Page 103 of How to Flirt with a Witch

“How common are enchanted objects?” I ask.

“They’re rare and valuable. Sky must think…” Natalie hesitates, then shrugs. “Well, I’m glad you have it.”

A tremor creeps through me. My first assignment looms over our heads, mere hours away. In a race against the Madsens, I’m going to head out into the world and do my part to neutralize curses.

The gauntlet comes to me in a new light—an extraordinary piece of armor that can help me survive what’s coming my way. Whatever its story and origins, Sky and Natalie think I’m the best person to have it.

Maybe Sky knows how Natalie feels about me and wants to protect me for her sake… or maybe she thinks I’ll need all the help I can get.

Chapter 25

Some Might Call this a Double Life

“Hazel, you should’ve seenme. My senses were tingling, my intuition was rock solid…” I pace my suite rapidly, filling her in on my first assignment. Despite my vow to rein in what I tell her, it’s impossible to resist sharingsomeof it. We always call each other first after something big happens, and it’d be too weird not to. I need to maintain some semblance of normalcy. “We got to the Skytrain station, and I could feel it right away, you know? It took like ten minutes for me to pinpoint it—a bag of ketchup chips inside a vending machine.”

“Cursed chips?” she cries, leaning closer to her laptop. Her jaw is slack, her eyes gleaming. She’s in her dorm at her desk; behind her, fairy lights cast a warm glow over the stark white walls.

“I know!” I punch my fist into my palm, adrenaline still pumping. “Natalie nuked it, and we were out of there in seconds. God, that was good.”

I didn’t have to use the gauntlet from Sky, which was a tad disappointing but for the best. It felt badass to wear it, anyway.

Hazel claps. “Yes! So did you have to buy a bunch of chips before you could get to the cursed bag?”

I hesitate. Natalie used magic to pull the chips right through the glass, and it was mind-bogglingly cool. But this is a detail too far. With a pang of guilt, I say, “Yeah.”

There’s a pause. Hazel’s eyebrows shoot up.

Ugh, I’m a bad liar.

It feels unnatural to keep things from her—like I’m putting up a wall that’s never been there before. We’ve always told each other everything in intimate detail. And keeping with tradition, the first thing I did when she answered was give her a graphic play-by-play of last night with Natalie. But the induction ceremony, my oath, the gauntlet, and other details about magic and CSAMM? Though I want to spill it all, fear and responsibility silence me.

Fiona would be furious that I’ve told Hazel this much, but I can’t backtrack on what I spilled weeks ago, and I’d probably combust if I had to keepeverythingfrom her. So, I’ve made the executive decision to continue filling her in on what she already knows—that curses exist and I can detect them.

“Did you figure out what’s up with her?” Hazel asks. “Is she really a vet?”

My heart lurches at the question. “I’m still working on figuring her out.”

Another pause. Hazel’s shoulders sag almost imperceptibly.

“You can tell me things,” she says, a strange note in her voice. “I promise I’ll keep your secrets. I don’t have to share any more info with Sean.”

Ouch, my heart. She thinks I don’t trust her.

“You’re the first person I tell about anything and everything,” I say, stepping closer to the laptop. I hope she can read my sincerity.

She casts me a small smile. It’s almost sad, like she’s hoping for more.

But I can’t give her more. Not only would it violate my oath, but there’s also a real chance it would put her in danger. The less she knows about CSAMM and magic—and the Madsens—the safer she’ll be from all this.

“Looks like a nice room you’re in…” Hazel leans back in her chair. “Tell me this, at least. Is your basement really flooded, or have you been staying with Natalie?”

I purse my lips. Her assumption isn’t entirely wrong. Anyway, it’s probably safer to let her think I’ve been living at Natalie’s because we’re hooking up.

Her smile turns smug. “Wow. You warned me girls move fast.”

I laugh. “It’s not like that. It’s complicated.”

“I gathered. Are you spending more time at her place or yours?”