Wild and Free (The Three #3)(49)

They didn’t want him to hear.

“You’re his ma, felt you should know. But it’s more. We don’t need to be facin’ Armageddon inside the fold when we don’t know what we’re facin’ outside it. Cohesion. This is what we need. You gotta work on your boy, woman,” Hook advised.

He was correct.

But she had to do something else first.

She nodded.

Hook lifted his chin, gave her a small, worried smile, and walked out of her office.

Jian-Li watched him go, then moved out as well, up the stairs to her apartment. She got her purse and keys.

Then she walked downstairs, out the back door, and directly to her car.

She got in, started it up, and drove to The Biltmore.





Chapter Nine


The Real Thing

Lucien



The vampire Lucien watched the petite, attractive, Chinese woman walk into Gregor’s suite at The Biltmore.

She smelled of ylang-ylang, five spice, ginger, love, and fear.

“Mrs. Jin, we’re delighted you’ve joined us,” Gregor greeted, keeping a nonthreatening distance as he did so and her eyes darted about the room, taking them all in.

“Please, come in,” Gregor invited, continuing to stay removed even as he swept an arm to indicate the living room of the suite. “Shall I order some tea to be brought up before I do the introductions?”

She tore her eyes from Callum, who was sitting on the arm of the couch next to his wife, Sonia, and looked up to Gregor.

“Please.”

Her voice was strong and Lucien was impressed. It entirely masked her fear.

She still reeked of it.

“See to that,” Gregor muttered to one of his lackeys, the only one in the room. A human—well-built, undoubtedly skilled, but still only human.

The man left and Mrs. Jin stopped well short of the seating area.

Gregor came to stand several feet from her side. “Allow me to introduce myself first. Although I did so at your restaurant, I did not do it fully. I’m Gregor. I’m a member of The Vampire Council, the working party which carries out the wishes of The Vampire Dominion.”

She was looking up to him, and when he finished, she nodded.

“Now, may I present my son in a more formal way than how you received at your restaurant,” Gregor continued. “This is Yuri.” He swept an arm to Yuri, who was standing by the window.

“Mrs. Jin,” Yuri murmured, then said in a way that made Gregor look sharply at him, which was to say in a way that was far from genuine, “Delighted to see you again.”

The woman took Yuri in astutely but made no reply. She simply inclined her head.

She read his tone.

Lucien looked to Callum and saw Callum’s eyes to him, his jaw hard, indicating they had the same thoughts.

Yuri was a pain in the ass.

Lucien returned his attention to Gregor when he again spoke.

“And also with us are Lucien.” Gregor tipped his head Lucien’s way, then gave her the information she needed in hopes of inciting trust. “Lucien is the mightiest of our vampires. By his side is Leah, his human bride.”

She reacted to that, her body gave a small jolt, her eyes darting between Lucien and Leah. Lucien saw a note of sadness pass through her gaze, the origin of which he couldn’t guess, before she dipped her chin to them.

“Mrs. Jin,” Lucien murmured from his place standing beside the arm of the couch.

Leah, sitting in it, said, “Lovely to meet you.”

“And this is Callum, King of the Werewolves, and his queen, Sonia,” Gregor carried on.

“Pleasure,” Callum said low.

“We’re all very happy you’ve decided to come and meet us,” Sonia stated.

Mrs. Jin remained silent even as she nodded to them.

“Please, if you’d like, take a seat,” Gregor invited.

She hesitated, looking around the room, before she moved to take the armchair across from the couch where Leah and Sonia were sitting, Lucien and Callum flanking.

Gregor moved to one of the other four armchairs, his to the narrow end of the coffee table, the wide edge facing the couch and Mrs. Jin’s chair.

“I hope you don’t mind me sharing that we’re most disappointed you have not brought your, erm…ward,” Gregor noted cautiously.

Mrs. Jin watched him as he spoke, but she said nothing.

Lucien sighed.

She was exceptionally cautious, which meant this would take some time. Time they did not have.

Leah heard his sigh. He knew it when she reached out a hand and touched the back of his.

Leah’s movements caught Mrs. Jin’s attention and she watched this gesture, keeping her expression clear.

“Could I ask what your ward’s name is?” Gregor requested.

She looked back to him and finally spoke, “I would prefer to be asking the questions, if you don’t mind.”

Gregor threw out a hand invitingly. “Please.”

“Are there others like you right now in Serpentine Bay?” she asked.

Gregor answered immediately, “We have those with us to attend to necessary matters, but they’re all human. The only immortal beings with our party are Yuri, who you may have guessed is a vampire, Lucien, Callum, and Sonia.”

She looked swiftly to Sonia, then back to Gregor when he continued speaking.