“I see no such issue,”Indigo purred.
Of course, she didn’t.
“The cabbage rolls will make it onto the menu,” Dayna said, avoiding engaging with Indigo.
Probably the wisest decision.
“If Donn isn’t our enemy, does that mean he’s helping us?” Liz asked.
I leaned back in my chair and threaded my fingers together, channeling my inner villain. “For a price.” All three of my aunts opened their mouths but snapped them shut again at my glare. Look at them learning.
Sophia paused her crocheting. “What does that help look like?”
“He’ll drain his power from her.”
Aunt Liz leaned forward and narrowed her eyes like she could pry the secrets from my mind. A few months ago, I might have wilted at that stare. Now? Not so much.
“That’s great news,” Dayna said, side-eyeing her sister and aunt.
“It is,” I agreed. “And while weakening her might give us the upper hand, we need to be ready to move the moment we know we can.”
“What are you thinking?” Sophia asked as she resumed her crochet. What was she making? Something small and pink?
“How much do we know about the Roberts’ curse?”
“The standard, where it started and what our mother did to alter it,” Liz answered.
“I want you to pull apart the curse to its bare bones. I want to know the intricate details from the origin to the latest version. Leave no stone unturned.”
Dayna tilted her head. “What are you planning, Cora?”
My lips twitched. “Simple. Eloise wants to tangle with a god? She wants to use and control him? Then let’s make sure that curse bites her in the ass.”
“She won’t see it coming,” Liz mumbled.
“Narcissists never do. But she’s your mother and your sister, and if you need to step aside to allow me to get this done, I’d understand.”
Sophia jabbed her crochet hook in my direction, and her brow furrowed. Okay, so maybe a Roberts’ hard-ass stare could still chastize me after all. “You listen here. My sister,” she spat the last word like it was dirty, “forfeited the right to any protection from us. She may be blood, but she broke that bond when she ordered your torture and stood by while it happened.”
“Agreed,” Dayna said with a firm nod.
“We all agree, Cora. We’ll do this together, no matter who holds the blade,” Liz agreed.
My heart warmed, and the cracks they had created tightened. “Then let’s take her down.” Maybe when this was over, I could find my peace with the man I fell for, heal the wounds that had festered over the years, and let go of the betrayal burning in my soul. But first, we needed to survive an apocalypse.
Harry darted through the wall and pointed to the ceiling. “Miss Roberts.”Please don’t say pineapples, please don’t say pineapples…“Pineapples.”
My aunts blinked.
I groaned and tipped my head back. “Number?”
“Half, maybe three quarters.”
That wasn’t so bad. I stood and followed Harry up the stairs to the main floor. Not much phased me these days, but this was a new experience. At least fifteen ghosts had formed a line, their hands hovering on the waist of the ghost in front of them. They performed a shuffle, followed by a badly synchronized leg kick.
“You have them doing the conga?” While weird, I didn’t understand the need for a pineapple.
The front door opened, and Dangerous Dave, chief enforcer and biggest supernatural snoop in existence, strode through. He took one look at the ghostly procession and raised an eyebrow at me. “It’s concerning that I am less surprised by this than walking into a normal household.”
