Priorities. We all had something to fight for.
“Were there any other casualties?” I asked.
Harry floated forward. Karen glowered at him, still clearly a little creeped out by the creepy. “We lost a few of the spirits when they held their solid form. If they got hit, they went down.”
“How is that possible?” Sebastian asked from his position leaning against the door. “They can’t die twice, right?”
Harry shook his head. “Maybe they were able to pass to the other side.”
He didn’t believe that, and neither did I. I also didn’t think my grandmother had harvested their souls. It was a terrifying thought that they had simply ceased to exist, which meant I wouldn’t be using this newfound skill again. I wouldn’t risk those poor souls’ afterlifes.
“My sister tested limits,” Aunt Sophia said as she cast a new row of stitches, this time in a white wool. “Yours specifically.”
I nodded, already having figured that out myself.
“I’ve given word that no one should return to White Castle in the meantime,” Robert added. “I think it’s wise to keep the battlefield as clear of civilians as possible. I have some people stationed on the main roads to turn folks around.”
“That’s good,” I answered.
“Most of the pack has been relocated out of state,” Dave added.
We were clearing the chessboard.
“My mother is still here, the stubborn woman,” Sebastian grumbled.
No, she was here because she was far more powerful than any of them realized. I caught Sophia and Dave’s eyes for a beat.
“What else do you need to do to get Donn to take the rest of his power back?” Dave asked.
“Another date, but don’t underestimate the power Eloise was born with. She didn’t become the leader of elementals after receiving a god’s power; it was before,” I warned.
The silence stretched around the room as each of us turned over plans and rejected them one by one without words.
“We have to do something,” Robert said. “I can’t conceive of a future run by that evil woman.”
The future is not written.
I lifted my head. “I need the room,” I uttered. I was met with blinks and frowns. “Apart from my blood.”
Hudson’s hand landed on my shoulder. I rubbed my cheek against it, taking strength and comfort from it. “Everyone who doesn’t have Roberts in their name, get out,” he growled.
They left, one by one. “You too,” I said with a wince.
He paused, then he too left with a soft click of the door behind him, leaving me with three generations of Roberts women in the room.
I stared at Dayna. She lifted her hands, and the wards flared to life. We would be safe from prying ears.
“Share what you just worked out, Niece,” Liz demanded.
I held the gaze of each of the women who had shaped my life. “I want to change the Roberts curse.”
Stella chuckled. “You wouldn’t be the first to try. There is no squashing that magic, as it was born from scorn and wrath. You can’t eradicate it.”
“How would that help us now?” Sophia asked, giving my abdomen a hard look. “Unless you have some news?”
“No, I am not about to bring a new life into this world.”
“Then I’m failing to see your point.”
