“Why would they want you to erase them?” she asked Gregor, her voice no longer flat and accusatory, it was soft and sad.
“I’ve no idea, my dear,” Gregor answered. “Lassiter, nor Cherise, shared the reasons behind their wishes. They just shared their wishes.”
She paused a moment before she continued her quiet interrogation.
“Earlier, you said you’d been keeping me safe for Callum,” she stated and enquired, “Did you know about all of this?”
The air grew heavy, this mostly coming from Callum and Yuri, but Gregor kept his cool.
“Yes,” he answered simply.
Sonia’s voice was barely audible when she asked, “Did my parents?”
Gregor came closer, his eyes flicking to Callum as if to assess the threat, as he would do considering he was approaching a wolf’s mate.
Callum lifted his chin and Gregor crept closer.
Quietly, he replied, “Yes, Sonny, they knew about your destiny. They wanted it for you. Very much so. They were…” he hesitated and said the next word as if it cost him to do so, “honored that you were to be his queen.”
Sonia pulled in a soft breath and her body grew tight for a second before she seemed to come to some conclusion, closed her eyes briefly and, when she opened them, she relaxed further into Callum.
“Why didn’t anyone tell me?” she asked, her voice still hushed but there was an accusatory note threading through it.
“Many reasons, my dear,” Gregor replied, coming even closer. “Because you’re human. Because there was the possibility you weren’t safe. Because you needed to mature to a time when you could take all this in, understand it, not fear it and accept your destiny.”
Sonia gazed at Gregor a moment, letting this sink in.
Then she looked up at Callum and noted, “Your family knew too.”
“We did,” Callum told her truthfully.
She looked at Gregor then Yuri then back to Callum and tried to pull away but Callum held her firm.
She gave in to his hold and remarked, “If I was eventually to live amongst you, it would have made it a lot easier for me now if your family had taken me in. I would have understood your culture. I would have grown up in it.”
She was right. And she was far too shrewd.
Callum took in breath but it was Yuri who answered.
“You’d hardly have benefited from growing up with Callum and his family,” he clipped and when he went on, his tone was bitter. “Trust me, things would be different about now if you grew up thinking of Callum as a brother.”
Sonia, far too sweet for her own good, reacted to the bitterness, her face grew soft with understanding and sorrow and she whispered, “Yuri.”
“And Sonny,” Gregor added, “your parents wanted you to grow up amongst your own. Humans. It was also their wish.”
This was an outright lie, considering they were vampires.
However, for thirty-one years, Gregor and Yuri had taken great pains to live the charade of a human life.
For Sonia.
And to protect her destiny, not only as Callum’s mate, but also for the reason why fate chose her to be at his side during this time.
She tore her soft gaze from Yuri and looked to Gregor. She pulled in a deep breath and then released a heavy sigh.
Callum decided Sonia had had enough. It was time for this to be over and therefore he announced, “Sonia’s had a stressful few days. Share why you’re here so we can get on with our night.”
Gregor looked to Callum and replied, “Actually, I’m here to speak with you.”
“So speak,” Callum ordered.
Gregor took a step back, glanced over his shoulder at his son then back to Callum and invited, “Let’s walk.”
Callum’s eyes also went to Yuri, who was standing with arms crossed on his chest but his face was carefully blank.
Gregor had something he wanted to share privately, not for Sonia to hear.
He looked back to Gregor. “I’ll not leave Sonia. It’s unsafe.”
“Yuri will stay with her,” Gregor replied immediately.
Callum looked at Yuri to see he was now smiling.
“I don’t think so,” he told Gregor. “We’ll go into the kitchen.”
“We’ll walk,” Gregor replied firmly.
“We won’t,” Callum returned even more firmly.
“Worried?” Yuri taunted and Callum tensed.
“Why can’t you just talk here?” Sonia cut in.
“I need to have a private word with your mate,” Gregor answered and it was Sonia’s turn to go tense.
“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.