Page 95 of Wicked Witch of the Wolf

The soil rolled from my body to hers. Slowly, like a beaded shawl covering her from her feet to the top of her head. Translucent minerals sparkled and bits of calcium glowed whitely against her pale brown skin. The vitamin-rich soil rose in a cloud of condensation before steaming into her skin.

Bronwyn’s chest rose as she took a deep, hearty breath. Her eyelids popped open. Her mouth opened and closed. After a few seconds of this, she gathered herself.

“Hello, Betty.” Her voice was hoarse from disuse.

“Bronwyn.” Maya burst into tears. I’d been so focused, I hadn’t seen her sidle up to the other side of the bed.

Bronwyn squinted up at me. “You’re naked.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not asking you out on a date. It was something I had to do to connect with my soil,” I said, aiming a soft smile at her. “To save us both.”

“That’s right.” Ida rushed over with the fuzzy red robe I kept on a hook on the bathroom door. “Be grateful she stripped down to her birthday suit. Her naked butt saved your life.”

I put on the robe. “You have a way with words, my friend.”

“It’s a gift.”

“Yeah.” I wrapped my arm around her thin shoulders. “It is.”

Chapter

Twenty

“What?”

“The last time any of us saw you was around dawn on Friday morning,” Ida repeated.

Ronan.

I glanced out the window. It was dark out, and the stars shone like cosmic glitter scattered across the indigo sky.

“How long has it been?” I asked in a flat, dead voice.

Ronan.

“It’s Monday night.”

Three days. I’d lost three days beneath the soil.

Ronan.

“We wanted to dig you out, but Margaux told us to leave you alone,” Ida said. “That it needed to be done, and you’d come out when you were finished.”

Frustration built in me until I felt like a shaken bottle of champagne with a super-glued cork. I couldn’t even be angry with the witch because she was right. Ithadneeded to be done. Should’ve been done weeks, months—years—ago.

Damn it all.

I threw the red robe on my bed and dressed in jeans, an old Queen T-shirt of Mom’s, and my black boots with the stacked heels. Though I hadn’t gotten any sleep, I was wide awake and energized.

Ronan.

I excused myself and went into the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. After slathering moisturizer over my face and neck, I pulled out my makeup drawer. How long had it been since I’d worn this stuff? Days? A week? Two?

Ronan.

No sense starting now. I had other priorities.

I tossed the tube of dark red lipstick back into the drawer and strode into the kitchen, where I asked the question that had been gnawing at me.

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