Page 16 of How to Charm a Coven (How to Flirt with a Witch #2)

Post- Calamity Stress Eating

R ain patters against Natalie’s windshield as we sit parked behind a burger joint.

The dreary weather matches my mood as I slouch in the passenger seat, shoving fries into my mouth.

We’re famished after that ordeal—even Natalie, who usually maintains more dignity than this, is about to finish her burger in three bites.

“I wish I could’ve seen it.” Hazel leans forward from the back seat, speaking around a mouthful. “One minute, you’re facing off with a freaking elephant, and the next, the elephant is gone, you both look like hell, the beach is in shambles, and some scary-ass woman is making a getaway.”

“Madsens,” I explain, dabbing a spot of ketchup on my fake uniform. “She tried to take the net and the chimera.”

“And our lives,” Natalie says. She’s cleaned up the cuts on her face, but she still looks like a wreck.

“Failed, though,” Hazel says brightly .

“That doesn’t mean we won.” I shove another fistful of fries in my mouth like that’ll dull the pain. “She’s powerful, Natalie. No offense, but she nearly took you down.”

Natalie’s expression darkens, a muscle jumping in her jaw. “She’s been practicing. Must’ve had time to perfect her magic while keeping my dad locked up.”

My heart aches at the torment in her voice. I touch her forearm, her skin warm and soft beneath my fingertips. “You couldn’t have known he was kidnapped.”

“I should have.” She looks away out the rain-streaked window. “Sky and I thought he was processing Mom’s death. Throwing himself into work. Meanwhile, he was being tortured.”

I squeeze gently. “Natalie, they tricked you. It wasn’t your fault.”

She falls quiet. The silence fills with crumpling wrappers, chewing, and slurping straws.

I take a breath, steeling myself for the confession I have to make. I need to talk about why I fumbled—and to find out her theories about what happened.

“I heard whispers.” The words tumble out in a rush. As the others freeze, I force myself to keep talking. “At first, I thought it was like a hiss that came with being near magic—like static in my brain. But on the pier…there were words.”

Natalie and Hazel exchange a look in the rearview mirror. The sort of concerned look I’d expect two people to exchange when they learn their friend is hearing voices.

“What words?” Hazel asks.

“Trying to warn me away. Turn back. That kind of thing.”

Hazel perks up. “Maybe the chimera was talking to you.”

Natalie shakes her head. “Chimeras don’t talk. They’re magic, not sentient creatures. ”

But her brow is pinched, her eyes darting, like my confession scares her.

“Are you positive?” I ask.

Natalie takes a long sip of her iced tea, as if buying time before she answers. When she sets it down in the cup holder, she fumbles it a little. “Magic is a mystery even witches don’t fully understand. But I’ve never heard of anyone having magic talk to them.”

I look at Hazel, who tilts her head. There’s so much we don’t understand about my ability to sense magic—and about chimeras. I won’t rule out Hazel’s theory, and it matches my own. I just don’t know how I feel about being the only person to ever hear magic speak to them.

But there’s another explanation for hearing voices too, a more concerning one.

I crumple up my burger wrapper, nauseous. “You don’t think…Sophia has gotten access to bio magic? Mind control?”

“No,” Natalie says firmly. “We’d know it. We’d be in huge trouble.”

I nod, trying to let her confidence convince me. “Okay.”

The air in the car is thick with that stale fast-food scent, the windows fogging. Rain drums harder on the roof, creating a cocoon that almost feels safe.

“Well, my algorithm worked,” Hazel says, clearly trying to lift the mood. “We knew exactly where it would show up.”

I give her a thumbs-up. “Nice work.”

“Unfortunately, so did Sophia,” Natalie points out grimly. “I believe her when she says she has eyes everywhere. She’s no doubt hired a bunch of people.”

“Um, does that mean she knows where Katie’s been staying?” Hazel asks, her voice small.

A tense pause.

Natalie throws her crumpled paper bag on the floor and dusts off her hands.

“If she doesn’t already, it won’t be long before she does.

” She turns to me, her expression hard and serious.

“You need to move back to C.S.A.M.M. right now. We’ll stop at Hazel’s in the morning so you can get your bags and Ethel, but I don’t want you without full protection at all times. ”

My heart skips a beat. I’m caught between worlds again—the magical one that’s trying to kill me and a normal life with my best friend. “What about Hazel?”

“I don’t mind living there too!” she says, her whole body lighting up with excitement.

“It’s okay. You’re safe at home,” Natalie says. “Sophia probably doesn’t even know you exist.”

Hazel’s expression falls, a flicker of hurt there.

“Being overlooked has its advantages,” I say, attempting to lighten Natalie’s blunt words. But when Hazel’s face tightens, I scramble to clarify. “I only mean—”

“No, you’re right.” She sits back, crossing her arms. “Let her think I’m nobody.”

Disappointment turns her mouth down, but in her eyes, there’s unmistakable longing.

It’s the same look I’ve seen on her face before when talking about magic and the coven.

She wants in on this world as badly as I once did.

And I’m doing exactly what Natalie did to me that made me so angry—trying to force her to stay out of it.

“What Sophia doesn’t know is that we desperately need you,” I say, turning in my seat to face her fully. “We have to catch a chimera per day to get all fifty-six before my time runs out. You up for it?”

“I’ll get to work on another lead,” Hazel says, pulling out her laptop. “Staking out from inside that cafe was fun. I—I can do it again.”

There’s a flush in her cheeks that I don’t understand. Maybe it’s excitement over her working algorithm.

“Okay. And Natalie?” I reach over and squeeze her warm hand. “Tomorrow, I want lessons from your dad on how to use this net properly. I was a klutz with it today.” I nudge it with my feet, where it sits in a heap on the floor.

She nods, her eyes softening. “Of course. We can spend as long as you want practicing.”

“And the second Hazel finds something…” I add sternly.

“We’ll drop everything and go,” Natalie promises, lacing our fingers together. Her familiar touch soothes me when nothing else is certain.

Hazel looks between us, her eyebrows arched sadly.

My heart sinks. It was fun living with her for that short time—like it was the way things were supposed to be, the two of us in a new city. My chest tightens over the thought of abandoning her. I wish I could be a better friend right now, especially given all the trouble she’s going through for me.

“I’ll see you every time we catch a chimera,” I say, turning to her. “But we have to admit that this is my best shot at learning how to trap them.”

“While being surrounded by people who want to imprison you,” Hazel mutters.

“They’ll have to go through me,” Natalie says, the same dangerous glint in her eyes that appeared when she unleashed her worst on Sophia.

“She’s lucky to have you, Natalie,” Hazel says softly.

Natalie frowns, looking down at our entwined fingers. “I don’t know about that.”

I squeeze Natalie’s hand, wishing she would understand how true that is.

The air between us feels thick with all the things we haven’t had time to say and the quality time we haven’t spent together since my return.

There’s always been something in the way, or someone with us, or pure exhaustion holding us back.

But as hard as we’re fighting…it’s tough not to feel the clock ticking on the time we have left.