AllFreeNovel
Share Us
As she rushed off, I slowly pivoted. Yep. I’d heard him. He caught the little girl in his arms and lifted her to his chest.
“I’m so glad,” he said, kissing her temple while staring at me. Heat invaded every inch of me.
“Yousaved her?” I said to Mirren, needing a moment to center before I focused on our intruder.
“I hired you to doctor her.” The child shrugged, unconcerned, a mini-Callen in the making. “My decision, my victory.”
“Well, I can’t fault your logic.” My attention finally slid to the king. A conflicting rush of emotions hit me. Relief. He lived! Happiness! He was home! Frustration. There went my plans to look for secret passages and grill Mackenzie, Ponytail and Buzz for answers. Comfort. Only two days ago, this powerful man had kept me safe while a battle raged around us. Attraction. Hello, gorgeous.
Sunlight bathed him, highlighting dirt-streaked bronzed skin and wind-whipped hair. He wore a tank and gray sweatpants with narrow cuffs that stopped above his ankles. Practically male lingerie. Something August had refused to wear.
My heart thudded. How did Callen grime-up so good?
He continued to study me. “Hello, wife,” he said, his tone gruff.
“Hello.” I did my best to mask a cringe over my breathlessness. “You’re home early.”
“Aye.” His blank expression gave nothing away. No messing with his ring. Although, I sensed no annoyance or irritation. No anger, either. And hehadcalled me “wife.”Something he’d only done during rare moments of camaraderie. Maybe he wasn’t upset about my visit to the wall?
“Things went well?” I wrung my fingers together.
“Yes,” he repeated, “things went well.” He gave Mirren’s temple another kiss, set her down, and let her walk Skye across the rail.
“What happened with Tavish?” Was he dead or not?
“I made my point.” Relish bubbled in a tone tinged with madness.
I gulped. “Did he survive your point?” If Tavish had died, so had my best opportunity to be myself again.
Aggression pulsed from Callen. “I’ll learn the answer to that as soon as my men finish going through the mountain rubble.”
Mountain rubble? Wait. Was he the one who’d caused the collapse Mackenzie and the other housekeepers discussed? My eyes rounded. The power such a feat required…
No, no. No mooning over his strength. Not again.Focus on the important stuff.The chance of acquiring the potion from Tavish might not be zero. That was a reason to celebrate.
“Why didn’t you stick around to find out if you succeeded or not?” Walking away before reaching the finish line seemed like a very un-berserkery thing to do.
“I remembered what awaited me at home and delegated.”
Parts of me tingled, and I gulped again. He might as well have walked straight out of the pages of my favorite book.
“I’m pleased my two girls got along so well in my absence.” He gave me a look I couldn’t interpret.
The tingles collected in a single location. His girls? “Well, Mirren is pretty wonderful.”
“I am, aren’t I?” The little princess performed a twirl.
Callen and I shared a soft smile, and it threw me. I backed up a step.
“I’ll get Mirren settled,” he said, his tone gentle. “Go to our room, Elle. There’s something we’re going to do.”
My stomach hollowed as I shifted from foot to foot. Like, say, punishment? Or the mark? But I hadn’t made a decision!
He motioned to my guards, who stalked my way. One positioned himself in front of me, the other behind.
“You are beyond frustrating.” I tossed the words in Callen’s direction. Left with no other choice, I followed Buzz out of the wall and inside the castle with Ponytail on my heels. They all but caged me in with their muscles, herding me into Callen’s bedroom. It didn’t feel like mine. Not while his scent saturated every fabric.
Alone, I threw myself onto the mattress and breathed. Thora no longer lounged on a pillow. Dang. She would’ve calmed me. My own personal fated one. What was about to happen? What, what?
