Daggermouth

He gently removed her hand, pressing her back into the mattress. “Not yet,” he said, his lips finding her neck, trailing kisses down to her collarbone. “I promised you five, remember?”

Before she could protest, his mouth was on her breast again, his tongue circling her nipple as his fingers returned between her thighs. He worked her slowly this time, building her pleasure with patience, savoring each gasp and shiver.

When he felt her body clench around him, he shifted lower, replacing his fingers with his mouth. Her taste was even richer now, her arousal coating his tongue as he licked into her. He groaned against her, the vibration making her hips buck against him.

“Oh God,” she gasped, her nails biting crescents into his shoulders. “Callum, I-I’m going to—”

He redoubled his efforts, his tongue flicking rapidly against her clit as he slid two fingers inside her, curling them to hit the spot that always made her scream. Her third orgasm crashed through her with such force no sound came out of her mouth as her lips parted in a silent scream, her body convulsing beneath him.

Callum didn’t stop, didn’t give her time to recover. He kept his mouth on her, his fingers moving inside her, relentless in his pursuit of her pleasure. Her fourth orgasm followed quickly on the heels of her third, a breathless, keening sound escaping her as her body tensed and released.

“Come here,” she said, breathlessly reaching for him, and he couldn’t resist her call if he tried.

He rose above her, his cock pulsing with need as he positioned himself at her entrance. He stared down at her, one hand stroking himself as the other dragged up her stomach, feeling every inch of her skin.

“I could look at you forever like this—”

“If you don’t fuck me right now, Callum Thane,” she interrupted, her voice a delicious mix of command and plea, “I swear I’ll never forgive you.”

He gri

“I love you,” he whispered, the words still new, still precious on his tongue as he pushed into her slowly.

Callum watched her face for any sign of discomfort as he filled her, the sensation overwhelming—tight, wet heat enveloping him inch by inch, her body yielding to his in perfect surrender. He paused halfway, gritting his teeth against the urge to thrust fully into her. It had been so long, and she felt so perfect around him.

Lira sighed, her body arching into his as she wrapped her legs around his waist, urging him deeper.

“Fuck.” The word was a groan tearing from his throat as he sank completely into her. For a moment he remained perfectly still, closing his eyes to keep from ending it all too soon as she gasped into his neck.

Callum forced his eyes open as he began to rock into her, slow and deep, savoring each stroke. His forehead dropped to hers, their breaths mingling in the narrow space between them. Her eyes remained open, locked with his—a co

“I’m so fucking in love with you,” he murmured, brushing his lips against hers.

“Show me,” she whispered back, and Callum snapped his hips forward at the command.

Her fingers dug into his shoulders, nails raking over his skin as he set a rhythm that had her panting beneath him. Each thrust built the pressure in his spine, the coiling heat low in his belly. But he held back, determined to bring her pleasure first, to watch her come apart in his arms.

He shifted his weight, changing the angle of his thrusts, and was rewarded with Lira’s sharp gasp. Her eyes widened, pupils blown with pleasure as he hit that perfect spot inside her.

“There,” she breathed, her voice catching. “Right there, don’t stop.”

Callum increased his pace, driving into her with controlled power, his muscles burning with the effort of holding back his own release. He slipped a hand between their bodies, finding her clit with practiced fingers, circling in time with his thrusts.

“More,” she gasped, her thighs tightening against him. “Please.”

“Come for me again,” he urged, his voice a low growl against her ear. “One more time, love. Let me feel you.”

He rolled them, settling her on top of him without breaking their co

“You’re a goddess,” he breathed, hands gripping her hips to help guide her movements. “My goddess.”

The possessiveness in his voice should have frightened him, but it felt right. She was his now, as he was hers.

He had always been hers.

Callum watched, entranced as Lira rode him, her body moving in a rhythm that seemed to pulse through his entire being. She looked down at him, their eyes locking, and there was such an intensity in her gaze that he felt as though she was seeing right into his soul.

Her fingers dug into his chest as her movements grew faster, more urgent. The heat of her surrounded him, gripped him, dragging him closer to the point of no return with each thrust.

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 i

“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 it bordered 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.

The living room was now bathed in shadows, the security screens casting a blue glow over the furniture. Callum moved silently across the polished floor, every sense heightened. The chime sounded again from the tablet in his hand.

Meeting tonight. Wolf’s Head. 10pm.

He tilted his head at the message, at the timing of it. A rebel meeting the same night Greyson and Shadera were detained.

Someone else is feeding the Boundary information.

He shoved the device back into his pocket, setting his gun on his desk as he scoured the security footage of Haven Tower at double speed, looking for anything. Any sign he had missed, any clue that could tell him where Maximus had taken them.