by Celeste Raye
“Lift up and it will be done.”
Calypso wiggled against him, and she could see him gritting his teeth.
“Does it hurt?”
“I thought you didn’t want to talk?”
“You just look like you’re in pain. Isn’t this supposed to feel good?”
Calypso didn’t know what was going on. She knew that it was going to hurt for her, but did it hurt him as well? She’d never heard such a thing before, and Calypso had spent far too much time training to learn all of the logistics of it.
“It is going to feel good, but I am holding back because I don’t want to hurt you.”
Calypso raised up as he had suggested, and his face looked like it was breaking. She felt the rip of her innocence as it was swept away and then the filling sensation as he was deep inside of her. It took her breath away, and she was no longer hurrying it along. Instead, she was as still as she could possibly be.
Stephen leaned down and kissed her, but it only pushed him deeper, and she was already finding it hard enough to handle the man. He was big in all ways, and more than she thought would fit. Only when she stopped tightening up and started to relax was, she able to feel the pleasure that had taken over.
“You’re really deep.”
He chuckled and kissed her again, pushing forward to penetrate her fully. That got another gasp that his kisses couldn’t silence, and after a time, he didn’t even try to hold it together. There was no point.
Sitting back on his knees, Calypso watched him slide inside of her. He was interested in watching as well, and she could only take it all in for a minute before she was shaking underneath him uncontrollably. Something big was coming, and before she had time to prepare, her whole body was exploding with pleasure.
She squeezed him tight and enjoyed the desperate sound that came out of him. He tried to pull free of her, but Calypso wasn’t finished. She pulled him to her and he went deeper. Her eyes closed, and that was all that mattered: the feel of him inside of her. It was magical.
“Stephen! God, you feel so good!”
She made him look at her as she erupted again, but then he was the one moving fast and ignoring the gasps of pleasure from her. Calypso couldn’t slow him down until he shot her full of his heat. She pushed back and whimpered as he filled every last space inside of her. Now she was the one that felt like she was going to explode.
They both made a sigh of relief as he moved off of her. Stephen pulled her into his arms, and the feeling of safe warmth around her was almost as good as the way he’d made her feel moments before.
“Wow, that was not at all what I expected.”
Calypso was breathing hard, but she was energized with a newfound light inside of her. She felt lighter than she had before. It was all just too perfect, too much. She would never regret what had happened between them. It wasn’t what she expected; it was so much more.
“I knew you would be perfect, Calypso. Like you were made just for me.”
He pulled her in for a kiss and Calypso breathed out. It was the first time that she had felt so relaxed in a long time. She wanted that feeling to last forever, and she fell asleep, listening to the heartbeat underneath her. If this wasn’t perfect, Calypso didn’t know what was.
Stephen was everything that she could have ever wanted and more.
Chapter Eighteen
Stephen was getting up, and he immediately realized that Calypso was no longer in the bed. She was gone, and he could feel her absence in his very being. The panic was immediate.
He called out her name and didn’t hear any response. Then he heard something concerning, and he hoped that he was wrong. The thoughts that leaped into his head about witches and people coming after Calypso were too real to avoid, and he was lost in the grief that he knew was to come.
He better be sure if he was going to be with her. That’s what his uncle had said. Stephen wondered if he knew that it would be so soon. A part of him was breaking inside, and there was nothing that he could do about it.
Stephen moved out of the room as fast as he could, and when he heard a commotion in the hallway, he knew what it was going to be. He didn’t have to look to know that it was Calypso. The woman that was supposed to be next to him in the bed.
He got to the hallway and immediately saw the large man that had Calypso in some sort of headlock. She couldn’t breathe; he could see from the color of her face. He tried to move towards her, but an older, frail-looking woman came from around a corner and waved her hands.
“No one is going to be able to stop the prophecy. Not even her lover.”
Stephen yelled at the witch and tried with all of his might to fight off the spell that left him unable to move. He knew that if he could break it, he would be able to see all that was coming and he would be able to plan.
“Please, don’t. I can’t live without her.”
“Don’t worry, Stephen. None of you will live much longer. The Schell will rise, and you can meet her in hell where you all belong.”
Stephen was taken aback by the old woman’s hatred for his kind, but he knew that the dragonkin had not always tried to live peacefully with the other species. They had fought for years, and though there was peace now in general, that didn’t mean that old rivalries didn’t simmer under the surface.
He tried to call out to Calypso. He was losing her. He could see it from the limpness of her body and the fear in her eyes. It was a scene that he was never going to be able to forget, ever. He wanted to go to her, hold her, keep her safe just like he said he would, but Stephen was left helpless. He had to, instead, stand there and watch as the last bit of life left the woman that he loved. It killed him inside, and he fought harder to get free.
There was no way to leave the witch’s bind, and she threw him back hard enough that he hit his head on the far back wall. There was nothing to be done. Stephen slumped to the floor just as the huge man, that didn’t really look like a man, released Calypso and she slumped to the ground as well.
The last thing he saw was her body falling. The last thing that Stephen heard was the cackling of the witch as she ran away with her otherworldly helper. Stephen grabbed for her, but he couldn’t even reach Calypso. She was gone, and he knew that he’d failed her. He’d failed himself, and there was nothing that he could do about it now. It was all for nothing.
He came to and heard a loud crackling noise from not too far away. His head was hurting from getting smacked back against the wall, but that was nothing compared to all of the memories that were flooding back. He knew that everything he remembered was true, but he didn’t want to believe so.
Stephen looked towards the sound and where Calypso’s body was supposed to be. He wished more than anything that he’d been able to save her. He’d promised to protect her, and not even twelve hours later, she was dead. He’d known that they should leave but wanted to spend the night in between her legs. His selfishness made him lose her for good. Stephen was never going to be able to forgive himself for what happened. Ever.
A sound of anguish pierced the air as he realized that Calypso was now in flames. He didn’t know how it happened, but he moved forward to put it out. He threw his shirt on her, anything to put her out. Stephen knew that she was gone, but he wanted her body to remain intact. He had to say goodbye at least.
After giving up, he leaned back against the far wall to watch the flames of Calypso burn out. The fire was far away but burnt in a supernatural manner that felt like it was burning the very skin off of his body. He was numb and just stared ahead, the flames reflected into his eyes. Everything was a mess, and there was nothing that he could do about it. Nothing at all.
He could feel his body just wanting to give up. Stephen had waited all of this time to find the perfect woman for him, and instead of getting his happy ending, the one that had played in his mind, they got one night. It all seemed so insignificant now. Just one night.
Stephen was mad at the world, at fate; whoever had let this or caused this
to happen, he wanted to rail against them. All he wanted was Calypso to come back, wake up. Anything, wishing if it was in a dream.
The longer he sat there, the lower the flames got. The fire was running out of things to burn, consuming the body in front of him fully, leaving it only in ashes. All he could do was stare at the smoldering flames. There was nothing left of her. There was nothing to mourn and nothing to bury. It just felt like insult to injury.
The flame was out completely, and Stephen just stared at the pile of ash. That is what had become of the woman he loved. He moved over towards her or what was left of her. and didn’t touch her.
He knelt down and could feel tears falling down his cheeks. He wasn’t aware that he was even crying, but the pain made it easy to imagine. Everything that he thought his future would hold was gone. He thought of Frank’s words, what would happen next, but now Stephen didn’t care. What was there to worry about, when Calypso was gone? Everything was his fault, and Stephen didn’t want to live with that knowledge.
“We have to go, Stephen. It isn’t safe here anymore. That witch has just brought down the sky on our heads.”
Stephen was sort of out of it. He was next to the pile of ashes, and he hadn’t even noticed when Frank had come in.
“I can’t leave her, Frank. I couldn’t stop them.”
Stephen couldn’t even meet Frank’s gaze because he was sure that he was going to get the same accusatory look that he would be giving himself right now. He was right there; she was within arms-length, and he wasn’t able to stop it from happening. Stephen was never going to forgive himself for it.
“We have to go, Stephen. Whatever is coming, is coming for all of us, and this is the perfect place to find us. There are too many of us in one place.”
That used to be a good thing. It was one of the things that Stephen’s uncle had always prided himself in, getting everyone together. Now Stephen knew that it was going to be their biggest problem. What was coming and what did that mean for all of them?
“I can’t leave her, Frank.”
“You need to, Stephen. We have to go. Everyone is in a panic and leaving. We need to as well.”
Stephen paused. There was nothing left, but he just couldn’t leave. About the time he was thinking that, the flames started again. There was nothing to burn, yet it was suddenly flaming up like someone had thrown gasoline on a fire. He had to get up and get back quickly so that he wouldn’t be burned.
“What is happening?”
Frank moved beside him and watched the flames rise to heights that were far above both of their heads. He was worried that the fire might start to lick at the walls and the ceiling, but it seemed not to affect anything else that it touched. This wasn’t a normal kind of fire.
“I don’t know, Stephen.”
He was no longer telling them that they had to go. Frank was just as mystified as Stephen was. He had never seen such a thing before, but he knew that it was significant.
The two men watched the flames for a time, unable to move. It was like they were cemented in place because they knew that whatever it was unfolding in front of them, it was all because of magic. This wasn’t ordinary, and Stephen was still unable to leave her.
“Is this part of the prophecy?”
Frank didn’t answer for a moment.
“What do you mean?”
Stephen nudged him and moved his head to where he wanted him to look.
“That. Is that part of the prophecy?”
Frank gasped and shook his head. “I didn’t read anything about that, no.”
Stephen felt his heart breaking into a million pieces. Losing her didn’t do it but watching her stroll out of the wall of flames, alive, broke him.
Chapter Nineteen
“Why are you guys staring at me like that?”
She could see that the two men that she had come to know and care for were looking at her as if she were a ghost. Calypso looked down and saw that she wasn’t wearing any clothes. “Okay, what is going on? It’s really hot in here.”
Stephen moved forward, but wouldn’t touch her. He was acting like she was glass and going to shatter at any moment.
“What’s going on? You guys are really starting to freak me out.”
“Do you not remember what happened to you, child?”
Calypso turned to Frank and then looked over at Stephen as he put a shirt over her shoulders. “Why don’t we go back into the bedroom for a minute? There you can get dressed, and we can talk about this some more.”
“Okay, but you guys are really freaking me out. I remember going to bed last night, but that’s it. My throat hurts. Why does my throat hurt?”
Stephen was at a loss for words, and even Frank, who thought he had seen everything, was staring at her as if she had grown a horn in the middle of her head. He had no idea what to do next. All of them were just staring at her and she went into the bathroom to change, hoping that they would look at her differently with clothes on.
When Calypso came out, the two men were talking in whispers, and she had to clear her throat to get their attention.
“Are you guys going to tell me what is going on or what? I looked out the window, and people are leaving. Did I miss something? Was I sleepwalking again?”
Calypso had so many questions. What was Frank doing there, and why was Stephen still freaked out?
“I can’t say that I know exactly what is going on, but I wouldn’t say you were sleepwalking. Most likely you were under some kind of spell. I never know what the witches are capable of.”
Calypso was thankful that Frank broke the silence, but he wasn’t making that much sense at all. She wanted to have him rewind and start over. There was obviously something very big missing.
“You died, Calypso. This guy strangled you to death, you burnt to ash, and then came out of the fire,” Stephen blurted out.
Her gaze went to him, and she thought he was joking. It had to be a joke. How could she be dead?
When she realized that he was being serious, Calypso was finding it hard to breathe. Her hand went to her throat, and she shivered. Was that why her throat hurt so much?
“What?”
“It’s true, Calypso. I hate to be the one to tell you that, but we thought you were dead. You were dead. I saw your body burnt to ash and Stephen was here when they killed you.”
She shook her head. “No, this can’t be true.”
“It is true, Calypso. And we have to go. Now more than ever.”
“I don’t understand.”
Stephen pulled her in for a tight hug and a kiss. “He is talking about the next step of the prophecy, Calypso. The one part that has everyone worried.”
“Well, I didn’t die, though.”
“You did, Calypso.”
She wanted to argue with Frank, but the two were very convincing. She had died apparently and didn’t know what that was supposed to mean for later. How was she supposed to handle that?
“So, the Schell are coming.”
“The Schell?”
“Buried undead army that will rise up. Bhut told me about it years ago; I just didn’t realize that it was because of my death. He must have known more. That’s why he told me to come back when the Schell arise. He knew that I would die and come back. I bet he knows more, maybe even how we can stop the prophecy from coming true.”
Calypso felt great, considering, and she was ready to solve the problem. Frank and Stephen were falling back, exchanging looks, trying to figure out what the hell just happened.
Chapter Twenty
Bhut could hear the rumblings in the distance. No alarm needed to be sounded, though it was. Everyone, especially him, knew what was going to happen next. The warning was for the dragonkin neighbors that had to get out, now.
He spent time praying for understanding, afraid that he was going to have them denied. He waited with tea as the morning light hit the mountains. Today was going to be the day of the Schell. No matter what happened next, that is how
the date would be remembered, at least in the supernatural and spiritual world.
It was late in the day when he finally heard the familiar wing beats. He smiled and turned to an old friend that he knew he would see.
“You are here. Good, let’s talk.”
“Do you know what is happening?”
He agreed with a solemn nod of his head. Bhut wished that he didn’t know what was going on. He certainly didn’t want to. What he had to tell Calypso, was hurting him inside.
“I do. I am glad you came alone.”
“The two men I travel with are behind me. They saw some things this morning that I can’t believe, and I can’t remember. We are trying to figure out how to stop it.”
“You died, yes?”
“Yes, I did. And then started on fire and came back to life.”
“Then you are truly a fenghuang now.”
“A what?”
“Your namesake, child. Surely you know where it comes from.”
“Phoenix?”
“Yes. You are no longer just your dragon form, but an embodiment of virtue, mercy, propriety, duty, and credibility.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You need to. The only way that you’re going to beat the Schell is to figure out how to merge fully with both sides. You will have to merge with your lover.”
“Like get married?”
Bhut shook his head. “It has to be so much more than that. Let me set the alarms to warn all of your kind what is coming for them.”
“For us.”
“No, Calypso. You have changed. The Schell are not coming for you. You could hide and wait this out. You don’t even have to hide. They will not touch you. They do not want to hurt you. In a way, you helped them to rise, and they will not see you as a dragonkin.”
