Page 59 of The Accidental Witch

She turned briefly to look at them, panic and fear on their faces as they hurtled toward her in an effort to save her.

But how could anyone be saved from the earth virtually falling away from you? Holding up her hand, she thwarted their movement, using a finger to change their direction and make them go toward the gate.

She saw Darnell grab Greer while Nina scooped up Tottington and began to run toward Robbie, the ground nipping at her heels. “We have to get the fuck outta here, Robbie!” she yelled. “Get on my back!”

No. The hell she was running away. This would never end if she ran away, and she wasn’t giving back the magic she’d grown to love. So,no.

“Go!” she yelled over the wind. “Get out! Take them with you!”

“The fuck you say! I’m not leaving you here!”

Robbie opened her mouth and roared in her face, “Gooo!” With a flick of her wrist and the palm of her hand, she forced Nina do her bidding, shoving her back the other way, toward the gates, clearly against her will. Nina grunted and struggled, but she couldn’t stop Robbie’s spell.

And then it was just her and this thing Gwinnifer had turned into. A screeching, writhing monster.

The wind tore at her hair, the rain saturated her clothes, and she thought,Yeah. Okay, Braveheart. Now what?

As Gwinnifer stomped toward her, enormous feet crashing against the ground, glowing eyes now laser-focused on her target, the universe answered.

“Robbieee!” Hervé called, swooping under her and lifting her high off the ground. “Hold on!”

He circled Gwinnifer’s misshapen head, rather reminding her of the helicopter inKing Kong, whizzing around and around until Robbie was almost dizzy.

She clung to Hervé’s handle as Gwinnifer swiped at them. “Kaboom her!” Hervé yelled. “Kaboom her hard! Use ze magic, Robbieee!”

Gripping his handle for dear life, she let go with her left hand and flicked it, fireballs rushing from her fingertips. They landed on Gwinnifer, making her screech and duck, sizzling her flesh.

“Again!”Hervé yelled. “Do eet again!”

As they rushed through the night, Hervé bobbed and weaved while she hurled anything she could get her fingertips to create.

Thunder crashed. Lightning crackled, infuriating Gwinnifer.

She took another swipe at the air, but this time, Hervé wasn’t quick enough and her talon clipped him. He dive-bombed toward the ground, yelping the whole way. They crashed against the crumbling ground with a grunt, Robbie’s back cracking at the jolt.

Rolling to her side, she reached for Hervé with a moan, her whole body on fire, her nerves raw.

And then she felt a tug on her left hand as something scaly began to pull—pull so hard she thought it would rip right off.

Which was apparently Gwinnifer’s goal. She used her taloned paw to yank, scratching the flesh of Robbie’s hand until she screamed in agony.

Hervé began beating Gwinnifer, swatting at her head. “Off, you beast! Off my Robbiee!”

When Robbie didn’t think she could fight anymore, when she thought her hand would be ripped from her body, she heard Greer roar.

“I’ll kill you, you insidious bitch!”

Wiping the rain from her eyes, she saw Greer in the distance, his strong thighs pumping, his arms high in the air, something shiny in his hands.

She blinked. A sword?

How the fuck did he get asword?

He ran at Gwinnifer with a warrior cry. “This is for my mother!”

With that, he thwacked her with the gleaming weapon, chopping at her legs like he was cutting down a Christmas tree, swinging the sword with his muscled arms over and over while the rain beat down on his head, plastering his hair to his skull.

Gwinnifer screamed in agony, flailing, howling, but Greer didn’t stop until she grew smaller and smaller—until he could reach her head.

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