"You're safe now, though," he says against my skin. "That's the only thing I care about."
He lets go of my hand and leans over, rubbing my cheek. I lean into the touch without thinking, starved for contact from him.
"What you were willing to do for me," he says, his green eyes holding mine, "for my family. I can never repay it."
I shake my head, as much as the pillow allows, and give a small smile. "You'll never have to."
He leans over and kisses me softly on the lips, the kind of kiss that feels like a promise, like a breath shared between two people who almost lost each other.
When he pulls back and kisses my forehead, I feel his breath warm against my skin.
"My promise to you," he says, his voice low and fierce. "I will destroy the world before I let anyone touch you again."
My heart stutters in my chest. "Promise?"
"Promise," he says, and leans back slightly, holding my hand again.
"Cormac is dead," he says. "The reign of the Morrígans is over."
The words hit me like a wave, and it all comes flooding back into my mind.
I watched him burn. I watched the flames consume him, heard his screams fade into the roar of the fire.
And now, finally, it's over, and I am free from him and the Order.
The tears come before I can stop them, sliding down my cheeks in hot streaks. Not from sadness, but from relief so profound it feels like my chest might crack open from the force of it.
Callum doesn't say anything. He just moves carefully until he's lying beside me in the narrow hospital bed. His good arm wraps over me, pulling me against him. I bury my face in the fabric of his suit jacket and let myself cry.
"It's over," he says against my hair. "You're free."
I don't know how long we stay like that, tangled together in the bed, but eventually the tears slow and my breathing evens out.
I pull back slightly, wiping at my face, and let out a watery laugh.
"So," I say, changing the subject because I don't know what else to do with all the emotions swirling inside me, "I take it your mom is okay?"
"Yes, she's fine," Callum says, and there's a hint of amusement in his tone now. "So are Keira and Declan."
I laugh again and nod.
"Do you think you'll ever tell them about me?"
The question slips out before I can second-guess it. Callum's siblings don't know I exist, at least, they didn't. I was his secret, his source, his prisoner turned something more. The daughter of the man who murdered their father.
I watch his face carefully, searching for any sign of hesitation.
"Yeah," he says, and something in his tone makes my stomach drop. "About that..."
Before he can finish, there's a knock at the door.
39
CALLUM
Before I can respond, the door swings open without waiting for permission.
"I heard you talking. She awake?" Keira asks.
