With Everything I Am (The Three #2)(60)

“More secrets?” she queried irately.

“Business, Sonia,” Gregor retorted, his tone surprising Callum by turning positively fatherly and surprising Callum further when Sonia’s expression turned visibly daughterly. Gregor continued, “Between his family and mine. It’s late, I’m tired, I want to get this done and it won’t take long,” he turned to Callum. “Let’s walk.”

Callum didn’t move a muscle.

“Callum,” Gregor said on a weary sigh. “No matter Yuri’s behavior tonight, Sonia’s safe with him. He’d never do anything to cause a rift between our families.”

“That’s surprising, considering some of the things that have come out of his mouth tonight,” Callum replied.

“Take a moment and stand in his shoes,” Gregor retorted sharply, uncharacteristically losing patience.

Callum didn’t want to do as Gregor suggested but he couldn’t stop the visions from invading. The very thought of wanting Sonia and walking in on her na**d and connected to a vampire made his blood start to heat.

“We’ll walk,” he muttered but his eyes went to Yuri. “Sonia’s going directly to bed.”

“I thought she and I could share a nightcap,” Yuri returned acidly.

“She’s going to bed,” Callum repeated and, not waiting for further response, he turned and guided her up the stairs.

She was unresisting and she was silent.

Until they hit the room.

“Callum –”

“Get in bed, honey, I’ll be back before you know it.”

She stood by the bed and crossed her arms on her chest, declaring, “I don’t like this.”

Callum didn’t either but he clearly had no choice.

There was something pressing on Gregor’s mind and Callum’s instinct was to find out what it was so he could deal with it, as well as everything else, and move on.

He buttoned the buttons on his shirt saying, “The longer we discuss this, the longer it will take for me to get this done.”

Sonia didn’t seem to be worried how long it would take for she retorted, “I don’t know what part about ‘this’ I don’t like most. The fact that you and Gregor are taking a walk to talk about something you don’t want me to overhear. The fact that you stated I was going to bed when maybe I don’t want to go to bed. Or the fact that you led me out of the room without letting me say goodnight to the men who raised me.”

Callum studied his mate. He didn’t know her very well but he was beginning to recognize something about her. And that was, only Sonia could find three things about the vague concept of “this” to be pissed about.

“We’re not arguing now,” he stated decisively.

“Then we’ll argue later,” she returned.

With that, she climbed into bed, turned out the bedside lamp and settled in, commanding, “Leave the Christmas lights on when you go.”

Callum sighed. Then he tugged on his socks and boots. Then he walked down the stairs, stopped and looked at Yuri.

“She had a break-in the night I took her,” he informed the vampire and saw Yuri’s eyes flash before turning hard. “Kidnap attempt,” Callum went on. “The intruders were rough with her.”

Yuri’s voice was as hard as his eyes when he replied, “I hope you dealt with them.”

“I did,” Callum confirmed and he saw another flash, this one grimly satisfied for he knew what Callum did to the two wolves who touched Sonia.

And Callum found himself grimly satisfied learning from that brief exchange that Gregor was correct. No matter Yuri’s foul behavior that evening, he’d never let anything harm Sonia.

He jerked his head at Gregor, grabbed his coat and they walked.

Gregor was silent for a block and a half and Callum was losing patience when Gregor finally spoke.

“Something’s changed,” he proclaimed.

“And that would be?” Callum prompted when Gregor went no further.

“Lucien has found his lifemate,” Gregor shared and that news was definitely worth a proclamation.

Nearly every immortal race had lifemates.

Vampires didn’t believe in them. As they wouldn’t.

After they warred centuries ago, they wrote the copious laws they lived under. Amongst them they outlawed mating with mortals (and anyone else for that matter) and, at that time, forced all vampires to denounce their mortal or non-vampire mates. They’d even hunted, tortured and executed vampires and mortals who refused. From that point, they’d only been allowed to mate with vampires which significantly lowered the chances of finding that one, single soul in billions who you were destined to spend eternity with.

Therefore, they’d turned their backs on the idea of lifemates.

Callum grinned to himself that it was Lucien who’d declared a lifemate. That vampire had balls.

“Is it Katrina?” Callum asked, hoping it was not.

Lucien was bound to another vampire who went by the name of Katrina. Callum had also met her, she was stunning to look at but she reminded him of Mona.

“No, he was granted severance from Katrina,” Gregor answered, Callum nodded his head and Gregor continued. “And then he had necessity…” Gregor paused, “to dispatch her.”