He fought back the urge to snarl.
“Abel, eat a pastry,” Delilah called.
“Not hungry,” he replied, and he wasn’t. He’d had her blood, which meant he’d had a gourmet breakfast. He didn’t need a fucking pastry.
“Honey—” she started, but he turned his eyes to her and she snapped her mouth shut.
She then gave big eyes to Jian-Li, who replied by shaking her head and taking a sip of her tea.
Abel tensed.
Then he called to the back, “They’re here.”
“This is kinda exciting,” Delilah whispered.
“I agree,” Jian-Li replied.
Fuck.
“SUV’s pullin’ up,” Chen confirmed from the front.
Fuck.
He heard and smelled the men coming in from the back.
Abel moved to position himself between the door and the table where his women were sitting.
He saw Chen standing at the front door, eyes to him.
Abel nodded.
Chen nodded back and turned to the door. He saw his brother take in a deep breath, then he opened it.
The scent of vampire and wolf drifted through.
Abel successfully fought his fangs extending and stood braced.
They came in: Vampire one, his human bride, male wolf, his she-wolf queen, and last, vampires two and three.
All the males’ eyes were on him.
The females moved directly to the round table, Sonia greeting, “Hey! Good morning,” with Leah’s greeting being, “Oh thank God! Coffee and pastries.”
Even as this happened and he heard chairs scraping, dishes clinking, his mate and Jian-Li returning greetings, Abel didn’t take his eyes off the males.
They lined up in a semicircle ten feet from Abel.
He divided his attention between the first vampire and the wolf, not only because their threat was strongest, but because they were tense in a way that didn’t sit well with Abel for this supposed we’re-all-friendly meeting.
They didn’t move when, as planned, Chen entered the room at their backs and Hook and his men entered from the kitchen, surrounding the women and the vampires and wolf in a circle around the room. Then again, they saw Chen and he knew they smelled the others.
“Precautions,” one of the other vampires said, the one he knew to be Gregor. “I understand, Abel, but I do hope we can establish trust quickly as much needed to get done this morning prior to our meeting and I haven’t had my morning coffee.”
As if Gregor didn’t speak, the vampire he knew to be Lucien stated, “You feel it.”
Abel looked to the tall, bulky, black-haired vampire and saw Lucien’s black eyes sharp on him.
He didn’t know how, but he got what the guy was saying.
They weren’t edgy because of him.
They were edgy because they knew.
It was a dark day.
“I feel it,” he confirmed.
“Fuck,” the wolf called Callum growled.
Abel looked to him and saw the large, dark-haired man’s light blue eyes were turning tawny.
And there it was. Another part to his wolf. But where Abel had two-colored eyes, one going brown when he felt extreme depth of emotion, this wolf had the same colored eyes and they both went tawny.
“We’re fine,” Gregor put in, his gaze to Lucien and Callum. Then he turned to Abel. “As much as I wish to discuss other things, as a priority, you need to be aware that it’s come to our attention that our enemy has returned. They’re outside the city limits, likely in an effort at keeping you, as well as ourselves, unaware they’ve returned.”
This was not good.
“We have human scouts all over, however, so this intelligence has been reported to us. And I can assure you we have one who is currently watching them for signs of approach,” Gregor went on.
“They’re approaching,” Abel told him.
Gregor shook his head. “Our scout is checking in every ten minutes. They’re miles out.” He drew in breath and finished cautiously, “You should also know we have a legion of wolves fifty miles to the north and a regiment of vampires fifty miles to the south. They’re also aware that the enemy has returned, but their presence is still secret. They’re set to advance at our call, which we will give them at any sign the enemy is on the move.”
Abel was not a big fan of knowing Serpentine Bay was surrounded by supernaturals, but in that moment, he chose not to dwell.
He looked to Lucien and Callum. “You know this?”
“Yes,” Lucien answered.
Callum only nodded.
“That make you feel any better?’ Abel asked.
“No,” Lucien answered.
Callum again growled.
“It’s fine,” Gregor stated impatiently. “And we have much to discuss. We should—”
Abel cut him off by looking to Xun and saying, “Be alert.”
“Already am,” Xun replied.
“More alert, brother,” Abel said low.
Xun held his gaze steady and nodded.
Abel glanced around to all the men. “Threat not from within,” he told them.
He got more nods and there was shifting of feet as they moved from facing the inner circle to facing out.
“Really, this is not—” Gregor began again but then stopped, tensed, bent slightly, and whipped his head around, baring his teeth, his fangs extending.
But Abel already sensed it, as did Lucien, Callum, and the other vampire, Yuri, all of them having the same reaction except Callum, who didn’t have fangs to bare. Instead, he crouched in preparation to transform.
“Jesus, shit.” Abel heard Jabber mutter.
“Sonia, get the women under the table,” Callum growled. “Now!” he roared, crouched deeper and jumped, coming to wolf, snarling.