Wild and Free

by Kristen Ashley

  “Hook,” Abel replied, and Delilah forged in.

  “Have you met Jian-Li and the guys?” she asked.

  Hooker shifted and turned his gaze to Abel’s family.

  “We met this lovely lady. Hadn’t gotten around to her boys.”

  “Right,” Delilah replied. “That’s Xun, Wei, and Chen. They’re awesome, Dad.”

  “Yo,” Hooker called.

  “Yo,” Xun said, and Abel looked to him to see his mouth twitching.

  “Hey,” Wei said, his eyes moving from Hooker to Abel and Delilah. He took in their positions, knew immediately what their comfortable closeness meant, and grinned a knowing grin at his brother, his eyebrows waggling, his lips mouthing, “Right on.”

  “Cool you’re here,” Chen said.

  “And guys, this is my dad, Hook, and his boys, Poncho, Snake, Moose, and Jabber.”

  Abel looked at the men behind Hook and he didn’t need to be informed which was which.

  There was one who definitely had Hispanic in him and he was actually wearing a fringed, suede poncho, so he had to be Poncho.

  Another was long and lean to the point of being coiled, thus the man had to be Snake.

  Another had a mammoth gut, broad but sloped shoulders, was almost as tall as Abel, with shaggy brown-gray hair—in other words, Moose.

  And the last was short, skinny, wiry, his eyes shifty and alert—clearly Jabber.

  “I hope you gentlemen are hungry,” Jian-Li said at this point.

  “Fuckin’ starved,” Hook replied, then lifted his hand in an apologetic gesture and grinned. “’Scuse my French.”

  Jian-Li smiled and replied, “Don’t mention it, I’ve raised all boys.” This got an approving smile from Hook, but when Abel looked to his brothers, the older two were rolling their eyes and Chen was grinning at his feet. This because the only one of them she let get away with cursing (sometimes) was Abel. “Now, let’s start with drinks,” Jian-Li went on. “What can we get you?”

  “Beer,” Hook said.

  “All around,” Moose grunted from behind.

  “Any preference?” Jian-Li asked.

  “Knock us out,” Hook stated. “You got something exciting that’ll trip our triggers, we’ll drink it. Just as long as it’s wet and cold. Got a long length of road down my throat and that always tastes good, but it’s time to wash it away.”

  “This we can do,” Jian-Li murmured through grinning lips.

  Her grin became a smile when she turned, her eyes lighting on Abel and Delilah before she bustled out.

  Wei followed her.

  Xun motioned to a big table in the middle of the room that was set for serving. The rest of the tables were minimally set in preparation for business when they opened again.

  After Delilah gave hugs to all her father’s men (something Abel didn’t like very much, but he had no choice but to allow), everyone took their seats, Delilah next to him, her father across from them. Beers were brought in. Jian-Li’s food was brought in. And conversation was free-flowing, not even close to stilted or awkward, which gave Abel a sense of why his mate so easily fitted into his family’s fold.

  These people did not judge. These people did not hold themselves back and wait for someone to earn their sociability. These people were who they were. You took them as they came, and if you didn’t, they didn’t give a fuck. If you did, they let you in right off the bat.

  This didn’t mean that if trust was broken or wrongs were done, that shit couldn’t turn in a flash in a way that would be messy. It was just that they offered themselves up without any walls to tear down to get in there. If you built the wall, that was your issue.

  They lived their lives free.

  They were also big eaters.

  The platters of food and bowls of rice were nearly decimated before Hooker turned his eyes to his daughter and stated, “Right. Good beer, great food, excellent company. Hate to do it, but”—his gaze shifted to Abel—“we gotta get down to business.”

  Everyone came alert, including Hooker’s boys, all their attention shifting to Abel.

  But it was Delilah who spoke and Abel was surprised at how honestly she did it. She didn’t hold back, even when she spoke of being attacked, and this was surprising because her father and all his men became visibly restless as she described the incident.

  She also told them about Abel being the one she was searching for, including the unknown-to-him-at-that-point knowledge that she’d somehow felt his presence in Serpentine Bay the moment he’d moved there, this being why she came there on her vacation.

  Abel liked this, but he was mildly pissed she hadn’t shared it. After she said it, he knew it was what was on her mind the day before, when she learned he’d moved there and when, but she hadn’t let him in on that.

  Then again, he hadn’t given her much opportunity. He’d been avoiding her and then he’d been fucking her.

  So he settled in to simply liking it and listened to her explain about when Abel was attacked and his brothers’ participation.

  She was thorough yet succinct.

  Except for the fact that she didn’t share he was a werewolf vampire and their attackers were also supernatural.

  He was not surprised that not only did her father and his boys take all she said in stride, including the lethal way Abel and his brothers dealt with it, he also wasn’t surprised that natural camaraderie turned respectful to him, Xun, Wei, and Chen when they heard it. This meant they would have dealt with it the same way.

  Finally, she stopped talking.

  He didn’t know if she intended to get into the supernatural shit. All he knew was that was hers to share when and if she was ready and he’d move with her flow.

  When she quit speaking, Hooker looked to Abel and asked, “You got a clue?”

  “Nope,” he replied.

  “Hate to ask this, son, but the question’s gotta be asked, seein’ as you got no problem takin’ care of business in a way that makes you a bona fide outlaw. So, is any of your other business leakin’ to my little girl, puttin’ her in danger?”

  “My family’s business is a Chinese restaurant,” Abel replied, and for the first time, he saw Hooker’s mouth tighten with irritation, likely because he thought Abel was lying to him. However, Abel wasn’t done. “Our other business we don’t do messy,” he continued. “We do favors, but we do not get involved. So the answer is no. We do what we do and we do it in a way where Jian-Li, her restaurant, and our lives are clean.”

  He knew what he said surprised Delilah and it occurred to him that even if a fuckload of shit had gone down since they met, they had not shared hardly anything.

  But his answer made the tightness leave Hooker’s mouth and he nodded.

  “Though, I’ll point out, they came after Delilah before I’d laid eyes on her. So no one could know who she was to me,” Abel finished.

  “This is a worry,” Hooker muttered.

  “We’re connected, Abel and I, Daddy, in a way that’s really awesome, but it’s also not exactly…” Delilah paused. “Normal.”

  “I get that, precious girl. Spent a lifetime worried you wouldn’t fill that pit in your belly, so I’m glad you finally got what you need. But you both bein’ targeted the way you have and when is makin’ me all kinds of uneasy,” Hooker replied.

  “There’s something we haven’t shared,” Delilah said softly, her hand moving out and curling around Abel’s thigh.

  Here we go, he thought.

  His eyes pinned to Hooker, he moved his body closer to Delilah, draping an arm on the back of her chair, and he felt his family tense in preparation.

  “What?” Hooker asked.

  “Well, like I said, like you get, Abel and I are connected. While I was yearning for him my whole life, he was doing the same for me,” Delilah stated. “And as I mentioned, it’s not exactly normal. But what I’ve found out is that it’s actually, um…” Another pause. “Supernatural.”

  Hooker shocked the shit out of Abel when h
e returned easily, “I could get that too, Lilah.”

  “Well, the way it’s supernatural is that the, um…people who attacked me were vampires and werewolves,” she announced.

  Abel and his family tensed further, and Jabber muttered, “What the fuck?”

  Hooker just blinked.

  Then he asked, “Uh…what?”

  Delilah’s fingers curled tighter into the muscles of his thigh when she leaned forward and gave it to them.

  “And Abel is a werewolf vampire.”

  Hooker leaned back, the room going wired, his eyes slicing to Abel and narrowing.

  His tone was a threat when he asked, “You playin’ mind games with my little girl?”

  In response, Abel bared his teeth and extended his fangs.

  The second he did, Snake and Jabber shot back in their chairs and up to their feet, both men yanking the knives from the sheathes on their belts. Moose scraped his chair back and leaned forward like he was preparing to launch himself across the table. Wei, Chen, and Xun also gained their feet and positioned behind Abel and Delilah.

  Abel didn’t move, but Delilah tightened her hold on his thigh.

  “Jesus, shit,” Hooker murmured, staring at Abel’s fangs.

  Abel retracted them.

  “We’re takin’ her and we’re leavin’ right fuckin’ now,” Snake clipped out.

  “No!” Delilah cried.

  “Let us all take a moment, gentleman,” Jian-Li urged quietly.

  “Don’t need a moment. Need our girl. You try to stop us, don’t give a fuck you got fangs, I’ll take you the fuck out,” Moose growled, his leg jerking up and down, his body strung tight, clearly itching to make a move.

  “Please, everyone, calm down,” Delilah begged.

  Abel held Hooker’s eyes.

  “I would not harm her,” Abel said low.

  Hooker didn’t twitch.

  “There were those who would. They are no longer of this world. I made them that way and didn’t give it a second fucking thought,” Abel continued.

  Hooker said nothing.

  “It happens again, I’ll do it again, my brothers at my side,” Abel went on.

  Hooker remained silent.

  “I’d die for her. I’m two hundred and five years old and I’ve been raised with love. I’ve been blessed with family. I’ve shown and been gifted with loyalty. I’ve known joy. But I’ve never felt complete until I had Delilah.”

  Hooker stared into his eyes for some time before his gaze shifted to Abel’s brothers at his back.

  Finally, he turned his head and took in Jian-Li, who sat calmly amongst a bunch of twitchy bikers, the remains of her generosity scattered across the table, the depth of loyalty she’d created standing at Abel’s back.

  Hooker didn’t miss it. Not any of it.

  And he relaxed in his seat, murmuring, “Boys, stand down.”

  “Are you fuckin’ kidding?” Jabber demanded.

  Slowly, Hooker looked to his friend. “Look at her, brother. Look at our girl. Does she seem harmed to you?”

  “That doesn’t matter,” Moose fired back, and Hooker looked to him.

  “Drugged?” he asked.

  “The fucker’s a fuckin’ vampire,” Snake ground out.

  Hooker turned to him. “Look around, man. You ever know an asshole who earned family like this?”

  Snake glared at Hooker.

  Poncho whispered, “Magio.”

  Everyone looked to him.

  He was looking at Delilah.

  “It’s not surprising, mi amor, that you’d live a life filled with magic. Only the special ones live magic. I’m happy for you, Lilah.”

  Delilah relaxed by his side.

  The rest of the room stayed tense.

  “Jesus, Poncho, your mystical bullshit doesn’t jibe here. The guy’s a vampire,” Moose reminded him.

  Poncho looked to Moose. “He’s a warrior. Destiny has brought Lilah to him and destiny can be fickle. Giving you bounty, but doing it at the same time tryin’ to take it away. You can’t have treasure, amigo, unless you endure the perilous journey to find it. Lilah had some weak-assed fuckwad at her side and shit went down in life, natural or supernatural, she’d hold him up, or fall trying. She didn’t get that. She got magic. She got a warrior. You should be happy and you should be relieved. Because from the shit they just laid out, for whatever reason, she’s a target, and we’re all fucked without his fangs at our girl’s back.”

  That was when Delilah said softly, “I love you, Poncho.”

  He turned instantly to her. “You got that back, Lilah. Know it.”

  Abel felt her head hit his chest as she collapsed into it. He looked down to see her gaze on her friend, her face soft, her lips curled up, but her eyes were bright and that look made his chest get tight.

  He wrapped his arm around her and gave her a squeeze.

  In return, she draped her arm over his stomach and gave him one back.

  “Please, gentlemen, sit,” Jian-Li urged. “We understand your hesitancy, and if trust needs to be established, we’ll earn it. But for our Abel, for Delilah, you must give us the chance.”

  It took a while, but finally the men standing sheathed their knives and moved to their chairs, Moose dragged his chair back to the table, and Abel’s brothers shifted back to their seats.

  Hooker grabbed his fork, speared a fat shrimp from his plate, shoved it into his mouth, chewed twice, then said through a still-full mouth to Abel, “’Scuse them. They’re partial to our girl, and seein’ as that’s the case, they’re protective.”

  “Wouldn’t have it any other way,” Abel replied.

  Hooker gave him a shrimp-toothed grin and scooped up some rice.

  Delilah shifted away from him and went back to her plate.

  Abel didn’t. He stayed alert but again draped his arm on her chair.

  “Brother, saw the fangs, but you turn wolf too?” Poncho asked, and Abel looked to him.

  “Yep.”

  Poncho grinned. “Insane, man. Fuck. But also cool.”

  “Yep,” Xun stated firmly, Abel’s in-your-face brother clearly not feeling all that happy with what had just occurred.

  “Calm, son, we’re all friends here,” Hooker said quietly.

  “That remains to be seen,” Xun returned. “If the threat we don’t get comes back and you got your chance to shut up and put up, endin’ your night covered in vamp blood so our man and his woman here can continue breathing”—he jerked his head Abel and Delilah’s way—“that’s when I’ll see it.”

  “Xun, cool it,” Abel murmured. “In case it escaped you, it’s all good now.”

  “It will be if no further disrespect hits my mother’s table, a table covered in her food, her fuckin’ beer, with her sons, all of them, sittin’ around it,” Xun shot back.

  “Cool it,” Abel clipped.

  Xun scowled at him and kept doing it until Abel heard Wei thump his brother’s boot with his own.

  Angrily, Xun turned his attention to his beer, lifting it with two fingers hooked around the neck and sucking back a healthy pull.

  Abel looked at Hooker. “You’ll excuse Xun. He’s partial to his brother, and since he is, he’s protective.”

  That got Abel another grin from Hooker and a returned, “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  Delilah again giggled.

  And finally Abel relaxed.

  * * * * *

  “So, that started great, turned down the road to potential bloodbath scary-as-shit, but it ended up okay, don’t you think?”

  This was Delilah, standing at the sink, her ass moving as she leaned over it, rubbing some shit into her face that smelled like heaven, which was what her ass looked like wiggling like that.

  He tore his eyes and thoughts off her ass, something he intended to have in his hands in a few minutes, and thought she was right.

  Eventually, everyone calmed down. Jian-Li, Delilah, with Jian-Li roping in Xun—likely to give him a piece of her
mind—cleared the table and did the dishes after Delilah brought out fresh beers. More shit was shot amongst the men as the beer kept coming. They had a getting to know you session that went relatively well, considering everyone was watchful and some guarded.

  Finally, the night ended with Jian-Li offering Hooker her guest bedroom so he could be close to his daughter, Hooker accepting, and him bringing up his saddlebags.

  The rest of the men decided on a schedule of vigilance, Abel’s brothers and Hooker’s boys taking turns keeping an eye on the restaurant and alley.

  Abel was left out of this as Chen explained that he needed to keep out of sight, and smell, for both his and Delilah’s protection.

  Abel was down with this, not because he didn’t want to do his part in taking care of his mate, but because he wanted time with her to get to know her better.

  Those not on duty took off, Wei and Xun to their apartments, Hooker’s boys to check in at The Chain. Chen and Poncho were first up.

  Abel took one break from this to go down and heat up a bag of blood, making a call at the same time to replenish his supplies. After he drank it, he went up and had more beer, conversation, and Jian-Li’s light dinner of loaded pu-pu platters after a heavy lunch. All this before they called it a night.

  All in all, they’d spent eight hours together and that was about seven hours too many before he had Delilah to himself again.

  “Yeah,” he responded to her question.

  She grabbed a towel, wiped her hands, tossed it on the sink, then walked in a way that was part walking, part skipping to the bed where he was lounging, back to pillows angled up against the headboard, body naked under the covers.

  She jumped in, landing on her knees, undulated to bounce twice, all the while grinning at him as he struggled not to knife up and drag her on top of him so he could roll on top of her. Then she fell to her hands and knees, crawled up, and collapsed on top of him.

  Fuck, she was fucking amazing.

  He wrapped his arms around her and started to count down—five seconds to take in her grin, then he was going to fuck her.

  This plan was thwarted when she tipped her head and asked, “You play guitar?”

  “Yeah.”

  Her grin got bigger. “Right on! I love guitar.”