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"Auntie."

“You just focus on that root. I’ll send you a picture. Go on and pack your bags.” She headed off.

I remained where I was and called after her, "Or I could just give up and become a hermit.”

"You like sex too much."

I widened my eyes. "Auntie!"

“At least that’s what the spirits say.”

Fucking gossiping ass spirits telling all my business.

I could just imagine a damn nosy spirit whispering in my Aunt’s ear, “Gabby likes to ride dick all night long. She’s hotter than an oven, that girl.”

As Aunt Delphine got closer to the gate, her SUV’s engine rumbled.

My cousins shifted positions, preparing themselves to escort her out of the cemetery and leave.

I yelled after her, “Can I at least do this next month?!”

Instead of speaking out loud, Aunt Delphine’s voice entered my mind. “No. The time is now. Perfect timing, actually. That root is ready for picking. Be mindful of the creatures near it.”

To my shock, a dark chuckle left her.

What’s so funny?

I quirked my brows. “What creatures are near the root?”

Silence.

Her SUV pulled up in front of the gate. One of my cousins opened the door for her, and helped her climb in.

I frowned.

Cold fear slid through my stomach.

Her SUV door slammed and she drove off. The rest of my cousins hurried to get in their cars and follow.

I watched the brigade head away, and knew she could still hear me. “You’re not telling me everything.”

Her voice slithered through my mind. “I have told you quite a lot.”

"You're playing chess."

"Chess is a good game."

"How does my going to Japan fit into some master plan of yours?"

Silence hit me, and I knew that the conversation was over.

My body stiffened.

Japan? A root? A haunted shrine? Some damned ghost woman killed by her husband?

And a family love curse that had just put another man into the ground.

Well. . .I can’t bury another lover. I have to go. . .