Wild and Free (The Three #3)(62)

“It isn’t very wolf either,” Sonia put in. “Unless someone is drunk or in a very foul mood or it’s Christmas.”

“Christmas?” I asked.

“That’s just the she-wolves,” she replied.

I stared.

“What we’re saying is,” Leah cut in, “this was an unprovoked attack. The King of the Werewolves and The Vampire Dominion know this, they condemn it, and they’re very sorry it happened to you.”

“We all are,” Sonia added.

“And supernaturals throughout the world?” Abel prompted without indicating he accepted their apology, though he didn’t throw it in their face.

“Thousands,” Leah said.

“Tens of thousands,” Sonia countered.

“Loads,” Leah stressed.

I felt Abel’s body, already tense, grow even tighter.

“You’ve never seen one,” Sonia guessed.

“No,” he grunted.

“I was raised by them but was having my wolf traits suppressed.” My head jerked at this bizarreness, Abel’s body grew even tighter, and she shook her head sharply as if physically pushing herself to get to the point. “Long story. That’s all good now too. But what I’m saying is, I didn’t know my kind even existed. You do. Can’t you smell the difference?”

“I can. I just never smelled one other than those who attacked Delilah and me,” Abel replied.

“Not in your life?” Sonia asked.

“No,” Abel answered.

“Interesting,” Sonia murmured.

“Why?” Abel rapped out.

This could go on for a while and the women were our guests.

Not to mention, I’d barely had a bite to eat and I was starved.

“Okay,” I cut in semi-loudly. “How about this? We let these ladies fill up their plates. I get them some drinks. We let them eat. And then we can interrogate them some more.” I looked down at Abel and asked gently, “Work for you, baby?”

He grunted but said no words.

I decided to take that as my go-ahead.

“Work for you, ladies?” I asked them.

“We’re supposed to be here on a diplomatic mission, but I’d kill for some of that kung pao shrimp right about now,” Leah declared.

I grinned and relaxed in Abel’s lap. “Then let’s not cause a supernatural incident. Just dig in.”

Chen got them plates. I slid off Abel’s lap, took orders, and brought them both beers.

I got a fresh one for my man too and climbed back on his lap.

They filled their plates and I went back to mine that I’d loaded earlier but had only been picking at.

“You know, me being a human and Sonia living nearly her whole life thinking she was one, explanations would be far more thorough if Lucien and Callum were here,” Leah pointed out carefully.

Abel looked at her, then looked to Sonia. “Can you explain, if a wolf’s mate is his reason for existing, why the f*ck he’d let you walk in here with me, my brothers, and a f*ckload of bikers?”

“Because you’re half wolf,” she said softly. “Because you would kill and die for your mate. Because he knows you know somewhere in your soul he would do the same. So he knows you’d never harm me, not only because it isn’t the way you’re made, but because you wouldn’t take another’s mate from him, nor would you unduly court the possibility that you would be taken from yours, leaving her unprotected.”

Abel said nothing.

“That said, he wasn’t a big fan of this plan even though he knows all of that,” she finished on a murmur. “He’s overprotective that way.”

“Sister, do I get that,” I shared.

Sonia grinned at me.

Abel growled.

“His growl is worse than his bite,” I assured them.

“Too bad for you,” Leah stated. “Mine bites and…” Her eyes got lazy as she said, “Divine.”

“I hear that too, sister,” I replied.

Abel shifted and I looked to him to see his jaw hard and his eyes on the ceiling.

I looked to my father to see his eyes to his plate, his lips smiling, his hand curled around his fork, shoveling in food.

In fact, I looked around the table and saw all the men doing this except Chen, who was staring at me and smiling huge.

So I looked back to the women and gave them big eyes.

A second later, we all burst out laughing.

*

I stood in the door of the restaurant watching Sonia and Leah leave, waving and then putting my hand to my ear with pinkie and thumb out, shouting, “Right! Call me! We’ll sort these boys out!”

“You got it,” Leah called back, waving behind her.

“Thanks for the delicious food, Mrs. Jin,” Sonia yelled, folding into the back of a shiny, flash, black SUV at which a big brawny guy (their driver!—total class) was waiting at the door.

“My pleasure!” Jian-Li yelled back as she stood beside me.

She’d joined us not long after Sonia, Leah, and I bonded over being werewolf/vampire bitches and the meal descended into a girls’ lunch at the Chinese restaurant.

Most of the guys drifted out, my dad and his boys going first. They didn’t do bitch shit.

Chen, Wei, and Xun weren’t far behind.