These Witches Don't Burn (These Witches Don't Burn, #1)

by Isabel Sterling

The same girl who dragged my ass out of the closet later tore my heart from my chest with her meticulously manicured nails.

Even the lavender incense burning on the counter behind me can’t calm my nerves when she’s around.

And I, for one, don’t want my training delayed because my obnoxious ex is careless.

Because when it comes to holding a grudge, I’m an Olympic champion.

Numbing bad memories like a magical novocaine.

I lose myself in the flicker of flames and the pulse of music.

I am fire—pure passion and perfect aggression.

Something wicked happened here.

There is no version of this story that ends well.

Witch Hunters may be a thing of the past, but it’s not a past I’m eager to repeat.

In the dark, with only the moon and my headlights to guide us, an icy fear grips my spine.

Fragments of nightmares cling to the edges of my consciousness, but they dissolve into smoke when I try to force them into focus.

like they were afraid my queerness was contagious.

The smell of bacon intensifies with her departure.

I want to undo it the second they’re gone, but like our relationship, what’s done is done.

She glides across the earth with the kind of grace only age and power can bestow.

It floods my senses until I’m drowning.

“Because,” I say, my voice so soft it’s nearly swallowed up by the trees, “I’m standing here, telling you how much you hurt me, and you can’t hear it.”

Coffee may smell great, but it tastes like dirt.

The same thirst to always learn more.

instantly feeling a tighter kinship with my new coworker, like seeing a familiar face in a crowd of strangers.

It’s not our place to save them from themselves.

On second thought, maybe preteens have always been little shits.

“You don’t get to hurl curses as threats.”

I may not know much about blood, but I understand paint.

Looking for monsters that don’t exist isn’t a healthy way to spend your summer.”

my stupid idea has turned into my last beacon of hope.

“Dance until we can’t see straight?” “I never see straight,”

And people often turn to Wicca—or any religion for that matter—when the rest of their life is falling to shit.

How do you ask someone about their hobbies after your magically induced make-out session is interrupted by a future frat bro?

The fire’s power, infused with Veronica’s magic, is so bright that it numbs my senses.

THE RICH SCENT OF bubbling chocolate fills the kitchen with warmth.

The only thing better than chocolate with peanut butter is chocolate with mint, especially in the summer.

my only weapon is a tube of lip gloss.

Morgan moves with a fluidity and strength unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

“And it’s not like Disney ever showed us how to fall for another girl.”

her movements cautious, yet so much braver than mine.

I could use a fresh start.”

Days of built-up magic thrums through my veins.

The element of surprise is one of the few advantages I have, and I’m not about to give it up.

The familiarity of this house picks at my heart. This place has been a second home my entire life. I know every inch of the sprawling floorplan, from the plush carpeting in the next room to the kitchen island half a dozen steps in front of me.

My whole body hums with power, and I let it free.

I don’t know if it’s doubt that stills her tongue or pride.

I have so many questions, so many worries, but I’m afraid to mention any of them.

“Maybe the fear is half the fun.”

Memories drag me under like the tide.

The pressure of her unwanted kiss slams a rusty nail in the coffin of my heart.

When humanity was young, Three Sister Goddesses gifted humans with magic, each creating one of the Clans. The Middle Sister covered the world with storms, and those who felt no fear and danced in the rain earned the power to control the elements. They became the Elementals.

“That’s a brave thing you did for Veronica. Foolish, but brave.”

her presence beside me is like being wrapped in the softest blanket.