Page 66 of How to Flirt with a Witch

Sebastian claps Will on the back and turns around. “Well, that was a nice coffee break. Back to work, eh?”

Fiona lifts her chin, addressing Natalie. “After you’ve brought Katie back to her room, come see me. We have four new cases this morning.”

“No!” My voice comes out loud, and all eyes snap to me. “That wasn’t a fair test. My intuition got muddled from all the magic in here, and the pressure—”

“Don’t bother with excuses,” Fiona says, her tone cold and sharp. “I was kind enough to give you a chance.”

“But I know I can do this!” My voice breaks, desperation tightening my throat.

Fiona’s eyes flash menacingly. “You’ll stay here until we catch Freddie Madsen, and then you’ll be escorted home.”

“If you just give me another—”

“That’s my final decision. Agnes will draft up a secrecy agreement.”

Dread washes over me. Ican’tgo back to reality. Not after learning about magic and this hidden side of Natalie’s exciting life.

Natalie steps closer to Fiona, holding herself together much better than I am. “Even if we don’t use her to find curses, we can’t just send her back out there. We have to let her stay.”

“Your judgment is compromised,” Fiona snaps, her eyes widening in outrage. “We can’t keep an outsider around—especially with the recent information leaks. She hasn’t sworn the oath, and she’s not one of us. She’s a security risk.”

Shame flares so hot inside me that my face feels sunburned.

Natalie’s voice rises. “But even if we catch Freddie, the other Madsens will still come for her—”

“So we’ll send her home with a bodyguard, and if the Madsens come, we’ll get more warrants and catch them too. But her ability is either weak or unpredictable, which means she can’t stay here.”

I clench my fists, swallowing down the shame. She’s wrong about my ability. But I had my chance to prove it to her, and I blew it. What am I supposed to do?

Before Natalie or I can argue further, Fiona storms out of the room, her heels clicking on the stone floor.

My gaze falls to the butterfly, its wings a blur of violet as it takes flight. My eyes sting as I watch it spiral up, up, and out through the hole in the ceiling—leaving me with the hollow, empty truth.

My test is over, and the result is simple: I failed.

Chapter 16

An Internship in Curses

Alone in my suite,I poke listlessly at Ethel’s toe beans, their charm lost on me. Her purring fills the silence as I lay curled on the bed.

Natalie has gone to talk to Fiona, but what’s the point? She’s clearly closed-minded about ‘outsiders’ and won’t be swayed. Which means I’ll have to go home and wait for the Madsens to find me.

I shudder. My arm twinges where Freddie’s bruising grip wrapped around it. If the other Madsens are anything like him and his bloodthirsty dog, I don’t want to think of how that will go.

What do I do if they come for me? Try to convince them that my ability to see curses is unreliable, and they’re better off leaving me to live my sad, ordinary life?

I roll onto my back.

No.I can’t leave. More than the fear of the Madsens, I can’t return to my empty basement suite and normal life. I’ve had a glimpse of what living in CSAMM with Natalie would be like—witnessing magic, living in these halls, surrounded by mysterious rooms and corridors beggingto be explored—and the threat of leaving punches a hole in my heart. I don’t wantto ignore the part of myself that’s somehow connected to curses, even if it’s scary, and even if logic tells me I’d be safer pretending all this doesn’t exist. I can’t recall ever having a sense of purpose like this—the feeling that I have something important to offer. The feeling of beingneeded. The community I’ve wanted since landing in Vancouver is within reach, if only I can figure out how to show them I’m worthy enough to stay.

And, yes, I’ve never felt like this about a girl before. Natalie’s cute smile, her warm and protective touch, the way my heart flips every time she looks at me…

Now I’m about to leave this all behind. Because of bagpipes.

My phone rings, and I sit up. Ethel scurries between my pillows.

It’s Hazel—and she wants to video chat.