The Alpha King Call Boy
Chapter 196

Fiona

"Thank you." I accepted the steaming mug from my husband and took a sip of the sweet, spicy coffee he'd just brewed for me. He hovered at the bedside to watch me enjoy it.

He was waiting on me hand and foot this morning, still making far too much of a fuss over my having passed out the day before. "Is Nina coming over?"

"Yeah." I checked the time on my phone. "Probably in like half an hour. She's here but was just waking up when I called."

Alexander had told me last night that he wanted to train with the pack today. He'd had Kayden and his lieutenants leading all regular pack activities since the baby arrived, making as much time for us as possible. But I knew it was important for him to get some face time with his men, especially considering all that had been going on.

"You don't need to wait for her to get here, though.

I am fine, Alex. I promise you, I am feeling much better today. A solid night's sleep did me a lot of good."

He nodded hesitantly. "Okay. I'll have my phone on me if you need anything."

"Back at you.

He got a funny look on his face. "All I need you to do right now is take care of yourself, Fiona. I have already been asking too much of you lately.

"You hardly ask anything of me. I do everything that I do of my own free will, Alexander. Tell me that you know that."

He rubbed his eyes. He was worried he had upset me.

I put my coffee down on the nightstand and tugged on his hand, pulling him toward me. He sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Hey." I put his palm on my thigh and ran my hand up the length of his arm. "I married you, remember? I know what I signed up for in being the Alpha King's Luna. And I am qualified for the job. Please stop fretting over me, Alex. Sometimes you need help and I'm there for you. Other times it's the other way around. That's the deal. I appreciate you taking care of me last night and this morning but I really am fine now, okay?"

I succeeded in breaking his dour mood. Alexander cracked a smile. "You are difficult to argue with. I trust you to take care of yourself, Fi. I really do. I just love you so f*****g much."

I took his hand off my leg and pressed it to my heart. Then it was like we turned into magnets. I leaned forward into my Alpha just as he leaned down toward me. Our lips found each other's like it was their purpose for existence.

His phone chiming interrupted us.

At some point he'd pulled me up onto his lap. I was breathless and my lips were tender by the time we wrenched our mouths apart. "Kayden... he's wondering if they should start without me."

"Go." I rolled off his lap and settled back onto the bed. I gave his hip a playful nudge with my foot." You can kiss me more later."

I got to enjoy the rest of my coffee and read a few chapters of my book before the baby roused from her mid-morning nap.

I really had become very sleep-deprived over the past few days. And I'd given myself a lesson about pushing my abilities. In my defense, I was still learning what I could do and how to do it. I was not going to try the same strategy with Roland again, now that I knew doing something like that with a troubled person could black me out into a nightmare.

But I still wanted to solve the problem with our traitor. I was just going to have to replace another way to do it, a safer way.

"Lexi, how are we going to get that strange man tell us his secrets, hm? He really, really doesn't want to talk to me. I get the feeling that he does not like me very much."

I was just rambling while I changed the baby. I'd read that it's important to talk to babies as much as possible when they are awake. And though my daughter certainly could not reply to me, I was getting into a habit of carrying on one-way conversations with her when we were alone, just idly chatting about whatever was on my mind.

It was a bit silly, talking to an infant like that. I didn't speak to Lexi in "baby talk." I just talked to her the same way I would to an adult. She didn't know what I was saying, but she clearly wished that she could. She stared and stared at me, absolutely engrossed, when I chatted at her. She often furrowed her tiny, pale blonde eyebrows, looking frustrated with her inability to understand what I was saying and determined to figure it out.

She was a very curious child. And a very good listener. Alexander

I was drenched in sweat by the time we finished running drills, and it felt great. The afternoon sun had peeked out to warm the courtyard hours earlier, but it was back to overcast now and the cold breeze on my exercise-warmed skin felt incredible.

My wolf was satisfied after doing a lot of running and exerting my body to near the point of exhaustion. Now, in the cool-down, I was high on endorphins and thrumming with energy. I was anxious to get back to Fiona.

"You guys are doing great," I told the pack before dismissing them. "I couldn't be more proud of how you performed the other night. It's been a while since we've seen action like that. And for some of

you, our new recruits, it was your first time in combat with vampires. You worked together. You watched each other's backs. You kept each other alive. You should be proud of yourselves, and of each other."

"Ooh," Fiona said when she caught sight of me at the door. She was holding the baby with one arm, propped against her hip comfortably, while walking around tidying up. "Look at your daddy, all sweaty and dirty from training. He sure looks different like that, doesn't he?" Lexi followed her mother's gaze. The two pairs of light blue eyes looked me over critically.

I chuckled. "You two..."

I didn't want to drip mud and sweat all over the place, though I was tempted to go wrap my arms all around Fiona that instant. I felt amazing after my workout and she looked beautiful. It was a relief to see her looking energetic and relaxed

Fiona shifted the baby in her arms and arched an eyebrow at me. She was picking up on what I was feeling.

"I should shower."

"Yeah. Probably." She half-frowned, looking disappointed.

I made my way to the bathroom, turned the water on and began disrobing.

I heard Fiona's soft voice from the other room. She was speaking quietly, but I have very good hearing.

"Will you be a good, patient girl and give me a few minutes alone with your father please? Here is your bear. I am starting your mobile turning if you'd like to watch it. I will be back in just a few minutes. Okay? Okay." Fiona entered the bathroom thirty seconds later. I was trying to bite back laughter.

I'd been about to say something about how funny it was when she talked to the baby like that. But her elevator eyes went up and down the length of me and she licked her lips, and I forgot all about the other thing. "Oh, my," she breathed.

"Come on. Don't get me started. One of us needs to be..." I shrugged in the direction of the baby's room.

She nodded her head agreeably but leaned against the wall and started fanning her throat with a lazy hand. And kept staring at my body. One part of it in particular. The l**t in her eyes was enough to start my heart beating faster, my blood running warmer. "You're killing me, Fiona." I was pacing over to her now. The hot water running in the shower had the room full of steam.

She stopped me before I could touch her, putting a single finger to the center of my chest when I was a few inches away. "You're right," she said neutrally. "I can't get all muddy and hop into the shower with you right now. But... give me a kiss before you get in. Just keep your dirty paws to yourself."

"Yes, ma'am." I bent to her carefully and did as she asked, giving her a light kiss with only our lips and no other parts of our bodies touching.

Fiona leaned in and I playfully pulled an inch away to tease her. She chuckled under her breath and glared up at me. I quickly lapped my tongue at her lips and her eyes fluttered closed.

"Mmm. Okay, that's enough." The one finger found the center of my chest again and pushed me toward the shower. "Clean yourself up, dirty boy.

We can play more later. I want to get some dinner and talk to you about something, actually."

I paced backward toward the shower, following her instructions, but raised my eyebrows.

"It's about the traitor," she said. "I have another idea. A better one."