Wild and Free (The Three #3)(176)

“Brother,” Jabber began, “a lot’s riding on this. Is the old broad that good at tellin’ the future?” he asked, then looked to Poncho’s aunt and added, “No offense.”

She skewered him with her eyes.

“My first wife, she told me the bitch would cheat on me. My second, she told me the bitch would steal from me. My third, she told me the bitch would try to cut me,” Poncho said.

“Whoa,” Jabber breathed, his eyes getting big. “She’s good.”

“Yeah, she’s good,” Poncho returned. “Any other questions?”

“So we sit and wait…more?” Abel asked, pure frustration naked in his tone.

Poncho’s aunt started talking again.

Then Poncho started translating again.

“For you, yes. For her, she has to get started with her protection spells. She says the gringa witches do good work, but what you’re gonna face, you need to pack a punch and she’s gonna give that to you.”

“Well, tell her to get started,” Dad stated immediately.

“Uh…does she speak English?” I asked before Poncho could give the order for her to begin.

“She understands it, doesn’t speak it. Says it f*cks with the purity of her magic,” Poncho answered.

That was interesting.

“She can get started now, Poncho,” Lucien growled.

“Right,” Poncho muttered and turned to his aunt.

“Are you going to take the advice of this witch?” Gregor asked.

“Well, just to say,” I began, “Poncho’s first wife cheated on him, the second stole from him, and the third totally tried to cut him.”

“Fabulous,” Abel muttered, dropping his head to study his boots, so I found his hand with mine and held tight.

“I…” Leah started, and when I looked at her, she was shaking her head. “Well, I feel this is magic, what’s happening, what unites us, what made some of us, what gives us what we have to fight it. So, I figure, someone who knows magic, we should listen to.”

“I’m concerned about further delays, but I must say, I agree,” Sonia put in.

Everyone looked to me.

I kept my eyes on the bruja.

She had her eyes on me.

“Keep us safe,” I whispered.

She nodded and disappeared.

And again, Abel muttered, “Fabulous.”

*

Gregor

Later that night, Gregor sat in his office with Callum’s mother, Regan.

“We’re agreed?” he asked.

She held his eyes and nodded once.

“Yes, Gregor. We’re agreed.”

He grabbed his phone and hit the button, which made the call.

He put it to his ear.

The call was answered with, “Is it time?”

“It’s time. Release them.”

“It will be done,” the voice said.

He listened for the disconnect before he drew in a long breath and let it out.

“They won’t be happy,” he told the desk blotter.

“They slaughtered entire villages.”

Regan’s voice was so harsh, coming from a gentle she-wolf such as she, Gregor’s eyes cut to her in surprise.

“We have no choice,” she finished.

She was right.

They had no choice.

He just hoped, if they survived whatever was to come, The Three would agree.

*

Barb

“We’re all in?”

Barb looked around.

Flo was nodding.

Jezza looked worried, but she was nodding too.

Ruby was just staring at her.

“Ruby?” Barb prompted.

“Could mean the death of us, our entire coven wiped out, all of this in less than two weeks,” Ruby replied.

“Could also mean, we don’t do what we can, we don’t help, next month our coven is hiding our magic, serving tea to an immortal, and doing that crap until the day we die,” Barb replied.

“See your point,” Ruby muttered.

“So, you’re in?” Barb pressed.

Ruby hesitated.

Then she nodded.

“Good,” Barb said and turned to the vials filled with fizzing pink liquid that were on the dresser in her bedroom. She passed them around, saying, “I’ll get Aurora’s to her.” Her eyes slid through Flo and Jezza. “You’ll take care of the wolves and the brothers Jin?”

At their nods, she gave them more vials.

When she gave Ruby hers, she asked, “You’ll speak to Teona?”

“Yup,” Ruby answered.

Barb gave her a second vial.

In their thoughts, preparing for what was to come, they all went to the blessed instruments sitting on Barb’s bed, chose one, and moved toward the door.

“See you in your dreams,” Barb called to their departing backs.

Ruby, the last one out, caught her gaze.

“See you in your dreams, my beloved sister,” she whispered.

Then she closed the door.

The minute she did, Barb went to the bed, made her choice and slipped the blade under her pillow. She would sleep with her hand around the handle.

Then she did what she very much as a mother did not want to do but had to.