whole jug and gone to work cheering.
“Have you figured out who’s coming to the housewarming party yet?” Aurora asked, sipping daintily at her tea.
“You guys called all your peeps, right?” Kelly asked.
“Yup.” Tiffany made a pistol motion. “Still got a few more calls to make.”
“Me too,” Aurora said.
“Okay. Don’t shoot me as soon as I say this, but I kinda want to invite Louie to the party.”
“What!” Tiffany and Aurora managed perfect unison and identical tone.
“I really think we should.” She fiddled with her drink, eyes down. “I want to try to sort things out with him.”
“Why?” Aurora said, her tone strained. “He hated us before he even met us. I don’t want him at the party. It just won’t be fun.”
“Agreed,” Tiffany added gruffly. “I can’t be nice to him.”
“Would it hurt you to try?” Kelly almost snapped but caught herself just in time. “I can ask him if he has any high society friends that might want to come, and it gives you guys a chance to change his mind about you.”
“Minds like that can’t be changed,” Aurora said with a sniff. “Even with magic.”
Kelly let that sit for a moment, feeling the indrawn breath of the house around her like a living thing. There was a link between them, something real and palpable. The longer she stayed here, the stronger their connection became.
“Afternoon, ladies.”
Nathan stood in the shade of the solarium doors, his big arms crossed over his muscular chest as he leaned against the doorframe. His eyes sparkled and the red in his dark hair was picked out in shimmering highlights of ruby. Kelly admired him without shame. He rocked back and forth on his feet a little, knowing that the girls were looking and feeding on it.
“You inviting anyone to the party, Nathan?” Tiffany asked.
He rolled his eyes. “Really?”
“What, you don’t like to party?” Kelly asked.
He shrugged. “Parties are fine, I suppose. I'm just not interested in a booze-fest of horny teenagers.”
“Meow,” Kelly muttered. Everyone laughed.
“I suppose I could round up a few friends to attend.” He stepped toward them, carefully avoiding any spots of sunlight. “What’s happening with music? If the place is going to be blasted with sound, I want to make sure it’s decent. Please tell me you're not just going to hire a DJ.”
“Ryan is playing with his band,” Kelly said.
Nathan sighed heavily. “I suppose that’s acceptable. I haven’t been to a party in something like a hundred years and I'd rather not spend the night listening to lame music.”
“Shall we make sure there’s a harpsichord?” Aurora batted her eyelashes at Nathan.
“Didn’t Lestat play the piano?” Tiffany wondered aloud.
“Let’s have both,” Kelly said.
Nathan rolled his eyes and strode away before they could start cracking wise about eighteenth century fashion. Kelly had seen some rather frilly blouses lying around the basement… No wonder he preferred to go shirtless.
“Have we asked the house?” Tiffany whispered.
“It can hear you,” Kelly said, matter-of-factly. “No matter how quietly you whisper—shit, even how quietly you think—it can hear you.”
Tiffany looked around furtively and blinked.
“Relax, Tiff.” Kelly reached for a strawberry cupcake. “The house likes you.”
“It likes my defective magic.” She shook her head and three red robins burst to life above her head. They each sang adorable little ballads as they flitted around the girls' heads then disappeared into the overgrown orchard.
“See?” Tiffany groused.
Aurora laughed. “At least when your magic escapes you, the effects don’t stink.”
“Do not.” Kelly swore vehemently. “Do not mention it!”
Mentioning it was not necessary, as all of them remembered too well. Dead creatures had been digging themselves up and coming to Aurora like she was some kind of zombie queen. She’d had to bind the house’s surrounds to make sure things long dead didn’t come to life and knock on the damn door. The house thought it was hilarious.
“Hmm.” Tiffany turned her head upward, sniffing. “What’s that smell? It’s definitely not one of Aurora’s abominations.”
“Watch it,” Aurora muttered.
“No, I smell it too.” Kelly sniffed the air emphatically. “It’s…cookies.”
“And cake!” Tiffany exclaimed.
Aurora stood and walked to the solarium door to check out what was happening inside the house. When she started laughing, the others jumped up from the picnic blanket and gathered behind her.
The house was thumping with music and flashing its lights on and off. The sugary, fatty smell of batter and donuts pumped into the air with cotton candy and cake. The house was being…inviting.
“What do you make of it, Kelly?” Aurora asked.
“Call me crazy, but I think the house wants to