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“I’m glad you said something,” Kayla says. “I’ve been feeling it for weeks. What does it mean? Why can we remember Severin changing the green, but those other people can’t? ”

I meet Skye and Autumn’s eyes and take a big breath. “I think it means you’re all witches.”

The chorus of “Whats?” and “Witches?” is punctuated by Skye’s, “That’s so exciting!”

Autumn, ever more practical, leans forward and says, “How can you know?”

“When all those fae came to town a month ago, one of them told me I’m a witch and there are lots of witches in Ferndale Falls.”

“And you believed them?” Jasmine asks.

“I didn’t at first, because I haven’t seen any proof that I have magical powers. But today changed all of that. I think all of us being able to see and feel magic means it’s true.”

“If we’re witches,” Skye says, “are we supposed to start doing spells and waving wands and stuff?”

“I don’t know. That’s one of the things that’s made all of this so hard to talk about, besides worrying you’d all think I’d lost it.” I nibble on my cupcake. “Now that there’s magic on Earth, we should be able to use our powers.”

“What kind of powers?” Kayla narrows her eyes.

“I don’t know!” I hate not knowing things, and it feels like it’s all I can say today. After a fortifying sip of my drink, I say, “Naomi’s witch powers are tied to a crystal pendant that glows every time she does magic.”

Violeta asks, “So if we get crystals, we’ll be able to use our magic?”

“Maybe?” I shrug, losing some of the chocolate crunchies from the top of my cupcake before I jerk to stillness again. Oops. I’ll vacuum the floor after the meeting.

“I’ve got one!” Autumn sets down her food and digs into the necklaces she wears, teasing out a silver chain with a crystal pendant. “What do I do?”

“Hold it and call on your magic,” I say.

Autumn grips the crystal and closes her eyes, frowning with so much effort her red eyebrows draw together. She strains for several moments, then relaxes with a whoosh of expelled breath. “Nothing.”

She peels the necklace over her head, untangles the chain from her wavy hair, and hands it to Jasmine.

The crystal pendant goes around the circle, each of us trying. When it gets to me, I close my eyes and strain with everything I have, even whispering abracadabra and bippity boppity boo under my breath, in case words help. Nothing.

I hand it to Skye, who’s the last to try, but it doesn’t work for her either. She gives the necklace back to Autumn.

“Okay, so it’s a no on crystals.” I tap my finger against the side of my cup. “But I bet we don’t need them. Someone made the tulips walk without a crystal. Severin says it wasn’t him, so it must have been one of us.”

Murmurs and head shakes as we all look at each other.

“Talk to your mothers, your grandmothers.” I glance around the room, catching everyone’s eye. “See if you have any family history of being witches. Maybe old spell books or something.”

Autumn nods. “I’ll also talk to some of my parents’ friends from when they were all in a commune.”

“I’ll use library loan to order books on magic,” Skye says.

“I can do some internet deep dives.” Kayla pulls out her phone and types a few notes.

“And I’ll talk to Naomi in the morning. Since she’s able to use her witch powers, maybe she’ll know something that can help,” I say. “With the group of us working together, I know we can figure it out.”

“Our group needs a name,” Autumn says. “We could call ourselves the Ferndale Falls Coven.”

“Maybe not coven.” Violeta frowns. “Too many people are weird about witchcraft being evil instead of something wonderful.”

“Let’s keep saying we’re a book club,” Skye answers, the librarian in her ever hopeful.

“The Witch Bitch Book Club,” I say.

“No.” Skye wiggles her eyebrows. “The Witch Bitch Spicy Book Club. It’ll keep people from asking questions about what we’re reading.”

A laugh bursts from me. I’m as delighted as ever when my friend’s naughty side shows. “I love it! Is everyone in?”

Nods all around.

“Let’s start a group text chat.” I pull out my phone. “If anyone finds anything, I need you to let me know right away. It can’t wait.”

Jasmine asks, “What’s the rush? We’ve all made it into our twenties without witchy powers. We can take a little time figuring this out.”

“You can, but I can’t.” I give a pained smile when they all look at me. “So my marriage to Severin…”

“The scorching hot shadow daddy who picked you up and flew off into the sky?” Violeta asks with a knowing grin, and everyone laughs.

“Yeah, him.” I twirl my cup back and forth. “He asked me to marry him, but it’s not as simple as that. I have to prove I’m worthy of marrying him by doing these magical bride trials. The key word being ‘magical.’ I’ve got less than two weeks to figure out my magic.”

“Uh, problem.” Autumn jabs her cupcake toward me, dropping a piece of cereal into Skye’s cocktail with a tiny splash.

The other woman shrugs and takes a drink of her cinnamon crunch cocktail.

Undeterred, Autumn continues, “What’s with you needing to prove you’re worthy ? I can’t believe anyone thinks you’re not worthy. You’re the hardest working person I know!”

“But he’s a fae. An utterly hot and magically powerful fae who can fly,” Skye says, sounding a little breathless. Then she winces, clears her throat, and her tone becomes serious. “And it’s so totally wrong that he says you’re not good enough.”

“It’s not him. It’s fae tradition. And winning the trials is about more than Severin and our feelings for each other.” Especially since there aren’t any. “Once we’re married, he can make the magical protections around the town permanent. Ferndale Falls needs this.”

“Girl, you need to get a life ,” Jasmine says, and several others umm their agreement.

That stings a little. “I’ve got a life! Sure, it’s a little career focused right now, but someday—”

“There is no someday,” Autumn says, adopting what I call her ‘Yoda voice,’ which she uses whenever she’s trying to sound really enlightened and profound. “There’s only today.”

I open my mouth, ready to protest that I’m getting married, which is only something people with a life do, but it snaps closed. Even if most of the women don’t know the marriage is fake, I do, which means Jasmine kind of has a point.

But that’s a future-Hannah problem!

“I’m with my besties eating cupcakes and drinking yummy cocktails!

This is my best life! Here’s to the Witch Bitch Spicy Book Club!

” I lift my cup in a toast to all of them, take a drink, then bite into my cupcake, letting the sweet taste of buttercream and vanilla and chocolate take me to my happy place.

After everyone cheers and drinks, Skye looks up at me with excited eyes. “What was it like to fly?”

For a second, I’m back in Severin’s arms, wrapped in his shadows and strength. An electric tingle goes through me, and the butterflies in my stomach kick up their own party.

“Oh, my god! Your face,” Autumn crows, pointing. “You have to tell us absolutely everything .”

I grin and fan myself, making everyone laugh and lean forward, clamoring for all the details.