Page 10

Regis patted her shoulder. “Keep me posted.”

Ira nodded. “Any leftovers?”

Regis slid the rear door open and pulled out a slice of cherry-topped cheesecake in a takeaway container with a wooden fork taped to it. “There you go. Pandora’s making dinner.”

“Yay!” Ira was already opening the cake.

Regis closed the doors and got back behind the wheel. “You just like it when she cooks because she forgets vegetables.”

“She makes a salad.”

“Fruit salad isn’t a salad.” Regis buckled up and grinned as her daughter munched her way through the dessert.

She carefully eased out of the lane and got back into traffic. The school was bustling with young alphas, betas, and omegas getting on buses or being picked up. They lived outside the catchment area, so someone always needed to be available to pick her up. It wasn’t difficult. Their little community always had time to get their little princess.

Regis wondered who was joining them for dinner. Pandora only cooked if they were having guests.

Ira smiled. “I wonder if she’s frying tonight.”

Regis snorted as she drove them home. “Homework before deep-fried anything.”

Ira mumbled, “Yes, Mom.”

During the drive, she heard about the science fair project that Ira had planned. Pandora was going to have to help because it was a project on the spread of gases and the environmental impact of contaminants in the standard atmosphere.

Regis sighed. Ira was scary smart. She must get it from her dad.

Ira said, “You are thinking about my dad.”

“How can you tell?”

“You get a soft, silly smile at the corner of your mouth. How much longer now?”

“Months. We just have to get through a few hurdles, and the Stronghold comes down.”

“Is it going to be dangerous?”

Regis turned onto their drive. “I am setting Pandora loose on the Stronghold. What do you think?”

“Oh, dangerous forthem.Got it.” Ira closed the dessert container with the fork inside.

The scent of a feast hit them when they entered the main doors, and Regis grinned. “We are having company.”

Ira had her backpack and sprinted into the kitchen, where Pandora had woks, fryers, and noodles ready to go. The counter was covered with precisely made snacks, and Pandora grinned. “Do your homework at the table, Ira.”

Regis popped a dumpling into her mouth. “Who are we expecting?”

“Four of the necessary twelve.”

Ira looked up, “Twelve?”

Regis nodded. “Twelve women have to enter the Stronghold and walk out intact. If we take less, the ladies get hurt.”

Ira smiled. “So, you have four to start with.”

“More, but they haven’t activated yet.” Regis sighed. “And I can’t help them. So, we have another two that will be with us, so six at full power. If Pandora says she has four, she has four.”

Pandora continued finely slicing carrots. “I have four, previously unintroduced.”