With Everything I Am (The Three #2)(149)
Author: Kristen Ashley

“No,” he stated firmly, lifting one hand to pull the thick softness away from her neck, running his fingers through it as he rested it against her other shoulder. “It’s true, baby doll. It was you.”

“I could dye it,” she suggested, her lips twitching.

He stared at her, feeling her under him, her sex surrounding him, wet and silky, her scent, part Sonia, part wolf, filling his nostrils, her eyes, now green with spikes of brown in them, warm and tender and it hit him.

“We have eternity for you to try whatever color you want.”

Her mouth went soft as tears filled her eyes. Callum pulled out, rolled to his back and rolled her on top of him. She shoved her face in his neck and his arms closed tight around her.

He held her as she struggled to hold back the tears and this lasted a good while before he felt her calm.

He took one arm from around her so he could pull her hair from her face as he asked, “Do you know what happened?”

She shook her head against his neck but answered, “One second, I was sleeping really deeply, the next, I was on fire again and suddenly up and…” she paused, lifted her head, looked down at him in wonder and cried, “Boom! I was a wolf. It was crazy. I didn’t know what to do but my wolf body did and it took off. I know I caught your scent, even if it was only lingering, I followed it and I ran and ran and then I heard you howling and I ran right to you.”

He stared up at her trying to glory in the fact that first, and most importantly, his mate was not dead and second, and nearly as important, she was not ever going to die, instead of giving into the searing anger he felt permeating his joy.

“I think I destroyed my gown,” she muttered before biting her lip.

The searing anger dissipated because he burst out laughing, his arms closing around her, he rolled her to her back with him on top.

He lifted up and looked down at her face.

Her dark hair spread on their pillow framed it and he wondered if he’d get used to it. He had an eternity to do it so it was probable but he was surprised that he liked the idea of her dying it. Just for a while. Just until he got used to this new Sonia.

He still needed the old.

He’d always need the old.

Then again, he had a feeling, as it all came clear, she was always this Sonia. She’d exhibited wolf traits and tendencies since the very beginning.

He should have caught it.

He didn’t.

Then again, this was unprecedented, human to wolf so he’d never consider it. He also, in those precious moments, wasn’t going to allow himself to think of the indisputable conspiracy behind it.

He didn’t share any of that.

He muttered, “You’ll learn to leap out of your clothes.”

“Well, unfortunately, I wasn’t wearing an old pair of jeans but a fabulous wedding dress when it first happened,” she replied.

“If it’s torn, we’ll have it repaired,” he told her.

“That would be good,” she murmured, he grinned, dipped his head and touched his mouth to hers.

His grin faded and he whispered, “You died in my arms.”

Her head jerked and her eyes grew wide. “I did?”

She didn’t remember.

“You don’t remember?” he asked to confirm.

“I remember collapsing in your arms.” Her nose scrunched in a way that said she found it distasteful which Callum found an enormous relief. “I remember Yuri feeding. I remember you arguing with Orphenon but then it all gets hazy and then… nothing.”

He nodded but stated, “You did, my little one. You died in my arms.”

She stared up at him, stunned. “How can that be?”

“I don’t know,” he answered.

Her head tilted to the side as her brows knitted adorably. “So you don’t know what’s going on.”

“I have an idea,” Callum replied. “What I do know,” he stated ominously, “is that someone is going to f**king explain it to the both of us.”

“This also would be good,” she whispered, her hands moving on his skin soothingly then her arms wrapped around him, her gaze on him grew assessing and she pulled him close. “I died in your arms?”

“You did, honey,” he affirmed quietly, his voice suddenly ragged at the memory.

Her hand shifted to the side of his head, her thumb coming out to smooth his brow, his cheekbone and then sweeping his lips.

He closed his eyes, memorizing that yet again even though he no longer needed to.

Her words were ragged as well when she whispered, “I don’t know what’s happening but I’m so sorry, my handsome wolf.”

He opened his eyes. “Don’t be. You’re here. You’re wolf which means you’ll always be here.” He pressed his chest to hers on the “always”. “We’ll soon understand why it happened and I’ll make certain that nothing this fundamental is kept from us again.”

She studied him even as she nodded.

Then she smiled a tremulous smile. “Cal, I’m wolf.”

Callum smiled back and his was not tremulous. “You are, baby doll.”

“I’m wolf,” she breathed.

“As I always knew, perfect for me,” Callum told her and her eyes focused on him.

“Perfect for you,” she repeated, her smile strengthening.

“As I’m perfect for you,” he declared.

“Yes,” she whispered, her hand at his head became an arm wrapped around him again and both her arms went tight. “Can I ask one thing?”

“You can ask anything.”

Love and gratitude gleamed in her eyes before she lifted her head from the pillows to touch her mouth to his.

When she set it back, she requested, “When you unleash all holy hell on whoever did all this, uh… stuff, can you do it fast so we can still go on our honeymoon?”

Callum stared at his bride.

Then he burst out laughing again and he did this while rolling her and then he did it while knifing to sitting and kissing her.

With his mate straddling his lap, his hands in her mahogany hair pulling it away from her beautiful face, he answered, “Absolutely.”

Then King Callum brought his queen’s lips back to his and he kissed her again before he did other things to her.

And all of it was perfect.

Epilogue

Eternity

“Sonia! Call your wolf off me!” Gregor ordered Sonia.

He was on his back on the floor with Callum pinning him there, his wolf nose close to Gregor’s face, his teeth bared, a snarl sounding low from his throat.