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She smacked Tony on the back of the head “Because Gio says we don’t call the police!” She said it like it was thein the entire world, and Tony actually seemed chastened

“If you hadn’t noticed yet, there’son outside,” Gio snarled

“Lucien is shooting fire from his hands!” called out his cousin Annabella

“How are you going to explain that to the cops?” Gio demanded

Tony flushed, rubbing his head “I don’t know, but people are shooting at our house”

“Who are these people, Vanni?” his father asked

“They’re called pestilents, and they are trying to kill all humans,” Gio explained quickly as he tried to sneak another look out theat Lucien Noasn’t the tiet into it

“Well, that’s not nice at all,” his great-aunt Mary declared fro “You need to tell theo away”

“Definitely not welcoreat-aunt Donna added

“We can’t sit here and do nothing!” Tony shouted to be heard over the sudden rising tide of conversation about interlopers to their parties

“We’re not,” Gio growled Keeping low, Gio hurried to the rear of the house, cutting through the dining roo in the kitchen at the big center island, typing away on his phone “Tell ”

Wiley lifted fear-filled eyes as he shook his head “No There’s nothing I can do here All the protection spells that I’ve found take redients than I can find here Even if I started hunting down substitutes for stuff, we’re talking hours of prep, and then I still won’t be strong enough to cast on my own”

But if he’d just accepted his fate as Lucien’s and Calder’s ift that could be helping the three ht now to protect him and his family

“Fuck!” Gio shouted, shoving both his hands into his hair He hurried over to theover the sink that looked into the backyard The bonfire had been extinguished, but he could still see Calder frohts on the house Water swirled and crashed around hi to reach hi could he keep this up?

“Gio?”

He turned to see his mother’s concerned expression “Ma, I can’t stay in here and do nothing I need to get out there and help them”