Page 25 of The Accidental Witch

“But…how?” was all she could manage, her stomach in knots.

“You touched the headstone. That’s all it takes until you learn to control it.”

Tottington turned positively green. “Miss can raise the dead?”

“I can almost bet he wouldn’t have hurt you, Robbie,” Greer assured. “He was disoriented, as one is when they’re yanked from their resting place. He was as surprised as you, I think.”

Robbie gulped, her head pounding, her legs like overcooked noodles. “I think I have to sit.”

“Okay, enough of this digging up dead people for tonight,” Nina said, startling her. “She’s freezing, my Tater Tot’s lips are even bluer, and I’m tired. Let’s get your necromancing ass back to the truck. You want me to piggyback ya?” She pointed to her back.

But Robbie shook her head. No way was she going to let Nina witness her weak and shaken. She held up a hand. “Thanks, but I can walk.”

Wanda put an arm around her shoulders and began to guide her back to the car. “Listen, necromancers are a little cool, don’t you think? I mean, think of all the dead celebrities you could bring back from the grave. Like Elvis or Cary Grant.”

“I’m pretty sure, if they look like that, I won’t be summoning them anytime soon.”

Wanda laughed, patting her shoulder.

“There’s no silver lining here, fucking Pollyanna,” Nina reminded her friend, arm in arm with Tottington. “Stop trying to give some freaky-deaky double Dutch an optimistic shine. She can raise the dead, Wanda.The.Dead.”

Now Robbie laughed as the car came into sight. “That was without a doubt, freaky-deaky double Dutch. I wonder what else I can do?”

“How about we find out tomorrow?” Marty asked, pushing her wet hair from her face. “I don’t know about you, but digging up dead witches who look better than I’lleverlook isn’t just exhausting, it’s a little humbling. How dare she look that good—even in death.”

“She sucked souls out of kids, Ass Sniffer. Even you’re not that vain.”

Marty chuckled with a wink as she popped open the passenger side door. “Don’t be so sure, Vampire.”

Robbie stopped all movement, still unsure about these people. They had enormous power—all of them. How could she be suretheyweren’t capable of youth sucking—or whatever it was called?

Marty tipped her head back and laughed. “Oh, the expression on your face, kiddo. I’m kidding! Of course, I’m kidding.” She gave Robbie a tiny nudge, chucking her lightly under her chin. “Get in the car, silly goose.”

As Robbie hopped in the back with her cats and Hervé, Marty got in the row of seats behind her and whispered in her ear, “Or am I? Buwahahahaha?”

As they took off toward Nina’s castle, everyone laughed.

And she did, too.

Sort of.

Chapter

Eight

Three days later, Greer sat around a table with these people who were so revered in the paranormal world and wondered what the hell was taking his coven so long to contact him.

As he passed the bowl of sumptuous stuffing, chock full of apples and sausage, he didn’t know what to think. It wasn’t as though a silly thing like a phone could keep them from reaching him. In fact, he was surprised Soledad, their coven’s leader, hadn’t appeared out of thin air once Gwinnifer’s magic was unleashed.

Surely, the universe had revealed her magic was alive and well. He’d smelled it clear as day. Or maybeonlyhe could smell it, because Gwinnifer was his blood? He wasn’t clear on this glitch. He’d never heard of anything like this happening before.

Still…nothing. Complete silence. He’d worked his way down the list of witches in his coven, but it had been quite some time since he’d been in touch with any of them. Maybe they’d written him off as a disenfranchised soul?

He wouldn’t blame them. After his mother’s death, he’d withdrawn from the people he’d been surrounded by all his life.They’d tried to reintegrate him into their world, but it hurt to be with them when…

You could only shut people out for so long before they got the message.

Greer shook off the haunting memories of his mother, taken far too early. Before she could see him marry, have children, become a grandmother. He wondered if there’d ever be a time when it didn’t still feel as though it had happened yesterday.