Chapter 14

Chapter

Fourteen

S he approached Greer with caution, crunching over the frozen ground tentatively. He sat outside by the maze in Nina's backyard, which she still couldn't believe was real, scrolling his phone.

"What'cha lookin' at?"

"Just work," he mumbled with a frown.

"What is it that you do, anyway?" He spent a bit of time on his laptop and his phone after dinner each night, but she'd never asked what he was doing.

"I own a software development company. Aradia Tech."

Wiping her clammy hands on her thighs, Robbie nodded. "Ah, after your mother. I bet she'd be proud."

When he didn't look up, she nudged him. She held up her hands when he finally focused on her. "I come in peace."

Greer blew out a ragged breath, patting the place next to him on the stone bench. "I was a shithead. I'm sorry."

She shivered, tucking her chin into her puffy vest, pulling her hat tighter over her ears. "I wouldn't use the word shithead. Stupidhead sounds far less abrasive."

He barked a laugh, a puff of condensation escaping his mouth. "I'll take it, but I am sorry, Robbie. I can be intense sometimes, and this whole thing with my coven has me in a panic, but it's still no excuse to run you ragged."

Taking his hand, Robbie patted it. "I understand, and I'm all rested if you want to go another round."

"Is Nina gonna beat me up? Without my magic, she's undefeatable. It would be like putting a kitten in a cage match with a mountain lion."

Now she laughed, looking up at the half moon shining down on the gargoyle statues Nina was so fond of. "I think we've contained her rage, but if we haven't, I'll levitate her and pay the price to the troll under the bridge later."

Greer let his head hang to his chest. "I feel so damned helpless, Robbie. I don't know what to do."

" I'm what we're going to do. I know I can do this, Greer."

"I don't doubt you can. I hope you believe that. But it's all on you. All of it. It's a shitty load to carry."

She gave him a playful shove. "Like that's your fault? This isn't your fault, Greer. The reality of all this—and it's a harsh one—is that if they do need help, you wouldn't be able to help them anyway. You have no powers to do anything, but that's through no fault of your own."

"I shouldn't have stayed away for so long…"

Tipping his chin up with a finger, Robbie looked him in the eye. "Maybe not, but whether you did or not, this might still be happening…and I think it's because of me. I don't know how or why, if Gwinnifer's dead and her magic should have died with her, but somehow I still have her magic. She still stored some of it in that planchette."

They'd talked this theory to death over the course of their time together. Her response was always the same, impossible things happened. She was proof.

Greer shook his head. "But I can't process how. No one's ever died and left their magic behind tucked away for safekeeping. No one ."

"But not everyone's Gwinnifer. Maybe she had powers you knew nothing about. Or maybe someone else wants what I have. Maybe Gwinnifer wasn't the only one who knew about where she put her magic. Maybe someone in your coven knew, too."

"Then why haven't they come to collect it?"

Robbie scoffed. "I have no idea. I can't speak for anyone paranormal. It's all still a mystery to me except for my magic. We're getting tighter every day."

He smiled. "You called it your magic. That's nice to hear."

With a small sigh, she smiled, too. "Yeah. I did, and we're going to use it to find out what's going on in your invisible village."

With a nod, he said, "Obviously, something's gone awry if this friend of January's can't find Soledad…but why? Why can't she find her? I need to know what the hell's going on."

Tugging at his hand as she rose, she smiled at him. "Then let's go figure this the hell out, Winthrop."

Greer let her yank him up, but he pulled her close, making her breath shudder. "Listen, we haven't talked about?—"

"The kiss? No. We haven't and we shouldn't. Not now, Greer." Trying not to melt into him, because it was too hard not to find herself sucked into his dreamy green gaze, she gave him a cold splash of water reminder. "We have to stay focused on our goal, and that's finding your coven. Never in all my life did I ever think I'd run into someone who can't find where they live on a map. And I'm not ready to explore much else right now. My life's kinda messy, and so is yours."

He looked at her for a long moment, cupping her cheek. "Am I being rejected here?" he asked.

Robbie poked his broad chest with her index finger and stepped out on a ledge she'd never stepped out on before. "How about we leave it at…I find you incredibly attractive, but our timing's off. Can we revisit when our lives are more settled and we know everyone's safe?"

He smiled, deep and gorgeous as always. "We can. But just so you know, I like you, Robbie Tisdale. I think you're pretty great. I think you're determined and smart and you've handled this life-altering experience like a rock star, and I want to date the hell out of you someday. If you'll let me, that is."

She stood on tiptoe and pressed a quick kiss to his lips before she tugged him along behind her. "We'll have to see. Maybe we won't have anything in common. I don't even know how you like your steak cooked—or if you eat steak at all. I don't know what kind of music you like. I don't know if it irritates you that I don't like my food to touch on my plate the way it irritates Wanda. I don't know if you like cats or dogs better. I like both, I just happen to have cats right now. Do you like romantic comedies, action films, noir? The questions are endless."

He laughed. "Medium rare, anything from the '80s except Barry Manilow—I beg of you, don't tell Nina or she'll have my head—and I don't mind the food thing so much. I don't get it. It's all going to the same place. But I don't mind it. I like both species, too, and I like most all of those genres."

"That's a great start," Robbie said. "We'll dive deeper into credit ratings and school records another time. Until then, let's go make this happen."

She turned, tugging him behind her, crunching their way over the frozen ground, refreshed and determined to perform this spell.

Make no mistake, she liked Greer—so much. She hated giving him a soft no because she wanted nothing more than to stay in his arms, but it wasn't the responsible thing to do right now.

Greer stalled them for a moment, tugging back. "Hey, wait. Credit ratings? Why do you need to know that?"

She chuckled as they headed toward the light shining from the murder basement windows. Letting go of his hand, she began a light trot back to the castle. "I'm not dating a guy with a low credit score, buddy. All Millennials require a credit check before they date, Boomer ."

" Boomer ? I'll show you Boomer," he said on a howling laugh, chasing after her as they ran back toward the castle.

She'd always remember how light and free she felt at that moment.

Because it didn't last for long.