With Everything I Am (The Three #2)(110)

“But he was just so… so… annoyed in there,” she protested.

“You’re his mate and my queen. It’s my duty to kneel before you and, I’m sorry, Sonia, I know it’s different amongst your kind, but it’s Cal’s right to tell me that I don’t have to do so.”

Now how had she forgotten that?

“Of course,” she murmured.

“You’ll learn in time,” he said kindly, patting her hand and then went on to say mysteriously, “Or he will.” When her brows shot up, he chuckled and finished, “Let’s get you coffee.”

He took her to the friendly, warm (both in looks and in temperature) kitchens (three rooms!) where she met Callista who was less chatty, not as tall, but definitely as friendly as Maraleena. Drogan left after depositing her with the women. They gave her a tour of the kitchens, Sonia had a cup of coffee and then all too soon Maraleena led her back to Callum.

His study was also a beautiful room with inviting furniture but included a big, heavily carved desk with two huge chairs facing it. There wasn’t a circular fireplace in the middle but a cavernous one behind his chair at the desk in front of which stood a tall, intricately wrought, iron grate.

Callum was seated in that chair. He was on the phone but the minute she walked into the room, his eyes came to her and his arm went out to the side.

He wanted her in his lap.

She had to admit she’d been getting used to the lap business and, in the end, liking it.

She didn’t like it anymore.

“See you later,” Maraleena whispered and then walked out, leaving Sonia alone with her mate.

With nothing for it, she approached him and sat silently in his lap as he talked on the phone, obviously to Ryon. She knew this because he kept saying “Ry”, not because she was a sleuth that deciphered it from clues in his side of the conversation.

When he finally rang off she instantly wished his attention was on the phone again for it came directly to her.

Both of his arms wrapped around her and he pulled her closer to him.

“Have you been taking your injections twice a day?” he asked, surprising her with his subject.

“Yes, Regan told me you told her that Dr. Mortenson said I should.”

“Did you take them only when she was there?”

She nodded and tried not to clench her teeth at his domineering. Seriously, he acted like she’d never taken an injection before he stormed into her life.

“Have you taken one today?” he queried.

Her body jerked and she stared at him.

“No, I didn’t think. My clock is off. I don’t even know if it’s due,” she told him stupidly for it had to be due. It had been hours since the last one.

“We’ll go up and do it in a minute,” he stated, luckily without anger then went on to ask, “Did Dr. Mortenson get the test results back?”

She shook her head. “Not that I know of. He didn’t call. It can take a while sometimes.”

Callum looked away and muttered, “I’ll call him.”

Sonia took in a deep breath and then opened her mouth to speak.

He turned back to her and again beat her to it.

“Don’t do that again, Sonia.”

She snapped her mouth shut.

Then, even though she knew to what he was referring, she asked sharply, “What?”

“It was explained to you that my people defer to me when we’re together. They will defer to you when you aren’t with me but I give the commands when we’re together,” he told her patiently. “You don’t need to keep silent anywhere but during official business but you don’t make a command like you did today with Drogan when I’m at your side.”

Sonia forgot the subject she wanted to talk about and decided his subject was an excellent one to be on.

“And I explained to you that I thought that was medieval.”

A muscle jerked in his jaw, indicating, perhaps, he was no longer patient when he replied, “Yes, you did. And I believe I told you at that time that it was the way of my people.”

She straightened in his lap. “Yes, and I believe that it was also once the way of my people to treat diseases by using leeches but they found another way that works a whole lot better so now they’re doing that.”

The gold started to penetrate the blue in his eyes when he stated in a low, vibrating tone, “Baby doll, a warning, you want rough play, for once, I have the time to give it to you.”

She’d learned what that meant and there was not going to be any of that.

“I don’t want rough play. I don’t want any play,” she announced and the gold shot forth, obliterating the blue as his hand trailed up her spine.

“Now, that sounded like a challenge.”

Oh no! Now what had she done?

She had to think fast.

She managed it just as his fingers slid in her hair and put pressure there to bring her mouth to his. “It wasn’t a challenge, Callum,” she whispered. “Last night was…” She fought for a word and found it. “Vigorous.” His tawny eyes instantly lit with humor upon hearing her word (and they also lit with something else entirely) and he grinned before she finished, “I ache a little bit.”

At once, the humor swept from his features. His hand in her hair kept putting on the pressure but only to tuck her forehead into his neck.