Page 23 of How to Charm a Coven (How to Flirt with a Witch #2)

Griffin-Sized Problems

M an, I am on fire with this bow and arrow. Katniss Everdeen is in the house, bitches! Sure, I haven’t actually hit the chimera with the net yet, but I’m better equipped than last time.

I nock the arrow again and take aim at the griffin perched on a huge fir tree.

The mountain air fills my wheezing lungs, and pine needles crunch under my boots as I crouch beside a mossy boulder.

I need to move fast—between the cliffs and the temperate rainforest on all sides, the chimera could disappear with a flap of its wings.

Not to mention Natalie and Sky blasting the shit out of Sophia and Oaklyn strides away.

Just like in the Alchemy lab, I tell myself, pulling back the bowstring with trembling arms. Except instead of a target on the wall, you’re trying to shoot a mythical creature that can shapeshift into literally anything.

Okay, I’m terrible at pep talks.

Sweat beads on my forehead, mixing with the cold drizzle of rain. I exhale and release the string, and it makes a twang , raking my inner arm.

The arrow soars, the net streaming behind it like a golden comet. It helps that my target is enormous, but the griffin dives at the last moment, wings folded tightly to its sides. The arrow sails past before losing momentum and plummeting back to earth.

“Dammit!” I sprint to retrieve it, ducking to avoid the creature’s talons. A gust of wind pushes me as it spreads its wings and soars back upward.

It still hasn’t shapeshifted. Maybe it’s realized that being a griffin makes it seriously hard to catch.

Which makes me wonder… Can all chimeras shift into griffins? If it were easy for them all to become huge monsters, wouldn’t they do that immediately? Maybe some chimeras are more powerful than others.

I straighten up with my weapon, ready for the creature to land so I can shoot again. For its size, it’s astonishingly nimble as it weaves through the trunks to get back up to the canopy.

“Sky!” Natalie shouts, her hands outstretched.

“Yep,” Sky grunts, ducking as a pine branch whips over her head.

It’s like they’ve choreographed this fight, their movements fluid, each sister anticipating the other’s next move without having to say much.

The sight puts a knot of homesickness in my throat that hasn’t been there for a long time—the feeling of being surrounded by people who get you, who unconditionally have your back.

Magic crackles through the mountain air, making my skin prickle.

Natalie and Sky have pinned Sophia, Oaklyn, and Wyatt between two massive cedars, forcing them to split their attention.

Every time the Madsens try to advance, Sky launches a volley of rocks while Natalie manipulates the roots under their feet.

My gaze keeps pulling to Oaklyn, my brain working frantically to understand how it’s possible that this terrifying woman and Hazel’s new girlfriend are the same person.

Movement overhead yanks my attention back to what I’m supposed to be doing. The griffin lands on another large branch, which bends and bounces beneath its enormous weight. Droplets fall from the needles, raining down around me. I’m dizzy as I look up, trying to aim.

Flapping its wings for balance, it turns its massive beak my way. “Little hunter with the blood of a Guardian… I know you can hear me.”

The voice winds me like a punch to the ribs, making my aim wobble.

More rain falls into my eyes, and I wipe my face with my damp sleeve.

The griffin’s purple eyes lock onto mine, and memories flood through me—cradling a tiny kitten at the animal shelter, her purr vibrating against my chest…

and her eyes blazing that same otherworldly purple as her true nature became clear.

The griffin’s talons tighten over the branch, and there it is: a dark smudge on its back paw.

“Lucy?” I whisper. My arms fail me, the arrow slipping from my fingers.

The griffin ruffles its feathers. “You ally yourself with those who chain ancient powers beneath earth and stone. Do you believe you are the only one worthy of freedom?”

“I… I don’t…” I shut my mouth. Am I really going to answer? Natalie said talking to magic isn’t a thing.

A shriek makes me gasp. A root ball from Oaklyn’s dagger has slammed into Sky’s gut, sending her flying backward. Wyatt tears after her, striking while she’s down.

Shit!

Sky lets out an agonized roar as Wyatt clamps down on her leg. A cold sweat breaks out across my body at the memory of having the same done to me.

“Natalie, help her!” I cry, but she’s already on it. Her eyes flash dangerously as she raises her arms, and the air vibrates with her power.

She slams her hands forward, and a wave of earth sends Wyatt tumbling back .

Sky rolls over, spluttering in pain. She grits her teeth and hobbles to her feet, more stoic than I could ever be.

I try to shake Lucy’s voice from my head as I ready another shot, but my palms are slick with sweat and the net is tangled around my wrist.

“We are the essence of earth and sky, not herbs to be ground by human hands. I will not be consumed like a potion.” The griffin stretches its wings, blocking out the clouds.

An image flashes across my vision, obscuring my view of the surrounding trees for the time it takes to blink. A street sign. Blue with a white arrow and the words Lighthouse Park.

“When the moon meets the sea, come alone without your golden chains.”

I lower my weapon again, my hands too sweaty to hold it properly.

I wipe my palms on my jacket and try to refocus, but dammit, it’s a little tough knowing I’m shooting at my ex-kitten.

That I’m trying to ensnare her, to hurt her with this enchanted net that will force her into unconsciousness so we can cage her forever.

Also, she’s inviting me to come talk later. Can I trust her?

The griffin takes flight, the trees trembling and swaying in its wake. Mist swirls through the canopy as it rises higher—and movement flashes in my periphery. I spin toward the threat, my bow raised.

A small figure wearing a backpack emerges from the woods beside me. My stomach drops, and I lower my aim.

What the hell is Hazel doing out of the car? And why is she coming out of the forest? Every protective instinct screams at me to grab her and pull her away—but I don’t move, trusting that she has a reason.

Natalie sees my face and whips around, her eyes wide.

The split second of distraction gives Sophia the opening she needs. A blast of magic sends a stone flying at Natalie, clipping her shoulder and making her stumble back with a hiss of pain.

I gasp, my feet carrying me toward her automatically. “Natalie— ”

“Oaklyn!” Hazel’s shout drowns out mine, filling the misty forest as she runs past us to the Madsens.

Everyone freezes.

Oh my God. What is she thinking? She’s going to get killed!

Oaklyn’s expression goes blank. It might be the first time I’ve seen her face do something that isn’t a sneer.

“What—” Sky begins, but Natalie throws an arm out to shut her up.

Sky shakes her head and leans against a tree, panting, sweat beading on her face as she fights the pain from Wyatt’s bite.

Hazel keeps running, breathless. “Oaklyn, I came to see if my map was right. I didn’t think you’d… What are you doing here?”

Wyatt wags his tail, jumping around her like an excited puppy.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

“Who is this?” Sophia raises her palms toward Hazel, her fingers working like she’s ready to blast her off her feet.

I raise my bow and arrow, my aim steadier than it’s been since we got here. If Sophia makes one move toward Hazel, this net is going straight for her head.

Oaklyn reacts in an instant. She pushes Hazel behind her, shielding her from both us and Sophia. “Mom, don’t. She’s…” She hesitates, panic flashing across her face. Like she doesn’t quite know how to finish that sentence.

Hazel clutches Oaklyn’s arm, her eyes wide with fake confusion and what I suspect is real fear. “Who are these people?”

My mouth falls open as understanding hits me. She’s pretending not to know us. She’s actually going through with Natalie’s plan to become our spy.

Oh no, no, no… If this goes badly, I’ll never forgive myself.

Everything grinds to a halt, the chimera forgotten. Natalie, Sky, and Sophia stand with their palms up, Oaklyn grips her dagger, and Wyatt crouches beside her .

“You shouldn’t be here,” Oaklyn hisses, but her tone lacks its usual venom.

“Neither should you!” Hazel snaps back. “When I showed you the map, I didn’t mean for you to come here and—”

A shriek cuts through the air, making us all flinch. Lucy’s shadow passes over us before disappearing beyond the treetops—leaving me with that final image whirring through my head.

Lighthouse Park.

Do I go, or is it a trap?

Something deep inside me knows that Lucy doesn’t want to kill me—the same pull that led me to adopt a cursed kitten in the first place, and the same certainty that drew me to Natalie. This is the way to get the truth.

Oaklyn and Hazel are in a physical struggle, Hazel trying to break free as Oaklyn grips her upper arm. I shake my head and force my attention back to them. I can decipher Lucy’s words later.

“Go home,” Oaklyn murmurs, her eyes darting between her mother and Hazel.

“I took the bus.” Hazel’s gaze drops to the enchanted dagger in Oaklyn’s fist—and the hungry gleam in her eyes is definitely not acting. “I’ll leave with you, and you can explain what’s going on.”

“Oaklyn,” Sophia snaps, “who the hell is—”

Sky strikes. Despite the blood oozing from the bite on her leg and the obvious pain on her face, her movements are as quick and precise as ever. A wave rolls through the earth toward the Madsens, knocking all three women and the dog off their feet.

I gasp, clapping a hand over my mouth before I can shout Hazel’s name.

Everything erupts. The Madsens, now with Hazel in their midst, retaliate viciously. Natalie rushes to help her sister, shouting over her shoulder at me. “Where’s the chimera? ”

“Gone. We need to go.” Anyway, how can we keep fighting when Hazel is on the opposing side? She’s crouched between Wyatt and Oaklyn, inches from danger as Sophia retaliates against the Zacharias sisters.

The sooner we get out of here, the less likely Hazel is to get hurt. Though Wyatt is standing protectively in front of her while Oaklyn fights. Which…okay, what the hell? I got a mangled ankle, and she gets a guard dog?

“Okay,” Natalie says, backing up. “Sky, let’s go.”

Sky hobbles closer, hissing through clenched teeth with every step, and Natalie puts an arm around her to help her move faster.

Through the chaos of magic and flying debris, I lock eyes with Hazel. She gives a tiny nod as if to tell me this is what she wants. She knows what she’s doing, and I need to trust her plan.

Fighting my instincts, I back toward the car, drawing Natalie and Sky with me—leaving my best friend in the hands of the Madsens.