Chapter 38 Calypso
Chapter thirty-eight
Calypso
“We don’t have to do this,” her mate grumbled. He’d been in a foul mood since the start of the festivities.
“Why not? Don’t you want to show off your attractive mate?” Calypso teased him.
His eyes blazed. “I have changed my mind. We are canceling the ceremony at the lake. Rhunga can say the prayers in the throne room instead. Where we will be fully clothed.”
“You can’t do that. It is tradition.”
“I am the chieftain. I decide what is tradition.”
Calypso grinned at her adorably possessive mate before leaving comforting kisses along his jaw. “That’s too bad. I was looking forward to showing off my wonderful, sexy mate and how well he touches me.”
After a few more kisses, he relented. “We can proceed. Though I can’t promise not to snarl at anyone staring too close at you.”
She shook her head, amused. “Okay, now leave. You are not supposed to be here.”
“I am supposed to be wherever you are.”
With another kiss and swat on her behind, her fearsome mate retreated from the room. Now that his anxieties were quelled, and she was finally alone, Calypso took out the dress she’d brought with her to the mountain. The dress shimmered like a diamond and flowed smoothly over her body.
“Ow!” She faced the crow tugging her hair for attention. “What do you want?”
The undead crow dropped a pearl hairpin into her hand. The bird continued to bewilder her, but she was growing quite fond of it. It acted unlike any other resurrected creature and had survived far longer than normal.
“Thank you.” She pinned a loose lock of hair back.
Observing herself in the mirror, Calypso realized she was smiling. This newfound sense of happiness had become her norm over the past several weeks.
Things were far from over. Davinger was still in hiding, licking his wounds, and biding his time like the snake he was. The Shalimar Alliance was still an unpredictable entity. There were also no further sightings of the dragon.
While problems remained, there was a steady comfort in knowing she would face whatever came with her family by her side. It wasn’t just about building a future where they could survive, but one in which they could prosper.
Satisfied with the final touches, Calypso left her chambers and found Mor waiting nearby.
“You look beautiful,” Mor said, looking her over. “I wanted to give you something before the ceremony.”
Calypso took the bundle Mor handed her and carefully removed the cloth, seeing the shine of a dagger underneath.
“It is customary to give a gift to the new couple. I made it, though normally Ushnar would have forged this.”
Calypso ran her thumb over Vidorak’s family crest on the handle. “Thank you so much.”
“Turn it around.”
On the other side were etched the familiar alchemical signs for mercury and fire.
“Those were your mother’s marks, weren’t they?”
The truth was, her mother held two alchemical marks. Everyone knew of her mark for fire, but the one for mercury, which had given her the ability to sway, had been a secret.
“How did you know?” Calypso asked, overwhelmed with emotion.
“I met your mother many years ago,” Mor said with a smile. “She was pregnant with you at the time and traveled in secret. Ushnar had just become chieftain, and she came to meet us. She encouraged him about the settlements, though that didn’t happen until a few years later.”
Her mother had often traveled the realm in an effort to build relationships with the different magical communities. Calypso had childhood memories of these visits, but they had lessened as she’d grown older.
“This means a lot.” She never got to have a keepsake of her mother after fleeing Sanograd.
“It was a brief meeting, but I remember her being genuine and kind,” Mor gently said. “I believe she would be happy her daughter found a mate.”
Calypso blinked back tears. “Excuse me for a moment.”
Upon reentering the bedchamber to store the dagger, Calypso saw a familiar face in the corner.
It was the clear image of her mother, red hair pinned back in a bun, eyes warm and radiating love.
Even after everything, the hallucinations and voices persisted but became less frequent.
Instead of the typical gruesome scene, her mother appeared at peace.
“You would have liked him, Mother,” Calypso whispered before composing herself and returning to the hallway.
Mor took her hand, and together they traversed the tunnels toward the lake.
The northernmost mountain range formed the basin of the sacred lake and was accessible only through a single tunnel.
The travel took over an hour, and she passed many clan members heading to witness the ceremony.
No one complained about traversing the steep tunnel and instead, walked along merrily singing or engrossed in excited conversation.
The celebrations had begun earlier in the day, and a good number of the clan had already indulged in the mead.
“How does it feel to see your son become chieftain?” Calypso asked the women, not having had much of a chance to speak in all the events of late.
“It is a mix of pride and worry. Chieftain is not an easy position to hold, and I see how seriously he takes it.” Mor wore a solemn look on her face. “But I see happiness in him as well, something I thought he’d lost long ago.”
“I want to help him keep that.” She truly meant that. Her mate may claim that she had opened his eyes, but he had done exact same to her. He deserved so much happiness and love and she aimed to give that to him. Along with some frustration, but she had a feeling he enjoyed that too.
They exited the tunnels onto the flat basin to see that most of the clan had gathered.
The mountain peaks surrounding the basin resembled stone giants, shielding them from the rest of the realm.
The lake sat in the middle of the basin, and the water shimmered an iridescent blue-green beneath the moonlight glow.
She understood why the clan considered it sacred and had embarked on the journey without complaint.
As they approached the water, Mor stopped and faced her.
“With all the ugliness of our world, you two have found each other and made it more beautiful. I am thrilled for you both.” Mor gave her hands a squeeze before letting go.
“I will stay for Rhunga’s prayer, but then I will leave. The rest a mother doesn’t need to see.”
With that, Mor went to join the crowd and left Calypso to take the final steps alone.
Across the way, the crowd cleared, and she saw her mate step forward.
His long black hair flowed down his back in a braid.
His chest was bare, showing off his achingly delicious ropes of muscle.
She wondered if she’d ever stop feeling that rush of heat whenever her eyes landed on him.
The comforting tug in her chest, which she attributed to the bond, reminded her she wasn’t alone. Eagerly, she stepped into the lake and felt the tingle of magic within the waters. She was happy to do his Orcish ceremony, but knowing magic flowed through here too made the connection even deeper.
Vidorak’s eyes didn’t leave hers as they closed the distance, stopping an arm’s reach away. Rhunga stood at the edge of the lake, his hair full of beads and chest colored in paint.
“You come together as individuals, but you leave the springs as one, forever bound.” He handed each of them a thin golden bracelet. “Once the bracelet is clasped, it cannot be removed.”
Calypso reached for Vidorak first, closing the golden bracelet around his left wrist, feeling the final click as the circle became whole.
He took her wrist but didn’t put it on right away. His thumb rubbed the inside of her wrist, and he asked, “Are you sure?”
She knew he was hesitant given their history with the shackles. “It seems apt in a way. It’s how we started things after all.”
He searched her eyes for another moment before slipping it on her and clicking it closed. A slight shock went up her wrist, and she ran her fingers over the new lifelong jewelry. Luckily, gold happened to be her color.
Satisfied with how they had completed their task, Rhunga switched to speaking in Orcish. Calypso recognized a few words Vidorak had taught her, but mostly she just looked into her mate’s dark eyes and followed the timber of the shaman’s voice.
After a couple of minutes, Rhunga stopped and nodded. “It is done.”
Without any further flair, he grunted and walked away.
“That’s it?” she asked, feeling the whole thing seemed a bit anticlimactic.
“That’s it for the prayer.” Vidorak tugged her forward, bringing her chest to his. His lips went to her ear, sending shivers down her spine. “Are you sure you want to do this? I can kick everyone out right now.”
“Shut up and take me, my orc,” Calypso responded with a laugh.
“Your wish is my command, my little witch.” He picked her up, crushing her body to his.
Her legs went around his waist, and he held her up with one hand while the other gripped her hair and angled her mouth to his. This time his kisses were not gentle but domineering. He plunged his tongue into her mouth, taking over space he thought of as his.
She felt utterly and completely his. Felt his desire for her but also his love and devotion. The bond between them had opened her eyes and peeled away the darkness. There was something utterly touching in knowing that he accepted every flawed, annoying, mad part of her.
Right now, there was one part of her that ached to its core for him. He kissed her so thoroughly that any thoughts of onlookers completely melted away. Only her strong, sexy mate was before her, and she needed him inside her immediately.
As if sensing her maddening desires, he pulled away, his hand releasing her hair and moving down to tug up the ends of her dress.
Calypso smiled as she kissed his neck, aware that the only thing stopping her passionate mate from ripping her dress, as he often did, was to avoid exposing her to his clan.
Her smile turned to a gasp when, in one quick motion, he entered fully inside. Her head arched back in a moan. She loved it when he entered her hard, not giving her time to adjust. That edge of pain left her desperate for more.
Vidorak’s mouth quickly swallowed her moans. He moved her along his cock fast and hard, taking her quickly and breathlessly. Her fingers dug into his shoulders as her pleasure slammed into her. Waves crashed along the edge of the lake with each thrust.
He released her mouth and bit at the curve of neck, hard enough to mark. The feeling of his bite caused her to clench around him further. Her body was still quivering with her release when she felt the warm spill of his seed.
With a kiss at where he bit her, he released her slowly back into the water. The clan cheered and started to dissipate, eager to get back to their drinking and celebrating.
Calypso paid no mind to anyone else other than her mate. Her hand went to his cheek. “I love you, my strong, perfect mate.”
He grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips. “I love you too. You are my heart and my light. I will protect you, cherish you, and support you till my last breath.”
“Yours was better.” She smiled. “Let’s go get drunk on orc mead. We will leave our problems for tomorrow and keep tonight for us.”
“As long as we are together.”
Hand in hand, they left the magical waters with hearts finally at peace.