His family being there, Abel could get. Aurora had told him the potion was ready and a reading was due any second. His family would want to be close to him when he found out where his brother was. And Hook was now family.

He had no fucking clue why the rest were there.

He turned his eyes to Delilah and she gave him big ones before she shrugged.

Not getting the answer he wanted, he decided to communicate verbally.

“You wanna help me out, pussycat?”

“They’re here for moral support,” she explained.

“You wanna help me out, pussycat?” he repeated and watched her fight her grin.

“Jesus! What’s takin’ so fuckin’ long?” Hook suddenly exploded.

“Hook, calm. It’ll happen when it happens,” Jian-Li said. “Patience.”

“It’s not like we’re waitin’ for cookies to bake, for Christ’s sake,” Hook fired back. “A man’s waiting to find his long-lost brother.” He pinned Aurora with his gaze. “Girl, I get this is probably a delicate procedure, but you said you were close and we been in this room for forty-five minutes.”

“I’m sorry, sir, I don’t understand,” Aurora replied, shaking her head. “It should be ready.” She looked back to the bowl with confusion. “It’s given every indication it’s ready.”

“It’s magic and magic is done when magic is done,” Barb put in from her spot next to her daughter on the couch.

“Which means it could take some time so we need more macadamia nuts,” Ruby added.

Abel growled.

“And some beer,” Moose threw in, prowling toward the window, which meant prowling toward the bowl of nuts.

Abel caught Delilah’s eyes and growled again.

“Yuri, son, can’t she zap it with a wand or somethin’?” Hook asked.

“I’ve no idea,” Yuri returned. “I’m a vampire, not a witch. And no offense intended, Hook, but I’m six hundred and fifty years older than you so I’m far from your son.”

Aurora let out a nervous giggle.

“You get me though, yeah?” Hook asked.

“I do, indeed, get you,” Yuri replied, and Aurora let out another nervous giggle, this one she stifled.

“Honey,” Delilah said softly, and Abel watched her lean toward Aurora. “My man is two hundred years old. He’s lived his entire life around humans. Humans he watched being born and fell in love with. Then he watched them grow until they grew old and died. He only found out he had an immortal brother a few days ago. A brother who’s been looking out for him. A brother who could be in his life for the rest of it, which is a very long time. This is tough on him. If that stuff isn’t ready yet, maybe we should go so he could turn his mind to other things.”