Page 118 of How to Flirt with a Witch

“And once you’ve stored magic, you curse the object to stop anyone else from accessing it.”

She nods, avoiding my eye.

“So, my ability to sense curses…” I say, inviting her to complete the puzzle.

“Is likely an ability to sense the underlying magic,” she says. “When the Alchemists ran that lab test, it was probably hard for you to pick thecorrect object because they only fused it with a basic curse, not magic as well.”

I scoff. Iknewthe test was unfair. “Then to become a witch, a person just has to find one of these curses and—”

“And figure out how to neutralize the curse without dying, reduce the magic to its pure form, and consume it.” Natalie takes her hands out of her pockets, her fists balled. “It’s notjust. It’s dangerous and complicated.”

We stop outside my room, and I glare at her. She glares back.

I let us in and limp to the bed, where I sit with a groan. Shooting pains erupt in my whole body, the drugs not yet taking effect.

Natalie paces my room, agitated. “We have an entireteamdedicated to harnessing feral magic to prevent anyone from—”

“Feral magic?” I ask.

“Magic that flows freely in the world. Its natural state isn’t to be contained in dolls and vulgar fog machines, believe it or not.”

I narrow my eyes at the sarcasm but push past it, more interested in learning about this free-flowing magic. “What does feral magic look like?”

“It usually takes the form of a natural feature—a Joshua tree, a pool at the base of a waterfall, a coral reef. Magic can be harnessed from these sources.” She hesitates. “This is what Trackers are searching for. When they find it, they capture it, then fuse it with a curse to protect it.”

I huff. “Another lie.”

She faces me. “What?”

“You told me your dad was traveling to find curses, but really, he’s creating them. He’s scouring the globe for feral magic and going through the complex process of trapping it so nobody else can use it.”

“And now I’m telling youthe truth.”

Too late.

“And Iwouldmake a good Tracker,” I add, though this is beside the point. “Do others have my ability too?”

She glares, then looks past me like she’s trying to figure out a way to avoid answering. Finally, she sighs. “To an extent. But I’ve never seen an ability as strong as yours.”

My chest inflates a little.Ha.

Still, she’s not going to admit I’d make a good Tracker. She’s as determined as ever to make sure I stay ordinary.

“Why do you have the right to decide who can and can’t have magic?” I ask. “Why do you want to keep me from doing what you can do?” My voice breaks, betraying how much it hurts that she’s been keeping all this from me.

She rubs her hands down her face, letting out a slow breath. “Katie, we’re protecting magic to keep people safe. The Madsens believe even the most dangerous forms should be a universal right.”

“But why are some people allowed to have it while others aren’t?”

She stares at me. “I really hope you’re not considering whether the Madsens have the right idea.” There’s a quiet desperation in her tone—a fear that Freddie might have gotten to me.

When I say nothing, she adds sharply, “Don’t mistake their cause for a noble one. They just want the money and power that would come with being the distributors of magic. They could sell it to civilians, the government, anyone who offers a high price.”

“And what about those of us who want to use it for good?”

She steps closer, anger twisting her features as she looks down at me on the bed. “Magic is dangerous, and it has to be regulated the same way weapons and drugs are. The Madsens claim they’re fighting for a free world, but there’s no freedom in the power imbalance that would come with it.”

The silence rings, each of us refusing to bend.