Page 18 of Strike It Witch

Opened it to speak again.

Frowned.

“Now, I know what you’re thinking,” Bronwyn said.

“Is that a Lowland tropical pitcher plant?”

“Highland, actually. I looked it up on one of those plant apps, and it said they’re carnivorous. Is that true?”

“Yes, but how is it even alive? We’re forty-two feet below sea level. HighlandNepenthesdon’t grow below three thousand feet above sea level. And even theNepenthes rajahdon’t get this big.”

She blew out a breath and smiled. “I knew you were the right person to call.”

The pitcher plant nosed through thegood luckcharms on the floor, knocking over a display of love potions.

“Seeing as I’m the only earth witch in the county, I don’t think you’ll be getting any prizes for your deductive reasoning skills,” I said. “How in the world did Seymour’s plant end up here?”

“Seymour? Is it male? I couldn’t tell.”

“Seymour’splant. Audrey II is the plant’s name. It’s aLittle Shop of Horrorsreference. Eighties movie. Also, yes, it’s male. You can see the rounded ends on the flower spikes.”

Clear fluid spilled from the phytotelmata, the water-filled cavity inside the “pitcher” part of the plant, and splashed across the floor, dangerously close to Bronwyn’s feet.

“Move.” I grabbed her hands and pulled her behind me.

“Isn’t it just water?”

“Nepenthesare carnivorous. Normally these plants drown their prey then slowly dissolve the carcass using digestive enzymes they produce internally or import through bacteria. However, there’s nothing normal about this plant. For all we know, that fluid is acidic enough to melt your skin off.”

The plant noticed he’d drooled the water from his trap and slurped it back up, before pulling himself high into the ceiling rafters by his vines. It loomed over us but didn’t attack. In fact, it seemed more curious than anything.

“I’ve got a blowtorch in the back room,” Bronwyn whispered.

My stomach lurched. “No. No way. He doesn’t deserve to die. He’s in the wrong place, is all.” The plant made a sad, gurgling sound. “How’d you end up with him?”

“Someone dropped it off last night in a giant crate. When I pried off the lid in the storeroom, vines shot into the rafters and pulled the rest of him out of the box.”

“Does this sort of thing happen often? People dropping off random magical items?”

“You might be surprised by how often. And before you ask, yes, I have cameras. They malfunctioned.”

“Of course they did. Damn magicals.”

“Yeah,” she sighed. “So, what do I do with him?”

“First off, his trap is browning around the edges, which means he needs water. Humidity, to be exact.Nepentheslike it bright and humid.” I peered into the rafters. “If I create an artificial climate in your storeroom, could you maintain it?”

“Sure. I don’t have a clue how to cast the spell, but if you show me what to do, I’m a fast learner.”

Unlike me, Bronwyn was a made witch, which meant she’d been taught magic rather than been born into it. Her kind focused on learning about every form of witchcraft. That education made them powerful, even if Bronwyn was trying todownplay her talent now. I’d been told she was close to master level in several types of magic.

By Ida, of course. The woman had a gift for picking up information. And she knew I kept track of other strong magicals in my territory—especially witches connected to the La Paloma coven. It was a form of self-preservation.

“We’ll need room for him to spread out.”

“I’ve got plenty in the back. Let me flip the closed sign and lock the front door. I should’ve done that before, but I was a little busy.” She kept her gaze pinned on theNepenthes, who stared right back at her. “How will we get him into the room?”

“Once I get it set up, he’ll come on his own.” I stood in the storeroom doorway and studied the open framework of the roof in both rooms. Though there was a wall separating them, it only went up around eight feet and left a gap the plant could slip through. That was probably how it had gotten into the shop in the first place.

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