A Werewolf, A Vampire, and A Fae Walk Into A Bar (Book 1 of The Last Witch Series)

Nanny's screams wake the sleeping child in my arms, whose own wails join the cacophony of crazy. Within seconds, Zev and Rune burst into the room, Zev already partially shifting into a wolf, both of their gazes trained on my grandmother like they're going to attack. "Stop!" I shout, startling everyone except Rain, whose lungs seem to have grown exponentially since we got here, if her volume is any indication. "Do not hurt her," I tell the guys. "And get back into full human before someone sees you," I hiss at Zev, whose arms are

already paws. Looks like I stopped him in time before he ripped through yet another outfit.

He's barely shifted back when a nurse hurries into the room. "What happened?" she asks, breathless from running down the hall. She immediately checks on Nanny, who stopped screaming but is moaning and clearly agitated as she shifts around in the bed like she's fighting her blankets.

I hand Rain to Rune, whose gifts of calm wash over the child until she's back asleep in his exceptionally chiseled arms. Prying my gaze from his guns, I move quickly to Nanny's side and try to calm her. "You're okay, Nanny. It's me, Bernie. Shh..." The nurse checks her blood pressure and temperature and tsks at me like she's scolding a child. "Tilly doesn't need this kind of stimulation. It isn't good for her health."

"I'm aware of that," I say, trying to hold back my irritation. "We didn't do anything. She just started screaming the moment I walked in. What's wrong with her? Has she had more episodes? I normally get notified if it seems like she's taking a turn for the worse." "She's been just fine until today, just now," the nurse says with more than a little accusation in her tone. "I think it's best if you go. Her blood pressure is much higher than I'd like it to be."

"I just need a few minutes with her," I say. "And my cousin, he always knows how to calm her down, don't you, Rune?"

Zev smirks. "That's right, cousin."

Rune frowns at the werewolf but hands him the baby as he joins my side. "Of course. He smiles at Tilly. "Hello, great-aunt." He places a hand on hers, and her thrashing slows as she responds to Rune's calming powers.

The nurse narrows her eyes at us, then shrugs. "Fine. Five minutes. Then you must let her rest."

Once the nurse is gone, I focus my attention back on Nanny. Rune stays by her side, holding her hand. "If I leave, she will become agitated again," he says sadly.

I nod, blinking away unwanted tears.

Zev joins us, and kneels next to me while holding Rain so Tilly can see her.

"This is your great-granddaughter," I say, fighting the emotion making my words crack. "And Rain, this is your great-grandmother. She raised me through my terrible tweens and teens. She made sure I always had a tutor for my piano, even when they could barely afford to keep the bar open. She made me a dress for prom so I wouldn't feel left out when we couldn't afford to buy one." I can no longer fight the tears that stream down my face. "She's the best. You're a lucky little girl," I tell my child, then I turn to the woman who's been everything to me for so long. "Oh Nanny, I wish you were here. Really here. I don't know how to do this without you. You always had the answers, and now I feel so lost."

It's more than I wanted to say in front of the Sexies, but the words pour out of me before I can sensor them.

"Come back to me, okay? To us."

Zev slides his free arm around my waist and helps me stand, my legs already cramping.

Rune nods and pulls his hand away. He and Zev take Rain out while I say a final goodbye. I feel a sickening sadness as I smooth her brow one more time before leaving. "I'll come visit you as soon as I can, Nanny," I whisper.

When I pull my hand away, she

reaches for me, grabbing my wrist with an iron grip that surprises me. Her voice is monotone and her eyes glazed over as she speaks. "Beware the stars, beware the moon, beware the language that ends with @oom." Her nails dig into me and she hisses. "I am you. She is here. You are she."

I pry my wrist out of her grip, a bruise already forming. "Nanny, what do you mean?" Tears stream down my face and I watch helplessly as Nanny's face scrunches up and her body starts to seize.

The nurse returns with a needle. Without preamble, she injects Nanny with it, and my grandmother instantly calms, her eyelids fluttering shut.

I don't want to go, but the nurse stands by the bed watching me, her expression clearly annoyed.

I leave with a heavy heart, pulling the door closed behind me. Rune and Zev are waiting for me in the hall, and when Zev sees the tears in my eyes, he pulls me into a hug.

I want to resist, to push him away as I think about my Nanny instead of this witch business. Instead I melt into his arms, grateful for his strength, for his comfort, even for his presence. If I can set aside why he's here, the fact that I'm not alone is a relief.

Zev rubs my back as I cry into his

shoulder. He smells like the woods and feels so solid, so grounded, that my heart slows and my mind calms just by being this close to him. "You okay, love?" he asks softly, his lips brushing against the top of my head, creating a whole other sensation in my body.

I nod against his chest. Then, when I feel strong enough, I step back to look into his forest green eyes. "I've never seen her like that before. She's had breakdowns in the past, but nothing like that."

"I heard what she said," Zev says, which seems impossible considering he was on the other side of a closed door, but then I remember he has dog abilities and is probably listening to everyone in Rowley all the time. "Did her words mean anything to you?"

I think for a second then shake my head. "Not really. Something about the language of doom? But she's always spouted strange things, ever since her mind started to go. I just don't understand why seeing Rain freaked her out so much."

We head back to the car, and I feel distant and drained as Rune locks the baby into the carseat and stays in the back with her while Zev sits up front with me. "I guess it's time to find some unicorn blood?" I say with all the enthusiasm of someone about to go to the dentist. "That can wait," Zev says gruffly. "You're shaking."

I look down at my hands and realize he's right. And I can't stop. I feel panic rising in me, unlike anything I've ever felt before.

Zev takes one of my hands in both of his and the warmth from them infuses my skin, spreading over my body.

"Crazy shit has been happening to

me, ever since the three of you

walked into my bar," I say, turning to glare at each of them. "And then you spring on me that you think my daughter is a witch. Oh, and by the way, she's not just a witch, she's the lást witch. What does that even mean?"