For a moment, Pax remained very quiet. She stared at the red roses that Thornton had sent, allowing the scent to waft into her delicate nostrils. It mingled with the savory scent of the pancakes, reminding her of home. She was home; the Kalgren family had always accepted her as one of them. She closed her eyes briefly, feeling sudden remorse at the uncomfortable situation in which she had placed Amara when they had last joined bodies. She grew upset at the thought of what Thornton had done…
“So are you back together with my brother?” Amara asked softly. “You being in his bed would indicate that.”
“I don’t know,” Pax said with a frown. “I haven’t really thought about it. I don’t remember what happened or how I got here. I blacked out once I brought you all back to the planet, and was only conscious for brief patches after that.”
“Wow. So he’s trying to play you. All of this—waking up here, the roses and the diamonds—he’s trying to force you back into a relationship with him without giving you an opportunity to refuse. That’s why he sent Nina.” Amara smirked. “Gotta hand it to him—it’s a great plan.”
“It would have been a great plan if you hadn’t eaten all the pancakes,” Pax said with a smile. “If I had gotten a single bite, I might feel grateful and affectionate toward him. I guess I’m lucky that I can count on you to intercept his peace offerings.”
“Anytime!” Amara said cheerfully. She turned her gaze to the velvet box. “Hey, can I have the earrings too?”
Chapter 3: Apocalypse Changes Nothing
Code red, Ash. Seriously. Thornton stared at the man in front of him with fear as he telepathically summoned his friend. You have to get over here now.
Hang on, bro. I’m ten miles away.
I don’t care, Thornton responded, gritting his teeth. This is a critical situation.
Only seconds later, a knock sounded at the office door before it swung open. The dark haired man marched forward briskly with a sigh. “I’m sorry to interrupt this meeting, but there’s been an emergency and Thorn has to come with me immediately.”
“Damn!” shouted a heavyset man who was sitting across from Thornton. “We only just got started chatting. Whatever it is can wait—my nephew and I are catching up.”
“I hope it isn’t something serious,” Thornton said, sending his friend a grateful look.
“Oh, it’s bad,” Asher responded dutifully. “Lives are at stake.”
“They always are,” Thornton responded with a sigh. He turned to the giant man apologetically as he got out of his chair. “Forgive me, Uncle Bud, but I’ve got to run and take care of some company business.”
“Understood, kiddo,” the giant responded, placing his hands comfortably on his beer belly. “I’ll be here waiting when you get back. Ash—is that you? Little Asher Burnson? Wow, you’ve grown up!”
“Hello, Mr. Kalgren,” Asher said meekly as his blonde friend moved past him toward the door. “I should probably go help Thorn, but I’ll see you later.”
“Naw, hang around so we can catch up!” Bud insisted. “I was just telling Thorn about how I screwed my ex-wife over in our prenuptial agreement. You boys could learn a lot from this old man.”
Asher cringed. “It sounds like a great story, sir, but I have to run.” He backed away quickly and bolted after his friend. A moment later, Thornton and Asher had used their energy techniques to propel their bodies directly to the roof of the Kalgren Compound. Thornton had also managed to find two bottles of beer on his way to the top, and he popped the caps off with his thumbs before handing one to his friend.
“Thanks, Ash. I can’t believe I’m related to that fool. That man is just so…”
“Human?” Asher offered.
Thornton shrugged as he clinked the neck of his bottle against his friend’s. “Yeah. But not in a good way.”
Taking a swig of the brew, Asher leaned against the door to the stairwell. “He’s pretty smart though. He does resemble his sister in that way.”
“No way,” Thornton said defensively. “My mom is nothing like him. She works hard and she thinks that anything is possible. She’s more powerful than some demigods. Uncle Bud is brilliant, but he wastes his talents on womanizing…”
“Kind of like you?” Asher suggested.
“Shut up,” Thornton snapped. “I don’t do that anymore.”
“If you mean you haven’t done that in the last twelve hours, then you’d be correct,” Asher said with a grin.
“Things can change pretty quickly,” Thornton responded thoughtfully. “I thought Paxie was going to die.”
“She was going to die. She wanted to die after what you did to her. Again.”
“It’s too early in the day to rub it in my face,” Thornton protested. “We should be celebrating. Good things have happened, for once. Speaking of which, we deserve a break—do you want me to schedule a session with Sakra for the yearly rejuvenations?”
Asher groaned. “Do you really think we need to do that? The ritual is so uncomfortable. It’s like going to the dentist for demigods.”
“Yeah, man. If you want to keep your youthful good looks, we’d better go. It’s only once a year, and it helps extend our lifespans. Suck it up.”
“Fine,” Asher mumbled, “but unlike you, I don’t care about looking like a fairy princess.”
Thornton laughed, slamming his fist into his friend’s shoulder forcefully. “Dude, it’s not a crime against my manhood that I brush my hair. I can take you down any day.”
“Oh yeah?” Asher said with raised eyebrows. “Prove it.”
“I will,” Thornton promised. “Not now, because I only have a nonexistent lunch-break before a teleconference with Japan—I’m already fifteen minutes late.”
“Nice. Sounds like you’re having a good day,” Asher said with no small amount of sarcasm.
“Actually, I am,” Thornton said suddenly, a smile overtaking his face. “We thought that comet was going to hit the planet and block out the sun. But here we are, standing on an unscathed planet in the warm sunlight, drinking a delicious beer…”
“Are you okay, man? Did you take some sort of drug, and if so, why didn’t you share?”
Thornton grinned. “I’m serious. Everything happened for the best. I’m grateful for the adversity and all the drama—I’m grateful to have Pax back.”
“Wait—what?”
“Paxie. She wouldn’t have forgiven me if we didn’t go through all of that together…”
“Look, buddy,” Asher said slowly. “I don’t mean to be a downer, but are you sure she’s forgiven you? I know my niece…”
“Of course she has! Why do you think I’ve been walking on air all morning?”
“What exactly did she say when she woke up?” Asher demanded.
“Nothing. She hasn’t woken up yet.”
“Oh. What exactly did she say before she passed out?”
Thornton paused. “Well, nothing. She was injured and exhausted. Babbling random stuff.”
“So you just assumed?” Asher asked.
“I guess I did.”
Asher stared in disbelief. “For an intelligent CEO you can be a complete dunderhead.”
“Thanks, bro.”
“I mean, do you remember why she went all one-woman-army on that comet? She was suicidal because of something you did. You were with another girl just last night. Paxie doesn’t get over these things. She’s sensitive. You hurt her.”
Thornton nodded slowly as his good mood faded away. “Yeah. You’re right. I sent her a gift this morning, so maybe…”
“You idiot! A gift is an automatic admission of guilt,” Asher advised. “What you really need is to talk to her.”
“I will, later on. So about the yearly rejuvenation—I figured we could take the weekend of the solstice off and go traveling a bit in Asia...”
“I am unemployed, remember? I am always available,” Asher responded.
Thornton narrowed his eyes. “Are you upset with me, man?”
> “Nah. Maybe a little. I think I just need more beer…” Asher was in the middle of speaking when the stairway door he was leaning against was pushed open. He stumbled forward in surprise as Amara poked her head through the crevice.
“Hey, guys!” the blonde woman said with a bright smile. “Isn’t it a bit early for drinks?”
Asher blushed slightly. “It’s only one beer. Plus, we’re devas, so the alcohol doesn’t…”
“Relax, I’m joking,” Amara said lightly, before turning to her brother. “Mom wants you. She said you’re late for Japan.”
“Shit,” Thornton cursed, throwing his beer back in one gulp. He turned to Asher sadly. “I love my mother, but I swear that woman is evil.”
“Old news, man. I’ve known that since I was five and she forced me to learn long division with you.” Asher shuddered at the memory.
“You cried for a week!” Thornton said with a laugh before breezing through the door.
This left Amara in precisely the position she had intended; she was alone on the roof with Asher. Suddenly, the sunshine felt a little brighter to her too, and she wondered if her brother’s cheerful condition was contagious. “You cried about long division?” she asked softly.
Asher looked down, trying to hide his blush. “It wasn’t fair. Thorn was older than me and my mom forced me to tag along in his private tutoring sessions. I hated it.”
“Poor little Ash,” Amara said in a cutesy voice that she had often used when she had been his girlfriend. It had emerged so naturally that it startled even her, and her eyes widened slightly. Asher seemed surprised too, and they stared at each other awkwardly for a moment.
“I had better get going,” Asher said then, moving to the edge of the roof.
“Wait,” Amara called out, disappearing and reappearing in his path. “I wanted to ask you something.”
“You’ve gotten really fast,” Asher commented, nodding in approval. “What’s up?”
“I…” She suddenly felt nervous and apprehensive about speaking to him frankly. She frowned, remembering that he had once been the person to whom she spoke about everything openly and happily. Her chin fell forward as her resolve began to dissipate.
“Hey, Mara. Is something wrong?” Asher asked, suddenly concerned.
She lifted her blue eyes with uncertainty, observing him cautiously. She somehow knew the answer before she asked the question, but she knew that she needed to ask it anyway. “I—I’m planning the Kalgren Tech Charity Ball for the upcoming Thanksgiving.”
“Oh. That seems like pretty far away to be planning already,” Asher commented.
“We’re going to charge a lot more than we usually do,” Amara explained. “Mom said that it needs to be the most talked-about party of the year, and that I should even suspend my research to make sure that everything is in order.”
“Do you need any help with anything?” Asher asked good-naturedly.
“No,” Amara said quietly. “I want you to go with me. As my date. Like you usually do.”
Asher was silent for a moment before lifting a hand to scratch the back of his neck in confusion. “But we’re not together anymore.”
Amara shook her head, laughing in disgust at herself for being so foolish. “I just thought—never mind. I’m out of here.” She levitated a few feet off the roof, turning to leave.
“Mara,” Asher called after her. “Don’t be upset. If you want me to go with you…”
“No!” she snapped, turning back and fixing him with a glare. “I haven’t—I haven’t confronted you about this, not about any of this. But you weren’t fair to me—Ash! You were cruel to me. You broke my heart.”
“I know,” he said quietly. “I’m really sorry, but it had to be done.”
“And all of this!” Amara shouted, throwing her hands up to the sky to indicate recent events. “The apocalypse changes nothing?”
“What was it supposed to change?” Asher asked stubbornly.
She could feel the heat in her flustered cheeks. “Oh, I don’t know. It’s supposed to make you realize who’s important in your life. Make you appreciate the people who love you.”
Asher levitated off the ground to match her height so that they were facing each other. He reached out to place a hand on her shoulder tentatively. He stared down into her blue eyes which were warm with hope. “I’ll always be here for you, Mara,” he said simply.
“I know. You’re my soldier, aren’t you? My knight in shining armor,” she said bitterly. Noticing a wrinkle in his shirt, she reached out to smooth it unconsciously. “I don’t need that anymore, Ash. I really don’t. I’ve gotten stronger and I can take care of myself.”
“Then I guess you don’t need me in your life anymore,” he answered softly. “’Cause that’s all I can be for you.”
She looked at him brokenly, seconds from objecting and begging. Then she caught herself, shaking her head in refusal. She felt tears prick the back of her eyes, but instead of shedding them, she glared at him viciously. “Fuck you,” she said evenly before turning in midair and propelling her body away through the air. She felt her blonde hair whip around her face madly as the wind roared in her ears. The sensation was as if her body was a knife jaggedly hacking through metal. I do have pride.
* * *
After staring at the empty breakfast tray for a few seconds, Pax decided to sneak out of the Kalgren compound. Moving over to Thornton’s dresser, she threw open one of “her” drawers. She was not surprised to find all of her clothes exactly where she left them. Removing the oversized t-shirt she slept in, she quickly tugged on a pair of jeans and a clean blouse. With a glance at the door, she opted for the window, moving to unhinge the glass panel and slip her body into the warm air on the outside of the skyscraper. Knowing she needed to move quickly to avoid being seen in the city, she instantly allowed her body to plummet to the ground, aiming for a private courtyard.
Before her feet had landed in the grass of the secluded spot, she felt a hand grip the back of her shirt. She turned in surprise to see Thornton’s father standing behind her with a suspicious look on his face.
“You were leaving without speaking to me?” the royal demigod accused angrily.
“I’m sorry, Vince,” she said apologetically. “I was trying to avoid your son.”
“Understandable,” Vincent said sternly, “But we must speak. Girl: you did well out there.”
“Thank you,” she said with a partial smile. “It was an accident.”
Vincent frowned. “I know. That is why I have a word of caution.”
“Sure,” Pax said curiously.
“Don’t relax yet.”
“That’s three words,” Pax observed.
Vincent ignored this and tilted his head up to the sky. “While you all have been celebrating and congratulating yourselves and sleeping, I have been monitoring the prominent increase of the distant energy signal we were concerned about a while ago.”
Pax’s eyes widened in surprise and she immediately tried to concentrate to measure whether her mentor was correct. The city noises filtering into her ears distracted her mind from being able to focus on locating a person who was light-years away. “No,” she whispered. “An increase? Of how much?”
“He—let us assume it’s a man—became twice as powerful at 9 AM. Then, at 10 AM, his energy doubled again. At 11 AM, it increased similarly. It seems to be continuing on this pattern, and I can only infer from the correlation of events that someone is preparing to attack us.”
A chill prickled Pax’s vertebrae as it traveled down her neck and back. “Damn. How is that possible? He felt so strong to begin with—when I stepped out of the Pseudosphere and first sensed his energy, I nearly fell over.”
“It does seem to defy logic that someone should be able to increase the potency of their life force by this magnitude in such a brief interval of time,” Vincent agreed. “I need you to be cautious, girl. If you’re going to run away from my son again, that’s fine; but please take
this information to your father and tell him to be on guard as well.”
“I will,” Pax said dutifully. She had great respect for Thornton’s father, for the man had trained her in the mystic arts when her own father had refused to do so. Their close relationship allowed her to see what really concerned Vincent beneath his professional exterior. Another chill rattled her vertebrae. “Oh no,” she whispered. “You think that this…”
“Nothing is for certain,” Vincent said quickly, seeing the anxiety on her face.
“Vince,” Pax said, swallowing. “Do you believe that Suja—that she sent the comet just to distract us from what she was really planning?”
Pulling his lips into a tight line, the man scowled. “Yes. Yes, I do believe that is exactly what happened. We were played.”
Pax closed her eyes in defeat as she processed this. “That distraction nearly destroyed the planet! How am I supposed to handle anything more than that? I did my best, I gave everything in me, and it was nearly not enough. I can’t do this again...”
“You don’t have to,” Vincent responded. “We are in this together, and from now on the devas must endeavor to act more like a unit of defense…”
“I was alone last time,” Pax said quietly. “Everyone gave up, and I was alone.”
“You were not,” the older man said firmly. “Listen, I know it sounds hard now because you have just faced death and have not even taken your first true breath of relief. Go home and rest, Pax. Go to Burnson Grove and let your grandmother make you some of her split-pea soup. You need—what do the humans call it? Comfort food.”
Pax could not resist cracking a small smile at her mentor’s words. He was the same man who had worked her to the point of collapse day after day in training. She knew he must be very proud of her if he was recommending respite and soup.
“You feel powerless now,” Vincent explained, “but that is because you are fresh from battle. You would be surprised—victory takes a greater toll on the mind and body than defeat. Defeat makes you instantly hungry for revenge and correction. Victory leaves you with a sort of unsatisfying emptiness.”
Thirty Minutes to Heartbreak Box Set (Books 1-3) Page 65
