“Okay,” I cut in semi-loudly. “How about this? We let these ladies fill up their plates. I get them some drinks. We let them eat. And then we can interrogate them some more.” I looked down at Abel and asked gently, “Work for you, baby?”

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.

* * * * *