Chapter 84

“My eldest brother,” Calliope said.

“Not Horatio, right?” Silas asked, recognizing her mention of her actual brother.

“No, my brother from the countryside,” she clarified. “You know how I was considered a bad omen as a kid and sent to live in the countryside, right? I lived with Grandpa then, along with my brothers. Though they aren’t my blood brothers, they’ve always been family to me.”

“You really love them?” Silas couldn’t help but ask.

“Absolutely. More than anything.” Calliope’s eyes sparkled with delight and happiness.

“So, where do they rank among the people you love most?” Silas’s voice seemingly carried a hint of curiosity.

“They’re at the top!” Calliope declared without hesitation. “Besides Grandpa, no one else comes close. But Grandpa’s no longer with us.”

Thinking about her grandpa brought a twinge of sadness to her heart. Despite her excellent skills in healing, she hadn’t been able to save him. After he passed, she barely practiced medicine, feeling unworthy of using skills that couldn’t save the person she loved most.

Silas watched her intently. “Besides your grandpa and them, is there anyone else you care about?”

“Someone I care about? Well, there’s Eamon, Archie, Portia, and Mavis. Each of them means the world to me.”

Silas was left speechless. Of all those names, none were his own.

“What’s wrong?” Calliope gazed at Silas, innocence in her eyes.

“Nothing,” Silas replied, his tone nonchalant.

That night, Calliope couldn’t quite figure out what was up with Silas. It was as if he was determined to make her feel every ounce of pleasure possible. He pushed her to her limits, over and over, until she was begging for mercy.

He kept asking if she was enjoying it, fierce and demanding. He kissed her, held her close, and drove her to the brink until she almost passed out.

By the end of it, her legs felt like jelly. A mere touch from him was enough to send shivers through her.

“Do you like it?”

He pressed against her skin, relentless in his pursuit. He kissed her with a perfect mix of tenderness and dominance.

Calliope couldn’t speak as her lips were sealed, her body trembling with overwhelming pleasure that left her mind blissfully blank.

His hands explored every inch of her. They danced on the edge of madness, even when exhaustion threatened to take over, she found herself pulled back into the whirlpool of desire.

His expertise was impossible to resist. They explored countless ways to connect, ways she never imagined could be so delightful.

By the time he was done, she was utterly spent.

As she drifted off, she vaguely heard Silas murmur something. But in her dazed state, she couldn’t catch the words.

The next day, Quentin and the other two found Gideon.

As Calliope’s brothers, they typically stayed out of her affairs, but there was no way they’d stand by if she was being wronged.

Despite Callie insisting that Gideon’s issue was in the past and she’d handle it, they couldn’t just ignore it. After all, he was the man she’d once loved with all her heart for so many years. How could she simply declare it was over and mean it?