Oh.Maybe Liv was wrong about him wanting me there.
"I told them you're coming when I feel like bringing you, Kitten. I don't ask the Cabinet for permission."
My eyes widened slightly.
His were still closed, so he didn't see my reaction.
"Rumor stands or falls based on the four of us. To power something as large as the city's wards, they need a battery, which we are. No one else in Rumor could do what we do. The wards take the edge off our magic's effect on us, which is a benefit."
"Holy shit. Your magic was even stronger before you were here?"
"It was." Callum breathed out slowly. I watched him, taking in the complete and utter relaxation on his face. He looked kinder, without the tension. More… real. "So Gwen wants to meet with Jonah, and he wants you to go. What would your role be?"
"Something between cock-blocker and gunslinger, I think."
"What do you mean?"
"He says he's not interested in her, so I'd be there to make sure she doesn't make a move, I guess. And where I go, you go, so..." I shrugged.
"I'm the gun you're slinging?"
"Yep. If she's in danger, Jonah thinks you'll protect her. I told him he's crazy, but he didn't listen."
"He's not crazy. If my mate's sister was in danger, I would protect her. Immortality is a long time. You may want to make up with her at some point, which wouldn't be possible if she was dead."
"I think that's the most romantic thing you've ever said to me," I drawled.
He opened his eyes. "I've said plenty of romantic things."
"Like what?"
"I tell you frequently that you look good."
Usually there was some form of afuckin the sentence, but that was true. "Fine, you're romantic. Anyway, I'm not sure if I'll go to the meeting. Gwen's been on the Cabinet for five years, so she must have allies she could turn to other than me and Jonah. And she obviously doesn't want me there."
"Actually, the Cabinet despised Simon. Gwen hasn't said more than three words to anyone on it in the five years she's been the Alpha, so she can't have connections."
I blinked. "What?"
Callum took my hand off the side of the tub, studying the marking of our mate bond on my skin as if he wanted to see it up close. "I killed him to force you into a mate bond, but I was also tired of dealing with him. If I had killed someone the Cabinet cared about, like the demon king, there would've been consequences, wards be damned. I could technically continuepowering them from Shadowside Penitentiary, and no one would have to deal with me any longer."
"The Cabinet likes the demon king?"
"They do."
His name was Grayson Darke, and he was a legendary MMA fighter. He owned most of the fighting gyms in Rumor, including the one Jonah trained at. While Grayson didn’t fight regularly, it was widely televised when he did.
When I saw him at the challenges, he was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, along with a baseball cap.Shadows moved over his tan skin constantly, resembling living gray smoke, and he had a bargain mark wrapped around his throat like a collar.
"He's friendly. Annoyingly so, but some people enjoy that kind of thing."
"Who's his bargain with?"
"Merrily."
"You're not going to tell me not to talk to him?"
"He's an incubus, and you're mated to me. There's no world in which he would be interested in you, Kitten."
