Wild and Free

by Kristen Ashley

  “That works. Plus coffee.”

  “Coffee,” he murmured. Using his hand at my head to pull me to him, he dipped to me and touched his mouth to my lips. He moved away but not very far when he finished, “I’ll give you a coupla hours, then I’ll be back.”

  He moved as if he was going to bring us both to our feet, but I curled my fingers around his biceps where they were resting and he stopped.

  “If Dad wants me, let him come to me, will you?”

  “Absolutely.”

  I smiled at him.

  He dipped to me again and touched his lips to my smile.

  He brought us both to our feet and I watched him saunter to his tee and pull it on, followed by his socks and boots. Then he came back to me.

  I got another lip brush before he left the room to get me breakfast, break the news to our family that he and I (with Lucien and Leah, Callum and Sonia) were fated to save the world or die trying, and give me space—all this taking care of me.

  I’d had that from Dad all my life, part-time close, part-time distant, until he changed that last.

  And if I’d made a list of what I wanted in a man, I’d have wanted to keep that. Having someone to take care of and love who gave the same back to me.

  But I was glad I’d never made a list because it felt unbelievably cool whenever Abel ticked off an item on the nonexistent one, surprising me at the same time showing me what I needed that I didn’t know I needed until he gave it to me.

  It felt good.

  No, it felt great.

  Actually, it felt like falling in love.

  * * * * *

  “Dad, sit.”

  “Can’t.”

  “Dad, please. For me?”

  Dad didn’t look from where he was standing, his gaze aimed out the window at the sea.

  I was back in the armchair. I’d had a bath. A light breakfast. A shitload of coffee. I’d done myself up and got my head together.

  I’d had exactly what I needed but didn’t know I needed until Abel gave it to me.

  That didn’t mean I wasn’t sad. Snake was gone and his loss weighed heavily on me. Chen and Jabber were hurt. Yesterday was extreme.

  But I wasn’t freaked.

  Given the opportunity to think, none of this surprised me. What I’d felt my whole life was not natural. The bond I was building with Abel wasn’t either, but it was strong and it was beautiful. The fact it was fate made sense.

  And with who they were and what they could do, not to mention the fact that life was life, people were people, and evil existed, I could see some of the supernaturals thinking they should rule the world.

  I didn’t like it. I didn’t particularly want to play a part in stopping them.

  But I had no choice.

  I’d gone to therapy when I had no choice, and I’d gotten through. I’d lived with Mom when I had no choice, and I’d gotten through. I’d existed with a hole in my soul until I met Abel, and I’d gotten through.

  Now I had him and we faced this.

  And we’d make it through.

  “Will rest when Snake’s at rest,” Dad said, taking my thoughts back to him.

  “Okay, Daddy,” I said gently.

  “After that, I’ll worry about my little girl saving the world.”

  I sighed.

  Abel had told him and we could just say Dad was not all fired up about that particular adventure.

  I heard the door open.

  I shifted to peer around the side of the chair and saw Abel walking in.

  He looked to me, then to Dad, and back to me.

  I shook my head.

  An expression of sweet understanding moved over his features and I gave him a small smile.

  Then I watched him walk to me, also taking in the room around him as I watched him move.

  It wasn’t very vampiric, which was kind of a letdown. No blood-red walls or black satin sheets or anything.

  Actually, it looked like what I would guess a room in a mansion on the northwest coast would look like. Hunter-green walls. Lots of exposed wood. Accents of muted gold and burnished rust. Kickass paintings of seascapes. A headboard on the king-sized bed made of wood and scrolled iron. Attractive bed linens in greens, golds, and rusts. Lots of pillows. Furniture that was exceptionally attractive but bought and positioned around the room for ease and comfort.

  I really didn’t take in much of anything last night, including this room. But right then, I liked it a whole lot.

  That said, I kinda missed Abel’s dungeon, but only because that was the place where he and me became a we.

  He stopped at the side of my chair and bent deep. Even though my head was tipped back for his kiss, he didn’t give it to me. He rubbed his temple against mine, then lifted away.

  I liked it when he did that so I didn’t mind not getting a kiss.

  He settled in, leaning against the side of my chair, his eyes moving to Dad.

  “Hook, how you doin’?” he asked quietly.

  I looked to Dad to see Dad taking Abel and I in.

  Finally, he focused on Abel. “Be better once I put my man to rest.”

  “Gregor said they’d do whatever you wanted. Just tell me what you want and I’ll get them to arrange it,” Abel told him.

  Dad held his eyes and stated, “Viking funeral.”

  “Come again?” Abel asked.

  “Snake had shit parents, four shit wives, and mostly a shit life, unless he was with his brothers. Didn’t get much of what he wanted outta life, that’s just the way life rolled out for him. It sucked watching, but respect, Snake never let it get him down. Man always talked about wanting a Viking funeral. Thought he was nuts, picking the wrong women, not havin’ great luck, and wanting an end he couldn’t have, seein’ as we lived landlocked and no one lets you do that shit. Reckon the vampires could do that shit though, so I like the idea of Snake gettin’ one thing he wanted, even if he gets it after he’s gone.”

  My chest depressed.

  “Then he’ll get that,” Abel said.

  “’Preciate it,” Dad muttered, looking back to the sea.

  Abel gave him time before he asked, “You process the other shit I told you?”

  “One thing at a time, bubba,” Dad kept muttering. “We put Snake to rest, then I’ll deal with my little girl and her man savin’ the world.”

  Abel looked down at me.

  I again shook my head.

  He nodded and looked back to Dad. “You had breakfast, Hook?”

  “Not hungry.”

  “Gotta eat, man,” Abel told him.

  “Not somethin’ I don’t know,” Dad replied.

  “Hook—”

  Dad cut his eyes to Abel. “Son, obliged for the concern, but you gotta know when to let an old man be.”

  “I never die,” Abel returned. Dad blinked and I stared, not knowing where that came from.

  Dad recovered first. “You bein’ immortal, I got that.”

  “What I’m sayin’ is, that means I have a long fuckin’ time of remembering what Snake sacrificed for Lilah and me, a long fuckin’ time to be grateful for it, and a long fuckin’ time to honor that memory.”

  Yes, my Abel was good at this.

  Dad’s throat convulsed, but he said no words in reply, just nodded.

  “You want time with your girl?” Abel asked.

  Dad swallowed, cleared his throat, and answered, “If you mean alone, no. You don’t have to leave. But I want time with my girl.”

  “You got it,” Abel murmured, looked down at me and shared, “Gotta shower, bao bei.”

  “Okay, honey.”

  When he bent this time, he touched his mouth to mine.

  Then he went to take a shower.

  And I sat in my chair with my eyes to my dad, who was watching the sea, mourning his friend and doing it being with me.

  * * * * *

  “How’s Jabber?” Chen asked.

  I was sitting by the hospital bed they set up for him in one of the downst
airs rooms, Abel standing behind me.

  And I was worried. Chen looked pale and tired even though Abel told me he’d slept most of the day.

  “Worse than you but bitchin’ about not getting a cigarette even though he has a punctured lung, so I reckon he’ll make it.”

  Chen gave a truncated chuckle that ended in a wince.

  I reached out and grabbed his hand.

  He stopped wincing and looked at me. He then looked at Abel.

  Then he smiled a cheeky smile. “Destined to save the world, hunh?”

  “That’s what they’re telling us,” Abel confirmed.

  “Action shot in my Wikipedia entry, once we take care of that shit,” Chen declared.

  I didn’t know what Abel did because I burst out laughing.

  It was surprising. I didn’t think I could laugh. Not that day. Not the next. Not for a while.

  But I did.

  And I did because Chen was funny.

  And I did because, with his words, I knew he was going to be okay.

  * * * * *

  “I need to find Abel,” I murmured late that evening, rising from the couch in one of the downstairs living rooms (I’d peeked in a few, there seemed to be about ten of them), my eyes moving from Leah to Sonia.

  We’d had a family dinner in Jabber’s room, mostly to give him targets for his orneriness, to which he took aim and shot copiously.

  Talk had drifted to biker so Jian-Li and I decided to leave them be. We found another space and Leah and Sonia found us. We shot the shit and I got the sense that the other two female parts of The Three found us just so they could take our pulse. Conversation was light but not lighthearted.

  But now I needed my man.

  “And I need to check in on Chen,” Jian-Li added, rising with me.

  “Okay, ladies. We’ll see you tomorrow,” Sonia said.

  “’Night,” I replied.

  “’Night, Lilah. ’Night, Jian-Li,” Leah returned.

  “Good night,” Jian-Li said.

  We moved to the door, and as we did, Jian-Li tucked her hand in my elbow.

  I brought it close to my side and covered it with my other hand.

  Out in the hall, I asked, “You okay?”

  “I’ve had days that were better,” she answered.

  “Mm-hmm,” I murmured.

  “Though, today was a great deal better than yesterday, so I’ll take it.”

  “I hear you,” I replied on a squeeze of her hand.

  We kept walking toward Chen’s room. We did this silently, but it was a long way so the silence didn’t last.

  “We’re prepared, Lilah,” she told me.

  I looked down at her.

  “You know about Abel’s dreams?” she asked.

  I nodded. I did. He’d mentioned them before, but he gave me the full briefing that morning about his dreams, the dreams I was having and not remembering, and Leah and Sonia dreaming.

  “We’re prepared,” she said firmly.

  “I think I got that yesterday when all your boys kicked ass.”

  She smiled. It was small, but it was proud.

  “What you’re saying is, all this new stuff, it’s no surprise to you,” I remarked.

  “Oh, it’s a surprise. My Abel and his fated partner saving the world, that’s a surprise. But yes, in a way, you’re right. We knew it would be something. I would have picked something less enormous, but there are a great number of things in life you can’t choose.”

  “I hear that too,” I muttered.

  “But sometimes fate smiles down on us, giving us bounty instead of challenge.” Her hand curled tighter on my arm. “That’s what she gave us with you.”

  That felt so good, I stopped walking.

  She had no choice but to do it with me, and when I looked down at her, she was looking up at me.

  “You’re making Abel very happy.”

  “God, I hope so,” I whispered.

  She gave me another smile, still small, but this one happy.

  “You are.”

  “I like him,” I told her, and her smile got less small.

  “That’s good, since he likes you too. A great deal.”

  I grinned. “I noticed that.”

  She looked forward and started us walking again.

  Then she commenced in destroying my world.

  “I cannot say what it means, my delight at what he’s found in you, that he has what he’s been yearning for, even in the short time you’ll be with him as you live your mortal life. It will give him much to cherish as he continues his immortal one when you’re gone.”

  I kept walking but said nothing, made no sound, carefully regulated my breathing.

  Because I hadn’t thought of that.

  Not once.

  I had no idea why, though obviously a lot was happening.

  I still hadn’t thought of that.

  I was falling in love with him.

  And evidence suggested he was doing the same with me.

  But he couldn’t die.

  And I definitely would.

  Oh my God.

  “We’re here,” Jian-Li said, and I jerked in surprise, blinking at Chen’s door. “Lilah, are you all right?”

  I drew in a deep breath, pulling it together before I looked down at her. “Not really. Lots on my mind. But I figure I just need to find Abel and I’ll be okay.”

  She studied me closely before she asked, “Are you sure?”

  “Sure I’m sure,” I said on a smile I didn’t mean, but considering all that was happening, I hoped she didn’t read it as what it really was.

  “Yes,” she agreed, squeezing my elbow before letting it go. “Find Abel. Then he’ll be okay too.”

  God.

  I bent to her and touched my cheek to hers, saying there, “Sleep well, Jian-Li.”

  “I will. You do the same, Lilah,” she replied.

  I moved away and she went into Chen’s room. I stood at the door and waved when he looked to it, catching me there. He lifted his hand and waved back.

  Then I took off.

  I checked Jabber’s room, but Abel was no longer there. So I hauled my ass to our bedroom.

  Abel wasn’t there either.

  I left and went in search of him.

  Although I knew there were tons of people around, they all had to be busy because they weren’t bustling about the hallways. It took me a while of roaming the halls before I found someone to ask if they knew where Abel was.

  I found her, a striking brunette with curling hair and fabulous blue eyes. She seemed on a mission, but I still flagged her to stop.

  She did and I asked, “Uh, do you know where Abel is? Abel Jin. The—”

  “I know who he is, Delilah, but I don’t know where he is. I’ll find out,” she said, lifted the cell in her hand, hit some buttons with her thumb, and put it to her ear. She asked. She nodded. She hit the phone with her thumb again and looked to me. “He’s in with Gregor. Bottom floor, south wing, three doors in on the outside from the main wing. You want me to take you there?”

  “No, I think I got it,” I replied.

  “I’m Stephanie, by the way. A friend of Lucien’s,” she shared.

  “Oh, hi,” I said, sticking my hand out for her to take, which she did. “I’m, well, you know who I am.”

  “Yeah.” She smiled, let me go, and her smile drifted away. “I’m very sorry for your loss.”

  “Thanks,” I muttered.

  “I’ll let you go find your mate,” she went on.

  I nodded and repeated, “Thanks.”

  She said no more and kept walking.

  I did too and found the third door on the outside on the first floor of the south wing.

  It was slightly ajar and Abel’s voice was floating out of it.

  His irate voice.

  “We talked about this earlier.”

  “Abel—”

  I recognized that voice as Gregor’s.

  I stopped.

  Abel cut
him off. “You give my mate this. You give her family this. Just two days to put someone they love to rest. The day after tomorrow, we’ll all sit down and make plans to save the world.”

  His words kinda made me want to laugh, but I choked it back.

  “There’s much to go over,” Gregor told him.

  “Yeah, I remember that from the other fifteen times you said it to me,” Abel returned, and I leaned a shoulder against the wall, settling in for my man’s show.

  I didn’t have my shoulder against the wall for long, because Gregor said, “Delilah is just outside.”

  “I know,” Abel replied.

  Of course. They smelled me. Or something.

  Whatever.

  I moved to the door and shoved it open.

  “Hey, gents,” I greeted, but I was looking at Gregor because, for some reason, I couldn’t look at Abel.

  “Delilah,” Gregor returned.

  I moved close to Abel and only then did I look up at him.

  So very beautiful.

  It will give him much to cherish as he continues his immortal one when you’re gone.

  He’d waited forever for me. Several forevers for a human.

  I’d just waited one, and not a very long one.

  Then I got him. And I’d have him until I died.

  But he wouldn’t have me.

  On that thought, I stared into his two-colored eyes and the rest of it came crashing down on me.

  Crushing me.

  Because he also wouldn’t have Jian-Li. Or Xun. Or Wei. Or Chen.

  And he didn’t have all the ones who had gone before. All of the ones who’d raised him, made him son, brother, father.

  He’d lost it all.

  Repeatedly.

  My stomach clutched so much I thought I might throw up, and I reached out a hand to grasp his hard.

  “You okay, bao bei?” he asked, his features now suffused with concern.

  So very, very beautiful.

  “It’s just”—that came out hoarse, so I cleared my throat—“been a sucky day.”

  “Yeah,” he whispered, tugging my hand to draw me nearer. He looked to Gregor. “We done?”

  “Yes, Abel,” Gregor said on a sigh and turned his eyes to me. “I know it likely brings little relief to your sorrow, but we’ve made the arrangements as Abel instructed for your friend Snake. The boat will be in the bay tomorrow at sunset. If you can tell your family that’s when the ceremony will begin, I’ll leave you to them and see you tomorrow at the bay.”