I caved and told Hazel Natalie’s a witch. It was the only thing keeping me from thinking I hallucinated everything. Anyway, when you already got in trouble with a coven, what’s one more broken rule? The other details, especially anything about the Madsens, will stay a secret for Hazel’s safety.
At the thought of reuniting with Natalie in a few minutes, my heart flutters wildly.So close.I’m going to kiss her until my lips are bruised, feel her mouth against mine, breathe in her comforting scent of something herbal and sweet…
And I’ll finally tell her the three words that have been burning in my chest for seventy-eight days.
Yes, I’ve been counting. There’s only so much intimacy you can get through video calls, especially with your parents and sisters in the next rooms. I need her to know how completely she has my heart, even if it’s terrifying. Even if I risk her telling me not to fall inlove at a time like this, when dangerous people are willing to do anything and kill anyone in pursuit of magic.
Last night on our video call, she’d looked at me with such tenderness that the words almost slipped out. “Natalie, I—” I’d started, before Nicky barged into my room asking to borrow my charger. It was for the best. The first time I tell Natalie I love her shouldn’t be through a phone. It should be face to face, where I can see if her eyes light up or if they cloud with worry about what loving me might cost her.
Using the black screen on the seat in front of me as a mirror, I comb my fingers through my light brown locks, making sure the loose curls are sitting right. I’ve never put this much effort into my appearance for a travel day—smoky eyes, cherry lips, a tiny white top under an oversize jean jacket, and ripped jeans that make my legs look amazing.
“I expect you’ll be out all nightcatching upwith Natalie?” Hazel asks teasingly, watching me fuss.
An embarrassed little laugh escapes me. “We’ve got dinner plans.”
And a whole lot more. We’ve talked about what we plan to do to each other in intimate detail. Assuming this flight doesn’t end in a magical disaster, Hazel is correct.
“Well, if you need someone to watch Ethel, she can keep me company while I set up my apartment,” Hazel says, poking her fingers into the kennel.
I bite my lip, my cheeks heating up. Not that I want to ditch her on our first night in Vancouver, but she gets it—and she’s right about how tonight will go.
The wheels slam into the wet tarmac, and we grab each other again as the plane bounces and sways like a ship in a storm. My stomach lurches, Ethel meows, and then, miraculously, we’re safely slowing down.
Thank God.
A collective sigh of relief whooshes through the cabin, and a few people clap.
The pilot’s muffled voice crackles over the P.A. “Welcome to Vancouver. Local time is 3:46 PM. Apologies for that bumpy landing due to the windy conditions. We appreciate your understanding and expect to be at the gate in about ten minutes…”
Amazing that everyone else thinks it was the wind. For me, the sensation of nearby magic keeps getting stronger, like a voice in my head whispering words I can’t quite understand.
Hazel and I pull out our phones and turn off airplane mode. I’ll text Natalie to tell her I landed, but knowing her, she’ll already be waiting for me in Arrivals.
The second my phone connects, messages come in. My heart leaps at Natalie’s name—then plummets as I read her texts.
Natalie
Katie, don’t leave the baggage area.
I’m in Arrivals.
Katie
I feel a ton of magic nearby. Is something wrong?
Natalie
Interesting. But no, I caught sight of Fiona. She must have followed me here.
My mouth goes dry. One of the coven’s Directors secretly following her to the airport can’t be a good sign. This has to be about the magic we freed.
We pissed off a lot of witches that day, but I thought Natalie’s trial convinced them we had no choice if we wanted to stop the Madsens from stealing it. The coven wouldn’t have pardoned her otherwise, right?
But the fury on Fiona’s face still haunts me. To her, releasing magic that took a hundred years to contain was unforgivable.
After how hard I had to fight to earn a place in the coven, I would be naive to think this is over. The witches must have reconsidered exactly who’s to blame. I was the one who smashed the locks on the chimeras’ cages, after all.
As we taxi to our gate, I type a reply with clumsy thumbs.
