It can’t be.
But it is, isn’t it?
Magic. Sophia has gifted her daughter earth magic.
“You’re ready, darling,” Sophia purrs.
Icy dread floods my veins. If Oaklyn and Sophia both became witches, there’d be no stopping them.
I can’t let this happen. Even if I have to fight Oaklyn with my fists and teeth, I cannot let her drink that potion.
I have no plan, no strategy. I just act.
From the Journal of Hazel Okada
The dagger bit into my throat—the one Oaklyn had fucking handed over willingly. Sophia rocked impatiently, the blade slicing my skin with each shift. I fought the need to squirm as warm blood trickled down my neck and pain shot into my scalp.
The betrayal hurt worse. I couldn’t believe Oaklyn had given over the weapon now cutting into me. And then she had the audacity to ask her mom to let me go?
I bit my lip hard, torn between wanting to cry and wanting to lash out at Oaklyn and make her hurt as much as I did. The discomfort on her face wasn’t enough.
As Oaklyn unwrapped the gift, Katie sucked in a breath. I tried to catch her eye, to silently ask if she knew what was going on, but her gaze was fixed on Oaklyn, horror dawning.
Oaklyn’s hands trembled as the paper floated to the ground. When she opened the box, her lips parted in shock. Katie remained frozen, breathing hard, her eyes wide.
Oaklyn picked up what was inside. Held it up to the light.
A vial.
What was it? What was I missing?
“Help me properly,” Sophia had said a moment ago.
My breath caught. The purple—the same shade as the witches’ eyes when they were performing magic.
Understanding crashed over me like a wave. I was staring at liquid magic, bottled and ready for Oaklyn to drink. Longing filled Oaklyn’s eyes—not just for power, but for her mother’s approval.
My heart jumped into action, a desperation like nothing I’d ever felt clawing at my chest.
“Hazel!” Katie shouted.
She broke into a run, and the chimeras responded, charging after her like she’d given them a silent command.
Adrenaline exploded inside me as everything happened at once. Katie sprinted toward Oaklyn. A lynx pounced at Sophia and me. A massive bird swooped down, talons out.
Sophia ducked, yanking me down with her. Pain erupted in my jaw as the blade caught me.
We crashed into the rocky ground, and the lynx landed on Sophia. Its snarls filled my ears as it tried to pin her down. I kicked away from her, feeling the satisfying crunch of my heel slamming into her gut.
The bird—Jesus, was that a condor?—dove repeatedly, trying to sink its hooked beak into Sophia. The world became a mix of growls and shrieks, fangs and claws, and me in the middle, scrambling to get away. My palms stung and my knees protested as I crawled frantically over the rocks.
Through it all, I caught a glimpse of Katie throwing her entire weight into Oaklyn. They fell hard, Katie’s momentum carrying them both to the ground. Katie managed to get on top, straddling Oaklyn and trying to land punches with her gauntlet. Oaklyn fought back one-handed, her other fist wrapped around the vial.
Rage exploded inside me. Over my dead body was she going to hurt Katie.
I sprang toward them, grabbing Oaklyn’s arm with both hands to try and get the potion away from her. She bucked and thrashed beneath us, roaring in fury. Though it was two against one, all her time in the gym was paying off, and Katie and I cracked our heads together as we fought to keep her pinned.
“Ow!” we cried in unison.
