blown, so that might’ve been right. Other than some minor burns, everyone was fine.
“You just took to dandelions. A natural at them,” Hawk said. I understood his motivation. I might’ve tried to lay my failures on his teaching ability on occasion, but did he have to mock me here? Now?
There was a muffled feminine giggle across the room. I didn’t look in her direction.
I dropped the paper and looked at him, all pretenses stripped away. “You should send me back. Obviously, I’m not good at magic. You’re not going to get what you need.”
His eyes crinkled at the corners as he watched me, as if he could read all my inner fears. He had to face it. This wasn’t going to work out. As Belinda had pointed out just moments ago, I’d been a witch for all of two seconds and was far from a natural.
“No. I don’t think so,” he said, walking toward the back room. “Let’s go. We have work to do.”
Great. Now he was mad again, and I didn’t even know why.
“Hawk?” Belinda called, stopping him.
Hawk looked at her. “Yes, Bel?” His voice was softer than he ever used with me. Softer than he typically used with her, even. Was it guilt because he didn’t want her? Was there a heart in that cold chest somewhere?
“If she doesn’t want to be here, does she really have to stay? If she can’t do what is required, it would be kinder to send her back.”
Oh yes, kindness. I wouldn’t knock her ploy aloud. Her hate could come in handy. She was an angle I hadn’t considered. I never thought me and Bel would be on the same page of anything.
She walked over and laid her hand on his arm, and I swallowed down a strong desire to rip it off. It wasn’t about Hawk, obviously. I just didn’t like her.
“You know I can’t,” Hawk said, his voice calm and patient, like he had all the time in the world.
Who was this man?
He walked away from Bel, heading toward the back room. A second later I heard, “Tippi,” when I didn’t come fast enough.
I walked into the back room just as he tossed a book onto the table. “You know the drill.”
Oh, yes. Too well.
I reached under my shirt, taking off the coal necklace and placing it on the farthest shelf.
I looked at the book for another couple of minutes before asking, “You’re sure you want to keep doing this?”
“This is the easiest magic, so yes, this is probably the best way to continue.”
He’d confused the actual question, or maybe not. Either way, I had the answer. He was in this for the long haul. I focused on the book, as I had the first time, and the time after that.
A minute later, the teapot went flying across the room.
I sighed. He might’ve sighed as well, but it was hard to hear over my own.
“Try again,” he said.
It might’ve been the steely determination in his eyes or the tone of voice that sounded as immovable as a mountain, but either way, we were going to be here a long while.
17
I looked up from my table and stacks of requests, watching Zab scribbling on one of the newsflash papers I’d picked up at the stationery store.
He walked to the door and said, “Carry my message,” before flinging the folded paper into the air. The paper turned into a paper bird, beat its wings a few times, and then disappeared.
He walked back and sat behind his desk.
“What was that?” I asked, fascinated. I had to admit that some of the craziness that went on here was incredibly cool.
“Had to call someone in for a job. Easiest way to get them here. That’ll track them down, and no one ignores a newsflash from the broker’s office.” He leaned back in his seat and nodded to my stacks. “How’s it going? Do you like what you’re doing?”
“Oh, yeah, very entertaining.” I neatened my piles a little.
“Okay, because you seem a little off, is all.”
“I’m good.” I could’ve had a knife sticking out of my back, but as long as Belinda sat across the room, trying to listen to every word, no way was I complaining.
Zab glanced at Belinda’s bent head and then back to me. “Come on,” he said, standing and grabbing some coins from the chest. “It’s slow. Let’s go grab a cocoa at the Sweet Shop.”
If there was anything that might’ve been able to take the edge off, that Sweet Shop cocoa