The Final Calling

by Angela Colsin

  “So what if Dra'Kai's not hibernating when we get there?”

  “He'll give you a claw if he considers you worthy. If not, just try a different dragon.”

  Ulric's response elicited a groan, being much too vague for her liking. Edith had no idea if Dra'Kai would consider her worthy to gift with one of his claws, and what if none of them did? Would she seriously have to take a Great Dragon's claw without permission? Now there's a good idea. Steal from an oversized reptile who could destroy an entire city if it had a mind to. No biggie.

  Then again … could she bargain with him? Draconians were avaricious, a trait inherited from the dragon blood in their veins. So if Dra'Kai didn't consider her worthy, perhaps he'd be agreeable to an exchange of some type.

  But what the hell would a Great Dragon ask for, and would she even be able to grant it?

  Ulric must've noticed her dismay because he insisted, “Don't worry, Edith. I promised Isaac I'd go with you if you had to realm hop, so you'll get what you need one way or another. Oh, and Charlotte?”

  Stroking her hand along Rozdra's neck, the fae drew out a playful, “Yeees?”

  Ulric grinned. “I wanted to surprise you, but I'd planned to take you to the festival anyway.”

  Charlotte's emerald eyes lit with obvious enthusiasm. “Really?”

  He nodded, and she excitedly pulled him down for a kiss.

  Edith knew Charlotte hadn't visited Ithelyon yet, and would've smiled at her exuberance. But she was confused by Ulric's earlier comment. “Wait, why did you promise Isaac you'd go … oh, shit. I forgot he's bound to Terra.”

  All at once, the reason for Isaac's earlier behavior became clear—he was unhappy with the idea of her going where he couldn't follow.

  Edith sighed. The thought of her departure must've been extremely irritating, especially after he'd already waited so long for her training to be completed, and likewise, she was just as disgruntled. Not only had their talk in London reassured her worries, she'd also gotten a better glimpse of what they could have together—and she liked what she saw.

  Sure, Isaac was impulsive, and had a knack for making her blush. But how many men would've considered her comfort the way he did? That morning, he'd proven her needs were important by not pushing for more than she was ready to give, and Edith was definitely warming up to him because of it, her trust growing stronger.

  But when his oath stopped him from merely approaching her, she'd realized he'd never be able to prove her trust wasn't misplaced unless she released him from it—and that was exactly what she'd decided to do.

  Yet now, they were about to be separated unless he was bound to Ithelyon, and binding someone strongly enough to thwart a summoning crystal took a lot of power, which meant both skill and money. Edith had the skill, but even though she considered Isaac's assistance with her Calling to be worth the magic expenditure, she knew he'd sorely disagree.

  Still, there had to be someone available on short notice who could do it. So she asked Liam, “You said you're traveling to Ithelyon today. Are you using a natural portal?”

  “No, I have a wizard coming here,” he started, “and before you ask, yes, he's an old friend who could bind Isaac, and may not even charge.”

  Edith suppressed a pleased smile over the news, embarrassed that Isaac's presence on her journey was so meaningful to her now. But knowing they wouldn't have to part ways indefinitely just when she was starting to accept what could come between them was a relief, and she was eager to get underway.

  “Guess I should find him and let him know the good news.”

  Sixteen

  • • •

  “Isaac?”

  Twisting the knobs to the shower, Isaac looked up when he heard Edith's voice coming from the adjacent bedroom, then pushed the sliding door open while calling back, “Yeah?”

  “I just talked to Ulric and Liam, and they said I'll have to go to Ithelyon for the claw, so we need to talk.”

  Hearing this, Isaac grumbled and jerked a towel from the hanger. He wasn't surprised by the news, but the confirmation of Edith's departure was even more frustrating now than it would've been half an hour prior.

  Showering had offered plenty of time to think about the possibilities, and he'd realized there were a number of reasons he couldn't accompany her to Ithelyon even if a new binding was forged. Each one made him want to put a fist through the wall—until he'd thought of an even better target to hit.

  The Brute.

  The only good thing about Edith's trip was that it offered the opportunity to take the Brute down before she was harmed. Rothario would definitely send another, but it'd take time, perhaps even long enough for Edith to finish her Calling.

  So, knowing what he had to do, Isaac dried off and walked out of the bathroom completely naked, grinning when Edith groaned like she hadn't expected anything less.

  Stopping at the dresser where he'd stored some clothing for his sporadic visits to Ulric's home, he noticed his mate was studiously gazing away and smirked. “Sure you don't wanna good look at my ass before I get dressed?”

  “Yep, I'm good,” she muttered, her cheeks as fiery as her hair.

  Isaac's smirk grew bigger, though the expression slowly faded as he tugged on his clothes and asked, “So when are you leaving?”

  The question was even harder to get out than he'd expected. But Edith's response actually soothed a bit of his disappointment.

  “Liam has a wizard coming to open a portal because he's returning Rozdra to Ithelyon, and he says this guy would be able to forge a new binding for you—”

  “I'm dressed,” Isaac mentioned after pulling on his shirt.

  Finally, Edith looked at him, adding, “So we're going today.”

  Realizing she was looking for a way to bring him along, Isaac smiled, walking over to get as close as possible before his oath made him stop a few feet away. There, he asked, “You're gonna miss me, aren't you?”

  Edith shook her head in confusion. “Why would I? You're coming along.”

  “I'm gonna miss the hell out of you, angel,” he muttered, “but no, I'm not.”

  “What? But I thought—”

  A knock came to the bedroom door along with Charlotte's question, “Did you find him, Edith?”

  “Yeah, you can come in.”

  At her invitation, the fae stepped inside with Ulric right behind her, and Isaac wasted no time addressing him.

  “Yules, you're going with Edith to Ithelyon, right?”

  “Yeah, and Liam has—”

  “I know about the wizard,” he interrupted, “but I'm not going with you. The Brute attacked us in Belfast this morning, so this is my chance to take him out before he causes any problems.”

  “What?” Edith asked incredulously.

  Turning his attention back to her, he pointed out, “I don't want that shithead interfering with your Calling, and he will eventually.”

  “But you can't just stay here and chase him down alone!” she argued. “Besides, what if he follows me to Ithelyon? We still don't know if his target was altered.”

  Isaac sighed, knowing that was a possibility. But he didn't hesitate to point out, “Even if he is after you now, it'll take him a while to figure out where you went, and I have the advantage.”

  “How?”

  “He was in Belfast just this morning, so chances are good he's still there, or close by.”

  “I don't care, it's too risky. That damned thing threw a car at us—”

  “Don't forget the I-beam,” Isaac pointed out.

  “—and your mute wasn't exactly helping matters!”

  Sighing, Isaac sought backup from Ulric. “Would you tell her I've done this before?”

  Ulric cringed. “I don't know, Isaac, she might turn me into something weird.”

  “No she wouldn't,” Charlotte interjected, “and Edith's right. Isaac, why don't you at least wait for us to return?”

  “Because you might not be back for a while,” he explained. “After I
thelyon, Edith's Calling could take her even further away from this realm, and you can't just bind me every time she needs to skip through worlds. So while she's gone, I'm gonna make the most of it.”

  Edith looked extremely unhappy with the verdict, and in a strange way, Isaac was glad, grinning as he pointed out, “You are gonna miss me.”

  “Shut it,” she grumbled, obviously incensed as she walked around him. “If you wanna stay here, then fine. But if I find out you went after the Brute alone, I'm gonna put you under the same curse you had when we met.”

  There was a serious look in her green eyes when she turned around to face him again. But it didn't matter to Isaac if she was issuing a real threat, or simply blowing off steam.

  He only cared about one thing. “As long as you come back here to do it.”

  Hearing that, she exhaled a pent up breath, then rolled her eyes followed by asking Charlotte and Ulric, “Could you give us a minute.”

  Humorously, the couples' nods were in sync, each looking too interested in listening to the argument to go. But they soon departed, and Isaac prepared for a scolding—only to find himself locked in a kiss.

  It was the last thing he expected, but Edith walked over without a word and leaned up, boldly pressing her lips to his, and it actually took Isaac a moment to react. But he finally did by wrapping his arms around her with a low, satisfied groan, reaching down to grasp her ass and lift her onto the dresser.

  Her legs parted around his hips in the process, the kiss growing as deep as their raspy breaths mingled together.

  After several moments, Edith finally broke her mouth from his to grasp him in a firm hug, her chin resting on his shoulder while muttering, “Why've you gotta make this so hard?”

  “Because you make me hard.”

  “Isaac,” she groaned, yet tightened her grip around him despite her scolding tone. “I hate you.”

  Isaac nearly smiled, turning his head to ask against her ear, “You think I want to let you go? Because it pisses me off that you're leaving again. But Rothario's got that fucking summoning crystal, and you know you can't keep finding ways to bind me against it.”

  Edith sighed in defeat, then buried her face in the crook of his neck, sweetly nuzzling him.

  Isaac's eyes blissfully slid shut, his hold tightening until she was pressed against his body as close as she could possibly be. He didn't know if this was her way of trying to tempt him into traveling with her, or if she simply wanted time to be close to him in case her trip took a while, but it didn't entirely matter.

  Both possibilities meant she was growing fond of him to some degree, and letting her go alone suddenly seemed impossible.

  “I'm not saying I'll miss you, or even think about you while I'm there,” Edith whispered stubbornly. “But I will be pissed if you get hurt.”

  “I know, angel,” he muttered, attempting to distract himself from the thought of going with her by adding, “but there's still time.”

  “Time for what?”

  Against her ear, he answered on a whisper, “To knock boots before you go.”

  “To knock—,” Edith erupted in laughter before she could fully repeat the phrase, eventually rasping, “I really hate you.”

  Grinning, he mentioned, “Guess that's a no.”

  Taking a moment to catch her breath, she countered, “On the contrary,” then pressed a kiss to his neck, his jaw, and finally his chin, casting a decidedly sultry look up at him. “I actually think I can manage that.”

  Her seductive tone alone had his cock stiffening, and as she bit her lip in a fashion he took for shyness, Isaac momentarily thought she might be serious—until the sound of her boots knocking together behind him hit his ears.

  Simultaneously, the corners of her mouth raised in a grin, and laughter broke free of his chest as he leaned on both arms at her sides.

  “Oh fuck yes, knock them boots hard, baby,” he moaned comically.

  Edith cackled, gasping for air as she leaned against him, and several moments passed before either were able to speak again.

  “You're so wrong, Isaac,” she rasped, finally lifting her head. “But I'm still not saying I'll miss you or anything.”

  “You don't have to,” he remarked, knowing she was refraining from saying it to make things easier on the both of them—and damned if he wasn't grateful. Letting her go alone was hard enough, but knowing she'd miss him, too? I'd rather be skinned again.

  Yet Isaac had a request for her, starting with, “I want you to consider something for me while you're gone.”

  “What?”

  “Ulric has a tracking medallion that lets me find him whenever he's on a job, and I wanna get you one too, just in case.”

  Tracking medallions weren't hard to acquire. The blank metal bases used to craft them were sold on the Mystic Market, and all it took was adding a few drops of his blood and he could locate the item as long as it was in the same realm.

  Still, Isaac had no idea how Edith might respond, unsure if she'd consider such a thing as being a leash. But she actually nodded in quick agreement. “That sounds helpful, especially while I'm on my Calling.”

  A smile lifted his lips. “Good, I'll get it before you get back. Or maybe I'll find a mage to bind me in Ithelyon later and bring it to you there.”

  Edith bit her bottom lip as if she hoped for that, or at least wanted to return in quick time, confessing, “I should tell you that I've started to think of us as a team.”

  “A team?”

  “Yeah,” she nodded. “We've worked together better than I'd thought.”

  Isaac groaned. “As much as I love hearing you say that, you should wait until you're back from Ithelyon, otherwise—”

  She cut him off with another kiss, sweetly flicking her tongue against his lips. Isaac growled, and quickly reciprocated, taking his time exploring every inch of her mouth with slow, languid strokes.

  It was too much like a goodbye kiss for his tastes, but damned if he could give it up.

  He was also very aware of her true motivations, muttering as soon as their lips parted, “You're trying to make me change my mind.”

  Breathless, Edith whispered, “Did it work?”

  “Almost, angel,” he rasped at her ear. “And I will miss you … ”

  Seventeen

  • • •

  Fog Canyon, Ithelyon

  Two Weeks Later

  According to the barge crew, Fog Canyon was even foggier than usual that afternoon. But their definition of foggy had to be much milder than Edith's because she couldn't see a damned thing beyond five feet of their vessel traveling downriver.

  “This sucks,” Charlotte muttered. “I wanted to actually see the canyon. Makes me wish I was a storm fae so I could clear it out.”

  Edith smiled, the two standing side by side while looking out at the teal waters passing by. It'd taken two weeks to finally put together an escort to visit Dra'Kai's lair, and though they were finally making the trip, Edith wasn't in completely high spirits.

  Since their arrival in Ithelyon, they'd stayed at Ulric's family home in Nalona, a beautiful mountainside city governed by House Dra'Kai, and just as Liam mentioned, there was plenty to do. With the Resurgence festival coming, most draconians were too busy to travel, though one of the captains leading a small crew did make an offer to take them along with a shipment of supplies only three days after they'd arrived.

  But sadly, the weather proved too disagreeable to traverse the river that day, even by a draconian's standards, and their trip was delayed until after Resurgence.

  So Edith stayed in Nalona during the festival, which was lively to say the least. Fireworks, parades, games, and dancing were all a part of the celebration, not to mention a nightly drinking competition that made her think of Isaac. He so would've won.

  It was just a shame he wasn't actually there to try, or enjoy the other activities—and that was the entire reason for Edith's malaise.

  Not a day passed that the demon wasn't on he
r mind, prompting her to keep busy however she could to hopefully make time pass more swiftly. She'd even avoided mentioning him to anyone, and did her best to engage in the festival taking place as a distraction—though having fun wasn't her priority.

  Instead, Edith used the opportunity to ask the draconians in Nalona about Dra'Kai, hoping to learn more about him so that, if he awakened before her arrival, she might acquire one of his claws more easily—and she was in luck. As it turned out, the dragon truly appreciated a bargain, and a little digging offered valuable hints about what would really get his attention.

  So Edith knew her claw was as good as secured, and was glad to finally be sailing to his lair.

  They'd set off at sunrise, and spent the entire morning traversing the river on a barge carrying supplies—including several heavy crates of platinum and other precious metals. Such valuables were to be offered to Dra'Kai once he roused from slumber as a gift demonstrating his House's continued loyalty and dedication, and Edith looked the numerous crates over, wondering just how wealthy this dragon might actually be.

  Whatever the case, her attention was soon drawn away when she caught sight of Liam walking into the galley with Ulric, who gave Charlotte a reverent look of affection before disappearing inside.

  And the fae was smiling right back.

  Edith tried to suppress the hint of envy overcoming her in response, mentioning, “You guys have been together almost a year, but he still looks at you like it's only been a day.”

  “That's not all he does like it's the first time,” Charlotte snickered.

  “Nymfae!”

  “Hooker!” she shot back, then grumbled. “This isn't fair, I need a new name for you now. Like … arch-hooker. Once you have your staff anyway.”

  “Arch-hooker?” Edith laughed. “I like that.”

  Charlotte grinned. “Or I could always go with something more obvious, like the mopey mage.”

  Edith pursed her lips. “I'm not mopey.”

  “Oh yes you are, and I know it's because you miss Isaac.”

  “You don't know from what!” She argued playfully. “Maybe I'm just down because there's no WiFi in Ithelyon.”