When she put it like that...
Callum cleared his throat, and we both looked at him. "I'm not comfortable taking her there without threatening the Cabinet first. If she wants to come to next week's meeting, she can."
The fact that his threats were still effective after a hundred years was a testament to how well he backed them up.
Liv still didn't look convinced.
"It's fine. I want to try out the bathtub anyway," I told Liv.
"He has enchanted bath bombs in one of the cabinets," she advised. "The good stuff, from the spellcasters."
I didn't have to ask why.
I knew what everything came down to for him, before we were mated.
His pain.
Liv grabbed another cinnamon roll for the road. "I'll meet you in the car."
She headed out, leaving us alone together.
I eyed Callum.
He eyed me.
We were still holding hands, but it didn't mean anything. Not really.
I released my grip on him. "Enjoy the meeting."
"Enjoy the bath. I would avoid the red bath bombs, if I were you. There's warming magic in them."
"Noted. Thanks."
He walked to the door.
I paused in the hallway to watch him go.
Even just the way he moved when we weren't touching looked painful.
Maybe I should be nicer to him. Make things easier for him. Stop pushing him so much.
I'd think about it.
seventeen
KAT
Jonah calledme while I was lounging in Callum's tub. The air smelled like some calming mixture of plants, and I was so relaxed that I was starting to wonder if you could get high from a bath bomb.
Considering the spellcasters had created it, it wasn't an impossibility.
"Hey," I said, my head tipped back and my eyes closed as I answered the phone. Callum had a desk of sorts set up over the top of his tub, which was the perfect place to rest the iced coffee I was sipping. And my phone, which was now on speaker.
"Hey. Something's going on with Gwen."
"Huh? Are you back together?"
"No."
