Page 159 of How to Flirt with a Witch

Chapter 38

Welcome to our Freaky Zoo

Astorm of dust,smoke, and debris batters us as we race through the crumbling remains of CSAMM, following the Madsens and the last of the chimeras.

Keep going, keep going,I think, praying that the chimeras will continue fleeing until they’re well away from the Madsens and anyone else who wants to abuse their power. The world doesn’t need this sort of dangerous magic locked in cages—it needs to be far away and out of reach.

My heart hammers like it’s trying to escape my chest as I struggle to keep up, pushing through the pain spiking in every cell of my body. Blood oozes from my thigh where the iron shrapnel got me, and my mauled ankle is sending stabbing pains all the way up my leg and into my abdomen. My only hope that this is all going to be okay is Natalie’s warm hand in mine.

But as we rise through the steam clock and into the world, roars and otherworldly shrieks erupt in my ears. A blur of movement swirls before me, and I’ve barely registered what’s going on when Natalie yanks me back. Steps away, a black panther the size of a Thoroughbred leaps ontoa parked minivan, teeth bared, hissing at all the screaming people. The car’s suspension groans under its weight, and its claws leave deep gashes in the metal. Above it, a massive vulture stretches out its wings, casting a shadow over the street. It lands on top of the four-story building across the intersection, its cries echoing through the city.

“Oh my God,” I whisper, the words lost beneath the din. “Natalie, we have to get them out of here!”

“The chimeras or the innocent bystanders?” she asks, tugging me further back.

“Um—”

People scream in terror all around us, their faces twisted in fear as they run for their lives. They scoop children into their arms and stand guard to herd others to safety. Dogs bark furiously at the end of their leashes, their instincts torn between fighting and fleeing. A block away, an SUV has driven off the road and has its nose buried in a storefront. Its doors hang open, the seats empty, the airbags deployed and the horn blaring incessantly. Other cars honk and try to turn around, clipping each other.

“All of the above?” I squeak.

The responsibility to fix this crushes me, taking my breath away. This is out of control, and not at all what I had in mind when I envisioned setting magic free. I thought the chimeras would disappear into the sky, never to be seen again. Someone is going to get hurt or killed.

“We have to make sure the Madsens can’t get any of—” I begin, breaking off with a surprised shout. At our feet, worms and insects are emerging from the ground beneath the steam clock. A wood bug crawling toward my toes shapeshifts into a fluffy brown hare, takes one hop, then shifts again, growing larger.

Natalie and I stumble back, and before my next breath, we’re face-to-face with a grizzly bear.

It growls, which I can only interpret as a promise to eat us as an appetizer.

What—did—I—do?

“N-Natalie?” I say, hoping for a solution.

“Run.” She tugs me by the hand, and we sprint in the other direction.

The bear huffs in agitation, and Iswearthe ground rumbles beneath its enormous paws as it follows. My lungs are on fire and my legs are agony as we race past storefronts, Natalie using magic to hurl objects across the bear’s path—a newspaper stand, a garbage can, a Victorian street lamp.

I risk a glance back, relief trickling through my head as the bear navigates the obstacles. “It’s working.”

Someone steps out of an alcove in front of us. “I wouldn’t be so sure.”

I gasp, jerking to a stop.

“Sky!” Natalie shouts.

Sky raises both hands. “Move.”

Natalie yanks me out of the way. The ground jolts as cobblestones rise behind us, forcing the bear back. As it roars, Sky seizes our arms and pulls us into the alcove.

We flatten against the wall, breathing hard. There’s a rumble and an explosion of dust. A second later, an enormous flying creature rockets past, stretching out its wings and disappearing from view.

“What was that?” I ask, not sure I want the answer.

“Doesn’t matter,” Sky says, out of breath. “Listen, these things are clearly pissed off, and we have to push them out of the city. Try to get them to transform into birds and fly away. Got it?”

Natalie nods.

Before I can ask what I can do to help, Fiona races past and skids to a stop. She snarls. “You—brainless—fools. You can’t just set magic free without consequences! It’s been held captive, and it knows it.”