Chapter 6

Chapter

Six

R obbie tucked Hervé under her arm as they headed back down the three flights of stairs to the SUV, all the while giving him what for. "You cannot romance an inanimate object, Hervé! It's…it's…what's the word I'm looking for? Oh, I know. Weird. Yeah! That's it. It's weird ."

So weird.

"But she is so pretty and green. She has ze soft underbelly, I cannot resist her…"

"Knock it off!" Robbie hissed. "And behave yourself. No Swiffers, understood?"

His sigh was loud and aggravated. "Fine-fine, but you can only deny a lover like me romance for so long before I must fill ze cup!"

"Hervé, hush!"

"Hey there, Sassafras," she heard Mrs. Campisi call from one flight below. It was a sin this woman had to walk up three flights of stairs at her age without accommodation—though, to be fair, she could still do a backbend.

Squeezing Hervé tight to her side, she whispered. "You stay quiet."

She saw the top of Mrs. Campisi's gray head appear at the bottom of the third flight of steel-green steps. "Hi, Mrs. Campisi! How are you? You need help with anything?" she asked, sounding almost too cheerful.

She tucked her gnarled hand around the loose railing and began to take slow strides up the steps. "Ain't me who needs help. How are you after our wild night? And who are all those purdy ladies and the handsome looker in the big black SUV with the cats? You movin'?"

Everyone had seen her jump when the planchette transferred Gwinnifer's power, but thankfully, they'd all gone home by the time she'd set her hair on fire.

Robbie tucked her hand tighter into her pocket as she came eye to eye with her neighbor. She looked tired, her short hair mussed from the wind outside, her floral housecoat under her jacket wrinkled. "I'm fine, thanks, and nope. You're not getting rid of me that easily. I'm just going to a friend's for a few days. I'll be back for some more fish. Couldn't keep me away."

Mrs. Campisi patted her arm with a brief smile, as if she knew her fish stunk to high heaven—literally and figuratively. "Good to know. Would hate to lose ya. You're a nice kid, no matter what the feckin' papers say."

Smiling warmly at her, Robbie remembered what she and Greer had discussed. "Speaking of moving, do you remember who lived here before me?"

Mrs. Campisi clucked her tongue. "Apartment was vacant for a long time. Years, maybe. Who wants to rent a dump like this unless they have to? But the last girl who lived there, think her name was Siobhan Something. Sad bit about her."

Robbie cocked her head. "Sad how?"

"She died. Didn't find her for a week." She waved her arthritic hand in front of her nose. "Phew, that was some stank."

Robbie fought a gasp as Hervé stiffened under her arm. "What happened to her?"

Mrs. Campisi leaned into her, her red lipstick bleeding into the wrinkles around her lips. "They said it was natural causes, but if natural causes looks like that, I hope the good Lord takes me by a big fat heart attack."

"Looked like what?" she asked, fighting to keep the tremble out of her voice.

"She was all shriveled up. Dang near passed out when I saw her just before they zipped up that body bag. I've seen a dead body or two, kiddo. They found old man Carter after almost a week, right down there on the first floor, and he looked bad, but not like she did. Poor kid. She was so young, too. Only twenty-three."

A chill zinged along her spine. If what Greer said was true, and Gwinnifer had stolen her youth, would that leave her all shriveled up?

"Hey, Firestarter, what's takin' so damn long?" Nina called, making her stiffen as she heard the vampire stomp up the steps, her work boots echoing in the stairwell.

As she approached them, Robbie stepped in front of Mrs. Campisi, still unsure about Nina.

But Nina pushed her out of the way and stuck her hand out, enveloping Mrs. Campisi's fingers in her palm. "Who's this?"

Robbie cleared her throat. "This is my neighbor, Mrs. Campisi. Mrs. Campisi, this is…Nina. My…" She licked her lips. "One of my friends.

Mrs. Campisi whistled. "Ain't you purdy? Like a dang model." She squinted. "Man, wish I'd used whatever you use on my skin when I was your age."

Nina grinned and winked. "Not near as purdy as you, young lady. Nice to meet ya, Mrs. Campisi. You need help up the stairs?"

Robbie watched Mrs. Campisi virtually melt under Nina's coal-black gaze as she patted her arm. "I'm fine, youngin'. You take my girl here and have yourselves some girl time. She's had a rough go of it for bein' such a good kid. I'm gonna go upstairs to my shitty apartment and have a cuppa tea and watch some Bridgerton ."

Nina grinned with a knowing look in her eyes. "First season, Simon and Daphne. Still my favorite couple."

Mrs. Campisi cackled and fanned herself. "Ain't he a treat for the eyeballs?"

Nina nodded, her dark hair shining under the glare of the fluorescent lights. "Ain't he ever," she crooned. "We'd better get goin' now. You sure you don't need any help?"

Mrs. Campisi flapped her hands at Nina. "Nah. I'm a tough old bird. You go have a good time with your girlies." She gave Robbie a pinch on her cheek and smiled, flashing her graying teeth. "I'll see ya soon, Sassafras, and I hope I see your friend again, too."

With that she was gone, taking the steps one at a time until her footsteps faded.

" You watched Bridgerton ?"

Nina rolled her eyes and grabbed her duffel bag. "Have you seen that guy who plays Simon?"

"Uh-huh."

"Then duh, I watched Bridgerton . Now get your ass movin'. We gotta dip."

As they headed to the car, where she found her cats sitting contentedly in various laps, she pondered the fact that Nina had watched Bridgerton .

Sure. Duh, the guy who played Simon was outrageously handsome, but thinking of Nina watching a romance with women dressed in fancy gowns felt somehow out of character.

She'd have thought her more of a Squid Game kind of girl.

Marty shivered. "It's chilly tonight, huh?" she asked Robbie, knocking shoulders with her.

Robbie agreed with a silent nod, her heart crashing against her ribs as they made their way through the dark cemetery, passing row after row of headstones of witches gone by.

Yes. They were in a cemetery for witches and warlocks. Despite popular lore according to Greer, while immortal, they could be killed.

Trees, bare of their leaves this late in October, their limbs bending in the wind, shivered along with Robbie. Nary a star made an appearance in the sky and the raw wind felt like snow.

On the way to the cemetery, she'd told Greer and the ladies about what Mrs. Campisi said regarding Siobhan, but they'd set that aside for later. The seriousness regarding what they were about to do taking precedence.

They trudged through the fallen piles of foliage, the solid ground beneath leaving her feet cold as ice. How were they ever going to dig up the soil?

"Where the fuck is this headstone, dude? Did they bury her in fucking Siberia?" Nina asked. "I'm all for a good walk but my friend Tater Tot here is cold."

Tottington held up his hand, the hoodie Nina had loaned him hanging from his arms. "I'm fine, Miss. Please don't fret about me."

He'd refused to remain in the warm car with the cats, preferring to stay by Robbie's side, for which she was grateful.

Hanging back from everyone else, Robbie asked him teasingly, "You okay, Tater Tot?"

He groaned under his breath, tightening the hoodie Nina had given him around his neck. "Please, Miss, don't rub it in."

"Listen," she whispered, fighting the chatter of her teeth. "Be grateful she likes you. You did see what she can do when she's mad, right?"

He blew out a gust of air, the condensation creating a puffy cloud. "Indeed. She is quite horrifying."

"I know you don't mean that, Tater! You'd never hurt my feelings, would you?" Nina called from up ahead.

Caught, T blustered, "No, Miss. Never ."

"I thought that's what you meant," she crowed.

His eyes, even in the dark, asked, "How ?"

Robbie snickered, hooking her arm through his. "Super-hearing. I think Marty mentioned that during the show they gave us, remember? Super-strong, super-fast, super-hearing. If it's any consolation, Marty and Wanda don't understand why she likes you either. It seems like she doesn't like anyone. Not openly, anyway."

"How endlessly flattering," Tottington muttered as they continued to forge ahead.

Greer hung a sharp left, past another set of larger headstones, to one that stood alone among a patch of tall oak trees, their limbs scratching at the sky. The headstone itself was dirty from the rain, and in some places, moss grew in wet patches.

He stopped abruptly and took a deep breath. "This is her grave."

It read: Gwinnifer Winthrop, 1872-2019 .

And that was it. No loving tribute, not even a mention of her survivors. Wow. She must have really been horrible.

Wait. She was pushing a hundred and fifty years old? How many skin-suits did she steal?

Robbie pointed at the date in horror. "She was almost a hundred and fifty?"

"As I previously said, we're immortal," Greer rumbled.

She threw her hands up, letting them slap her thighs, forgetting all about her hand of doom. "Right, okay. Thanks for that. I mean, isn't everyone?"

Marty laughed, tucking Tottington's arm into hers. "Well, everyone here anyway. Except Tottington, of course."

"Forget that shit for now. Let's focus, we'll talk about fucking immortality over cookies and milk later. I'm sure Arch is whipping up a batch as we speak." Nina slapped Greer on the back. "You sure you wanna do this, my man? I know she was a shitty person, but she was still your grandmother. We could just go to your coven and tell 'em what's happened and let them deal with this crap, right?"

Greer looked at Nina, his sharp jaw lifting upward, his eyes glittering in the deep velvet night. As the wind picked up and small snowflakes began to fall, he said in a sharp tone, "I don't trust them to tell me the truth."

Marty cocked her head, her brow furrowing. "You don't trust them? Why?"

Robbie frowned, pushing the stray hair that had escaped her pony from her face. "Yeah, what happened to all that community and junk you said back at my apartment? How am I supposed to trust them if you don't?"

Greer ran a hand through his silky hair, pursing his lips before he said, "Anything they've done was done out of love for me. So I don't trust they won't try to keep something from me again under the guise of protecting me."

Robbie let go of Tottington's other arm and approached Greer, concern in her voice. "How did they try to protect you?"

His jaw went tight, his posture rigid. "They lied to me."

"About?" Wanda asked, her tone sympathetic.

Just then, a crow cawed, making Robbie jump almost directly into Greer's arms.

Nina pushed her way between them. "Okay, look. It's dark and fucking creepy here. Let's talk about what happened with your coven later before Firestarter shits her pants. If you say this has to be done, you'd better fucking be right. I won't hear any shit from my council if you're lying to me. You got that, Men's Weekly ?"

Greer held up his palms. "I'll take responsibility for all of this. I promise you."

Greer had tried to insist they wait in the SUV, but the women weren't having it. In for a penny, in for a pound, Wanda had said. If they were going to help Robbie, they wanted all the information they could find and they wanted to witness everything. Though, Hervé had elected to remain with her cats, appearing happy to be in their company.

Now, Robbie wondered if they weren't a little skeptical of Greer's claims. Especially after the way Wanda had looked after speaking with January. She had the sense they didn't fully trust his story.

"Then let's get digging," Nina ordered, looking at the hard ground. "Where the fuck are the shovels? Did we forget them in the back of the SUV?"

Greer held up a hand. "If Robbie consents, we won't need the shovels." He held out his hand to her. "This is the part where you trust me. Will you give me your left hand?"

Tentatively, she put her hand out, her fingers trembling. "What are you going to do?"

He smiled gently, his white teeth flashing in the dark, cloudy night. "I'm going to show you how to use your magic for a good cause."

Her mouth went dry as the women immediately flanked her protectively, making Greer drop his hand.

"What's the plan here, buddy?" Nina asked, suspicion deeply rooted in her tone.

"I would never do anything to hurt Robbie, Nina. Never. If January knows who Gwinnifer is, she knows who I am, too. I know she probably talked about me and my situation . Am I right, Wanda?"

Wanda narrowed her eyes, her nose and cheeks red from the cold. "She did," she said, with clear hesitation.

He looked directly at her. "Then you know my reputation precedes me."

Nina crossed her arms over her chest. "I didn't talk to the doc, so I don't know what all she said, but I'm gonna warn you one more time—don't fuck with me. I'll make the rest of your life a living nightmare."

"Understood," he said, holding out his hand to Robbie again. As he stared at her, even in the dark, as the wind whipped his hair about his face and his gaze ate her up whole, he compelled her to believe in him— trust him.

Robbie swallowed hard, her hands clammy. "Can't you do it?" If his grandmother had all this power, he must have some, right?

His eyes glittered in the deep of the night. "It's not a skill I possess. If you'd rather, I'll go back to the SUV and get the shovel and dig her up."

If this was going to be her life from now on, if there was no changing it, then she had no choice but to embrace it.

Firmly planting her left hand in his, Robbie said, "Let's do this."

He gave her a short nod before he spoke. "Repeat after me: open to me, sacred earth, reveal to me, your grave's worth."

Robbie took a deep breath and spoke the words, her voice shaky.

Greer took her index finger and straightened it. "Now, point your finger at the headstone."

She did as she was told, jabbing her finger at the eerie structure. The silence that ensued engulfed the space in deafening waves. The leaves on the trees froze in place, the wind ceased.

Robbie was about to open her mouth to mention it didn't look like the spell was going to work when the ground beneath her sneakers began to moan and creak, shifting, making her stumble and fall into Greer.

He held her steady, his strong arms encircling her, and whispered, "Watch…"

Her eyes went wide when the hard ground began to cave inward, rumbling so loud it sounded like the world was ending.

The women gathered around her once more, pushing Greer back and standing in front of her in a clear effort to keep her safe, but she stuck her head between their bodies.

Robbie's mouth fell open as the earth parted like the Red Sea, the soil falling inward, crumbling in large chunks.

On impulse, Robbie gripped Nina's arm with her good hand, almost afraid to look but incapable of looking away.

Leaves kicked up, swirling in the air, multicolored sparkly particles twinkled and twisted over the grave, the roar of what felt like the universe groaning and giving way echoed in the clearing.

When the ground beneath them stopped moving, Robbie blinked to be sure she was seeing what she was seeing.

Holy cow, she'd done it. Or Gwinnifer's magic had done it, because sure enough, there was a big deep hole in front of her headstone. A loud creak said the hinges on the door to her casket had opened.

Greer scooped her up and swung her around. "You did it! Well done, Robbie!"

She hadn't really done it. It wasn't her magic, but knowing she'd had a hand in it—pardon the pun—made her feel good.

As he set her back on the ground, she heard one of the women gasp, making both her and Greer run to the edge of the gaping hole to see what they were looking at.

"She's there," Marty muttered, holding up the flashlight on her phone to reveal the casket, wide open.

She sure was.

And she didn't look a day over twenty-five.

Huh.