Wild and Free (The Three #3)(119)

“It’s not her. Next,” I told him.

He jerked up his chin and I got out of the woman’s way.

I closed the door after her and looked to Abel. “You okay?”

“Been at this three hours, lost count of how many people been in that chair, and we’ve got nothing,” he answered, looking and sounding frustrated.

I moved to him and put a hand on his chest. “This is a lot of work, baby,” I noted. “Does it drain you to do it?”

“Outside of bein’ hungry, I’m good,” he answered.

“Maybe we can take five minutes for you to draw from me.”

His distracted eyes focused sharply on me and he stated, “You are not a meal, Lilah.”

“I know, but—”

“We do that, every time we do that, you get somethin’ out of it, same as me. It never becomes me takin’ what I need from you. It’s always something for the both of us.”

God, I loved my werewolf vampire.

Still, I leaned in closer and said quietly, “I love that you want that, honey, but just so you know, I always will get something from it even if it’s just knowing I’m giving something to you. But just saying, the more you take from me, the more goodness I get from your superpowered saliva.”

His intensity cleared and he lifted a hand to cup my jaw. Then he dipped his head and took my mouth in a light, sweet kiss.

When he lifted his head, he murmured, “Couple more. Then we’ll take a twenty-minute break so I can get what I need and give you all you need.”

That way worked for me so I smiled, got up on my toes, and gave him my own light, sweet kiss.

When I was pulling away, a knock came at the door.

Abel’s hand dropped and I turned to the door, calling, “Bring them in.”

Caleb opened the door and escorted a man inside while Stephanie stood in the frame. The man looked unconcerned. Then again, they all did, seeing as we were currently working our way through the vampires and I’d noted that vampires tended to be pretty cool customers.

On the other hand, the staff had been freaked. Then again, you wouldn’t want a bunch of vampires and werewolves to think you were up to no good. Further, the bad guys had no way of knowing what Abel was capable of (unless there were bugs, something we couldn’t know for certain there weren’t until Abel found the inside man, or woman, as the case may be) and could exonerate them, or not, pretty quickly.

I moved to the wall and settled in for the quick show that, even though I’d seen it often over three hours, I still thought it was cool as shit.

Abel didn’t waste time. Caleb began escorting the vamp in, Stephanie standing at the door, but Caleb moved away from him because the vampire was woodenly walking to the chair and seating himself in it.

This was because Abel told him to do it.

Stephanie shut the door.

The vampire tipped his eyes to Abel.

Abel looked to me.

I reached out a hand and switched on the video camera. Abel could mind-control them into telling the truth, but the questioning was verbal, taped, and there were witnesses, at least one (me) and sometimes more (Caleb and/or Stephanie).

Abel started questioning, “Are you a traitor to The Three?”

“No,” the vampire answered.

“Have you given any information to anyone about anything you’ve learned inside the compound’s walls?”

“No,” the vampire repeated.

“Do you believe humans should be slave to immortals?”

“No,” the vampire said again.

“Are you aware of anyone who wishes to see the end of The Three or has given information to anyone who you suspect should not have that information?” Abel asked.

“No,” the vampire replied.

“Have you seen anyone acting suspiciously?” Abel went on.

“No,” the vampire stated.

“If you become aware of anyone who’s conspiring against The Three or those who are allied with them to keep mortals free from enslavement, what are you gonna do?” Abel began to finish it.

“Report this directly to the inner circle,” the vampire said.

“That being…?”

“You, King Callum, Lucien, the king’s brothers, the werewolf Ryon, or the vampires Stephanie, Cosmo, Gregor, or Yuri,” the vampire responded.

Abel looked to me, then to Caleb. “He’s clear.”

I turned off the video camera and Caleb nodded, moved to the vampire, and walked at his side as he escorted him out of the room.

The door closed on Caleb.

We repeated this three more times, one of them being with Dad’s female vampire buddy, Ursula (who was clean, thank God), before it happened.

Caleb escorted the vampire in. Abel mind-controlled him to his seat. He got his eyes. I turned on the video camera.

And Abel started his questions.

“Are you a traitor to The Three?”

“Yes,” the vampire said, and my body went solid as my eyes shot to the man in the chair.

He was handsome, all lean muscle, tall like all vampires, and he had thick brown hair that was two shades down from dark but not light. I’d look twice at him, but then again, I hadn’t seen a vampire I wouldn’t look at twice. On the vamp scale of hot, hotter, hottest (the last being Abel and Lucien, and maybe Yuri), he was in the “hotter” zone.