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Chapter Twenty-Six

Rogue

C alyx is covered in runes. His lithe muscles move and flex as he guides me into the steamy water behind him. The waves lap at my ankles and eventually my shins as I follow him down the steps.

Don’t check out his ass.

Don’t check out his ass.

Shit.

He has a really nice backside.

Those sexy little indents above it might be the death of me. Luckily, they distort as he sinks down in the hot tub. He pulls me with him via a hand stretched behind him.

The night sky makes for a beautiful backdrop now that it’s fully dark, but I’m confused about the stars.

Is that something the sithen added to make me more comfortable?

Or does the veil have stars of its own?

Calyx drops my hand and spins around in the water, plucking me from the bottom step. He floats in the water and wraps my legs around his back.

Ash’s splashes fill the air as she bounces around in the pool.

Knowing how much Calyx loves Ash and Dusk is one of the traits that put me at ease with him the fastest. That, and the way he’s fiercely protective of Cohen.

Seeing the way he stood up to the house that first night when it attacked my warlock made it clear how fearless Calyx is when it comes to those he cares about.

He’s incredibly attractive, which could be intimidating if I let my mind focus on it for too long.

He’s also my mate, and that innate yearning will affect him too.

It’s a heady feeling to know the universe will have stacked me with traits he finds attractive in the same way it filled him with things I’m drawn to.

Calyx’s hand flattens on my lower back as he brings the other to brush my hair back from my face. “Are you growing more comfortable with your connection to the sithen?”

“I am. It’s not even something I really focus on.” I laugh, and my fingers dig into the tops of his shoulders. “Well, unless I need to ask the house to morph to accommodate Owen’s giant bear.”

“That’s good. The connection is supposed to be seamless, from what I’ve heard.” He smiles softly. “And speaking of the berserker, he’s now officially your bonded mate. Any thoughts on that?”

I study his handsome face. “It was quick, but I didn’t bond with Owen to hurt you.”

“Don’t fret, darling,” he murmurs, lowering us even farther into the steamy water. “The thought never even crossed my mind.” His fingers weave through my hair, and he cradles my skull. “Was that a lie?”

I shake my head.

He was being truthful.

Sometimes my magic is a gift. At least as many times in my life, it’s felt like a curse. Most people forget I’m a walking lie detector, and I’m obsessed with the fact Calyx seems to be aware of it at all times.

Nothing makes me lose faith in someone faster than being lied to.

Honestly, I’ve spent years wishing I didn’t inherit my father’s magic, but there’s a purpose for it here at the sithen, and that gives me comfort.

Knowing I’ll be able to do good with the magic I’ve grown to resent helps make all the misery worth it somehow.

I don’t know.

Maybe that’s weird.

It’s hard to explain, but I like the idea that I have purpose.

“Dreadfully jealous,” Calyx says, drawing my attention. “Did I mention that part?” His lips tip up as he brings his mouth close to mine. “Can you sense the truth in my words when I tell you how badly I ache to make you mine?” His hand tightens on my lower back, pulling me flush with his front.

At the same time, something hard bumps my bottom.

That would be his dick.

And, oh yeah, I can sense the truth in his words.

It sends a shiver down my spine.

Cohen is more like me—a little socially inept, nerdy, and reserved.

Owen is growly and bossy and protective.

Calyx has this sensual, flirtatious, maybe even dangerous energy that is way out of my league, but Gods do I want him.

It feels a lot like he’s the one of my mates who wants a partner in crime.

While Cohen and Owen would do their best to shelter and protect me, I think Calyx would be the most likely to allow me to fight by his side.

“I want you too.” Using my feet on his ass as leverage, I stretch up until our faces are close together.

He doesn’t make me spell out what I want. Nor does he wait for me to make the first move.

“I love knowing you can’t lie.” His hand tightens on my back, and he smirks as he lowers his mouth to mine.

Calyx’s personality shines through in kisses. They’re playful and enticing, making my body ache for more than a mere meeting of our mouths. As if he can sense my need, Calyx releases my back, snaking his hand between us as he ravages my mouth.

The hot water laps at my skin, heating me from the inside out. Or maybe this is another wave of my approaching quickening.

Either way, I don’t care.

I just want the opportunity to finally connect with my mate.

Calyx pulls his hand from my hair, swiping it through the air before returning to cradle my skull.

My skin hums with the pulse of his magic, and before I know what’s happening, he stretches me out on a cool, flat surface. His magic formed a ramp for walking into the hot tub, but it allows my back to be partially submerged while my tits tingle in the cool night air.

“You’re absolutely captivating.” He follows me down, and his skin brushes mine. Ash must have climbed out of the pool because the sound of her shaking out her fur fills the air.

My fingers dig into the back of Calyx’s neck, and I stretch up to meet him. “Kiss me.”

“Such a bossy princess.” He chuckles and slams his mouth to mine.

Calyx commands the sensual kiss in a way that makes my pussy throb . He’s not playful any longer, and I moan against his lips as he holds himself up with one palm while sliding his other hand between us. He doesn’t hesitate to shove two fingers inside me, and my shoulders bow toward him.

Calyx’s magic spills from his skin into smoky dark shadows. They coil around my top half, lowering me into the water and holding me firmly in place. “You’re wiggly all of a sudden. Don’t worry. I’m more than capable of restraining you.”

My system shouldn’t light up at the dark promise in his words, but here we are. His shadowy magic teases my tits as he stretches his thick fingers, working them in and out of my dripping core.

His shaft lies heavy against my thigh, and I’d give just about anything to get him in my mouth. Sucking on his tongue will have to do.

Calyx releases the sexiest little moan and it vibrates against my lips, making my core tighten around his fingers.

“Tease my clit,” I beg. “Please?”

“Mmm, yes, I can do that too,” Calyx agrees. Whatever brushes over my swollen nub doesn’t feel like fingers. I’m pretty sure he uses another strand of magic. “Fuck, princess, you’re doing my head in. My cock is a sticky, leaking mess.”

“Fuck me,” I beg, nodding frantically.

The warm water ripples around me with the movement, and my tits ache.

“That is the endgame, but I don’t see any point in rushing.

” He pecks a kiss on my lips, coils his magic even tighter to keep me in place, and licks and sucks his way down my body.

“There is something to be said for the destination, but the journey is just as important.” Almost like he knows they need some attention, he stops and flicks his tongue around each nipple before letting his magic take over once more.

My system heats to painful proportions, but Calyx lifts my lower half, resting my thighs on his elbows. Once my pussy is out of the water, the lich scrapes his teeth down my labia.

I sob, my hands flying to cradle his head as he moves to licking and sucking on my clit. Some insane part of me wants to know how the hell he got so skilled at pleasing a woman. The rest doesn’t care, because…holy shit.

He is ridiculously talented with his tongue.

My body trembles as my pleasure builds, and the next thing I know, I’m tumbling into the most powerful orgasm I’ve ever experienced.

Embarrassing sounds spill from my lips, filling the night air as I explode. Calyx’s hand flattens on my pelvis, and he continues to lick long after my system turns to feeling overstimulated.

“Ugh, too much,” I groan, tugging his hair. “Let’s switch.”

The lich chuckles darkly, pulling free of my pussy. “While that is tempting, I have a better idea.”

He moves to kneel, and his magic lifts me from the water, turning me over.

I gasp, tossing my hands out in front of me, but his magic helps me keep from face-planting into the water.

I end up on all fours, and Calyx’s warm hands dance down my spine and over my hips. There’s barely any time to wonder how I look from this angle. His crown presses against my opening, then he’s inside me.

My head falls forward, my hair dipping into the water as I sob. I can’t seem to decide if that was painful or incredible.

It was amazing.

He feels divine, and I think I groan that.

“Thank you, darling,” Calyx murmurs, wrapping his arm around my middle. He pulls me up until I’m vertical and begins bucking into me as he kisses over my shoulder. “You feel pretty fucking life-changing to me too.”

My nipples bead in the cool night air, but fire licks through my system as he scrapes his teeth down the column of my neck.

I wail and finally start to bounce on my knees to meet the measured thrusts he gives me. He plants a hand on my sternum and loops the other around to work my clit.

“My, my, my, you do seem dead set on destroying my sanity. Aren’t you, Rogue?” He groans, and a shiver runs down my spine. “If you keep clenching around me like that, this is going to be quite a dreadful performance.”

His words light up my insides, and I grind harder over his swollen length. It doesn’t take long before I’m teetering on the edge, and feeling his shaft grow longer and thicker sends me spiraling into another powerful orgasm.

Calyx keeps me from falling into the water and works up into me as I beg and moan, but based on how hard he stays, I don’t think he came.

Once my orgasm begins to subside, he carries me into the water with him.

His magic guides me to wrap my legs back around his ass, and he moves to the edge of the hot tub.

“Hands on the edge, my love.”

I comply.

My tits now float high in the water, and every snap of his hips against my ass seems to wedge his crown closer to my intestines. His powerful strokes make my skin sizzle with need, and just as his shaft begins to swell again, he pulls free of my core.

I sob, shaking my head. “No, why?”

Calyx spins me toward him. “I’d like to watch your face the first time I come inside you.

” He grips my hips and helps me float over his lap.

Then he’s back inside me. He helps me work over him, and it’s even more intense being able to see the look on his face.

Not to mention, the sensations are entirely different in this position.

“I’ve waited a long fucking time for you, but having you here makes all that waiting worth it. ”

My heart pounds erratically, and I stretch up to kiss him. Before I can stop myself, my canines dig into his lower lip.

Calyx lets out some sound that I can’t quite decipher, but a half second later, his acceptance floods the bond. It’s overwhelming and perfect all at once.

I don’t even get to lick over the bite to seal it.

Calyx fights me for control of the kiss as he lifts and drops me on his swollen cock.

The sharp, stinging pain in my lip is shocking but welcome.

It fully completes the conduit between us as he jerks inside me.

He retracts his teeth, licking the bite to seal it.

His euphoria spills through the bond, followed by an incredible rush of power that spills from him into me.

My eyes pop open, and Calyx is in full lich form, complete with the bluish skin and lack of eyelids or cheeks. It’s crazy, but he’s just as handsome to me as he always is.

And that’s a good thing…considering he’s mine for eternity.