Page 60 of How to Flirt with a Witch

I guess my guilt trip about deserving information worked.

Ethel crawls over to her, reaching a little paw as if to test whether Natalie will indulge her with pets. She does, stroking Ethel’s back. Ethel immediately starts purring.

“It’s called earth magic,” Natalie says. “We can move solid elements by telekinesis. Objects, soil, plants, metals…”

“And pavement, apparently. Is it harder to move heavy things?”

Natalie grimaces, like she was hoping I wouldn’t bring up what I saw in the alley. “It’s more about composition than weight. Pure elements are easier to manipulate. We can also shift particles to let us pass through earth.”

I look at her in alarm. “We sank into the ground at the steam clock?”

She nods. “Engulfed us like quicksand.”

A shiver crawls through me as the world I thought I knew dissolves. “How did nobody notice? That street was full of tourists.”

“The clock’s been enchanted so the moving particles camouflage us. They take on the appearance of whatever’s behind us. To onlookers, we just vanished into the crowd.”

I furrow my brow, trying to understand all the details of earth magic. “You can enchant things too?”

She shakes her head once. “That’s Alchemy. Not my area of expertise. It involves binding magic to an object.”

I let out a slow breath, my head starting to hurt. And here I thought my statistics lectures were a lot to take in.

While Natalie pets Ethel, her other hand rests on the duvet between us. I could easily reach out and place mine over hers. We both clearly need the comfort. It’s easy to imagine holding her hand, letting my fingers be engulfed in her strong grasp.

But I might be misreading the responsibility she has to protect the public from magic. She saved me because of that, not because of some feelings she may or may not have. So I keep my hands where they are, palms flat by my thighs.

“Thank you for bringing me here,” I murmur.

She says nothing.

When I look at the side of her face, her gaze is on our hands too.

Maybe sensing me watching, she meets my eye. Her irises pull me in, such a gorgeous, rich shade of brown. I watch, breathless, as they travel down my face and linger on my lips.

A knock rings out, and we startle.

“That’ll be Sky.” Natalie crosses the room to open the door, revealing my stuff piled outside. Sky and Will didn’t stay.

We drag it in. I guess I’ll be unpacking tonight—or in the morning. Exhaustion weighs me down, making my eyelids heavy.

Natalie looks at her phone, then shows me the time.

12:02 A.M.

“Happy New Year,” she murmurs.

“Happy New Year.”

She rocks on her feet, the stroke of midnight suspended between us.

The silence is a harsh reminder that I shouldn’t be here. I should be back at the restaurant, shouting and cheering with a big group of friends. Instead, I’m in an unfamiliar place with a woman I barely know. But strangely, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

She turns around, and my chest tightens. I don’t want her to go. After learning magic is real, the Madsens want to kidnap me, and there are witches among us who can split the earth open with their minds, the thought of sleeping alone tonight sends goosebumps up my arms.

Natalie opens the door. “Get some sleep. I’ll have my phone on me if you need anything.”

Before she can step into the hall, I blurt, “Wait!”