Wild and Free by Kristen Ashley
Abel cut him off. “I know, Hook.”
Hook looked to Miko. “He’s lower than a piece of shit.”
“You need to take a break, man,” Abel repeated.
Hook moved his gaze to Gregor. “You execute traitors too?”
“Absolutely,” Gregor answered.
Hook scowled at him.
Then he jerked up his chin, muttering, “Time for me to take a break,” and he walked out of the room.
Abel gave his attention to Gregor. “He’s given us all he’s got.”
Gregor nodded his head, his eyes cold and on Miko. “Indeed.”
“You want him back in play?” Abel asked, and Gregor looked to him.
When he did, Abel felt a chill glide down his spine.
“I want to build a great fire and have you control his mind so he walks into it himself and burns to ash, all while we record that and send it to Etienne.”
“I hear you,” Abel said quietly.
“Alas, we cannot do that,” Gregor continued. “So I believe our best course of action right now is to return him to his home and continue to monitor him, with you programming him to report to us should there be communiqués he receives while not in his house. If those who call themselves The True believe we’re scrambling or inactive, and still don’t know we’ve turned their own against them, we build our upper hand.”
“Right,” Abel agreed. “But he’s got three kids that he’s…” Abel trailed off when Gregor shook his head.
“They’re hangers, Abel.”
“He’s abusing them. They think they like it but—”
Gregor interrupted, “They do like it.”
Abel turned fully to the vampire. “It isn’t healthy.”
“No, agreed, it’s not to your understanding of what’s healthy, as well as mine, as well as anyone who has a fit mind. However, hangers do not have healthy minds and they cannot be rehabilitated. This has been tried. It would serve no purpose to keep them away from Miko. They’d only find the next closest vampire and hope for more of the same.”
“Isn’t there anything we can do to get them help?” Abel asked.
Gregor again shook his head. “There have been vampires who have studied hangers quite thoroughly. The agreed theory is that they’re descendants of those who offered the same services to our kind in times when vampires were not ruled by any governing body, likely against their will. However, there was no Council, no Dominion. They were free to do as they wish; treat humans as they wish. The ancestors of hangers endured what we consider abuse for centuries to the point, perhaps so they could retain a modicum of sanity, that they convinced themselves they enjoyed it. To the point it became part of their psyche. It’s who they are. It’s what they crave. There is no way to help them. It would be as impossible as making you not vampire, not wolf. They are, Abel, what all of humanity will likely become if The True succeed in their aim.”
Abel tasted the thought of that in his mouth and it was foul.
“It would be interesting to see if you could use your ability to change this,” Gregor commented. “But I predict that would fail.”
Abel crossed his arms on his chest. “Right, then I was responsible for letting those kids loose for this asshole”—he jerked his head to Miko—“to treat them like shit once. Gotta tell you, not hip on being responsible for doing it again. If I can’t adjust what they crave, at least I can wipe all memory of this guy from their heads, and them from his. They’ll be cast adrift, but they’ll also be safe for a while.”
“If that’s what you wish to do, then do it.”
“That’s what I wish to do,” Abel told him.
“Fine,” Gregor replied, now sounding distracted. “Then I’ll ask you to finalize things. I need to be upstairs to see if our media specialists have managed damage control. You’re good to finish here?”
“I’m good.”
“I’m sure I’ll see you later,” Gregor finished, giving Abel a dip of his chin, Miko a cold glance, and walking out of the room.
Abel looked back to Miko. He dealt with wiping all memory of the compound, interrogation, and the three young men from his head. He continued with giving him orders to become their informant. And he finished with commanding him not to take another hanger, ever.
“Now you get to go home, asshole,” he muttered to the slack-faced vampire, then turned to the door, opened it, and gave orders to the soldiers out there to find someone to take the fuckwad home.
* * * * *
Abel stood with his shoulders leaned against the back wall of living room eight, his eyes on the TV.
The newscaster was talking.
“All across social media sites today, disturbing videos depicting the apparent rape and murder of several women were posted. As the murders appeared to be actual vampires draining their victims dry of blood, this alarming multitudes of people, experts examined these videos and found them to be an elaborate hoax, seemingly perpetuated for no purpose but to shock the masses and titillate the few who might find this depravity appealing. A task force of federal law enforcement has been created to track and arrest the individuals responsible. And the large social media sites have sent widespread messages to their users that if any of these videos were again shared, the user would face lifetime bans from their site.”
And there it was—Gregor’s media specialists had done their jobs.
“You agree with that play?” Abel asked Callum, who was standing beside him in the same stance.
Jian-Li and Regan were sitting on the couch in front of them, their attention to the TV.
Sonia and Delilah were up in Lucien and Leah’s bedroom, giving Leah whatever they had to give and checking on her state of mind.
“No good play after that,” Callum answered. “The Dominion and my kingdom come out saying there actually are immortals, but we’re not all murdering rapists, it’d cause mass panic.”
He wasn’t wrong.
“After that shit, how we gonna lead humans and supernaturals into living together harmoniously?” Abel asked.
“No fucking clue,” Callum replied.
Jian-Li turned her head and looked over the couch at Abel. He forced a smile her way. She forced one back.
While that was happening, Regan looked over the couch at her son. When Abel caught her smile, he figured they were doing the same thing.
“Want my mate,” he muttered, pushing away from the wall.
“Same. I’ll go with you,” Callum said.
Abel moved to Jian-Li first, reached out a hand, and touched his finger to her chin.
“I’m gonna call it a night, tian xin,” he told her as he heard Callum murmuring to Regan.
“All right, my Abel,” she replied.
“You okay?” he asked.
“It has not been a good day.”
He shook his head. “No.”
He said it, it was more than true, but he hated looking into her face, seeing her worried eyes, unable to do shit about it.
“We’ll have good luck soon,” she said softly.
He hoped like fuck she was right.
“Sleep well,” he said.
“And you,” she replied.
He moved away, waited briefly at the door for Callum to follow him, and they walked silently together to Lucien and Leah’s room.
Callum glanced at him before rapping his knuckles on the door once.
In moments, it was opened and Delilah was poking out her head.
“Time for bed, bao bei,” he told her quietly.
She nodded to him and looked to Callum. “You want Sonia?”
“Yes, unless Leah needs her.”
“I think Leah needs a sleeping pill chased by bourbon,” she mumbled, her expression turning unfocused. She shook her head as if to clear it and refocused. “I’ll get her.” She looked to Abel and said, “Hang on.”
The door closed, but it wasn’t long before it was again opened and both Sonia and Delilah appeared.
They gave the king a
“She’s not good,” he pointed out the obvious.
“None of the other ones killed were her family, but she’s terrified,” Delilah said. “She and Myrna weren’t real close, but Myrna was still her cousin. The other members of Leah’s family that they have, she’s close to.”
“Extractions are probably happening while we speak, baby,” he told her. “Maybe some of the ones rescued will be Leah’s kin.”
“I hope so.”
He tightened the arm he had around her shoulders to give her a squeeze.
They entered their room and mutely got ready for bed, brushing their teeth side-by-side, taking off their clothes standing close, Abel waiting for Delilah to pull on a nightgown. Then they slid into bed together.
He turned out the lights. She snuggled into him, and the way she did, he knew it would be the first night since their relationship became intimate that they didn’t make love.
He was down with that. If she needed to cuddle her man, he’d give that to her.
Abel stared at the dark ceiling and waited, holding her, stroking her, letting her call it. Either she’d talk, he’d listen and do what he could to soothe, or she’d go to sleep.
She talked.
“If they’ll do that, what else will they do?”
“I don’t know, baby. Try not to think about it, okay?”
He felt her nod against his chest.
“Leah said Myrna was a good concubine. The best. She adored her vampire—”
“Stop,” he ordered gently.
She stopped.
Then she started again. “I guess her vamp is out of his mind.”
He would be. Vampires took protecting their concubines seriously. Gregor had told him that every one of the hundreds who’d had concubines taken, even inactive ones, were out of their minds. Some had to be restrained so they’d do the cause, and themselves, no harm in their need to rescue.
And their thirst for vengeance.
“He would be. Of course he would be, pussycat.”
She pressed her face into his skin and whispered, “I want this to end.”
He tightened his hold, bent his head, and said into the top of her hair, “I do too.”
He kept her close and waited for her to lose it, either yelling or crying, however she needed to do that, or get a lock on it.
He felt the tension build in her body before it released and she took her face out of his skin and rested her cheek on it.
She got a lock on it.
“Sleep,” he urged.
“Okay, baby. ’Night.”
“’Night, bao bei.”
It took her time, but she found it.
Abel didn’t.
Then again, she hadn’t seen the videos.
He had.
They played in his head and he let them. Used them as kindle to feed the flame in his gut. A flame that had been burning hot with desire to see to it that Delilah was safe, to make certain they had a life together. But now that flame also burned to wreak vengeance for Leah’s people.
He was no nearer to falling asleep when he heard the muffled tone of his phone ringing in his jeans’ pocket.
Carefully extricating himself from Delilah, he left their bed, grabbed his phone, and, when he saw who was calling, engaged it and put it to his ear.
“Yeah?”
“Miko was assassinated tonight,” Callum shared.
Abel sucked in breath.
“They knew he was taken,” Callum continued. “They found all the cameras but one. We didn’t have eyes, but we did have ears. Your control held—he told them nothing about what he gave up at the compound—but they knew we’d had him, took him to the compound, and then turned him loose. After they took his head, they talked about autopsying him. They think we have a drug.”
“Patricio?” Abel asked.
“His name was mentioned. They’re gonna demand a meet.”
“How’d they know he’d been taken?”
“Got him chipped. They knew he was at the compound and how long. From what Ryon heard, they have them all chipped, including Patricio, so in case they get caught, they know where to send a rescue team, or an assassination squad.” Callum’s voice turned into a disgusted mutter. “Chipping vampires. Unbelievable. We wouldn’t even think to expect something that vile.”
Fuck.
“You got any good news for me?” Abel requested.
“Miko gave us twenty-seven names. So far, fifteen concubines have been successfully extracted. One of them is Leah’s cousin, Natalie.”
“Thank fuck,” he muttered.
“Yes,” Callum agreed.
“Maybe now I can get some sleep,”
“Yes,” Callum repeated. “Do it well.”
“Back at you.”
They disconnected and Abel put his phone on the nightstand before again joining Delilah in bed.
Then, finally, he slept.
He just didn’t do it well.
* * * * *
Abel’s phone sounded with a text the next morning as he and Delilah were walking down the hall toward Lucien and Leah’s room. She wanted to check on her friend. He wanted to let her do that and then find Gregor.
He felt her gaze as he dug his phone out and looked at the screen.
You’re needed in the library.
Gregor.
“I can get there myself,” Delilah told him, and he knew she’d read the text.
“Right, pussycat,” he replied, stopping them, curling her close, and dropping a kiss on her lips. “Later,” he said when he was done.
“Later.”
He grinned at her.
She grinned back.
He let her go and watched her continue down the hall for a few seconds before he used his vampire speed to take him to the library.
But he stopped outside it when he heard a woman’s raised voice and sensed she wasn’t the only woman in that room.
“Was dog tired when I got here last night, so I took a bed. But I am not spending another night in a den of vamps.”
He felt his brows draw together as he opened the door and walked into the room.
All eyes turned to him and two pairs of those were in faces he knew, Gregor’s and Yuri’s, who had apparently returned. The rest were five women he didn’t know.
“Yo,” he greeted.
“Holy goddess and all her great sisters,” one of the women breathed. “It’s the hybrid.”
He looked to her and confirmed, “Yeah.” Then he looked to Yuri. “Welcome back, man.”
“Abel,” Yuri greeted.
That was when he looked to the pretty, petite, dark-haired woman at his side who was dressed like a sex kitten schoolgirl who’d graduated two days ago and knew just how hot that was, even though she didn’t want you to know she knew it.
In other words, she was something.
Something a man liked looking at and something to Yuri, seeing as she was standing very close to him, and even though they weren’t touching, there was no mistaking that fact.
“Found a friend,” he muttered to Yuri, feeling his lips twitch.
It was then Yuri touched her. Putting a hand to the small of her back, he moved even closer to her, saying, “I’d like you to meet Aurora Lenox. She’s assisting us with finding your brother.”
Abel’s lips stopped twitching and his eyes went back to the woman.
“Hi, Abel,” she said. “So cool to meet you.”
He jerked up his chin, but with what Yuri said, that was all the good manners he had in him.
Therefore, he asked, “You find him?”
She looked to a wide, flat bowl filled with dark liquid sitting on a table between two armchairs, then back to him.
“It’s not quite ready yet. A few more hours,” she answered.
He turned his gaze to Yuri and rearranged his expression to read, What the fuck?
Yuri read him.
“The potion somehow guides us to him,” Yuri explained.
Jesus. So far, he’d fought side-by-side with what were essentially ghosts. He’d torn apart men who were close to giants, hairless, and scary motherfuckers. He’d watched videos of terrified women enduring violation while their blood was drained from their bodies.
Now, obviously, he was in the presence of bona fide witches who made potions.
Yeah, he was with his mate. He was ready for this shit to end.
“Be obliged you tell me when the potion is ready,” he said with little enthusiasm.
He was curious to meet his brother.
But he wasn’t looking forward to it.
“I’ve not asked you here for that, Abel,” Gregor butted in. “These ladies are witches. This is Barb, Aurora’s mother.” He motioned to a woman who looked somewhat like an older version of Aurora. “Ruby.” He gestured to the oldest one of the lot. She carried some weight and had thick, long gray hair, but it was obvious she’d had it in her younger years because she’d retained it in her older ones. “And last, Jezza and Flo.”
He gave them all chin jerks, then immediately turned his attention back to Gregor.
“And I’m here…?”Abel trailed off on a prompt.
“They wish to leave,” Gregor told him.
Abel shook his head in confusion and reiterated, “And I’m here…?”
“We don’t want them to leave,” Gregor explained.
Abel gave him a hard look, then looked to the women.
“You don’t like vampires,” he stated.
“How old are you?” Ruby rapped out her question.
“Two hundred and five,” Abel calmly gave her his answer.
“Right, then you weren’t alive at the time, and you’re likely too young to know, that vampires—”
“Did a bunch of bad shit to witches and you’re pissed,” Abel finished for her. Ignoring her eyes lighting with fury, he went on, “I get that. I’d be pissed too. That was whacked. So whacked, I’d hang on to it for centuries just like you’re obviously doing. But, just sayin’, it’s not real safe out there for anyone supernatural or even remotely involved in the supernatural life. It’s safe in here. You wanna take your chances out there, all I got to say to that is…your funeral.”