The Iron Hex: A Captivating Fantasy Romance of Outlawed Magic and Forbidden Love

"Well, aren't you lucky that you came to my store," she said, blushing lightly.

"I am lucky to have found you," he said, "but I fear nothing that I'm looking for can be found on these shelves."

Eira tilted her head and looked at her potions, snapping out of her flirtatiousness. Nothing was out of stock. Her confidence, sleep, and prosperity potions were her most popular and they were all in abundance. The less popular picks in the store even had stock, and she'd even been motivated to create more lately. There were new spell workings available for the first time in a long time, things that she'd either forgotten she could brew, or that she'd been trying to figure out how to perfect, that had finally made their way onto her shelves.

"This is the most robust selection of potions and poultices you'll find within three towns in any direction." Eira had no clue if what she was saying was true, but sometimes white lies needed to be told to make a sale.

"And yet, none of them are what I am searching for." He watched her intently as he spoke.

A bead of sweat formed on her brow—was he asking for illegal magic? She hoped not. Eira did not want the attention of the Iron Retinue. They'd killed enough witches for no good reason, and Eira wasn't going to be one of them if she could help it.

"As a potions witch I can find a spell for anything you need help with that can be solved with alchemical magic," It was the safe answer—just in case.

Hugo looked at her askance as he took a step back, crossing his arms across his wide chest and tilting his head as if he were considering her offer. "Anything? Really?" he asked skeptically, keeping his arms crossed.

Well, that was a little bit rude.

"That's what I said," Eira said, fighting the urge to be snappy and short with this customer, their once-flirty interaction taking a swift turn. He was handsome but he wasn't very polite, and politeness went a long way with Eira Eckhart.

"All right," he said, "I will be back when I have a better sense of what I need. I believe you when you say that you have the skillset I need. You're very adamant, after all."

"If you can tell me a little bit about the result you're hoping for I can perhaps guide you in the right direction," she offered, putting on her best sympathetic customer service voice.

Evasiveness often meant that the client was going to come back and ask for a love potion, one of the few alchemical workings that Eira simply refused to create. Love potions could be powerful, life-altering creations, and Eira shuddered to think of the implications of something so potent. This man, Hugo, was behaving strangely, and clearly trying to make his unspoken request seem nonchalant. Eira would certainly be surprised if a man with his looks was looking for a love potion—but she also wouldn't rule it out. Perhaps his personality was even worse than he was showcasing right now.

"I'm not asking for anything nefarious here," Hugo said, leaning slightly toward Eira as if he had read her mind. "I genuinely have an appointment to get to, so I don't have time to give you all of the information that you're looking for right now. I'll come back to you when I have some more time."

She exhaled.

"I'll be here during my normal opening hours then," she said, trying to play it cool while also deciding if she was going to create some sort of potion that would ensure that he couldn't cross the threshold of her store ever again.

Something about Hugo's proximity had her feeling warmer than usual, yet a shiver ran through her body when she watched him look her up and down quickly once more before smiling, his lips curling higher on one side and his eyes crinkling at the edges. He was handsome, but something about him had her feeling uneasy, like she was prey being circled.

"It's a date," he said with a wink and turned, his cloak moving with him as he headed out the door.

Eira stood still, shocked.

Pennyroyal crept out of her hiding spot and tutted at Eira as she stood staring at the door, lost in thought. When Eira didn't snap out of her thoughts, Penny stomped her paws on the desk, which startled Eira just enough to take a breath and shake her head slightly as she reoriented herself. She looked down into the rabbit's eyes. Penny's nose was twitching as she tried to figure

out what was wrong with the person who fed her.

"I'm fine," Eira said, trying to convince herself more than

the rabbit.

Penny stomped her paws again on the desk in response, and Eira knew the rabbit was trying in her own way to say that she wasn't sure about this mysterious man.

Thankfully, within minutes, more customers came into the store and Eira's day was washed away with the business of quickly eating her sandwich, restocking spells, and creating quick potions for customers who came in looking for bespoke workings.

She blissfully puttered around her store, doing what she did best: magic.

By the end of the day, she had nearly forgotten about the brazen, handsome man that had so wildly shaken up the start of her afternoon.

She brushed a wayward strand of hair out of her face as she leaned on the countertop after locking the door and closing the shop for the night.

"All right, Penny," Eira said as she tapped her bag. "Let's go home and get ready for the evening."