Asher?
I mentally followed the path of his rage. He wrapped me up, covering me with his power, and I found a little more energy to hold on. Energy that Asher shared with me.
The dolphins sent me images of where you are. I’m coming.
Chapter 13
My heart soared, swelling and beating rapidly.The bond.I’d felt it there. A real, tangible connection as our powers mingled together. It was so brief, but I knew we’d finally broken the last barrier. My godhood was free, and the bond was bursting to life.
But … as quickly as it had appeared, it was cut off. A lingering strain of his power remained within me though, giving me enough strength to jerk my knee up and slam it into Sonaris’s balls.
The god had expected I was all but dead and hadn’t even tried to block the shot.
Diamond skin or not, every man crumpled when cracked in the jewels.
Sonaris let out a curse, his bellow probably heard back at the Academy. He jerked away, face wreathed in pain and annoyance. He tried to come straight back for me, but I was already using what remained of my “borrowed” power to scoot me toward the ocean. This was pure instinct, and maybe a little insane, considering I was being chased by the god of the ocean, but I felt like it was my one shot at surviving.
Storms chased me across the sky, and I felt the touch of Sonaris’s power right before I plunged into the blue-green water. A slight murkiness had invaded since I was last submerged, but not as bad as when the storms fully raged. I didn’t sink this time. Immediately I was surrounded by animals; they pushed into my space, supporting me.
Sonaris crashed into the water behind us, his power almost visible it was so strong now—thieving bastard. The water churned murkily, growing as dark as the stormy skies above.
“What did you do to me?” Sonaris cursed, bellowing through the water. I used the water to move my body back, with a little help from a dolphin and stingray wedged under my arms, but I wasn’t moving fast enough. Sonaris was only inches from me, hands out and ready to finish the job of killing me.
Heat washed over my face just as Asher burst into the sea in a blaze of power and golden energy. Literally. He was completely gold from his skin to his eyes to the tips of his hair. Our eyes locked as he danced in the waves, looking freaky as hell. And absolutely glorious.
He took me in, one full sweep, and if I could describe rage as having a taste, it filled the ocean, overwhelming my senses. In a motion so fast I couldn’t track, he powered through the water to Sonaris, slamming into him.
Asher wasn’t as stupid as me. He didn’t give the other god a second to attack him.
I sensed that he’d seen—through our bond—how Sonaris had attacked me on the island. He was now doing the exact same thing back.
As he locked on to the god of the ocean, his golden energy brightened to a point that was literally blinding.
I heard shouts, a choking, strangled sound, and in less time than it took to adjust my sight to the new golden glow, it was all over. As the light faded, my eyes were drawn to Asher’s broad shoulders a dozen or so yards from me. He was half hunched over and very still. I frantically searched for Sonaris, but there was no sign of another being.
My power was still beyond drained, my body fragile and frail, but using the water I pushed myself forward.
“Ash,” I said softly when I was close. “Asher, are you okay?”
He didn’t turn or acknowledge me, and I was starting to get a very bad feeling about what I might find when I reached him. He was still covered in his golden power, even if it was no longer blinding. The energy pouring off him … it reminded me of the first moment I saw Asher after thinking he was dead. He’d been in the sky, trailing after his insane god of a mother. He felt like this. Foreign and cold.
I’d thought I lost Asher that day, that he’d been taken to the dark side, corrupted by power.
The fact that I was getting the same vibe right now chilled me to my fucking core.
The water around Asher heated, ripples streaming from his back. He was burning up the ocean…?
A hand grabbed me before I could move any closer. Jerking myself free, I spun to find Axl.
“What?”I gasped. “How?”
He reached for me again, and this time I went to him. “Are the others here?”
He nodded, jerking his head behind him. Shifting my head, I eyeballed Jesse, Rone, and Calen, who were all gliding through the water toward us. Despite my fatigue, I had enough energy to thank the fucking worlds for sending me my family.
When they reached me, each of them touched me briefly, a reassurance that I was alive. More energy flickered inside of me, desperately trying to rejuvenate from the massive power of the Atlanteans.
“Something is happening to Asher?” I said softly, and all of us turned toward him. He still hadn’t moved, shoulders hunched. “I think he killed Sonaris.”
