Blocked
Abel
“CAN I KICK him?”
This question came from Hook, who was in the room they were using to interrogate Miko. Though, “interrogation” wasn’t exactly the word since Abel had controlled his mind and he’d spilled all he knew.
And he knew a lot. Enough that vampire, wolf, and wraith rescue teams worldwide were preparing to extract a number of concubines from the vampires who were holding them.
But for some, it was too late. Six more videos had appeared on social media sites. Six more concubines losing their lives while being violated. The last one posted had included a vampire walking onscreen after the event and relaying a message:
Give up The Three, or there will be more. And worse.
If that wasn’t enough, Miko also shared the not-great news that the reason they hadn’t heard from Serena was because The True had captured her en route to her mate, Gastineau. They’d tortured the good wraiths still deep cover in their ranks and got the details on where to find her and how to capture her.
They were holding her on charges of being traitor to her race as well as traitor to the rightful governing body of immortals, The True. They intended to put her on trial, a case she’d lose, and then they were going to execute her as another message to immortals who did not fall in with their plans.
Seeing as nothing was coming from the phantoms at all since Serena left (as it hadn’t before she took off), even though Gregor frequently attempted to contact them, Gregor sent yet another message to Gastineau. This one to see if he knew his mate had been taken. Gastineau had a policy of being incommunicado with any supernaturals outside of phantoms so Gregor also sent a crew of wraiths to see if they could access him, share and get his allegiance and support in locating then rescuing his mate.
Hook knew all this, seeing as he’d been in the interrogation room since Abel started, so Hook, like all of them, wasn’t a big fan of Miko’s.
Abel looked from the vampire, who sat blank-faced in his chair, to Hook, but it was Gregor who answered Hook’s question.
“As we’ll be holding tribunals for war crimes after we quell the rebellion, which would not play well on videotape,” he explained as he floated an arm toward the camera filming the interrogation, “I think not.”
Hook didn’t take his eyes off Miko as Gregor answered, but when Gregor was done, Hook bared his teeth at the vampire almost like Hook was wolf.
“Maybe it’s time you take a break,” Abel suggested.
Hook tore his eyes off Miko and gave them to Abel.
They were burning with angry, badass biker hellfire.
Fuck.
“You don’t do that to a woman,” he growled low.
“I know, Hook,” Abel said low too, and hopefully calming.
“You sure as fuck don’t do it to six of them. And I’m not talkin’ about takin’ their lives, which everyone knows is not fuckin’ cool. I’m talkin’ about makin’ their last memory on this earth—”
Abel cut him off. “I know, Hook.”
Hook looked to Miko. “He’s lower than a piece of shit.”
“You need to take a break, man,” Abel repeated.
Hook moved his gaze to Gregor. “You execute traitors too?”
“Absolutely,” Gregor answered.
Hook scowled at him.
Then he jerked up his chin, muttering, “Time for me to take a break,” and he walked out of the room.
Abel gave his attention to Gregor. “He’s given us all he’s got.”
Gregor nodded his head, his eyes cold and on Miko. “Indeed.”
“You want him back in play?” Abel asked, and Gregor looked to him.
When he did, Abel felt a chill glide down his spine.
“I want to build a great fire and have you control his mind so he walks into it himself and burns to ash, all while we record that and send it to Etienne.”
“I hear you,” Abel said quietly.
“Alas, we cannot do that,” Gregor continued. “So I believe our best course of action right now is to return him to his home and continue to monitor him, with you programming him to report to us should there be communiqués he receives while not in his house. If those who call themselves The True believe we’re scrambling or inactive, and still don’t know we’ve turned their own against them, we build our upper hand.”
“Right,” Abel agreed. “But he’s got three kids that he’s . . .” Abel trailed off when Gregor shook his head.
“They’re hangers, Abel.”
“He’s abusing them. They think they like it but—”
Gregor interrupted, “They do like it.”
Abel turned fully to the vampire. “It isn’t healthy.”
“No, agreed, it’s not to your understanding of what’s healthy, as well as mine, as well as anyone who has a fit mind. However, hangers do not have healthy minds and they cannot be rehabilitated. This has been tried. It would serve no purpose to keep them away from Miko. They’d only find the next closest vampire and hope for more of the same.”
“Isn’t there anything we can do to get them help?” Abel asked.
Gregor again shook his head. “There have been vampires who have studied hangers quite thoroughly. The agreed theory is that they’re descendants of those who offered the same services to our kind in times when vampires were not ruled by any governing body, likely against their will. However, there was no Council, no Dominion. They were free to do as they wish, treat humans as they wish. The ancestors of hangers endured what we consider abuse for centuries to the point, perhaps so they could retain a modicum of sanity, that they convinced themselves they enjoyed it. To the point it became part of their psyche. It’s who they are. It’s what they crave. There is no way to help them. It would be as impossible as making you not vampire, not wolf. They are, Abel, what all of humanity will likely become if The True succeed in their aim.”
Abel tasted the thought of that in his mouth and it was foul.
“It would be interesting to see if you could use your ability to change this,” Gregor commented. “But I predict that would fail.”
Abel crossed his arms on his chest. “Right, then I was responsible for letting those kids loose for this asshole,” he jerked his head to Miko, “to treat them like shit once. Gotta tell you, not hip on being responsible for doing it again. If I can’t adjust what they crave, at least I can wipe all memory of this guy from their heads, and them from his. They’ll be cast adrift, but they’ll also be safe for a while.”
“If that’s what you wish to do, then do it.”
“That’s what I wish to do,” Abel told him.
“Fine,” Gregor replied, now sounding distracted. “Then I’ll ask you to finalize things. I need to be upstairs to see if our media specialists have managed damage control. You’re good to finish here?”
“I’m good.”
“I’m sure I’ll see you later,” Gregor finished, giving Abel a dip of his chin, Miko a cold glance, and walking out of the room.
Abel looked back to Miko. He dealt with wiping all memory of the compound, interrogation, and the three young men from his head. He continued with giving him orders to become their informant. And he finished with commanding him not to take another hanger, ever.
“Now you get to go home, asshole,” he muttered to the slack-faced vampire, then turned to the door, opened it, and gave orders to the soldiers out there to find someone to take the fuckwad home.
Abel stood with his shoulders leaned against the back wall of living room eight, his eyes on the TV.
The newscaster was talking.
“All across social media sites today, disturbing videos depicting the apparent rape and murder of several women were posted. As the murders appeared to be actual vampires draining their victims dry of blood, this alarming multitudes of people, experts examined these videos and found them to be an elaborate hoax, seemingly perpetuated for no purpose but to shock the masses and titillate the few who might find this depravity appealing. A task force of federal law enforcement has been created to track and arrest the individuals responsible. And the large social media sites have sent widespread messages to their users that if any of these videos were again shared, the user would face lifetime bans from their site.”
And there it was—Gregor’s media specialists had done their jobs.
“You agree with that play?” Abel asked Callum, who was standing beside him in the same stance.
Jian-Li and Regan were sitting on the couch in front of them, their attention to the TV.
Sonia and Delilah were up in Lucien and Leah’s bedroom, giving Leah whatever they had to give and checking on her state of mind.
“No good play after that,” Callum answered. “The Dominion and my kingdom come out saying there actually are immortals, but we’re not all murdering rapists, it’d cause mass panic.”
He wasn’t wrong.
“After that shit, how we gonna lead humans and supernaturals into living together harmoniously?” Abel asked.
“No fucking clue,” Callum replied.
Jian-Li turned her head and looked over the couch at Abel. He forced a smile her way. She forced one back.
While that was happening, Regan looked over the couch at her son. When Abel caught her smile, he figured they were doing the same thing.
“Want my mate,” he muttered, pushing away from the wall.
“Same. I’ll go with you,” Callum said.
Abel moved to Jian-Li first, reached out a hand, and touched his finger to her chin.
“I’m gonna call it a night, tian xin,” he told her as he heard Callum murmuring to Regan.
“All right, my Abel,” she replied.
“You okay?” he asked.
“It has not been a good day.”
He shook his head. “No.”
He said it, it was more than true, but he hated looking into her face, seeing her worried eyes, unable to do shit about it.
“We’ll have good luck soon,” she said softly.
He hoped like fuck she was right.
“Sleep well,” he said.
“And you,” she replied.
He moved away, waited briefly at the door for Callum to follow him, and they walked silently together to Lucien and Leah’s room.
Callum glanced at him before rapping his knuckles on the door once.
In moments, it was opened and Delilah was poking out her head.
“Time for bed, bao bei,” he told her quietly.
She nodded to him and looked to Callum. “You want Sonia?”
“Yes, unless Leah needs her.”
“I think Leah needs a sleeping pill chased by bourbon,” she mumbled, her expression turning unfocused. She shook her head as if to clear it and refocused. “I’ll get her.” She looked to Abel and said, “Hang on.”
The door closed, but it wasn’t long before it was again opened and both Sonia and Delilah appeared.
They gave the king and queen their good-nights and headed to their room, Delilah leaning heavily on Abel as they walked.
“She’s not good,” he pointed out the obvious.
“None of the other ones killed were her family, but she’s terrified,” Delilah said. “She and Myrna weren’t real close, but Myrna was still her cousin. The other members of Leah’s family that they have, she’s close to.”
“Extractions are probably happening while we speak, baby,” he told her. “Maybe some of the ones rescued will be Leah’s kin.”
“I hope so.”
He tightened the arm he had around her shoulders to give her a squeeze.
They entered their room and mutely got ready for bed, brushing their teeth side by side, taking off their clothes standing close, Abel waiting for Delilah to pull on a nightgown. Then they slid into bed together.
He turned out the lights. She snuggled into him, and the way she did, he knew it would be the first night since their relationship became intimate that they didn’t make love.
He was down with that. If she needed to cuddle her man, he’d give that to her.
Abel stared at the dark ceiling and waited, holding her, stroking her, letting her call it. Either she’d talk, he’d listen and do what he could to soothe, or she’d go to sleep.
She talked.
“If they’ll do that, what else will they do?”
“I don’t know, baby. Try not to think about it, okay?”
He felt her nod against his chest.
“Leah said Myrna was a good concubine. The best. She adored her vampire—”
“Stop,” he ordered gently.
She stopped.
Then she started again. “I guess her vamp is out of his mind.”
He would be. Vampires took protecting their concubines seriously. Gregor had told him that every one of the hundreds who’d had concubines taken, even inactive ones, were out of their minds. Some had to be restrained so they’d do the cause, and themselves, no harm in their need to rescue.
And their thirst for vengeance.
“He would be. Of course he would be, pussycat.”
She pressed her face into his skin and whispered, “I want this to end.”
He tightened his hold, bent his head, and said into the top of her hair, “I do too.”
He kept her close and waited for her to lose it, either yelling or crying, however she needed to do that, or get a lock on it.
He felt the tension build in her body before it released and she took her face out of his skin and rested her cheek on it.
She got a lock on it.
“Sleep,” he urged.
“Okay, baby. ’Night.”
“’Night, bao bei.”
It took her time, but she found it.
Abel didn’t.
Then again, she hadn’t seen the videos.
He had.
They played in his head and he let them. Used them as kindle to feed the flame in his gut. A flame that had been burning hot with desire to see to it that Delilah was safe, to make certain they had a life together. But now that flame also burned to wreak vengeance for Leah’s people.
He was no nearer to falling asleep when he heard the muffled tone of his phone ringing in his jeans’ pocket.
Carefully extricating himself from Delilah, he left their bed, grabbed his phone, and, when he saw who was calling, engaged it and put it to his ear.
“Yeah?”
“Miko was assassinated tonight,” Callum shared.
Abel sucked in breath.
“They knew he was taken,” Callum continued. “They found all the cameras but one. We didn’t have eyes, but we did have ears. Your control held—he told them nothing about what he gave up at the compound—but they knew we’d had him, took him to the compound, and then turned him loose. After they took his head, they talked about autopsying him. They think we have a drug.”
“Patricio?” Abel asked.
“His name was mentioned. They’re gonna demand a meet.”
“How’d they know he’d been taken?”
“Got him chipped. They knew he was at the compound and how long. From what Ryon heard, they have them all chipped, including Patricio, so in case they get caught, they know where to send a rescue team, or an assassination squad.” Callum’s voice turned into a disgusted mutter. “Chipping vampires. Unbelievable. We wouldn’t even think to expect something that vile.”
Fuck.
“You got any good news for me?” Abel requested.
“Miko gave us twenty-seven names. So far, fifteen concubines have been successfully extracted. One of them is Leah’s cousin, Natalie.”
“Thank fuck,” he muttered.
“Yes,” Callum agreed.
“Maybe now I can get some sleep,”
“Yes,” Callum repeated. “Do it well.”
“Back at you.”
They disconnected and Abel put his phone on the nightstand before again joining Delilah in bed.
Then, finally, he slept.
He just didn’t do it well.
Abel’s phone sounded with a text the next morning as he and Delilah were walking down the hall toward Lucien and Leah’s room. She wanted to check on her friend. He wanted to let her do that and then find Gregor.
He felt her gaze as he dug his phone out and looked at the screen.
You’re needed in the library.
Gregor.
“I can get there myself,” Delilah told him, and he knew she’d read the text.
“Right, pussycat,” he replied, stopping them, curling her close, and dropping a kiss on her lips. “Later,” he said when he was done.
“Later.”
He grinned at her.
She grinned back.
He let her go and watched her continue down the hall for a few seconds before he used his vampire speed to take him to the library.
But he stopped outside it when he heard a woman’s raised voice and sensed she wasn’t the only woman in that room.
“Was dog-tired when I got here last night, so I took a bed. But I am not spending another night in a den of vamps.”
He felt his brows draw together as he opened the door and walked into the room.
All eyes turned to him and two pairs of those were in faces he knew, Gregor’s and Yuri’s, who had apparently returned. The rest were five women he didn’t know.
“Yo,” he greeted.
“Holy goddess and all her great sisters,” one of the women breathed. “It’s the hybrid.”
He looked to her and confirmed, “Yeah.” Then he looked to Yuri. “Welcome back, man.”
“Abel,” Yuri greeted.
That was when he looked to the pretty, petite, dark-haired woman at his side who was dressed like a sex kitten schoolgirl who’d graduated two days ago and knew just how hot that was, even though she didn’t want you to know she knew it.
In other words, she was something.
Something a man liked looking at and something to Yuri, seeing as she was standing very close to him, and even though they weren’t touching, there was no mistaking that fact.
“Found a friend,” he muttered to Yuri, feeling his lips twitch.
It was then Yuri touched her. Putting a hand to the small of her back, he moved even closer to her, saying, “I’d like you to meet Aurora Lenox. She’s assisting us with finding your brother.”
Abel’s lips stopped twitching and his eyes went back to the woman.
“Hi, Abel,” she said. “So cool to meet you.”
He jerked up his chin, but with what Yuri said, that was all the good manners he had in him.
Therefore, he asked, “You find him?”
She looked to a wide, flat bowl filled with dark liquid sitting on a table between two armchairs, then back to him.
“It’s not quite ready yet. A few more hours,” she answered.
He turned his gaze to Yuri and rearranged his expression to read, What the fuck?
Yuri read him.
“The potion somehow guides us to him,” Yuri explained.
Jesus. So far, he’d fought side by side with what were essentially ghosts. He’d torn apart men who were close to giants, hairless, and scary motherfuckers. He’d watched videos of terrified women enduring violation while their blood was drained from their bodies.
Now, obviously, he was in the presence of bona fide witches who made potions.
Yeah, he was with his mate. He was ready for this shit to end.
“Be obliged you tell me when the potion is ready,” he said with little enthusiasm.
He was curious to meet his brother.
But he wasn’t looking forward to it.
“I’ve not asked you here for that, Abel,” Gregor butted in. “These ladies are witches. This is Barb, Aurora’s mother.” He motioned to a woman who looked somewhat like an older version of Aurora. “Ruby.” He gestured to the oldest one of the lot. She carried some weight and had thick, long gray hair, but it was obvious she’d had it in her younger years because she’d retained it in her older ones. “And last, Jezza and Flo.”
He gave them all chin jerks, then immediately turned his attention back to Gregor.
“And I’m here . . . ?”Abel trailed off on a prompt.
“They wish to leave,” Gregor told him.
Abel shook his head in confusion and reiterated, “And I’m here . . . ?”
“We don’t want them to leave,” Gregor explained.
Abel gave him a hard look, then looked to the women.
“You don’t like vampires,” he stated.
“How old are you?” Ruby rapped out her question.
“Two hundred and five,” Abel calmly gave her his answer.
“Right, then you weren’t alive at the time, and you’re likely too young to know, that vampires—”
“Did a bunch of bad shit to witches and you’re pissed,” Abel finished for her. Ignoring her eyes lighting with fury, he went on, “I get that. I’d be pissed too. That was whacked. So whacked, I’d hang on to it for centuries just like you’re obviously doing. But, just sayin’, it’s not real safe out there for anyone supernatural or even remotely involved in the supernatural life. It’s safe in here. You wanna take your chances out there, all I got to say to that is . . . your funeral.”
“Ruby, Jezza, Flo . . . Yuri’s vowed to keep you safe,” Aurora added at that juncture.
“I believe, my sweet, I vowed to keep you safe,” Yuri drawled, and she jerked her head around and back to look up at him.
“And, by extension, my sisters,” she declared.
“It doesn’t work like that, Aurora,” he explained.
She turned fully to him. “Well, vow you’ll keep them safe.”
His tone didn’t change when he replied, “I will not.”
“Yuri!” she cried. “You’ve vowed to keep me safe. I don’t know why you can’t do the same for them.”
He bent slightly toward her. “I like you.”
He left it there. Then again, him leaving it there said it all.
Abel’s lips were again twitching.
She leaned into him and hissed, “I can’t believe you!”
“All right, all right,” Gregor broke in, and Abel looked to him to see his gaze on the other witches. “I’ll vow to keep you safe. Does that work?”
“Works for me,” Barb said instantly. “Now, when’s breakfast? I’m starved.”
“Barb!” Flo exclaimed.
Barb turned gentle eyes to her sister and said softly, “Video.”
All the witches suddenly started looking at anything that wasn’t breathing and shuffled their feet.
They’d seen the videos.
This surprised Abel. He cut his eyes to Aurora, who was still glaring up at Yuri, then to Yuri, who was looking at Abel.
“Barb saw it before I could stop her. Aurora has not seen it, nor will she,” he declared.
“Keep that oath, brother,” Abel muttered.
Yuri dipped his chin.
Abel looked to the other witches. “Stay. You’d be fools to go out there. These assholes we’re dealin’ with are cold as ice. Don’t know you and still know you’re a lot better people than they are, seein’ as it would be hard not to be. So it’d suck you not bein’ on this earth.” His looked to Gregor. “That’s it. I said my bit. Now, if you’ll let me know when that potion’s done, I’d appreciate it.”
On that, seeing as he didn’t have time for that shit considering the fact he had to prepare to find out where his brother was, he walked out.
Abel was training as wolf with Callum, Ryon, Calder, and Caleb when he saw Xun heading their way.
He communicated this to his brothers, turned, jogged to his clothes, and jumped to man.
He had his jeans on, the others around him having turned into man and also dressing, when Xun made it to them.
“Patricio took a day-trip this morning,” Xun said as an opener. “Gregor put a human on him. He drove about a hundred miles out, had his meet, they took his head.”
“Jesus Christ,” Abel snarled.
“Guess they’re not taking any chances,” Calder muttered.
“That’s it?” Callum asked.
“The guy we sent after him couldn’t get close enough to hear what they were saying. He just reported the conversation didn’t last long before things got bloody. Figure they weren’t real big on the rest of those concubines gettin’ rescued last night and decided cleanup crews were necessary.”
All the missions had been successful the night before and a further twelve had been rescued utilizing local intel on turncoat vampires.
That still left hundreds in the hands of the enemy, though they’d had no more videos or any other communication, such as threats or ransom demands.
“’Nother bit of news,” Xun went on. “That Gastineau phantom has been in touch.”
“And he said . . . ?” Abel asked.
“Said he’s on it,” Xun answered.
“Nothing more?” Callum pressed.
“Nope, just that he’s on it,” Xun told him.
Abel looked to Callum. “You got any clue what that means?”
“My read, the phantoms don’t like their queen held captive, but they aren’t asking for allies to assist in rescuing her,” Callum replied.
“They got what it takes to be successful on their own?” Abel asked.
“Phantoms and wraiths are like brothers and sisters,” Callum said. “You watch them, you’d think they hated each other. But you are not one of their own and say one word against them, they’ll rip your head off. So I would assume he’s very determined to be successful. Whether his determination will bear fruit . . .” He shrugged.
Abel broke it down. “So now we got no inside men, a bunch of concubines who are in mortal danger, a rogue phantom determined to rescue his mate and the outcome of that is iffy, a gaggle of witches in the compound who don’t want to be here because they hate vampires, and they got magic. And last, we got fuck-all knowledge of what our enemies are planning next, but the last shit they pulled was fucked way the hell up. Did I get it all?”
Callum grinned a grin that was more a grimace and confirmed, “You got it all.”
“So we’re again sitting on our hands,” Abel concluded.
“Unfortunately, yes,” Callum replied.
Abel made a nonverbal snarl.
Callum looked to Calder. “Perhaps you should go back to your network.”
Calder shook his head. “Told you, brother, this True identified, recruited, and closed ranks. There’s no getting in. And the only way out is to give up your head. The single shot we had was the wraiths and they had to give it up to save The Three. Other than that, no one has heard anything and it’d be impossible to infiltrate.”
“I need to get my hands on another one,” Abel declared, and all eyes came to him. “The ones who met Patricio, did our guy follow them?”
“Not his orders,” Xun answered. “Stay safe. Report back. We all know it’s not safe gettin’ near these guys. He did his job, finished it breathing, and is on his way back.”
Dead end.
Abel kept at it.
“During the rescues, were any vampires detained?”
Callum shook his head. “To my knowledge, so far, the need for termination was utilized.”
“Then we need to tell the teams who locate the next concubines to bring a vampire in breathing,” Abel returned.
“Even if we found one, they’re chipped,” Ryon pointed out. “They’d know that he, or she, has been to the compound.”
“Then I go to them,” Abel returned.
“Brother,” Xun said quietly.
Abel looked to him. “Saved twenty-seven women with what I got outta Miko.”
“You did, within the safety of the compound,” Callum noted.
“Yeah,” Abel shot back. “Now we don’t got that choice. So we locate one, or twelve or a hundred of those motherfuckers, and go to them.”
Callum held his eyes.
Then he turned to Ryon. “We’re tracking the three men who Miko was entertaining, yes?”
“Yes,” Ryon confirmed.
Callum turned back to Abel. “Lucien’s in constant contact with Cosmo. We’ll watch those three men. They might lead us to someone. We’ll notify all those on the hunt for concubines to attempt to bring the vampire captors in alive. And we’ll ask Lucien to tell Cosmo to put together a team to aggressively hunt The True, find a vulnerable one, or several of them, then we go in.”
“Puts Cosmo out there, man,” Xun pointed out.
“He’s already out there as he’s already trying to sniff them out. But we’ll send Stephanie to him. Teffie will have his back,” Callum replied. “And Cosmo will be setting up a team. Won’t be difficult to find vampires willing to undertake a dangerous mission. We just have to approach ones who had their concubines taken.”
“Brother, those vampires will be hostile and unstable,” Ryon warned.
“They’ll also be determined,” Callum returned.
“The vampires don’t want escalation,” Ryon told him. “They want to end this as quietly as possible.”
“Rape and murder were videotaped and posted to share with the masses, Ryon,” Callum noted. “I think quiet is becoming an impossibility.”
Ryon studied his cousin a moment before jerking up his chin.
“Let’s get on this,” Abel growled, bending to snatch up his thermal.
“Right,” Callum agreed.
They finished dressing. They went back to the compound. They did their thing.
Then, fuck them all, they had nothing else to do but wait.
“You got any more of these macadamia nuts, Yuri?” Ruby asked, lounging in an armchair by a window in the library, one leg thrown over an arm, popping macadamia nuts into her mouth after plucking them from a huge-ass silver bowl that lay on her round stomach.
Abel, sitting on a couch next to Delilah and opposite Aurora, who was staring at her bowl on the table between them, her eyebrows pulled together, looked to the witch.
Yuri, standing behind Aurora, looked to his witch.
Aurora twisted her neck and looked up at her vampire.
Then she aimed her eyes back at the bowl on the table and said, “Ruby, can you please be cool? We’re doing something important here.”
“What’s not cool about wanting more macadamia nuts?” Ruby asked. “It’s not like anything is happening.”
“I’d like to know that too,” Jabber said, wandering over to Ruby. “You mind?” he asked her.
“Got no problem sharing the wealth,” Ruby answered, lifting the bowl to Jabber. He took a massive handful, several of them dropping to the carpet.
At that, Abel’s eyes shifted through the room.
All the witches were there, as were Jian-Li, Xun, Wei, and Chen. Hook was there too.
Yuri was there because Abel reckoned he didn’t let Aurora too far out of his sight. And with them were Jabber, Moose, and Gregor.
His family being there, Abel could get. Aurora had told him the potion was ready and a reading was due any second. His family would want to be close to him when he found out where his brother was. And Hook was now family.
He had no fucking clue why the rest were there.
He turned his eyes to Delilah and she gave him big ones before she shrugged.
Not getting the answer he wanted, he decided to communicate verbally.
“You wanna help me out, pussycat?”
“They’re here for moral support,” she explained.
“You wanna help me out, pussycat?” he repeated and watched her fight her grin.
“Jesus! What’s takin’ so fuckin’ long?” Hook suddenly exploded.
“Hook, calm. It’ll happen when it happens,” Jian-Li said. “Patience.”
“It’s not like we’re waitin’ for cookies to bake, for Christ’s sake,” Hook fired back. “A man’s waiting to find his long-lost brother.” He pinned Aurora with his gaze. “Girl, I get this is probably a delicate procedure, but you said you were close and we been in this room for forty-five minutes.”
“I’m sorry, sir, I don’t understand,” Aurora replied, shaking her head. “It should be ready.” She looked back to the bowl with confusion. “It’s given every indication it’s ready.”
“It’s magic and magic is done when magic is done,” Barb put in from her spot next to her daughter on the couch.
“Which means it could take some time so we need more macadamia nuts,” Ruby added.
Abel growled.
“And some beer,” Moose threw in, prowling toward the window, which meant prowling toward the bowl of nuts.
Abel caught Delilah’s eyes and growled again.
“Yuri, son, can’t she zap it with a wand or somethin’?” Hook asked.
“I’ve no idea,” Yuri returned. “I’m a vampire, not a witch. And no offense intended, Hook, but I’m six hundred and fifty years older than you so I’m far from your son.”
Aurora let out a nervous giggle.
“You get me though, yeah?” Hook asked.
“I do, indeed, get you,” Yuri replied, and Aurora let out another nervous giggle, this one she stifled.
“Honey,” Delilah said softly, and Abel watched her lean toward Aurora. “My man is two hundred years old. He’s lived his entire life around humans. Humans he watched being born and fell in love with. Then he watched them grow until they grew old and died. He only found out he had an immortal brother a few days ago. A brother who’s been looking out for him. A brother who could be in his life for the rest of it, which is a very long time. This is tough on him. If that stuff isn’t ready yet, maybe we should go so he could turn his mind to other things.”
Abel wanted to kiss her, but instead, for some reason, he looked to Jian-Li, who was sitting in a chair positioned at the end of the couches.
She was watching Delilah, her face soft, her eyes a mixture of warm, happy, and melancholy. But finally, since Delilah showed in their lives, the warm and happy were winning out.
“I—” Aurora started, then cried, “Oh! It’s happening!”
Abel tensed and Delilah shot back and leaned into his side, her hand coming out to grip his knee.
A poof of gray, green, and red smoke exploded out of the bowl with some green and red sparks. It lifted up, floating straight into the air before it disbursed at the ceiling.
Aurora leaned over the bowl.
“I . . . wait . . . but . . . oh no!” she cried and looked to her mother. “He’s blocked us!”
“Fuck,” Abel snarled.
“Goddammit!” Hook burst out.
“Let me see,” Barb said, leaning forward too. Attention never leaving the bowl, she lifted her hand her daughter’s way, palm up. “Athame, sweetheart.”
Immediately, Aurora reached for a knife on the table and handed it to her mother. Barb used the tip of the blade to stir the liquid in the bowl and they both mumbled over it.
Then Abel saw it happening and knew Delilah did too because he heard her gasp.
The image of a compass formed, undulating with the liquid but looking like it was spinning.
Barb pulled the knife out.
“There it is, there it is,” she whispered. “There!” she exclaimed.
He leaned forward, Delilah leaned with him, he felt everyone gather around them and lean in too, and in the bowl they saw a street map.
“Drat! He’s cloaked,” Aurora snapped.
“What’s that in the bowl?” Delilah asked.
Aurora sat back and lifted her eyes to Delilah. “A street map. Where he is. It should pinpoint him with some kind of beacon, but it isn’t. We just have that street map and nothing further. And that map could be anywhere.”
Abel heard a camera click and looked up to see Chen had taken a picture of the map with his phone.
He wandered away, head bent to his phone, muttering, “Let me see what I can do with this.”
“Use Abel.”
Abel’s head jerked back to look at Yuri, who said these words.
“I’m sorry?” Jian-Li asked.
Yuri looked to her. “Aurora said if she touched Abel, she could find his brother.” He cast his eyes down to Aurora. “Use Abel, my sweet.”
“He’s so digging on her,” Delilah whispered to no one, her lips tipped up, her gaze on Yuri.
“Use me,” Abel said, and Delilah turned her attention to him.
“I . . . well, I already did. I used your blood,” she told him.
“Try again,” he replied.
“Um . . . are you sure?” Aurora asked.
“Would it harm him?” Jian-Li asked.
“No, but it could take even more time,” Aurora answered. “I only didn’t suggest it before because the potion had been marinating and, as you know, should have produced results a while ago.”
Abel stood. “Use me.”
Aurora pressed her lips together, straightened from the couch, and moved to him.
“If we’re lucky, this will go fast. But if he’s blocked us, it may take a while,” she shared.
“Whatever,” he muttered. “Just do it.”
“Ladies, let’s help her out,” Barb called, moving from the couch to come close to where Aurora joined Abel.
Delilah stood and backed away to give them room as Aurora took his hand and led him to an open area. The other witches circled them.
“Ready?” Aurora asked.
“Yep,” he answered.
She nodded.
Then they started. Lifting their hands, all of them, they began chanting. It was disjointed at first, then they got it together and chanted as one.
It turned out Aurora was right.
It did not go fast. Green and red sparkling motes drifted up from their hands and floated all around Abel, but nothing happened.
They kept chanting and the motes kept coming, floating, blinking out, and disappearing.
More chanting. More motes. More nothing.
This went on for what felt like fucking ever and Abel trained his eyes on Delilah.
“Keep with it, baby,” she called her encouragement.
He stood, crossed his arms on his chest, and kept with it.
Barb’s voice started rising and the rest of the witches’ voices rose with hers. They weren’t shouting, but they were loud and more motes formed. Tons of them. They lit the space to the point Abel could see nothing but them.
More chanting (a lot more) and they stopped floating and started swirling.
“What the fuck?” He heard Hook ask.
But he couldn’t see him. He was enveloped in red and green sparks that were spinning around him, now so fast, they were streaks.
“Shh, Hook,” Jian-Li shushed him.
More chanting. More motes. And now the things were blowing like a breeze in his hair and against his clothes and skin.
The witches got louder.
“I am not liking this,” Delilah said.
Then Abel growled and crouched as if to turn to wolf, his fangs descending when he felt it, the threat, right before the swirls exploded in a firework of white sparks and all five of the witches flew back, right to their asses, Aurora doing it and landing on the edge of the table.
Yuri was at her side in a flash, down on a knee, bending over her.
But the threat was gone.
Abel retracted his fangs.
The motes were also gone. The sparks were gone. The room was clear.
“She good?” Abel asked.
Not taking his attention from Aurora, Yuri answered, “Banged up but okay.”
“Yeah, I’m okay,” Aurora said, pulling her hair out of her face.
“He’s blocked,” Ruby decreed.
“Crazy, stupid blocked,” Jezza added.
“Abel, he’s with a witch,” Barb announced, and Abel looked to her. “A powerful one.”
“Come again?” he asked.
“There’s no way to block a witch finding you,” Barb explained, “except by using a witch.”
“We got some mojo,” Ruby declared. “The five of us against one cloaking spell?” She shook her head. “He didn’t find some random witch to give him a bit of invisibility that’d see him through. He’s got an active witch with him who’s keeping him hidden. And whoever she is, she’s got more mojo than us. By a lot.”
“I’m sorry, Abel,” Aurora said softly, and his gaze turned to her to see her on her feet.
“Not a problem. You tried.” He grinned at her. “Even wounded in the battle. I appreciate it.”
She grinned back.
Yuri put an arm around her and tucked her close.
Abel grinned at him, but it was different this time, seeing as the guy was seriously digging his little witch.
He felt Delilah take his hand and he looked down at her.
“Bummer,” she whispered.
He wasn’t sure he agreed, but he could see she felt that word intensely, so he lifted his hand to cup her jaw, running his thumb along her cheek.
She pressed into his hand and he slid it back into her hair and tugged her face into his chest.
She wound her arms around his waist.
He looked to Jian-Li.
The second she saw his eyes on her, she wiped the concern from her expression and gave him a small smile he knew she didn’t feel.
He returned it.
“Sorry, son,” Hook said from close, and Abel turned in that direction just as the man patted him on the arm.
“We’ll try some other things,” Aurora offered.
“That’d be good,” Abel replied, not sure he meant it. His brother wanted to stay hidden? He’d done a brilliant job with that for maybe centuries. Abel wasn’t sure he was real fired up to make him stop. Still, he finished with, “Thanks.”
She tipped her head to the side and grinned at him.
“Fuck, that was some crazy shit. Need bourbon,” Moose grumbled. “Like, immediately.”
That, Abel agreed with.
Delilah pulled away, letting him go. “I’ll go get it.”
“I’ll help,” Aurora said.
“Don’t forget the nuts,” Ruby called as they made their way to the door.
They took off and Abel moved to Jian-Li. He sat on the arm of her chair, bent deep, and touched his lips to the top of her hair.
When he lifted up, she tilted her head back to catch his eyes.
“I’m good,” he said quietly.
She studied him.
Then she reached out, grabbed his hand, and gave it a squeeze.
“Our luck will turn,” she promised.
He squeezed her hand back, hoping she was right.