Page 114 of How To Take Down A Cult At The End Of The World

“Bacon is stellar too,” Clyde says and salutes the ceiling. “My compliments to you. You are a master of your profession.”

Buffy looks up at the ceiling. “Is being a house a profession?”

Sunday shakes her head. “Kinda but it’s more a willed into existence thing so it would be more of a vocation, if anything.”

Buffy nods. “Ahhh, I get it. Wait, no, I don’t. You can will something into existence?”

“You can will anything into existence if you try hard enough. Just like I’m doing with extra cinnamon rolls. Are there any more cinnamon rolls?” Nina asks, looking for the platter that Elijah brought out earlier.

Wrath puts down a fresh platter in front of her. “Right here, I just iced them.”

We’re having a good breakfast at the house, even though it’s well past lunch. Sunday said this is just something called brunch.

Brunch is awesome.

When we got back from town there was an entire spread waiting for us on the table with more in the kitchen. Wrath and Elijah explained the delicate cinnamon roll system they have in place for meals to the house and of course, made more than enough to feed us all.

Buffy cracks open a White Claw. “So, how are we handling blondie? She’s giving me the willies.”

We all look to the corner of the room where Eri is tied up, magically gagged, and glaring daggers at us. She’s awake now. She woke up on the way here, which was interesting. Jaak had carried her until then and she tried to bite him. She got assigned to Buffy after that.

“Try and bite me and see what that gets you. I’ll give you something to eat all right.”

Eri was smart enough to not try and bite Buffy.

I frown and tap my fork on my plate and sigh. “Honestly, I don’t know. I wish—I want her to be somewhere she can’t hurt anyone else but I don’t know how to do that without offing her. I mean may-”

Buffy grabs my face with both hands and turns it to her. “Do that again.”

“Dwoo whagin?”

Buffy gives me a funny look and smushes my face again. “What?”

I slap her hands away. “I said dowhatagain?”

“You know what, missy.”

“I really don’t!”

“You frowned.”

“Oh, yeah, I do that now. Pretty cool, huh?”

Buffy snaps her fingers at me. “Do. It. Again. Do it many times. Show everyone!”

It’s hard to frown because I can’t stop smiling when the table starts clapping and demanding to see my frown. They erupt in cheers when I finally manage it.

“That’s the best frown anyone ever frowned,” Sunday says and lifts her mimosa glass to me.

Nina beams at me. “I’m proud of you, Meadow.”

“Thanks. That means a lot.”

Jaak wraps an arm around me and kisses my temple. “It makes me glad to see you surrounded by such love. Tell me, Meadow. Where do you wish to live?”

I already know where this conversation is going. I can sense it. I look around the house, at the people in it, and I know exactly where it is that I want to make home.

“Here.”