Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 123065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 615(@200wpm)___ 492(@250wpm)___ 410(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 615(@200wpm)___ 492(@250wpm)___ 410(@300wpm)
"Yeah. I probably could have fished for my own meal in that time.“ I joke.
He grins and opens the back door to let me in." then jogs around the car and gets in. His car seems way too fancy to use as Lyft, no offense if that’s his thing but it’s immaculate.
Water sits in the cupholder along with a face mask and a tucked blanket. Geez, how much am I paying for this? It’s at the very least in traffic, an almost two hour drive to downtown. At least I thought it was?
“All right.” He taps his phone and puts it in its holder. “It looks like you’re headed to a bar first. Good choice. I approve. No judgement.”
“I’m going to be working there.” I interject quickly.
“I work at bars sometimes too.” He winks in the rearview. “Plus I have lots of friends who frequent it. Very popular hotspot downtown, just ignore the rumors about it being haunted by vampires, like they could ever, am I right?”
“Right.” I nod slowly.
He turns on some Tate McRae and pulls onto the freeway then reaches to his dash and starts touching the leaf of a small succulent.
What in the ever-loving hell?
Why are the sexy ones insane?
He catches me staring and pulls into traffic. “Chill, I’m just grounding.”
I frown. “Isn’t grounding where you’re barefoot on the ground connecting with the earth's energy or whatever?”
He snorts out a laugh. “Cute.”
I make a face.
“Oh, don’t worry.” He stops touching the plant, but I could swear the thing makes an effort to move towards him, like it’s straining for more attention. “I’m happily married, she’s a goddess my wife, seriously.”
She would probably have to be to put up with a guy that thinks grounding means touching a plant, but okay. “I’m happy for you. I think I’m just going to close my eyes for a bit.”
He nods. “Sounds good. I’ll get you there safely. I made a promise.”
“What?”
“I promise.” He says softly as the temperature of the car suddenly heats up, lulling me into a very deep sleep.
I normally don’t dream.
But for two straight hours all I dreamt of.
Was fire.
CHAPTER 3
CYRUS
“Immortals were never meant to play on the same team—but desperate times can call for desperate measures...”-- Zeus
Alex texts me from the car. He’s the last person I’d want to send, everything’s so damn attracted to him that it’s alarming simply walking down the street with him, then again he is family, loathe as I am to admit it. Half siren, half god, what can you do? I’m convinced that all the current immortals running around Seattle ganged up on me and forcefully caused a catastrophe so that I really wouldn’t be the one to pick her up.
It’s like they want me to stay.
Why, though? I’m the one that doesn’t fit in. I’m the one that doesn’t want to be here more than anyone and anything and I let them know on a daily basis I don’t agree with it. They had one job, keep peace between immortals and the humans between all of the different immortal species and while they did a good job, they purposefully got partners in order to power up if you will.
The fact that they didn’t get sent to Hades is still staggering to me, why take the risk on humans anyways? Don’t even get me started on Anubis.
Alex sends a quick text.
Alex
She’s pretty. She hates my plant though, so she’s tied one to one.
Me
What plant?
Alex
The one from Home Depot, it was so small and cute and really wanted to be taken home I couldn’t just say no. It’s just a child, Cyrus! A child!
Me
A plant. It’s as plant.
I could see his hesitation in typing and then suddenly.
Alex
I named it.
Me
Gods save us all.
Alex
Apparently, that’s the plan right or at least your plan, then again, from what I’ve seen in the last few thousand years they merely sit on the mountain and stare at each other admiring themselves for leaving humanity. They don’t do shit.
Me
Text me when you’re close.
Alex
Oh we’re here I told her I was texting my wife because she was worried. Watch out, when she was up from her nap I may have told her an ancient story about elves. Damn it I miss the old costumes.
I slam my phone onto the counter and look around the busy bar. It looks normal, well, as normal as a bar full of immortals can look. Then again mine has one purpose and one purpose only; one last night of humanity before you’re escorted downstairs to Styx. How conveniently lovely that Seattle has such an interesting history of it’s underground. They’re too drunk to care, take their coins and dump them into the small river leading down the cave and before they know it.
Anubis shows up.
It never used to be that way. Anubis used to measure before escorting them to the underworld, but now, now we’re aligned with the Greeks, the Romans, Aztecs, Incas, name it and we’re all on the same team, mainly because there aren’t a lot of us left and over half have failed.