The Final Calling

by Angela Colsin

  Especially not powerful ones with hard bodies and eyes like glowing embers. He kissed me like I was a lifeline.

  “Is that a blush?” Chandra asked, sounding amused.

  Edith rolled her eyes. “Shut it.”

  “Hmph,” the sorceress scoffed. “Well, you have my pity for what it's worth.”

  “Yeah, I feel so comforted now,” she muttered, though her eyes soon lit with a glimmer of hope when she recalled something specific about her encounter with the demon.

  “Wait, Isaac offered to take a blood oath for me, so maybe I could … ” she trailed when she looked up only to find that Chandra had already departed.

  But it didn't matter. Edith knew what she had to do, going to the door with the intention of telling Charlotte that she wanted to talk to Isaac whenever he showed up.

  Yet as soon as the door opened and she took a step, she smacked face first into his chest.

  Jerking back in startled surprise, Edith took a calming breath. “Were you about to knock?”

  “Knock?” Isaac asked like it was a foreign concept. “Nah, I was hoping to walk in and catch you changing clothes.”

  Do I really want his help? Edith didn't bother masking her irritation, muttering, “I guess that means I'll have to teach you manners.”

  Now wearing a black leather jacket over his shirt that only enhanced his attractiveness in her opinion, he entered the room and shut the door with a devious grin. “You couldn't have a more willing student. But if you wanna talk manners, you blasted me into a wall and left mid-conversation.”

  “You had it coming.”

  “I wish I'd been coming.”

  “Oh my god,” Edith threw up her hands, completely vexed. “You know what? Forget it. There's no way this could work.”

  That seemed to capture Isaac's complete attention, and before she walked out, he grasped her wrist and pulled her around to face him. “No way what could work?”

  Sighing, she began, “For a very tiny split second, I thought about asking you to help with my Calling. But if you can't take anything seriously, then I'd be better off—”

  “I can take shit seriously,” Isaac interjected, and he certainly sounded sincere enough. “If this is about your Calling, you're damned straight I'm fucking serious.”

  That was more like it, and proved Chandra's claim true. Edith wasn't certain she liked the reasons why Isaac was so adamant that she complete her Calling successfully, but she also couldn't ignore how beneficial having someone of his skill in her corner would be.

  “Okay, then we'll discuss it, because there's a few things I want, and if you're gonna tag along, you'll have to comply.”

  Five

  • • •

  For once in his life, Isaac decided to use discretion.

  His first impulse was to tell Edith that he lived to satisfy her desires, so whatever she wanted, she only need ask. But now, what she really needed was to know he could be serious, and when it came to her Calling, he was—enough so to frighten her once she realized just how far he'd go to ensure her success.

  “Then say what you want,” he directed.

  With a nod, Edith took a preparative breath. “I do want an oath from you, but not your mate's vow or whatever it was you offered earlier. Instead, I want your promise not to invade my personal space, read my fears and desires, hound me about being your mate, make lewd comments—”

  “Hold on a second,” he interrupted. “I get what you're asking, but if you want me to avoid making lewd comments, I won't be able to say a damned thing.”

  Edith sighed. “Fine, but when it comes to my Calling … ”

  “Okay, let's try this,” he began, tugging his pocketknife from his pants.

  Lifting it to draw the blade across his palm until blood had welled on his skin, he let her see it and stated, “I vow on my blood that, while you're on your Calling, I won't invade your personal space or push a relationship unless it's invited. I'll dedicate myself to ensuring your success, and upon victory, we'll celebrate by fucking like animals.”

  Edith looked surprised he could be so articulate—until he got to the end. Then her head drooped forward. “Isaac … ”

  “I like how you said that—”

  “Seriously!” she snapped, looking back up.

  Grinning, he nodded. “Just making sure you were listening and not staring at me 'cause I'm so damned sexy.”

  Edith rolled her eyes, but he thought there was a hint of an amused smile on her face before she requested, “Give me the vow again, without the fucking like animals bit at the end. In fact, add the stipulation that I can tell you to stop helping me at any time and you'll do it without asking questions.”

  Isaac wrinkled his nose. “What the hell for?”

  “As insurance,” she insisted. “I know you can't break your vows, but—”

  “Fine,” he muttered, repeating his vow before adding, “If you tell me that you no longer require my help, I'll leave without question and slaughter as many people as possible to relieve my anger when I do.”

  When she glared at him, he shrugged and amended, “Or just resume my bender.”

  Edith shook her head, ready to comment, but Isaac beat her to it. Pushing his pocketknife back into his jeans, he issued his own request. “Now there's something I want from you. For making me take that vow, you owe me a chance to kiss you one last time before I'm cut off.”

  She looked dumbfounded. “What?”

  “You heard me. I just want one kiss. Is that really too much to ask?”

  After how long he'd waited and how many dreams had haunted him, he didn't think it was enough. But if Edith wanted to go slowly—hate going slow—then he'd take whatever he could get.

  Sighing, she muttered, “Fine, but if you—mmp!”

  Isaac grabbed her the moment she'd accepted, claiming her mouth in a kiss filled with all his pent up longing.

  She shivered as his mouth slanted over hers, tongue pushing inside with a low groan at her sweet taste. Her fingers curled into the back of his jacket as she tried to keep up, so he deepened it, wanting her completely overwhelmed.

  In response, Edith whimpered into his mouth—the sweetest sound he'd ever heard, hardening his cock painfully. Images of the things he could do to her, the ways he could make her scream in pleasure came to mind, and he groaned over them while tightening his grip until her breasts flattened against his chest. She's so fucking soft …

  At the same time, Isaac's hands wandered down to her ass, clutching it in a tight grip. Yet the movement seemed to be too much as Edith turned her head to the side, rasping, “Stop!”

  Isaac did exactly that, but he didn't let her go. Instead, he placed a much gentler kiss to her ear, then whispered an apology against it.

  “Sorry, angel, I got carried away. But if you ever need anything from me, just know it won't take a blood oath to get it. I want your happiness first, so if you asked me to go back to the Pit and remain there for eternity, I'd do it with a fucking smile on my face.”

  Edith looked incredibly dazed now, turning her pale green gaze up with a bemused expression.

  Satisfied, Isaac smirked and released her, taking a few steps back to offer the space she desired, and got to the topic of her Final Calling.

  “So, you got a place to go yet, or are you still waiting on a sign?”

  It took her a moment to snap out of her stupor, and then a few more to figure out what he meant—and Isaac couldn't have been more pleased.

  Maybe it wouldn't take her as long to warm up to him as he'd thought.

  “A sign?”

  Edith tried to ask the question as smoothly as possible to prevent Isaac from realizing just how deeply his kiss had affected her. But in that moment, she had no idea what he was talking about, her thoughts fully centered on the way his hungry lips had felt against hers, not to mention his hard body.

  And when he'd clutched her ass in his big hands … why did I stop him again?

  “For your Calling,” he
explained during her thoughts.

  “Oh, right,” she nodded, finally snapping out of her stupor. “No, I haven't had any signs yet. I'd thought to catch up with Charlotte while I was waiting for one, but now … ”

  When she trailed, he prompted, “What?”

  “Well, wouldn't I be endangering her with assassins on my ass?”

  Isaac scoffed, shaking his head. “Those assholes have been looking for me since I left the Pit. They might be more aggressive about tracking you down, but even if they found you, they'd be lucky to get through me.”

  He sounded lethally confident of himself, and Edith held his gaze warily, unsure how much she could trust him, or what topic to tackle first. She wanted to know who was trying to kill her, how that shadow fiend had located her, and what kind of experience Isaac had dealing with them exactly.

  But if he'd been in the Pit, that meant he was a convict of some type, so they were probably chasing him as a fugitive to kill, or return to that nightmarish prison. It made her curious about how he'd escaped, and what he'd done to get there from the start.

  Yet the simplest question to ask first was her attacker's identities, so she started there.

  “Who are they? Chandra mentioned a prophecy about liberating Perosia, but she never gave me details, and I don't know much about their ruler.”

  Plainly, Isaac related, “As far as I know, Perosia used to be a divine empire until their god fell from Divinity. Now they're under the rule of a Steward named Rothario who's just a power-hungry asshole, and he's the guy who'd put a contract on your life if he learned who you are.”

  Isaac growled the last words as if he couldn't quite get them out without losing his temper. But his comment made little sense considering recent events.

  “What do you mean if he learned who I am? I was attacked tonight.”

  “Yeah, but shadow fiends are just aggressive reconnaissance, and that one was probably ordered to kill if it got the chance.”

  “Even still, how would Rothario know to send someone to my apartment?”

  “Because ever since that prophecy was made, he's kept tabs on Chandra. Nearly killed her once, too. Poison in her wine.”

  “What?”

  Edith couldn't keep the outrage out of her voice, and Isaac leaned against the desk with a nod. “She didn't even know about the prophecy at the time, said his attack was the sole reason she intended to fulfill it.”

  Hearing this, Edith's brows drew together in confusion. “Wait, who was the prophecy made for exactly?”

  “Rothario,” the demon answered plainly. “He wanted to know if Perosia would ever restore its alliance with Mystikkar, and the answer was yes, just not the yes he wanted.”

  That explained how Rothario knew about the prophecy to begin with, and despite Edith's ire over the attempt on Chandra's life, she was highly amused that her instructor decided the best retaliation was to make the prediction come true. Sounds like Rothario made his bed.

  “So Mystikkar and Perosia were allies?”

  “Yeah, they used to be tight, but Rothario pissed Mystikkar off by refusing to name a new leader.”

  “Because he's power-hungry?”

  Isaac nodded, giving an explanation on a tone suggesting it wasn't his favorite topic, “Perosia's Tribunal used to let a Steward hold ultimate power for five centuries at most, and it's been seven since the royal family was killed. But surprise, Rothario claimed no on was fit to take over, and since the Tribunal couldn't make up their damned minds on a new emperor, they just amended the law to ten centuries instead.”

  Edith rolled her eyes. “I hate politics.”

  “Same,” Isaac muttered. “Anyway, the amendment didn't matter to Mystikkar. They thought five fucking centuries was more than enough time to appoint a legit leader. So about two hundred years ago, when Rothario's number was up, they broke off their alliance until someone qualified took the throne, and from what I've heard, it cost Rothario with some of his people.”

  “Do you know who?”

  “Not sure, actually,” Isaac shrugged. “But I doubt it's enough to start a rebellion.”

  Edith exhaled, unsure how to feel about all of this. But it honestly didn't seem very important at that point in time. If she were actually going to usurp Rothario—and she'd gladly do so after hearing of his attack on Chandra alone—she'd have to be an archmage with a lot more power than she currently possessed.

  So her Calling came first, and the rest was simply a matter of proving her determination by making an example of anyone who got in her way.

  “You don't look very worried,” Isaac idly pointed out.

  “I'm not,” she admitted freely. “I don't want to deal with assassins, and it's frightening to think about, but those assholes shouldn't wanna deal with me either.”

  Her comment put a grin back on the demon's face. “Now you're making me regret that oath. So before my dick sucks all the blood outta my head, tell me more about the Final Calling. I know you're hunting for items to craft your staff, but is there anything else?”

  Edith ignored his crude phrasing to focus on his question. After all, if he was going to help, he'd have to know the details.

  “The only thing I can think of is that I have a finite amount of magic to use, and once it's gone, it's gone for good. Doesn't mean I have to quit, but it drastically lessens my chances of accomplishing the Calling.”

  It was hard to tell if Isaac was being arrogant, or simply honest when he qualified, “You won't have to use much magic.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I'll make damned sure you don't run out,” he promised seriously. Then his expression softened as he motioned toward the door. “So, you wanna go catch up with Charlotte, right?”

  Somehow, Edith was surprised, having expected him to try stalling her for as long as possible. As far as she knew, just about any supernatural being who'd located a mate was hard pressed to be out of their company for any reason, particularly during initial encounters. But he was letting her go, proving the oath was working, and she felt a measure of relief.

  Still, there were several questions rolling around in her head about him, and Edith wanted to ask at least one before going to see her friend.

  “Tell me something first. You said you'd go back to the Pit if it made me happy.”

  “Yeah, so?”

  Edith hesitated. “You were there before?”

  According to Chandra, the Pit was a hell plane that few people ever visited and returned to tell the tale. It was a deadly environment filled with all manner of bloodthirsty monsters, and the only way in and out without the use of powerful magic was through a natural portal at the heart of the Perosian Imperial City.

  So she was definitely curious to know his answer, and Isaac nodded without qualm. “Spent five centuries there before Chandra sent Ulric to pull me out.”

  Astonished, Edith inquired, “Five centuries? How could you survive there for that long?”

  “Why?” Isaac inquired as if it wasn't a big deal. “What have you heard about it?”

  “Basically that it's a nightmare.”

  “I guess it is, but before Terra, it's all … shit.”

  “What?”

  Grumbling, Isaac pointed out, “I just remembered I'm bound to this world because Rothario has a summoning crystal he could use to put me back in the Pit. That means if you have to go realm hopping on your Calling, I won't be able to follow.”

  “Is it a permanent binding?”

  “No, but even undoing it temporarily would be risky.” He sighed. “Guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Oh, and one more thing. I'll teleport us if we need to go anywhere so you can save magic, but I can't go too far at once because my abilities are muted.”

  “Muted?” she inquired curiously. “How?”

  Without hesitation, he turned around and hiked his jacket and shirt up over his broad back to reveal a brand of strange letters marking his flesh not far below his shoulders. The burn marks were thick, eve
n jagged in places, and there was an undeniable air of magic emanating from them.

  Edith found herself thoughtlessly reaching up to touch one. As soon as her fingers swept over it, she could better sense that energy—and it was powerful.

  “Like whatcha see?”

  At his question, she quickly jerked her hand away and cleared her throat, stepping back.

  Letting his jacket drop, Isaac turned to face her with an amused smirk, prompting her to insist, “I was just inspecting it.”

  “No troubles,” his smile grew bigger. “Feel free to inspect me whenever you want.”

  “Oh for the love of … ,” Edith breathed, then turned to the door. “I'm going to see Charlotte now.”

  “I was just sayin',” he called behind her, and as the door shut, she knew he was grinning from ear to ear.

  Because she was, too.

  Isaac was crude, and shameless about it, but Edith wasn't entirely sure she minded when it almost seemed as if he wasn't entirely serious.

  Or that's what she was going to tell herself for the sake of her sanity.

  In the meantime, she'd catch up with Charlotte, and enjoy her downtime for as long as possible, wondering when her first sign would come, and where it might lead.

  Six

  • • •

  “So I guess you'll be out of here again as soon as Edith gets her first sign.”

  “That's the plan,” Isaac answered, twisting the cap on a bottle of whiskey.

  Ulric nodded, sitting at the patio wet bar near the outdoor pool. The sun was starting to rise over the ocean in the distance, and it was the first time since Ulric's home had been fully constructed that Isaac had cared to actually look around.

  Unsurprisingly, given his best friend's predilection for luxurious surroundings, it was extravagant. Then again, Ulric probably wanted to spoil Charlotte, and the two red pandas playfully skittering by with a cat following behind was proof. Ulric wasn't the type to keep pets, but his mate was a fae who truly loved animals.

  But Isaac's thoughts were quickly distracted as he stepped around the bar with his glass in hand and saw a knowing smirk on his friend's face.