Wild and Free (The Three #3)(153)

“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 f*cking 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, *cat?”

“They’re here for moral support,” she explained.

“You wanna help me out, *cat?” he repeated and watched her fight her grin.

“Jesus! What’s takin’ so f*ckin’ 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.