Callum felt his control fracturing as Lira moved above him, her pace relentless, drawing him toward an edge he’d been fighting to avoid. His hands tightened on her hips, fingers pressing into soft flesh as he tried to slow her movements, to make this last.
“Not yet,” he groaned, but she only smiled down at him—a wicked, knowing expression that sent heat racing through his veins.
“Yes,” she breathed, rolling her hips in a way that made his vision blur. “It’s your turn to come undone for me, Callie.”
The words destroyed what remained of his restraint. He surged upward, capturing her mouth in a desperate kiss as his hips thrust up to meet hers. She gasped against his mouth, the sound vibrating through him as her inner walls began to flutter around his cock.
“That’s it,” he growled against her throat, feeling her body tensing. “Come with me, Lira. Now.”
Her fifth orgasm hit with devastating force. She cried out his name, her body clenching around him in waves that pulled his own release from him with violent intensity. The feeling of her coming undone around him prolonged his pleasure until he thought he might black out from the sheer intensity of it. He groaned into her shoulder, his hips jerking upward as he spilled inside her, the pleasure so acute itbordered on pain. Every muscle in his body went taut, then released in a rush that left him trembling beneath her.
His vision whited out as ecstasy scorched through his blood, burning away every thought, every sensation that wasn’t her. Wasn’t this.
They collapsed together, a tangle of sweat-slicked limbs and racing hearts. Callum's arms wrapped around her, holding her against his chest as though she might disappear if he loosened his grip. Her breath came in soft pants against his neck, each exhale sending shivers across his skin.
“Five,” she murmured after a moment, a note of satisfaction in her voice that made him chuckle.
“As promised.” He pressed a kiss to her temple, breathing in the scent of her. “Though I’m nowhere near done with you.”
She lifted her head to look at him, eyebrow raised. “Is that so?”
“Mm.” His hands traced lazy patterns on her back, mapping the curve of her spine. “We have years to make up for.”
The reminder of lost time sobered them both slightly. Lira’s expression grew serious as she studied his face, her fingers tracing the line of his jaw.
“No more secrets,” she said softly. “No more protecting each other from the truth.”
“No more secrets,” he agreed, catching her hand and pressing his lips to her palm.
The tablet on his nightstand buzzed, shattering the moment. Callum’s body tensed—that particular alert meant urgent news from his network. He reached for it reluctantly, aware of Lira watching him with curious eyes.
The message made his blood run cold.
“What is it?” Lira asked, pushing herself up on one elbow.
He turned the screen toward her, watching her face pale as she read the encrypted message.
Executioner and Daggermouth taken into custody. President’s orders. Location unknown. Vow ceremony preparations continue as scheduled.
“No.” The word escaped Lira in a whisper. “We have to find them.”
Callum was already moving, pulling on his pants and dragging a shirt over his head. His mind raced through possibilities, contingencies, the network of informants he could activate. But finding prisoners the President wanted hidden would be nearly impossible, even with his resources. He reached for the gun he kept in the bedside drawer, checking the magazine then tucking it into his waistband.
“Stay here,” he said, his voice shifting into the cold command of someone preparing for war.
“Like hell,” she replied, sliding from the bed and reaching for her clothes. “I’m not hiding out in your bedroom.”
He wanted to argue, to insist she stay safely away from whatever violence came from this news. But the determined set of her jaw told him it would be useless. This was the new reality between them—no more protection, no more sheltering.
Callum strapped a second gun to his ankle and handed Lira a smaller pistol he kept for emergencies. Marcus’s face flashed behind his eyes as she took it from him and checked the safety and grip.
“You sure you know how to use that?” he asked.
She lifted a brow in his direction. “Did I not prove that this morning? Just give me a thigh holster, I need somewhere to hide this under my dress.”
He didn’t try to hide the smile that lifted the corners of his lips. Maybe she was more suited for his world after all. He pulled a holster out of the bottom drawer of the nightstand and handed it to her before turning to the door and heading for his surveillance equipment.
He paused at the threshold, looking back at her—his heart, his soul, everything that mattered. Callum knew the moment he took a step out of that room, everything would change.
