“Felt it,” he went on. “Stumbled outta the place. In the parking lot, she was on me. Took me to my back.” He shook his head, his expression turning preoccupied. “Saw her straddling me, the crazy-as-fuck look in her eyes, the weird-ass knife she had. Also saw and felt her carve into me. Couldn’t move. Was totally at her mercy.”

His jaw clenched as my stomach did.

“Abel,” I forced out, and he came back to me.

“Last thing I knew, she was raising it over her head. Thought she was gonna embed it in my heart.”

“She didn’t?”

He shook his head. “Have no clue. I passed out.”

My brows drew together. “Wouldn’t you know?”

“Heal fast, Lilah. By the time I came to, was still lying close to that parking lot, but someone had dragged me into some grass away from the lot, the cars, the lights. Felt a sting in my face but knew it was healing. Felt nothing else. Got myself home, confused as fuck. I healed, but it left a scar. Had my share of dings and dents, nothin’. But whatever she used on me fucked me up.”

“That’s insane.”

“It…” he started, but stopped and I felt every inch of his big body stringing tight.

But he said no more.

“Abel?”

He blinked and looked down at me. “It happened a week after Ming died.”

“Ming?”

“Jian-Li’s husband. We were in Dallas. He was stabbed during a mugging. They took his wallet. A week later, that shit happened to me and it was too much for Jian-Li. We moved. The boys were young so we were all gone in a day.”

“Okay,” I started hesitantly, “but you just had a moment.”

He nodded. “Bad luck can come at any time. It doesn’t discriminate. But Ming gets dead and some bitch at a bar knows how to roofie a werewolf vampire and uses a blade on him that scars, never thought about it. She did not smell like me. She was human. I just thought she was a cunt. But now…” he trailed off.

“Holy shitoly,” I whispered, understanding what he was saying to me.

“She sunk that blade in me, I’d be gone.”

I slid my arms around him and held tight. “Baby.”

He looked over my head, muttering, “Why would they go after Ming?”

“Are you sure they did?”

He looked back at me. “Could be a coincidence. But I’m having some issues with coincidences, waiting for you for what feels like an eternity and then running into werewolves and vampires for the first time in my life when you hit town.”

“So you think, for whatever reason they want us gone, someone tried back then?”

“That’s what I think,” he confirmed.

Marvelous.

“Why do you think she didn’t do it?” I asked.