Wild and Free by Kristen Ashley
In the meantime, in the room Gregor was in, they’d seated Jian-Li in her chair.
“And today,” the presenter stated, “I have the pleasure of speaking with one in a long line of Chinese American women who opened her heart and home to the hybrid werewolf vampire, Abel. Generations of her family kept him safe and hidden, with the immortal Abel doing the former for her family. Keeping them safe. Providing for them. I’m pleased to introduce you to Jian-Li Jin, a restaurant owner and mother of four sons, one of whom she counts as Abel.” She tipped her head to the side. “Jian-Li, it’s lovely to meet you.”
“And it’s lovely to meet you as well, Susannah,” Jian-Li said on a soft smile.
Gregor watched as the presenter asked gentle, then more and more probing questions and Jian-Li answered them unwaveringly, frankly, and proudly.
He watched knowing this was being broadcast on every network, including cable. He watched knowing that after it was over, it would be rebroadcast, repeatedly. He watched knowing that after it was done, it would take but moments for it to be available to stream on every online outlet offered to the masses.
And Gregor watched hoping that the stories of The Three, humans and immortals inexorably connected together in love and loyalty, would win the hearts of billions.
“Thank you, Jian-Li, for your time and your honesty. But mostly, thank you for sharing the private matters of your family in hopes of giving peace of mind to the many who understandably fear what might come next after the events of yesterday,” the presenter finished the interview.
“It was my pleasure, and my honor, to speak of my son, his lovely mate, and the others who I have met, grown to know, and grown to care about deeply,” Jian-Li replied.
The presenter smiled.
The red light on the camera blinked out.
“Excellent!” the production manager exclaimed, rushing up to Jian-Li.
But Gregor watched the television as the presenter finalized things, summing up, injecting humanity into every word she spoke about The Three, and finally concluding.
“We are not privy to what awaits these couples, husbands and wives, kings and queens, partners, or as they refer to themselves, as do we, mates. We have only been told that they have selflessly agreed to undertake a very dangerous mission to see to it that the human, vampire, werewolf, wraith, and phantom races can live peacefully, harmoniously, and safely.”
Her gaze intensified as the camera panned in subtly.
“And I, for one, with all my heart, thank them for their service and hope each one of them, Lucien, Leah, Callum, Sonia, Abel, and Delilah, emerge unscathed. To this end, I will pray for them. I do hope for these brave souls that you pray with me.”
She drew in breath and dipped her chin.
“Thank you for watching. Stay calm. Stay safe. And stay hopeful,” she finished.
The program ended and a newscaster came on.
The volume was muted and Gregor felt Jian-Li touch his arm.
“That went very well,” she stated.
“It did, indeed,” he agreed, moving his hand to cover hers on his arm. “You did beautifully.”
“I hope so.”
He gave her a small smile.
“What the hell?”
This came from the man with headphones and Gregor’s attention moved to him immediately.
Then his body locked.
“What’s that?” a woman carrying a clipboard and standing behind him asked, her eyes glued to the bank of monitors.
“Don’t know. What…? I…Fuck!” the man with headphones cursed. “The feed has been taken over. I don’t…Shit!” he exclaimed, rising from his seat.
Jian-Li’s hand had become a claw on his arm as he felt her body strain against the tightness in it, doing all it could to survive the unhealthy speed of the beat of her heart.
And Gregor knew why.
Because on every screen was Etienne, standing in the middle of a street somewhere.
And with her back to the camera, facing him, stood Delilah.
Chapter Twenty-Six
We Are The Three
Delilah
I walked down the street cautiously, my stomach knotted with panic. I saw faces in windows peeking out from behind curtains. I felt eyes on me from everywhere. I felt fear choking the air.
I had no idea where I was. I had no memory of putting on my tee, my jeans, my motorcycle boots.
I had no idea how I got there.
This couldn’t be right. I couldn’t be here.
Why was I here?
Alone.
No one with me.
Not a single one of The Three.
Not my mate, who I knew would protect me.
“This is a warning.”
I whipped around at the voice and saw him standing in the middle of the street.
A vampire. Handsome. Proud.
Evil.
Etienne.
“You know what we can do. You know what we will do. We showed you yesterday,” he went on. “This is why they will submit.”
Okay, maybe it was good that I’d learned a few karate chops.
But me, alone against a vampire? Those wouldn’t keep me alive very long.
So.
Again.
How did I get here and where was everybody?
I thought these thoughts.
But facing off against Etienne, I stood my ground, back straight, head held high, and I kept my eyes locked with his.
I was a member of The Three. I had mojo.
I just hoped I could figure out how to use it to help me.
Holding on to that hope deep in my heart, I said firmly, pleased as fuck my voice came out steady, “We will prevail.”
Etienne shook his head. “Today, we destroy The Three and finalize our mission to assert our dominance over humanity.”
“Impossible,” I hissed.
“Your mate will come for you.”
If he could find me, wherever the hell I was, he would.
I didn’t confirm this.
Etienne didn’t need confirmation.
“He will sacrifice himself for you.”
I felt my insides freeze and it was agony.
The vampire smiled like he knew he caused me pain.
And liked it.
“As for you, you won’t have forever. You won’t even have tomorrow. You will only have a lifetime of mourning.” His head cocked to the side. “Don’t worry, it won’t last long. It’ll only be a human lifetime. But during that lifetime, you, Delilah, will be my personal slave.”
Then, in a blur, shapes formed behind him.
An army of vampires.
And lumbering up the rear, the vampires were backed by huge, hairless, scary-as-shit giants.
Slowly, even by human standards, they started moving toward me.
I lifted my hand, hoping like fuck my blue light would come out.
Then I screamed, “No!”
* * * * *
Gregor
Gregor, Jian-Li, and those around them watched the interplay between Etienne and Delilah.
Somehow, they also heard it.
“I talked to Control,” the man with the headphones said. “They don’t understand how this is happening. But they say their satellites have been hacked and they can’t stop it.”
Gregor said nothing, because the instant Etienne announced that Abel would sacrifice himself for Delilah, Jian-Li ran from the room.
Gregor turned to one of The Council’s humans.
“Alert The Three. Contact Gastineau. Bring weapons to this room, as many as you can. Find out where the fuck that is.” He pointed to the screens. “And bring me Josefa.” He leaned forward and finished on a roar, “Now!”
On a quick nod, the human female dashed out the door.
* * * * *
Abel
“Delilah, baby, wake up,” Abel called, hand to his mate’s hip, shaking hard.
She continued moaning and moving with agitation.
“No!” she screamed, but she did it in her sleep.
And after she did it, she didn’t wake up.
“Goddammit,” he growled, rolling her to her back and looming over her before he curled his hand under her jaw. “Delilah, wake up.” He bent close, digging his fingers in as hard as he could without harming her as she stopped shifting and started writhing. “Wake up,” he repeated. When she didn’t, he barked, “Wake up!”
The door to the bedroom flew open and he looked over his shoulder to see Jian-Li rushing in.
“My Abel—” she began.
“They got her,” he cut her off. “I can’t get her out. I have to go in.”
She skidded to a halt by the bed. “But—”
“Go get Lucien,” Abel ordered.
“Abel, you don’t—”
“Go get him!” he bellowed, turned back to Delilah and concentrated solely on his mate. Let me in, he ordered. Let me in, Delilah. He dipped his face so close that his nose brushed hers. Fucking let me in!
With that, he collapsed on top of her, his chest to hers, his forehead sliding down her cheek, his eyes closed, for all appearances asleep.
Jian-Li hesitated not a second before she turned and rushed from the room.
* * * * *
In a Pub Somewhere in London
“What’s that?” the bartender asked, his eyes to the telly.
The football game was gone.
Instead, they had some bird standing in a street, facing a ton of tall men and women and…
He peered closer.
“What are those things?” he asked the screen.
Doing so, as well as when they heard the scream, the attention of a couple of blokes sitting at the bar went to the TV.
* * * * *
Delilah
At my scream, no blue light.
Shit.
I started backing up as they kept advancing.
Okay, this was not good.
I kept backing up as they kept coming and Etienne started talking to me.
“No mate?” he smirked. “Why doesn’t he come for you, Delilah?” He threw out a hand. “Perhaps he understands one human is just like the next. He can easily find another. He can find hundreds, thousands, and enjoy them after you’re gone.”
“You’ve obviously never been in love, asshole,” I muttered.
Let me in.
I heard Abel’s voice in my head and I blinked.
“I tire of this,” Etienne stated, suddenly stopping, and when he did, his army did the same.
Let me in, Delilah.
Uh-oh.
I was in a dream.
But I wasn’t in a dream. I was in a dream.
I stared at the sea of supernaturals before me.
With only one of Abel and my puny efforts, against all of them, neither of us would survive.
I did what I could (not knowing what the hell I was doing but still hoping) to hold him back.
“We need to give them incentive,” Etienne said to a vampire at his side. “Bring me a human.”
Fucking let me in!
In a flash, a vamp was gone.
Then he was right back, shoving a young woman who cried out in terror toward Etienne.
A teenager.
She was in her pajamas. A tight pink cami and cute pink bottoms with white and blue polka-dots on them.
She was sobbing, struggling, her fear reaching out, clawing at my flesh.
Etienne yanked her in front of him and put his hands on either side of her head.
He was going to break her neck or tear her head clean off. He was moving with a human’s speed and doing it so I could watch.
I knew it.
I knew.
I prepared to rush him, hoping Xun, Wei, and Chen gave me something that would allow me to stop this. To save one.
Just one.
Before they ended me.
Etienne’s lips curved in a sick smile.
But in the blink of an eye, faster than the girl could scream, she was no longer in his hands.
I felt a presence behind me, chanced turning, and stared at Abel, who was pushing the girl.
“Run!” he roared.
She ran.
* * * * *
In a Home Somewhere in Idaho
“Good God, honey, what is this?”
“Shh.”
“Oh my God, is that the man we saw earlier on Susannah—?”
“Shh!”
The woman sank down on the arm of the chair her husband was sitting in.
And together, they watched.
* * * * *
Gregor
“Shit, one of the dudes is there,” headphone man stated, and Gregor’s mouth got tight.
Her dreams.
Abel had gone to his mate in her dream.
“Have you located where the signal is coming from?” he asked.
“I got Control on it,” the man answered.
“Get them to move faster,” Gregor ordered.
“They’re doin’ the best—”
“Get them. To move. Faster,” Gregor hissed.
The guy nodded his head.
Gregor turned his eyes back to the monitors.
* * * * *
Delilah
“Retrieve her,” Etienne ordered.
“I wouldn’t do that,” Abel warned.
“Now,” Etienne snapped.
A vampire flew forward in a blur, but he dropped headless to the ground very visibly right beside me with Abel standing over him, the dead vampire’s head in his hands.
My man.
Awesome.
Even if that was serious gross.
Etienne turned to his other side.
“You, both of you, go,” Etienne commanded.
“We gonna do this?” Abel asked tauntingly before they did as Etienne demanded, tossing the head he held underarm like it was a soccer ball being thrown in for play. “Or are you gonna get smart real fast, get on your knees, and wait for The Council to get here and take you in so you can answer for all your fucked-up shit?”
“I have two hundred and fifty immortals at my back, young Abel. Do you honestly think you can take us all?” Etienne returned, brows lifting.
“Man, wise up,” Abel shot back derisively. “I’m a destined member of The Three for a reason. So is my mate. Trust me, you do not wanna learn those reasons.”
“Honey,” I said, sidling toward him, not taking my eyes off Etienne, “don’t give away the good stuff.”
Abel’s hand shot out in a wink, capturing mine and tugging me behind his back.
“Don’t worry. She will not die. I have uses for her.” Etienne’s eyes slid down me in a way that made my stomach turn over nauseatingly and caused fury to start beating from my man. “You, we’ll take your head. But she will watch.”
“Done with this. You’re not gonna get on your knees, quit talkin’,” Abel demanded. “Time to play.”
Etienne shook his head like Abel was all kinds of stupid.
Then he said, “As you wish.” He turned to his right and nodded. “The both of you.” He turned to his left. “And both of you.” He twisted his torso and nodded three times. “You, you, and you.” He pointed beyond the supernaturals to an extra-large, extra-scary golem. “And you.”
He turned back to us and smiled, not quite finished, showing clear as day he was enjoying this.
Immensely.
“Secure the mate. Bring the hybrid to me alive.”
Eight-on-one and Abel had no weapons.
My stomach dropped.
“Now,” Etienne whispered.
* * * * *
In an Apartment Somewhere in Washington DC
“Thank God, he saved the girl,” a woman whispered, her coffee cup forgotten on the counter beside her, her eyes glued to the TV hanging from underneath her cabinets. “Now, I hope those two know what they’re doing.”
It kept going.
She kept watching.
And hoping.
* * * * *
Gregor
“Oh God, I can’t watch!” the woman with the clipboard cried, her board crashing to the ground as she turned, lifting her hands to her ears, her eyes shut tight.
Gregor turned his face to the ceiling.
“Where are The Three?” he boomed.
* * * * *
Delilah
The supernaturals shot forward.
I heard grunts.
All Abel’s.
I felt wind whipping around me.
I saw blood splatter on the Tarmac of the street.
And I knew it was the end.
Wild and free.
Wild, okay.
But not free.
Never free.
Suddenly, I heard other grunts and saw action that I could actually focus on.
My heart slid up, lodging in my throat.
Xun, Wei, and Chen were there.
Weaponless.
But also fearless.
I saw an opportunity, bent low, whipped my leg out, and hit hard. The pain spiraled from ankle to hip as I connected with what felt like a tree trunk, but I’d caught him unawares.
The golem teetered, and with ungainly swings of his arms, he fell.
He was barely on the ground for a moment before his limbs and head were torn free in a haze of motion, the parts of him tossed haphazardly but powerfully, landing houses away.
It didn’t take three minutes before all eight were headless (and one limbless), their remains scattered around me.
Xun, Wei, and Chen stood, surrounding me close, breathing heavily, their clothes bloodied, their eyes pinned to the army in front of them as Abel sauntered to the golem, picked up his torso, tore it in half, and tossed each half away from him, one at either side.
More awesome and more gross.
Whatever.
Not taking a moment even to glance at his brothers to get a lock on how they were there, he faced Etienne.
“We done now?” he asked. “Or do you want more?”
Etienne apparently was unconcerned with the loss of his followers, their headless corpses littering the street.
He was still smiling.
Man, this guy was whacked.
Suddenly, he shouted, “Humans!”
Abel, the boys, and I all braced. Abel was crouching, obviously to prepare to turn wolf; Xun, Wei, and Chen were lifting their hands and shifting their legs, bending just at the knees as if they were track stars at the starting line. But before any of us could take a breath, a line of vampires in front of us held humans in front of them.