“What are you even talking about?” I felt like this whole conversation had been nothing more than rambling nonsense, leaving me confused over her refusal to answer my questions in a way that made any sense at all. Why was she making this difficult?

“I am talking about the fact that there is so much more to the Le Fays than you could ever imagine.”

“Yeah, all of us are fucked up and we all have some serious family of origin issues. What else is there to know?”

She rolled her eyes, a bit of the normal Kat peeking through. “You think you knew everything when you ran off and left us all behind? There are more secrets than you could ever imagine.”

“Well, enlighten me. Our whole family’s dead now besides us, so what’s the leftover secrecy for?”

“Really nice, Nat.”

I shrugged but didn’t defend my words. Sure they sounded harsh, but it was the truth, and more importantly, I didn’t give a fuck. My whole family. Their beliefs. Their actions. Death didn’t change who they’d been in life, nor did it change the pain it caused me. At this point, all I wanted was answers so I could go back to ignoring my family name and their fucked-up legacies.

“Look, just answer me this, were you and the coven stupid enough to bring back Morgan Le Fay?”

“What are you?—”

“Yes or no?” I bit out, my eyes never leaving her. Again, I didn’t have time for the ambiguity. I glared at her with a hard expression.

“No.”

I felt myself deflate at her words as my hands dropped to my side and my shoulders hunched over.

“That changes everything,”Ann said from the loci, pushing her glasses higher up on her nose.“I will have to change all of the plans. Every calculation.”

“We can’t calculate shit until we know who the hell is in Sasha’s body,”Bad Nat seethed, leaning over the files Ann had spread out.

“Move,”Ann muttered, batting her away.

“You’re telling me The Morrigan has nothing to do with this?” I asked Kat, trying to ignore the input from the loci. I needed to focus, especially because if that was the case, itwas hard to believe. Actually, believing it fucked up all of my assumptions. And that was why I had been hesitant to speak my thoughts aloud.

“I didn’t say that.” Kat weighed her words before adding, “Technically, no one can bring her back to life. She can’t die in the first place.”

“Huh?” I blinked, not understanding.

“The Morrigan,” she drew out her words like she was talking to a toddler, “can’t die.”

“Thanks for repeating yourself. That really cleared it up for me.Oh, wait,” I said sarcastically, shooting her a dirty look. “How about you elaborate here? Witches aren’t immortal. Even her. We can all die.”

“Our bodies can die, but our souls can be immortal,” she said as she rose to her feet. Katherine cast one last look at Carissa. Her face was hard to read. Her expression wasn’t filled with sadness. More like a dejected acceptance. Kat took a deep breath. “This is a long story, and it involves the two of us, but I need a fucking drink for this.”

She walked away from me, heading for the kitchen. Giving a groan, I followed behind, trying not to stomp my feet like a petulant child, and failing miserably.

“God, Kat just speak plainly.” She ignored me and ruffled through cabinets and the pantry before she finally pulled out an old bottle of whiskey and two glasses. “ I don’t have time for the riddles.”

“Look, you’ll need this shot when we’re done here.” She poured out two fingers in each glass and slid one across the counter. It sloshed as it came to a halt at the end of the counter, close to me.

“I think I am good. Talk.”

“Your choice.” She shrugged and threw back the shot. Grimacing and shivering from the taste, she took a steadying breath.

“The Morrigan spent her entire mortal existence facing the reality of death,” she began, her voice solemn and echoing through the quiet room. “She came up with a solution, and it was us.”

She paused for effect, but I waited. I had asked enough times already and I was done playing games. So, I continued to eye her expectantly.

“Dolores was never our mother, Nathalie.”

Now I understood why she’d paused.