Wild and Free (The Three #3)(93)

He started us moving toward the door but stopped instantly, shoving me behind him as the air shimmered and a woman suddenly formed in front of the door.

Peering around Abel, I stared at her.

Back at the restaurant, I’d seen bits and pieces of what Abel told me were wraiths, but considering I was hiding under a table when all that went down, and they took off after the bad supernaturals before I got a good look, I didn’t get a whole eye view.

Now I was getting it and it was freaking phenomenal.

She seemed mostly solid; you could only partly see through her. She had white hair, elegant features, and a pastel dress with lots of ripped edges (but also lots of cleavage). She looked like she was in a music video that had the wind machine set to low, except she was also floating.

And smiling at us.

“Abel and Delilah,” she said, her voice very real too, but still somehow dreamy.

“Serena,” Abel replied, but it was also a question.

“Indeed,” she confirmed.

Serena. Empress of the wraiths.

Awesome!

“Uh…” I pressed into Abel’s back and got up on my toes to whisper toward his ear, “Are we supposed to curtsy or something?”

“Only if you’re in a ceremonial chamber, and this is not one of those,” she answered.

I caught her eyes. “Oh, okay.”

“I rule my wraiths, but that doesn’t mean I am not equal to them, and them me. I’m also equal to you,” she continued. “The curtsy in a ceremonial chamber is just tradition. And tedious. But ceremonies wouldn’t be ceremonies if there wasn’t tradition.” She paused and grinned. “And tedium.”

“True enough,” I murmured.

“I’ll say now, it’s lovely to meet you both,” she told us.

“Same,” Abel grunted.

“Yeah,” I said on a return smile.

Motioning to the door, she invited, “After you.”

Abel hesitated before he reached out and opened the door. We went through and I did it wondering if she could float through it if it was still closed.

At that time, she didn’t. She floated but did it through the open door.

“Excellent, we’re all here,” Gregor said as Abel and I were confronted with much the same as yesterday, except the table wasn’t covered in platters of food. Instead, a buffet had been set up to the side (and I was happy to see pancakes were on offer, seeing as I was getting tired of eggs).

There were also more people. This meant Serena wasn’t the only new person we met. We met a handsome, dark-haired vampire with an accent named Cristiano, who was also on The Council. We also met a tall, large, strange-looking man with big hands, which were bizarrely knobbly, and kind eyes. His name was Avery, and although he was strange-looking, he was also strangely attractive, though I couldn’t put my finger on exactly how. He just was.

What he wasn’t was explained in the sense that he didn’t share if he was vampire, wolf, or what, though he didn’t look like any that I’d met. Since it wasn’t offered and it would be rude, Abel and I didn’t ask.

Stephanie, Caleb, and Ryon were also there.

We were invited to load up plates and we did. After everyone was seated, Gregor began.

“Since Serena does not eat as the rest of us do, and she has information we need to know, while we partake, she’ll give us her briefing.”

Serena was doing her music video thing by the window and I wondered if she sat, seeing as she could float apparently effortlessly.

Obviously, I didn’t ask this for more reasons than the fact that she started talking and I started eating.

“Although fortunate that we were on the inside with the traitors, which meant we could intervene when they attacked The Sacred Triumvirate some days ago, this also means that we are no longer on the inside.”

I looked to Abel who felt my eyes and looked to me.

I mouthed, “Traitors?” since I hadn’t heard them referred to that way.

He gave a slight shrug and we both looked to Serena when she kept talking.

“By the time we exposed our true allegiance, we’d learned that, while planning to do damage to The Three—and they were looking at this a variety of ways, such as total annihilation or simply dispensing with one which, according to The Prophesies, would make the rest ineffectual—they’re also planning to expose the existence of immortals to humans. And they were not planning on doing that diplomatically.”

Leah, Sonia, and I gave each other looks even as we ate and Serena carried on.

“However, the one wraith we have left in position, who infiltrated our sisters who have long since sided with the traitors, has shared with us that the plans we were once privy to have been changed. Unfortunately, due to my sisters intervening to save The Three, they’re being far more careful with all wraiths, including the ones who actually share their ideology. Therefore, she hasn’t been able to ascertain any of their new plans.”

I swallowed pancake and butted in quietly, “Thank you for that, by the way. Your, um, sisters, coming to the rescue. We wouldn’t have made it or would have…” I shook my head, swallowing for another reason, thinking of Snake, Chen, and Jabber, before I finished, “Things would have gone far worse if your sisters hadn’t been there.”

“We’re committed to equality amongst ourselves and all beings, so it was an honor to come to the aid of The Three who’ll keep all beings allied and free,” she replied.