Witch’s Mark

by Sarra Cannon

  “Hey, you,” she said. She scrunched her nose. “I hope it wasn't annoying that I left breakfast at the Inn for you.”

  “Annoying? Are you kidding?” I asked. “I’ve never had something so delicious in my life. Plus, it was very thoughtful of you. Thank you for that.”

  “Oh, good,” she said, her now-familiar giggle seeming to pass right into my heart. “I was afraid I was being too excited. You know what they say about playing hard to get and whatever.”

  “I’ve always thought it was always much better to just be honest,” I said, hating the words even as they passed my lips.

  But Anna seemed to be touched by them, which only made the lie worse.

  “Exactly,” she said. “Secrets and lies only lead to heartache in my experience.”

  Sadness darkened her features for a brief moment, and I wondered just what secrets had hurt her in the past. And if any of them compared at all to the secret I’d been keeping from her.

  “I really appreciated the breakfast,” I said. “And the shell.”

  She shifted her weight and glanced up at me, a shy smile on her face.

  “I know it’s silly, but I just knew you had to have it. It reminded me of the way the water sparked when you touched it.”

  “Now I know I’ll never forget this place,” I said.

  “I’m glad,” she said. “No one should ever forget their first trip to the ocean. It’s a magical place.”

  “I’m hoping to spend a little more time near the water before I have to leave,” I said.

  “You really should,” she said.

  She grew quiet for a moment as a breeze blew through the willow tree overhead. She glanced up and smiled, as if she had some secret of her own.

  “Well, should we make a plan for tonight?” I asked. “I need to get back to work for the afternoon, but I was thinking we could meet up around six-thirty. Does that work?”

  “Sure,” she said. “I just have to break down from the day and do a few chores on the farm this afternoon. I know it sounds ridiculous, but my grandmother would love to meet you before we go out. Would you mind coming out to the farm to pick me up?”

  “That sounds perfect,” I said. “I’d love to meet your grandmother. She sounds like an amazing woman.”

  I wanted to get an idea of where she lived and who she lived with, just in case this came down to a struggle to get her out of town. If it came down to it, I wanted to know what I was up against.

  “I have to warn you. She can be a bit overprotective,” Anna said with a nervous laugh. “She’ll probably ask you a jillion questions and want to know where you’re from, how long you’re staying, what your intentions with me are and all of that sort of stuff.”

  I laughed, but I was glad to have the warning. I’d need to have the perfect story ready to satisfy the woman.

  “I think I can handle it,” I said. “Just give me directions, and I’ll be there around six-thirty.”

  She glanced back toward the truck. “I’ve got some paper in the truck. I’ll make you a quick map. GPS doesn’t tend to work very well here in town.”

  “I noticed that,” I said. “Why is that? Seems like it stops working right around the city limits.”

  She shrugged and glanced at the willow again.

  “Just one of those quirky things about Willow Harbor,” she said. “You get used to it. Besides, a lot of the people who live here don’t leave very often.”

  “It’s kind of like that where I’m from, too,” I said.

  “Really? You’ll have to tell me all about it at dinner,” she said as we walked back to her food truck, PRESTO!

  She grabbed a pad of paper and quickly drew out a small map with directions to the Tillman farm.

  “There are a lot of houses out there on the property,” she said. “Most of my family settles down there even after they marry and have kids, so the houses just keep multiplying. You’ll recognize Gran’s house by the massive ferns hanging on the porch. She has such a green thumb.”

  “I’ll find it,” I said.

  I searched her eyes, wishing I could have met her under different circumstances. I would have given anything for this to be real.

  “I’ll see you tonight,” she said.

  “See you,” I said.

  Reluctantly, I walked away, leaving her there with a true smile on her face. But all I could think about was getting into my car and leaving her behind.

  Just like most of the people I’d known in my life, she would have been better off if she’d never met me.

  Twelve

  Anna

  Nervous butterflies fluttered in my stomach as I finished the last of my chores for the day and headed up to Gran’s house to get ready.

  I couldn’t shake that feeling of destiny playing a hand here, but for what purpose? What direction was fate leading me in?

  Slade had obviously only come to town for a short time. A few weeks. A month at most. What could he possibly have to do with my fate?

  And yet, I could feel something just on the horizon. Something big. As if my life were about to change forever.

  Was Slade a part of that?

  If he wasn't meant to be here in this town, he’d forget all about the things we’d shared once he crossed the city limits and headed toward home.

  And yet, he was like me. He had power of his own, though I wasn't sure exactly what kind or how much.

  I couldn’t wait to ask him more about it tonight. He was a warlock, which was very interesting to me, since the boys born into the Tillman family never had much power.

  The occasional boy was born with the ability to do simple magic, but they never seemed to grow into the true power of a hedgewitch like the rest of the Tillman women. The girls almost always displayed great power from a very young age, and that power only grew as they got older and learned to truly access the well of power deep within them.

  I’d come to the family farm later than most, but I’d been able to grow flowers and herbs from the moment I stepped into Gran’s home. She liked to tell the story that I’d walked straight up to a pot of clippings in the window and placed my hands on them. She said I’d whispered to them, telling them how beautiful and wonderful they were, and the plants had grown several inches in minutes.

  In fact, she had planted the rosemary clipping in the backyard near the porch, and it was still thriving after all these years. We used the herbs from that bush nearly every night in our dinners.

  There were other types of witches here in Willow Harbor, but the Tillman family had always had a gift for growing and tending herbs and gardens of all kinds. Many of us could commune with other types of nature, as well, creating more wind, praying for rain, and things like that.

  My mother’s oldest sister, Hazel, had started a side-business a few years ago growing roses. Now, her roses were being shipped out of town to nearby cities every single day, and she had more orders pouring in every week from suppliers who couldn’t get enough of her perfect blooms.

  It was a beautiful life we had here, so why did I feel restless sometimes? That I was meant for something more?

  * * *

  To my great relief, Eva knocked on my door just as I was coming out of the shower. She had a few different dresses slung over her arm, and she set them onto the bed.

  “Thank you so much for coming,” I said. “I’m a nervous ball of energy, which is so ridiculous, because it’s just a date, you know? But it feels bigger than that for some reason. Or maybe I’m just reading way too much into this after seeing what happened for you and Nik. God, Eva, I brought him breakfast at the inn this morning. Was that stupid? He probably thinks I’m ridiculous.”

  I fell onto the bed with my hand over my face. The words had tumbled out of me so fast, I needed to take a long breath.

  “Taking someone free cinnamon rolls and coffee is never ridiculous,” Eva said. “Trust me.”

  “You really think so?”

  “I know so,” she said. “But if you ever feel
like testing that theory on me, I’m always available.”

  She flashed a smile, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

  I was so happy that Eva had come here to Willow Harbor and become a part of my life. She’d really become like a part of our family, though her magical talents were different from ours. She had become a true friend.

  And I’d never seen Nik happier.

  “So, when do you guys move into the new place?” I asked as I looked through the dresses she’d brought.

  “In a week,” she said, smiling from ear-to-ear. “I’ve never had a place of my own before. Neither of us has, really. We both spent so much of our lives under the control of someone else that it feels like the most exciting thing in the world. You’ll have to promise to come over and help me decorate.”

  I laughed. “It’s not like I’ve ever had my own place, either, you know.”

  “No, but you’ve made this place your own,” she said, motioning to the space around us.

  Yes, I’d certainly made this room my own over the years, but I still longed for what Eva and Nik had together. Independence, but with an equal partner to share the responsibilities and have fun with.

  Of course, at this point, I’d settle for a small apartment of my own, too. As long as the income from the food truck kept going in steadily, I would be able to afford a place of my own without worrying about rent every month. I was planning to talk to Gran and start looking for something here in town.

  Maybe after a few years, if things were still going well, I’d think about moving away to a bigger city with more opportunities.

  But the moment the thought popped into my head, my stomach felt queasy. It was hard to imagine leaving my family behind, but at the same time, I wasn't sure this town could ever give me what I was really looking for.

  “Okay, so what do you think?” Eva asked, putting a finger on her cheek as she studied the dresses. “Where is he taking you, anyway?”

  “He didn’t say, but there are only so many restaurants in town, anyway. I imagine we’ll end up at the Dark Horse Diner or over at Tempest Pizza,” I said.

  “And then?”

  “We didn’t make any specific plans,” I said, frowning and biting my lip. This date wasn't very well planned out, which made me worried that we’d spend an awkward night sharing a pizza and then saying goodbye.

  “That’s okay,” she said. “It can be fun to play it by ear. I’d say it would be good to look nice, but not too nice. Something casual but flirty, like this one.”

  She held up a plain, light pink dress that was shorter than anything I normally wore. But it wasn't too revealing or low-cut. Flirty, but not too sexy.

  “Okay, let me try it on,” I said. “I don’t exactly have your, uh, ample bosom.”

  Eva laughed and shook her head. “There’s nothing wrong with your bosom,” she said, shoving the dress toward me. “Just try it and see.”

  I stepped into the bathroom, undressed, and slipped the soft cotton dress over my head.

  One look in the mirror, and I knew it was the perfect choice. I turned from side-to-side, admiring how it gathered in all the right places but wasn't so clingy that it was uncomfortable.

  I walked back into the room, and Eva smiled.

  “That’s it for sure,” she said. “Pair that with a pair of cute sandals and you’re good to go.”

  I grabbed a pair of white sandals from my closet. I had gotten them as a gift from one of my cousins for my birthday, and I hadn’t even had the chance to wear them yet.

  “Perfect,” I said, sliding my feet into them.

  Lights flashed in the window as a car drove up to the house, and my stomach erupted in the dance of a million butterflies.

  “He’s early,” I whispered, glancing out the window to see a black Jeep pulling up.

  “Maybe he’s just as excited as you are,” Eva said. “I can’t wait to meet him.”

  “Just don’t tell him you’re over here because I was freaking out about nothing to wear.”

  “I would never,” she said. “You’re going to have a blast. I just know it.”

  I watched as Slade walked up the faded steps to the porch, a small bunch of wildflowers clutched in his hand. He looked incredible in a pair of dark jeans and a faded blue t-shirt that showed off his muscular chest and arms.

  He was the hottest guy I’d ever seen in my life, and he was here to see me.

  That should have been the most exciting thing in the world, but something kept nagging at me. A change was definitely on the horizon.

  Whatever fate had in store for us, it felt closer than ever.

  Thirteen

  Slade

  I took a deep breath and rang the doorbell of Anna’s house.

  She’d warned me her Gran might give me the third degree, but I was worried about meeting her Gran for entirely different reasons.

  I’d actually seen the woman once, though I didn’t have much memory of that night. She’d been there when Anna’s mother, Maura, had escaped from the compound. And it had been my mother, Lisa, who had helped her get out.

  The woman Anna called Gran had been waiting for Maura and Anna just outside the main fence of the compound, while I had been sneaking around to get eyes on what my mother was doing in secret. Gran had seen me hiding there in the shadows.

  An eight-year-old boy scared out of his mind.

  I looked different now, but sometimes memories were very long and very clear. If she remembered me now, I was done.

  The door opened, and Anna stood in the entryway, her hair straightened into soft waves around her face, rather than her normal tighter curls. She wore a short pink dress that took my breath away.

  “Hey,” she said. “Come on in. There are some people I’d love for you to meet before we head out.”

  “You look beautiful,” I said, almost tripping over my own words. I never felt nervous around women, but I’d also never felt this way about anyone.

  Anna made me feel like I wanted to be a better version of myself.

  Someone I wasn't sure I was capable of being.

  “Thanks,” she said, blushing and turning away. “Slade, this is my good friend, Eva. Eva, this is Slade.”

  A woman with long red hair stepped forward and held her hand out to me. The moment I took hold of it, a buzz of energy passed between us. My eyebrow raised as I studied her.

  “Are you a Tillman? Because I’m sensing a very different kind of energy from you,” I said.

  “You, too,” Eva said. “Anna didn’t tell me you were a warlock. And no, I’m not a Tillman. I’m actually the last witch of my line, but the Tillmans have kind of taken me under their wing.”

  I shook my head. “Is everyone in this town magical in some way?” I asked. “There really aren’t very many places in this country where a warlock can go and instantly be recognized for what he is.”

  “Willow Harbor isn’t like other places,” Eva said. “At least not like any I’ve ever been to.”

  “It’s nice, honestly,” I said. “I can imagine it would feel really good to just be yourself, rather than always having to hide it.”

  “It is nice,” a woman said. “And we like to keep it safe here for everyone.”

  She stepped forward, her eyes locked on my face.

  For a moment, I was terrified that she recognized me, but after a moment of intense study, she smiled and held out her hand.

  “I’m Maria Tillman,” she said. “Anna’s grandmother.”

  “Ah, the matriarch of the family,” I said, clasping her hand. “It’s quite the business you’ve built here. I’d love to come see the farm in the daylight sometime.”

  “You’re welcome to come back anytime, so long as you show my granddaughter here a nice time and treat her with respect.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of anything else,” I said, nodding my head toward her. “Oh, and these are for you.”

  I handed Gran the wildflowers I’d picked up from the market downtown, and she brought them up
to her nose and inhaled.

  “Beautiful,” she said. “And very kind of you. Thank you so much, Slade. That was a thoughtful gesture.”

  “You’re very welcome,” I said. “It’s nice to finally meet the woman Anna says such amazing things about. It’s easy to see how special you are to her.”

  “Well, she’s very special to me, too,” Gran said. “And when I asked her the details of how you came to be here in Willow Harbor, she didn’t have a satisfying answer. You’re here on some kind of business?”

  “I work for a developer who is looking to build a new set of luxury homes on or near the beach here in South Carolina,” I said. “I wasn't actually supposed to come here to Willow Harbor, as I’m sure you’ve already realized. I was supposed to head more toward Charleston, but I made a wrong turn somewhere along the way and then my GPS stopped working. I ended up here and fell in love with it.”

  “And what does your boss have to say about Willow Harbor as a prospect for his new housing development?” she asked.

  I laughed. “I haven’t been able to talk to him about it,” I said. “Mysteriously, every time I try to tell him the name of the town and the details of the available land here, the connection goes bad.”

  “Yes, that does sound mysterious,” Gran said, glancing at Anna with a sly smile.

  “I’ve still been meeting with a few people in town to try to set something up, but it’s not looking promising at this point. It seems the landowners here in Willow Harbor are quite attached to their land and aren’t willing to sell,” I said. The developer boss was a lie, but I really had been setting up meetings about the land, knowing that word would get back to Mrs. Tillman. “But as one of the primary landowners here in town, I’m sure you already knew that, too.”

  “I’ve heard a few rumors about an outsider asking about some property here in town,” she said. “But you’re wasting your time. If your boss needs a better suggestion, he should send you to Beaufort or down near Hilton Head.”