Wild and Free (The Three #3)(27)

“How about we know that before I waltz my ass into The Biltmore?” he suggested.

“How about you consider the possibility that centuries of questions will have answers if you waltz into The Biltmore?” she fired back.

This was not lost on him.

He knew one thing for certain about his kind: vampires called their partners mates.

That was all he knew.

And he had questions—questions about his behaviors, feelings, instincts, everything. All his life, he’d had questions.

In fact, it was a miracle he’d stumbled on how to numb his meal before he drew from them. It had taken him ages. He’d done it at what Mei had figured was when he was eight years old in human development, but he’d been alive for forty years. (Because, apparently, wolves, vampires, or both aged very slowly and then quit aging in their thirties in terms of human development— something else he knew, but only because he’d experienced it.)

Other than that, he knew nothing of the nature of his kind—either one.

So the impulse was strong, going to The Biltmore, finding answers. Especially now with what he was experiencing with Delilah.

It was also foolish.

“Do I have to remind you what happened last night, sweetheart?” he asked.

“No,” she replied instantly. “But has it occurred to you that eight people were killed last night and no police officer has shown at our door?”

His mind consumed with Delilah (amongst other things), it actually hadn’t.

He said nothing.

“This occurred on city streets,” she reminded him. “It was in the dark of night, but that means nothing, especially here in Serpentine Bay. Now, Abel, tell me, what could halt a police investigation?” she asked but didn’t give him time to answer. She did it herself. “A powerful entity.”

“That might not be a good thing,” he noted quietly.

“It also might mean whatever is befalling you and Delilah, you’ll have mighty allies,” she retorted.

Shit. But he had to find a way to f*ck Delilah so his mind wasn’t consumed with it and shit this simple was not lost on him.

“I have to focus on Delilah,” he told her, and she nodded.

“On that I would agree, my Abel. However, you haven’t been doing that either.”

“There are things you don’t understand.”

“I know you’ve waited lifetimes for her, and now that you have her, you’re acting surly and impatient. So I assume I can guess quite accurately at what is causing your impatience.”

Jian-Li, nor any of her line, were stupid. Usually this was good. Now it was aggravating.

“Do you have any advice on that?” he asked sarcastically.

“She’s here,” Jian-Li replied.

“I know that,” he bit out impatiently.

“She’s here,” Jian-Li repeated. “If she did not feel as you do, after the events of last night, would any sane female be anywhere near you?”

He shook his head. “She doesn’t feel as I do.”

“Are you certain?”

If she did, they’d be f*cking right then.

So she didn’t.

“I am.”

“Guide her there, tian xin,” she advised quietly.

“She’s human. She needs time.”

“Yes,” she stated, still talking quietly. “But I’ll tell you this, she seemed very sure of herself when I saw her come out of my bathroom this morning. She was comfortable with me, Xun, Wei, Chen. Charming. Talkative. Amusing. She has hesitancy, which is understandable, but she was clearly embracing where she was in a way that’s remarkable and gave me great relief. Until you left.”

Abel’s heart tightened.

“The longer you were gone, the more confused and unsure of herself and this situation she became,” she continued. “And in the end, my Abel, she actually appeared in pain.”

Abel felt his spine straighten. “Pain?”

She nodded. “As if your continued absence caused in her what you’ve been feeling for centuries.”

“Fuck, I gotta get to her,” he muttered, making a move to leave.

“Think on The Biltmore,” she urged, and he looked back at her.

“I will.”

She gave him one of her satisfied smiles, mostly because he was doing what she wished.

He shook his head, lifted his hand and called, “Sleep well,” as he moved to the door.

“You too,” she called back as the door closed.

He was in his room in a flash.

“Jesus, brother,” Xun whispered when Abel came to a rocking stop next to the armchair where Xun was sitting. “Freak a guy out, why don’t you.”

Abel looked to the bed.

Delilah was asleep in it, not in his tee. She had on something pink and tee-like, but he hadn’t owned a stitch of clothing in two hundred and five years that was pink.

His eyes scanned the space.

His boxes from Jian-Li’s place were in the corner by the hutches where he and his brothers kept most of their weapons. His stereo had been set up on the floor, his CDs stacked by it. His books were piled along the back wall at the head of the bed. They’d also brought down his guitar.

A table from Jian-Li’s place had been brought down, his flat screen and Blu-ray on it. The TV was on, volume down low. Some movie Abel didn’t know was playing on the Blu-ray, since he had no cable and would never get clear reception down there.