“About?”
“Applying for residency.”
There was a long moment of silence, and then a buzzer sounded. The gates slowly swung open.
“So far, so good.” Her pulse beating faster than she’d have liked, Wynter drove up the long driveway and parked behind one of the few cars that sat outside the manor. “Xavier, wake Anabel.” Wynter slid out of the vehicle and opened the rear door for Hattie.
Holding up her book, the old woman pointed at a page. “Girl, what’s anilingus?”
Wynter felt her head jerk back. “What are you reading?”
“Erotica at its finest,” Hattie replied.
Wynter waved her hand, not sure she wanted to explain the concept of rim jobs to an old woman. “We’ll talk about this later.”
Hattie awkwardly exited the car, looking all stiff and frail. It was a total act. She wasn’t quite as harmless as she liked to appear. That said, you were safe with the darling woman as long as you didn’t attack her or marry her. She’d killed every one of her husbands. She was the group’s very own black widow.
Rubbing nervously at her arm, Anabel crossed to Wynter and the others, looking upon the manor with sheer dread. But then, pretty much everything made the blonde nervous. She was most in her element when in the kitchen making potions, where she wasn’t required to interact with anyone. “So this is where we die,” she said, her voice solemn.
Delilah sighed. “You say that almost wherever we go. We’re not going to—oh my God, what is that smell?”
Anabel lifted her chin. “Farting is a normal bodily function.”
“Not if it smells like something died up your ass.”
“I don’t handle ethnic food well.”
Wafting his hand, Xavier grimaced. “Just please don’t unload anymore of those farts until we’re away from the Ancient.”
Anabel sniffed. “You’re all so dramatic.”
Delilah snickered. “You’d know all about that, MissSo This is Where We Die.”
The blonde pointed at her nape. “I can feel death’s breath on the back of my neck. I know that feeling all too well. And maybe ifyouremembered allyourpast deaths, you’d be a little more understanding.”
Groaning, Wynter raised a hand. “All right, let’s stop there.”
Anabel often saw her potential demise everywhere—the paranoia came from her soul’s ability to retain memories and skills from past lives. When you recalled every death, you also remembered just how easily life could be snatched right from under you.
None of the crew were entirely sure if she was in fact the reincarnation of Bloody Mary or if she simply believed it because she’d experimented on herself with one too many of her potions over the years. Whatever the case, if you called for Mary, Anabel’s demeanor would change in an instant and she’d happily kill anything standing in her path.
“In case you’ve all forgotten, we have somewhere we need to be.” Wynter exhaled heavily. “Fingers crossed this goes well.”
She walked to the porch, unable to fully admire the ornate trim work and gingerbread cutouts while her gut was in knots. A lot rode on whatever happened next. As Delilah had pointed out, they had no Plan B.
Reaching the door, Wynter pressed the bell. Close-up, she could see that the stained-glass pane depicted mythical scenes of some sort. Nice work.
Finally, the door opened. She’d expected a butler. The dude in front of her was rugged and masculine with an outlaw-warrior vibe.Gargoyle, she sensed. He wasn’t Wynter’s type, but he was definitely hot.
Patting her faded red hair, Hattie smiled up at him. “You look just like the highlander on the cover of a book I read recently. Doyouknow what anilingus is?”
Wynter felt her eyes drift closed. Unfuckingreal. It didn’t help that Xavier had choked on a laugh, or that a silently chuckling Delilah was leaning against Wynter as if unable to support her own weight.
Clearing her throat, Wynter opened her eyes and cast the man in front of her an apologetic smile. “Just pretend they’re not there. I often do.”
He grunted, moved aside, and waved them in with a sweep of his arm.
Stepping into a very grand hallway, she saw that the Old World feel continued inside the manor with its high, vaulted ceilings, carved columns, ornate lighting, imperial staircase, and decorative moldings.Wow.