Page 86 of Which Witch Is Wicked?
"What?" Moira asked with her mouth full. "Do I have something on my face?" She brushed at her cheeks.
"It's nothing." Tierra picked up a scone and flaked off a corner. It was dry and tasted like dust. She washed it down with another sip of tea and knew she didn't want any more. What she wanted was too disgusting to think about. Her stomach rumbled with disagreement.
Aerin poured shots and passed them around. She threw hers back and winced slightly, letting out a breath. "So what happened, Tierra?"
Tierra looked at each of her sisters individually. "Killian and I, well we, uh..."
"We know you got your rocks off," Claire said, taking the bottle and refilling the glasses. "We can see that."
"How?"
"Your aura," Aerin said. "It's more vibrant and shimmers with satisfaction."
"Gotta give it to Death, he always comes for you. Or maybe it's best said, you alwayscomefor him." Claire's comment caused Aerin to giggle. "I have a million of them." She clicked glasses with Aerin.
"Don't listen to them," Moira said. "She's jealous 'cause she ain't getting any. That boy, Tommy, his cheese has done fallen off his cracker."
"No it hasn't. He has...cheese," Claire said. "I think."
"Youdon't know?" Aerin asked. "You've been hanging with him all this time and youdon'tknow?"
"We're taking it slow. Besides this isn't about me, it's abouther." She pointed to Tierra.
"It's about all of us. Killian warned me that something or someone has gotten by the wards. We need to take this seriously. Moira just mentioned that our familiars refuse to come into the house. If you don't want to believe me, believe them."
"Wait a sec," Claire said. "If he was willing to tell you that much, why didn't he tell you what or who?"
"Said he couldn't say."
"Like if he said who, they'd know?" Aerin asked.
"Yes, exactly that. Also, he mentioned all this stuff about there being power in a name. You know that feeling you get when you know someone is talking about you? Seems there might be something to it."
"Oh, there is," Aerin said. "I've dominated the cloud for a reason. I know things."
"Dru told me something similar." Claire grimaced as though saying Dru's name didn't set well on her tongue. She washed it down with another shot of whiskey.
"Did Death tell you where this thing is?" Moira asked.
"Just that it's in the house and that it would make us sick or possibly act out of character." She watched Aerin and Claire finish off another shot and refill their glasses. They were quickly on their way to getting toasted.
"Okay, we'll sweep through the house when we are done here,"
Aerin said. "Anything else?"
"I'm not to touch it, and we're not to burn it either."
"Then how do we get rid of it?" Claire asked.
"He said he could dispose of it," she answered weakly.
The three of them shared a look, but it was Aerin who spoke. "And you didn't think that was a ploy to get inside the wards?"
"I did at first, but not after."
"A.D. or B.C.?" Claire asked.
"What?" Tierra's attention was torn between the conversation and the bag of pork rinds Moira continued to devour.
