In Embers (The Ember Series Book 3) (15 page)

“I’m trying!” I cursed, with mud in my throat. I jammed my eyelids closed and pulled Robbie into me, making my body a protective cocoon around his motionless torso. I gave into the horror and we slid right through my ghostly uncle and over the edge like a rocket. Time stopped as we began to fall and remarkably my eyes cleared just enough to see the gray skies overhead. As we fell
, my body felt cold and my senses betrayed me.

As the raindrops surrounding us seemed to slow down and stop in mid air, an unbelievable scent rushed through my pores…

Cherry blossoms.

~ Angel: Theory Of A Deadman ~

The thunder in my heart was tremendous. My pores yearned to open the floodgates of fire, but I held strong. My arms wrapped like ropes around little Robbie. My legs pulled up to his body, cradling him as we fell. Our lives only seconds from ending. That was until her storm.

“Asia!” I called out. As soon as I did, Robbie and I stopped falling. Impossible as it seemed we came to a stop just feet from crashing into the watery rocks below us. The raindrops hung magically in the air next us. I even reached out with one hand and touched a glistening drop with my finger. It rolled in slow-motion like a bubble. After a brief moment of disbelief we started to move again, only this time much slower. I extended my legs and straightened my body, never relinquishing my grip on Robbie.

As my shoes connected with the muddy floor of the canyon, the rain began to fall normally again. Unexpectedly, Asia’s voice shot from the speaker of my walkie-talkie. “I’ve got you, Max.”

“Impossible,” I gulped. Asia was powerful and her gifts over the elements were unmatched, but this was different. She couldn’t have saved us…could she?

“Are you hurt?” she asked. I looked up into the rainy sky, trying to see to the top of the ledge we fell from. My view was skewed by the falling storm
, but I could barely make out two shadows hanging over the railing. One was obviously Lewis as the reflection of his glasses signaled me like a SOS beacon. The other was tall and had long dark hair that whipped along the wind accordingly.

“She found me,” I whispered down to Robbie, and he began to stir in my arms. From the walkie came her voice again, this time much more impatient.

“Max! Are you safe?” she scolded, and a violent crash from the clouds above shook me to my bones. I scooped up my walkie and clicked the talk button.

“How did you do that?”

With relief in her voice, she said, “I didn’t.”

Confused, I focused my eyes even harder on the shadows above. “Then who did?” As I asked another shadowed outline appeared between Asia and Lewis. It was smaller and appeared to be waving at me. Asia didn’t come for me alone.

In a panic, Lewis’ voice cut through the speaker. “Max, how’s the boy?”

“Safe.” I ran my hands over him to check for any damage I might have missed. He was wet and muddy
, but unharmed. Although, I did notice a faint burn mark along the back of his shirt where my arms held him tightly. “He’s good. Lewis, I’m heading for the extraction point.”

“Chopper’s
already on its way,” he said, exhausted.

“Sounds good,” I said, in a gasp. Quickly, I repositioned Robbie against my chest with one arm and gave Lewis one last order. “Don’t let Asia leave.” Click. I clipped the walkie-talkie to my pants and began running for the emergency extraction point a mile away. Seconds after lightning split the sky above me in a ear piercing snap and I knew Asia had gotten my message. With a tired smile on my face I pushed my legs faster along the flooded trail.

At the extraction point I watched from a safe distance as the rescue helicopter lowered onto the landing pad. Moments later we were inside, safe and dry. The pilot looked at me and gave me a thumbs up with
a
“How the hell did you do that?
”
look on his face. Robbie stirred back to consciousness and I rubbed some of the mud from his face. He smiled up at me and grabbed my warming hand.

“I want to go home,” he said, emotionally spent. I leaned back in my seat and looked out the window as we began to rise up in the air.

“Me too,” I whispered.

Minutes later we were back at the main rescue station of the canyon. Robbie’s mother was hysterical and wouldn’t stop kissing him. The sight made me miss my daughter. The thought crushed me and I needed to get away. I rushed from the room and the building as fast as I could. When I reached the muggy air of the outdoors, I was stopped in my tracks.

Standing in the parking lot was Asia and Star. Asia’s hair was longer and much straighter than I remembered. Strands slithered along the wind, teasing me with her cold, but beautiful stare. Star was almost twice as tall as I remembered. Her hair was longer too and still wavy blonde, almost white. Her silvery eyes were surrounded by natural makeup and made her look much older than the thirteen years she was. She waved to me sweetly, as if she missed me. Asia, on the other hand, just watched me hard and still. The skies had cleared a little, but still they carried her emotions. Slowly, I walked up to both of them. Heat stirred inside my belly as I approached.

Looking at Star with a forced smile, I asked, “How?” She smiled up at me and pointed to her head with a gentle finger.

“Oh, that’s right…telekinesis.”

“That was the bravest thing I’ve ever seen,” she gushed. As my hands filled with heat I placed them in my pockets and leaned into her.

“Thank you for saving me, Star.”

“No problem,” she said, embarrassed. Without looking at Asia and her heart attack stare, I walked past them not saying another word. I knew it was rude. I knew it was cold, but I didn’t care. Asia left me all those years ago. Obviously she knew where I was this whole time. My anger blinded me as I walked back to the canyon’s visitor center. Rain pounded me every step of the way, but I never looked back. Lewis ran up to me with a dry towel in hand as soon as I arrived.

“Max, we need to get you home,” he insisted, and began shoving me toward my truck parked just a few yards outside the building.

“What’s going on, Lewis?” I asked, still upset at the arrival of Asia and her impossibly addictive essence.

“You’re already all over the news, and the internet…”

“Huh?” I mumbled, as he opened my truck door and shoved me in.

“There’s at least a dozen cell phone videos of your…umm…public heroics,” he said, wildly.

“Oh. Crap.”

“Let’s get you out of here, we’ll figure out what to do later.”

My truck roared to life and he climbed in the other side. Straightaway, I drove home still wrestling with the image of my haunting rainmaker. As we pulled up to my trailer, Asia was already waiting for me.

“She looks pissed,” Lewis swallowed hard.

“Yeah, I tend to bring out the best in her,” I sulked.

“You were right, Max, she’s gorgeous,” he said too loudly, and Asia flinched at his words. “I mean, she’s the kind of woman that men start wars over,” he stated, this time a little softer. She still heard him though and crossed her arms impatiently.

“Love is war,” I whispered, and jumped from my truck. She met me before I could even get my feet settled below me. The wind rushed over me, almost knocking me over with its sweet smell. From the cab of the truck Lewis gasped, “She even smells like heaven!”

Shaking my head, trying to ignore him, I let my hair fall back in my face. She stepped up directly in front of me, just a breath away from touching me, and her twirling winds slid my bangs from my face. There we stood, staring into each other’s souls. She did not move or falter. Her face was sad, but strong, and looked as if she hadn’t aged at all.

Lewis exited the truck and cautiously walked to my front door. When he reached the door to enter, it popped open with Star standing there with Oz in her arms. He looked cozy and happy. His wet nose sniffed the air as Asia’s familiar scent reminded him of early days back on Maui. A small whine slid from his snout as if to say that he missed her too. Lewis stepped into the house and pulled Star inside with him.

“I think they need a moment,” he said, just before shutting the door. He was right, but I was terrified to open up these old wounds.

Suddenly, Asia spoke.
“Max…”

“No!” I exploded. “You don’t get to talk! I get to talk.” Her eyes pulled together and I could feel her electricity slithering along her body. It reached for me, taunted me. I wanted to embrace her
, but I fought the craving. She leaned into me and I stepped back from her. I had to. If she had touched me I wouldn’t had been able to continue with my selfish anger.

“Why did you leave Maui? Why did you leave me?” I pouted.

Her eyes wilted a little when she saw the pain it caused me. I had suppressed the pain for five years now, and it was all erupting to the surface. The pain was emotionally shattering. I tried with all my might, but a fiery tear crawled from the corner of my eye and blazed down my face.

“Why?” I asked with my voice breaking. Thunder shook the ground
, but it was no longer menacing, it was the opposite. She reached out and swiped the burning tear from my face and her fingers squashed it out like a dying ember between them. A single curl of smoke spun from her fingertips.

“To save the girls,” she whispered. Her hand cradled the side of my face. Her touch felt like an extension of my body. I pulled away again afraid of her words. “Remember Max, Avery was close to finding them again. The only way to truly protect them from him was to go into hiding. So we left Maui. No one could know where.”

“I remember,” I said, hurting. “But I could have went with you.”

“Is that so?” she cut me off. “With a new daughter to care for?” Her words shut me up quickly. “How could I ask you to leave Madi?”

“It doesn’t matter anyways, she left me too,” I almost choked on the words.

“I know,” Asia said, as if it had hurt her just as much. “I never stopped watching over you.”

With a new fire building deep inside, I asked, “All this time, all these lost days. Why now? Why come for me now?” Asia took a deep breath in and slid her hand inside her designer top. Tucked within the fabric was an envelope. She slowly pulled it out and placed it in my hands.

“What is this?” My tone was dreadful. She closed her eyes and nodded down to it silently. Carefully I studied the white envelope with my hands before turning it over and revealing the three most horrible words I have ever read.

YOU’RE LOVINGLY INVITED

The delicately placed handwriting was a dead giveaway…a wedding invitation. Steam twisted from my clothes as I ripped it open. Asia reached for me
, but I stepped just far enough away from her to embrace the foregone conclusion; I was moments from a full-blown supernova. Staring at the familiar handwriting, my worlds collided again. Max the fire-starter, Max the father, Max the lonely.

“No…” I whispered. In my hands was a wedding announcement for Sam and Kai. It was just under a week away and would take place on Maui at sunset. The pain in my chest was overwhelming, but I smothered it down with my building inner flames. My eyes read the invitation three more times, and every time with the same result. Rage.

I crushed the invitation in a balled fist and let it burst into a flash of red and white fire. Asia’s eyes came alive. She may have been keeping an eye on me all these years, but seeing my powers reignite seemed to wake her from a long sleep. Her face washed over in a new reserved excitement.

“Max…your fire…” she smiled.

“No!” I roared. I didn’t want to talk about my stupid curse. I wanted answers. “You only came back to give me that? Why? For a good laugh? To tell me, I told you so…what is it, Asia?”

“Settle yourself,” she warned, and dark skies crawled over us.

“Tell me how you have an invitation to Sam’s wedding and why are you telling me about it?” I yelled.

“Your mother.”

“What?” I almost fell over. Flames rippled along my fingers trying to climb up my hands. Asia stepped closer to me again.

“Vivian was the only person I was still in contact with. She’s a good person, Max,” she said, soothing. It only made me angrier.

“My mother!”

“Yes. Sam contacted her about the wedding and insisted I be there…for Madison’s sake. She and I share…”

“A connection, I know.” I turned from her and thunder signaled Asia’s state of mind.

“Anyways, Vivian thought you should be there too, for closure.” Asia placed her enticing fingers onto my overheating chest. “And I agree, Max.”

“Closure, huh,” I snapped
.
For who? Them
.
Fire began to creep along my arms with spinning embers dripping to the ground. The flames danced within Asia’s longing stare.

“I only want what’s best for you, and closing that chapter of your life is best,” she said, coldly.

“Go home,” I growled. Angrily, I ripped my body from her touch and stomped off down the road. Lightning sliced the sky and Asia followed close behind.

“Don’t run from me!” she scolded. With her warning I literally exploded. Fire and smoke circled me like a burning snake. I began to run and the flames stretched behind me as if I were an angel that had flown to close to the sun.

“Leave me alone!” I screamed. From over my shoulder she slammed a bolt of white fire into the surrounding desert walls and promised…

“Never.”