“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.”
