My ears began to ring. My muscles tightened and locked down. Even my throat felt tight like I couldn’t get enough oxygen in. It was happening again. My body rumbled and shook like I was on a roller coaster. I felt my magic rushing to the surface, but I was helpless to stop it. My arms flew up and my magic shot out of me as neon-blue flames. They flowed in every direction, rolling away from me in waves and heading right for my Coven-mates. They all frowned and watched it get closer, but they didn’t move. It hit Tennessee first, crashing into his chest. His magic flashed bright green and blue everywhere my flames touched. Except for those gold bands on his arms, those glowed so bright I had to look away just as my magic hit Bettina and burst in a cloud of pink smoke. One by one all around me my neon-blue waves crashed into the others and forced their magic out. Tegan’s whole body glowed as white as the sun. I glanced around with my heart in my throat. As their magic began to subside, little pink flames flashed over their heads. They swirled around, then morphed into symbols.

I gasped—and the image vanished. No more symbols, just a hint of a pink glow lingering in the darkness behind my closed eyelids.

“Miss ma’am,” Savannah drawled.

Lennox cackled. “This is fun.”

I opened my eyes, and my legs gave out beneath me. I crashed back onto the stool even though I didn’t remember standing. Everyone else in the apothecary stood, their eyes wide and jaws dropped. They turned to stare at me, but I was too busy focusing on the streams of neon-blue magic streaming across the room to light up dozens of different vials.

“Oh my Goddess, it worked⁠—”

“Of course it did, silly goose.” Lennox pulled her wand out of her back pocket, then flicked her wrist. Magic sparkled from the tip of her wand for a moment before a wooden cart appeared out of thin air. “Now, let’s collect all our ingredients and see what we can make.”

Savannah pulled her wand from where she’d stashed it inside her Doc Martin boot. She flicked her wand around like an orchestra conductor. “Come to, mama, my pretties! We have a party waiting just for you!”

Lennox grinned. “This is going to be fun.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

FRANKIE

Hours later, the fun hadn’t started yet. I was losing hope it would. Lennox, Savannah, and

I sat at the end of the dinner table with me in Tenn’s seat and the entire length of the wooden table covered in bottles, vials, and books. So many books. Lennox and Savannah had pulled every single book in the house that could possibly have something to do with potion-making. Yet we hadn’t succeeded in anything. We were no further along than we were when we left the Cups’ apothecary.