Page 18 of Make Me
So instead, I focus on the cracked stone pathway beneath my feet as we approach a narrow corner storefront glowing faintly with magic.
The letters painted on the window shimmer in silver script:Spells, Secrets, and Sorcery.
I swallow hard against the knot rising in my throat. I’ve been here plenty of times. But never like this. Never when the stakes were so high. Never when it felt like my future was hanging in the balance of one spell.
I stop just shy of the door.
Talon reaches for the handle but pauses. “Do you want me to go in first?”
I shake my head. “No. It’s better if I do.”
He nods, stepping back without hesitation.
I inhale slowly and exhale through barely parted lips.
Natalia doesn’t take well to surprises, and the last thing I need is her casting hexes on Talon, a stranger to Crossroads, if she’s not in the mood to be interrupted.
I square my shoulders and push open the door.
I walk forward with my head high, even though everything inside me feels like it’s unraveling. The moment I cross the threshold, the familiar scent of sage and violet-laced bourbon hits me, grounding me more than I expect. The shop smells exactly as it always has. Earthy, warm, and ancient, like secrets steeped in magic.
Soft light flickers from enchanted sconces, dancing across glass vials, bundled herbs, and cracked leather books tucked between shelves of glowing spell rings. Magic hums here, thick and pulsing like static just before a storm.
Before I can reach the counter, Natalia steps through the black curtain at the back, her expression unreadable. The signature braid draped over her shoulder sways asshe crosses her arms, olive-toned skin catching the warm glow of the hanging lanterns. Her hazel gaze lands on me with the same precision as always—cool, discerning, but not cruel.
“To what do I owe the pleasure, Kasha Flinn?” she says, arching a brow. “Or should I say…Kamishola Havensflint?”
I sigh and shake my head. “I’d rather you not.”
She hums, a flicker of something close to amusement playing at the corner of her mouth. “Fair enough. What can I do for you?” Her gaze moves past me. “Or for your friend, the stray who seems to have wandered a little too far from his home.”
Talon shifts forward, quiet but solid, his presence like armor at my back.
“I need your help,” I say, cutting straight to the point. “To get my wolf back.”
Natalia’s eyes narrow, the air between us stretching taut. “You know that kind of binding isn’t something you just snap open like a lock, right? That sort of magic latches onto the soul. The damage isn’t just magical. It’spersonal. It doesn’t come undone with salt and moonlight.”
“I know.” My voice stays steady. “But I’m ready to do whatever it takes.”
Natalia studies me for a moment longer before nodding. “All right. I’ll help you. For a price, of course.”
There’s always a price.
“What do you want?” I ask, hoping whatever it is, she doesn’t ask for too much blood or gold. Rebuilding myhome took most of my stash, and the relics I used to keep, well, most of those went up in smoke with the rest of my house.
Natalia taps her lips thoughtfully then her face lights up like a fox who’s just cornered its prey. “You still have those termite fairies Spencer told me about?”
“I do,” I say, remembering that I’d lent them to Spencer just before I lost my house, so they’d remained unscathed.
“Perfect.” She claps her hands. “I’ll take those.”
Well, that’s easy enough. I consider asking what she wants them for but think better of it. Witches and their hobbies are better left unexplored.
Natalia turns her focus back to Talon, giving him an obvious once-over. “So,” she drawls, “are you going to tell me who your bodyguard is? Or do I have to guess?”
“This is Talon,” I say. “He’s from Fire and Fluorite and apparently my mate.”
She chuckles. “Well,thisis making more sense now.”
