“Fuck,” Chen repeated.
“Language,” Jian-Li hissed.
“Where’s Xun?” Abel asked.
“In the restaurant,” Jian-Li answered.
“That’s good, Ma, ’cause they’re on the move,” Chen said. “Headed toward the front door.”
“Oh man,” Delilah whispered.
“It’ll be okay,” Jian-Li murmured reassuringly.
“Chen, cover the hall. Wei, outside. Keep an eye on the alley. One of you tell Xun he just became a server and his only table is the one they’re seated at.”
“On it,” Wei said and moved out.
Chen said nothing, he just moved out.
“Jian-Li?” Abel called, and she looked to him.
“I’ll supervise in the restaurant,” she stated.
He nodded.
She moved after her sons and disappeared behind the door.
“Abel?”
Fuck. Even her voice, low and sweet with a strange husky lilt in it, he felt in his cock.
He moved his eyes to her.
He could smell her, even smell the fragrant tang of her cunt, though he knew by her scent she’d taken another shower. She was in more biker bitch gear—sweet jeans, sweeter Harley tee that stretched tight across her tits—her long, dark hair down and wild. She had on maximum biker chick jewelry, lots of silver, leather, and studs, even if she was simply hanging at a Chinese restaurant and doing it so no one could see. Her face was made up, heavy around the eyes, making the light green of her irises stand out so it seemed like it was glowing.
First time he fucked her, he wouldn’t be able to look in her eyes.
First time he fucked her, he’d take her on her hands and knees.
The next time he fucked her, he’d do it looking in her eyes.
“Uh,” she started, ripping him from his thoughts. “Is there something I can do?”
“Sit and be quiet,” he replied curtly, looking back to the window to see the SUV there but both vampires not, at the same time attempting to open his senses so he could detect further danger, or any at all.
“Well, I mean something else.”
“No,” he said shortly, not looking at her.
“You—” she began, and he knew through sound and smell she’d moved from the couch with the intent to come nearer.
He could not have her nearer.
“Don’t get near me,” he gritted through his teeth, sensing her stopping, also sensing her mood turning, and not to a good one. “Gotta focus,” he finished on a lie for there was really fuck all he could do. He had to stay hidden. She had to stay hidden. And they had to hope like fuck those vampires couldn’t smell him through the incense and make their play, because Jian-Li didn’t need carnage in her restaurant and he didn’t want to lose any of his family.
“Okay,” she whispered, sounding confused, a sound that did not make his dick twitch; it made his heart hurt.
He moved from the window and started pacing like the caged dog he literally fucking was, thinking of his family, thinking he was hungry, thinking her blood probably tasted fucking brilliant.
He closed his eyes tight, opened them, kept pacing, and started thinking of puppies. To be precise, cute, wrinkly baby shar-peis.
The door opened, he stopped pacing, and watched Jian-Li walk through.
“They’re leaving,” she said in a voice he did not like after she shut the door.
He moved in a blur to the window and saw she spoke true.
“The boys are staying in position,” she went on.
He looked back to her. “Why do you look frightened?” he asked.
“They asked to speak to the proprietor of the restaurant, and when I came to them, they asked for you directly,” she answered.
He felt his throat get tight.
“By name?” he pushed.
“No.” Jian-Li shook her head. “The blond one asked for the vampire.”
“Fuck,” Abel snarled. “To you?”
She nodded. “To me.”
“And you said…?”
“I acted like he needed to see a doctor and told them I had no idea what he was talking about.” She took another step into the room, her eyes going to Delilah, who she gave a soft smile, before they came back to him. “I don’t know, but when the blond one asked this, the dark one appeared annoyed.”
“This means…?” Abel prompted.
“I really don’t know, tian xin,” she said softly. “But I got the impression the dark one wished for this contact to be a little less aggressive.”
“That’s good, right?” Delilah asked.
Jian-Li looked to her. “I have no idea, but I hope so.”
“And that was it?” Abel called her attention back to him. “They asked, you said you had no idea, and they left?”
“Yes, they left, but not before the dark one gave me this,” Jian-Li told him, moving toward Abel, holding up what appeared to be a business card.
He took it and saw it was. Cream. Thick, expensive stock. Printed in bold, script letters was:
Gregor
Councilman
Dominion
This meant nothing to Abel. Then he looked to the back and sucked in breath.
On the back, written in pen, it said:
We mean you and your mate no harm.
The Biltmore. Suite 1013.
His mate.
His mate.
He looked to Delilah.
She was his mate. That was what his kind called them.
Something settled in his gut that Abel didn’t trust because it felt good.
But even so, his throat tightened further because they knew he had a mate.
“What’s it say?” Delilah asked.