But he was crazy as a loon.
For some reason, she carried on, “I’m important to you?”
“Very.”
“Why?” Her voice was getting shrill. “You barely know me.”
“We’ll get to that later.”
She blinked, shocked out of her skull then idiotically continued, “What do you mean they ‘were’ soldiers? What happened to them?”
“Last night, I executed them.”
Sonia gasped at this news and then tensed, ready to flee.
His arms closed tight around her, negating any attempt to flee.
He was too strong, she knew it and in an instinctive effort at self-preservation, she gave up.
“You killed them,” she whispered, horrified that he’d do such a thing and equally horrified that he’d tell her he did it so… very… calmly.
They were not good men. They were menaces. Not menaces in a getting drunk and getting in fights, being too loud at baseball games, catcalling and doing kissy faces at women when they walked by kind of way. No, they were a much, much worse kind. She knew this. She’d sensed it about them more than once. And they were new, the menacing presence had only been around for a short while but she knew they’d been tracking her for weeks. And they’d invaded her home and discussed raping her.
But executing them?
“They touched you,” Callum replied.
“I know.”
“They intended to violate you.”
“I know!” she shouted and regardless of his strength, the fact that he could subdue her easily and even harm her, she started to struggle in his arms.
His hand slid into her hair and twisted.
She stilled at the onset of pain which was gentle but if she moved, it would get worse.
His eyes were still tawny when he brought her face to his.
And his expression was fierce and ominous and very, very frightening.
“You’re my mate, Sonia, my queen,” he announced, his voice the exact same as his face, his words, quite simply, were mad. “You were destined for me before you were even conceived. I’ve been waiting for you for longer than you can imagine. And they touched you before I touched you. They committed high treason and for that alone their execution was just. But they f**king touched you before I touched you and for that their deaths were not quick.”
Sonia found she was holding her breath.
Callum didn’t seem to notice.
“I’ll explain more as the days pass but this you know now. You’re mine, Sonia Arlington. You’ve been mine for centuries. You have a week… one week… to get to know me and understand the ways of my culture. I wish it could be longer but because of what happened last night, my people are at war. I’m their king, they need me. I have no time to give but, regardless of that fact, I’m giving you one week. I’ll use it wisely and I suggest, strongly, little one, that you do as well. This will go much better for you if you do.”
“What?” she breathed in spite of herself, not understanding even half of what he said and not knowing which part of “what” she was asking because there was so damned much!
“What?” he repeated.
Her mind focused on one point in many. “What will go much better?”
He brought her face closer. “At the end of this week, baby doll, we’re flying to Scotland. We’re having the mating ceremony and, from that point on, you’re bound to me in the eyes of my people’s laws as well as yours until you die.”
She’d obviously asked the wrong question.