“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“What if they don’t like me?”
Oh, Harry.This kind bright soul was nervous the cool kids wouldn’t like him. Except we weren’t the cool kids—we were at best a collection of weirdos.
“You have nothing to worry about,” I stated, trying to reassure him as I entered the house and turned into the parlor. Oh, look. Everyone was here.
“I can’t do everyone,”Indigo said with a hint of amusement.“Unless you want to feed me souls to power it?”She was a hopeful creature. Pity I was a realist.
“Not happening. How many can you do?”
“Souls? About a hundred an hour if pushed. But I wouldn’t recommend gorging after being practically starved.”
“How many people can you gift the sight of the dead to?”
She snickered in my mind. Everyone was a comedian lately.“Three. But only if one is Hudson. He’s our mate, so the power to lift the veil for him is minimal. The rest will take a little more effort.”
I folded myself on the sofa, and Hudson joined me as my family and friends arranged themselves around the room to stare at me in anticipation. Did they all want it?
“So I can only give three of you this gift, but one of them would need to be Hudson.”
Sebastian rolled his eyes. “Bonus of sleeping with our girl is first dibs on her power.”
“Mine, not yours,” Hudson growled. I didn’t have it in me to negotiate a supernatural showdown right now.
“Pick, and do it quickly. I’m tired.”
They bickered among themselves as Maggie brought me a lemonade and cookies. I gave her a grateful smile. “You don’t want in on this?” I whispered to her.
She frowned. “Goodness, no. I have enough to be scared about without welcoming ghosts into my mental headspace. I think you need to be fully healthy and sane to master it.” We glanced around the room to take in the sniping supernaturals,and Maggie’s wide eyes met mine. “They are at least healthy,” she decided. I snorted, and she ran off back to the kitchen.
I rested my head on Hudson’s shoulder and stifled a yawn. When I couldn’t take any more of their bickering, I wearily pushed myself to my feet and clapped my hands to get their attention. “I have things to do that don’t involve listening to why you should have access to my power. So you have thirty seconds, then I will give Hudson access and leave the rest of you out of it.”
“Each faction should have a representative,” Sebastian declared. Seemed logical.
“You’re just saying that because your competition is a precious princess who seems unbothered,” Dave argued.
Sebastian shrugged. “It’s a good and fair plan.”
Rebecca’s lips twitch. “I am bothered, but since Cora’s the death expert, I trust her to tell me if I’m the right person to carry this burden.”
“Why would it be a burden?” Dave asked.
Rebecca twisted a lock of her blonde hair between her fingers. “Think about it. Since Harry passed, his only interactions have been through Cora. That’s a lot to put on one person. So this isn’t about having the power to see the dead; it’s about the responsibility needed to shoulder the burden with Cora to help those who need guidance, and to have patience with the spirits who choose to stay behind. They’ll be all up in your business morning, noon, and night.”
And that was why Rebecca was the perfect choice. Sebastian blinked like he hadn’t thought of the negative consequences. Men were idiots.
Bella padded into the room and sat in the center of the coffee table, giving herself a bath like she’d been waiting for spectators.
“I don’t have time for that,” Sebastian said as he plonked his ass in a chair.
Rebecca smirked. “I could represent the vampires in this situation.”
“I do like her,” Harry declared. Awesome.
“One more?” I pushed. Logically, it was going to be one of my aunts, but none of them lived here permanently. Aunt Liz was probably the most present, given her relationship with the incensed shifter.
“I’ll do it,” Liz stated. Nobody disagreed, and why would they? My aunt might have an air of primness about her, but she was terrifying if you crossed her.
