Page 104 of How to Flirt with a Witch

“Hers.” I chew my lip. She’ll think I’m nuts if I tell her I don’t intend to go back to mine at all. I plan to give my landlord notice and pick up the rest of my stuff eventually, but for now, it isn’t safe to return. Not when Freddie Madsen knows where I live.

“And Ethel?” Hazel asks.

“She goes where I go.” I pick up my precious baby off the bed and kiss her soft head. I’ll figure out how to register her as soon as we’re done talking so she can go back to exploring her new home.

“You brought the furbaby and everything…” Hazel shakes her head, her cheeks dimpling. “This girl has a firm hold on your heart, Katie.”

My face heats up. Again, she’s not wrong. “It’s—”

“Complicated, I know.”

When I don’t elaborate, her smile fades.

It hurts to hide things from her. And I can’t fix this.

She sighs, fidgeting with something off-screen. “You’ve always been good at reading people, so I trust your decisions. But… guard your heart a little, okay? You met through a weird circumstance, and I feel like there’s still alotyou don’t know about her.”

I try to see this from her perspective. I suppose watching your best friend fall for a mysterious woman who has something to do with curses would be a little concerning.

And she has a point. Natalie was shrouded in secrets when we met, and that hasn’t changed.

I nod. “I will. Thanks.”

She nods back, as if we’ve come to an agreement.

“Why don’t I spare you from blushing any deeper and fill you in on my co-op job applications?” she asks—a peace offering.

“Please,” I say desperately, both to avoid how much I’m blushing over Natalie and to skirt more questions I can’t answer.

Hazel’s eyes crinkle as she laughs at my awkwardness, and I relax, returning the smile.

While I rub Ethel’s chin, Hazel tells me about her upcoming co-op interviews and her latest dates with Sean—but with each forced laugh and excessive bubbliness in our tones, I can’t shake the feeling that the last thread of normalcy is fraying between us. Living across the country was hard enough on our relationship, and now I’ve added secrets into the mix.

Guilt bubbles up in me, leaving a bitter taste. When I said my oath, I didn’t consider what it would mean for every other aspect of my life—most of all, friendships and family. How many lies and half-truths will I have to tell them? Will I ever be able to have a normal conversation without watching my words?

Knowing about magic and curses is a level of responsibility I’m not used to, and it’s quite possibly going to change my relationships with everyone I love. But itmustbe possible to balance these parts of my life. No matter what, I refuse to let CSAMM take away my most important relationships. Guardian or not, I’m still Katie Alexander, and no threat from any witch is going to make me shift my priorities.

I kiss Natalie urgently, running my fingers through her hair. Her lips are warm against mine, her hands clamped around my waist beneath my unzipped jacket. My back presses into the wooden wall, pinned by her body.

We’re in a dressing room in a historic theater, stealing these few minutes before we have to return to CSAMM. Red ambient light bathes us, making Natalie’s features unbearably sexy. A crater smolders in the floor where a cursed fog machine once sat emitting soap bubbles in the shape of crude words. Now, the word ‘wanker’ floats through the room.

I bring my knee up to Natalie’s hips, holding her to me. No matter how close she is, it isn’t enough—my stomach twists, desperate to feel her body against every part of mine.

Slowing down our kiss, she traces her fingers over my bare thigh, teasing me by moving higher.

My heart skips. She’s about to find out why I wore a dress on an assignment.

As she gets to the spot where my underwear should be, she freezes, pulling back to gape at me. “Are you serious?”

I flash her a flirty smile.

She slides her hand around to my butt, groaning hungrily, and leans in to kiss my neck.

I shiver, massaging between her legs over her jeans. “Want to?”

She pulls back again. She checks over her shoulder at the open door, though it’s midnight and we’re the only ones here. For now, anyway. Explosions often result in filed complaints, which means law enforcement might pop in any minute to check on the place.

“Come on,” I whisper, undoing her belt. “It’s been days, and I needyou.”