Page 50 of Curse of Ancients

“Where the fuck is my mate?” Tabitha yelled as she threw open the front door.

“In Tony’s bedroom. He’s fine, Tabby,” Luna assured the redhead. Tabitha nodded as she strode through the house and down the hallway.

“Before turning the mages into tadpoles, how about you help reverse the curse on Bayu?”

“I would if I knew how.”

“Nekoma managed to get a journal from the compound that supposedly holds the counter curse. It’s at my house though.”

“Perfect. Mom’s watching the shop, and I need some Juni time. Let me go get Sol.”

They drank their water while waiting on the twins. “I would like to speak with Major before we leave.” Bayu wanted to thank the male for risking his life against the mages.

Carleigh finished her water, and when Bayu downed the rest of his, she took the cans into the pantry. “You may not be able to get close to him with everyone crowded around. Come on.” Carleigh led him down the hallway, and sure enough, the room was full. “Hey, can we get in here? Bayu wants to talk with Major.”

Anthony led Elle out of the room, followed by the twins. Tabitha was lying on the bed next to her mate.

Bayu approached the Gryphon. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry you were hurt, but I appreciate you being there.”

Major rubbed his hand up and down Tabitha’s arm. “It’s what we do. We all know the risks we take going up against evil like the Black Lotus. It helps that we have our own magic users, doctors, and computer specialists.”

“Speaking of doctors, where is Connor?” Carleigh asked.

Luna hadn’t gone far. She was leaning against the door. “He and Alyssa were being followed, so they had to make a detour.”

“Followed? Don’t tell me it was that fucker, Agent Stallings.”

“You mean former agent. They drove to the pet store instead of coming here. Connor couldn’t have helped anyway. The mages used magic on Major, so it took magic to fix him.”

Bayu asked the question that had been at the back of his mind ever since Carleigh told him Connor and Alyssa’s story. “Why hasn’t one of the Gryphons voiced Stallings?”

Tabitha scooted back so she was sitting beside Major instead of lying on his chest. “We’ve talked to Bas about it, and that’s one of the reasons we brought Erik down from New York. We need more Gryphons here, and he is going to get with Connor and Gannon to discuss next steps. We don’t want to make things worse by rushing in without a plan.”

“You mean worse than him being fired and having even more time on his hands to stalk Alyssa?” Luna asked.

“Yes. With him being unemployed, he no longer has the GIA’s connections or computers at his disposal.”

“And that makes him even more of a wild card,” Carleigh added. “But enough about him for now. Bayu has the journal from the Black Lotus that supposedly has the counter curse in it. We and the witches are going to my house to work on that. Major, like Bayu said, we’re glad you’re better. Thank you for being there.”

Major gave them a two-fingered salute. “No problem, but what is the plan for the rest of the cult? We know where their compound is. Are we going to take them out so they can’t continue to come after Bayu?”

Julian, who was standing quietly against the wall, answered. “Leave that to me.”

“What do you have planned, Dad?” Carleigh asked.

“I am going to get Dominic and the other males together. Barrett is still watching the compound. I texted him to keep the drones flying. Since Frey is on the West Coast, I’m calling on Jon to gather supplies. We’ll hit them during the night.”

“And by hit you mean…?”

“I mean annihilate the motherfuckers.”

Carleigh crossed the room and hugged her dad. “You want me to call Bas and tell him what’s going on?”

“I’ll handle that too. You and Bayu need to get the curse removed.” Julian gestured toward the door. “Let’s get a move on. We all have things to do, and I’m sure Tabby wants to make sure Major really is okay.”

“Damn right I do.” Tabitha leaned her head against Major’s. “Please close the door on your way out.”

They didn’t need any further prodding to leave the mates alone. Anthony and Elle were waiting in the kitchen with Solara. Carleigh approached her cousin and his mate, tugging them into a small group hug. “Thank you both for your help. We’re headed home to work on the counter curse.”