Page 124 of How to Flirt with a Witch

I’m not sure whether to believe that these assholes went out of their way to rescue an animal, but either way, he’s just admitted that he’s telepathically trained an attack dog.Super.

But I need the full picture. What was Millie getting at?

“This magic could be used for good too, right?” I ask. “Like, a doctor could zap cancer out of a patient.”

“Exactly!” His tone is eager, like I’m finally understanding what he’s been trying to tell me. “How can anyone justify keeping something locked away that could cure disease and stop wars?”

But my stomach churns, acid rising. This is the complexity, then. It’s a cure for cancer, but it’s also an unstoppable weapon. Would releasing it do more harm than good?

“Katie, the witches are giving you the wrong idea of magic. They want you to believe it’s some wild, deadly force that needs to be tamed. But we know better. It’s part of nature, and its ability to change the world has to be given a chance.Everyonedeserves the opportunity to be extraordinary.”

His words are seductive, and for a moment, I let myself imagine a world where I can wield the same power as Natalie. But the reality is too dark to ignore—if even one person were to misuse it, the results could be catastrophic. The potential for abuse is too much.

“Do you ever consider that witches must have locked up biological magic for a reason?” I ask, my voice steadier than the turbulence inside me.

“Their reason is flawed. They’re forgetting how many people would use it to make the world a better place.”

“But would they? You honestly think everybody would be responsible?”

I can feel his smile through the phone, the confidence of a man who believes with all his heart in the cause he’s fighting for. “And that’s the conversation worth having, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know if it is, Freddie.” My pulse quickens, my words coming out shaky.

He sighs, his breath hitting the phone. “All this knowledge and you think the right thing is to bury it?”

I put a hand on my forehead, burning with a realization. Natalie is right. Magic is more dangerous than I thought. I just wish she’d told me everything instead of trying to make me believe her without giving me all the information.

I lie back on the bed, and Ethel takes the opportunity to hop up and lay on my chest. I stroke her back, searching for comfort in her familiar warmth.

Freddie poses a tempting offer—freeing magic that can cure disease and eradicate suffering if used properly. But does he honestly think this power would stay in the right hands? Even the noblest hearts are corruptible, and even the most well-intentioned people would be tempted to use it for selfish reasons.

“What would you do with it?” I ask Freddie.

“Ever lose a loved one, Katie? Ever get angry at modern medicine for just not beingquitegood enough?”

My stomach drops. “You’re saying you could save someone?”

“We could save a lot of people. We could, theoretically, take the dementia right out of my grandma’s brain.”

I swallow hard, forcing down the hint of sympathy that’s trying to surface. Whether that’s true, and whether saving people motivates himmore than power and money, it doesn’t change everything else biological magic is capable of—all the dangers and potential harm.

Natalie and the others are working to protect the world from a power too great for anyone to hold, and the more the implications unravel before me, the more convinced I am of which side of this issue I land on.

“So you wouldn’t be tempted to use it to rob a bank, or sway politics in your favor, or… make someone fall in love with you?” I ask.

“Oh, Katie,” he says as if he’s rolling his eyes. “The coven’s been wasting all this power. Think about the weapons and armies we could create to maintain peace, or how easy it would be for law enforcement to just use their minds to stop criminals. We’ll be creating a better, freer world.”

I shake my head, my heart beating faster. “Weapons? Armies? Cops who can do mind control? Freddie, that isn’t freedom.”

“You’re determined not to get it, aren’t you?” he snaps. Then he huffs, pausing as if to regain his composure. “Listen, Katie, I shouldn’t be telling you this, but you need to know what you’re leaving on the table. We’re close to being able to set magic free. A plan is in motion, and change is coming whether you’re with us or not. This is the last time I’m going to offer you an alliance. Will you join me in fighting for equal rights to magic? Please?”

I freeze, an icy chill rippling through me. “A plan?”

“That’s not an answer.”

I sit up, sending an irritated Ethel rolling onto my lap. Whatever he’s planning, it can’t be good. “What are you going to do, Freddie?”

He chuckles, and the sound is colder this time. “You’ll find out if you give me the right answer.”