“We’re standin’ around ’cause we got plenty of time to stand around, seein’ as fuck all is happening,” Abel shared with the room. “But we actually don’t have time to stand around, seeing as people’s lives are in danger. Around about a few billion of them. So something has to give with that. Now, while we wait for Poncho’s auntie to reappear, maybe you all can tell us how you can use what you got to do something to help save the world,” he suggested, lifting a hand and pointing a finger toward Barb, but he turned it side to side to indicate Ruby and Aurora too.

“What do you want us to do?” Barb asked instantly, easy as that, and I blinked.

“Whatever you can do,” Abel shot back. “But seein’ as I don’t know what that is, maybe you can tell us so we can get you started.”

“It’d be helpful if we had more witches and the bruja would work with us,” Barb told him.

“Poncho’s currently workin’ on that,” Abel returned. “As for more witches, that’s up to you to recruit. But you still haven’t answered what you can do, with others or with what you got.”

“Well, we can cast protection spells,” Aurora shared. “And we can do location spells, as you know. Though, we need blood from the person you want to locate, and if not blood, then hair.”

“The first might help. The second, as we have no blood of our enemies, or anything else, no,” Callum said. “What else?”

Aurora lifted her hands up to her sides. “It really kinda depends on the situation.”

“The situation is saving the world,” Abel clipped, clearly losing patience.

I got close to him, grabbed his hand, and murmured, “Baby.”

“Auntie says she’ll come back if the women leave the room,” Poncho announced, and we all turned to him. “Not the witches.” He dipped his head my way and said, “You three.”

“Why?” I asked.

“She said you’re dangerous,” Poncho answered.

“What? How?” I pressed.

He looked to the ceiling, nodded, muttered, “Unh-hunh, unh-hunh,” then he looked to me. “Lilah, darlin’, auntie says you got lethal energy. Says that one”—he jerked his head to Leah—“is a human vampire and that shit’s not right, though she didn’t say ‘shit.’” He finished by indicating Sonia with another jerk of his head. “And she says that one is every animal all in one and that shit’s not right either.”

“Whoa,” Leah breathed.

“Sounds like you might not need witch help,” Ruby noted.

I ignored her and lifted my hand to wave it around, saying to Poncho, “We have abilities. We’re The Three. But we’re cool. We wouldn’t hurt her.”

Poncho looked to the ceiling, did some nodding, and returned to me. “Auntie says you three have enough power to take over the world.”

My voice rose. “What?”

“Whoa!” Leah exclaimed.