Unfortunately, all last year Moira had been invisible to him-not that she had even tried to get his attention. But this year… he had sat next to her in study hall. Lent her some graph paper in math class. Borrowed a quid from her-and paid her back. And just in the last month Moira had actually started trying to flirt with him, in a lame, inexperienced way, she admitted. But he seemed to be responding.

"I can't feel him," said Vita. "Is he coming up?"

"Not yet," said Moira. "He's still downstairs."

Tess grinned. "Shall I fetch him up here? I'll stand at the top of the stairs and yell, 'Oy! You there, boy. Up here! "

Moira's chest tightened. "If you do…" she breathed in warning, shaking her head. Tess was so much more confident about lads. It wasn't that Moira didn't have confidence-she knew that she was good at magick and that she had an ability to learn anything if she put her mind to it. She never questioned how much her family loved her. But where she did fall apart was with the whole world of boys, dating, and flirting.

Come upstairs, Ian. You're thirsty. Or hungry. Or you're looking for me.

"Does your mum know about Ian?" Tess asked.

Moira shook her head. "No. We're not dating-it's not like I've had him home to tea."

Two pairs of blue eyes looked at her. Tess's were expectant, shrewd. Vita's were politely disbelieving. "So you've not mentioned your unquenchable love for Ian Delaney, son of Lilith Delaney, high priestess of Ealltuinn," Vita stated. "Ealltuinn, who's been getting members of Belwicket up in arms because they don't seem to know the boundary of when it's not right to use magick?"

"It's not unquenchable love, and no, I've not mentioned it," Moira said pointedly. "Am I supposed to only date Belwicket lads, then? There's precious few. Or should I try a nonwitch?"

Half smiling, Tess held up her hands as if to say she gave up.

"Just wanted to ask," Vita murmured, shrugging. "I mean, everything aside, Ian’s deadly hot. No one says he isn't."