Queen Sonia?
Campaign?
“Likely not,” Callum answered. “She’s human. Only way to assure her safety.”
Human?
Safety?
“Figured,” Waring muttered.
Slowly, Sonia turned her head to look at Callum.
When her eyes met his, he dipped his head, rubbed his temple against hers, her body went rock-solid and he whispered in her ear, “I’ll explain later.”
He pulled his head back, she glared at him and then turned to Waring. “I don’t think we’ll be going on campaign since there are so many things Callum’s going to be,” she lifted her hands and made quotation marks, “‘explaining later’ that it might take until the new millennium for him to do it.”
Both Callum and Waring laughed at that too.
Sonia decided not to inform them she wasn’t being funny.
Then she decided, since this was way too weird for words, not to object that Callum seemed perfectly happy chatting away with Waring while she sat in his lap. Something which she was not perfectly happy about.
When Waring finished his coffee, Callum stood, taking Sonia with him and placing her on her feet. Waring stood after him and Callum left them to go to the laptop.
“Take this data stick to Caleb, will you?” he asked, handing the stick to Waring who took it.
“You got a back up?” he enquired and then looked at Sonia and said preposterously, “Saliva. Probably not good for data sticks.”
“What?” Sonia breathed but Callum was pulling her medication from the satchel and she saw it was wrapped in brown paper and taped to oblivion.
When the satchel was empty, he tossed it to Waring.
“Good thinking,” Waring said to Callum and again turned to Sonia. “That’s why he’s king.”
“King?” Sonia whispered but Callum was beside her. His hand sliding along her shoulders, he tugged her against his side and together they walked Waring to the door just like they were an old married couple moving to wave away a party guest.
At the door, Waring turned and bowed his head to Sonia. “It was an honor to meet you, your grace.” Then he lifted his head and grinned yet again.
Before Sonia could say a word, Callum squeezed her shoulder. “I’ll be back in five minutes.”
Then he and Waring walked out the door.
Sonia stared at the door and she did this for a while.
Then she asked it, “What just happened?”
The door didn’t feel like sharing its secrets.
She and a sharp knife were in the kitchen wrestling with the tape on her medication when Callum came back, again carrying the clothes.
Sonia stopped dead, package in hand, knife point inserted in a miniscule area not taped where she hoped it might find purchase and watched as Callum walked to the closet, threw in the boots then walked to the bathroom and came out without the clothes.
He moved into the kitchen, stopped close to her, leaned a hip against the counter, reached out and pulled the knife from her frozen hand and set it aside. Then he took the package out of her hands.
Coming out of her stupor, Sonia asked, “Is it later?”
His eyes never leaving her, he brought the package up to his mouth and with his even, white teeth, he tore open a section of the tape. Then he ripped off the rest of the packaging, held both boxes in his hands and gazed at them.
Finally, his head came up. “You need to take this now?”
“I asked if it’s later,” she repeated.
“And I asked if my mate needs the medication that will stop her from dying an agonizing death,” Callum returned calmly. “As you can see, my question has priority.”
It was time for her to take her medication though she could wait. Any time in the late evening was okay.
She’d rather have a few answers.
She looked at him, saw the set of his face and gave in.
“I could take it.”
“Let’s go,” he said and started to the bathroom.
Did he say “let’s go”?
Let’s go?
Sonia stood stock-still.
Callum turned back. “Sonia.”
“Give me the meds. I’ll –”
He cut her off by saying, “You’re going to teach me how to give it to you.”
She stayed stock-still but her mouth dropped open.
Then she said, “No, I’m not.”
To which he replied, “Yes, you are.”
“No, I –”
“Sonia, come here.”
“But, you –”
“Come here or I’ll come get you.”
Her voice grew shrill. “I can’t believe you think –”
He started toward her. She started retreating.
In seconds, she was flung over his shoulder and in a few more seconds she was set on her feet in the bathroom.
She barely got her body under her control before his torso twisted and he closed and locked the door while she stared at him in irritated horror.
Then he twisted back and demanded, “Now, show me what to do.”
She made a snatch for the boxes but he yanked them away and he was far taller and had the arm span of a giant, drat the man!
“I’m perfectly capable of doing it myself,” she snapped.
“What if you’re not?” he asked.
“What do you mean, what if I’m not? I’ve been doing it every day since I was eleven. I am capable of doing it,” she retorted.
He bent at the waist to get closer and it took everything she had not to lean back.
“What if you’re not?” he repeated. “What if there comes a time where you can’t give it to yourself? You have flu and you’re delirious. As your mate, I need to know how to take care of you.”
Really?
Did he seriously think she was his mate?
She’d known him a day!
And it was the weirdest, scariest day of her life!
He was… crazy… as a… loon!
“You aren’t my mate,” she snapped.
“Sonia, I am.”
“You are not.”
He straightened and looked to the ceiling before muttering, “Bloody hell.”
“You can say that again,” she huffed, crossing her arms on her chest.
He dipped his chin down to look at her. “Just show me how to give you the f**king injection.”
“No!”
“Show me!” he barked right in her face.
This was one of those times that set her teeth on edge and made her want to scratch his eyes out.
Sonia did not do that.
Instead, she said, “Give me the boxes.”