Page 77 of Summer L.A.W.

Sebastian adjusted the nozzle, releasing a thin stream into the mixture. “And for the record, your note taking puts half my grad students to shame. You’re more of a scientist than you think.”

Magda’s cheeks warmed. “Don’t make me blush during a high-risk horticultural procedure.”

The potion gave a soft hum. Then a glow. Then a puff.

Rose-gold mist drifted upward, settling on leaves, petals, and spreading evenly throughout the greenhouse. For a beat, nothing happened.

Then everything happened!

Flower buds burst open like popcorn kernels. Vines unfurled in fast motion, spiraling around rafters. Petals swirled into blooming heart shapes.

Magda’s smile grew wide and bright. “Sebastian, we did it!”

Then her smile faltered, because the growth didn’t stop. Vines crawled across the floorboards, stretching toward Sebastian’s equipment. A tendril curled sweetly around his ankle like a clingy toddler.

Sebastian looked down. “They like me.”

“That’s not reassuring,” Magda said.

Within seconds, the greenhouse turned into a blooming jungle. Blossoms pulsed with gentle warmth, petals fusing into glowing clusters.

“Oh no,” Magda whispered. “They’re bonding with everything.”

“Not like yesterday, I hope.” Sebastian’s forehead wrinkled.

Wally hopped into action, brandishing pruning shears from his pouch like a tiny botanical warrior.

“Containment mode!” Magda barked, grabbing her wand. “Sebastian, cover my six!” She tossed him a sword that was kept stashed under the shelves.

He moved to her back instinctively. “I’ve got you.”

They fought like they’d been doing this together for years. She murmured incantations to construct containment fields. He slashed through a vine that was trying to lasso Wally. They moved in perfect sync, ducking the mayhem, bracing each other against waves of enchanted growth.

A thick vine shot toward the rafters. Magda leapt to the counter, nearly overbalancing. Sebastian grabbed her waist, steadying her. She sent a bolt of light at the rafters. When the out-of-control growth halted, he lifted her down.

Their eyes met. Not the embarrassed, accidental kind from before. This gaze held. Silence settled beneath the leaves.

Sebastian’s voice dropped soft as velvet. “You do realize the plants aren’t the only ones responding to stimuli?”

Magda’s pulse fluttered. “Don’t start analyzing this.”

He smiled. “That’s literally my job.”

Before she could respond, a vine attempted to climb up her boot. She yelped and flicked her wand. “Stop flirting!”

Light snapped outward. Slowly, vines retreated, blossoms dimmed to a soft glow, and the greenhouse exhaled back into something resembling normal.

Magda leaned against the table, breathless, hair wild from the chaos. Sebastian braced his hands on either side of her, their shoulders almost touching.

Around them, the remaining blossoms pulsed faintly, echoing their heartbeats. Then he angled his head and lowered his lips to meet hers.

And the greenhouse let out an explosion of glitter.

20

Potion #5: successful, Magda wrote in her journal the next day, but do not mix science with sexual tension. Note to self: stop blushing every time Sebastian gets close. By the way, he smells like Rosemary. The herb, not the person. I don’t even know anyone named Rosemary.

Wally snorted from his sunny perch among the ferns, as if he understood her stream of consciousness scribbles. He sprawled on his back, little paws in the air, radiating smugness.