Chapter 54 Dante
Seraphine froze, a gasp escaping her lips, her pussy tightening like a vice around my cock in shock. I didn't pull out—hell no. Instead, I held her pinned, my hand sliding up to cover her mouth gently, thumb stroking her cheek to calm her. "What the fuck, Lucian?" I snarled, not slowing my thrusts, though I eased the pace to a deep, grinding roll that kept her impaled and trembling.
He averted his gaze for a split second, but then his eyes flicked back, darkening with something unreadable—jealousy? Hunger? He cleared his throat, leaning against the doorframe like he owned the place. "The Kings are calling an emergency summit."
Seraphine's muffled whine vibrated against my palm as I rocked into her again, the interruption only fueling the fire. Her fire element sparked faintly, warm flickers dancing along her skin and licking at my thighs where they met hers. I leaned down, lips brushing her ear. "Ignore him. Focus on me." My fingers pressed harder on her clit, and she shuddered, her body betraying her embarrassment with a fresh gush of wetness.
Lucian shifted, crossing his arms, but he didn't leave. "You gonna finish this or what? Clock's ticking." His tone was clipped, but there was an edge to it, like he was fighting not to watch too closely.
I smirked, picking up speed, pounding into her with short, brutal strokes that made the desk rattle. "Watch if you want. But this isn't stopping." Seraphine’s eyes squeezed shut, her nails scraping the desk as she moaned into my hand, her orgasm building despite—or because of—the audience. I felt it hit her like a wave, her channel pulsing wildly, milking me as she came with a stifled scream, juices dripping down her thighs.
That was it for me. I buried myself deep, groaning as I unloaded, thick ropes of cum painting her insides, overflowing and trickling out around my shaft. We both panted, locked together, until I finally pulled back with a wet pop, watching my release leak from her.
Lucian pushed off the door, tossing a file onto a nearby chair. "Five minutes. Get dressed." He shot Seraphine a lingering look before turning on his heel and leaving, the door clicking shut behind him.
I helped her up, kissing her temple, "You okay?" She nodded, a shy smile breaking through, her hand lingering on my chest. "Yeah. But next time... lock the door."
I chuckled, tucking myself away. "Deal. Now let's see what fresh hell this is."
I steadied her by the hips as the moment broke apart, grounding us both back in the room. My hands were careful now—deliberate—as I helped her tug her shorts back into place, fingers lingering just long enough to make her breath stutter again.
I brushed my thumb over her knuckles. “You okay?”
She nodded, cheeks flushed, eyes bright with more than heat. Alive. Present.
Before I could say anything else, I lifted my voice. “Lucian. You can come back in.”
The door opened a second later.
Lucian didn’t comment. Didn’t smirk. Didn’t look anywhere he shouldn’t. His expression was all business now—controlled, alert, water-calm covering something deeper.
Seraphine hesitated, then asked softly, “Where’s Amara?”
Lucian’s gaze flicked to me before answering. “Lying down. Guest room on the west side. She’s… shaken. But safe.”
Seraphine looked at me, uncertainty flickering across her face.
I nodded once. “Go. She needs you.”
That was all it took.
She stepped back into my space, kissed me—hard, fast, like a promise she fully intended to keep—then turned and hurried out of the office, bare feet whispering against the floor.
The door closed behind her.
Lucian exhaled slowly. “You really know how to complicate a crisis.”
I straightened, rolling my shoulders, fire settling back under my skin. “She’s already in it. Pretending otherwise would be the mistake.”
He studied me for a moment, then nodded. “Then let’s make sure she survives it.”
I turned back toward the desk.
“Tell me everything,” I said. “Start with the summit.”
Lucian didn’t sit.
That alone told me how bad it was.
Instead, he crossed the room and pulled up the main console, fingers moving fast as he brought a secure channel onto the screen. Lines of text filled it—timestamps, headers, encrypted seals.
“You missed an email,” he said.
I frowned. “I don’t miss emails.”
“You do when you’re occupied,” he replied dryly. “And when you didn’t come tearing down my door demanding answers, I knew you hadn’t seen this one yet.”
He turned the screen toward me.
Every sigil was there.
Fire. Water. Storm. Shadow. Death.
All five.
An emergency summons.
My jaw tightened. “What’s the crisis.”
Lucian didn’t sugarcoat it.
“Renee.”
Of course it was.
“She’s not just operating in our district,” he continued. “Or Kael’s. Reports are coming in from Thane’s territory and even the outer edges of Valin’s mountains. Women disappearing. Same pattern. Same timeline.”
I felt the fire coil tighter under my ribs.
“She’s expanding,” I said.
“Yes,” Lucian agreed. “And she’s doing it without a banner. No claims. No declarations. Which means no one can formally retaliate without risking open war.”
“And Kael,” I added coldly.
Lucian’s mouth thinned. “Kael never reported releasing her. If the others had known she was no longer under his control, borders would’ve locked down months ago.”
“That omission alone violates half the accords,” I growled.
“It does,” Lucian said. “And it’s being noticed.”
I folded my arms. “When is the summit.”
“Tomorrow,” he answered. “Nine a.m. Neutral territory.”
Figures.
The room fell quiet for half a second—
Then the radio crackled.
“All units, report,” came a sharp voice through the static. “Target never arrived. No visual confirmation. No heat signatures. No water displacement. Target did not cross the river line.”
Lucian closed his eyes briefly.
I already knew what he was going to say.
“She vanished,” I said.
Lucian nodded once. “Which means she’s in hiding.”
The kind of hiding that only someone with resources, foresight, and patience could pull off.
The kind that precedes something catastrophic.
“She’s not running,” I said slowly. “She’s repositioning.”
Lucian met my gaze. “Agreed.”
I turned toward the window, city lights burning below us, unaware of how close they were to becoming collateral.
“She’s hunting,” I said. “And now she knows we’re watching.”
Lucian’s voice was calm—but deadly.
“Then tomorrow’s summit won’t be about stopping her.”
I looked back at him.
“It’ll be about deciding who’s willing to burn the world to do it.”