At her innocent words, Callum’s eyes caught Lucien’s and he knew they both had gone tense.
For The Prophesies were known but they were far from clear. Therefore their mates’ fates were unknown and, as humans, both could easily perish and, as immortals, both Lucien and Callum faced a desolate eternity if they did.
Unfortunately, Callum faced it anyway, sooner or later.
“Have you asked them to stay?” Sonia enquired of Callum, taking his mind from his dismal thoughts.
“No,” Callum forced his smile. “But you just did.”
“We couldn’t,” Leah cut in.
“You are,” Sonia replied, firm but friendly. She let go of Callum’s hand and moved to Leah. “Let me take you on a tour. You can pick a bedroom. There are twelve in total but eight of them are at the top of a turret. Five are taken but, trust me, the other three are fantastic.”
Sonia guided Leah out of the room, tossing a seemingly carefree smile over her shoulder at Callum.
Leah walked with Sonia out of the room, tossing a genuinely carefree smile over her shoulder at Lucien.
The difference was miniscule but it bloody well existed.
“Callum,” Lucien called softly as Callum glared at the door and he turned his head to the vampire.
Lucien didn’t speak for several long moments, waiting until the women were well away and when he finally did, it was low.
“I hesitate telling you but I feel you should know so you can prepare.”
Callum remained silent when Lucien paused.
Then Lucien shared, “Gregor is hiding something from you.”
Callum’s gaze narrowed on the vampire. “Sorry?”
“He’s hiding something about Sonia.” Callum tensed and Lucien went on, “When he was explaining things, I sensed it. I didn’t like it. After I read The Prophesies, I asked him about it and he told me neither you nor Sonia knew anything about The Prophesies. Later, I pressed him about it and he shared with me.”
Callum didn’t respond.
He knew about The Prophesies. He’d been told by Mac though for reasons he didn’t entirely understand and he didn’t f**king like, he’d never been allowed actually to see them.
Before he could react to the knowledge Lucien had, Lucien got closer and his voice dipped lower.
Then he said with unconcealed emotion, “I’m sorry, my friend.”
Callum felt that feeling, the one he reckoned was fear but this time it was piercing.
“Sorry for what?”
Lucien lifted a hand to grip Callum’s bicep as if in an effort at containment. “Sorry to tell you that The Prophesies state your mortal’s life will be a short one.”
Callum’s body jolted before it locked as this statement seared straight through his system.
Lucien went on quickly and quietly, his fingers holding fast. “The Prophesies are vague, simply stating her human life will be fleeting. I haven’t told Leah and I suggest you do the same with Sonia.”
“You lie,” Callum whispered.
“I don’t and why would I?” Lucien replied gently.
He wouldn’t. There was no reason. They were in this together.
He yanked his arm from Lucien’s grip and took a step back, recognizing that feeling was fear.
Definitely fear.
And alongside it ran a new, agonizing thread of pain.
“We’ll fight it,” Lucien vowed. It was a vow, no mistaking it from the vein of steel in the words. “I’d offer my services but Leah would hate it so I suggest you find a vampire to feed from her –”
“You’ve got to be joking,” Callum growled at the very idea of a vampire feeding from his queen.
First, she was his f**king queen.
Second, she was his and no male would touch her for any reason.
Third, she was Sonia, not a meal.
And last, humans reportedly found the feeding of vampires a sensual experience. A highly sensual experience. A sensual experience his sexually responsive mate was not going to have.
Ever.
“We can ask a female vampire,” Lucien proposed, reading Callum’s thoughts or perhaps understanding them for they’d be his own.
“It takes years of constant feeding for vampire saliva to work its magic,” Callum noted dismissively. “And you suggested we don’t f**king have that.”
“She’ll survive until the war begins, Callum,” Lucien returned. “We have time.”
“Not enough,” Callum bit out.
Not enough.
There had never been enough but now, evidently, there was even f**king less.
His senses sought her in his castle. Opening up and reaching out, he found her somewhere on the second floor. Her discourse indistinct but there was laughter in her tone and it cut through him like a blade.
“Callum,” Lucien murmured.
“You’ll excuse me,” Callum returned and didn’t wait for a response. He was already exiting the room.
“This is troubling news but we’ll fight it, Callum,” Lucien called after him and made his vow official. “I vow it.”
This didn’t make Callum feel better.
“Tell Sonia I had something to attend to,” he ordered. “I’ll be gone awhile and I don’t want her worried.”
Again, he didn’t wait for a response.
His skin was prickling and his blood was heating and he was finding it difficult to fight the urge to howl.
He walked out of the room into the entryway, down the hall to the backdoor. Tucking his wedding band into his pocket, at the backdoor he leapt to wolf and ran through the snow and into the wood, the only way he could soothe his ravaged thoughts.
Then he ran as wolf for hours in a failed effort to assuage the fear that had settled like a weight in his gut and the ache that tore at his heart.
When that didn’t work and night had fallen, he sat in the snow at the rise at the side of his castle, his eyes on the light that came from the windows of the room he shared with his mate and he howled his inconsolable fury at the moon.
Chapter Eighteen
Dreams
Callum walked as wolf into the room he shared with Sonia.
The fire was ebbing but it still danced light throughout the room.
Her eyes fluttered then opened, she spied him and whispered, “Hello Puppy.”
He sat by the bed watching her.
She grinned at him.
He continued watching her.
“Is my handsome wolf coming tonight?” she asked.
Callum growled, knowing he would be coming and she would be coming too, as hard as he could force her to do so.