Page 115 of Last Witch Attempt
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TWENTY-EIGHT
Millie didn’t follow yet. Something told me she wouldn’t remain behind. As much as she wanted her freedom, Aunt Tillie’s sense of right and wrong would eventually overtake her. For now, she couldn’t be my main concern.
The second I moved into the tree line I felt a presence above me. I lifted my chin and searched the heavy branches overhead. When Evan moved into a clear spot, I smiled.
We didn’t speak. I’d been right about the cavalry arriving. I was the only one who had noticed so far.
He pointed south, and I nodded. Then he disappeared again. I headed in the direction he’d indicated, my shoulders squaring. With each step, I was coming closer to the warlock.
I found him in a clearing, sitting on a boulder and staring at his phone. His blond hair was swept back from a handsome face, and he almost appeared bored as he scrolled. He didn’t look up before speaking.
“That didn’t take long,” he said, his face creasing in disappointment. “I thought Millie would hold out longer.”
“I’m not surprised.” I flashed a smile I knew would agitate him. “She is a Winchester at heart after all.”
“Is she, though?” Greg shifted, his phone landing face down on his lap. “I suppose you’re here to reason with me.”
“Not really. Aunt Tillie always told me that reasoning with the Devil was a waste of time.”
“Is that who I am?” Greg grinned. It made him all the more menacing. “I guess I like being equated with the Devil.” He pushed himself to a standing position. “Let’s talk about how this is going to go.”
“I thought I would lead the discussion, but if you want to start, that’s fine.” I was waiting for the others to get into position.
“You’re going to open that plane door for me. Then I’m going to cross over. You’re going to keep the door open until I return. Once I’m finished, you can do … whatever you want to do.”
I waited to see if he had more. When he didn’t speak again, I angled my head. “Is that all?”
“Yes.”
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I can’t open plane doors.”
Greg let loose a derisive snort. “I happen to know that plane doors have opened near you more than once.”
“Me specifically?”
“Yes. I’ve been watching your family.” He had the air of a man who was dealing with a pesky administrative task. “Actually, I’ve been watching your family for two years now.”
“Should I feel special?” I challenged. “If you expect me to be impressed, you’re going to be disappointed. We didn’t even know you existed.”
“That’s because I’m good at what I do.”
“Or you’re not important enough to care about.”
Annoyance flashed across his features, but he shuttered it quickly. “You want to believe that, don’t you?” He was smug. “You don’t like the idea of anyone else more powerful than you.”
“I don’t,” I readily agreed. “The thing is, you’re not more powerful. You’re diabolical—what you did to those naiads was evil—but you had to play that game because you’re not strong enough to go at things from the front. You always have to sneak in the back.”
His eyes had gone black as his temper ratcheted up. “Listen?—”
“No, you listen.” I vehemently shook my head. “I know exactly what you did. You realized there was a plane door in the lake and you figured, since it was so well hidden, that it led to somewhere good. You were working on a way to get through when you crossed paths with the naiads.”
“I’m not afraid of naiads.” He said it in such a way I knew it was a lie.
“Of course you are.” I wanted to irritate him. “They were closer to getting through than you were. More than that, they were wanted on the other plane. You don’t have enough magic to get past whatever safeguards were put in place by the gatekeepers who created the door.”
A muscle worked in his jaw.
