I miss my customers.” But more than anything she missed the freedom of going where she wanted, when she wanted.
Yeah, and the last time you did something you wanted, you slept with Death. Don't forget that.
How could she when all he did was haunt her thoughts? She felt like he watched her now. Glancing out the kitchen window, she spied a raven on a tree branch in the yard. She swore his black, beady eye was trained on her, and shivered.
“I hear that,” Aerin said. “What I wouldn’t give for a hostile corporate takeover. I need to kick some ass. We can't stay locked up in this house forever. We won't have to worry about the Horsemen killing us. We'll kill each other.”
“What if we all go get the blueberry plants?” Moira asked.
“Not really much of a nature girl,” Aerin muttered.
“Contact the coven and ask them to bring us some,” Claire suggested. “Most likely they'll have some on hand.”
“I'd really rather not bring in the coven any more into this than we have to.” Tierra turned away from the window, but that didn't stop the sensation of being watched.
“Why not?” Claire asked. “We need all the help we can get.”
“Well, I've been thinking.” Tierra couldn't believe she was saying this aloud. “I believe there are members in the coven that might have been involved in taking you away.”
“And I bet they were instructed to kill us.” Claire shrugged and took over researching the Grimoire for Aerin. “Makes sense.”
“See, and Aunt Just-for-now was a part of all that,” Moira said. “I know she's up to no good.”
“Well, shit.” Aerin said. “It never stops, does it?”
Shadows started to fall outside, but not the temperature.
“Moira, can you make it rain?” Tierra turned off the flame from under the pot. “Or rain on Claire? It's just too dang hot.”
“Sorry, I don't mean to heat things up. I'm ovulating and it seems to…be a side effect.”
“You literally go into heat?” Aerin scoffed.
“Something like that. Don't you guys have something like that happen to you?”
“Not that I've noticed, but I'm pretty sure I'm too busy to ovulate,” Aerin said.
“Wish I could make it rain on command.” Moira leaned toward the book. “My powers seem to be tied to my emotions. Unless there's a recipe in there for storms too?”
“Haven't seen anything yet,” Claire said.
“No, shit.” Aerin sat and helped Moira with the apples.
To anyone stopping by, the kitchen looked like they were canning fruit. Aerin cut apples in half to expose their seeds in a star shape, which was supposed to deflect evil. Moira then took them from there and pierced the fruit with a darning needle and fishing twine so they could later hang them outside in the yard around the house.
“Whoever that Malcolm de Moray was, he liked his prose.”
“Wish the damn thing had a table of contents,” Claire said. Suddenly a gust of wind blew through the kitchen and the pages of the book shuffled back and forth, settling with a flourish on a page.
“Whoa.” Claire sat back.
“That beats the shit out of Google.” Aerin stood and leaned over Claire's shoulder along with Moira. Tierra wiped her hands on a towel and joined them.
“This is interesting.” Claire followed the text with her finger. “I think this is a scrying spell.”
“Let me see that.” Tierra leaned in closer. “I think I've seen that crystal before.” She traced the drawing of a crystal.
“Huh, here's an idea.” Aerin's gray eyes lit from within. “With this, we might be able to find out where the Horsemen are holed up. The best defense is a good offense. Let's take this to their gates. If anything, it will save us on replacing windows again.”
“I don't know if that is a good idea,” Tierra hedged. “Isn't there a way we could make peace with them?”
“You put Death in the ground,” Aerin pointed out. “Doubt he's going to be reasonable.”
“But if we could come to an agreement of some kind?”
“Julian was pretty adamant about it being our fate to destroy each other.” Aerin deflated, sitting in her seat and picking up an apple.
“I just don't understand why it's us or them,” Tierra continued. It went against her nature to destroy.
“Because they want to kill us,” Claire said.
“I don't want to kill anyone.” Depression washed over Tierra.
“Just protect us with apples and blueberries,” Aerin muttered, popping a slice of apple into her mouth and crunching.
“It sounds stupid when you say it like that,” Tierra said.
“I can't lie, all this herb lore seems