Nothing pissed me off more than when people respected my wishes. Sure, I’d told Asher that I needed a break. I’d told him that it was too much for me to deal with. And he’d kept his promise. He’d left me alone to wallow in my stubborn misery.
Months passed in a blur of life and school. I was back again to acing my classes, studying every spare second, and training with Jessa and Braxton. They’d returned from Faerie with a plan, a bunch of magic that they were testing out in the hope it might take down the gods, and one aim: kick the ever-loving shit out of me.
At first I wondered if they were working for Galindra in her quest to try and kill me. Then one day, late in November, I managed to take Braxton down; both of them clapped enthusiastically and I felt like a total badass.
“Our work here is done!” Jessa exclaimed and rushed over to hug me tightly. Somehow, over the time they’d been teaching me I’d learned to love the filterless, scary-as-hell wolf shifter. I even loved her extra-scary mate. He reminded me of the less bitter version of Rayge, and I found myself wondering what that reticent shifter was up to—no one had confirmed he was a dragon shifter, but I was almost certain.
“So, what are your plans for tonight?” Jessa asked, using her shirt to wipe sweat from her face.
I shrugged, doing the same thing, clad just in a sports bra and pants. “There’s a party on. Pretty sure my friends are going to drag me there, because apparently I’m fucking depressing to be around.”
Jessa snorted. “Ah, yes. I remember those days. Before my perfect little angels came into my life.”
Braxton laughed, that deep, husky dragon sound. “Angels is an improvement.”
“Fifty percent tyrant,” I heard Jessa mutter.
A real smile lifted my lips.
“You’re going back to Stratford tonight?” I asked, feeling a little sad to know they wouldn’t be around. “Louis told me that you’re going to start working on the spells.”
The gods would be back soon, and we needed a plan of attack.
“Yes, but we’re only a call away,” Jessa reminded me. “Louis or Ty can get us back here in a second. Don’t hesitate to call us. Girl gang for life.”
She hugged me one last time, and Braxton shocked me when he did the same. He held on for a second longer than I expected, his voice low in my ear. “Stop fighting fate,” he murmured. “There’s no point in wasting time. No matter how long you think your life is, you never know what tomorrow will bring. Don’t waste any more time.”
My knees almost crumpled beneath me, his words hitting me hard and fast. It wasn’t as if I hadn’t seen Asher over the past few months. We’d hung out a ton of times, swum in the pool and ocean room together, and reformed a friendship that was both fun and simple. I’d been doing the same with the guys, rebuilding bonds, learning to trust them again.
I’d never stopped loving any of them, but the trust had been damaged, and it was so hard to get it back. The strain was possibly going to kill us all, but we’d found ourselves in this stupid fucking rut that we couldn’t seem to get out of.
Wasting time.
“I’ve got to go,” I blurted. “Promise you’ll visit again soon.”
Jessa looked to the sky. “A storm is coming,” she said, her tone strange. “We’ll see each other sooner than you think.”
I looked up too—the sky was clear and blue, for once the Academy weather not trying to screw us with four seasons in a day. I couldn’t tell if Jessa was talking about a literal storm or not, and before I could push her, she turned to go. They both waved as they disappeared behind some pillars.
Meanwhile, my heart was slamming against my chest, and a desperate need to see Asher was rising up inside of me.
“Maddison!”
Connor, as always, had horrific timing. I ignored him, rushing toward the Atlantean mansion. “Maddison, wait the fuck up!” he shouted, and my feet slowed, knowing he was not going to stop chasing after me.
“What?” I said angrily, spinning toward him. “What the fuck is it now? I already told you, I’m not going back to that freaking city. It’s still there. It’s still in stasis. There’s nothing in the waters. Maybe there never will be.”
If we were lucky, the gods would just stay away for eternity. They’d been gone most of the year now, and that was nothing short of damn good luck in my opinion.
“That’s what I was trying to tell you,” Connor said, his breathing harsh. “The stasis on Atlantis…” He broke off, and I fought the urge to strangle him.
“What?” I shouted, waving my hands in frustration. Just when I’d decided to stop being such a stubborn idiot, I had another idiot here to deal with.
His face creased into an expression I’d never seen from him before, and my heart all but stopped.
“I’m so sorry, Maddison. I hate being the one to always bring you bad news, but … the stasis … it just broke.”
I shook my head. “No … I mean … why now?”
