“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.

  I started to turn away. “I think I need another drink.”

  Wanda gasped and her eyes popped as she turned around and grabbed my arm. “Look, Poppy!”

  I spun around as what appeared to be a missile hurtled down the street. This one came from our right. It moved so fast, I couldn’t see what it was—it just appeared as a blob of yellow and black. The blob swooped on an unerring course and collided with Roscoe, taking him unawares from the side. The impact sent a shockwave far and wide, ricocheting through the duplex like an earthquake. When I caught my footing and looked out the window again, I watched Roscoe fly backwards, landing flat on his rear several dozen yards away. He blinked and looked around for his assailant while he shook the stars out of his head.

  The other object alighted near my overturned Jeep, and as Wanda and I watched in complete amazement, the missile blob revealed itself to be none other than the clean-cut figure of Lorcan Rowe.

  Lorcan clenched his hands into fists and his face transformed into a mask of fury, and I felt myself gulp.

  “Wow,” I said.

  “Wow is right,” Wanda answered and there was a funny expression on her face—admiration, maybe? No, it wasn’t just admiration—admiration mixed with something else. Pride.

  “What the bloody hell do you think you’re playing at?” Lorcan bellowed at Roscoe. “I can hear your bloody antics all the way on Main Street!”

  Wanda opened the door then and yelled out, “Lorcan, you won’t be able to kill him, so just get rid of him for a little while!” She left the door ajar, presumably so we could hear whatever Lorcan had to say.

  Lorcan gave her a quick nod before facing the smaller vampire and narrowing his eyes.

  Roscoe pulled himself together and glared up at Lorcan, and then he opened his mouth and snarled. Lorcan appeared taken back only momentarily and then braced himself for Roscoe’s attack.

  “Well, come on then,” he said, and motioned Roscoe forward.

  Roscoe narrowed his eyes and bared his yellow fangs, to which Lorcan pulled back with a frown that revealed his disgust. If Lorcan was anything, it was highly aware of personal cleanliness.

  Lorcan stabbed his index finger at Roscoe as if the latter were a mangy mutt who’d wandered onto his property. “Go on then! What are you bloody well waiting for? I’m losing my temper.”

  Roscoe scowled so terribly that, for a second, I wondered if he was really going to attack Lorcan—if he did, I wasn’t sure what would happen. Lorcan was a much older vampire, which meant he was stronger—but Lorcan didn’t have the added benefit of Blood Witch magic.

  Apparently thinking better of it, Roscoe shot one last grimace toward the duplex. Then he snarled through gritted teeth as he turned away.

  “Ah, that’s what I thought,” Lorcan responded with a chuckle. “Off you go then! Perhaps you’ll do us all a favor and shower!”

  Roscoe didn’t reply other than taking two steps and shooting off the ground. In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

  Lorcan glared after Roscoe, but the smaller vampire didn’t return. After another few seconds, Lorcan gave my Jeep an even more disgusted look (no doubt owing to the fact that it was a torn up mess) and then stalked toward Wanda’s duplex.

  Wanda yanked the door open as he climbed the steps and before he could so much as say ‘hello’, she threw her arms around him and kissed him all over his face in quick succession.

  “Thank the Goddess you’re here! And thank bloody spell you got rid of him! He’s been at it all day.”

  Lorcan stepped inside and wrapped his arms around Wanda as he closed the door behind him.

  “Had I known I would receive such a welcome, I would have lambasted the barbarian far earlier.” Wanda and I laughed as Lorcan continued. “What’s going on?” He looked at me. “What are you doing here, Poppy?” Then he seemed to notice everyone else before turning back to Wanda. “Ah it appears, Wandellmelia, that you are hosting a party to which I wasn’t invited.”

  She frowned at him. “You know that’s not the case.”

  “Regardless, I daresay I finally caught up with the bastard.” I assumed he was referring to Roscoe. “It only took me the better part of a day and night.”

  “You’ve been searching for him all this time?” I asked, my mouth dropping open.

  Lorcan faced me with a frown. “Do you not recall sending me on such errand in the first place?”

  I nodded. “I just figured… you’d given up.”

  He shook his head. “I do not give up, my dear.” Then he sighed. “Unfortunately for all involved, the barbarian was quite adept at, what do they term it? Ah—giving me the slip.”

  I noticed, with interest, that Wanda was still clinging to Lorcan. Hmm, his display outside must have turned her on because she was acting like a cat in heat.

  “Beast,” Lorcan said in greeting to Roy.

  “Leech,” Roy responded.

  “And, Olga, I’m pleased to make your acquaintance again,” Lorcan continued with a broad smile, apparently to highlight the difference in greetings.

  “Ya, me too.”

  “Then you haven’t slept all this time?” I asked, still surprised to know Lorcan had been hunting Roscoe for so long.

  “Of course I took cover when the sun made itself known, my dear,” Lorcan answered. “But as soon as the sun rescinded its garish display, I began my hunt again.”

  “Then you haven’t been at it all night and day,” Roy pointed out with a scowl.

  “We need your help, Lorcan,” Wanda interrupted.

  “You know I’ll always help you, darling,” he answered as he released her and then walked over to the window, apparently searching for any sign of Roscoe. Not finding one, he turned back to face Wanda. “What do you require?”

  “We need to kill Roscoe.”

  Lorcan rubbed his chin and appeared thoughtful. “I can put the fear of God into him by threatening to inform Rupert, but I don’t possess the power to kill Roscoe myself, my dear. He knows that as well as I do. Besides, according to the undead charter, I’m not meant to interfere in other vampires’ doings.”

  “That’s not what I meant,” Wanda answered. “Technically, Betanya has to kill him, but we need help setting the stage for his… death.”

  Lorcan grinned at her and slipped his arm behind her back, pulling her into him. I noticed she didn’t fight him like she usually would. Lorcan’s eyes glossed over with something that looked a lot like lust.

  I cleared my throat, not wanting to play witness to a potentially embarrassing situation. “Excuse me, love birds, but we still have the Roscoe problem to solve.”

  “Love birds?” Wanda repeated, as she divorced herself from Lorcan and frowned at me. “Really, Poppy.”

  Lorcan faced me with a broad smile. “As I said, Poppy dearest, I’ll help in any way I can, but considering how daft Roscoe has become, I’m afraid my usual prosaic methods of persuasion might not obtain the results you’re hoping for.”

  Just then, a murmur came from down the hall. All three of us paused in our conversation to listen. The sound came from Astrid’s room.

  “I think Betanya might be up again,” I managed and followed Wanda and Lorcan down the hallway. Roy and Olga followed behind me. When we reached Astrid’s bedroom, we peeked inside to find Betanya sitting up on the edge of the mattress.

  “You’re… you’re up!” Wanda exclaimed.

  Betanya smiled, and when her gaze settled on Lorcan, the smile broadened. “I feel… better. Thank you, Lorcan. I won’t forget your kindness.”

  “And neither will I,” Henner added, nodding towards Lorcan. “I owe you.”

  Lorcan bowed to Betanya with a gallant sweep of his hand. “It was my pleasure.”

  Betanya then looked at Wanda. “What did I miss while I was out? Is there any sign of Roscoe?”

  “Oh, there’s definitely a sign of him,” Wanda growled.

  “We’re in the process of coming up with a plan on how to corner him,” I told her. “We just need to—”

  “What Poppy means,” Wanda interjected, “is that she has a plan on how to corner him. But, she still hasn’t told anyone just what that plan is.”

  “I was thinking we attempt to lure Roscoe to my house. Once there, I can try to weaken him with a potion and all of you can help Betanya deliver the death blow.” I inhaled deeply and then faced Wanda. “But, I was considering one pre-cursor to this whole idea.”

  “What precursor?”

  I wasn’t sure how she’d take this next thought. “Do you remember our conversation about forming a coven and how your power would be magnified by the power of the other witches in said coven?”

  Wanda immediately shook her head. “The ritual would take too much time and, besides, we’d need a full moon.”

  “Ya, das ist true,” Olga said.

  “Then we don’t have the option of forming a coven?” I asked, just to be sure.

  “Not right now,” Wanda answered.

  “Which potion?” Betanya interrupted, apparently wanting to get back to the main plan.

  “That’s what I’d like to know.” Wanda rounded on me. “Which potion?”

  I shuffled my feet because this was the part I was less sure about. “It’s… well, it’s not one I keep stocked at the store. It’s one of my great grandmother’s more… questionable potions.”

  They both raised their eyebrows. “Questionable?” they chorused.

  I nodded. “It’s… it’s experimental but I think it will do the job.”

  “Vich potion?” Olga asked.

  I swallowed hard as I turned to face her. “Flying Devil Oil.”

  Olga’s eyes went wide as Betanya cleared her throat.