Page 89 of How to Flirt with a Witch

I suppress a smile. Maybe Will’s not so bad.

“How long did it take?” Fiona asks Sky.

“Twenty-eight minutes from the time we stepped out of my car. Seconds, once we hit the right aisle.”

There’s a pause. Nobody has anything dismissive to say, which is… wow. Three others I haven’t met stand behind Will, exchanging meaningful looks and silent conversations.

Fiona scans me up and down with narrowed eyes. “You want to do this as a career, then?”

I blink, her question catching me by surprise. I hadn’t thought about it like a career, only an opportunity to help. “I just want to put my ability to good use.”

“Well, that means working for us,” Fiona says impatiently. “We expect part-time availability, and you’ll get laid off if you aren’t up to par. Got it?”

Her words hit me like a drop on a roller coaster.Holy – crap.“Yes, ma’am.”

“I’ll need you to fill out an employment agreement, and we’ll get you onto the payroll. As far as the government is concerned, you’re working for a research lab. Unless you want to be a veterinary assistant. Do you want to be a vet?”

“I—no,” I stammer. “A lab sounds good.”

Really good, actually. Much like Hazel applying to software companies, ‘research’ is exactly what I need on my resume for my psychology degree. I’ll just have to tell future employers the work was classified.

I shake my head a little, pulling myself back to the present. I’m being offered a jobin CSAMM!

“You’ll be a Junior Guardian,” Fiona says, checking her phone, “but your documented title will be Research Assistant. You’ll be earning minimum wage, and you’ll report to me.”

“Can—can I keep living in room 133?” I ask, a tremor in my voice.

She pockets her phone and turns to a bookshelf, preoccupied. “I don’t see why not.”

I could kiss her.

“One last thing. Donotgo on assignment without my knowledge again.” The sharp edge in her voice tells me she definitely doesn’t share my affection. “Same goes for you, Skylar. This is your one and only warning.”

Sky nods solemnly. “Yes, ma’am.”

The job offer rockets through me, and I have to suppress the squeak of excitement that wants to burst out.

I get to stay.

I’m a Guardian.

I’ll be working alongside Natalie.

I risk a glance at her, and my excitement deflates like someone letting the air out of a balloon. She’s glaring at Sky, her expression murderous—jaw tight, brow furrowed, fists clenched so hard that veins pop in her forearms. A jolt of fear shoots through me to see her looking the same as she did both times she had to save me from the Madsen siblings.

But she’s not saving me from a Madsen now. This time, she’s directing that rage toward her own sister. And maybe Sky and I both deserve that look. We went behind her back, after all.

A pang of guilt hits me, but I keep my stance confident. It worked out, so it was worth the small betrayal. A curse needed destroying, and I knew I could help, so I went after it. Big deal.

“We’ll leave you to it, then,” Sky says, touching my arm and backing up a step. “Sorry for the interruption.”

Fiona waves her off—but Natalie steps forward. “Sky. Can I talk to you?”

At her sharp tone, Will turns on his heel and walks away, and the others follow as if called to the other side of the room. Even Fiona. Will grabs a book at random and buries his nose in it.

Apprehension pulses through me. I was so worried about Fiona that I forgot to consider how Natalie would react.

I swallow down the looming sense that Sky and I are in big trouble.