And when we got to the witches, we found we were right.
* * * * *
Late that night, everyone was crowded in Gregor’s office. Most people were lounging in the copious seating available (he had a serious big office), including me. I was sitting in Abel’s lap.
Aurora was up and pacing.
Although she was the only one pacing, the air in the room was thick with tension.
Suddenly, Aurora stopped pacing, looked to her mother, and asked, “Did we do all we could do?”
“Yes, sweetheart,” Barb answered. “With the time given and the distance between us, we did all we could do.”
“Teona ain’t no newbie,” Ruby put in. “She’s got serious mojo. We gave it to them good.”
This loosened a bit of the tightness I felt in my chest and I looked to Teona. When she felt my eyes and looked to me, I smiled.
She winked.
I totally liked Abel’s sister-in-law.
“The operation began three hours ago,” Abel declared, eyes to Callum before they moved to Lucien. “Your gut, what does it mean that we haven’t heard anything?”
Callum looked to Lucien before both men scanned the room, their gaze stopping with meaning on any woman it touched.
There you had it. Protective vampires and wolves.
I rolled my eyes.
“Give it to us straight, darling,” Leah encouraged Lucien. “We can take it.”
“As you wish, my pet,” he replied, then looked to Abel. “It could mean they were successful, but just barely, and are currently securing a safe place in which to hide and see to Serena if, and this is a good possibility, she’s been harmed.”
That wasn’t great, the good possibility of Serena being harmed, but the possible outcome was, so I relaxed against my man.
“Or, it could mean The True decimated them and there’s no one to report back,” Lucien finished.
“Fuck,” I whispered, not relaxed anymore at all.
“We cannot know until we know,” Jian-Li pointed out the obvious. “So there is no need to waste negative energy on lamenting loss when we aren’t certain we’ve sustained one. And as positive energy sustains these beings, gives them their light, their lives, it’s crucial we honor them by staying as positive as we can.”
Yeesh, if all her ancestors were as wise as her, it was no wonder Abel was so smart.
On this thought, I felt something funny so I looked to Abel to see his gaze aimed across the room. There was a small smile playing at his mouth.
I looked where his eyes were aimed, but I knew what I’d see.
The mirror image of my man, including the smile playing at his mouth.
Cain.
He knew his parents had chosen well as to who would raise Abel.
But I bet it didn’t suck to have that confirmed.
We all fell silent and I held Abel and his brother’s nonverbal communication close, using that to send positive energy out there to Serena and her mate and all those who were trying to save her.
Our silence lasted awhile before Dad broke it, muttering, “Christ, I could use a doobie.” I looked to him to see his eyes on Gregor. “You got any pot around this joint? My stash ran out three days ago.”
I felt Abel shaking with laughter and I turned to grin at him just when an unmistakable boop, boop, boop-ing sound came from Gregor’s computer.
His eyes sliced to it as his hand went with vampire speed to his mouse.
He clicked.
The boop, boop, boop-ing stopped and the room filled with a deep, smooth voice.
“Serena has been secured.”
I slumped against Abel as relief swept the room.
“However, the losses were again great,” the voice went on.
The relief vanished.
“We’re safe. My mate is weak, but she’s being seen to,” the voice kept going.
That meant it was Gastineau.
“The news of losses is distressing, Gastineau,” Gregor replied to the computer. “But I’m very pleased to hear of Serena’s rescue.”
“You have the phantoms,” Gastineau declared, and I stopped slumping against Abel. “A delegation is en route to your compound now. I’ll send missives to the rest. And you’re already aware that my queen has committed her wraiths to the side of The Real True.”
“We’re most grateful,” Gregor told him. “I await your delegation and word of Serena’s successful recovery.”
“Right,” Gastineau returned, then there was a different boop sound and I knew he had disconnected.
“Not a surprise. Positive energy works,” Teona stated, and I saw her smiling at Jian-Li. “Not our asses on the line, and probably just hopeful we did anything to help, but hope is powerful. We can never forget that.”
She was not wrong.
“No truer words spoken,” Barb voiced my thoughts (kinda).
“I’d suggest another jamboree, but all I got in me is to fuck my vamp and crash in preparation of whatever shit we’re gonna face tomorrow,” Dad declared. “So I’m off to hit the hay.”
I grinned and looked at Abel, who was looking at Dad and shaking his head.
It didn’t take long for us to disburse, which we did on quiet, relieved, but edgy good-nights and tight hugs.
Abel and I were silent all the way to our room. We remained silent as we got ready for bed.
I continued the silence when we slipped between the sheets and he pulled me in his arms, front-to-front, and tucked my face into his throat.
I was guessing this meant no nookie.
I was disappointed, but I got that. He had a lot on his mind and I had to give him space to sort through it.