by M. R. Polish
Karis clapped her hands together. “I guess we’re ready to take on Earth.”
Brady stepped closer. “Or at least Santa Fe.”
They all sat around an outdoor table at a bistro and picked at a basket of fries. Azul had a map spread out over the table next to them that he had pulled closer. “We should find all the places that would attract Athena and start with those.”
Karis sucked the last of her soda through the straw, trying to savor every drop of the newly discovered drink. They had all sorts of fizzy-type drinks in Shamike, but none that had that flavor. When she realized she wouldn’t get any more she set it down. “I agree. We don’t have much to go on, so starting with those is the best option.”
Azul tapped the map and looked at Alexis. “You know her best. You should come look at this with me and see if anything sticks out at you.”
Alexis wiped her mouth with a napkin and reluctantly left the basket of fries to sit next to Azul. “I think this right here could be a good place to start.” She pointed to the New Mexico History Museum.
Brady snorted. “What would Athena be doing in a museum?”
Alexis picked up her drink and looked over the rim at Brady. She took a few sips, obviously taking her time. “It’s the most reasonable. She loves history, always has, and she’s old enough to have lived through most of Earth’s. That’s why she would be great in a museum.”
Karis shrugged. “It makes sense.”
They all agreed to travel downtown to the museum and see if they could find Athena. Karis still wasn’t too sure about the pine smell that wafted from the trees throughout the city, but it didn’t disgust her as much as when they arrived, even though it was quite a bit stronger the further they traveled.
The museum was a bit of a walk from where they were, so they decided to take a transit bus downtown. Both Azul and Brady hovered closely to Karis, and Magnus looked tense with his arm around Alexis. Many guys gave each of the women a grin and a nod, which made Brady stiffen even more. He leaned in close to Karis and whispered, “The next guy to flirt with you is going to get my fist to his head.”
Karis gave him a playful jab with her elbow. “I suppose I should ignore the two girls in the front who keep staring at you?”
Brady looked up where Karis talked about. Sure enough, two girls who couldn’t have been more than seventeen giggled and spun back around in their seat. Brady chortled and grinned, then saw Karis giving him an annoyed look. “What?”
She shook her head. “Nothing.”
The ride downtown didn’t last long—thankfully—and they all got off the bus. Alexis twirled and looked around them. There was a park off to their right and many adobe-type buildings all around. “Look, over there.” Alexis stopped spinning and pointed across the street.
Karis glanced around nervously, but Brady squeezed her hand. People walked around them as if they were just in the way, and she truly felt that way. Even though they purchased new clothes, she still felt like an outsider. She shouldn’t; she was the Princess and intended Queen of Shamike, she should feel secure and wanted, but these people had no clue who she was. Nor would they find out.
“Come on, guys,” Alexis said excitedly. She already started dragging Magnus across the road.
Azul hesitated before crossing. Brady and Karis followed close behind him and met Alexis’s happy smile on the other side. “She’s here, I know it.”
“Do you think we could be that lucky? To find her on our first try?” Karis looked at each of them for an answer.
Magnus nodded. “I think so, but she might be the only one we find easily. I’m sure since Zeus has remained hidden for this long that he isn’t going to jump out and say ‘I’m here.’”
“Well, what are we waiting for?” Karis gestured to the door of the museum.
The inside was dimly lit and a front desk area sat directly past the doors. A small elderly woman sat there with a plastered smile on her face. “Welcome to the museum.”
They all nodded and made hushed hellos to their greeter. After paying the appropriate fees for each of them, Magnus scooted closer to the lady, half leaning on the counter. “Do you happen to know a woman about yay high,” he made a gesture with his hand stopping at his eye level, “she has, or had, long brown hair, brown eyes, and a small scar about a half an inch long on her chin.”
The old woman’s eyes lit up. “Oh you mean Atty.”
The group all looked at each other then back to the woman. She stood up slowly and pointed down the first long corridor. “Go down that hall and take your first right. She's opening up the new weapons exhibit. She’s in charge of the whole thing.”
Alexis smiled at the woman. “Thank you.” She gave Magnus a kiss on the cheek. “It’s her for sure. Weapons?” She gave a slight shake of her head, but then pulled Magnus with her.
They walked down the hall with pictures of old wagons and Aztec Indians that hung on the wall with perfectly aimed lights shining down on them. At the end they could only go left or right. Karis let out a slow breath. “She said right, didn’t she?”
Magnus nodded and they all walked together. A decent-sized room that was lit up almost like the front area was at the end of the hall. Karis pushed through the entryway first. A couple browsed hand in hand, looking at the artifacts and whispering to each other. She scanned the room and caught a woman in the back dusting off a glass case that held another precious memory from the past. She wore a pair of khaki pants and a plain white shirt. Her hair was long and pulled back in a high ponytail that swished when she moved.
Alexis gasped. “It’s her,” she whispered loudly.
The woman’s head popped up. Her eyes went wide when she saw Alexis and Magnus. She ran through the display and into Alexis’s arms. They hugged for what seemed like minutes. “What are you doing here?” Athena asked as she gave Magnus a brief embrace. She tensed a little when she spotted Karis, but then her mouth hung open a little. “Are you related to King Parius?”
Karis’s breathing hitched. “How do you know him?”
Athena giggled. “I haven’t stayed on Earth the whole time. I went to Shamike about a hundred and thirty years ago. I was able to meet him and his wife. I didn’t stay long, it was solely for business, but you look just like him, except more feminine.” She waved her hands all over as she talked.
Karis did not expect that. She fell all over her words and stuttered, “I’m, um, I’m his daughter.”
“I thought so.” She looked at Brady. “And who is this hunk-a-hot stuff?”
Karis clasped her hand around his tightly. “He’s my, uh, my…” she trailed off, unsure what to actually call him.
Brady offered his hand for her to shake. “I’m Brady, Karis’s boyfriend.”
Karis felt instant gratification with the droopy frown Athena had. It was so strange to hear him say it out loud.
Azul stepped forward and offered his hand as well. “I’m Azul, Karis’s ex-fiancé.”
And then, Karis felt as if she’d die from embarrassment. Athena looked back at her with raised eyebrows. “Wow, you get around. Although I’m not sure how you picked. They’re both eye candy.” Then she giggled again.
Azul held a smug grin and nodded at Karis. Oh, she was never going to live this down.
Athena’s attention was back on Alexis, thankfully. “You didn’t answer my question, why are you here? Not that I haven’t missed you.”
Alexis wrung her hands together. “Well, to get to the point, we need your help.”
Athena folded her arms across her chest. “Well, if the Princess of Shamike, my best friend and her husband, along with a couple of hotties came all the way to Earth to find me, it must be good.” She nodded toward the exit. “Meet me in my office. It’s the fourth door on the right. I’ll close up the last case and be there in a jiffy.”
Athena’s office wasn’t too big, and they all crammed in there with barely enough room to open and close the door. Brady openly gawked at Athena, who sat at her desk w
ith her face in her hands, then let them fall to the cherry wood desktop. “I can’t believe I’m in the same room as a goddess.”
Karis rolled her eyes at him and waited for Athena to speak first.
“I can’t believe you’re asking this. Of course I’ll fight with you, I haven’t had a decent battle in years, but the others are scattered across the globe. Hell, I don’t even know if they’re still on Earth. We had a good run a very long time ago together, but we soon saw that humans needed to live life on their own. The Great One has a plan for these people. We intervened and got in the way of that. But damn was it good.” She slapped her leg and laughed.
“When I mean good, I mean hella good. They called me a goddess and wrote me into their history books. It was such a high.” She sat back in her chair and smiled at them.
Karis tried to take a deep breath in the smothering air. “So you’ll help us?”
Athena’s eyes sparkled. “Yes, I’ll help you.”
Karis liked Athena’s bubbly attitude and relaxed even more. Something about her seemed young and vibrant.
Alexis let out a stifled chuckle. “One more thing. Why did the lady call you Atty?”
“Oh that? Athena didn’t seem to be a modern name, so I shortened it.”
Alexis gave a small shrug. “Well, I like it.”
Brady leaned against the wall and tried to act calm and reserved. “So, Atty, you said you’ll help us fight, what about helping us find the others?”
Karis gave him a smile. “Thank you,” she projected to him.
Athena, or Atty, as she was now called, laughed. “I don’t think you’ll find them without me.”
Atty directed them to a hotel where they could rest up and said she’d meet them later. It would be a couple days before they knew where they’d head off to.
Karis plopped down on the soft bed. The air conditioner rattled and rumbled, then kicked on and let out a continuous hum. She loved the cool breeze and the slight wisp of air as it caressed her skin. A click sounded and the door opened then shut. Karis leaned forward on the bed to watch Brady enter the room with the duffle bag they were sharing. Each of their group had purchased at least five more outfits and extra shoes, along with toiletries.
He shot her a sexy smile and after dropping the bag on the floor, he pounced on her, tackling her to her back on the bed. He moved her hair off her face and stared into her eyes. “I have two things I want to do,” he said in a husky whisper.
Karis willed her body to calm down. With his pressed against hers so closely, she lost all her senses. “And what exactly do you have in mind?”
He trailed his fingers down her neck and over her collarbone, tracing her tattoo. “The first thing involves you with no clothes.”
Her breath hitched as he leaned in and kissed her neck. She wrapped her arms around him and ran her hands up his back. This was what she wanted, more than anything. It was him. If she never became Queen, she’d be okay as long as she had him.
Karis lay on the bed, out of breath. She wasn’t certain anything they did came close to ordinary, but more like extraordinary. She could still feel the tiny sparks that fluttered through her every vein.
Brady jumped up from the bed and she watched as he headed for the shower. He gave her a playful wink and she quickly followed him. She hesitated when she heard the running water, but told herself to be brave and pulled the shower curtain back and jumped in.
Hot steamy water cascaded down his backside, and she marveled over his muscles and how taut they were under the skin. Every move he made, made her want him again. His hair was much longer than when she first met him, giving him a messy bad boy image. Nothing about him disappointed her.
After washing the soap off his face, he pulled her to him. “So I was thinking,” he said. “I want to fight tonight. I know where the contacts are in this city, I’ve fought here before. I can feel it calling to me.”
That wasn’t exactly what Karis was thinking. She shook clear her thoughts and tried to focus on what he said.
“I want you to come and watch me.”
“Um, I’d love to.” She wasn’t sure what she got herself into by agreeing to come, but to be with him, she’d say yes to anything.
Brady pulled her through the throng of people. All of them had money held up and were shouting at the two guys in the middle of the mass. He walked right up to a tall black man in a sharp dark suit.
“Hey Brady, my man, you in this tonight? I can use a large sum.”
Brady clasped hands with the guy and held a big grin. “Shoot, I’m in and I’m gonna win.” He stepped back and pulled Karis to his side. “King, this is Karis.”
“Aww, bout’ time you gotch yourself a girl.” He held out his hand for Karis, she took it and he raised it to his lips. “You take good care of him, Miss Karis. I ain’t playin wich ya either.”
She stepped back into Brady’s waiting arms. “I will, don’t you worry.”
“Alright, well, it looks like Creeper is gettin himself all knocked out. Shit, I had money on him too.” King threw down his cigarette and pressed on it with the toe of his boot. “You get in there, Brady, and show ‘em who’s boss.”
Brady gave Karis a deep yet quick kiss then took off, leaving her to stand next to King. She looked up at him. “Is King your real name?”
He laughed at her. “Naw, real name’s Nick.”
“What about Brady, have you seen him fight much?”
“Brady? Oh hell yes. He’s one of the best out there. I’ve placed my money on him since I started bettin on these guys.”
His words calmed her anxiety, but only a small bit. Watching him fight simply to fight sounded almost suicidal, and even though she knew he couldn’t die from a mere mortal punch, it still made her heart race thinking that he could get hurt.
Soon the crowd started yelling and screaming louder. She stood on her tiptoes but couldn’t see as well as she wanted, so she pushed through men and found herself at the edge of the fight circle.
Brady was there circling a man not much bigger than him, with a sneer on his face. Brady rolled his shoulders and watched his opponent closely. The bigger man swung and the crowd broke out with loud boos.
Karis flinched, but kept her eyes open and on the fight. It wasn’t long before Brady threw a hard punch and Karis could hear the guy’s nose break. That riled them both up even more, though for different reasons.
After fifteen minutes, Karis could see the other guy wearing out. His reflexes were slower and the time between his hits was farther apart. She clasped her hands together and did a little jump. Brady was going to win. “Go, baby!” She didn’t feel like her reserved self when screaming for him, but it felt good. Something inside her lit up and she felt free. Shamike didn’t matter, becoming Queen didn’t matter, nothing mattered but that exact moment.
Brady pulled back and threw one more hit, knocking the guy to the ground. He didn’t move to get back up. Karis could see his chest moving so she knew he was alive, but definitely knocked out.
She smiled broadly for Brady. He ran and lifted her in his arms. He had a small streak of blood on his eyebrow and nose, but other than that, he looked as sexy as ever. The throng of people cheered and King came over to them. “Hey man, you still got it.” He handed Brady a stack of paper bills and smiled.
Brady shook his head. “No, you keep it. I’ve got everything I need right here.”
First, I thank my Heavenly Father for giving me talents and inspiration. He has opened doors for me that I have dreamed about my whole life.
I thank my husband, Jym, for his outstanding patience while I write. The many, many nights leaving a light on for me while I was lost in the story (or editing). All the meals he helped cook, and dishes he washed, this thank you comes from my heart. Without him, this story, or any story, would never be finished because I would never have the time.
All four of my kids, Mickale, Gabriella, Dristen, and Valis, who encourage me daily and tell me that I am the world’
s greatest writer. They have filled me with so much happiness, and I am the luckiest mother in the world to have them. They are my greatest blessings.
I have some of the greatest support from family and friends. I love you and thank you all!
A special thanks to Jenny, my fabulous cover artist, who made Ageless Sea beautiful on the outside. You are truly talented. Thank you for putting up with me and my weird ideas, but you never seize to amaze me.
Kristina, you are an amazing editor. This story would never be as great without you, thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your hard work and time you invested in Ageless Sea.
Julie, you are a life saver! Not only are you the best formatter and save my books, but you are a great friend. Thank you for putting up with me and all my continuous mess-ups.
I have the world’s best critique partners and beta readers. You guys are awesome! Thank you for reading my stories, even when they are at their poorest. I can’t thank you enough for all your help! Seriously, it wouldn’t be what it is without you!
— M.R. Polish
I have always had a vivid imagination, whether I was five years old pretending my storybooks were cookbooks and spell books, or now in my (mysterious number) writing down what the voices tell me. Fantasy and paranormal are my favorite, but not the only thing I write or read. I read just about anything that intrigues me, although I am a wife and a mother to four wonderful kids, so reading time is late at night when the house is quiet. Dragons, vampires, witches, fairies, magical, mythical, historical, time travel, romance... I love it all. I also love inspirational books. My favorite religious author is Gerald Lund, author of the Kingdom in the Crown series and the Work and the Glory series among many others. Another personal favorite genre is historical romance with Native Americans. Mmmm... Love warriors. I have read the Savage Destiny series by Rosanne Bittner with Zeke at least fifty times... no, I am not exaggerating. *Deep sigh... Zeke...
Writing has always been a passion for me. When I was in the 5th grade, I won a scary short story contest for Halloween with the school newspaper. After that, the ink didn't stop flowing. I would write songs, poems, short stories and occasionally try my hand a novel (which was my deepest desire), but nothing ever came out that I thought was good enough. Until, Wolf Spell. It came to me and crawled under my skin till I itched to get it on paper. After that, ideas came at me full force. Series, trilogies, stand alones... Characters came to me in the middle of the night with incredible ideas and I listened. My writing comes from deep inside, from my heart. I pour out everything on paper, living lives and creating worlds that only I can see, wanting to share them with the world. And don't forget... Love that makes the heart race and ache for more.
