Page 123 of How to Flirt with a Witch

I grit my teeth, my cheeks burning. “Fine, I’ll get you one,” I say, having no intention of following through.

“Good.” He grunts and lets out a breath as if sinking into a chair. “So, earth magic and alchemy are only two-thirds of the picture. You’re talking about the third pillar—biological magic.”

My pulse ticks up a notch as he puts a name to the secret. “What can it do?”

“Let’s discuss it over dinner. Pick you up by the steam clock at six?”

Is he fucking with me? The audacity, after everything he’s done.

I hum, pretending to consider. “Given what happened last time I saw you, I’d rather keep this over the phone.”

He laughs again, his mood way too light for how much I hate his guts.

“What’s biological magic?” I press.

“Something your buddies are even more obsessed with hiding than earth magic.Nobodyis allowed to use it, not even your Directors.”

He pauses. I wait, ears tingling, gaze unfocused as Ethel bats the crumpled business card across the floor in blissful oblivion.

Freddie lowers his voice. “Katie, this isn’t just something that lets people pass through earth and make rocks jut up from the ground. Thisis magic in its most powerful form, and it’s completely forbidden because the people in charge of the building you’re in are cowards.”

I tighten my grip on the phone, my palms clammy, listening hard. “Why is it so powerful?”

Another pause.

Ugh, he’s enjoying this—holding me in suspense when I’m ready to beg for information.

I keep a firm lid on the bubbling guilt, unwilling to think about how Natalie would feel if she knew I was talking to Freddie. But what choice do I have?

“Imagine bending biology to your command,” Freddie says.

“They can already control plants—”

“No. I mean sentient beings. People and animals, right down to the neurons in someone’s brain.”

I suck in a breath. “Like mind control?”

“Among other things. Shapeshifting, to name a fun one.”

My pulse quickens as the potential rockets around in my head—mind controlling political opponents, amassing armies, shapeshifting to impersonate a leader…

I squeeze my eyes shut, my insides sinking as everything fits. He’s talking about immense power so casually, as if it isn’t a terrifying responsibility.

Suddenly, I understand why the witches don’t want anybody to take hold of this.

“Is this what your family is really chasing?” I ask.

“All magic deserves to be wielded.”

As I imagine the horrifying potential of controlling living creatures, something slides into place. He already has a weird level of control over an animal, doesn’t he?

I snap my eyes open. “Is Wyatt some kind of biological magic?”

“To an extent.” Freddie seems to search for the right words. “I can share thoughts with him, if that makes sense. Not to downplay my dog training abilities, which are spectacular, but Wyatt and I have a connection that can only be explained by magic.”

“Is he stolen, then?”

“A gift from my mother. Rescued from a kill shelter, poor thing.”