by Jaymin Eve
“How are you trying to heal him? What are you doing?”
Louis’s eyes were locked on the tank. “I’m trying to figure out how to get close to him. The power is building. Keeping me out.”
He was worried. I was dying inside, because this should have been me. Asher had pushed me out of the way.
Needing to do something, I released Louis’s hand and started to walk toward the tank. Maybe I could get close. When I was about two feet away, I felt the energy; it was like being hit with a flamethrower. The heat was intense. My skin felt raw and sandpapered.
“Holy shit,” I gasped. “That’s from Asher?”
The three of them nodded solemnly, and I realized that if they didn’t have a shot of reaching him—the most powerful beings in the world—how the heck could I?
Still, it was Asher, and I needed to try. He needed me right now.
Or, more accurately, I needed him.
13
I drew water around me to fight the heat. It was instinctual; water was always my first line of defense. It worked to some degree, but the power and heat were still too much. I wasn’t sure I could pull more water without taking from that around Asher. And I would never risk him.
“If you can counter the heat, that’s one thing,” Louis said, “but more concerning is the energy in that tank. It’s coming from Asher, his power mixed with the blast he received. It’s powerful enough to kill even me. The magic he was hit with has no origin from what I can tell. So … it’s probably straight from the—”
“Gods,” Jessa and Braxton said at the same time.
Louis nodded.
Great. Another fucking god trying to kill us.
Despite their concerns, I tried a few more times to make it through before eventually admitting defeat.
“You’re still weak from your healing,” Louis said. “Take your time, come back again when you’re stronger. Asher is not going anywhere.”
“Maddi!” someone shouted from behind us. I spun, a sob escaping as Axl came into sight. He was followed by the rest of my guys, each of them looking healthy and perfect and…
I sobbed again.
Doing my best not to trip, I threw myself at Axl, who was closest. He held me tightly and far longer than was his normal style. “Why does this keep happening?” I cried, pulling back, my eyes burning. “Every time Asher and I find the slightest piece of normal, he’s taken away from me. Someone keeps hurting him, and I’m fucking over it.”
Rone, whose face resembled what I imagined a fallen angel’s would look like, stepped closer. His eyes locked on Asher’s tank. “There’s evil afoot, a plan to bring about the rise of Atlantis. Everything is happening to you two because you’re important pieces to this puzzle.”
I shook my head, unable to look away from Asher. Having him this close and not being able to touch him … heal him … it was killing me. “Is this Sonaris?”
They said he would rise with Atlantis, and while technically the fabled land was stuck between, the spell holding it had been broken. Which meant Sonaris could have risen with it as well, and maybe he was cleaning up the Atlanteans left behind.
“This was not the God of Water’s power,” Louis said without hesitation. “It’s more like … Lotus when it involves lightning.”
Axl nodded, his arm still tight around me. “Yes, the Goddess of Storms was not known for her calm temperament, but it’s odd that she would return. What is her link to Sonaris? I mean, if we’re all assuming this is because of Sonaris and the rise of Atlantis…” He looked between everyone. “You know I hate to assume anything, but in this situation I can only go with the most logical explanation, and that’s where I’m at.”
I patted his chest. “I’m there too.”
Jesse captured my attention then, his gorgeous eyes a little red-rimmed, his skin washed out. “You’ve both stressed us to the point of fucking gray hair, Mads. Seriously. Do you know what it felt like to find you and Ash half-dead in the commons?” He shook his head, eyes falling. “I’m not sure how much more of this I can handle.”
He needed a hug. I could tell that, and I stepped into his heat, wrapping my arms around him. “I’m so sorry,” I murmured. “I wish this wasn’t happening to us. But we will not go down without a fight. Asher will fight. You know that.”
He had to lean almost in half to bury his face in my hair, holding me like his life depended on it. There was something a little broken in my lion shifter these days; I could feel it in the energy rattling around my chest.
“You have a pack,” Jessa said, startling me. She nodded a few times. “That’s good. I needed my pack to survive my trials, and you’re going to need yours as well.”
“Who was your pack?” Calen asked, having been quiet and withdrawn until this point. He was pale too, and I was starting to see the toll the last few days had taken on my guys.
“The Compasses,” Jessa said simply. “Those four powerful assholes have been my best friends since we were like three. It never changed until Brax and I figured out we were true mates—that shifted the dynamics, but everything worked out in the end. I would never have survived without my guys. Not against the dragon king, or the demons, or everything else we’ve faced since then.”
“I wouldn’t have survived without my guys as well,” I said, feeling a kinship with her. “I’m so glad you understand. Sign me up for your girl gang.”
Calen made a chuckling sound, and while I was relieved to hear a little of his old personality in that laugh, I was also worried about what was going to come out of his mouth.
“I’d like to be part of this girl gang,” he started, “with your naked pillow fights. You can tell me all your secrets and practice making out with me.”
Someone had been watching too many Eighties teen movies.
Jessa bared her teeth at him, and I could see the shifter coming out strongly in her. “We’re more about sword fighting and kicking ass, and since you’re going to be the only one with balls in the group, you’ll probably end up being the one we stomp into the ground. So if you’d like that role…”
Calen eyed her for a beat, and I knew he wanted to say something more inappropriate, but the dragon shifter watching over Jessa’s shoulder definitely stayed his comment.
“So what do we do about Asher?” I asked, bringing the subject back to what was important.
“I’m working on it,” Louis said. “For now he’s somewhat stable, and I’m going to figure out how to break through the power around him.”
I nodded. “I will as well. As soon as I’ve returned to my full strength, I’m going to be back here.”
No one argued with me.
“Until then though, you need to rest and return to school,” Louis told me sternly. “It’s important that you keep learning, strengthening your abilities and skills. It’s helping you control your powers, whether you think it is or not.”
I eyed him, because there was more than what he was telling me. Something extra in his tone, but I was too frazzled to question it right now. I knew his advice was good, but I couldn’t imagine being able to concentrate in class when I knew Asher was out here, slowly dying.
“I’ll come back tomorrow and every day after that,” I murmured to myself, putting that out in the world like a promise.
“Providing Atlantis doesn’t rise and you’re required there,” Axl said.
A few of the guys groaned at his bluntness, but I shook my head. “Asher is my priority at the minute. Atlantis will have to wait.”
Of course, I wasn’t naïve enough to think that just because I said it, it would happen. But a girl could hope.
I’d basically missed the rest of my first week and the weekend, so I was back to classes on Monday. Well, most of me was, because I was still a little weak from the blast, not to mention stressed and not sleeping over Asher, so it was a bedraggled version of me that ended up at Sword and Sorcery that morning.
Simon hugged me as soon as I entered the room. “I saw everything,” h
e said in a hushed rush of words. “It was the scariest thing I’ve ever witnessed. I was so sure that you were dead.”
His voice broke, and I squeezed his hand tightly. “Sorry to have scared you. Apparently people are not done trying to kill me yet.”
It was kind of amazing that I hadn’t been asked to leave the Academy, because I was definitely a threat to the students here. I was bringing a lot of danger their way. Because of me Asher was…
I couldn’t even think about it, so I focused on the lessons, determined to learn everything I could and be powerful enough one day to never be in this position again. We spent most of the lesson trying to exert our will and power over different weapons. I managed to get my throwing knives through every target, and I even used a few of the short blades, which were not as heavy as the big swords I still didn’t have the muscles to lift.
By the end of the class, I was tired but satisfied. I hadn’t screwed up once, and even though no weapons felt really right in my hands, I was gaining control over a lot of them. Next class was Herbalism, and I was relieved to see Larissa waiting at the edge of the building for me.
“Girl, you look like crap,” she said with sympathy, hugging me tightly. “Maybe you should have taken today off as well.”
I shook my head. “I’d only spend all day lingering near Asher’s tank, so it’s better to stay busy.”
However, being in Herbalism, knowing Asher was so close by, made it very difficult to concentrate. We had the same teacher as last year, Fleecia, the blond-haired, blue-eyed, perfect-looking fey.
“Good morning,” she started, and introduced what we were focusing on today, which was a continuation from the last lesson that I’d missed when I was almost dying.
“We’re focusing on healing plants this year,” Larissa told me. “It’s one of the hardest disciplines of magic and herbalism, but also one of the most important. Last week we searched out jejuna, which is a mushroom-looking plant that grows under a thin layer of dirt. It’s great for eye issues, sometimes eaten raw or cooked, and also mashed and placed on eyes for different maladies.”
Larissa showed me the notes she took last time, and I quickly copied what I thought was important. This lesson we were finding jejuna’s much rarer cousin, juni. From the image, it was a yellow toadstool-looking plant that originated in Faerie. It liked damp, warm places, and was often found under the loose bark of certain trees.
“It can actually restore sight to those who have lost it,” Larissa said as we wandered off.
“When you find the juni,” Fleecia shouted to the departing students, “cut only the smallest sliver and bring it back with you. The text demonstrates how to do so without damaging the plant. Anyone who damages a juni will be in big trouble.”
The threat was real, and I took my time examining the images closely, noting the angle you needed to slice. “If this plant is so rare and important, why are we cutting it at all?” I asked, pushing through some leafy ferns.
Larissa followed. “Because this year we’re actually making everything that we study, and if we get it right, it’ll be used in the actual healing of supes. We find the plants, make the healing potions, and then hope we didn’t fuck it up.”
Great. No pressure. Definitely no time to be distracted by Asher.
14
Even during very important lessons I couldn’t stop worrying about Asher. Thankfully, Larissa was there keeping an eye on me, catching my arm when I tripped over exposed tree roots, stopping me falling right into a bunch of the green-and-purple-leafed mest ivy, which was the supernatural world’s version of poison ivy—only it turned any bare skin that it touched into black angry patches that itched and oozed for days until the poison eventually worked its way out of your body. I shuddered as she wrenched me back using her vampire strength.
“Girl, you’re totally out of it,” she said, shaking her head.
I rubbed my arm. “Thanks for the save. I just … can’t focus with Asher so close. I don’t understand why this keeps happening to us. It’s like the fates want to keep us apart. We can’t catch a break.”
Larissa wrapped her arm around me. “It really sucks, seriously, but you need to try and remember one thing. Nothing, so far, has worked in keeping you apart. You’re already proving to be stronger than the fates. Just keep fighting.”
I knew she was right, but it was hard not to despair over the current fucked-up situation. “Do you mind if I check on him?” I asked. A frantic, desperate need was clawing at my insides, like an actual living beast trying to get free.
“Not at all,” she said, waving her hand for me to lead the way.
I had the best fucking friends. “Have you heard from Ilia?” I asked her. My phone was fried when I got shot with the lightning god bolt or whatever it was, and now I was phoneless. I’d tried desperately to bring mine back to life, wanting to read through all the silly, sexy texts from Asher. To listen to my voicemails one more time. But there was no saving it.
“Yep, she’s on her way back. She should be home tomorrow,” Larissa said, her smile actually reaching her eyes as she pushed some leaves aside for me. “She’s worried about you. I’ve already had seventeen messages about getting you a new phone.”
I knew she hated not being able to talk with me consistently, especially after everything that had happened. “I’m so happy she’ll be home,” I said, feeling a burst of relief.
“Me too,” Larissa admitted. “Always feels like something is missing when she’s working.”
That was so true.
Once we were through a very thick section of forest, Larissa fell back and let me lead again. I started to awaken as we got closer, the heat in my center unfurling. I was praying I didn’t lose my ability to control myself when I was near him.
“If I tell you to run, then you run,” I said to Larissa.
She blinked up at me, her big blue eyes wide. “Uh, that was random.”
I snorted. “Sometimes Asher causes me to lose my—”
“Panties,” she suggested.
“Control,” I replied drily. “Control of my powers.” I shrugged. “Panties too, but that’s another story.”
Larissa chuckled, but it dried up pretty quickly because we were now in the darker, older part of the forest. A sense of ancient energy settled across our skin. That energy was a little different to the last time I was here … stronger.
“Holy shit,” Larissa murmured, rubbing her right hand across her left biceps, like she was chilled. I could see the goose bumps on her skin.
I felt some sort of relief when Asher finally came into view, followed by despair. His face was visible through the side of his glass tank, but the energy around him had not disappeared. I still couldn’t get closer than a few feet from him.
“What’s happening to him?” Larissa asked. Last night I’d briefly explained to her what Louis told me, but seeing it in person made it extra real.
“The power won’t release him,” I said softly. “He’s not healing. He’s not waking up. And it’s growing stronger. No one can get close enough to him to try and fix the situation.”
Larissa’s normally innocent-looking features hardened, her fangs visible as she pushed against the power barrier. “There has to be a way,” she gritted out between bared teeth. She held a hand out. “Maybe it’s a combination of race strengths needed.”
I shook my head. “I’m afraid I’ll lose control if I push any harder. My energy is raging inside of me.”
And I would never risk my friend.
Larissa, on the other hand, didn’t have the same qualms. She reached out with vampire speed and grabbed my hand, yanking us both into the barrier. A scream ripped from me as the heat exploded. For a minute I blacked out, and the next thing I knew I was smashed against a hard surface, cool glass pressed beneath my cheek and hand, my head spinning as I worked to regain my full focus.
“Maddi!” Larissa screamed.
I managed to pry one eye open to find Larissa pressed against Asher�
��s tank too. “I can’t move,” I said, forcing each word out through my compressed throat. My chest was firm against the glass, and it made breathing and talking difficult. My PTSD over being restrained was kicking in; the only thing stopping me from losing it completely was the fact that I knew it was magic and not a person holding me.
When I was finally able to get both eyes open—the one pressed against the glass just a sliver, but it counted—I was right near Asher’s face. And his eyes were open.
“Asher!” I shouted, trying to use my pathetic muscles to push myself up on the glass. Dammit. I really needed to get to the weight room.
Lightning flashed in Asher’s sea-green eyes. The silver was almost completely gone now. Instead, there was the brightest gold melting through his irises, sparks of energy lighting up the gold. That’s not normal.
Something was happening to Asher, something he couldn’t escape from. “Ash?” I whispered, having no idea if he could hear me but needing to try anyway.
I was ripped away before I could say another word, a soundless scream leaving me. Then in a whirl of energy I was back on the outside of the barrier, a furious-looking Louis between Larissa and me. He had both arms out, muscles trembling as he huffed. Another powerful supe stepped up, placing her hand on his chest. “Calm, sweetheart,” she said softly, and Louis’s eyes snapped to the woman. Something thawed in that hard, scary expression.
“I’m okay,” he murmured, finally lowering his arms. “I just wasn’t sure I was going to get them back.”
I wanted to keep listening to their conversation, because he was talking about things I gave a huge damn about, but my focus was on Asher. His eyes were closed again, and he looked exactly as he had every other time I’d seen him.
“Did you see him open his eyes?” I whispered.
I didn’t look at any of them, but I felt the confusion. “No, I didn’t,” Louis rumbled, anger still tracing each word.
