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Wiley closed his hands into fists to keep from reaching for the man.
Lucien ran his hand over his bald scalp. “This is a hell of a lot to take in.” He looked at Wiley. “And you?”
“I’m just here because of a mix-up. Only an observer and eager helper if possible.”
And it kind of sucked. He’d mostly come to terms with it. If he could just find some way to be useful to them, maybe he could stay on. The Flash might have been the one with powers, but he had his loyal team of friends who helped him with research and gadgets. He could do that too.
“And since Flo is here, that makes you hers and our missing Fire Weaver,” Grey said.
“What?” Lucien asked, his voice cracking a little in his shock. Wiley’s heart picked up its pace, and he nearly squeaked himself in excitement. A new Weaver. The Fire Weaver. This was so cool.
“Florina, goddess of earth and fire, at your service,” Aunt Flo said with a regal bow of her head.
Lucien shook his head. “This is fucking insane. What exactly were you fighting besides rats?” Just ignoring the fact that he was going to get the power to manipulate fire. If this were Wiley, he would have been asking all about the powers, but then he’d already seen the pestilents in action and heard about them.
“They’re beings we call pestilents,” Flo explained. “They come from another dimension, and their whole purpose is to create a large enough rift into this world so they can steal energy from us to save their dying world.”
“Like aliens?” Lucien snorted.
“Something like that. They don’t belong here. You’ve noticed they smell, haven’t you?”
Lucien easily nodded, seeming to relax some, as if some of what he was hearing was finally making sense. “There have been others after me, and yeah, I’ve noticed the stink.”
“They don’t belong here,” Flo said. “So, they slowly rot while they’re on Earth. It’s why they don’t stay long and why they don’t send more after us.”
“Why aren’t those things attacking us here?” Lucien asked.
Flo smiled, but there was a tightness to her lips that she couldn’t quite hide. “My sisters and I have a spell around this place, but it’s not going to last. Have you guys had any luck finding the spell books?”
“What spell books?” Baer asked.
“Flo mentioned to me about the Circle having a collection of spell books that were handed down over the generations,” Clay said and directed his attention over to Flo. “We’ve gone through the attic and only found one trunk that used to belong to someone named Oz.”
She closed her eyes for a moment. “He was such a sweet boy.”
Cold reality smacked Wiley hard. He might envy their powers, but this was a life and death situation. Any one of these guys could be killed at any time. He tightened his hands into fists. He might not have powers, but he’d fight to keep them alive. Why couldn’t he have taken those self-defense classes his grandmother had suggested?
“You’re going to need those spell books, so I suggest you start looking harder. They should have been left here.” Flo smoothed her hands down her long skirt. “Especially if they’ve already started sending the wizards. Like I said, they don’t have many, but those they have are powerful.”
“That’s good to know,” Clay muttered as he kept running his hands through Dane’s hair. “We’ll start going through all the furniture in the attic again tomorrow. Search the rest of the house as well.”
Baer shifted on the couch and Wiley pulled away a little, not wanting to cause him any pain. Baer surprised him by grabbing his wrist and holding him in place. He might not have a lot to offer these powerful guys, but he could offer comfort. Wiley turned his arm and Baer instantly released him, but before Baer could pull his hand away, Wiley captured it, threading their fingers together. Their eyes met, Baer’s shining with something Wiley couldn’t quite read other than thanks.
He snuggled down next to him, not caring about the blood drying on Baer’s clothes. In that moment, he only wanted to ease Baer, take away some of the pain he must still be feeling. Wiley wondered if the healing had gone all the way through, or if maybe Baer was sore like it was an older wound now.
So many questions!
But now didn’t seem like the time for them. He just held on to Baer and sat silently. Waiting to see what would happen next.“Grey, could you let Ruby in? She’s at the door.” Baer could have gotten up to do it, but he was feeling pretty damn tired and besides, Wiley felt good snuggled up against him. He wasn’t ready to let the man go.
Ruby ran up to him, sniffed him, and was immediately upset. He soothed his dog with his free hand. “I’m okay, sweetheart,” he said under his breath. “All good now.”
