautiful porcelain teapot, cup and saucer. “Your tea, child. Now, come with me. I’ll take you to your room, and you can have a nice, relaxing cup. You’ll feel better in no time, I’m sure.”

She started on the stairs and I followed.

“Brooke …”

Her face guarded again, Mrs. Finnygood pivoted and faced Nathan. “Not you. Mr. Knight. You’re welcome to go. Good night.” She kept on marching up the stairs.

I looked at Nathan. “T-thanks for everything you did for me today.” I quickly grabbed my bag from him and went up a couple of steps.

He advanced a step up the stairs. “Wait, Brooke.”

I retreated. “Good night, Nathan.”

I hurried after Mrs. Finnygood and didn’t look back. The stairs opened to a long hallway with brown and gold wallpaper and thick rugs on bright wooden floors. She led me to the door at the end of the corridor. Number five.

She stopped to the side and let me open the door. Mrs. Finnygood barged right into the darkness, but I stayed by the door, as if crossing the threshold would mean something. Something big, like a change. A new phase.

Two claps resonated through the room and the lights came on. I gasped, taking in the beautiful room. A big, queen-sized bed with a tall, cushioned headboard rested against a wall with a simple but pretty white and yellow flowers wallpaper. The comforter and three hundred pillows on the bed were the same baby yellow. Two white lamps rested on the nightstands flanking the bed. On the other side of the room, two armchairs, also in white and yellow, stood beside the tall window, a small, round table between them. There were two other doors in the room: a small walk-in closet and a bathroom with a round tub, separate shower, and long white vanity.

I had never thought the inn had such fancy and extravagant suites.

Mrs. Finnygood settled the tray on the small table and poured some tea into a cup. “Here you go, child. I hope the tea and the room are both to your liking. Please, try to relax tonight, and if you need anything, all you have to do is call number eight.” She pointed to the old school cord phone on the nightstand. “I’ll be more than happy to assist you with anything.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Finnygood.”

She waved me off. “It’s okay, child. Now get some rest. We’ll talk more tomorrow.” She marched out of the room and closed the door.

Once she was gone, I rushed to the window and, making sure I was behind the thick curtains, I looked out. Nathan was outside, seated on the hood of his car.

I stared at him, wondering what he was waiting for, until a new car parked behind his. The driver exited the car and walked to Nathan. They caught their fists tight, like most men did, and then Nathan pointed toward the inn. The new guy, also dressed in dark pants and a thick leather jacket, glanced up my window. I hid my face behind the curtains.

A moment later, I heard the sound of an engine turning and a car moving. I dared spy out again. Nathan was driving away, and the new guy entered his car but didn’t go anywhere.

I stepped back, away from the window.

Feeling like I had just emerged from a battle, I took a quick shower, then went to the bed, where I forced my mind to not think of anything supernatural and magical, and tried to sleep.

Who was I fooling?

I spent hours in bed obsessing about everything that happened, every word Nathan had said about nagas and sirens. Most of all, I kept replaying every moment I had shared with Nathan as if it meant more than it truly had.