Page 59 of How to Flirt with a Witch

“I guess we’d better hurry and find another curse before Fiona kicks me out.” I try to sound determined, but it comes out breathless. “Thrifting tomorrow?”

She shakes her head. “I’ll talk to her. You need to stay here where it’s safe.”

I blink, taken aback. Disappointment trickles over me. “Then how are we going to prove I can see curses?”

“It won’t come to that. The plan is to put Freddie Madsen away so you’ll be able to go home. He crossed a line tonight.”

A sinking sensation pulls me downward. It’s not that I want to be trapped in an underground building for the rest of my life, but I’d expected to test my ability like Fiona and Sky suggested. I don’t want to sit here while Natalie handles everything.

“Your sister thinks I could be helpful,” I say, my tone challenging.

She crosses the room to lean against the desk, folding her arms. “My sister plays with fire by profession.”

I open my mouth to argue, but curiosity gets the better of me, and instead I ask, “What does she do?”

She hesitates—back to her default response.

I sigh. “Natalie. I’m fine with being here, but I deserve some information about where I am and who I’m with.”

She scowls and stuffs her hands into her jeans pockets. “Okay. Yeah, you’re right.”

Anticipation skips in my chest. I sit on the bed, letting Ethel flop onto the duvet.

Natalie paces as if unable to stand still for this conversation. “She’s a Shadow. They take out dangerous witches or people misusing magic.”

“Like an assassin?”

“More like a SWAT team.”

I nod, unsurprised that this is Sky’s job description. She looked ready to take out Natalie a few minutes ago. “That’s why you looked at her when you mentioned going after Freddie.”

“She’ll lead the operation. The Shadows have been waiting for a warrant to move against the Madsens for years—decades, even.”

“If they’ve been trying to steal cursed items for years, why would you need a warrant?”

“Bureaucracy. We can’t touch non-witches—which is a good law except where the Madsens are involved. Freddie targeting you tonight gives us cause to move in.”

“You’re welcome,” I say flatly.

She doesn’t smile, her gaze on the floor.

“So she’s a Shadow, and you find and neutralize curses,” I say. “Is there a name for witches like you?”

“Guardians.”

“Fitting.”

She tilts her head, but I don’t elaborate. Maybe she doesn’t realize how protective she’s been all night.

“How do you know where curses are?” I ask.

“We have ears all over so we know about strange happenings. Fiona and a few others are in charge of relaying that to the rest of us and triaging assignments.”

“I see. And… what magic can you do, exactly?”

She looks to the door, and I remember she promised to debrief Fiona. But instead of telling me she has to go, she comes to sit beside me on the bed.

My heart skips as the mattress depresses, forcing my hips to angle toward her.