by Jaymin Eve
Lotus scoffed. “You don’t get a say here, Galindra. You never did. You tried to fight back by placing your child in the womb instead of mine, but you could not prevent the two already born of my energy. You cannot stop me.”
This was the she. Galindra. The name wasn’t familiar to me, but that didn’t mean much. I wasn’t really up on the supernatural or Atlantean gods. But she definitely hadn’t been one of the ten statues.
“Seems we are at an impasse,” Galindra said, gliding closer. As she moved, I blinked, because there was a trail of glittering clouds that followed. Like the weirdest entourage ever.
My world stopped as another figure emerged from the clouds. Just as Galindra was, he glided along the air, and if I hadn’t been held up by Lotus, I would have collapsed and fallen to the ground in that moment.
“Asher,” I choked out.
For the briefest moment, his dark golden eyes met mine. I felt that spark of connection between us, so briefly, and then it was gone. He dismissed me without another look, joining the golden woman, his expression both fierce and somehow … empty. My heart, the heart that had already been shattered, screamed in pain, and my soul wept for what I had lost.
Asher was alive, but I had a very scary suspicion that he was no longer my Asher.
He looked bigger, his shoulders broad as they strained against the white tunic shirt he wore. It allowed for some glimpses of tanned chest, and like me, he was definitely more golden. Like Galindra. Was she his mother? The one who had tried to stop Lotus all the years ago?
I hated that there was just so much I still didn’t know. I hated that I felt like someone was stabbing me in the gut. I especially hated that hope was trying to burst through my pain and sadness.
Asher wasn’t dead. He was right here before me, but … nothing would ever be the same. I already knew it.
Lotus jerked her hands in the air, storms building around us, and I managed to tear my gaze from Asher. I immediately wanted to look back, because his beautiful face was something I never thought I’d see again, but the goddesses held my attention.
“You cannot fight this,” Galindra said. “I have called the gods’ council, and we all have to appear. If we don’t, you know the consequences.”
Lotus snarled. “Why the hell would you bring them into this?”
“Because you do not listen!” Galindra snapped back, while somehow still sounding all earthy and ethereal. What was she the goddess of? Her power felt strong, and despite the jeering from Lotus, I could tell she was wary of this golden god.
Asher’s true mother.
Well, at least we weren’t related. Always looking for the silver lining … or in this case, the golden lining.
Lotus turned to me, all the fight dying from her. “Sorry, daughter, you have to return to the Academy until I can get this sorted out. Trust me, that’s the safest place for you until you learn of the full powers you wield. I will come for you when it’s time to move forward with our plans.”
Galindra clicked her tongue. “I’ll be sending my son back there as well. To keep an eye on things. Your daughter will not be your spy any longer, Lotus.”
She held her hand up and snapped her fingers, and in the same instant everything went dark.
26
My body was in shock. I was back in the Academy, Asher and Connor on either side of me. I couldn’t bring myself to move or speak.
What the fuck just happened?
“Where did you go?” Connor demanded, his voice barking close to my ear as he grabbed my arm. “You just disappeared.”
I thought he’d been with Draconis, but maybe she’d lied about that. “Lotus,” I murmured, a hand pressing to my chest to ease the ache there.
It wasn’t working.
Finally I lifted my face to stare at Connor, and it was mostly because I couldn’t bring myself to look at Asher. Emotion was taking hold of me, and while a lot of it was shock, there was something even stronger than that.
Rage.
An unwavering rage was trying to drown me with its intensity.
“Lotus snatched me up into the air,” I bit out, meeting Connor’s irate gaze. “I have no idea what she wanted from me, because we were attacked before she could do anything.”
Connor scoffed. “Attacked? By who? Who would be strong enough to take on Lotus?”
I shrugged. “Why don’t you ask Asher? He seemed awfully cozy with her.”
Connor finally seemed to notice that we hadn’t been sent back here alone. “Ash,” he gasped. “Great Mother. Where the hell have you been?”
Asher turned his cold expression on Connor, and I was relieved to see his eyes were no longer gold. Green was the prominent color, even if there were still streaks of gold through the irises. “None of your fucking business,” he said, his voice a rumble.
Then he walked away.
My rage exploded, as did my power, and since I now seemed to have complete control over it, I used the energy to wrap Asher in water and magic and jerk him right back to us. I sensed that he “allowed” me to overpower him, because his energy was super strong when it collided with mine, but he didn’t fight.
“Don’t you dare walk away from me, Asher Locke,” I snarled, unable to play it cool. “What the hell happened to you? What happened?”
I was shouting and I couldn’t stop.
He, on the other hand, wore a somewhat familiar scowl. I waited for him to retaliate, lash out at me, but he kept it all contained inside. “When I died,” he said, his voice low, “I returned to Atlantis, as we are designed to do. My mother found me. She found and educated me on my duties to the world.”
I blinked, not expecting that. “And what are your duties?”
He swiped a hand then, cutting through my power with ease. I no longer had any sort of hold on him. “Stopping you two and your parents before they destroy the world.”
This time when he walked away, I didn’t stop him. My limbs shook as I stared after him, trying to make sense of it all. Connor was at my side in seconds, touching me again. I shook him off, not able to handle it.
“Who is his mother?” he asked.
“Galindra,” I whispered, still staring after those broad shoulders as they disappeared.
What had just happened? Why was Asher so cold? I mean, he looked and sounded like Asher again, now that he was away from Galindra, but … there was no warmth or love in his expression. At first I’d wondered if he’d forgotten me, but it wasn’t that at all.
“Maddison!” Connor yelled, and I realized he’d been talking to me and I hadn’t listened at all.
“What?” I said, turning toward him.
His scowl took over half his face. “Did you just say—” He took a deep breath. “Galindra?”
This gave me a moment’s pause, because I didn’t like the way he asked that question. “Yes,” I said slowly. “Why?”
Connor leaned in closer, and I tilted my head back because he was getting way too familiar with me. “Are you absolutely sure she said Galindra? Could you have misheard?”
I snorted. “My memory is great. It was definitely Galindra. And I repeat: why?”
Connor rubbed a hand across his face before pushing his hair back into spikes. “Because she’s one of the strongest gods in existence. She’s the biological daughter of the mother of all gods. The only one she ever bore in a physical body. I’ve never heard of her getting involved in supe situations like this.”
Of course she was. Asher’s mother would definitely be of the “most powerful ever” variety. “Looks like she’s involved now.” And had been for a long time. “I think she’s the one who sank Atlantis all of those years ago to stop whatever Lotus and Draconis had planned.”
I was so confused and angry and disheartened. I had no idea where my friends were … if they thought I was dead or not. All I knew: I was fucking destroyed.
“I need some sleep,” I muttered. “I’ll deal with this tomorrow.”
Denial, my old friend. I was back
to pretending my life wasn’t a hot mess. I was back to pretending that Asher wasn’t dead but was still the love of my life.
Pretend, pretend, pretend.
Asher was long gone now, so I started to walk the same path that would lead to the commons. I had no idea what day it was. What month even. Everything could be dealt with tomorrow.
“It all makes sense now,” Connor said, and I didn’t bother to turn back. He didn’t stop talking though. “The reason why I could never figure out Asher’s god energy.”
Fuck! He knew that anything to do with Asher was going to get me, because I was apparently a masochist.
My feet stopped, and I sucked in a deep breath. “Spit it out,” I finally said.
I felt Connor’s energy as he came closer. Weaker than Asher’s and mine, but still strong.
“Asher is born of the mother of all. His power is beyond anything else because of her. That’s why they targeted him as the first of us to break.” He eyed me closely. “I have no idea why yours is stronger too, but I’ll figure it out.”
My head dropped, and I was staring at the cobbled path, its bright gray and blue stones intertwining. “And his father?”
“I’m pretty sure he has no father.”
My head jerked up. “What?”
Connor … grimaced might be the accurate term. “The mother of all is pure creation. She is the … well, the mother of everything. Her offspring will have the same abilities, although she is a lot less powerful. Galindra could have brought Asher to life in the womb of the queen on her own.”
My brain felt like it was going to explode and leak out my ears at this point, so I just started walking again and didn’t stop. Connor followed but remained thankfully quiet. Maybe he knew I was at the end of my rope. When we reached the commons, I noted that the roof was up and in full effect to keep out a massive storm. It was also growing darker as more students arrived. It was dinnertime.
Connor remained on my tail like the worst kind of recurring rash. I hadn’t planned on eating; sleep was my priority, but the moment I smelled food I decided to eat first. By instinct, I headed straight for my table, but—
My teeth slammed together. Hard. I felt the jolt all the way through my body. Asher was already there, at the table, and he wasn’t alone. “Motherfucker.”
A few people at nearby tables jumped.
“Who are they?” Connor asked.
“Clovers,” I snapped. “Bitchy girls who think they run this school. What’s left of them anyway.”
I didn’t add that they’d been put in their place by me last year, and they’d faded even more when their leaders were taken to jail. Apparently Asher was bringing them right back to the top of the social hierarchy. Asher’s head snapped up, and we locked eyes. Mine no doubt blazing with anger, while his were once again unreadable.
Only … there was this slight twinge in the depths. A moment of memory between us.
He turned back to the blond on his right; she was running her fingertips across his biceps, and my vision was tinting red. I’m going to fucking kill them all.
I knew deep down Asher was doing this to hurt me, and I had no fucking idea why.
Storming closer, I was too angry to take the high road here. I’d been mourning him. I’d felt more pain than I thought was possible. How could he?
When I stopped beside the table, he didn’t bother to look up. With my gaze locked on the side of his face, I let my power spiral from me in one long stream of fury. The women were blasted away, back into the commons somewhere, and all eyes were on us. As the Clover’s screams faded away, I leaned down very close to Asher, who finally turned to acknowledge me.
The smug smile on his face had my hands clenching at my sides. “I don’t know who the fuck you think you are,” I hissed, moving even closer, our eyes locked, “but be very careful about how far you push me. You once belonged to me, Asher Locke, and even though I wouldn’t touch you with a ten foot pole right now, that doesn’t mean anyone else gets to touch you either.”
If he thought I’d just roll over and take this bullshit, he was sadly mistaken.
That unreadable expression was back on his face, along with the spark in his eyes that surged through me, sending tingles across my body. He still affected me. Fuck.
Swinging away, I broke eye contact, my breathing harsher than I wished it was. I sat at a nearby table, because I would not let him chase me away. This was a new game and I was determined to win.
“You’re taking this rather well,” Connor carelessly remarked as he took a seat. He’d been nearby during that little show.
Something exploded on the table behind him, showering us both in what smelled a lot like lemonade. Connor’s eyes went wide. “Or … maybe not.”
Not. Definitely not.
27
The moment my door smashed open, my eyes were open and I was up on the bed, half levitating as power swirled around me. Ilia and Larissa both ground to a halt, their eyes wide as they held their hands up to show they were unarmed.
“Mads,” Ilia cried, moving again.
I let the energy go as I sank to the bed and waited for her to slam into me. My arms went around her as I held my sobbing best friend. Larissa was two steps behind, also crying, and I managed to wrap them both up.
“You were gone,” Larissa gasped, her icy energy stronger than ever as she clung to me. “The guys said you exploded in a ball of light … just like Asher.”
Ilia wasn’t saying anything. She’d uttered my name and then … silence. Even her sobs had faded, her head buried in my neck, not moving. I started telling them everything that had happened. From the moment the gods stole us down to the gates of Atlantis, waking with Connor, and my new god powers and body. The entire time I talked, they remained on the bed with me, and neither of them said a single word.
“I’m so sorry,” I finally finished. “I tried to send a message to you all last night, but no one seemed to have their phones on them.”
Ilia sighed. “When you two disappeared, there was the explosion. All technology was destroyed, including phones, radios, and navigation systems. Right after that, Atlantis started to rise again.”
“Holy shit,” I gasped. “How did you know I was back here, then?”
“Louis,” she said simply. “He told us that we needed to get back to the school. He’s waiting to talk to you in Princep Jones’s office.”
I nodded, sucking in some deep breaths. “Yep, okay. I’ll get dressed.”
My feet hit the ground and I pulled my half naked self up and across to my wardrobe.
“Mads,” Ilia said, stopping me. “What aren’t you telling us?” she whispered. “There’s something more.”
I laughed, sounding defeated. “More than finding out my parents are gods and that I was born ten thousand years ago and somehow caused the end of an entire civilization? More than dying yesterday only to be reborn as some fucking demigod with a psychopath as a brother?”
My words ran out, as did my breath, and I had to wrap my arms around myself to keep it together. Ilia didn’t give me an inch though. “Yes. Because I know all of that is fucked-up, but you’re pretty resilient, and the fact that you’re a kickass demigod now is only good news. So what else is there?”
My throat wasn’t working, but I somehow swallowed, sucked in some air, and managed to tell them. “Asher is alive. The same way my body was reborn, so was his.”
The silence was long, extended, and filled with about a million questions I didn’t have answers to. “Why didn’t you tell us before?” Ilia reached out and grabbed my arms to shake me. “What the fuck, Maddison?”
I shook her off and her face fell. “He’s back but he’s not the same,” I said quickly. “You’ll see soon.”
They were confused. That much was obvious. But I didn’t have the mental strength to ease that confusion. All I could do was put one foot in front of the other, do what I had to do, and then deal with the shit as it came at me. Grabbing some clothes and my toil
etries, I left the room and had a rather long shower. Yeah, Louis was waiting for me. Yeah, the world was fucking ending. But I needed five minutes to cry.
Cry where no one could see the pain rattling inside of me. Where no one judged the tears that ran unabashedly down my cheeks. Hear the sobs I silenced in a washcloth. I gave myself five minutes and then I sucked it all down inside, plastered on my stoic face—the one that had gotten me through so much shit in my life—and made my way back to my room.
Larissa and Ilia were waiting for me, still sitting on the bed and both thankfully looking a million times happier than when they’d run into my room. Ilia slammed me with a look the moment I walked in, and she was up and stalking toward me.
“Hells no!” she snarled, grabbing my toiletries and throwing them to Larissa. “You’re still dressed like a mourning human. You say Asher has changed, and that might be so, but I’ve seen the dude around you. His feelings went beyond love. Beyond true mates. It was something extra, and that doesn’t just disappear, no matter how many times you die. You better dress to show him exactly what he’s missing.”
I looked down. “I’m wearing jeans and black shirt, dude. It’s not exactly a mourning outfit.”
She clicked her tongue. “Nope, not good enough.”
I hadn’t told them exactly how Asher had treated me—the dismissive fucker—but somehow they still knew. I was too tired to fight her, so I let Ilia go to town as she did me up like her doll. By the time she was finished, I no longer wore my simple jeans and shirt; instead I was in a dark purple floor-length summer dress that had thin straps, was cut low across my breasts, with a long slit right up my left thigh. My hair was out and curled all the way down my back, a lighter shade to the dress.
She was about to do my face up as well, but then declared I didn’t need anything.
“You’re so much more golden,” she gushed, holding her arm next to mine. I marveled at how much closer our skin color was. Ilia was a dark goddess, her perfect skin something I’d long envied. Larissa’s was darker too, brown and flawless—I’d always been the pale one. But now … now I was a deep bronze color.
