Wild and Free by Kristen Ashley
That was a good comeback and Chen knew it because he gave her a scowl, then looked to the door.
And when he did, it opened and Caleb walked through.
The room went wired and everyone jumped to their feet.
“All’s clear,” he announced, and the tension immediately evaporated as relief flooded the space. “You’re all to stay here while they see to some cleanup.”
I watched Sonia scrunch her nose and had a feeling I knew what that meant, and what that meant was gross.
I didn’t care. I’d take gross. I wanted to see Abel.
Before I could relay this desire to Caleb, Jabber piped up.
“Can someone bring me a pack of smokes and a lighter?”
Caleb looked to him. “That’s not our number one priority right now, Jabber.”
“Can someone make it their number two priority?” Jabber returned.
“Uh, hate to cut in, but can someone at least tell the guys to come down?” I asked. “All of the male Three, but also Wei and Xun. Just, you know…because,” I finished lamely.
Caleb looked to me. “I’ll talk to them, Lilah. But Callum reported directly to me and said they’re all unharmed.”
“That’s good to know. Thanks,” I replied, still wanting to see my man.
“My smokes?” Jabber butted in.
“Jab—” Caleb started.
Jabber cut him off. “I can see the boys not wantin’ the women to see dead shit, blood, and body parts, but I don’t got a problem with that, so at least can I get outta this fuckin’ room?”
“Me too,” Chen put in.
“Fine,” Caleb agreed shortly, stepping aside to let them pass. Both men moved quickly to the door.
“So the men can leave, but the women can’t?” Leah asked, and Caleb turned his eyes to her.
“Callum ordered you all stay here. So you all stay here,” Caleb returned.
“I’m not fond of blood and body parts, therefore, I’ll stay and have another cup of tea,” Jian-Li murmured as she sat in the armchair that Chen vacated, leaning forward to the teapot and cups that were on the coffee table in front of her.
“I’ll ask them to come down as soon as they can,” Caleb said and wasted no time backing out and closing the door.
Leah flopped on the couch, grumbling, “Maybe I will do tequila shots. It’ll serve Lucien right for sticking me in a bunker and leaving me here.”
I sat next to her and asked, “Do you want to see blood and body parts?”
I asked this because I really didn’t. I could be a tough cookie, but I was okay with not seeing that, just as long as Abel showed (and soon).
She looked to me. “I want to see my husband.”
Obviously, I got that and nodded, then pointed out, “Sorry to say, there’s no tequila. Just coffee and tea. I probably shouldn’t have mentioned it. We’ll be certain that they equip our bunker better next time.”
She huffed out a breath but said no more.
Jian-Li lifted the pot my way in a nonverbal offer of tea. I shook my head. So did Sonia and Leah when Jian-Li offered it to them. Regan accepted.
The waiting before seemed to take back-to-back eternities.
The waiting right then thankfully didn’t last that long.
The door opened and the men walked in.
Lucien whisked Leah out in a whoosh. Callum went directly to Sonia.
Abel came to me as Wei and Xun went to Jian-Li.
He looked fine. Tired but fine. Both Wei and Xun looked the same (though, Xun had a bandaged hand).
When Abel got close, he lifted both hands to cup my jaw, dipped in, ran his temple along mine, caught my eyes, and whispered, “It’s all good.”
I nodded, clutching his tee at its sides, staring into his eyes, and believing him.
It was all good. Everyone was alive, breathing, and fine.
Thank God, it was all good.
For now.
And this was great at the same time it sucked, because I knew as for tomorrow being good, we would have to wait and see.
Chapter Nineteen
At All Costs
Abel
“I don’t know how it happened,” Abel watched Patricio say to his phone, which he had held up in front of him and on speaker. “It’s like they knew the golem were to attack.”
Abel was in his room with him, though he’d mind-controlled Patricio into not seeing him, as well as putting the call to his superiors on speaker so Abel could listen.
It was the morning after the attack.
They’d sent a shit-ton of golem. And golem were huge, strange-looking, lethal motherfuckers that Abel hoped he never encountered again. They’d sent so many because it was clear they meant business. It wasn’t an exercise. They meant to annihilate The Three, or as many of them as they could get.
And the golem who showed absolutely meant business. It was lucky they’d found the traitors, or Abel didn’t know what the outcome would have been.
It could have been ugly.
It could have been the end.
But it wasn’t and that was where they were now.
Still alive.
Still breathing.
Now they had to move the fuck on.
They just didn’t know to where.
“Bjorn?” the voice on the other end asked.
“I can’t ask him, seeing as he was killed in the fight,” Patricio answered.
This was true. Bjorn lost his head and he’d done it to Wei’s sword. Abel had been close. It was unavoidable. It was Wei or Bjorn and Abel thanked God it came out the way it did.
“As far as I know, he was faithful to The True until the end,” Patricio finished.
“He was killed by golem?” the voice asked.
“I wasn’t there, but as our orders were to remain covert, which meant he had to at least pretend to fight them, I can only assume that’s the case,” Patricio told him.
That wasn’t the case. When they’d met the surprise attack with prepared force, things turned pretty quickly for the golem, which meant Bjorn switched sides pretty quickly, to his detriment.
Press for details of what they’re doing next, Abel ordered.
“What are your plans?” Patricio asked into the speaker.
“None of your concern,” the voice replied. “Find out if they knew about the attack, and if they did, how.”
Keep pushing but be smart about it, Abel commanded.
“I could be of further help if I knew what Etienne was planning for his next move,” Patricio said.
“I’m not certain how that would be or why you’re requesting this information, Patricio, when you know it isn’t yours to have unless we feel it pertinent to share it with you,” the voice returned.
Back off, Abel demanded.
“You weren’t here,” Patricio snapped. “They were merciless. You sent two hundred and fifty golem and only seven survived the fight.”
Those seven didn’t know either. They’d had their mission and that was all they had. Abel had gotten that information out of them the night before.
Though, there were more golem allied with The True, and what they were up to was anyone’s guess.
“Do you fear for your safety?” the voice asked.
“They have no idea I’m True,” Patricio replied.
“Then do your job,” the voice ordered. “Watch. Listen. Report. If we have anything for you, we’ll be in contact.”
“Right,” Patricio said into the phone, but he was talking to no one. The voice on the other line was gone.
You’re needed, Abel, immediately. In the hall. Keep Patricio in his room as you leave.
This came into his head in Lucien’s voice, the first time he’d done that to Abel, and Abel tensed when it started. Then he gave his orders to Patricio and walked out of the room, seeing Lucien just outside the door.
Lucien caught his eyes and immediately moved down the hall, doing it quickly, his body language communicating urgency.
Abel foll
Lucien only stopped when they were all the way down the hall and had descended half a flight of stairs.
“What?” Abel asked before Lucien could say anything.
“Moose has returned,” Lucien told him.
“Shit,” Abel clipped, his stomach tightening. “Is he okay?”
“He’s perfectly fine. The three humans he brought with him, however, are not.”
Abel stared at the vampire.
“Come,” Lucien murmured and again began to descend the stairs.
Abel followed all the way to the front door, out it, down the steps, and to an SUV that had a wolf behind the wheel.
Lucien got in the backseat and Abel angled in beside him.
They barely closed their doors before the wolf hit the gas.
He turned to Lucien. “Wanna tell me what’s goin’ on?”
“I don’t know,” Lucien replied. “This was called in. They didn’t give details, just asked for us to come to where Moose is and where they’re holding the humans. Callum was out with his wolves and he’s on his way. We’ll be at the barracks where they’re holding them shortly.”
Abel nodded.
“Did you get anything from Patricio?” Lucien asked.
Abel shook his head. “Nothin’. Worse, tried to get him to press for info, but the minute he did, they shut him down. Patricio reported it was like we knew there was an attack coming, and with the other one out of the picture, they can’t know which one gave it up. But if Patricio pushes when that’s not his normal gig, they might turn to thinkin’ it’s him. We gotta be cool with that.”
“Annoying,” Lucien murmured, his eyes drifting to the windshield.
“Any word from Serena?” Abel asked, and Lucien gaze returned to him.
“Not that I know of.”
“Annoying,” Abel muttered.
Lucien’s lips turned up just as the SUV started to slow. Abel looked out the window and saw they were at a barrack at the far northwest part of the property. There was a lot of activity outside, and Abel had never been there to know for certain, but it seemed more than what would be normal late-morning activity at a vampire barrack.
They got out and Abel followed Lucien into the barrack.
Ryon met them inside the doors and said instantly, “This way.”
They moved behind Ryon down a hall to the end and into a room that was guarded outside by two wolves.
The door closed behind them.
In the room were Callum, Moose, and three young men who looked like they were in their midtwenties.
They were also fucked right the hell up. Eyes nearly swollen shut. Noses twice their size, one of the kids’ looked broken. Fat and split lips. Serious bruising. Cuts seeping blood. All of them holding their bodies gingerly like the visual damage was not all they’d sustained.
They were also warily surveying the vampires and wolves in the room and looking scared out of their minds.
They looked something else too. Something that creeped Abel right the fuck out. That being, when he and Lucien walked in and the men’s attention turned to them, they looked less scared and more hungry.
And not for food.
For whatever Abel would give them.
“Right, you’re here. I can get this out all in one go, then get back and get some shut-eye,” Moose proclaimed the moment the door shut behind them, and Abel tore his attention from the guys and turned it to Moose.
He motioned to the kids with a swing of his arm and Abel saw his knuckles were split and bloodied, but otherwise, he looked fine.
“Was at a bar coupla days back, doin’ my thing. Heard these fuckers talkin’,” he began. “They were hammered. The kind of drunk that makes you messy and they got all kinds of messy.”
“And how’s that?” Callum prompted when Moose quit talking.
Moose jabbed a finger at one of the kids. “That one was off on one, braggin’ about how good it felt to get fed from while takin’ it up the ass.”
Abel looked to the kid Moose indicated. Blond, slight, his was the nose that looked broken.
Moose kept going, “The other two, they didn’t like that shit, seein’ as they didn’t get their asses fucked, but they did get fed from and wanted the other with it. Now, I don’t give a shit what a body’s gotta do to get off. I just got tweaked when they were talkin’ about bein’ fed from. So I paid attention. They didn’t say much more, seein’ as they got into a bitch slappin’ fight. Middle of this, some big dude walks in and gives them a look. They all immediately go docile and follow him out.”
“Vampire?” Lucien asked.
“I didn’t know, but I guessed and followed them,” Moose replied. “Since vamps can sense things, didn’t get close enough to watch, not that I’d wanna see that shit. But between me kickin’ the snot outta them and bringin’ them here, they spilled the dude was vamp.”
“Shit, Moose,” Abel clipped. “You followed a vampire without backup?”
“Yeah,” Moose retorted curtly. “And it’s good I did, seein’ as he had three boy toys to take his concentration so he didn’t make me, even if I stayed distant, because now I know where the motherfucker is stayin’. It’s far enough to be off compound radar, but it’s still close. I been watchin’ and followin’ for days now so I also know that these assholes”—he swung an arm out to the men again—“are his human eyes and ears on the compound. Not only that, they pass some shit to some dude named Bjorn in the compound.”
“This is all very good information, Moose,” Callum stated. “But that doesn’t explain why they aren’t in very good condition and are here instead of simply you being here reporting this to us so we could utilize this intelligence and they could stay in play.”
“They made me,” Moose explained. “Tried to jump me.” He shrugged. “That didn’t work out too good for them.”
Abel looked back to the kids, thinking Moose was not wrong.
“Did you get the vampire’s name?” Callum asked.
“They called him Miko,” Moose answered.
“You have an address on where he’s staying?” Lucien asked.
“Already gave that to Stephanie. She’s been and gone, took off with it,” Moose told him.
Lucien stepped back, pulling his phone out of his pocket, and murmured, “I’ll give her a call.”
Callum turned to Abel. “We need them back in play.”
“Say what?” Moose asked, and Callum turned back to him.
“We’ll brief you later,” he said and again gave his attention to Abel. “Make up a story as to why they’re in the shape they’re in, erase all memory of Moose and their visit to the compound, and get them back in play. Once they’re set loose, they need to get the vampire away from where he’s staying so we can set up electronic surveillance.”
Abel lifted his chin to Callum and moved to the young men. They shrunk from him, but he got that under control, thought fast, and sorted out the rest.
When he was done, he stepped back and looked to Callum. “They’re good to go.”
Callum nodded and turned to Ryon. “Get them out of here, let them loose, but put a human on them. The minute Miko’s clear, get eyes and ears on him.”
“Got it,” Ryon muttered, opened the door, motioned to some wolves beyond it, and they moved in.
Callum got close to Abel and they watched the men being moved out.
Once they were gone, Lucien finished his phone call and joined their huddle.
“Stephanie knows of this vampire. She’s never met him, but she’s not surprised he’s part of The True,” Lucien shared.
“They’re everywhere,” Abel muttered.
“This isn’t surprising,” Callum noted and held Abel’s eyes. “Lucky we have you so they don’t know that we do know.”
Shit had been extreme with the golem, but they’d made it through…because of Abel.
And now there was this, but they were turning the tables…because of Abel.
He could not
“We’ll let that take its course, see what we can glean from it,” Callum continued. “You brief Moose on what’s been happening. Then we have an appointment to train.”
In other words, carry on as normal.
Abel could see going that way, not making a big deal out of what little they just gained so no one would get any hint they’d gained it, so he nodded.
“Once we know more, you’re likely up again,” Lucien warned him.
Abel didn’t have a problem with that. He’d had centuries of being able to do something that was huge, but it had no purpose except to make him feel like a freak.
Now it had purpose.
No, he had no problem with that.
“Whatever needs to get done,” he replied, before he asked, “Where’s Gregor?”
“Gregor’s distracted,” Callum told him. “Yuri moves on the coven this evening.”
Abel could see this too. Gregor and Yuri looked like brothers, but they were father and son. And since Yuri had been gone, Gregor had been like a man who was worried about his son. He had serious shit going on that he had to have a lock on, but most of his mind was in Texas with his boy.
If Abel had any doubts about Gregor, this would have satisfied them.
“Right,” Abel muttered, then stated, “I’ll talk to Moose. Then we’ll get on with shit.”
“Yes, then we’ll get on with shit,” Callum said on a smile.
“But first, gotta get Moose back to my mate. She’s worried. She’ll wanna know he’s back and safe.”
“Take the SUV we came in,” Lucien offered. “I’ll ride back with Callum.”
Abel gave Lucien a nod and looked to Moose. “Let’s go, big man.”
Moose didn’t hesitate, obviously ready for soft sheets. Abel did the best he could to get him up-to-date on the way back to the compound and left him in a living room when they got back, deciding to find Delilah himself, give her the news, and get her to her friend.