Wild and Free (The Three #3)(103)

“And…?” Callum prompted.

“Nothing,” Lucien reported.

“What, is Serena engaging in a reconciliation f*ck-a-thon with her phantom while the world hangs in the balance?” Abel asked impatiently. “Jesus.”

Callum’s lips twitched.

Lucien’s did not.

“Asked him where the f*ck Yuri is,” Lucien told them and doing so got their undivided attention.

“Did he share?” Abel asked.

“Said Yuri had an idea on where to get some information, but so far, Gregor’s heard nothing from him,” Lucien replied. “He said if nothing comes of it, nothing comes of it. If something does, he’ll report it to us as soon as he knows.”

“That’s vague,” Callum muttered suspiciously.

“That and annoying,” Lucien agreed.

“That vampire has both those down to an art,” Abel noted, bending to grab his socks and yank them on.

“He does,” Lucien stated and waited until Abel had his socks and boots on and had straightened before he continued, “Is Lilah dreaming?”

Abel nodded. “Had one this morning. She suggested a few days ago I try to get in her head while she does it since she isn’t remembering. It was a good suggestion. Took a couple of tries, but I got in.”

It was then Abel had both their attention, but it was Callum who asked, “You got in her dream?”

“Yeah, couple of seconds of it,” Abel confirmed and shook his head. “Not thinkin’ she’s even got that dream shit happening to her like the rest of us.”

“So the dream had nothing to do with our situation?” Lucien asked.

“It did, but it doesn’t make sense, seein’ as in it, she’s on a street littered with dead human bodies, but she’s alone. She pointed out no way that could come true since she’d never be alone, and she’s right. Not only wouldn’t I let that happen, neither of you would either, not to mention Gregor, her father, and a dozen other people.”

“Just a bad dream,” Callum muttered.

“A street with dead human bodies?” Lucien asked.

Abel nodded. “That and some vampire. They seemed to be facing off. He saw me, but she forced me out of her dream before I could catch anything.”

Lucien stared at him, his stare acute, and stated, “The vampire saw you in her dream.”

Abel tensed at what he was feeling coming off Lucien and replied slowly, “Yeah.”

“And she forced you out?” Lucien asked.

“Yeah,” Abel repeated.

“How did she do that?” Lucien pressed.

“Turned, saw me, lifted her hand, shouted ‘no,’ then we were both awake,” Abel told him.

“The vampire, did you know him?” Callum queried, and Abel looked to him.

“Don’t know any of them except the good kind and the dead kind, but the last I don’t actually know since they got dead before I could get to know them,” Abel answered.

Callum looked to Lucien speculatively so Abel did too.

“What?” he asked.

“What did this vampire look like?” Lucien questioned, and Abel shrugged.

“Blond. Lean. Tall. Think he had blue eyes. Know he had * written all over him,” Abel told him and then tensed at what he now sensed coming from Lucien. “What?” he snarled.

“I need you to come with me,” Lucien declared.

“Why?” Abel asked.

“Please, just come with me,” Lucien said, his voice going low.

Abel looked to Callum, who was watching Lucien. “You know what this is?”

Callum turned his gaze to Abel. “Perhaps.”

“Either of you gonna share?” Abel asked.

“My father is blond, tall, and lean,” Lucien stated, and Abel looked back to him.

“So?” Abel prompted.

“So, he’s also the leader of the rebellion,” Lucien shared, and Abel’s entire body strung tight.

He had to be f*cking kidding.

“You consider sharin’ that sooner?” he bit out.

“Actually, I have,” Lucien returned calmly. “However, telling someone who you need to trust you implicitly that the immortal behind a faction of others like him, who wish to obliterate the world as we know it and execute unspeakable acts, is your father is not something that engenders trust.”

Abel scowled at him but made no comment, seeing as he spoke truth, so Lucien drew in a breath and continued.

“Trust like that has to be earned. Unfortunately, I was in a difficult position for I’d hoped to make inroads with you, but I also had to do it making a decision that had no right answers. Keep from you something that would mean you wouldn’t trust me not only because of what that something was, but that I was keeping it from you. Or share something dire with you upon first meeting that would make it difficult for you even to begin to trust me.”

“I hope, brother, that you can see Lucien’s dilemma,” Callum put in quietly.

Abel didn’t take his eyes from Lucien.

The f*ck of it was he could see Lucien’s dilemma.

He didn’t respond so Lucien kept talking.

“I have a photo of my father on my iPad inside. I’d like you to look at it and tell me if that’s the man you saw in Lilah’s dream.”