In Embers (The Ember Series Book 3) (16 page)

~ Forever Can Be: Ashes Divide ~

Asia stood across from me in a abandoned gully just a mile away from my house. Our chase lasted only a minute before I stopped to face her here. By the look in her eyes, she would have never stopped chasing me. If she would not let me go, I would make her leave. Unfortunately, she wasn’t backing down. Now, like two gunslingers, we stood apart from each other with our powers engulfing everything around us.

Asia had removed her shirt revealing a thin black tank top with spaghetti straps. Her matching shoulder tattoo revealed that it was no longer matching. She had added colorful flames to it that intertwined with the tribal markings. The same crimson markings I had on my shoulder, but now, they were different. She stood strong on her expensive boots that ran half way up her denim covered legs. She slid her hip to one side as the wind spun around her like a tornado. Rain and sleet painted the ground in all directions sending the smell of her storm into my lungs. Her long black hair glistened with the twinkle of trapped raindrops throughout. Her eyes held back tears and her lips caught me in their forbidden pout. Black skies blanketed the scene and the floor of this battlefield shook with her emotional thunder. She placed an open hand directly in front of her and waved for me to power up.

My fires engulfed me, flickering like an enormous flame that reached up into the darkening sky three-stories high. The sizzle of my inferno destroyed every raindrop that dared to touch me. I flipped my hair away from my eyes and slapped my hands together. With a annoyed smile, I pulled my hands apart revealing a burning ball of fire. It twisted within my fingers, growing larger with each of my breaths. When it reached the size of a basketball, I called out my warning.

“I don’t want to hurt you. Please, leave me be.”

“Hurt me? You wish. I’m not going anywhere without you.” With an angry smile, she stepped forward and placed her arms at her sides. Electric arcs of light shot from her fingertips into the drenched ground. “There are much better ways to prove how much you care for me, Max. Much safer ways.”

The wind grew stronger and pushed up against my wall of fire. It felt like she was holding me in her arms. My powers dimmed for a moment before I found my resolve.

“I don’t care about anything anymore, or anyone,” I lied.

She laughed wildly and took another step closer.
“Prove it,” she dared.

Instantly, I unleashed the fireball from my hands. It ripped through the falling rain with the force of a locomotive. Spinning with dripping flames it headed directly for Asia’s torso. She quickly shoved her arms outward, sending two bolts of lightning into the approaching death sphere. It doubled in size and turned a brilliant hue of white and yellow that exploded into smoke and steam that washed over her. She stepped through the devastation and winked at me. Swiftly, she slammed a fist into the ground and the sky above came alive. The black clouds swirled together and pulled into a large funneled spout that stretched down in front of me. It cut through the dirt like a knife and slithered around me in a dizzying dance of destruction.

I intensified my wall of fire and reached out with my arms. My bright flames smashed into the twister, turning it into a fiery finger from heaven. I stepped into it and took a deep breath in. The burning tornado became part of me and my flames. She was powerful, but so was I. She didn’t know that my fire-starting abilities were stronger than ever. With a tilt of my head, I took a step away from Asia and dusted the excess embers from my shoulder and waved.

“Your turn.”

My wicked rainmaker smiled bigger and ran her hand through her hair. I found my eyes stuck on her outline like a stalker. She bit her bottom lip and turned away from me, keeping her eyes locked onto mine from over her shoulder. With one hand she snapped her fingers and the heavens cracked open. From the sky fell an ocean of rain. I’m talking biblical proportions. A wall of water poured like an enormous wave over the desert floor and then, me. It blackened everything in sight. Everything but her silky shadow in the distance. When the rush of water stopped, all that was left was a flooded floor below me and the spinning trails of smoke from my shoulders. The rolling clouds calmed themselves and her signature scent assaulted me once more. I was helpless to her storm.

From across the new pond, Asia whispered, “You done?”

~ Eternal Flame: The Bangles ~

As I attempted to ring out my hair and find my fires again, she flipped her wrist and the collected floodwater below me raised up and slammed into my back. The cold liquid slid along my legs and waist, wrapping itself around my stomach tightly. I tried to fight its force
, but it was no use. Asia was much too strong.

Urgently, the
wall of water pushed me toward her and she ran directly for me. I braced myself for the worst, but found I was never really in danger at all. She had been just playing with me. Asia’s body wrapped itself around me. Her arms lovingly held me as the wave fell away to nothing. My clothes were drenched and clung to my steaming torso. Her hips snapped into place with mine like a puzzle piece and my hands instinctively grabbed her waist. After all these years of running and hiding, we were one again.

She placed her forehead against mine and a cool fever teased my skin. Softly she spoke and her breath felt like ecstasy on my lips.

“I’ll mend your broken heart.” Her eyes settled into mine with a tragic truth. “Under one condition,” she promised.

“And what is that?” my voice fell to a whisper. She ran her hand along my cheek, tracing it down to my lips.

As one single tear carved a line along her amazing face, she scolded, “No more running, no more hiding.”

“Asia…”

“Max, I will never leave you again. Never.” She pressed her full lips along mine, breathing in my essence, my fire. I embraced her with everything I had, my arms, my body, my soul, my inferno. At that moment everything seemed clear. We were opposites on the elemental scale, fire and water, but we could only truly be whole if we were together. Only if we were one.

“I love you with all my fire,” I said, absolute.

She let the rest of her tears out, at least five years worth. We held each other in the middle of the Arizona desert healing one another. First with our words, and then with our touch. Slowly, she removed my rain-soaked shirt and then hers, before pulling me into her again.

Sensually, she whispered, “My love for you is forever.”

The rain began to fall again, this time much softer. It was warm and inviting. I let my inner heat radiate all around us and quickly undressed both of us. Asia shuddered as if it were our first time together and I traced every line of her hourglass with my burning hands. As the sun fell away, surrendering to the new night, we made love like the last two souls on Earth. Melting into forever.

Hours later we collected ourselves, not saying a thing. I used my overheating abilities to dry each piece of clothing before she put them back on. I took a little longer than needed with her lacy underwear though. She held me from behind as I did and traced the lines of my arms with her fingers. She ran her fingertip over the tattoo she had given me back on Maui. The one with the spinning waves and Chinese symbol of the date that we first met. A sigh escaped her mouth, settling along my neck and shoulder. It filled me with excited goose bumps. I turned to her and helped her slide her tank top over her chest and stomach. When I took a moment to study the tattoo along her shoulder again, she frowned a little.

“You’re wondering why I changed it, aren’t you?” she asked, and leaned into me. I looked down at the new artwork perfectly painted in place.

“Yes.”

“When I decided to leave Maui without you, I thought the best way to deal with not having you by my side was to start over. And one of those things was changing are matching tribal markings.” A new frown appeared along her lips and I quickly kissed it away.

“Didn’t the matching tattoos mean we were promised to each other, like marriage?” I asked, quietly. She placed a hand along my tattoo and quickly kissed the top of my shoulder, leaving her head there afterward, resting softly.

“Yes, as long as we wore the same markings, we were one.”

I began to laugh, “So, basically, we’re divorced now.”

Her sultry laugh followed and she playfully nudged me. Thunder rumbled along the horizon and I pulled her back into my arms.

“You could put it that way.” She smiled. Her intoxicating smell hit me all of a sudden and it reminded me our special place back on Maui, the lookout.

“So, how’s the tree?” I asked, playfully. She took a second before she answered. It rattled her slightly
, but she gathered herself and answered.

“Still no cherry blossoms. I’ve never seen a tree like that take so long to bloom.”

“Stubborn, huh. Funny, that reminds me of someone,” I joked, with a roll of my eyes.

She laughed softly and slid her tattoo along mine, comparing the new changes against the original pattern. They actually still looked amazing side by side.

Both of us shared a quick glance and it was apparent we were thinking about the same thing…the wedding invitation. I finished dressing myself and turned away from Asia.

“I’m scared to go back.” My neck filled with stressful heat.

“Because of Sam?” she asked, dryly.

“No, not exactly.”

“Madi,” she said, knowing me better than I knew myself. Finding her crystal eyes with mine again, I wilted.

“Yes.”

“Max, you need to see her. You’ve been away from her much too long,” she said, and pulled me to her.

“I’m afraid she won’t remember me…or worse,” I swallowed hard.

Asia let a small giggle out. “Not possible, handsome.”

“I’m serious. Madi is six now. She’s officially a little woman. I have no idea how to be a father to her,” I finally admitted. “I’m terrified.”

“You won’t have to do it alone, Max. I’ll be there too. Always,” she smiled, convincingly.

We gathered ourselves and walked back to my humble trailer. She held my hand the entire way and I felt whole once again.

My fires were back, and now, so was their kerosene.

~ Don’t Go Away: Oasis ~

“You’re leaving?” Lewis asked, with dread.

“Sorry, Brother, it’s time. I’ve been hiding out in this wondrous hole for far too long. I need to face reality again.”

“Hole?” he sounded offended.

“Not this house, the location. We’re literally in the biggest hole on the planet,” I joked.

“Oh, yeah,” he said, easing his tone. Just then, Star walked up to me with a large smile, lovingly holding Oz in her arms. She had earbuds tucked in her head and she quickly removed them, placing them at the sides of her neck.

“So, you’re coming back with us?”

I let out a huge breath and scratched Oz behind one of his ears. “Looks like it. You think your sisters will remember me?”

“Silly rabbit…” she teased.

I tried not to laugh out loud, but it was hard not to. She sounded just like me.

“Have they grown as strong as you, Star?”

“Yes and no,” she shrugged, and let Oz jump from her arms to the floor in a dull thud. He shuffled back to the kitchen to get a drink from his water dish. Star continued, “Lennon pushes her powers all the time, so she’s advancing much quicker than the rest of us. King refuses to practice hers. I think she thinks that she will hurt someone if she pushes herself.”

Asia chimed in, with a look directed my way, “Sound familiar, Max?”

With a rush of embarrassment, I said, “I guess.” Star giggled softly and continued.

“And Pepper is having the hardest time adjusting. She doesn’t trust anyone, except Aunt Asia,” she said, proudly. Asia blushed ever so slightly. It was hard to see on her naturally almond skin, but it was there.

“Aunt?” I asked, with a silly grin.

She nodded yes.
“I officially adopted them a few months after we left the island. There was no official paper trail of their existence, so I created one for each of them. They are legally my family now,” Asia placed a loving arm around Star. “What’s mine…”

“Is theirs,” I finished for her. She once told me the same thing when she gifted me half of her fortune. I lost my train of thought as her words bounced around my head. They reminded me of the year that Asia and I disappeared together. It was magical, crazy, and unforgettable. Now, Asia had shared the same amazing experience with them. I hoped that each girl enjoyed it as much as I had.

“Aunt Asia, can we tell him now?” Star asked, quietly. It rocked me from my daydream.

“Tell me what?”

“Where we were,” she said, full of restlessness.

“I guess it doesn’t matter now, go ahead,” Asia said.

“Auntie said you’d know exactly where we went with one word,” she spoke, anxiously.

“I’m listening,” I hesitated, a little.

Star leaned forward, and whispered, “Heaven.”

Lewis interrupted, confused, “Huh? I don’t get it.”

My mind was overflowing with images before he even said anything. That one word was all it took to level me
.
Heaven.

“Fiji,” I whispered. Asia filled with goose bumps and thunder echoed outside the window. The first place Asia and I gave everything to one another. The one place we were able to drop off the face of the planet and get away from everyone. Our heaven.

“Yes!” Star exclaimed. She quickly turned to Asia, “You were right!”

“She usually is,” I added, with a wink.

“Fiji? Why Fiji?” Lewis asked.

“Asia has some property there…a couple islands,” I smiled. “It’s very remote
, but has everything you’d ever need. First and foremost, privacy,” I explained.

“How many islands?” Lewis asked in awe.

Asia answered back, robotically, “Twenty-three, give or take.”

“No way,” he said with a slap of his hand to his leg. “Can you spare one?” he joked.

Without missing a beat, Asia said, “Of course. I’ll have my lawyer draw up the paperwork tomorrow and send it over ASAP.”

“What?” he squeaked. I had to cover my mouth to hold back my laughter. He thought she was kidding
, but I knew better.

“You now own an island on the coast of Fiji. It’ll be nice to have a neighbor when Max and I are on vacation with the girls,” Asia assured him.

“Is she being serious?” Lewis asked me.

I laughed aloud.
“What’s mine is yours.” I grinned.

“Your Max’s best friend, that
makes you family. End of story.” Asia nodded, absolute. “I could never say thank you enough for helping him find his fires again, but I’ll start with the island.”

Lewis removed his glasses and wiped them off with the bottom of his shirt still not believing his ears.

Asia smiled wickedly. “Don’t worry, Lewis, I’ll just give you one of the little ones, no big deal.”

“Welcome to the family, my friend!” I congratulated with a slap on his back. Oz jumped up on his legs with a bark as if to join in on the celebration.

“This is unbelievable…” Lewis gasped.

“You kept my Max safe all these years, it’s the least I could do
,” Asia added.

She called me, her
Max. Her eyes spun with electric fire when she spoke and I wanted to kiss her.

“Safe is one way to put it.” Lewis finally eased with a short laugh. “Do you know how bad his temper is?”

Thunder shook the trailer, startling Lewis and Oz. My little bodyguard leaped into Lewis’ arms in an instant. Funny, that’s what he used to do with me. He really had grown to love Lewis.

“Mad Max,” Asia sighed, with a crooked smile.

“That’s perfect!” Lewis roared.

A few hours passed as Asia and I shared some of our past adventures with Lewis and Star. I cooked one last dinner for us and even made Oz his own plate. Afterward I packed the handful of things I needed, some concert T-Shirts, my guitar, and the envelope that Detective Steele had given me. It was still unopened, but worn from all the times I dared to peek inside of its paper walls. Asia made arrangements for a private flight out of Las Vegas, Nevada for the early morning. She also had her lawyers fax over the electronic deed and invoice for one island in Fiji. The look in Lewis’ eyes when she handed him the signed documentation was priceless. She even went online and printed up a picture for him. Lewis and Oz retired to my guest bedroom a few minutes later, completely exhausted, and fell quickly asleep. I guess owning your own private island can be draining.

As the night wound down, Star slid up to Asia and I as we snuggled on the couch. She quickly found Asia’s protective arm and tucked herself under it.

“Is it safe to go back?” she asked, scared.

Her question rocked me to my foundation. I had no idea. It had been so long since I had seen anything to make me worry about the past.

Asia squeezed Star tighter and whispered in her ear, “Of course, my shining Star. Do not worry.”

“But why are my sisters still in hiding if it is really safe now?” Star asked, unsure.

“Where are the other girls, Asia?” I asked.

“On Maui.”

“What?” I couldn’t believe it.

“They’re safe. Locked away in my new house I built last year,” she said, with a nervous quake in her throat. “With your mother.”

Feeling like I had been stabbed in the chest, I sat up and groaned. “My mother is back on Maui?”

“Yes. She’s there for the wedding.” Asia tried to ease my anger with a soft smile. I let out a hot puff of air and stood up.

“Are we sure they’re safe?” I asked worried.

“Why wouldn’t they be? Avery hasn’t tried anything since we left Maui five years ago. I’ve had my people watching him ever since. I think he’s given up. It really is no use to try and take the girls from me…from us. He knows we’re too strong.” Asia stood up and took my hand in hers. “Besides, he never even came close to finding us.”

“That’s not exactly true,” I sighed. My memory rushed back to a few years before when that mysterious white van had been outside my room, watching me. I explained everything to her and her face fell cold.

“Your mother told me once about a white van with no markings driving around her neighborhood one afternoon.” Asia seemed to fall into a trance of her memories.

“Did it have blacked out windows?” I asked, growing tense.

“Yes,” she frowned. “We were on the phone talking when it happened. I had her describe the scene to me, every detail.”

“What happened?”

“The van circled her block and eventually parked under a downed power line that was damaged from the night before, in a snowstorm. After a few minutes it drove off and she assumed it was someone who was assessing the damage for the city or insurance company.” Asia looked down at a newly scared Star.

Quietly, I asked, “How long ago, Asia?”

“Last year.”

Thunder cut through the night and I grabbed my cell phone. “I think we better find an earlier flight back to Maui. If it was Avery then he’s known where to find me and my mother this whole time. Maybe he was just waiting for you to find me,” I said, with my hands already steaming.

“Do you think he’s aware of the wedding?” Asia asked, already knowing the answer.

I dialed out my mother’s cell number, but it was busy.

“I hope not.”

Ten minutes later one of Asia’s expensive helicopters landed a few hundred yards from my front yard. She grabbed Star and headed for the door. The sound of the chopper blades woke Lewis from a dead sleep. He and Oz stumbled out of the guest room in a zombie-like stagger.

“Max, what’s going on? I thought you weren’t leaving until the morning.”

“Lewis, I don’t have time to explain, just trust me that I have to go. You know my past. Well, it seems to be threatening my future again. I have to finally fix things, no more running.” I reached out a hand for him to shake. He ignored it.

“Are you coming back?” he asked. Oz sniffed the air as Asia opened the door and dust flew inside my temporary home. He barked once and then looked up at me with big confused eyes. I leaned down and picked him up.

“Count on it,” I smiled, and handed him Oz. “I’ll have to come back for my little king,” I announced. My warm hand slid over Oz’s furry head and back. A long whimper escaped his chest and he licked my fingers before I pulled my hand back.

“You’re not taking Oz?” Lewis asked, stunned.

“No. It’s better for him here.” I turned to walk out the door
, but whirled back around. “You’re better for him.”

“Max, are you sure?” Lewis’ voice grew shaky.

Oz whined louder for me, but he kept himself tucked snuggling in Lewis’ arms.

I walked up and kissed Oz on the top of his head, then smacked Lewis on the shoulder.
“It’ll be okay, fellas. I’ll call you when we get there.” I forced a smile.

“Be good, Max,” Lewis smiled.

“You too,” I said. Quickly, I scooped up my stuff and slipped out the front door. Asia was already waiting inside the helicopter with Star by her side. Lightning trickled through the darkness above us and I inhaled the smell of the desert one last time. Asia waved to me to hurry and rain started to pepper the dusty ground. I took one shaky step forward and then stopped. I dropped my bag and guitar down and ran back inside my house. With a smack, I embraced Lewis with Oz still in his arms and hugged them both tightly.

“Thank you, Lewis.”

“For what?” he asked, choking up.

“For helping me find my way home.”

I ran back out the door and into the buzzing machine of twirling blades and flashing lights. Lewis stepped out on the porch and waved to me. I waved back with a wry smile and pointed to the table just outside my door where a potted cactus lived. Laying along the faded paint of the surface was the keys to my old truck. The one he helped fix up. The one he loved more than me. Lewis grabbed the keys in his hands and a huge smile almost split his face in two. With one hand he offered me a final thumbs up.

The chopper flew off into the night and I left the best of me in the cracks and caverns of Arizona.