With Everything I Am (The Three #2)(166)

Callum’s gaze sliced to the vampire and he demanded, “Then you better give it to me quickly or I’ll rip your bloody head off but you’ll die knowing I’m going to play with your son until he f**king begs me to kill him.”

“Sonia’s dying,” Gregor stated.

Those two words ripped through Callum’s fury and all he could do was stare.

Gregor took in a breath and continued softly, “She became symptomatic as an infant. Naturally, as you experienced her symptoms first hand, you’ll understand that Lassiter and Cherise were frantic to find some solution. Her illness, whatever it is and even though they took her to dozens of doctors, they never discovered what it was, is unique. Like her abilities which, I presume, since she’s not hiding them anymore, you also understand.”

Gregor let this sink in and when Callum didn’t respond, he carried on.

“When no answers were to be found, Lassiter and Cherise were forced to go on a voyage of discovery. They tried everything and, knowing of immortals, they widened their search. Wolf blood, vampire blood, vampire saliva, a cocktail of this, that, the other, anything. Some worked but only for a time and she’d display symptoms again. It took years but they finally found the solution, her current injection. But they knew, as did Mac and I, that it would only be a matter of time. We knew, because of The Prophesies, that the injection would only work for so long. We knew we weren’t saving her life, we were simply prolonging it.”

“It’s my understanding that she inherited this illness from her father,” Callum noted.

“That was a lie,” Gregor replied.

Callum pulled in breath looking down and to the side. His chest had tightened again, powerfully, and the breath he’d taken did nothing to alleviate the pain.

Gregor continued, “We never told her. We wanted her to live her life free of the burden of this knowledge.” Then he finished, “I’m sure you’ll agree that was the right decision and keep to the pact that we three made.”

Callum looked back to Gregor then to his mother and asked, “Perhaps one of you would like to tell me why I lived my life free of the burden of this knowledge?”

Regan stood and placed her hand beseechingly on the desk. “What would it have gained? You already knew she was human and struggled with that. To know her human existence on this earth was shorter still…”

Regan trailed off as her eyes slid away and she caught her lip between her teeth.

Callum stared at his mother, unwilling to process the emotions that were smoldering inside him.

Then he looked to Gregor. “And Yuri?”

“Let’s just say that Mac and I disagreed as to when you should meet your mate,” Gregor responded vaguely.

“Why don’t you fully explain that?” Callum shot back.

Gregor exchanged a glance with Regan as she sat back down.

Then he looked back at Callum. “Mac knew you. He knew you’d want to have control of the meeting, the courtship, the claiming. He knew you’d go after her when you were ready.”

When he stopped speaking, Callum prompted curtly, “And?”

“You were taking too long,” Gregor immediately replied.

“I wouldn’t have taken so f**king long if I knew she was dying,” Callum bit out and it took him everything he had not to roar the words. “Which brings us back to the fact that you,” his eyes included his mother in his words, “knew this fact and you didn’t share it.”

“It’s forbidden for you to see The Prophesies,” Regan stated quietly.

“Lucien has seen them,” Callum returned.

“He did, indeed.” Gregor put in steadily. “But he wasn’t able to see all of them, however, only the parts we allowed him to see.”

“Maybe someone can explain to me again why the major players in these Prophesies can’t f**king read them?” Callum commanded through suggestion then finished with eyes narrowed on Gregor, “Or all of them.”

“You’ve asked that question before, Callum –” Regan began.

“And I never liked the goddamned answer,” Callum cut her off.

“Do you think we like this?” Regan retorted hotly. “Do you think it’s been easy for me to keep this from my son?”

Before Callum could reply, Gregor spoke.

“I understand what you’re feeling, Callum,” Gregor said quietly. “And trust me, it doesn’t stop the pain even knowing for all these years.”

Regan shot Gregor a look but Callum missed it because he sat and swiped his eyes with his thumb and forefinger.

Then he looked at Gregor and changed the subject. “So you and Yuri decided to speed things up by putting Sonia in danger?”

“She was never in any danger. Why do you think we arranged for the information to be leaked to Saint that the rebels were amassing?” Gregor replied smoothly.

Callum leaned forward and clipped, “They broke into her house in the middle of the night, put their hands on her and terrified her.”

“Yes, but she was unhurt,” Gregor remained calm.

“She was thrown across the room,” Callum hissed. “Hit her head and went unconscious. That is not unhurt.”

Gregor held Callum’s furious stare and rejoined, “We did what we had to do.” When Callum opened his mouth to speak, Gregor went on quickly, “And, even as angry as you are right now, you can’t have any issues with the results.”