by Eve, Jaymin
For as long as I existed, I would hear Connor’s screams. They reverberated through me. When he was nothing more than bones, he came at me, dragging the spirits from my body and letting them absorb into his.
I couldn’t figure out how that was better, because he definitely wouldn’t be able to resist their call. And sure enough, in seconds he stopped fighting. Flames danced in the sockets where his eyes used to be and the darkness was now part of his soul.
“Connor!” I screamed, effortless to talk in this primordial fire.
He drifted toward me and I looked around, trying to figure out if there was anything close by that might help me.
Anything at all.
A glint of copper caught my eye, and I was reaching for the trident before I could even think about it.
Connor charged at me.
“Release them!” I shouted. “It’s not too late.”
He never faltered, looking like someone’s worst nightmare come to life.
You can’t control them. Trust me. This time I used our mental link, and it got through.
He was silent for many moments, then light infused his bones. I’m the supreme being … born to destroy the worlds. The Father of All.
Don’t make me do this, Connor.
I couldn’t let him escape. There was no zapping from the lava, he’d have to rise through it like I did. And I would fight him all the way.
It will be better. This is the right path.
I recognized the words. They were the spirits, controlling him. He was so pliable, but I couldn’t be mad. I had been too, because one of us was never supposed to control them. The three of us was the only way, and we’d missed our shot.
You were trying to save me, I reminded him. Remember that. You didn’t want the world to end. You’re a hero, brother.
I felt him, for a split second, through our bond. Maddi… A whisper of his voice.
Before I could do a single thing to stop him, Connor zoomed at me, and by instinct I lowered my trident, plowing it straight into his chest.
No. Gods. No, no, no, no!
I was screaming and sobbing as the tip pierced his body, sinking deep. The original lava did not break our bones, but this ancient weapon, forged by our people … it was our weakness. Everything had one.
I love you, Maddi.
That was his last whisper before the world exploded around us, and my world went black.
Chapter 38
It was the sun that woke me, as warmth seeped into my skin, sinking through to my organs.
Skin … organs…
Connor.
The memories were there, partly shielded by my brain as it gave me time to try and deal with everything. I remembered though. I remembered it all.
My body had returned to me.
And my brother was lost.
Prying my lids open, I lifted a hand, examining the tanned skin and perfect nails before me. There were no flaws, no obvious signs of the trauma I’d both caused and suffered.
My scars lay beneath the skin.
It should worry me that I had no idea where I was, how I got here, or what had happened after Connor plowed into my trident.
I remember that part so clearly. I’d lowered the weapon but tried to move it last minute so it didn’t hit him directly. He’d shifted with it though, making sure it cracked right through his chest, into the center of his power.
Numbness in my body and mind was the only thing keeping me from experiencing the sheer overload of agonizing and painful memories. Best to just lie here. Wherever here was.
Maybe I was in the underworld.
I didn’t look transparent, but from what I understood of that place when you were dead, the souls just looked normal to each other. There was no peace in my body, though. I was filled with restless energy that slapped against me, urging me to release the numbing void. Release it and feel.
“Maddison fucking James!”
The voice was loud, pissed off, and it came from one of my favorite people in the world. Ilia stomped over to stand above me, staring down with a furious look on her face.
“Girl. You better get your sandy ass up. Right. Now.”
She was angry, clearly, but there were tears in her eyes too. I blinked, feeling some of that numbness slipping away, the pain clawing at my insides. Tears trailed down my cheeks, and while I didn’t make a sound, my body was screaming.
Ilia didn’t say anything else. She just sat beside me, close enough that her hip touched my shoulder.
The pair of us remained like that for hours, silent but together.
“How did you find me?” I finally asked. With those words, I found the strength to sit.
She snorted, her eyes distant. “I tracked you for years, girl. I could find you any fucking where, especially with my newly gifted powers.” She grimaced briefly, before a smile ripped across her face. “Thank you for that. I mean, I kinda love that we’re almost related now, since I have your mother’s old powers.” Her brow wrinkled. “Yeah, that’s weird. Anyways, let’s just say it has taken some getting used to, but I’ve managed not to send storms raging across the world in the last few weeks.”
“Weeks…” I whispered.
As naked as the day I was born, white-blond hair—my natural color that I hadn’t seen for years—cascading down my back, I turned to face my best friend. “It’s been weeks?”
She nodded. “Yeah. You’ve been missing for weeks. None of us had a goddamned clue what happened to you. Asher near lost his mind. This morning, when I picked up a signal from you, I rushed off before I could tell anyone. Scared you might disappear again.”
She looked around.
“Nice island. You know it wasn’t here yesterday, right?”
I took a moment to look around it too. Perfect sandy white beach, aquamarine water surrounding the tiny section of land, and about fifteen trees scattered about, offering a tiny slice of shade.
“I think I was existing between worlds,” I said softly. “I had all this energy from Galindra—it allowed me to remake my reality for some time.” Imagery flashed at me … darkness where I’d hidden and mourned. “At some point I released her energy, after having used most of it, and … it was time for me to return.” Guilt and pain had trapped me in a void of my own making.
Ilia shocked me when she wrapped her arms around me, pulling me against her, holding on like she was anchoring me to this world. “I thought I lost you. When the guys told me everything that happened, I fucking cried for a week. And then I started hunting you.” She pulled back and her eyes were as stormy as her new power. “I refused to believe you were gone. No one could find you in the underworld. Or in Faerie. Or in the demon realm. You had literally ceased to exist.”
“Asher…” I murmured out loud, devastated at the pain I must have caused him.
Ilia paled. The fact that someone with skin as dark as hers could “pale” told me that it had not been a good time for him these past few weeks.
“Asher found Connor’s bones. They were washed up on the edge of the lava in the underworld, your trident still sticking out of them. He said the spirits tried to entice him into the lava, so he knew they were back where they belonged, but … you were gone. He almost went into the lava just to see if you were there, but he figured if the spirits were calling, you were not available to them.”
I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry. “So … Connor is actually dead? He hasn’t reappeared like me?”
She squeezed my hand, her face sad. “We found him in the underworld. His spirit is at peace. He didn’t even remember us, but he was happy, Mads. He was happy.”
Sobs burst from me and I buried my head in my hands, bringing Ilia’s with me because she wouldn’t let me go. “I don’t know if I can face them all. The things I did. The things I said…”
I killed people. So many of them. Most of them had been legitimately evil, but it wasn’t my place to decide if they should live or die…
Ilia snorted again, and using o
ur still-connected hands, jumped to her feet, yanking me with her. “Babe, you know I love you more than anything, but I won’t sit here at your pity party for one. A lot of fucked-up shit happened, and we’ll be rebuilding the world for years to come, but in the end, you’re the fucking hero that saved us all. You killed the gods.” She jabbed at my chest, not hard enough to hurt but I felt it. “You fought the most powerful spirits in existence, pretty much from the first moment they took you over.”
I shook my head. “No, I didn’t. I let them do whatever they wanted.”
The look on her face was one of disbelief. “Dude, you know that’s not true. They wanted to completely remake the world. We all know that was their ultimate end game. That’s the reason for them to exist. They’re basically a failsafe when the world is no longer redeemable. You fought them.”
Logically, what she said made sense, but the embarrassment I felt at letting them take me over wouldn’t abate.
“Did you know that Louis’s mate had their baby?”
My head jerked up and I blinked at her. “She did?”
She nodded. “Oh yeah, nine-pound chunker of a boy. Strong and powerful, just like his parents, and already with those fucking violet eyes that can see into your soul.”
Happiness exploded in my chest, cutting through the dark depression that had been holding me hostage for weeks.
“Wanna know what they named him?”
I nodded. Already that shining brightness of a new child had me feeling lighter.
“James.”
The tears were back, but this time they were not filled with a soul crushing grief. Or shame at my actions. This time … it was joy.
“James…” I breathed.
Ilia nudged me. “Yes, girl. James. Because you are so fucking awesome, and they could think of no better role model for their child. I mean, his name is James and some other middle name for those twins he’s so fond of, but his first name … it’s for you.”
I shook my head. “It’s more than I deserve. I do need to stop hiding and face them all. I need … Asher. I fucking need him. He deserves an explanation.”
Movement to our right caught my eye and Ilia let out a blast of storm magic before she could stop herself. Asher brushed it away like it was a piece of paper floating on a light breeze.
“Shit, dude! I could have killed you,” she burst out, her hands shaking. “You know better than to startle a newly-powered god. I’m a fucking explosion waiting to happen.”
She kept raging on but Asher had no attention for anything but me. His eyes, the color a simmering pot of gold, were locked on my face. He stalked toward me, not pausing, not even looking Ilia’s way. After some time she just threw her hands up and muttered something about giving us privacy and letting everyone else know I was alive and well.
When she disappeared in a swirl of storm power, I found myself standing before my mate.
“Maddison James,” he rumbled, and I crumpled like a deflated tire, falling forward, slamming against him.
His arms were there, strong and sure, keeping me up as I sobbed against his chest. “I’m so sorry,” I choked out. “Fuck. I made so many mistakes. You should hate me.”
Those strong arms holding me tightened, pulling me closer, cradling me against him. “Stop,” he rumbled against my cheek. “Stop apologizing. You have nothing to be sorry for. There’s literally not a thing on any world that could make me hate you. Smack that perfect ass? Totally. But never hate.” He breathed deeply, eyes closed as he buried his head in my neck. “Just … let me fucking hold you.”
Moisture landed on my skin, and I couldn’t be sure, but maybe Asher shed a tear in that moment too. Not that I could tell when he finally pulled back, his face picture perfect.
Lurching forward, I slammed my lips against his, needing this more than anything in the world. I groaned as that fresh air, salty scent of him invaded my senses, filling me with a completeness I hadn’t felt in a very long time. Maybe now wasn’t the best time, but I’d missed my mate, everything about him. And I was done mourning. It was time to start living again.
Asher’s chest rumbled against me, a growl leaving his lips as he yanked me hard into his chest. My body pressed against his was the best feeling ever, and when he picked me up, I twined my legs around his waist.
His clothes vanished in the next heartbeat and we were naked, the long hard length of him pressed to my stomach, and I rocked forward, needing to feel more. We reached the water and Asher plunged us into the depths, allowing more of my tattered soul to repair.
Piece by piece, he was bringing me back to myself.
“Now, Ash,” I said breathlessly, water all around us. “I need you to love me now.”
He slid inside in one hard thrust, jerking my body back with the force. My nails dug into his shoulders as I held on, keeping myself anchored as best I could as he slammed into me over and over and over again. The first orgasm hit hard and fast, my body desperate for the release; the second started to build immediately.
Asher lifted me so he could take a nipple into his mouth, all the while continuing to possess my body in a way that was designed to kill a person with pleasure. It was a little rough and desperate, out of control … and totally perfect.
I screamed as the second spiral of pleasure sent stars across my vision, turning the water into a jacuzzi. My power poured heat, as did Asher’s, and we would have to finish this soon or we’d start killing our beloved sea creatures, most of whom were thankfully making themselves scarce right now.
I could feel when Asher was close, his dick swelling until it was almost painful. He was big at the best of times, but just before he came it was scary big. “Let me finish you off,” I said, scraping my nails down his chest, before cupping his balls in my hands. I could only just reach them in his position, and I honestly needed more.
His eyes darkened, teeth bared as he nodded.
My body protested when I slid off, but she soon shut up as I lowered myself in the water, wrapping a hand around him. His shaft was too wide for me to close my fingers, but that was okay, my mouth was the most important part today.
With one hand cupping his balls, the other wrapped around the base, my tongue and lips worked his knob. His taste was intoxicating, and since I didn’t have to breathe, I got to enjoy the full experience, taking him as deep as I could, licking across him over and over. He groaned, palming the back of my head as I worked his cock.
“I’m gonna come, baby,” he groaned again.
He was warning me, but he didn’t have to. I liked the taste of him, and I wanted it all. My pace increased and he threw his head back, jerking in my mouth once, twice, and again. I swallowed, loving the taste and the knowledge I’d pleasured him like this. It was a pretty big turn on.
When he was finished, and I’d licked him clean, he yanked me up into his chest, lips crashing into mine. “I fucking love you,” he murmured against my mouth.
“I love you too,” I whispered back, my head spinning at how strong my emotions were.
We kissed for a long time, before Asher carried me back to the sand and this time loved me slowly, bringing my body to the edge of orgasm with his tongue until I lost control and used my power to slam him back into the sand so I could climb on top and ride him.
Turned out my newly created island was the perfect place for us to spend multiple days and nights loving each other. It was only the thought that I had other people to see, to explain myself to, that stopped me from hiding there with Asher forever.
“We don’t have to go back,” he said, when I was lying in his arms a few days later. There was a peace in my heart now. I’d come to terms with everything that had happened during the battle against the gods, and I had forgiven myself.
Somewhat.
Asher’s unconditional love and support made it difficult to continue to place all the blame on myself. And Connor was happy. So that was something.
“You don’t owe anyone anything,” he said. “You risked everyt
hing to save the world. You were going to sacrifice yourself and stay in the lava.”
I about pulled a muscle turning my head to see him. “How did you know that?” I asked, wide-eyed.
“Connor.”
He’d talked about my brother a lot, but it still hurt to hear his name. “He remembered that?”
Asher nodded. “Yeah, when I got to him, he’d only just arrived from the processing in the underworld. He still had his memories. They were fading fast though, so I got as much of the story as I could, and then let him have his peace.”
Playing with the sand, letting it fall between my fingers, I turned back to stare at the moon. “Does he have a family there? He is truly at peace…”
Asher drew me close. “He’s at peace, baby. And he does have a family. He’s found a soul that he spends a lot of time with. Rone checks in on him.”
Rone, the new god of the underworld. Another face crossed my mind, one with an ever changing face.
“Has he run across Heptashia there?”
Asher snorted. “Yeah, apparently he’s seen her a few times. She celebrated pretty hard when Draconis died. It’s just a shame he didn’t procure some photographic evidence.”
I choked on some laughter, trying to imagine her acting more crazy. Gods, maybe she would end up in our girl-gang one day. As my laughter died off, I found myself swallowing hard. I’d been wanting to ask Asher something, and I feared the answer, but it was time…
“Are the guys angry with me?” I choked out. “I mean, I just forced the powers on them. Forced godhood on them.”
He laughed, the rich sound cutting out the natural ambient background noise of the island. “Angry? Fuck no. They’re loving being gods, the cocky bastards. They’re doing a pretty good job at it though. Larissa is the only one a little pissed. She kinda wanted to be a god too.”
I shook my head, laughter bubbling out of my throat.
“I told her the next time a god fucked up, I would destroy them and she’d be first in line for the power.”
Turning, I pressed a kiss to his chest. “You’re a good person, Asher Locke. I’m so lucky that you’re my mate.”