Wild and Free (The Three #3)(63)

Abel had to stay because I was sitting on him.

As soon as the driver dude closed the door on Sonia, Abel yanked both Jian-Li and me in and slammed the front door.

I turned to him to see him opening his mouth to speak, but Jian-Li beat him to the punch.

“What did I say?”

He shut his mouth and scowled at her.

“I am no fool, Abel,” she declared.

“Okay,” I butted in, moving in between them and looking at Jian-Li. “Totally get your need for a nanny-nanny-foo-foo, Jian-Li, but all’s well that ends well, right?”

She smiled a bit at my “nanny-nanny-foo-foo” comment and then agreed, “Right, Lilah.”

I turned and looked up at a still-scowling Abel. “So, I’ll chat with Leah and Sonia, we’ll set up a meet with their men, find out officially what’s going on, and move on from there. Yeah?”

“Yeah,” he grunted.

I took a step to the side and pressed the air down with both hands. “Now everyone can relax. At least about the supernaturals at The Biltmore. Am I right?”

“You are, Lilah,” Jian-Li replied.

Abel just jerked up his chin.

“I have a kitchen to supervise preparing for the dinner hour,” Jian-Li murmured. “You two enjoy the rest of your afternoon.”

“Will do,” I assured her.

She grinned at me, moved to Abel, and even still annoyed, that didn’t mean he didn’t bend low so she could touch her cheek to his.

She bustled off.

I moved to stand in front of my man.

“Aren’t you relieved?” I asked, taking in his continued displeasure.

“I’ll be relieved when I have no threats against the ones I hold in my heart, not that one of them has turned out not to be a threat in the first place.”

I understood that.

And it was sweet.

I got close and put my hands on his chest.

“Let’s celebrate even small successes, yeah?”

His face got soft as he slid his hands from my waist to my back. “And how would you like to celebrate, bao bei?”

I tipped my head to the side and pressed in closer. “I have some ideas.”

His eyes dropped to my mouth as his muttered, “I bet you do.”

I slid both hands to his neck, lifted up on my toes, and whispered, “This time, I want you to bite me.”

His eyes flared and the brown spikes started to obliterate the blue.

Then we weren’t in the entryway of the restaurant. My hair was flying, I was holding on, and, presto, we were in Abel’s room.

He tossed me to the bed.

I blinked, pulled in breath, and scrambled to my knees.

We looked into each other eyes.

Abel’s were both brown.

Oh yeah.

He lunged.

I met him halfway.

*

Sonia

That evening, Sonia put her knee to the bed, her eyes to her husband who was lounging in it, chest bared, covers up to his hips.

She barely got in and settled back on her calves before Callum reached for her, muttering, “Why you persist in wearing nighties to bed, I will never know.”

And then he tugged the tie on one side that held up the nightie at her shoulder.

Why she bought it knowing Callum would do just that, she did not know.

No, she did. Because she knew he’d do just that.

It was just that, right then, she needed his attention on other things.

She lifted a hand to hold the silk over her breast, saying, “Cal, we need to talk.”

He stayed leaned toward her, weight now in his forearm in the bed, but his eyes came to her.

“We can talk after.”

She knew what that meant, considering his voice was a rough growl and the tawny spikes were seeping into his blue eyes.

She also responded to it. Just hearing his voice, knowing what it meant he wanted from his eyes changing, but more, seeing the hunger on his face, the urge she used to try to fight but no longer bothered started to come over her.

“It’s important,” she said quietly.

He dropped his hand to her knee and replied, “It’s important to me to get my wife out of that nightie and for her to lay on her belly and spread her legs so I can play.”

The urge escalated significantly, but Sonia fought it back.

“I’m worried about Abel,” she told him.

“We’re all worried about Abel,” he told her.

“No, my handsome wolf,” she said gently, “I’m worried because he’s somewhat like me. I’m worried because he knows nothing about his people.” She covered his hand that was moving up her thigh and leaned his way. “I think before Gregor shares about The Prophesies tomorrow, you and Lucien should take Abel aside privately. Share about his nature. His people. Himself.”

Callum’s hand arrested, and not because Sonia’s covered it.

“The Prophesies take precedent,” he declared.

She shook her head. “No, Cal, I sense he’s confused about who he is and what that means.”

She watched her husband’s brows snap together. “He has to be at least one hundred fifty years old, maybe older, Sonia. He couldn’t have existed without learning about his nature. A pup has no control over turning wolf, and a vampire feeds on blood from the time they’re weaned from their mother’s breast.”