Page 59 of Cursed Sight
Ethan stared at the empty bathroom as his brain tried to catch up. Serena was gone. Whoever was after her had clearly been there, right where they were standing. Did Serena go on her own? Why didn’t he hear her cry for help? Squeezing his hands into fists, he felt the hard metal wrapped around his finger. The onyx ring could only locate him, and he wished Serena wore one herself. Tapping into her, he sensed her confusion, but before he could call out, there was nothing.
“E, can you reach her?” Brandy asked.
He shook his head. He wondered if the panic squeezing his heart was written all over his face.
“Breathe, man. We’ll get her back,” Ryan told him and clasped his shoulder.
Ethan could not stop shaking his head. “Why would she go?”
“We don’t know, sweetie,” Brandy whispered.
“Look at me,” Peter demanded, and he found himself doing just that. “We have everything we need to find her. Take a quick moment to have a breakdown if you need to, but then wrap that shit tight.”
Ethan nodded.Is this what bobble heads feel like?he wondered.
“Get him a shot of something hard,” Junior commanded.
“No!” Ryan countered. “Alcohol will not help. Plus, it doesn’t affect any of us like you think. It could mess with him tapping into his magic. He’s still learning. Junior, help me get him to the couch.”
Ethan was trapped in hell. It was the only explanation for everything happening. There was no way Serena would have left without throwing up a fight. She knew someone wanted to hurt her.
“Serena? Angel?”he called, and if not for the tiny spark he sensed, he would have described it as a void.
“What’s blocking her from me?” he muttered.
“Do you sense anything? Anything at all?” Brandy asked as she kneeled before him.
He nodded. “Like a small spark.”
“That’s good. Really good, man. The person might have only knocked her out, so when she comes to, you’ll be able to talk to her,” Ryan said.
Knocked out. Ethan was not sure in what world being knocked out was remotely good, especially not after learning some bastard had hit her hard enough to break her cheekbone.
Brandy shook her head. “Rye? Shut up, you’re not helping!”
“Guys, my sense of smell is the best in my wolf form, but it’s too light outside. Someone sees me running down the street, they’re going to call animal control,” Peter stated.
Brandy pushed to her feet and stood before Peter. Ethan recognized the spell immediately but noticed she added something to the end.
“Whoa, where did he go?” Carter shouted.
“Go. I’ll tell him,” Max stated before sitting beside Ethan on the couch. “He wants you to know he’ll do everything he can to find her.”
Ethan covered his face, feeling entirely helpless without Serena or his connection to her.
“Ethan,” Brandy snapped, and Ethan realized it was not the first time she had called him by his name. When their eyes met, her lips thinned. “It’s time to shut these emotions down. You’re acting like a normal person, and you’re the furthest thing from normal. You’re the fucking oracle of the coven. Our blood line is strong, and our magic stronger. Get your shit together!”
She was right. He gave her a firm nod and looked around at the proud yet amused expressions on the faces of the people he loved the most. After pushing himself to his feet, he paced the length of the room, and a few things hit the ground. “You’re right. Let me think.”
Needing to stretch his power, Ethan placed the items back where they belonged. He stopped in front of a broken framed picture of the seven of them and shut his eyes. Digging deep inside, he mentally placed the broken shards into place. When he bent to pick it up, he was pleased to see the glass had returned to its previous condition.
“Ryan?” he called. “Show me how to conjure a candle. James, fill a bowl with water. Max, bring over the catnip in the pot. Junior, move this couch against the wall.”
Everyone moved at once, gathering what was needed or helping set the living room like he’d asked. Thankfully, the spell Ethan needed to learn was simple. Focusing like Ryan instructed, he envisioned the notepad on which Serena and he had come up with a list of suspects. On a separate sheet in front of him, he rewrote every name, including any they scratched off, then tore it into small strips of paper.
Ethan rearranged the items on the floor around him and pointed at the position in front of him. “James, you’re spirit.” Next Ethan pointed at the spot to the left of him. “Brandy, you’ve got air tonight. Max, you’re in front of the catnip to her right. Ryan, you’ve got fire, and, Junior? You’ll stand in for water.”
Each person did as he asked, and his sisters-in-law sat back and watched. Standing in the middle, Ethan dug deep into the source of his magic. A light breeze blew through the room when Brandy called it forth.
