Page 68 of Uncharmed

Annie was fairly certain her heart had stopped beating altogether.

‘I knew that something was afoot, the moment I laid eyes on you,’ Hal said with a deep sigh and a hazy look, as though he were recalling the memory. ‘Someone blew the door off my house and I walked in to find a princess and a little demon hiding behind my couch. I could sense that there was some supernatural stuff hanging around you, more than just the average witchery. Always been good at sensing when undisclosed magic’s afoot. Think it comes from working with animals, who are generally a lot more straightforward than wicchefolk, but . . .’

He had known. Annie had assumed this whole time that Hal had been under the spell as much as anybody else. That her perfection had at least an early part to play in his patient, tender reactions towards her annoying ways. That it had to be the main reason for his unusual displays of kindness and tolerance. Even later, she had believed deep down that his feelings had only ever been some kind of residual effect from Splendidus Infernum. An enchanted obligation to stick around.

‘You knew?’

‘Sort of pieced it together,’ he grumbled, a little self-conscious of the revelation. ‘Took a lot of research to find out whether something like what I had in mind could even really exist. That’s where I used to disappear off to when you were helping the kid, a lot of reluctant visits to Hecate House to use the library after I’d fed Mage. Told Morena I was thinking about embarking on a trip to the Outer Hebrides to hold a meet with mermaids. Not sure she bought it. Told me I was behaving like a . . . What was her phrase? “Lovesick nitwit”, I believe.’ A flush of pink spread across the tops of his cheeks above his beard.

‘The night that Maeve was so upset, you rushed into the cottage so quickly to look after her that you forgot to drain the tub. First, I tripped over a load of invisible potion ingredients and then I saw the colour of it. Thought it had to be either an injured animal or . . . Pretty much confirmed my findings that such a potion really was possible. Didn’t work on me though, did it? Never did. For . . . obvious reasons,’ he said, gruff but soft. ‘Thought you were perfect right from the get-go,’

‘I . . .’ Annie choked on the words, shaking her head, too moved and embarrassed to say much more. ‘I don’t know where to even begin with telling you about it.’

‘Well . . .’ Hal said hesitantly, a jolt of magic snapping inside his palm at the contact as he lifted her chin and leaned down to kiss her. ‘We have time.’

Annie could feel her eyelids getting heavy, her whole body giving way to crash after crash of adrenaline. But she couldn’t let sleep win yet. Returning to Arden Place had been a distraction, but ensuring Maeve’s safety was her utmost priority.

‘There’s something else. Well, a lot more else, actually. But I think . . .’ She swallowed hard, daring herself for truths that felt impossibly wild. ‘I think I’m in danger, and Maeve, too.’

Hal frowned. The rain was drumming a murmur onto the thatched roof and the fire popped impatiently. The knocking sound of a woodpecker tapped against the side of the cottage as she steeled herself to tell him everything.

The knocking persisted.

It got louder, more solid. Annie shot upright, grabbing the blanket to cover herself. She glanced back down towards Hal, whose brow had furrowed deeply.

‘Are you expecting someone?’

‘No,’ he said uncertainly, tugging his T-shirt back on as he swung his legs over the side of the couch. ‘But I also wasn’t expecting to find a soaking wet, star-crossed princess on my doorstep tonight – and here we are. Stay there,’ he said, his voice firmer with the last request.

He headed to the front door and, as Annie quickly conjured herself some jeans, she saw him steel himself a little to open it. It was the dead of night, the petrichor of the storm still clinging to the pitch-black sky. She couldn’t blame him for being uneasy at the prospect of an unexpected visitor. Her own heartbeat began to quicken again with a sudden dread. Someone had followed her. Glory or Romily or anyone else from the Sorciety could have stalked her all the way here to find out where she’d run away to. The Sorciety wasn’t something that you could just leave, turn your back on without repercussions. And they were full of sinister curiosity about her time at Arden Place. Annie shivered, despite the roaring fire. She should have told Hal straight away, should have broached the subject of the Sorciety with him weeks ago, confessed to Splendidus Infernum and every other messy part of her history. But that was like pulling at the end of a ball of yarn – it would unravel quicker than she could fathom. Hal threw open the door, his whole body tense and poised protectively.

‘Well, can I come in or what?’

Annie let out something between a squeal and a shriek.

Maeve stood expectantly with her brows indignantly high, waiting impatiently for an answer as though Annie and Hal should not have been surprised to find her sopping wet on the doorstep, suitcase levitating next to her. She shook out the ends of her long coat sleeves, sending a splattering of dirty water in every possible direction.

Annie rushed to the doorway and practically snatched her up, squeezing the young, dripping wet witch into an impossibly tight hug, ignoring how soggy her clothes and Hal’s shirt became in the process. At first, Maeve held herself rigid, still angry, a thoroughly peeved look stitched into her dark brows. But a moment later she relented, allowing herself to be held, and her arms flew around Annie in return.

‘How in the universe did you get here?’ Annie said breathlessly.

‘Enchanted my suitcase with a copy of that navigation spell you used in the woods the day we met. Why did you even have a briefcase, anyway? And will you get off me?’ Maeve said, her voice muffled by Annie’s shoulder. Annie finally released her, but only so she could hold the girl by the shoulders and get a proper look. Panic suddenly overtook the joyful surprise.

‘What’s wrong?’ Annie asked, feeling her senses spike and her grip tighten. The spell was long drained from her system, that much was evident by the way that her life had somewhat imploded. But her instincts towards Maeve were no softer. She could sense that Maeve was holding onto a secret. Annie felt its enormity, like an anchor slung around Maeve’s neck.

Maeve, of course, just shrugged, which was answer enough. Annie ushered her inside, fussing with her wet coat and hair that left a dripping trail through the cottage.

‘Good job I’m not precious about this place. Look at the state of you,’ Hal said grumpily, hands firmly lodged in his pockets. But he couldn’t hide it, his voice softened as Maeve burst towards him in an uncontrolled, slightly flailing hug. Hal gave a half-smile down at the top of her head. ‘Hey, kid.’

Suddenly aware of her mortifying burst of affection, Maeve broke free and took a step back, pushing up her glasses and tucking her hair behind her ears. She looked up at them both, trying to assess their true reaction to her arrival. A moment later, she frowned, eyeing up Annie in Hal’s shirt. ‘Why are you wearing that?’

Her mouth dropped open once the calculation was complete.

‘Oh, pur-lease do not tell me I have just walked in on you two . . . getting it on,’ Maeve said, grimacing.

‘Maeve! Absolutely not. I got here moments before you did,’ Annie said, her voice wandering into a high octave of embarrassment as she ushered the girl towards the kitchen. She conjured a fluffy towel into her left hand and wrapped up Maeve’s hair into a pile on top of her head. Maeve promptly shoved it off and an effortless incantation dried her hair into its normal sleek, straight style.

‘Thank the universe for that. I don’t mind you two being together. In fact, it’s about time you figured it out. But I absolutely forbid you getting it on while I’m in a two-mile radius of the house. Understood?’