Page 39

A s the last chimera takes flight, its wings casting a shadow over the devastation that was once Gastown, the piercing wail of sirens fills the air. Witches, injured and smeared with dirt, vanish into the ground beneath the crumbled remains of the steam clock.

My eyes prickle as I take in the city I’ve come to call home—the ruined storefronts with shattered windows, broken bricks and cobblestones, toppled structures… Not to mention the people who had to flee in terror. My heart clenches, guilt gnawing at my insides like a hungry rat.

A black car navigates the disaster, coming to a stop in front of us. The window rolls down, and it hits me that I’m looking at Natalie’s car. Hazel’s behind the wheel with Ethel’s kennel riding shotgun.

“I… packed up as much as I could from your place…” Hazel says weakly, her eyes wide with shock as she takes in the apocalyptic surroundings.

A tiny meow emits from the car’s clean interior .

“Good timing.” Natalie’s hand closes over my arm, and she guides me to the vehicle. She cranes her neck, glancing around. “Get in.”

I startle, rooting my feet. “What? Why?”

She opens the back door. “Because you and I are going to have a lot to answer for.”

Sky appears beside us, her mouth pulled into a deep frown. “Fiona wants you down below,” she tells Natalie, her eyes flicking nervously to me. “She’s asked everyone to be in the courtyard. Now.”

I wrench out of Natalie’s grasp, my heart skipping. “Then I should go too.”

She takes my arm again, her touch firm. “You don’t understand the seriousness of what we’ve done. I think I can talk Fiona down, but I don’t want you there for this. Go somewhere safe, and I’ll come get you when this blows over.”

I set my jaw, defiant. “I don’t want to leave you!”

“It’s not a question,” she says harshly.

Typical Natalie, trying to protect me from something I have to face.

I open my mouth to argue, but Sky interrupts. “Natalie’s right. You’re both in shit .”

“The others are wrong—” I start.

“I know.” Sky grips my shoulders, holding my gaze. “I know you did the right thing, and this would’ve been a hell of a lot worse for all of us if the Madsens had stolen what was in that room. But Fiona doesn’t see that. She only sees how you broke our laws.”

My eyes get infuriatingly wet. A tornado of emotions swirls inside me—anger at the injustice of it all, sadness for the destruction, fear for what Natalie will have to deal with.

Sky drops her hands, scanning the empty street. “Related note, either of you know where Sebastian and Millie are? ”

I shake my head, not meeting either of their gazes. I don’t think anyone needs to know that Millie’s in possession of bio magic. As long as she and Sebastian stay hidden, there’s no reason CSAMM has to find out.

I say a silent prayer for her, hoping she quickly figures out how to use it to ease her pain and heal her illness.

“Will Fiona want all the freed bio magic recaptured?” I ask.

Sky and Natalie exchange a look, like they’re each checking if the other has an answer.

“We’re not done with it,” Natalie says carefully. “I know that much.”

“Why can’t bio magic just be allowed to roam free?” I ask, a strange tightness in my ribcage at the memory of the chimeras trapped in cages. “Seeing it locked up like that… It felt wrong. Cruel.”

“The problem is that bio magic does whatever it wants,” Sky says, her tone somber. “Some of it might end up in forests, mountains, oceans… But some of it will end up near people. Cities, parks, places where it can do harm and where it might land in the wrong hands.”

“Then I’ll help find it and push it out. We all know I can sense magic, so let me help track down the chimeras that are hanging out where they shouldn’t be.” My words come out strong and certain. It might be a reckless offer, but all this feral bio magic is my doing, and I need to see it through. I have the ability to keep the world safe, and I refuse to let it go to waste when I could be helping.

Sky searches my face, her brow pinched. I hold her gaze, letting my determination show on my face. She must like what she sees because her expression relaxes, and she nods firmly. “Deal.”

Warmth ignites inside me, a sense of purpose sparking back to life.

I turn to Natalie, who nods as well. “I think you’d be particularly good at that. But first, you need to get away from here and let some of this fizzle out.”

“Fine. ”

As Sky strides toward the steam clock, ready to sink into the earth, Natalie calls after her. “What are we going to do about Dad?”

Sky scowls, balling her hands into fists. “We’ll find him—and we’ll give the rest of the Madsens the same treatment as Katie gave Freddie.”

A chill ripples through me, and I wrap my arms around myself as if to ward off the memory.

But something occurs to me, a glimmer of hope beneath all the darkness. “If Sophia Madsen’s a witch now, then she’s not outside CSAMM’s laws anymore, right?”

Sky and Natalie stare at me.

Slowly, a wicked smile spreads across Sky’s face. “I like the way you think.” She backs away, a fierce determination in her eyes. “There’s a place for you here, Katie. Even if Fiona and the others don’t see it yet.”

I nod, my throat tightening. I want to say thanks, to tell her how much that means to me, but I can’t find my voice. Her acceptance, her belief in me, is everything I need right now.

The sirens grow louder, their long wails rising in all directions and competing with each other. Down the street, flashing lights approach, painting the ruins in red and blue.

“Katie?” Hazel warns.

“Coming,” I say, resigned.

Sky takes her cue and disappears into the steam clock, giving us a final salute before the earth swallows her in a haze of particles.

Natalie squeezes my hand, her touch reassuring.

I squeeze back, my heart already aching at the thought of leaving her. “Come with me.”

“I can’t,” she says, barely audible.

“But why should I run away and leave you to face them down there?” I ask, frustration bleeding into my tone. “Won’t they punish you?”

She tilts her head, a sad half-smile on her lips. “They’ll hear me out, and any punishment will be nothing I can’t handle. You, on the other hand, I’m not as confident about. You’re too new to the coven, and not as… immune. It’s better if you get out of here, at least for now.”

The truth is bitter, but I appreciate her honesty. “But how long until we see each other again?”

She leans in, whispering into my lips. “As soon as possible. Promise.”

I close the distance, kissing her gently, trying to pour everything into this one moment before we part. There’s so much I want to say, but not now—not when this devastating, harsh reality is blazing around us, and not when I’m so terrified of what’s going to happen next. The Madsens aside, most of the coven is furious about our decision, and we’ll have to answer for it in some way. ‘As soon as possible’ might be months or years—or never.

My throat tightens. No, I can’t think like that.

When we break apart, Natalie hesitates, holding my gaze like she’s seeing right into my core. She cups my cheek, and her lips part as if she’s about to say something more.

But too soon, she drops her hand and steps back, and there’s nothing left to do but get in the car. Without another word, I climb into the back seat and let her shut the door.

My heart is ready to burst as I watch her through the window. She jogs to the steam clock and disappears with the rest of the witches.

As more emergency vehicles arrive, Hazel speeds off in the opposite direction—taking me away from Natalie, away from the steam clock, away from CSAMM.

A thick, suffocating silence closes around us, making my ears ring. Pain zaps through my body like lightning, hitting every limb and every inch of exposed skin.

My phone lies on the back seat where I abandoned it earlier.

I pick it up. A text from an unknown number arrived five minutes ago.

Unknown

We’ll find another way to get what we came for, sweetheart. And when we catch up with you, you’re going to wish it was you instead of Freddie today.

I scoff, but even as I try to brush off Oaklyn’s threat, a chill rolls through me like snow sliding down the back of my shirt. I don’t doubt that I’d be in trouble if the Madsens got their hands on bio magic.

But I’m not going to let that happen.

As Hazel takes us onto the highway, I reach forward and squeeze her shoulder, a silent thank-you. She pats my hand. No words necessary.

Through the windshield, high above, the wings of an enormous creature spread as wide as a jet, carrying it up and away from the city… free from the laws that kept it imprisoned.

I feel the same, somehow. I’ve broken free from the cage of my old life and am ready to embrace a new version of myself.

I brush my fingers over the enchanted gauntlet still on my hand, feeling as if it were meant for me all along—like it’s become a part of me I don’t want to let go of. Its magic trickles through my veins like an IV drip, rooting me in a bone-deep sense of purpose.

What comes next is clear, appearing before me like an illuminated path. As soon as I can see Natalie again, we’ll need to rescue her dad and make Sophia and Oaklyn pay for what they’ve done.

I clench my fists, ready for it. I might not be a witch, but I have the ability to see magic where nobody else can, and I’m going to use that for all it’s worth.

The thing is, I’m done being pushed around by people who think they’re stronger than me. CSAMM wants to punish me for protecting the world from dangerous magic, the Madsens want me dead for killing Freddie in self-defense, and I’ve just been forced to leave behind the woman I’m head-over-heels in love with. None of this is fair. I’ve been used, lied to, hurt, and hunted down, all for trying to help.

I glare at Oaklyn’s threat on my phone, fury pulsing through my veins until I’m trembling. If she thinks she can get to me, I hope she’s ready for what she finds. She has no idea what I’m capable of.