Penn couldn’t think of a single thing to say when the younger woman stepped back to let her in.
Penn hesitated on the threshold.
“I mean you no harm,” Penn said slowly.
“I know,” Annie said.
Penn eyed the threshold. Even if there was a trap, at least she’d be one step closer. She stepped over the threshold. She felt the air ripple around her, the wards adjusting to her presence. They didn’t seem to be upset or trying to keep her out.
“There’s something I need,” she said.
“To help him.”
Penn swallowed. “Why are you helping me?”
Annie licked her lips and tucked copper blonde hair behind one ear; she didn’t meet Penn’s gaze. “You’re not the only one.”
They were out of time. They’d been out of time from the moment she left this house as the twins muttered about crossbows. The witches weren’t going to keep fighting a crowd of feral creatures from the horror version ofBambiwhen their prey had already gotten away. She did not have time for this.
She didn’t move.
“The only one what?” she asked.
Annie swallowed. “The only one who doesn’t want to hurt them. Who doesn’t think they’re evil.”
Annie put her head down and shuffled toward the library. Penn swallowed and followed in a daze, thinking not of Asher, but of the first werewolf she’d ever seen at the donkey races. Annie had stared across the road, unable to take her eyes off the little cluster of wolves. Penn had chalked it up to paranoia, but what if it wasn’t that at all?
“Do you know one?” Penn said, halting in front of the library for a moment.
“No!” Annie said quickly and grabbed the statue. She pulled it toward her, and nothing happened. She pulled a couple of times. Penn could hear the click, but the door didn’t open.
“Shit,” she said and spun in a circle.
Annie looked shocked. “I didn’t know they locked it against me. This has never happened before.”
“How many times have you tried to go digging in their secret werewolf murder stash?”
“Never.”
Penn reached for it, though she stood as far away as possible, imagining all sorts of booby traps, but nothing happened for her either.
Her merry band of forest creatures would be useless here.
“Can you force it?” Penn asked.
“I can just talk!” Annie said helplessly.
“What?”
“I’m a spellcaster. All I can do is talk.” She held her arms out wide.
Whatcouldthey do then?
“Dammit,” she said. “You have to get out of here.”
“I said I’d help. I said I didn’t think of them like the twins!” Annie said, hurt in her voice.
“No, I’m about to set off every ward in the entire territory, and if you don’t want to lose everything too, you need plausible deniability.”
