Wild and Free (The Three #3)(99)

“That’s good with me,” Abel added.

“Uh, what do we girls do?” I asked.

Lucien, Callum, and Abel (yep, all three) looked at me, baffled.

Yeesh.

Men.

“We are in on this destiny of saving the world too,” I reminded them and turned to Abel. “Xun, Wei, and Chen offered to train me in some of their kung fu magic.”

“I want them going two-, three-, four-on-one with Lucien and Callum’s wolves so they can improve their ‘kung fu magic,’” Abel said the last three words like they amused him, then added, “And so they can stay alive again if more shit goes down.”

“Okay, so I’ll get in on that. Leah and Sonia can do it with me if they want,” I returned.

“Sonia’s practicing with her abilities, attempting to increase her affinity with wildlife by communicating with them,” Callum shared. “Perhaps you can go out with her.”

“And miss my opportunity at throwing a ninja star?” I asked.

Callum’s lips quirked and his eyes slid to Abel.

Abel’s arm slid along the back of my chair and I looked to him. “*cat—” he began, and I knew what was coming. I didn’t know how, but I did.

And all I could think about what was coming was, Oh no he didn’t.

“I get your protective instinct, baby, but I have one too,” I reminded him.

“The boys need to be prepared,” he reminded me.

“So do the girls,” I returned.

“True, but it’s doubtful any of you will see actual fighting,” Abel retorted.

“You don’t know that,” I pointed out, and his face got hard.

“I f*ckin’ do,” he growled.

Oh man.

“Abel—”

“Let us do what we gotta do.”

“Abel!”

His face suddenly was in mine. “Lilah, let us do what we gotta do.”

I narrowed my eyes. “And what about what we gotta do?”

He leaned a bit back and threw up a hand. “I don’t know. Go try to zap some shit. See if you got some ability like Leah and Sonia.”

I blinked.

Then I glared.

Then I fought back slapping him upside the head.

When I got that under control, I hissed, “You didn’t just say that.”

“Right,” he clipped, his patience gone. “A day, Lilah, for me to work with Callum and see what I gotta do to get my shit sorted, fighting as wolf. A day where Lucien works with Xun and Wei to see where they’re at and what they need. After that, we take you on.”

Compromise. And a good one.

It was also an annoying one precisely because it was good.

“A day,” I snapped, and he grinned.

More annoying.

Then he leaned into me and ran his temple along mine.

That was not annoying, but I decided to pretend it was by turning away in a huff when he was done.

“Good call, not weighing in on that,” Sonia noted, and I looked to her and Callum.

Callum just grinned at his empty plate and murmured, “Mm.”

“Next time I’ll let one of you go a few rounds with your bitches so I can avoid gettin’ shit from mine,” Abel remarked, and my angry eyes shot back to him.

“What you did was avoid the doghouse. Don’t court a permanent stay,” I warned.

“Like you’d send me there for eternity,” he retorted.

“Don’t try me.”

Abel burst out laughing.

I again fought back the urge to slap him upside the head.

I did this by pushing my chair back, throwing my napkin on the table, and announcing, “Time for me to go and try zapping something. Any of you girls with me?”

“I’m in,” Leah stated immediately.

“After you’re done zapping things, we’ll all go out so I can talk to bunnies,” Sonia added.

“We’ve got a plan,” I decreed and turned to go but didn’t get very far when Abel caught my hand.

I looked down at him.

“Thanks, bao bei,” he said softly.

“Just so you know, you being sweet totally works. I’m still gonna pretend it doesn’t and bust your chops,” I informed him and got another grin.

“Have a feeling I draw from you again later, I’ll get tangy Lilah, seein’ as you’re in the mood to be sassy,” he replied.

“And just so you know, you being hot totally works too. I’m still gonna bust your chops.”

That got me a full-blown smile.

It also got me a tug on my hand that forced me to bend to him. When I got close, his other hand shot up in a blur and caught me at the back of the head so he could pull me to him and give me a short, but hot and wet, kiss.

When he broke it, he whispered, “Good luck zapping something.”

To which I replied, “Whatever.”

To which he delivered his kill shot, giving him the win.

He did it with his eyes to my mouth, still whispering. “Regardless of the extraneous shit and the centuries I had to wait to get what was mine, destiny f*ckin’ loves me.”

As completely awesome as that was, still, I was me, so I shared, “That’s the sweet part I’m pretending doesn’t work.”