Chapter 33

"Huh?" I asked.

My father chuckled. "You were expecting an engagement to be like the ones in your world? A verbal promise easily broken if needed?" he asked.

While I didn't like the way he put it I nodded.

"Why would we do that when we can ensure each side fulfills their side of the bargain with magic?" My father asked.

I should have seen that coming. I myself had the bond skill so I knew it was a possibility. My mind raced as I considered that and wondered why I even allowed myself to be brought here. Then I stopped. I had come willingly, but only because my mother said fighting it would have made it worse. As I considered that for a moment I was sure it was true. Sure I could be trusting whatever vision she had a bit too much, but I was also sure my father would have ensured I came. My paternity had always been a sore point with him and with the bloodstone he would know one way or the other. Thinking that way I had no choice in coming, this eased my conscience a bit though I still wasn't sure how I would explain this to Karen and Megan.

"Don't be too worried Daryl. It is only an engagement bond not a marriage bond." my father said after a while. It almost seemed like he was trying to console me.

"What is the difference?" I asked.

"Well as it is an engagement, and neither of you are already married to another…" my father started.

"Wait! That is a thing?" I asked looking at Calidea.

My father laughed loudly while Calidea giggled. "There are a lot of other worlds out there Daryl. You really shouldn't expect them all to have the same perspective as you do." My father chided me.

I wanted to retort but I realized he was right.

"As I was saying nothing too stringent though as it is only an engagement. Neither of you can sleep with anyone else without the other's permission or the engagement will be voided. Don't do that. Just trust me on that. Also sleeping with each other more than once will trigger the bond to transform into the stronger marital bond, so keep that in mind if she tries to seduce you." he warned.

Calidea snorted but didn't say anything.

"The initial engagement bond only has three functions. It will only allow you to sense each other's presence, and it will mess with your mind a bit so that you feel like you want to protect her." he continued.

"What?!" I asked, alarmed.

"The initial intent was to send their girls with you into a dangerous situation, so they needed some insurance for the sake of their girls. You don't have to worry though, it won't alter your mind permanently, you will just feel a bit protective of her. Nothing more. If the bond is dissolved peacefully then that will disappear." he reassured.

That didn't sound reassuring to me at all.

"If you upgrade it to a marital bond then it will let you speak to each other telepathically, inform you if your spouse is in danger, and act as coordinates for teleportation." my father explained.

"Wasn't I supposed to tell him all of that?" Calidea asked.

My father just shrugged.

"Anything else? You said the engagement did three things" I asked while feeling a bit overwhelmed and completely screwed.

"We will also know if the other breaks the terms." Calidea told me.

My father nodded.

I nodded, too much, it was all too much.

"Anything else you want to ask before I send you back?" my father asked.

I looked at my father for a moment. Was that it? I wasn't sure if I should have expected that, or be disappointed.

"No." I told him as I reigned in my emotions.

My father seemed to hesitate for a moment before he nodded. Then he sighed, "Before I send you back I wanted to give you something." he told me.

I watched my father pull a silver briefcase out of thin air. Then he added a book which he set on top of the box.

"Spatial Storage!" Calidea said excitedly.

My father gave her a smirk then passed the briefcase and book to me.

I took it hesitantly then set it on my lap. I looked at the book first only to find it was an instruction guide to teleportation.

"The information that we gain with the ability is useful, but not enough to remove the dangers. That book includes a lot of the knowledge we have gained through generations of practice. It should help you avoid some of the greatest threats that come from practicing teleportation." My father informed me.

I nodded then set the book to the side with the two black bags I had received earlier, then I opened the briefcase. Inside I found six softball sized mana stones.

"I am sure your elementals and Calidea will tell you what the mana stones can be used for. While the family already provided some resources to assist you, this is what I give to my sons." my father told me.

I didn't know what to say. I was grateful that he finally seemed to accept me as his son, but….

"Alright, you have a lot of things to do if you want to make sure you and your friends survive." My father said to break the awkward moments.

I nodded then tucked the book, and two black velvet bags into the silver box. Then I looked at Calidea.

"I am coming." she told me determinedly, "We are already bonded so don't try and convince me to stay."

I frowned then sighed. That was exactly what I had been intending to do.

"Unless you choose to stay here with us, I am required to send her with you." My father informed me.

I nodded, I had already guessed as much. I hesitated for a moment unsure how to ask the question I wanted too.

"It's best if you don't consider it." my father told me as if he had read my mind. Then looked at Calidea before looking back at me. "I suggest you both have a long talk later. She knows you didn't know about this engagement."

"Especially Daryl." Calidea agreed.

My father grunted as if slapped, but he didn't retort.

I nodded then sighed I wasn't going to be getting out of this, hopefully Karen and Megan would be understanding. "Do you have everything you need?" I asked her.

Calidea nodded then indicated a dark grey ring on her right hand. "This is a spatial ring. It uses my energy to create a spatial pocket similar to the one your father just used. Though smaller and a lot more limited." she told me.

My father scowled. "I never liked those things. If you stop supplying power to it for too long the space collapses and you lose everything inside of it."

Calidea shrugged. "While that is true the spatial storage ability is too rare." she replied.

That was news to me. I grabbed my presents and put them into my own spatial storage.

"You too?" my father asked.

I nodded, "Yeah, it is pretty useful." I said smiling. Then I took a deep breath. "I guess I am ready then." I told my father.

He nodded then reached out and touched our legs and we shifted. When my vision cleared we were standing in the parking lot of Red Line Grill.

"Daryl." My father said looking at me seriously.

"Yeah?" I asked unsure what the man wanted, and maybe a bit afraid of what he would say.

"Do your best to survive." he told me, then disappeared.

I stared at the spot where my father had been for a few moments before I shook my head. While it was nice that he seemed to care, a few words of warning and a couple of extra glowing stones was hardly enough to make up for all the crap he had put me through growing up.

Instead of worrying about my father I turned to look at my new fiance.

"So this is your world." Calidea said looking around. She kept her expression neutral so I had no idea what she was thinking.

Before I could say anything my stomach growled. "Let's get something to eat." I told her. "We can talk as we eat."

Calidea nodded. "Sounds good it wouldn't hurt to learn about this world's cuisine." she agreed. "But before we do that there is something I need to do." she said, turning to face me.

"What's that?" I asked curiously.

Calidea moved quickly as she stepped closer to me then reached up and wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me into a kiss. I froze as her soft lips pressed against my own. Before I could even process that she jumped up a bit and wrapped her legs around my waist. I had to shift about a bit to balance the both of us or fall over. She used that distraction to push her tongue into my mouth as she clung even tighter to me.

Her actions had blown my mind a bit. Before I even realized what I was doing I was already hold her close and kissing her back as passionately as she was. After a few moments she pulled away then returned to her own feet.

I stared at her dumbfoundedly for a few moments. I felt guilty for a moment but pushed it away. It was just a kiss.

Calidea regarded me for a few moments before she nodded to herself.

"What was that?" I asked her when she didn't volunteer an explanation.

"Since you seem to already have a girlfriend I have two choices. Give up on our engagement, or fight for it." she replied.

"What does that have to do with kissing me?" I asked, confused about how they were related.

"My mother told me there was no reason to fight for a man who didn't make my heart race when we kissed." she replied with a smirk. "You can just call me Caly from now on."