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Vera has spent years making us forget what she did to us.

Today, we’re going to make damn sure the Wicked Witch remembers us.

Chapter fourteen

Granger

We've been walking through the woods for over an hour, with Vera's occasional cackles drifting through the trees on the wind. As we round a bend in the path, we come upon a clearing at the foot of a small cliff and decide to take a break.

Toto drops her pack near the tree line and settles onto a stump to rest. I hand her my water canister, watching as she takes several grateful swallows before she hands it back.

"Are you craving anything weird now, or does everything taste the same as it did before you changed?" Toto asks, eyeing me as I take a sip.

"I've recently acquired a very specific taste for something incredibly delicious." I gaze at her over the rim of the canister, wiggling my eyebrows.

She grins, a pretty pink blush spreading across her cheeks.

I let out a little growl, now knowing exactly how far that blush travels down her body when she's about to come.

"Hmm. Well, I look forward to offering you that particular treat again soon."

Her teasing does nothing to ease my aching cock, which presses painfully against my zipper.

"Granger."

I turn quickly at the urgency in Nick's voice.

Toto gasps.

Vera is standing in the middle of the path, watching us. Her once-dark hair has turned a strange silvery gray, almost lavender where it catches the light. Her cheeks are hollow, her eyes sunken, and her skin looks thin and dry, stretched over the sharp angles of her face. She looks as though she's aged a hundred years since we last saw her.

Holy shit. We were right.

Without our magic to feed on, Vera's finally showing her age. I exchange a quick glance with Nick, and the look in his eyes tells me he's thinking the same thing.

Maybe we actually stand a chance of pulling this off.

I immediately step in front of Toto, putting myself between her and the witch.

Vera's gaze follows the movement, and her mouth pulls into an angry snarl. "Interesting."

Her voice is different too. Rougher and thinner, as though every word scrapes against her throat on the way out.

Her eyes narrow, and she looks at me properly. "What have you done to yourselves?" Her gaze drops to my burlap hands before darting toward Nick. Her expression shifts from disgust to confusion as she takes in his pale skin and sharp fangs. "What is this?"

I spread my arms. "You like? Personally, I think the new look suits me."

She ignores me, turning her attention to Leo. The feathers along his wings flutter, and I can tell he's fighting the urge to open them. Vera's eyes widen as she takes in his enormous frame, the fur covering his body, and the massive wings folded against his back.

"Impossible," she whispers.

"Hello, Vera," Leo says calmly, although I can see the tension in his jaw.

Her surprise disappears behind a familiar sneer. "Whatever you've become, you're still the same useless fools."

Leo opens his mouth to respond, but Vera raises her wand and murmurs a few words. His lips seal together before he can utter a word. His eyes widen as his hands fly to his mouth, desperately trying to pry his lips apart.

Vera watches him struggle, looking almost bored.