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Rosie nodded thoughtfully. “I can tell,” she said, pursing her lips for a moment. “It’s a strange presence. Like a void, somehow.”
“It’s because of what he represents,” Bunny explained, deciding the easiest way to bring Rosie into this fold would be to just tell her outright. “He’s Death.”
She waited for Rosie to faint, or swear, or say something like ‘holy shit, that’s cool!’ But the woman simply nodded again, and Bunny couldn’t help but feel like her big revelation had been somewhat anticlimactic.
“Well, I mean, obviously he’s dead in order for him to be a presence,” Rosie agreed. “Do you know what he wants?”
“No,” Bunny said. “He’s not dead. He is Death. Like, the Death.”
When Bunny and Ben had pulled up in front of Fox Cottage, Rosie had greeted them the same way she would any other guest who was coming to enjoy an afternoon at her home. But now she really looked at Bunny, seeming to notice something more.
Rosie’s brows drew together in a frown, but that faded, and a look of awe began to take its place.
“What happened to you?” Rosie breathed.
“It’s a long story.” Bunny sighed, adding sarcastically, “Feels like it gets longer every damn day.”
“I know the feeling,” Rosie agreed, still looking a bit shaken by the revelation of Bunny’s newfound celestial status.
“Your turn.” Bunny prompted her.
Rosie smiled and held up a hand. “I’m a witch,” she said matter-of-factly, not bothering to sugar-coat or over-explain. “I guess, technically speaking, I’m a witch queen. Declan, Maggie, and Gabe are all witches, too.”
Bunny gaped at her. “Are you serious?”
“As serious as that potato salad,” Rosie grinned, before she forced her expression into something more coy. “I thought you said you knew what you saw. Didn’t you just see magic?”
“Good point,” Bunny conceded. She didn’t know she was surprised by the revelation, per se. Rosie’d always had a kind of magic about her, now Bunny thought about it. But it was a topic she’d like to talk to the woman more about, when they both had liberty to do so.
“So, what are you, exactly?” Rosie asked keenly, obviously sharing Bunny’s desire for details. “Because it ain’t just any ol’ person who keeps company with Death on the daily.”
“I’m Life,” Bunny announced with an awkward shrug.
“You don’t say,” Rosie marveled.
“I got it from my mama,” Bunny said, quoting the will.i.am song. Both ladies grinned before Rosie quirked a brow.
“Does Ben know?”
Bunny shook her head. “Or leastways if he does, he hasn’t said anything,” she added, before pausing. “Wait—does Ben know about you?”
“Sure does,” Rosie said. She sounded proud, and it made Bunny wonder if she wasn’t giving her brother the credit he deserved. “Took it pretty well, too, considering all the crazy shenanigans we’ve been through together. Maybe you oughta try chatting to him about it?”
“My brother? Ben? Crazy shenanigans?” He’d always been the more reserved one out of the pair of them. Him getting caught up in anything crazy, witch-related or not, was a little hard to fathom.
“He’ll surprise you,” Rosie said with a smile. “Just you wait and see.”
A comfortable silence filled the air in Rosie’s cozy kitchen, adding another layer of confirmation to the idea Bunny had needed to come home to find her way forward.
“This… has been really amazing,” she said at last to Rosie with a grateful smile. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Rosie went over to the bowl of potato salad, tapped the wooden spoon on the side of the bowl to clear it off, and then put it in the sink. “Happy to help.” She lifted the bowl out to Bunny, who took it and moved toward the door. Death took his signal from her, skipping out ahead of her.
But before Bunny could leave the room, she felt Rosie’s hand on her arm.
“One more thing, now that he’s gone,” the witch said to her in a low, conspiratorial tone. Her gray eyes met Bunny’s, suddenly serious. “Do you know that he has feelings for you?”
Bunny felt her gaze widen in shock before she blinked and then looked down modestly. She hadn’t known that exactly, but she’d sure spent a good deal of time exploring the nature of her feelings for him. Having Rosie confirm he felt the same way—even if he didn’t remember their relationship so far—was an elixir she could have drunk down by the gallon.
Rosie nodded slowly. “Thought as much. Be careful,” she warned. “Like I said. I feel a void there.”
