Well, thank God for that.
“So you’ve been trying to listen,” Abel remarked.
“Unsuccessfully.”
There was a sharp knock on the door, but before I could go to it, it was opened by Lucien.
He came in, glancing at Abel, Stephanie, and me before he closed the door, then turned his attention fully to the man in the hot seat.
Abel continued without hesitation. “Who do you believe the true king of the werewolves is?”
“The true king of the werewolves will be the true immortal wolf who takes the head of the false king or any of his family who try to oppose him.”
I swallowed at that, but Abel kept at him.
“Are you aware of any of the plans of those who call themselves the true immortals?”
“Only that the golem attack this compound tomorrow evening by sea.”
I pulled in breath and looked to the side, taking in Abel, Stephanie, and Lucien. Lucien’s jaw was hard. Abel’s eyes were narrowed. Stephanie looked ready to pounce.
“And how will the golem attack by sea with the compound’s security in place?” Abel pushed.
“The vampire soldier, Bjorn, will be on shift at that time and he supervises the cliffside security.”
Abel kept at him. “You’re aware of no other plans those who call themselves the true immortals have against this compound, the members of The Three, or humanity?”
“I am a spy for The True. I gather information and communicate it to those who will use it. I’m not privy to strategy. However, I’m expected to keep watch for Bjorn tomorrow night.”
Abel carried on, “Who put the cameras in the trees?”
“Humans working on the security detail for The Vampire Dominion. Being human, they are easily swayed by payments of large sums of money.”
I watched Abel’s eyes narrow further and knew why when he stated, “I’d asked if there were others and you spoke of no humans. Only this vampire, Bjorn.”
The mind-controlled drone of his voice held a hint of sneer when he replied, “You asked if there were others ‘like me.’ No human is like me.”
“Then we need the names of all the humans, and any other beings you know of, who are working for these true immortals,” Abel returned.
The vampire listed five names.
“Did those cameras have feeds or were they static?” Abel asked.
“The tapes were to be collected by the humans who were on our payroll after the meeting was over. There were too many of the detail not on payroll to have time to establish a feed.”
“Well, at least there’s that,” I muttered.
“Lilah, would you please go and get Gregor?” Lucien asked, and my eyes went to him to see him looking at me. “Tell Gregor we need to gather immediately.”
“Abel is hungry,” I told him.
Lucien nodded and looked to Abel. “Put him in a trance. I’ll have him watched and gather the others. Half an hour?”
“That’ll work,” Abel murmured, looked to the vampire in the seat and I did too.
His face went slack.
Yeesh, my man so rocked.
“There’s another,” I shared with Lucien.
“We’ll handle him until Abel gets back,” Lucien replied.
I nodded and Abel moved to me, saying to Lucien as he did, “Half an hour.”
“Half an hour,” Lucien agreed.
Abel got close and slid an arm around my waist. “Hang on, bao bei.”
I curved my arms around his shoulders and then…whoosh…we were out of the room, up the stairs, and behind the closed door in our bedroom.
I caught my breath as Abel set me down and held me steady with both hands at my hips. When I had it together, I tipped my head back to catch his eyes.
“Word with your father, be smart about what he says to who and where,” Abel said gently.
I nodded, whispering, “He’s gonna feel shit he screwed the pooch.”
Abel shook his head. “He didn’t do wrong. He couldn’t know. None of us knew. And his vampire is true to the cause. He’s not responsible for the actions of assholes.”
This was true.
I thought this as I caught the look on Abel’s face. A look I couldn’t get a lock on, but it was a look I felt like a shot to the heart.
“What?” I asked.
“I got skills,” he answered confusingly.
“Well…yeah,” I confirmed unnecessarily.
“No, Lilah.” His fingers dug into my hips. “I…got…skills. Skills that can help. Skills that are vital. Skills that help make you safe. Sonia, Leah, all of us.”
“Well…” I started. “Yeah,” I repeated to finish, still confused.
“I’m not a soldier.”
I shook my head. “Abel, I’m not following.”
“I’m powerful. I’m necessary.”
My heart clutched as what he was saying finally dawned on me.
I got close and shifted my hands to the sides of his neck. “Of course you are.”
“I’m not a freak,” he said like I didn’t speak. “What I can do is what we need.”
I leaned my weight into him and held on to his neck. “You were never a freak,” I said softly.
His eyes went unfocused, so I squeezed his neck until I got his attention.
“Never, baby,” I stressed. “You’ve always been necessary. But, just saying, even soldiers are necessary. Important and necessary.”
He shook his head as if not quite believing me and stated, “Three hours and we got them. Three hours and only I could get us what we needed.”