With Everything I Am (The Three #2)(22)

Very pretty.

Stunning.

He’d never tire of looking at her.

At least he had that.

He flipped the phone open and put it to his ear as her gaze moved back to the fire.

“Callum,” he answered and walked to stand at the back of the couch in order to study her blank but elegant profile.

“Cal,” Ryon said in his ear. “Thought you’d want to know, Mona had nothing to do with it.”

This wasn’t surprising. His ex-lover wasn’t smart enough to plot against a kingdom. He’d never understand why he’d got involved with that she-wolf, she was unbelievable in bed but she was also a f**king nut.

“Two of the mansion’s detail were involved. They’re under guard and on their way to Scotland for trial,” Ryon went on.

“Excellent,” Callum muttered.

“We’re still interrogating others,” Ryon continued. “The two we broke swear they’re working alone and didn’t give us dick about how they found out about Sonia. We’ll keep working them but my gut says this isn’t a clean sweep and catching those two won’t nip it in the bud. It’s bigger.”

Callum’s gut was saying that too and he hoped it was true. The rebellion had brought down his father and, years ago, his youngest brother. The treaty was too easy for them.

He wanted their blood then he wanted their capitulation.

“Keep at it,” Callum ordered.

There was silence then, “How’s Sonia?”

Ryon, on the other hand, made it very clear Callum’s queen did not bore him.

Ryon had a great deal more patience and acceptance than Callum had. He enjoyed the pursuit of coy female humans. He liked dating, another thing Callum detested. He preferred seizing. Dating, which he rarely engaged in, left him cold. Ryon took great pleasure in wearing them down, teasing them and enticing them, even tormenting them before he went in for the kill.

Callum never understood it.

“She’s –” Callum started but stopped speaking when he saw Sonia’s entire body jerk.

Then her head twisted around to look at the bathroom and without delay she sprang from the chair, crashed her mug down on the coffee table and ran to the bathroom.

“She’s what?” Ryon asked in his ear but Callum was listening to Sonia’s panicked, even frenzied, search of the bathroom. “Cal?” Ryon called.

Callum didn’t answer for Sonia ran out of the bathroom, stopped herself on a one-footed skid and stared at him.

“My injection,” she whispered.

“What?” Callum asked, staring at her pale, stricken face.

She strode forward purposefully and stopped in front of him.

“You didn’t bring my injection,” she said.

“Cal, what’s going on?” Ryon asked in his ear.

“A minute,” Callum replied, took the phone from his ear and asked Sonia, “What injection?”

“My injection,” she repeated. “My medication. I need it, every night.” Her strange calm started evaporating and her voice rose when she demanded, “We have to go back to the city right now!”

All right, maybe she was staring into the fire plotting.

“We aren’t going back to the city,” he told her firmly.

She took the last step that separated them and grabbed his wrist, shaking it.

“You don’t understand. I need it.”

Callum studied her then put the phone which was, incidentally, in the hand which was attached to the wrist she’d latched onto and she didn’t let go, to his ear.

“Did you hear that?” he asked Ryon.

“What’s she on about?” Ryon asked back.

“You know nothing of an injection?” Callum enquired.

“Nothing,” Ryon replied.

Ryon knew everything about Sonia Arlington. He’d been ordered to know and Ryon was an excellent soldier.

The best.

Callum took the phone from his ear and warned, “Sonia, it’s not a good idea to play this game.”

Her eyes grew wide and then she shook his wrist.

“I’m not playing a game!” she shouted, her voice trembling with fear.

When Callum didn’t respond, her faced blanched further. She threw his wrist from her and took a step back, digging her nails into her hair at her temples, pulling its heavy weight back and holding it at the crown of her head.

Then she took a deep breath, dropped her hands, tipped her head back and stated in a strong voice, “Callum, I’m being very serious. I’ve got a rare, inherited blood disorder. If I don’t have that injection every night, I’ll get very ill. If I get very ill and die, you’ll never get your kidnapping money.”

Callum continued to study her without saying a word.

She was, he remembered from their brief meeting thirty-one years ago, very cunning.

She was, he knew now, no less cunning.

She took the step in his direction that she’d moved away and tipped her head back further. “If I don’t get that injection, my blood will overheat. I’m not joking. It’ll heat and heat and heat until it boils my organs inside my body.” Her hands came up to grab his biceps. “They’ll fail, I’ll die, but before that, I’ll be in agony.” Her fingers tightened on his arms. “Callum, this is not a game. Take me home, you’ll see when you take me home!”