Wild and Free (The Three #3)(85)

He took off.

Abel let Delilah’s hand go and reached to a platter of bacon, hoping like f*ck that wasn’t about Chen or Jabber taking a turn for the worse.

As if reading his mind, Leah asked, “How are Chen and Jabber this morning?”

“We don’t know,” Delilah answered. “We came up late last night and got the knock on the door this morning. I hardly had enough time to hop in the shower and not to scare you by coming down here without doing my hair.” Leah grinned and Delilah continued, “We’ll go see after we’re done here.”

She took the platter of bacon from Abel and was picking her strips when the door opened and Gregor called, “Lucien, a word.”

“Fucking hell,” Lucien groused, shifting his seat back and stalking to the door.

“Never boring when you’re saving the world,” Leah noted, her eyes to where her husband disappeared.

Delilah laughed softly, as did Sonia.

Abel shared a look with Callum, who looked about as happy as he was with their interruption, then Abel reached to the eggs.

He’d handed them off to Delilah when the door opened again.

“Abel, will you join us out here, please?” Gregor called.

Abel looked from his plate to the door. “Is this a big deal?”

“We believe it is,” Gregor answered.

“A big deal in a way that everyone in this room can’t know what the f*ck you’re all talkin’ about in the hall?” Abel asked.

“This was my question,” Callum put in.

“It’s private,” Gregor explained.

“To who?” Abel asked.

“To you,” Gregor answered.

Abel’s chin jerked back. “What?”

“Please join us in the hall,” Gregor said as Yuri moved into the room from behind Gregor, who was standing in the door, Lucien following him.

“We need to have a chat elsewhere,” Lucien said carefully.

What the f*ck?

“A chat?” Abel asked.

“What’s going on, Lucien?” Callum demanded to know.

“Yuri, Gregor, and I need to speak with Abel. It may take some time. Eat your breakfast. We’ll return as quickly as we can,” Lucien replied.

“Not hip on secrets,” Abel declared.

“You may be…hip on this,” Gregor replied.

He felt and smelled Delilah’s anxiety and his patience slipped. “What the f*ck is goin’ on?”

“Oh for f*ck’s sake,” Yuri clipped. “You’re drinking bagged blood.”

Abel’s brows snapped together. “Yeah, so?”

“The kitchen told us you requested they place a large supply you brought with you from Serpentine Bay in their refrigerators,” Yuri told him something else he knew.

“Yeah…” Abel said slowly. “So?”

“And you requested they heat it…in a microwave,” he said with disgust, “for your meals.”

“Man, you’re tellin’ me shit I know. What’s the big f*ckin’ deal?”

“Why aren’t you feeding from your mate?” Gregor asked cautiously.

“Not that it’s any of your business,” Abel bit out, “but I am. Though, seein’ as she was destined for me, I waited a couple of centuries for her, and I kinda like having her around, draining her, or drawing her down so she’s got no energy, isn’t somethin’ I’m big on doing.”

The mood in the room changed completely in a way that Abel had to concentrate on his fangs not snapping out. Delilah felt it too; he sensed it and knew it when her fingers curled around his forearm.

But the expressions on their faces didn’t match the mood.

Yuri looked incredulous. Gregor and Lucien looked remorseful.

“What?” Abel clipped.

“He doesn’t know,” Leah breathed, and Abel glanced at her to see she’d grown pale.

“What?” he snarled.

Gregor, Yuri, and Lucien advanced into the room, closing the door behind them.

It was Lucien who spoke.

“Do you know you can numb skin?” he asked.

“Figured that out,” Abel answered.

There was some relief in his expression before he went on, “Abel, vampire saliva is healing.”

“Figured that out too,” Abel told him. “Numb, bite, draw, heal.”

“No.” Lucien shook his head before lifting a hand and dropping it. “Of course, you’re partially correct. Numb, bite, draw, heal, but when I say vampire saliva is healing, I mean miraculously so. I feed from Leah three times a day, sometimes more.”

Delilah’s fingers curled tight on his arm as Abel grunted with revulsion, “What the f*ck?”

“My saliva in her bloodstream means her blood regenerates faster. It takes time to build it up, but only weeks until she can withstand feeding regularly,” Lucien shared.

“Oh my God. Awesome,” Delilah whispered.

“It’s more,” Lucien went on. “The longer you feed, the more healing properties she gets. You immunize her from disease, and by that, I mean any disease, like we vampires cannot suffer. Including diabetes, cancer, neurological disorders, all of them.”

“Christ,” Abel whispered.