He grunted but said no words.
I decided to take that as my go-ahead.
“Work for you, ladies?” I asked them.
“We’re supposed to be here on a diplomatic mission, but I’d kill for some of that kung pao shrimp right about now,” Leah declared.
I grinned and relaxed in Abel’s lap. “Then let’s not cause a supernatural incident. Just dig in.”
Chen got them plates. I slid off Abel’s lap, took orders, and brought them both beers.
I got a fresh one for my man too and climbed back on his lap.
They filled their plates and I went back to mine that I’d loaded earlier but had only been picking at.
“You know, me being a human and Sonia living nearly her whole life thinking she was one, explanations would be far more thorough if Lucien and Callum were here,” Leah pointed out carefully.
Abel looked at her, then looked to Sonia. “Can you explain, if a wolf’s mate is his reason for existing, why the fuck he’d let you walk in here with me, my brothers, and a fuckload of bikers?”
“Because you’re half wolf,” she said softly. “Because you would kill and die for your mate. Because he knows you know somewhere in your soul he would do the same. So he knows you’d never harm me, not only because it isn’t the way you’re made, but because you wouldn’t take another’s mate from him, nor would you unduly court the possibility that you would be taken from yours, leaving her unprotected.”
Abel said nothing.
“That said, he wasn’t a big fan of this plan even though he knows all of that,” she finished on a murmur. “He’s overprotective that way.”
“Sister, do I get that,” I shared.
Sonia grinned at me.
Abel growled.
“His growl is worse than his bite,” I assured them.
“Too bad for you,” Leah stated. “Mine bites and…” Her eyes got lazy as she said, “Divine.”
“I hear that too, sister,” I replied.
Abel shifted and I looked to him to see his jaw hard and his eyes on the ceiling.
I looked to my father to see his eyes to his plate, his lips smiling, his hand curled around his fork, shoveling in food.
In fact, I looked around the table and saw all the men doing this except Chen, who was staring at me and smiling huge.
So I looked back to the women and gave them big eyes.
A second later, we all burst out laughing.
* * * * *
I stood in the door of the restaurant watching Sonia and Leah leave, waving and then putting my hand to my ear with pinkie and thumb out, shouting, “Right! Call me! We’ll sort these boys out!”
“You got it,” Leah called back, waving behind her.
“Thanks for the delicious food, Mrs. Jin,” Sonia yelled, folding into the back of a shiny, flash, black SUV at which a big brawny guy (their driver!—total class) was waiting at the door.
“My pleasure!” Jian-Li yelled back as she stood beside me.
She’d joined us not long after Sonia, Leah, and I bonded over being werewolf/vampire bitches and the meal descended into a girls’ lunch at the Chinese restaurant.
Most of the guys drifted out, my dad and his boys going first. They didn’t do bitch shit.
Chen, Wei, and Xun weren’t far behind.
Abel had to stay because I was sitting on him.
As soon as the driver dude closed the door on Sonia, Abel yanked both Jian-Li and me in and slammed the front door.
I turned to him to see him opening his mouth to speak, but Jian-Li beat him to the punch.
“What did I say?”
He shut his mouth and scowled at her.
“I am no fool, Abel,” she declared.
“Okay,” I butted in, moving in between them and looking at Jian-Li. “Totally get your need for a nanny-nanny-foo-foo, Jian-Li, but all’s well that ends well, right?”
She smiled a bit at my “nanny-nanny-foo-foo” comment and then agreed, “Right, Lilah.”
I turned and looked up at a still-scowling Abel. “So, I’ll chat with Leah and Sonia, we’ll set up a meet with their men, find out officially what’s going on, and move on from there. Yeah?”
“Yeah,” he grunted.
I took a step to the side and pressed the air down with both hands. “Now everyone can relax. At least about the supernaturals at The Biltmore. Am I right?”
“You are, Lilah,” Jian-Li replied.
Abel just jerked up his chin.
“I have a kitchen to supervise preparing for the dinner hour,” Jian-Li murmured. “You two enjoy the rest of your afternoon.”
“Will do,” I assured her.
She grinned at me, moved to Abel, and even still annoyed, that didn’t mean he didn’t bend low so she could touch her cheek to his.
She bustled off.
I moved to stand in front of my man.
“Aren’t you relieved?” I asked, taking in his continued displeasure.
“I’ll be relieved when I have no threats against the ones I hold in my heart, not that one of them has turned out not to be a threat in the first place.”
I understood that.
And it was sweet.
I got close and put my hands on his chest.
“Let’s celebrate even small successes, yeah?”
His face got soft as he slid his hands from my waist to my back. “And how would you like to celebrate, bao bei?”
I tipped my head to the side and pressed in closer. “I have some ideas.”
His eyes dropped to my mouth as his muttered, “I bet you do.”
I slid both hands to his neck, lifted up on my toes, and whispered, “This time, I want you to bite me.”