“What is it?”
She raised her gaze. “Did my aunt…” She shifted her stance. “Did she die in her bed?”
I felt for her. How discomforting this situation must have been. Since I was the one who’d found her, I spoke up. “No.” I’d found her on her bedroom floor, but wouldn’t provide any of the details that Nova didn’t want to know.
“Oh.” She rubbed between her eyes. “I was just thinking. There’s so much to do over there, and I’m already so tired. I have a feeling things will take longer than I expect. I don’t want to crash at Gianna’s for too long and overextend my visit…”
When she didn’t finish, I said, “So you’re thinking of staying there?”
“Is it weird?” She scrunched her face as she searched our reaction.
“Not at all,” I assured her.
“It’s your house now,” Sebastian added.
Nova slanted her head. “Oh, good. I don’t know the protocol in this type of situation. I’d like to take a nap and then get back to it.”
Lucas said, “If you need a hand with anything, we’re close by.”
“Thanks.” She rubbed her forehead. “I don’t even know where to begin. There’s all her clothes. And knick-knacks. And magical supplies in the attic. What do I do with all this stuff? Donate it? I’d like it to go to people in the community who need it most.” Before waiting for an answer, she added. “And there’s the paperwork. Figuring out what needs to be done with the house is just a mind warp of confusion.”
She appeared overwhelmed. Another pang of empathy hit me. “We know the house well, so we can help,” I volunteered.
Sebastian exchanged a glance with me and gave a subtle nod.
“You’ll help me?” Nova asked.
“Of course we will,” Lucas said.
“What can I do to repay you?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Lucas replied with an easygoing wave.
“It’s almost time to eat,” Sebastian announced. “Wash up and head to the dining room.”
Lucas laughed. “Okay, Dad.”
We sat around the oval table with our bowls of stew, biscuits, and a chianti. Sebastian overfilled my bowl as usual, and I poured half of it back. He’d never understand that my vampire appetite was not as voracious as his shifter one.
“This is sooo good,” Nova said after swallowing a spoonful of her stew. “I can’t remember the last time I had a homemade meal like this. Do you often eat together?”
“Only when we’re not all working, which isn’t that common,” Sebastian said. “We’re all working tomorrow night, so you had good timing.”
“I’ll say,” she agreed. “This stew is delicious.”
A few minutes later, Sebastian said, “Actually, I thought of something.”
I stared at him as he used hisI’m-up-to-somethingtone.
“About what?” Nova asked.
Exactly what I wondered, my wariness antennae raising.
“How you can repay us for helping with the house.”
“Oh, how?” she asked.
“There’s a ball this Saturday hosted by the Salem Supernatural Network.”
