Page 24 of With This Witch
“Ah, so she hasn’t talked to you. Interesting. Very interesting.”
“Why is it interesting?”
“Because I thought she would talk to you about what’s bothering her. But it appears she is keeping that shield up, perhaps reinforcing it,” she answers, replacing the trinket and then wiping the dust on her fingers onto a handkerchief she pulls from her coat pocket.
Lachlan leans against the door frame behind him and crosses his arms across his chest. Something is wrong with Petra? Guilt creeps in. Something is wrong with her, and he couldn’t get over himself enough to go check on her.
Gladys takes his continued silence as an invitation to push forward. “Seems maybe you two aren’t quite in sync yet. You need to talk to her about your arrangement. You are already close to two weeks into this conditional agreement, and you need to move forward with the marriage if we want her to secure the Premier Witch title.”
Lachlan’s phone vibrates on the counter. He silences the call coming through.
“Do you not want to take that?” Gladys asks.
“No. It can wait.” She quirks an eyebrow at him and then nods.
Lachlan lifts one of his hands and runs it down his face. “Anyway, about Petra. I can talk to her, but I won’t push her into something she doesn’t want to do. We can find another solution if we need to,” he says firmly.As much as I would prefer she chooses me.
“She needs to make that decision sooner rather than later.”
“I’ll go talk to her.”
“Good. Help her break the shield down. Keep me informed on the progress of the rest of it.”
“Yes, madam witch.”
With that, Gladys turns. A quickpopsounds, and she’s gone, leaving no trace that she was ever here in the first place. Lachlan lets loose a sigh. “Alright, shower first, save Petra second,” he says to no one, turning down the hall toward the bathroom.
* * *
When he arrives at Petra’s apartment, the hairs on his neck stand on end. He can feel the shield she has erected around herself from the hallway and see a faint hint of the dark pink shimmer. He’s never seen such a protective force before, and he’s unsure he can break through it if she turns him away. Seeing the shimmer from the shield, he knows this can’t be good. He’s only ever seen her physical magic turn from its usual light and airy pink to dark and dense when she’s deeply upset or stressed.
He raises his fist, knocking three times on the door and calls out, “Petra, it’s me.”
Silence answers him.
He raises his fist again and knocks harder this time. “Petra, it’s Lach. Can you let me in?”
He receives no response again.
After a prolonged moment, he hears shuffling from the other side. The handle turns, opening to reveal Petra in tight shorts and an oversized sweater. Her eyes are puffy and red. Yet, despite this raw appearance, he feels she could not look more beautiful.
Mine!his demon commands. “Calm down,” he tells it.
“What was that?” Petra calls, already heading back into the apartment.
“Nothing,” he responds quickly.
Pulling out his phone, he opens a new conversation with Gladys as he follows Petra.
Lachlan
I am at Petra’s.
That shield is strong.
She’s a mess.
Gladys
