“Okay,” I said.

  “We have to find a way to weaken Roscoe.”

  “Betanya,” I started, but Wanda shook her head.

  “We can’t rely on Betanya… we don’t even know if she’s powerful enough to defeat him at her strongest. He nearly killed her inside the void, after all.”

  “So?”

  “So, ve need your potions, Poppy,” Olga said as she walked into my line of sight and took a seat in the armchair beside me.

  I sank back into the cushions. “All my potions are at my house or my store.”

  Wanda nodded. “We figured as much.”

  “So we’ll have to go get them,” Roy said.

  “No,” I answered and shook my head. “I think it’s a bad idea. I mean, I barely made it here in one piece and I don’t have a Sanctum Spell on my house or my store.”

  “All good points,” she answered on a sigh. “But we have to get ahold of those potions because I don’t have any here and, furthermore, I don’t have any of the necessary ingredients here either.”

  I shook my head. “Wanda, what if none of my potions work against Roscoe? He’s insanely powerful.”

  “How do you know they won’t work?” she demanded, shaking her head. “The Fiery Command Oil worked against that wendigo. Why wouldn’t it work against Roscoe?”

  “Because Roscoe has reinforced himself with blood magic,” I answered. “And as you’re well aware, blood magic… death magic… is unpredictable.”

  Wanda nodded as she chewed on her lip. “Good point.”

  “So, what’s Plan B?”

  She sat back and settled in at my side. “I’m sure you’ll come up with something.”

  I frowned up at her. “Why am I always in charge of coming up with our plans?”

  “Because you’re way better at planning than I am. You always seem to come up with a way.”

  “Great,” I groaned.

  “You’ll think of something.”

  “Not this time, I won’t. This time, I’m a casualty of war.”

  “Nonsense. You just need a little pick-me-up, and since we don’t have any of your potions to rely on here, we’ll just have to substitute with the next best thing.”

  She left the room and headed for the kitchen, and I could hear her discussing something with Libby. I turned my attention to Florence, where she sat across the living room, apparently only half-listening to our conversation. Instead, she was busy reading a fashion magazine.

  When Wanda returned, she placed a half-full bottle of Gentleman Jack in front of me, like it was my birthday or something.

  I raised my eyebrows. “You actually drink that stuff?”

  “I keep it around in case of dire emergencies—and I think this definitely qualifies.” She walked over to the booze cabinet and returned with two shot crystal tumblers.

  I watched her out of the corner of my eye. “I don’t think drinking alcohol is a good idea for me right now.”

  “It’s the best idea. If we had some of your potions at our disposal, we wouldn’t need this, but since we don’t, it’s my job to heal you with my own… personal brand of magic.”

  I snorted. “I can’t wait.”

  “Of course you can’t.” She dumped the Gentleman Jack into each glass and shoved one at me. “Bottoms up.”

  “Wanda, I’m not drinking… whatever that is.”

  “Oh, cool your panties,” she answered on a frown. “I reinforced it with a healing spell.” Tossing the drink back, she downed the contents in a couple of gulps. Then she banged her tumbler onto the coffee table as the building trembled under another crash from Roscoe.

  “Hmm,” I started, as I reconsidered the shot before me.

  “Forget it!” she yelled toward the door. “You aren’t coming in!” She turned around and blinked at me as soon as she realized I hadn’t made any motion to even taste mine.

  “Drink it. What’s the matter with you?”

  I sniffed it. To my surprise, the heady fumes somehow made me feel better. On an impulse, I threw the glass back and swallowed the whole shot, hoping her spell would do the trick.

  Heat and vitality flooded me, even as the bitter liquid burned my throat on its way down.

  “You see?” Wanda dolloped another inch into my glass. “I told you I’d bring you back. I’m a witch, after all. I might not be as good at potions as you, but I’m not completely without skills.”

  “I see that.” I took the tumbler from her, but when I glanced over at Libby, I found her scowling at both of us.

  “Aren’t you going to offer the rest of us any?” Roy asked.

  Wanda looked at Olga and held up the bottle. “Olga?”

  “Nein, danke,” Olga answered and held up her hand.

  “Libby?” Wanda offered, full well knowing Libby didn’t drink.

  Libby raised a judgmental brow at Wanda. “I wouldn’t drink that poison if you paid me. My father was an avid prohibitionist. He always said liquor was the devil’s cocktail and he was right. It releases humanity’s worst inclinations—inclinations better kept buried. We have law and order for a reason.”

  “You’re darned tootin’, it releases them.” Wanda took a third shot and offered the bottle to Roy, who downed a few swallows directly, not bothering with a glass.

  “Swallowed like a true mountain man,” Wanda said and gave him an admiring glance.

  Then she put her tumbler down again, thank the stars. Mopping her up off the floor wasn’t my idea of fighting Roscoe.

  Everyone was quiet for a few seconds and I noticed with gratitude that whatever was in the Gentleman Jack seemed to be doing its job—as the seconds ticked by, I started to feel better and better.

  Wanda looked at me. “Well?”

  “Well, what?”

  “How’s that gut rot doing?”

  “Actually, I do feel better.”

  “Good,” Wanda answered on a smile. “So we can go and kick some vampire ass.” Then she looked at me. “What’s the plan?”

  I couldn’t say my mind was on formulating a plan at the moment, though. I faced Wanda and frowned as I cocked my head to listen. “It’s gotten very quiet out there.”

  Wanda was silent for a moment before she nodded. “You’re right. I wonder if Roscoe gave up finally and left?”

  “I doubt it,” I answered.

  She nodded. “Anyway, back to my original point… I’m waiting.”

  “On what?”

  “You!” she answered.

  I shook my head. “I don’t even know where to start.”

  She frowned at me. “I already told you. We weaken him with one of your potions…”

  “Which one?”

  “I don’t know. I suggested Fiery Command Oil and you said it wouldn’t work.”

  “That’s not what I said,” I argued, shaking my head. “I said what if it doesn’t work.”

  “Then we can use Confusion Oil.”

  I shook my head again and sighed. “Forget it. Potions won’t work against Roscoe. He’s too strong—he’s too full of blood magic. My potions would just piss him off.”

  “Hence the need to weaken him,” Wanda said as she chewed on her lower lip.

  “Weaken him?”

  She nodded. “We don’t have to defeat him. We just have to soften him up so Betanya can finish him off.”

  “You know,” Olga started as she faced Wanda. “Ve vould all be much more powerful if ve formed a coven.”

  “A coven?” I repeated.

  Wanda sighed as Olga nodded. “Vitches in a coven are much more potent zan vitches vizout a coven.” She took a breath and continued. “Vitches in a coven pull zeir power from each ozer, zus maximizing zeir abilities.”

  “Hmm,” I said as I thought about it and as I thought about it, considered something else. “And now that Betanya is alive again, she’ll probably want to move back into her house.”

  “So?” Wanda asked.

  “So, there’s just the little problem of transferring ownership—or re-transferring ownership.”

  “She won’t be able to transfer ownership,” Wanda answered.

  I nodded. “Right, because you’re the resident witch in town, now that you’ve claimed Sanctum. That means Betanya won’t be able to own property in Haven Hollow again.”

  “Und neizer vould I,” Olga added.

  Wanda frowned. “I didn’t think of that.”

  “What will you do?” Florence chimed in, her expression one of sudden concern. “Will you drive us out of town?”

  “Calm your tailfeathers.” Wanda answered as she rubbed her chin. “I have no interest in pushing you out of town just like I had no interest in pushing Olga out of town.”

  “Und I zank you for zat,” Olga said.

  Wanda nodded, but her mind seemed elsewhere.

  “Damn it all,” she said as she shook her head.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Maybe I will have to form a coven. It’s the only way all three of us can continue to live in the same town.”

  “Und it vould strengthen each of our magic,” Olga said.

  Wanda frowned at her. “That’s debatable.”

  I wasn’t sure if it actually was debatable or if Wanda just didn’t want to form a coven.

  “We don’t know if Betanya would want to be in a coven with you,” Roy pointed out with a shrug, reminding me that he was still there.

  “She might want to take over as High Witch,” I said to Wanda, following Roy’s lead. “I mean, technically she is your senior, and she claimed Sanctum in Haven Hollow long before you ever came here.”

  “And that Sanctum has long since expired,” Wanda responded, propping her hand on her hip and frowning at me. “As far as anyone is concerned—I’ve laid my claim to Haven Hollow.”

  “But you aren’t opposed to starting a coven?” Florence asked, and I could tell she was worried about where she and Betanya would go if Wanda opted to kick them out.

  “I’m not opposed to it,” Wanda answered and then scowled. “But, none of that is important right now. What is important is coming up with a way to defeat Roscoe.”

  I glanced toward Astrid’s bedroom. “I wish Betanya would wake up soon.”

  As if in answer to my words, a groan drifted down the hall.

  Chapter Fifteen

  At the sound of Betanya waking, Wanda hopped to her feet.

  She seized the whiskey bottle and hustled to Astrid’s room. Even though I was feeling better, I definitely wasn’t one-hundred-percent restored to myself, though I did manage to rouse myself enough so that I could hobble down the hallway, leaning on Olga and Roy all the while.

  Betanya lay on the bed with her eyelids at half-mast. Henner and Florence sat on either side of her, both appearing encouraged to see her awake.

  “Betanya?” Wanda whispered as she walked up to the bed and looked down at the only other Blood Witch ever to have lived in Haven Hollow.

  “Betanya, we know where Roscoe is,” Wanda continued. “Or we did about five minutes ago.”

  In the last five minutes, Roscoe had stopped attacking the duplex, so maybe he was back in hiding. I was just relieved to have a break from his incessant attacks against Wanda’s Sanctum Spell.

  Florence leaned over Betanya’s immobile body and cleared Betanya’s hair from her face.

  “Did you hear that?” Florence crooned in a soft voice. “They’ve located Roscoe.”

  “I heard you,” Betanya managed, her voice sounding gravelly and pained. Roscoe had really done a number on her. A second later, Betanya’s eyes hauled into focus. She fixated on Wanda and blinked for a second or so, as if she were trying to place Wanda or, maybe, her surroundings.

  “Where is he?” Betanya finally managed.

  “He’s…” Wanda began, but before she could finish, Betanya faded out again and returned to the world of dreams.

  “Why don’t you give her a drink of that awful stuff?” I suggested and motioned to the Gentleman Jack in Wanda’s hand. “It might bring her around.”

  “And it might send her into a coma. I wouldn’t waste good whiskey on odds like that.”

  “Yet you brought it with you?”

  She nodded with a big smile. “For me. Not her.”

  I frowned. “So you’re worried it could send Betanya into a coma, yet you gave it to me?”

  She smiled even more broadly at me. “Of course. You’re a one-horse race, Poppy. You always come through in the end.”

  With a frown, I dragged my feet back to the living room—I could hear Wanda’s footsteps behind me as I took a seat on the couch again. Wanda sat down beside me as I sighed deeply. Olga sat in the armchair across the way and Roy just leaned against the wall as they all looked at me, as if awaiting directions.

  “What’s that sigh about?” Wanda asked.

  I turned to look at her. “Well, I’ve been… concocting a… well, I don’t want to call it a ‘plan’ but an ‘idea’ might be more fitting.”

  “An ‘idea’ about what?”

  I frowned at her. “About solving global warming.”

  She returned the frown. “Global warming?”

  “About stopping Roscoe, Wanda, cheese and rice!”

  She didn’t appear amused. “Now you sound like Marty.”

  “Anyway…” I started, not wanting to look at Roy after Wanda’s comment.

  “Anyway,” Wanda repeated.

  “This idea I’m going over in my head… it won’t work until Betanya comes around.”

  “What is it?”

  “Well… I was thinking I could use one of my potions to attempt to weaken Roscoe and then—”

  “Hey! That was my idea,” Wanda started.

  “Well, your idea gave me the framework for… a better one.”

  She frowned at me again, and I just smiled.

  “Okay, lay it on me.”

  “Well, you were right about one thing… all my potions are at my house along with my potion recipe book…”

  “And as you so fittingly mentioned, your house isn’t protected by my wards or my Sanctum Spell.”

  “Right, but, unfortunately, there’s really no way around that—we’ll need my potions. I think… we’ll need to lure Roscoe to my house and then strike.” I took a breath.

  “Why strike him at your house?” Roy asked.

  “Because that’s where the potions are.”

  “Yet, we wouldn’t have the benefit of a safe place to retreat if we needed it, like we would here,” Wanda pointed out.

  “True, but we would have the element of surprise.”

  “How’s that?” Wanda asked.

  “Because Roscoe believes we’re all holed up here.”

  “But he can track you,” Roy said.

  I nodded up at him. “Exactly, that’s what I’m relying on. He can track me back to my house but he won’t be expecting all of us to be there.”

  Wanda was quiet for a moment or two. “This whole plan hinges on one component,” she started. “And that’s a big component.”

  “What?” I started.

  “That Roscoe will actually follow you,” she answered on a shrug. “And who’s to say he will? It’s Betanya he’s after.”

  “Zee vampire scents Betanya on Poppy,” Olga answered.

  Wanda and I looked over at her. “What do you mean?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “Ven you crossed out of zee void vith Betanya, it vas your magic zat opened zee rift, ya?”

  I nodded as Wanda made a strange clicking sound with her mouth. When I looked over at her, she was also nodding.

  “So, what, some of Betanya’s essence attached itself to Poppy?” Wanda asked.

  Olga nodded. “Ya, somesing like zat. Betanya’s magic und Poppy’s magic blended ven zey escaped zee void. Zat is vhy zee awful vampire ist tracking Poppy.”

  “He thinks she’s Betanya?” Roy asked, frowning.

  “He scents Betanya on Poppy,” Olga explained.

  I looked at Wanda. “So that means he will follow me if I leave.”

  Just then, another crushing explosion hit the duplex. Wanda and I both jumped.

  “He’s back!” Wanda said as she raced to the front door and I slowly walked up behind her. Even though I still didn’t feel good, by any stretch of the imagination, I was at least feeling marginally better. Roy was right beside me and Olga approached behind him.

  I looked outside and found the sun getting low in the sky. It was true—I’d been unconscious for most of the day. Pressing my face to the window, I saw Roscoe stooped in front of the houses across the street as a second later he disappeared, and reappeared while rocketing through the air, on a collision course with the duplex. I flinched, but Wanda didn’t.

  The next instant, Roscoe smashed into an invisible barrier at the edge of the lawn. He struck the field with such force that the duplex shuddered on its foundation, but he couldn’t penetrate the Sanctum Spell.

  “He doesn’t give up easily, does he?” Wanda muttered.

  “He’s persistent. I’ll give him that much,” I answered.

  “I have half a mind to go out there and pummel him into the asphalt,” Roy said.

  “Not a good idea,” I answered.

  “Zee vampire ist very powerful,” Olga agreed.

  “Save your brawn, Sassy,” Wanda said as she smiled over her shoulder at Roy. “We’re going to need it later.”

  “Sassy?” he repeated with a frown as Olga and I laughed.

  “Sasquatch? Sassy?” Wanda said with a shrug.

  “I don’t know—I kind of like it,” I offered as Roy turned his frown on me, which meant he decidedly didn’t.

  Wanda, meanwhile, looked at me.

  “I’m starting to think maybe you had the right idea this morning.”

  “Which right idea was that?” I asked.

  She nodded again. “A stake through the heart might be the best way. We just have to get close enough to Roscoe to drive it in.”

  “Yeah, and getting close to him without him tearing our heads off is basically an impossibility.”

  “It’s an impossibility without potions,” Wanda corrected.

  I nodded. “Without potions.”

  Roscoe made another dive. He blasted into the field four times in quick succession. The echoes carried for miles in every direction.