Well, I can’t think about that. I can only think about what needs to be done. If Fiona thinks this is going to break me, she doesn’t know how stubborn I can be.
I’ve got some chimeras to catch. And this time, I’m going to need a lot more than a laundry hamper.
From the Journal of Hazel Okada
It’s like living in a new city has finally given me the space and freedom to figure myself out. How long have I been questioning my sexuality? A year? Two years? Since puberty?
I knew Katie would react well, but some part of me was afraid of being judged for not really knowing my sexuality. Like I’m supposed to have it figured out before I go out with any women. But she’s right—I’ll start with casual dates.
That is, if I can find time between starting my new job and building this chimera tracking app.
Watching Katie’s face light up when I came out almost made me forget about the situation for a minute. Almost. But every time I swipe through the app, guilt twists in my gut. How can I think about dating when Katie’s future is at stake? Like, I matched with a gorgeous marine biology grad student named Jackie who loves hiking and has a rescue dog…but do I have the energy to message her at a time like this?
No, the pretty girls on my phone can wait a little longer. Right now, my best friend needs me, and swiping on a dating app is the last thing I should be doing.
I’ve got an idea—a system for tracking freaky incidents and analyzing patterns in real time.
A chimera is likely gone by the time a news article is published about it, but there are other ways to track them, like by monitoring social media. We just need to get there before the press does.
This had better work. Katie’s future depends on it.
Chapter 6
Château Madsen
Thecargovanhurtlesaway from the setting sun, Sky behind the wheel treating speed limits like light suggestions. I’m wedged between Natalie and Hayley on what has to be the world’s most awkward road trip. Neil and three other Shadows take up the rest of the seats. It’s the same van we took to Fort Langley when the Madsens led us into a trap in the graveyard.
“We think they’re keeping Dad in their vacation house near Harrison Hot Springs,” Natalie says. “We’ve checked every location connected to them, and this one…” She glances at Sky. “The amount of magic protecting it is suspicious.”
“The place has Oaklyn and Sophia written all over it,” Sky says. “Roots, thorns, and enough curses to double as a haunted house.”
“How can I help?” I flex my fingers beneath the enchanted fig leaf gauntlet. God, I missed punching things with this. And I’ve got enough pent-up anger that I’m ready to hit someone with the strength of a thousand bulls.
“We need you to identify the danger zones,” Natalie says. “It’s too dangerous to even walk up to the house otherwise.”
I straighten up, aware that everyone’s attention is on me. This is my chance to show them what I can do. “I’ll find us a safe path,” I vow, trying to sound confident.
In reality, the fate of this rescue mission lies in the hands of a girl who got stuck in a tree last summer while trying to save her sister’s kite—but they don’t need to know that.
I settle in against Natalie, drawing strength from her. She extricates her arm and pulls me closer, her body heat seeping into me. This earns a few glances and side-eyes, but come on, word about our relationship must have made it around the block by now.
In the close quarters of the van, with her arm around me and her scent enveloping me, I’m struck by how natural this feels—being with her, hurtling into danger together. Her presence is like a beacon to my senses, as if my body recognizes her on some deeper level. If we weren’t surrounded by other witches, I might finally tell her what I’ve been holding in. The words feel so right they’re almost painful to contain.
Does the way I look at her and touch her convey what I haven’t been able to vocalize? She must know. And the question is whether she feels it too.
After two hours, we turn onto a dirt road, and magic hits me like walking face-first into a spider web. My breath catches. “We’re close.”
Natalie looks sharply at me and gives me a reassuring squeeze.
“Let’s see what you got, curse-hunter,” Hayley says. There’s no mockery in her tone, and to my surprise, she offers a tiny hint of a smile.
A faint warm feeling spreads through my chest. Maybe not everyone is as angry with me as Fiona is.
At the end of a long driveway, Sky kills the engine. Between twilight and the looming evergreens, the colors are dark and muted. No lights shine from the waterfront cabin, but the blackness inside seems to pulse with energy. Thorny vines scale the walls, and gnarled roots rise from the earth as if trying to drag the house underground.
Sky climbs out, and the rest of us follow, the slamming doors echoing through the woods. A cold breeze sweeps through the glade, and branches hiss against each other. Beyond the cabin, lake water laps the rocky shore.
I zip up my bomber jacket and scowl, my skin prickling. “Haunted houseis an understatement.”
