She hadn’t heard a vehicle. She’d heard and smelled a person approaching the cabin.
Apparently, Callum had sensed him too!
And why was he in Callum’s clothes? How did he get there on foot through a blowing blizzard in no clothes? And what did he mean, “My queen”? And what did Callum mean, “See to it”?
And, what, she felt it pertinent to repeat, was going on?
“Sonia.” Callum’s firm voice came at her and her body jolted her out of her reverie. “Coffee. Waring’s been running the last ten miles.”
Running?
“Yes, of course,” she murmured, attempting to mask her alarm and, she had to admit, curiosity, and called to the other man, “How do you take it?”
“With two fingers of whisky,” he replied, still grinning at her. He waited for Callum to set down a small satchel on the coffee table and sit before he took his seat, looked at Callum and repeated, “Really, your grace, she’s seriously pretty.”
Your grace?
“I noticed,” Callum replied, humor in his tone.
In spite of herself, hearing Callum agree she was “seriously pretty” with that warm humor in his voice made a shiver dance across Sonia’s skin.
She pretended that didn’t happen, found the whisky, poured in two fingers, added the coffee, took it to the living room and handed it to the man.
“Thank you for bringing my –” she started but before she could finish Callum’s hands shot out, curved around her h*ps and she was flying through thin air for a moment before she landed in his lap.
This made Waring grin again.
It made Sonia twist around and glare before snapping, “Callum!”
Callum completely ignored her, his arms closing tight as he asked Waring, “You want a sandwich or do you want Sonia to grill you a steak?”
Waring patted his flat belly and said, “Had some fast food before I transformed. I’m good. The coffee and whisky will set me up. The weather’s not half bad a bit down the mountain. It’s just up here you’re really getting it.” His grin widened and he said, “And it’s all downhill on the way back.”
Both Callum and Waring laughed at this like it was the height of hilarity.
Sonia didn’t get it.
Then again, Sonia wasn’t getting anything. Except the fact that Callum, Sonia noted with extreme annoyance, had a great laugh.
Which was also part of the cosmos’s joke, no doubt.
“So, we go on campaign, is Queen Sonia coming with us?” Waring asked, grinning at her again. “She’d be useful. Makes good coffee,” he finished before he took another sip.
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.”