Wild and Free

by Kristen Ashley

  Abel said nothing because Callum was right. They’d planned well. No matter what happened that morning, they’d get something out of it. Hopefully it would be one of the enemy, alive and breathing, who they could break for information. But even if no one showed, they had human scouts everywhere surrounding the meeting place—fishermen, campers, hunters, and just men who were driving the roads like they had somewhere to go but were on the lookout.

  This mission, on the face of it, was Lucien meeting with his friend Cosmo.

  Cosmo was in charge of the vamps, wolves, and wraiths in the surrounding areas who were keeping an eye out for the enemy, something the supernaturals reporting to Cosmo shared were nonexistent.

  That didn’t mean the enemy didn’t have human eyes.

  But Cosmo couldn’t approach the compound, because if he did, the enemy, if they were watching, would know he was the one leading that effort. And according to Lucien, Cosmo was a force to be reckoned with and his involvement and proximity to The Three at that juncture was something advantageous to keep secret. Lucien, and Gregor, wanted their enemies to guess what Cosmo was up to, not know.

  Now they were outing Cosmo themselves, with a purpose.

  Their road trip was early, the meeting place clandestine, the route they were taking to it was circuitous, all of this to show anyone who might be watching that they were taking precautions to hide the fact this was a trap.

  And if they found themselves with a fight on their hands, they’d know they were being watched. Even if no one showed, the scouts they had in place were trained to spot who they were supposed to be spotting. So if Cosmo was followed but not approached, or their convoy was, they’d still know that they had enemy eyes on them, active ones.

  That didn’t seem much to Abel, but he was cool with it because it was doing something. But Callum and Lucien said any intel was good to have in order to analyze and then strategize.

  And this, they said, was only the beginning. This wasn’t a for-the-fuck-of-it mission so they didn’t climb the walls of the compound.

  Callum and Lucien had planned beyond this mission.

  No more sitting on their hands.

  Thank fuck.

  This was something else Gregor wasn’t fired up about, and Abel knew, when they found out, all three of their women were going to lose their minds.

  But again, it was doing something and he’d take Delilah’s sass just to breathe different air. He also had a feeling she’d get that. He’d just have to put up with her bitching before she got to that place.

  Callum followed Lucien off the road to a narrower one, and not long after, they all turned onto a dirt lane. They drove into the forest and the trip wasn’t short. Eventually, they stopped, parked, got out, and hiked a short distance where they found the ATVs.

  They loaded up and trekked deeper into the forest.

  They were at it for five minutes before some of the ATVs pulled off, their security detail riding through the trees to set up watch.

  They were at it another five minutes before, out of nowhere, the wolves joined them, running at the sides of the ATVs.

  Callum, ahead of Abel, looked back and jerked up his chin.

  The wolves were good.

  By the time they hit the small clearing, all that was left were those close to The Three, the rest of the detail having moved to their positions. The remainder of their party drove their ATVs around it, circling it before they stopped, all the ATVs facing in, their lights illuminating the clearing.

  In the clearing was a big, blond vampire, his only company being the wolves that had followed them, patrolling beyond the ATVs.

  Hook, Wei, Xun, Calder, and Caleb took positions outside the SUVs, keeping watch.

  Lucien, Callum, Ryon, and Abel approached the vampire.

  “Cosmo,” Lucien murmured, offering his hand which Cosmo took.

  Greetings were given, as well as an introduction for Abel, who Cosmo took in head to toe in a sharp way that gave the impression he missed nothing. This was something that made Abel feel more at ease. The vampire was obviously not a moron. Then again, he had yet to meet one who was.

  “Were you followed?” Lucien asked once the preliminaries were done.

  “No,” Cosmo answered, shaking his head. “Nothing. Not a hint.”

  “We’ve had men in these woods for two days. They’ve seen nothing either,” Lucien shared.

  “They either have human allies, which I can credit, your father’s skilled with charming his victims before he goes in for the kill,” Cosmo replied. “Or they’re concentrating their efforts elsewhere. Planning something that will draw you out.”

  “We’re getting nothing,” Lucien told him.

  “The calm before the storm,” Cosmo muttered.

  “A calm they may have manipulated, forcing The Three into a high security compound in the middle of fucking nowhere in Oregon while they carry out an attack in Spain,” Lucien clipped impatiently.

  Abel looked questioningly to Callum.

  Callum felt his eyes and said, “They weren’t unaware of the compound’s existence. Which means the attack at Jian-Li’s restaurant may have been a play to get us there.”

  “Which would also mean, if we moved, now that The Three are together, they can assume we’d do it as one, they’d know where we’re moving from, can manipulate where we’re moving to, and they’d be in position to pick us off,” Abel returned.

  Callum’s jaw got tight which meant Abel’s guess might be right.

  “Fuck,” he whispered.

  “I’m more use to you elsewhere, Lucien,” Cosmo stated.

  “You are,” Lucien agreed. “Move out all vampires and wolves, but leave the wraiths.”

  Abel watched Cosmo nod right before a blinding pain shot through his head.

  He tensed, his head jerking automatically as if the pain was a physical blow, and he lifted his hands so he could press his palms to his eyes, where the pain kept burning.

  “Abel,” Callum called.

  The pain shot through again, so severe, nausea tore up his throat and he had to swallow against vomiting as the agony bent him double.

  “Abel!” Callum bit out, and Abel felt hands on him.

  He shirked them off, the pain in his head so bad he was unable to bear touch.

  Still bent double, he snarled, “Don’t touch me, man.”

  “This ever happen before?” he heard Lucien ask, to which Xun answered, “Never.”

  “Smell anything?” Callum asked, and Ryon answered, “Nothing.”

  “Wolf,” Callum ordered, and Abel sensed them transforming to wolf as the pain shot back, worse this time, taking him down to his knee.

  “Fuck,” he spat, digging his palms into his eyes in an effort to quell the pain.

  “Talk to us, Abel,” Lucien demanded from close.

  “Jesus, fuck, pain, fuck, bad” was all Abel could force out before it happened.

  The pain vanished, and the instant it did, the clearing and beyond was lit with a blue flash that illuminated the space, straight to the heavens.

  Everyone tensed and Abel’s head shot back as he watched sparks fly in the trees and heard things crashing through them.

  “Prepare,” Lucien growled as Abel got to his feet, ready to jump to wolf.

  But Hook was running into the trees.

  “Careful, Hook!” Abel shouted.

  “Fuck!” Hook shouted back. He bent, straightened, and turned to the clearing holding something up in his hand. “Camera! Fried now, but fuck!”

  “Go, now,” Lucien ordered, turning and sprinting to his ATV, still calling out commands. “Gather the cameras. Cosmo, compound. You’ve been made.”

  Everyone was running. Then everyone was on ATVs. A fuckuva lot faster, they got to the SUVs, hauled ass climbing in, and took off.

  Cosmo was with them, in the backseat with Hook, and they were barely on their way before he stated the obvious: “They’ve a man inside.”

  “No shit?” Abel bit
out.

  “Abel, on the line with Gregor. Have him lock that place down,” Callum ordered, and Abel dug his phone out.

  “Tell him to get Yuri on the job,” Cosmo added.

  “Yuri’s out on a mission,” Callum told him.

  “Fuck, no one’s better at extracting information. But Stephanie’s no slouch.” Cosmo leaned forward as Abel connected to Gregor and demanded, “Tell him Stephanie’s up.”

  “Since you’re phoning me, I can only assume that this is not going to be a cheerful conversation,” Gregor said as greeting.

  “They had cameras at the meeting place. Lock the compound down. They’ve got an inside man,” Abel told him.

  “It’s done,” Gregor stated.

  “Place may be bugged,” Abel noted.

  “Impossible. Random sweeps are done at least three times a day,” Gregor informed him.

  “Then start Stephanie with the guy in charge of the sweeps,” Abel ordered and hung up.

  Callum had turned from the dirt road to the narrow one when Hook asked, “Anyone know what the fuck that blue shit was?”

  No one said a word.

  But Abel knew.

  He’d seen it before.

  In a dream.

  Delilah.

  He had no clue how, he just knew however it was, it was her.

  He didn’t share this with Hook. Instead, he looked to his left at Callum’s profile, keeping his gaze steady on the wolf until Callum glanced his way, looked back at the road, and dipped his chin sharply.

  He got him.

  “I’m gonna take that as that shit is need to know,” Hook said into the cab.

  “Good call,” Callum told him.

  They had silence until they reached the compound. Security was tightened, but they didn’t fuck around letting them in.

  They drove the long drive, rounded the front, and exited the vehicles.

  Callum peeled off at a call from Ryon, Calder and Caleb sticking with him. Lucien waited for Cosmo and they strolled up the steps to the front door slowly, heads bent, talking. Hook lagged behind, likely still freaking out. Wei and Xun drove on to put their bikes in the garages that were detached from the main house.

  So unfortunately, it was Abel who went through the door first.

  He saw her just inside and she looked sweet. Red Harley tank, tight, some rhinestones, the letters stretched out across her tits. Shorts, ragged hem and cut short as in short, affording a nice view of lots of leg. Hair wild, like it was when she just woke up.

  And eyes flashing in a way-the-fuck-pissed-off kind of way.

  That was all he took in before he had to duck, seeing as she threw something at him.

  He didn’t know what it was. He just knew whatever it was was fragile since it exploded with a crash against the doorjamb behind him.

  “Early morning training session?” Delilah shrieked, turned, and that was when he saw she had allies. He saw this because Sonia and Leah were lined up beside her, Leah handing her a vase.

  A vase she threw.

  “Jesus! What the fuck?” Hook shouted after he jumped out of the way and the vase flew out the door, smashing on the flagstone outside.

  “You!” Delilah screeched, jabbing a finger her father’s way as Abel felt the rest of the crew flood through the door behind him. “You were in on this too?”

  “Now, little girl—” her father started, hands up in a placating gesture.

  But he should have known better. He had years where Abel only had weeks, and still, Abel knew there was no placating this Delilah.

  “Don’t you fucking ‘little girl’ me, Dad. I cannot believe you!” she yelled, then moved her finger between the two of them. “Either of you!”

  “And, might I add at this juncture, I cannot either, and that includes you, Mighty Vampire Lucien,” Leah drawled dangerously, her eyes slits and aimed at her husband.

  “I would think of something clever to say, my king,” Sonia put in. “But I’m having difficulty not ripping someone’s throat out with”—she lost it and leaned forward, eyes narrowed and locked on her husband—“my teeth.”

  “Perhaps we can move this out of the foyer,” Lucien suggested.

  “Fuck that!” Delilah shouted, her gaze glued to Abel. Then she asked in a saccharine-sweet voice, “You know how I woke up, baby?”

  “Bao bei—” he started but did it knowing it was futile.

  And it was futile.

  “With pain so fucking bad, so fucking hideous, I thought my insides were melting,” she hissed, and Abel flinched. “I couldn’t even crawl out of the bed, it was that fucking bad.”

  “Lilah—” he began in a gentle voice, no longer feeling like shit but missing that feeling because the pain of guilt was a far sight worse.

  “Excruciating,” she cut him off to hiss. “Paralyzing. And worse, I thought it was that bad, could only be that bad, because you were dead.”

  Fuck.

  “Baby,” he whispered, moving toward her, but she stepped back.

  “And even worse,” she kept going, “was that I was powerless. Drained. I couldn’t even move to find someone to tell them they had to find you.”

  She hit wall and Abel kept moving toward her.

  “Don’t get near me,” she warned, a warning he didn’t heed.

  She tried to fight him. But in half a second, she lost and Abel had her over his shoulder and behind closed doors in one of the living rooms.

  He put her on her feet and she quickly stepped back. “That’s a ride I’m unwilling to take again for at least half a century, Abel Jin. You pick me up again only when I expressly allow that shit.”

  “You need to calm down and listen to me,” he said quietly.

  “Fuck calm, Abel. Did you miss the part about me being in so much pain I thought my insides were melting?” she asked sarcastically.

  “Right, then don’t calm down. Just listen,” he kept at her and continued to do it quietly.

  “So you’ve got something to say? Something that explains you lying to me and causing me that kind of pain when you know that shit happens when you leave me and I don’t know where you are?” she demanded.

  “I thought if you thought you knew where I was, even if it wasn’t where I actually was, you wouldn’t experience the pain,” he explained.

  “Wrong!” she yelled. “Very, very”—she leaned toward him—“wrong!”

  “I get that now and it won’t happen again,” he promised.

  She crossed her arms on her chest. “Yeah? You sure? You can say that for certain?”

  “I can,” he confirmed.

  “Right, you can. Now, next question. How the fuck am I supposed to believe you when you’re totally okay with”—another lean—“lying to me?”

  Fuck, he’d screwed this up, and huge.

  Now he had to see if he could find a way to fix it.

  He started with conceding, “I deserved that.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “No fucking shit?”

  He stared at her, deciding not to share that she was cute when she was pissed.

  “No fucking shit,” he replied.

  Her face changed and Abel braced because he didn’t like the change even a little bit.

  Her voice changed too and he liked that even less.

  “You can’t be sweet and you can’t be hot and you can’t be reassuring,” she stated, soft and low but firm and full of hurt. “Not after you lied. After you lie, Abel, it takes a fuckuva lot more than that to earn back what you lost.”

  “I had to get out of here, bao bei. I had to do something and I wasn’t alone,” he told her.

  “You knew I knew you were going stir-crazy,” she reminded him.

  He nodded and replied, “I knew you knew. I also knew you wouldn’t be fired up about what we were planning and it was something we had to do, all of us.”

  “I actually don’t even know what you were planning to do, but if it was taking you out of safety and into harm’s way, you’re right. I wouldn�
�t be fired up about it. But I wouldn’t hand you shit about it either.”

  Suddenly, she threw an arm straight up in the air, apparently indicating herself by what she said next.

  “Clue in, Abel, I am not your normal bitch. I grew up with bikers. Bikers do what they want when they want because they got something inside them that makes them have to do that. And nothing can stand in their way. Not a job. Not a law. Not a woman. So if you love them, you don’t stand in their way. Ever. I’ve also learned if you give them that, it’ll be worth it. It’ll come around with them giving you what you need because they get it.”

  She shook her head, sucked a huge breath, and kept at him.

  “But even with that, I’m of a mind that a woman should never stand in her man’s way when there’s something he has to do. Doing something to end what’s eating at him, crushing him, suffocating him, stopping him from being who he is, or whatever the fuck. So regardless if I didn’t like it, if I was a biker bitch or just a normal one, I still wouldn’t stand in your way.”

  He stared at her, unblinking, her words coursing through him in a way that far from sucked.

  “Uh, me bein’ this pissed, baby, is not the time for you to lapse into silent brooding,” she warned, slamming a hand on her hip.

  “I have nothing to say,” he told her and watched the hurt slice through her face. “Except that I’m sorry.”

  Her expression blanked as she blinked.

  “Really, fucking, seriously sorry,” he went on. “If I thought that you’d feel that kind of pain, no way in fuck I would have gone without telling you where I was going. And this doesn’t help, but I felt shit just knowin’ I was gonna lie to you and that got worse when I did it. Doesn’t make it better, I get that, but you gotta know I didn’t do it easy and I didn’t like doin’ it. And I can tell you now, how I felt thinking of doin’ it, then doin’ it and what it caused, that shit won’t ever happen again. You have my word. You believe in that or not, it’s still solid, Lilah. As a rock.”

  She studied him for a few beats before she looked to the fireplace, took a deep breath, and looked back at him.

  “I thought you were dead,” she whispered.

  Fuck, he wanted to go to her, but her body language was screaming for him to keep a distance, so he controlled that impulse.