Page 55 of Call of the Ride
Like a monster of legend, an enormous creature—part lion, goat-horned dragon, and sea serpent—suddenly emerged from the whirlpool, capturing Koschei’s leg in its jaws before dragging him, screaming, into the deep. Before disappearing completely, the dragon turned its fiery gaze upon us, and I could’ve sworn I saw it wink. The drumbeat abruptly ceased and our horses gracefully circled before landing on the same beach where Nox and I had first entered the Nav.
“Show off,” Marena scoffed, smiling at the remains of the whirlpool. “I’m sure this will be all Vel talks about at dinner for the next century…”
Tan climbed off of Baklava. “Wait. Does this meanIcan turn into a dragon too? Acey! Just imagine what I could do with my tongue.”
“I fear we would never leave the bedroom,” Asa deadpanned, before throwing a lustful glance my way. “Although, I could think of worse fates…”
Stifling a smirk, I dismounted and concentrated on sending the dead back to the underworld where they belonged, feeling the veil strengthening behind them as the earth continued to heal.
Thank you, Mother.
For everything.
Once the Nav was sealed off once again, I took a breath and looked around. Marena and Jarilo were busy discussing something with the Gamayun and Tan had his tongue down Asa’s throat—which left Nox and me staring warily at each other.
I opened my mouth to speak, but he beat me to it, waving one of his massive hands dismissively. “You don’t have to apologize, Vashka. We both know it was a good plan. And let’s be honest, it’s not anything I wouldn’t have tried to pull.”
I grinned at my deliciously difficult Rider. “It’s too bad you’ve already forgiven me,” I teased. “I was hoping you might threaten me with a spanking.”
Nox’s gaze darkened as Tan appeared at my side, as if magically summoned by the promise of sex. “Eh, Noxy, if you’re going to spank our witch, I’d like to formally request she ride my face while you do so.”
Of course, you would.
“AndI’dlike to formally request that neither of you let her come until she says she loves us again,” Asa added, his pretty blue eyes sparkling with hopeful mischief.
Oh, now who’s looking for a spanking?
“Yes…” I awkwardly cleared my throat and bravely faced my men. “About that. I meant what I said, and I said it because I knew I would return, not because I was saying goodbye.”
That should do it.
Nox leaned down and brushed his lips against mine. “So, it’s going to take another life or death situation for you to fucking grow a pair and actually tell us you love us again?”
I huffed haughtily, staring him down as best I could from far below. “I suppose you’ll just have to wait and see.”
My Darkest Midnight smirked. “Fine with me, witch. Goddess knows, we have all the time in the world.”
Epilogue - Anthia
“Thia! Thank you for coming to my…what are we calling this again, Tan?” I struggled not to laugh as a slightly flustered witch ushered me into her hut, along with a few autumn leaves. Vasi and I had celebrated her birthday together hundreds of times—once I got her to actually tell me when it was—but never had we turned it into a party like this.
“It’s your va ju-bilation ju-bilee! And henceforth, October 27th will forever be known as such!” Tan crowed, and I snorted, spying the ridiculous Rider at the far end of the table, shirtless and already plastered.
I see the festivities have already begun.
“Happy birthday, Vasi,” I warmly smiled, handing her a wrapped package containing her favorite dark chocolate and tea, along with some ofmyfavorite romance books. She eagerly tore at the paper, and I took advantage of the distraction to slip Nox the gift I’d purchased on his behalf.
Since apparently, the big dumb one and I are friends now.
“Thank you, Anthia…fuck, I hope she likes it,” he whispered, endearingly nervous about the entire thing.
I rolled my eyes. Of course, she’d love it. These men could shit in the woods and Vasi would think it was a blessing on the earth. Naturally, I was thrilled my dearest friend had found her true loves—the fated Riders who helped her fulfill her legacy—but they certainly were a handful.
It was nearly impossible to believe it had only been four months since Vasi saved our world. Matthew was dead, Koschei had been banished to the Nav for Veles to torture, and Mokosh had spent every day since then bringing life back to the forest. Walking through the woods these days felt so incredible, I could almost forget everything bad that had happened.
Almost.
Having watched Vasi heal from her own trauma, I knew I had a long way to go before I fully recovered from my time at the Facility. Besides the hazy memories of what the men there had done to me, I was still plagued with overwhelming feelings of guilt. Blood taken frommyveins—samples that were still missing—could help these humans hurt others like me.
