Between her tone and the way her fingers tightened around her glass, she was definitely not about to bring it up any time soon.
I tried another angle. “Does your mom live in the house you grew up in?”
“No. We moved a few times. Lately, we’ve moved more often because…” She paused, then seemed to remember the cat was already out of the bag regarding magic and witches. “The witches keep finding us. We have to stay ahead of them.”
“They’re after you?”
“They don’t like that we see them for what they are—hoarders of magic.”
I chewed my lip, debating my next words. This topic felt more important than figuring out her mom’s address. Because here’s a big part of what’s keeping me up tonight: Oaklyn’s argument isn’t entirely wrong. Why does the coven get to monopolize magic? What if instead, they allowed people to earn it? Classes, tests, regulations… They could create a system that’s fair and accessible while maintaining safety protocols.
When I suggested this to Oaklyn, her whole face lit up.
“Have I told you how brilliant you are?” She scooted closer on the couch.
When she kissed me, I didn’t freeze or recoil. Instead, a pleasant shockwave rolled through my lips and all the way down to my toes, my body responding the same way it did last time we had sex.
“Maybe once or twice,” I murmured.
When she pulled back, her fingers knotted in my hair, her expression shifted to something more serious. “You scared me today, running into that fight. Don’t do that again.”
“Then don’t give me cause to do that again,” I challenged. When she glowered at me, I added, “Do you anticipate getting into more fights like that in the future?”
“It’s sort of my thing.” She traced her thumb over my cheek. “Promise me you won’t do anything rash. There’s no need for you to get involved in something dangerous.”
I scoffed. “And what about you? You’re allowed to run into danger?”
Her shoulders slumped, and she tilted her head, something sad and unreadable in her eyes.
She leaned in to kiss me again, slower and deeper than before. The way her lips gently teased mine sent a whirlwind of heat spiraling through my middle.
I guess as far as my body was concerned, nothing had changed between us. Even as my brain was screaming and running in confused circles.
“I’m doing this for us,” she whispered. “Imagine… Both of us, witches. We can change the world together.”
I shivered under her touch and arched into her. Reacting on instinct, with no regard for what I was supposed to be doing, I opened my mouth and deepened the kiss. We pushed against each other, tongues dipping into each other’s mouths, hands roaming. She tugged my shirt upward and undressed me piece by piece, tracing her lips over every inch of my skin as she exposed it.
“You were hot with that dagger,” I said breathlessly, pulling her shirt over her head.
As I tossed her shirt on the floor, she cocked an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“Yeah.” I unclasped her bra next. “Maybe you can let me try it out one day.”
The intrigued look in her eyes sent a tingle through me. She reached for it on the coffee table, where she’d set it down beside her drink. “We can try it out right now if you want.”
I thought I knew what she meant, and it wasn’t target practice.
I watched in awe as dark green ivy sprouted from the end, snaking toward me. The sight was as beautiful as it was terrifying.
My heart beat faster.
I raised my gaze to hers, and she grinned, leaning in to kiss me again. She pushed me back on the couch, not forcefully like usual, but slowly and gently.
The ivy kept creeping around my wrists, binding one, and then the other, raising my hands above my head so they dangled over the armrest.
“Like this?” she murmured, her eyes searching mine.
I nodded. “Keep going.”
