“Has she spoken to anyone yet, Brutus?” asked a woman.
“No. And she will not move from the bed or eat,” Brutus replied.
The woman sighed. “What do you expect? Her heart’s been broken. Dammit, Guy! What the hell is wrong with you people?”
“We are not people,” said a male voice.
“Don’t start with me,” she said. “You know what I meant. This is lame. Lamer than lame. You need to fix this.”
“I cannot, my love.” The man’s deep voice reminded her of Máax. “Our laws are constructed in such a way as to avoid any possibility of loopholes. Otherwise, the laws are meaningless; my brethren are much too conniving and devious to not twist them to their advantage.”
“My turn to stand guard!” said another male enthusiastically. Was it Sentin?
“I just arrived,” said Brutus. “Your turn is tonight. Now leave.”
“Why don’t you make me—”
“Boys!” responded the woman. “You will both leave; you’re acting crazy, and I’m sure the last thing in the world poor Ashli needs is pair of feral puppies lapping at her feet.”
“But—”
“Go!” she commanded. “I will call you if she needs anything. You, too, Belch and K’ak!”
Had she really called someone cock? What a very strange name.
That other deep voice boomed right through the door. “You heard Emma, off with you, now. Don’t make me ask again.”
Grumbles and snarls seeped into her room.
“Oh, thank gods,” said the woman, “I thought they’d never leave. What’s gotten into them, anyway?”
“Hell if I know,” said the deep voice. “But Ashli seems to be a magnet for every eligible bachelor within a ten-mile radius. Luckily, we’re out in the desert, otherwise we’d be overrun.”
“Something’s not right,” she said. “I can feel it.”
That’s exactly how Ashli felt. Add to that, her heart, her soul, her everything. She could barely breathe. How could life be so cruel? She’d finally found a reason to believe in life again, only to have it snatched away. Why had she been so stupid and reckless to fall in love with Máax? Why?
She couldn’t go through this again. After her parents died, it was years of hell, simply to get to a place where she could function like a normal human being. Not that she’d ever truly recovered from the loss. But then Máax had given her this tiny glimpse of who she once was, and of a life filled with love. But as quickly as it had come to her, it was gone. She couldn’t face that pain again.
There was a soft knock on the door. “Ashli?”
“Go away!”
Ugh! If only she could make things move faster. She just wanted to get the hell away from that place. But after the incident at the hotel with Máax, she’d realized she didn’t have ID, credit cards, or money. She’d taken a cab back to this house and borrowed money from one of the guards. Then she asked Sentin to track down her accountant so she could have access to her funds. (And so she could thank him or her for whatever miracle they’d performed with her money over the last twenty years.) Sentin was only too eager to help, of course. In any case, her new life wasn’t to be delivered until early evening. The moment it arrived, she’d be out of there.
The door opened. “Hi, Ashli. I know you don’t want visitors, but I’m Emma.”
How many people slash nonpeople lived there? It was impossible to keep up! “Are you a god, a vampire, or other?” Ashli poked her head out from underneath the pillow to take a peek.
The woman smiled and made a little wave. “Howdy.” She had long red hair and bright turquoise eyes. She appeared to be in her midtwenties. “I’m an other… mostly human, though. Oh! I’ve also taken a trip to the other side, not the dead side, but the god side, thus our matching eyes. And we’re both mated to gods; mine is the big guy with the blue-black hair, Votan. But he goes by Guy now.”
Ashli had to admit that she was intrigued, but her heavy thoughts didn’t make her feel social at the moment. “Not to be rude, but what do you want with me?”
“Well,” Emma said, “I’d like to think of us as sisters. And sisters help one and other.”
Ugh! Why is everyone trying to be so nice and helpful! “I don’t need help. I just need to be alone,” Ashli grumbled.
“Ah. I see you’re stubborn just like me.” Emma grabbed her hand and squeezed. “But you and I are practically family, Ashli. And I am not leaving until you tell me what happened.”
“If I tell you, then will you leave?”
“Yes,” Emma replied frankly.
“Okay. Fine. He used me, Emma. Used me. He’s getting locked away forever, and he doesn’t care enough about me, his mate—whatever that really means—to fight. He didn’t even have the decency to say good-bye. He just left me there at the hotel. I had to call a cab to get back here.”
Emma wrinkled her nose. “Ouch. Are you sure? I mean, I don’t know Máax well, but everyone who talks about him says he’s the most loyal and noble of the bunch. Not that I would speak badly about Guy, my fiancé, but he’s pretty damned sneaky.”
“I’m leaving tonight,” Ashli mumbled. “If you see Máax, please tell him…”
She was about to say “he’s an asshole,” but that somehow seemed so juvenile. He’d told her he loved her, used her for one night, and then disappeared. Letting him know how badly he’d hurt her would serve no purpose. “Never mind.”
“I wish you’d reconsider,” Emma said. “Even if things don’t work out with him, you have people here who want to get to know you. You’re one of us now.”
Like those crazy men hovering outside her door? “No. I want to be alone. Try to forget this ever happened.”
“I understand, but if you change your mind, I’ll be here for you.” Emma was about to leave but stopped. “I know it’s difficult to trust a complete stranger, let alone befriend one, but I would have given anything to have someone help me navigate this strange, strange world. It would have made my life a whole hell of a lot easier, including accepting the whole immortality thing.”
Immortal. Immortal. Immortaaaal. Nope. Still not real.
“I guess what I’m saying is,” Emma added, “once things shake out with Máax, good or bad, I’ll be right here for you.”
“I appreciate it, but I’m not coming back. I just want to forget all of this. Máax, the gods, everything. I just want to move on.”
Yes. She was going to run away and hide. So what?
Emma smiled. “The Universe has a way of turning things around. You just have to have faith.”
Faith. Faith. Faaaaith. Nope. Not feelin’ it.
“Good luck to you, Ashli.”
Luck. Not feeling that, either. “Thank you, Emma.”
That evening, Ashli didn’t look back as the black town car took her away from that bizarre place. She wasn’t sure where she was heading. She didn’t want to return to her new home; she had no real family or friends, but it felt good to be completely alone again.
Just the way I like it. Less complicated, no one else to worry about, and— Ashli felt those invisible strings pulling her back to Máax. No! You’re not doing this!
Okay, she would go as far away as she could and hope that might do the trick. But what if it didn’t? What if the bond between them never disappeared? She wouldn’t be able to live like this. Ashli held back the tears. Oh, please, please, please, Universe. Help me get out of this.
Her mind quickly latched on to thoughts of Máax. How when they’d first met, she’d been suffering from horrible dreams of death and how much she missed her family. But then, there’d been those other dreams, too. The steamy ones of the faceless man who made love to her on the beach, who touched her body as if worshipping a priceless treasure. Now she knew that the man was Máax. He’d been right when he’d told her their connection was something created by the Universe. She felt it now. She supposed she always had, though she simply didn’t understand it. That’s why losing him felt like her soul
was being ripped in two.
I can’t take this. I can’t.
Now near the Phoenix airport, the car pulled up to a stoplight, and Ashli glanced over at the telephone pole covered with thick layers of multicolored flyers. Her eyes gravitated to a big bold M.
Ohmygods. That’s it. The answer to her prayers fell right on her lap.
“Excuse me, sir?” she said to the driver. “Can you take me to East Camelback Road?”
Máax paced back and forth across the floor of his cell, wondering why Ashli hadn’t come to see him. It had been well over a day since he’d left her and turned himself in.
Perhaps she feels too nervous? He could not blame her. While he could not tell Ashli what was to come, nor did he want to give her false hope, he would do everything possible to change his fate. And hers. He loved her. More than anything. And now he understood that loving her meant not just saving her, but saving himself, too. They were meant to be together. And while this was no revelation, he hadn’t really thought things through before. Perhaps it was a tribute to his age—after seventy thousand years, one does become quite jaded—but being with her the other night made him see that he needed to follow his own advice and fight. He’d told her once that complacency was the devil, and he’d been right.
But why hasn’t she come? He’d left her a note on the pillow that morning, telling her what he planned to do and that a car would be waiting for her. He’d received confirmation from one of the guards that she’d indeed arrived safely at Kinich’s.
Just then Emma passed by, likely en route to see her ex-Maaskab grandmother—a long, long story—in the cellblock over. “Emma!”
“Máax. Hey.” She wore a pink baby-doll dress and had her long red hair pulled into a ponytail. She was just starting to show and looked utterly radiant. He could only imagine how Ashli might look if he were ever so lucky to have her carry his child.
“Have you seen Ashli?” he asked. “It’s been a day, yet she has not come to visit.”
Emma’s eyes widened a bit. “Didn’t anyone tell you?”
Maledictus inferno. “Tell me what?”
“She left over an hour ago. A complete mess. I tried talking her into staying, but…” Emma sighed. “What the hell did you do, Máax? That girl’s heart was shredded like confetti.”
“I do not know what you mean.”
“You deities never do,” she replied.
“Emma, I speak the truth. I have done nothing but send her letters, telling her how much I miss her and love her.”
Emma pondered for a moment. “Who did you give the letters to?”
Máax pointed to one of the guards standing in the doorway. “Timothy.”
“Timothy? Who did you give Máax’s letters to?” Emma asked the guard.
“Brutus, ma’am. He insisted that all communications should pass through him.”
Máax felt his blood boil. I will remove his eyelids for this!
“Well, that solves that mystery, Máax, but why did you just…” Emma leaned in and whispered, “… Love her and leave her? And taking the car, Máax. Really? So not classy. Frankly, I’m shocked. You don’t seem like that womanizing type. I get you’re facing an insanely stiff sentence, but that’s no excu—”
“I did not ‘love her and leave her,’ Emma. I left a note and sent a limo for her.”
Emma had an uncomfortable, pained look on her face. “Oh no, Máax. She didn’t get that note, either.”
“Fuck! How is that possible? I left it right on the pillow next to her.” He punched the glass wall, and his fist simply bounced off. “Fuck!”
“Calm down, Máax, I’m sure we’ll find her so you can explain everything.” She turned toward Timothy. “Can I have your radio?” Timothy handed it over. “Hey, guys, this is Emma. I need someone to track down Ashli.”
A voice came over the radio almost immediately. “She’s here with us. Arrived at Kinich’s five minutes ago.”
Thank the gods, she has returned. She must have realized I would never do that to her.
“That goddess brought her,” said the male voice over the radio.
“What goddess?” Emma asked.
“Sorry, ma’am?” the voice on the other end said.
“You said a goddess brought her in,” Emma clarified.
“I did?” the man said.
Emma’s face turned pale. “Oh no. Ummm… is Ashli okay?”
“Ms. Rosewood,” the man responded, “no longer remembers who she is. Or anything for that matter.”
Máax felt the world spinning beneath his heels.
“Thank you,” Emma said. “I’ll be up to the house in ten. Keep her there.”
“There must be some mistake,” Máax groaned.
“I don’t think so. She told me she wanted to forget you. Forget ever meeting you. I guess she got her wish.”
Twenty-One
Ashli stood in the bathroom, staring at the face of a stranger in the mirror. The light brown skin and turquoise eyes seemed familiar somehow, but she had no memory of them.
“Ashli! Oh my gods!” A young redheaded woman, also with turquoise-green eyes, burst into the room.
“Who are you?” Ashli asked.
“Oh, dammit.” The redhead looked at the strange, tall lady with blonde pigtails who’d brought her to this house. “What happened?”
The blonde shrugged. “I was sitting at Club M-Brace, going through my playlist for tonight when she walked in, demanding I make her forget Máax. Of course, I knew who she was and told her no, but then she forgot and asked again. Then again.” She paused. “And again.”
“So you wiped her memory? Really?” the redhead asked.
“I know better. The newly heartbroken are completely irrational. But then she lost it and jumped me. Little bursts of something flew from her palms and triggered my powers. It was an involuntary reaction.”
The redhead’s eyes opened wide. “From her hands? Was it painful?”
The blonde shook her head. “It felt good. Really, really good.”
“I don’t have a clue, but we don’t have time for this.” The redhead covered her face and groaned. “Oh, gods, what a mess. Can you undo it?”
“I’m the Goddess of Forgetfulness, not the Goddess of Memory Recovery.”
“Ashli?” The redhead looked straight at her. “What were you thinking?”
“Am I Ashli?” Honestly, she had no idea.
“Yes!” The redhead sighed loudly. “Oh, Ashli. What have you done?”
“I honestly don’t know. So my name is Ashli? Really?”
The previous evening, Emma confirmed Máax’s worst fears. But how had Ashli found his sister—what’s-her-face—in the first place? What a damned mess. And if he ever got his hands on Brutus, he’d rip that blockhead’s arms from his body.
Well, Máax had had enough of this stercore de bovem and was ready for his trial this morning. He needed this to be over quickly and to fix things with Ashli, not to mention actually fix Ashli. Yes, his freedom was paramount, and come hell or high water, he would get those damned votes to change the laws. He was not going down without a fight, even if it meant betraying one if his own.
Timothy knocked on the glass of Máax’s cell. “Ready, sir?”
Máax nodded.
“Sir?”
Right. Timothy couldn’t see him. “Yes, Timothy. Ready.”
A short walk and elevator ride from the underground prison brought Máax to the Court of the Gods. It looked very much like one might imagine: At the head of the room, fourteen empty marble thrones sat behind a long stone slab table on an elevated platform with neoclassical Roman pillars to either side. An aisle ran the center of the room, between ten rows of stone-carved bench seats, and a solitary wooden chair (for the person on trial) sat toward the front.
Máax took his seat as did Cimil and Zac. They would both go on trial today, too, and they sat behind him in the first row. When Ashli entered, looking her usual ravishing self in a simple black dress, he f
elt his entire being illuminate. It was such a relief to see her face, to know she was near, even if she did not remember him. He took a deep breath and tried to remain focused; everything rode on his words today.
One of the Uchben guards announced the gods, and the packed room rose to their feet while the deities settled in.
Penelope, who looked like she’d just swallowed Bees’ hat, took her seat toward the middle of the long table next to her husband Kinich. She wore plain jeans and a T-shirt, and her dark hair was pulled back into a neat braid. Kinich, who was standard deity size, also wore a no-frills outfit—jeans and a tee. Both looked like they were displeased to be there. Who could blame them? The two had gone through their own turbulence recently. They probably wanted to be at home in bed, enjoying the fact that the end of the world was not coming after all and their baby would be born into a life filled with an eternity of love.
The remaining gods took their places, and Penelope turned on her iPad with a heavy sigh. “I hereby open the proceedings against the deity known as Máax, who has been accused of violating the sacred laws of—dammit!” She threw down her stylus and scowled at Kinich to her side. “This is total bullshit! Why are we doing this? We all know Máax doesn’t belong on trial.”
Kinich reached for her hand. “Honey, we talked about this already.”
“No! I talked this morning. You ignored me.”
Kinich scratched his golden scruff. “I merely tried to explain that these are our laws. I created them to protect humans from our abuse of powers.”
“Oh, I get it. Your giant bloated man ego doesn’t want to admit that you made a mistake, is that it?” she fumed.
Kinich’s turquoise eyes shifted to black. “N-n-no, honey. I just…”
“You just what? Want to see Máax disappear forever? All because he saved a few thousand Payal women, tried to stop the apocalypse by rescuing Ashli, and did a bunch of other nice stuff like killing an incubus, saving your sister Ixtab from being stuck inside a portal, and gods know what other selfless crap? Really?”
Kinich gnashed his teeth. “Our laws are—”