Gaia Awakened

by Cassie Thorne

  “Add it to my tab,” he says dismissively, as if I’m his bartender. “I’m looking for another book as well. I believe it was last sighted in the twelfth century, but I don’t have any other information about it.”

  “Okay,” I say, shifting into librarian mode. “Do you at least know the title?”

  He inclines his head. “The Goddess Codex.”

  I step back from Aidan, my heart suddenly pounding. “What did you say?”

  “Do you know where I can find it?” he asks intently, taking a step forward to match mine.

  The only time I’ve ever heard of a codex was when Willow and I visited a fortuneteller on her birthday. We thought it would be a fun experience, but the tiny shop was dimly lit and weirdly creepy. The fortuneteller was this blind old woman, so it wasn’t like we were worried for our safety or anything. Besides, all she did at first was say Willow would fall in love with a mysterious stranger and uncover a secret about her past.

  But when it was my turn, the fortuneteller looked me over from head to toe, as if suddenly regaining her sight. And then her body went rigid and her voice became incredibly deep, like a man’s voice.

  I still remember every word she said to me.

  A man will ask you for a codex belonging to a goddess.

  If you go with him, you will die.

  I spent several months after that obsessed with interpreting the prophecy. But none of my research ever uncovered anything useful, other than a few ancient myths and some old illustrations of a gilded leather book called The Goddess Codex.

  I’d mostly forgotten about it until now.

  “This is a joke, right?” I say, the smile slipping from my face. “Willow must have put you up to it. Well, ha freaking ha. I’m so glad she woke me up for this.”

  Aidan frowns. “Who’s Willow?”

  “She was helping you earlier,” I say uncertainly. “When you asked for me?”

  “Oh,” he says, sounding impatient. “I don’t know anything about that joke. I’m here because I was told you would know where the book is located. Do you actually know, Paige, or am I wasting my time?”

  I feel a flare of anger inside me. He shouldn’t have said that part about wasting time.

  “I specialize in rare books and special collections,” I start heatedly. “And I’ll have you know The Goddess Codex doesn’t exist...”

  A sudden gust of cold wind makes me trail off. The temperature has dropped to below freezing in here, as if it’s the middle of December instead of June.

  When I look down, I see a snowflake in my hair.

  It melts when I touch it.

  It’s real. Not fake.

  When I look up again, Aidan is staring deep into the heart of the Dragon’s Tale, his muscles visibly tensed. There’s a fight-or-flight gleam in his eyes, as if he’s prepared for a battle to the death.

  But who would be doing that in the middle of a bookstore?

  Aidan turns to me, just as I begin to hear the sound of flapping wings and the screech of an inhuman creature.

  He grabs my hand and wraps his fingers tightly around mine.

  A streak of lightning burns straight to my core.

  He says one word.

  “Run.”

  And then, with a bright flash of blue light, the world turns upside down.

  Chapter Two

  Aidan

  I told Paige to run. Didn’t I tell her to run? Right before I grabbed her hand and felt a hellfrost spell yank us out of the bookstore. But now we’re falling through the sky of the Winter Realm, because she didn’t run.

  She passed out instead.

  I glance over at Paige, confirming she’s still alive. Her full lips are slightly parted, and her nipples are erect under her fluttering blouse. I’m drawn to her even though I’m a demigod who definitely should not get involved with humans.

  Right now, the only thought in my mind is what it would feel like to be inside her. It’s a very explicit thought, involving our naked bodies and a bed covered in moss. Almost too specific. I’m suspicious we may have met before, but that’s impossible.

  I never would have forgotten her.

  Not a chance in hell.

  The only reason I even came across Paige was because I was searching for The Goddess Codex. Rowan, the ruler of the Autumn Realm, told me to visit a bookstore called the Dragon’s Tale. He said a human girl named Paige would be able to find the spellbook.

  I thought he was joking at first. No human would have enough magic to locate a spellbook that has been lost for centuries. And the rulers of the four seasonal realms, myself included, are the only people who can turn into dragons. So was I really going to find the answers to all my problems in a place called the Dragon’s Tale? It wouldn’t be the first time Rowan has sent me on a wild goose chase involving wordplay. The proverbial middle finger, you know?

  I spent at least a week ensuring the Dragon’s Tale wasn’t rigged with some kind of trap designed to fuck with me. It seemed safe enough, though I still wasn’t positive there wouldn’t be a landslide of acorns waiting to crush me.

  But when I finally entered the bookstore, the first thing that hit me was the scent of strawberries and magic.

  The second thing was a brunette in librarian glasses.

  She crashed into me with her nose buried in a book. I thought she was Paige at first, which is a laughable concept now that I’ve met both women. It didn’t take me long to figure out there were two girls who owned the bookstore. The brunette said she’d find Paige and then rushed away, all while I was still trying to determine if this was some kind of joke.

  But the moment Paige came into the bookstore, I knew.

  The aroma of strawberries and magic increased tenfold. I couldn’t see her from where I was standing, but every fiber of my being growled that she was moving toward me.

  I tried to distract myself by grabbing a random book and flipping through it. The word dragon caught my eye several times before I realized I was holding a fantasy novel.

  Everything in it was fucking wrong.

  Annoyed, I ripped out one of the pages.

  That was when I heard the gasp.

  I looked up and saw her. Paige. Her tresses dark and flowing like ink. Her blue and green eyes that somehow avoided me while at the same time encompassing my very being. I could practically taste the ripe strawberries and powerful magic in her scent. Of course she’d be able to find The Goddess Codex. She had more magic than any human I’d ever encountered. Four types, mixed together like spilled paint.

  Lightstorm.

  Hellfrost.

  Mistgreen.

  Wildwind.

  For the first time in millennia, my heart was beating like I had something to care about. I had to talk to her. I had to know everything about her. Her scent was beyond intoxicating, to the point where I almost lost control. I’d seen glimpses of her from outside the bookstore, of course, but nothing could have prepared me for this.

  That was when I felt a spell homing in on us. The chill of hellfrost magic ran down my spine, which meant that Jasper, the ruler of the Winter Realm, was about to do something truly fucked. I didn’t know what it was yet. I just knew I had to protect Paige at all costs. Not because of The Goddess Codex, but because of whatever inexplicable force is making me want to hold her tight and never let go.

  I managed to grab her hand just before we were yanked into the Winter Realm, which is why she’s still alive. But if I don’t get her to safety within the next few minutes, she’ll freeze to death before we even land. And her beauty and magic can’t be extinguished like that.

  Not on my watch.

  I draw Paige closer to me in the sky, securing my arms around her waist. Her scent overwhelms me for a moment, but I manage to resist any less than pure thoughts. For now.

  “Humus tactum,” I breathe into her hair.

  A bolt of lightstorm instantly streaks down from the sun and cocoons itself around our bodies. Instead of plunging through the air, we’re gent
ly floated by magic all the way down to the snow.

  The instant we’re safe, I climb to my feet and shrug off my leather jacket, draping it over Paige’s unconscious body. I’m enormous compared to her, and the jacket covers every part of her except her calves and feet.

  The difference in our sizes makes me briefly smile.

  At least she’s wearing boots. That’ll be useful for the snow.

  I tip my head upward and stare into the sky, searching for any sign of Jasper. The evil demigod is somewhere nearby, hunting us in dragon form. I don’t think he’s found us yet, but a cold wind is sifting through my hair with a suspicious amount of interest. Once he figures out we’re right under his nose, he’ll spew out enough hellfrost to kill us.

  We can’t be here when that happens.

  But I just know Paige is going to want answers when she wakes up. Instead of running like she should, she’ll dig in her heels and demand to know why we’re not in the bookstore.

  But there won’t be enough time for me to explain everything to her. Even I’m not sure what the hell just happened. How did Jasper know where to find me? He must have found out I was searching for The Goddess Codex at the Dragon’s Tale. Maybe even obtained the same information as I did.

  But Rowan wouldn’t have told Jasper about the spellbook unless he was, you know, tortured.

  Fuck.

  The problem is everyone wants The Goddess Codex, but only a single copy exists in all the realms. Gaia, the powerful goddess who once ruled the Earth Realm, wrote the spellbook when magic ran wild and all sorts of dangerous creatures roamed the planet. She was the only deity able to wield earthwater, a fifth type of magic that could control the other four.

  The Goddess Codex was meant to protect humankind from the world and its magical horrors. And for a while, it did.

  But only for a while.

  Eventually, Gaia was forced to go one step further. She trapped most of the planet’s wild magic within four humans, who were transformed into seasonal demigods with their own realms. Magical creatures and deities are no longer able to leave the realms where they belong. But every few months, two of the demigods are allowed to roam around on the two hemispheres of the planet.

  I’m the ruler of the Summer Realm, which means it’s my turn in the northern hemisphere right now. I’ve been spending as much time as I can on Earth, searching for The Goddess Codex. It’s the only way to resurrect Gaia. I protected the goddess, and I loved her, and she burned in her glass casket when I failed at both.

  Without Gaia to keep things in check, the realms are becoming increasingly unbalanced. Cold snow in the middle of spring. Hot summer days in the middle of autumn. Magical creatures appearing in places they shouldn’t be while mundane creatures retreat into the seasonal realms.

  The war against Jasper has been at a stalemate for a while, but he’s slowly but surely gaining even more strength. It’s only a matter of time before he takes over the Earth Realm and spreads hellfrost across the entire planet.

  My only hope is to bring Gaia back to life so she can speak another binding spell. Jasper broke his when he started the war millennia ago, but ever since the goddess died I’ve been fighting him alone.

  All Rowan cares about when it’s his turn on the planet is visiting places like Maine so he can admire the orange and yellow leaves created by his wildwind magic. Which all seems kind of masturbatory if you ask me.

  And Tria? She just pouts about how she’s not allowed to shift into dragon form when it’s her turn on Earth. Not to mention I’m pretty sure she’s fucking with everyone by luring hordes of bees back to the Spring Realm every now and then.

  If Jasper gets his hands on The Goddess Codex, he’ll merge the Winter Realm with the Earth Realm with a snap of his fingers. There won’t be any summer, or spring, or autumn. The planet will be knee-deep in an ice age crowded by magical creatures with teeth sharper than icicles, and humankind will die out once and for all.

  But do the other demigods care?

  No.

  Those bastards.

  Jasper shouldn’t have been able to pull us into the Winter Realm like this. I have control over the northern hemisphere for the next three months, which means he can’t overpower me on that side of the equatorial line.

  And yet he’s found some way to fuck with me without even being able to touch me.

  It’s probably snowing in the middle of June right now. People in the northern hemisphere must be going out of their minds.

  Hellfrost could take over the planet now if I’m not there to stop it.

  So how do I fix this? To rebind Jasper, I need Gaia. To resurrect Gaia, I need The Goddess Codex. To find The Goddess Codex, I need Paige.

  Unless Rowan really is playing a sick joke on me. One time he unleashed an earthquake, tornado, and deer stampede on the same town all at once, just to see what would happen. So it’s always possible he’s fucking with me by seeing how I’ll react to someone I can’t resist.

  But this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to finding The Goddess Codex.

  This is the closest I’ve ever gotten to feeling alive again.

  I crouch down beside Paige in the snow. The scent of strawberries and magic emanating from her is beyond powerful. My fingers skim over her face as I smooth back her hair, the lightstorm in both of us meeting with a sizzling spark. Or maybe that’s just the feeling of our skin touching.

  No. I have to be smart about this. Can’t let my attraction to Paige ruin the fate of humankind by allowing myself to get drunk on her sweet aroma before she even wakes. I have to return Paige to her world as soon as humanly possible. I have to stop Jasper from fucking up more of her life than he already has. The demigod rules over everything lifeless and frozen, and she’ll be both soon if I don’t do something about it.

  “Terra continuare,” I say loudly.

  A wave of hellfrost crashes over me instantly, enough to make me sick. Fuck. It’s like there’s a vise around my neck, choking me into silence whenever I attempt to open a portal. Jasper must have put up some kind of magical barrier after we landed.

  Paige and I are trapped in the Winter Realm. Without any way to defend ourselves.

  Unless...

  I lean down and cautiously press my nose to Paige’s smooth skin, inhaling deeply. Her strawberry scent fills every part of me, and I have to resist the urge to kiss the curve of her neck. She definitely has four types of magic inside her. I’ve never met anyone like this, not even a nymph or an oracle, not even after millennia of roaming the Earth Realm. How did a human with this much power avoid detection until now? She must have been instinctively shielding herself without realizing it.

  But it means she has hellfrost.

  She can undo what Jasper did.

  Yes. This can work. We’ll speak two spells simultaneously. Paige will remove the hellfrost barrier while I open a portal to the Earth Realm. When we return to the Dragon’s Tale, she’ll give me The Goddess Codex and I’ll resurrect Gaia and end the war.

  Paige is the key to everything.

  All I have to do is convince her of three things.

  One: Magic exists and it’s inside her.

  Two: Seasons roam the Earth as demigods who can transform into dragons and I’m one of them.

  Three: She has to speak a spell in the next five minutes or we’ll die and winter will freeze everything on the planet forever.

  “Easy,” I mutter.

  But first Paige needs to be awake. I hesitate for a moment before lowering my mouth to hers. It’s the only way to rouse someone without a waking potion, but I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t wanted to do this since the moment I saw her.

  She’s definitely not going to be happy with me when she wakes up.

  “Femina suscitatum,” I say, and kiss her on the lips.

  Chapter Three

  Paige

  I wake to the feeling of warm lips on mine. Everything is light and floaty, like I’ve been drinking just enough to get a buzz going. My eyes are
closed, but I just know Summer is the one kissing me. This feels exactly like one of those lazy winter mornings when he’d rouse me with his lips and a mug of hot coffee. We’d spend all day together as it snowed outside, the white flakes clinging to the window in swirling patterns.

  Sometimes I miss him so much it hurts.

  I lean up and deepen the kiss without really thinking about it.

  Summer responds almost instantly, parting my lips with his tongue and making me gasp against his mouth. My skin starts to tingle as my blood hums with something that feels like electricity. If I’m not careful, I might get drunk off his kiss.

  But Summer pulls away after a few seconds. All his warmth and comfort suddenly disappears, and I’m left wanting more than I have. A small noise of protest escapes my lips, which are throbbing as if we’ve been making out for hours. Why would he break off our kiss like that? We could have easily kept going all day.

  I open my eyes to find Aidan leaning over me.

  Not Summer.

  Oh God.

  “I need you to stay calm.”

  I’m not sure if Aidan is talking to me or himself. His breathing is ragged and uneven, as if he’s been running a marathon. Mine isn’t much better. A fist is clenched tightly around my heart, and it feels like I’m losing Summer all over again.

  I can’t believe I was making out with some guy I just met.

  Seriously, how did we get here?

  I sit up and look around, and a tight knot of panic starts to form inside my chest. I don’t know where I am.

  The paper rose is gone.

  The bookstore is gone.

  Even Willow is gone.

  Everything I thought I knew about the world is gone.

  In its place stands an abandoned castle. The crumbling stone walls are overgrown with green ivy laden with black roses, and the freezing air is so cold it actually hurts. Powdery snow is drifting down from a wintry gray sky, coating the barren landscape in flakes of white. The only reason I’m still warm is because a leather jacket is blanketing my entire body.

  “What did you do to me?” I ask warily.

  “Nothing,” Aidan says. He hesitates, his eyes flickering to my mouth. “Well, except for the waking spell.”