Chapter 142: Enough is Enough
[Gideon].
"ENOUGH!" I shout. Both men gape, their eyes staring. I hardly ever raise my voice and here I am, standing between these two big men, scolding them in the way Rosie often had to do to keep the peace. "Don't you see what you are doing? What he is making you do to one another? You are falling right into Vincent's trap. This is how he works. He messes with your mind first before he tears you apart in other ways. He wants us all at each other's throats so that we aren't focused on finding him and getting our Rosie back."
The other two men paused, looking at one another as if trying to decide whether it was worth it. Does it matter if you are correct in an argument if it is at the expense of everyone you love?
After a few more moments, they drop their arms to their sides. Exhaling deeply, I take a step back and watch them as they consider my words. This isn’t the first time they’ve been at each other’s throats, and it ended in Rosie getting hurt or worse. Axel and Evander’s feud was one of the contributing factors in Slone being open to possession, which gave Victor a way to get to Rosie in the first place.
I don't mean to say it is all their fault for being possessive, testosterone-riddled jerks. Their behavior, however, was a contributing factor.
“You’re right,” Evander takes responsibility for his actions. "We need to do better, for Rosie's sake and all of us." Placing a hand on my shoulder and giving it a little squeeze. I know he doesn’t like to be wrong, but he is a big enough man to admit it when he is. “We need to be working together now, more than anything.”
Axel doesn’t apologize, but he also doesn’t yell or argue. This feels like a move in the right direction. He has been so unreachable on a human level since Rosie's fall, his only emotions being pain and anger.
"The question is," Evander states, his hands in his pockets as he rocks on his heels, "where did he take her? Did you see or hear anything that could help?"
Two sets of eyes watch me carefully, expectant, waiting for me to give them some type of secret message left behind for us to find.
I bow my head. "No. He specifically said not to follow him. He didn't say anything that would help us find her."
"So we have no way to find where he took her?" Axel starts to grow agitated again. "God damn it, Gideon."
I try not to feel offended by his targeted anger, but it is difficult. He might be the most outward with his feelings, but that doesn't mean we aren't hurting too. My heart feels close to breaking with worry at what Vincent might be doing to her and our babies at this moment. The man has absolutely no moral compass. He'd have no problem killing our babies to see how they tick.
Swallowing, I speak calmly and quietly in an attempt to keep tempers from flaring. "We don't know exactly where she is, but if we can get close enough, we can use other means to find her. Let's try to figure out what we do know. Everyone involved in his operation has been connected to LA in some way," I remind them. "Rosie, Slone, Enchantra. He put a lot of time and energy into Rosie's creation. I think it is likely that he is based somewhere around there as well."
We spent the rest of the hour planning. After I reminded them all that I'm a witch after all, and that we have more than one set of skills at our disposal, the rest of the ideas started to flow easily. Evander knows a few things that might help as well. Axel realizes he has connections in the Los Angeles Pack and could probably get the southern wolves to help as well.
We are not completely helpless or friendless. That's what Victor wants us to believe. That doesn't mean that it is true.
Within moments of deciding, our plan is set into motion. After dropping Patrick and Rafe back home, Evander, Gideon, and I travel by shadow road to the city of Los Angeles. Evander's family owns property along the entire California coastline, so we already have a place to stay.
Minutes after arriving, Axel is on the phone with the local werewolf packs. There are 7 urban packs, each claiming a different part of the city and surrounding countryside. They are investigating any rumors they may have heard about strange happenings in homes, buildings, or abandoned warehouses. If they are in LA, we will know.
I tried to contact the local coven, but it was a bust. Vincent infiltrated it years ago, turned them all into warlocks, and there was no one left to take over. Now the only witches in Hollywood are the ones played by actors on TV.
That doesn't mean I am helpless. I am connected to Rosie through our auras and our child. Using both our spiritual and physical connections, I began to craft the spell that should allow us to focus on her exact location as soon as we have a ballpark idea of where she might be. Los Angeles is too big for us to scry all at once for something as small as a single person.
Evander hits the beach and makes a social call to the local pod of selkies and the parliament of sirens. They both agree to use their skills and their eyes to help search for his missing queen. The pixies and high elves of Hollywood are also on the lookout. Within 24 hours, there won't be a single stone or stick left upturned in all of Los Angeles County.
After a hard day's work, the three of us sit around a table, sharing stories and drinking beer. While each of us has different connections to Rosie, there is one thing we can agree on: She is the love of our life.
"We'll find her, cousin," Evander gives Axel a sideways hug. At first, I thought he would fight it, but instead, he let himself be held. Tears slowly start streaming down his face as he finally finds the strength to cry.
"I miss her so much," he wipes his eyes. "We were supposed to get married, and then this happened. Again.
"She isn't lost," I tell him. "We'll get her back." I want to promise him a happily ever after, but nothing is set in stone. I want to believe the words I am saying, that she will be in our arms again soon.
Which is why I say nothing. I just take a deep swig of my drink and pray.
Axel's phone starts to vibrate.
We all jump. He opens his phone and smiles.
"We have a lead!" He whoops. "Goddess bless her, we have a lead!"