In Embers (The Ember Series Book 3) (21 page)

Kris hung her head in defeat and waved my way as if she was giving up. I turned from all three of them and found my burning hands greet me as I held them in front of my face. I tightened the flames in two fists and the fire faded away.

This was it. It was time. Time to chose my path, my life. I knew of only one road to go down. The only destination. The only choice.

With a frown, I turned back to face them all.

“Enough. This boy has something to tell you all.”

~ Monster: Meg Myers ~

The garden maze fell silent. No wind, no rain, no thunder, no breathing. I slowly walked up to Asia and Sam as Detective Steele removed herself with a comforting pat to my back.

“Sam…Asia…this can’t go on anymore. I have to end this once and for all.” I took a deep breath and stepped closer. “Asia, I’ve never known a love like yours. It consumes me. It protects me. It is everything to me. I love you with every ounce of fire I have within me. Forever in flames.”

Asia looked as if she would reach for me but she stopped herself at the last moment. She knew I wasn’t done.

“Samantha, your love is eternal. You are my soulmate. My partner. My future. I love you because I have to. I love you because it’s true. Completely.” Sam began to weep and just as a smile started to form on her face, I stepped back and inhaled some much needed strength. Oxygen slid down my throat and I tried not to cry.

“So, this impossible situation leaves me no other choice…”

Both girls looked over at the other and then back toward me. Sam looked like she was ready to take my hand and continue our escape. Her eyes broke my heart. Asia seemed to be crumbling in front of me. Her infamous jeweled eyes settled into a dim glow, and she wasn’t breathing anymore. In a choke of a whisper, I said…

“I choose Madison.”

Both girls froze in place as my words washed over them. I looked down at my daughter and held out my hand. She looked up at me with confusion and anger. She shook her head in a rush of emotions she couldn’t process at her age.

“Madi, I choose you. There is only one person I can offer one hundred percent of my heart to, and that is you. It’s time for me to be a father.” I stepped up to Madi and kneeled down cautiously as she cried hard in surprise. “What do you say, Madison, can you forgive your dad?”

She looked up at Sam who was still reeling from my decision. Asia hung her head in defeat and looked away from Madi when she tried to find her face. Quickly, Madi stared back at me.

With a crack in her voice, she stuttered, “No.”

“What?” I said, softly. She pulled from me, shaking her head back and forth. She was freaking out. She couldn’t process all this emotional drama. With a burst of red and black flames, her body covered over in sizzling fire. It immediately terrified her and she screamed, “No! No! No!”

“Madison!” I called out and tried to grab for her. I missed her arm by only inches, and her seething flames ignited a spark along my fingers. She screamed even louder and turned to flee.

“Madi, no!” Sam awoke, but it was too late. Madi ran at full speed in the other direction. Deep red flames cut through the air. It whipped behind her like a burning lizard tail, staining anything it touched with dark black soot. Instantly, I pushed forward, my hands coming alive too. Orange and blue fire dripped from my fists as I ran as fast as I could. Sam and Asia followed close behind, both of them calling to Madi.

“Please, stop!”

“Come back!”

“Madison!”

Madi rounded the last corner in the maze and shot through an open gate that led to the parking lot. I was almost to her when she slipped around the corner. The next moment was a blur as her horrified voice echoed and then stopped abruptly. In front of me was a large white van with blacked out windows. Two men in black hoodies tangled her up in a thick gray blanket with their strong arms, smothering her flames. Forcefully, they threw her into the shadow of the opened sliding door. Her screams muffled and horrified.

“No! You bastards!” I cursed. They jumped inside the opening in the side of the van and slammed the door closed as the tires peeled out and tore through the parking lot. With all my strength I lunged at the van, and smashed into the back taillight as it drove off. Pieces of red and orange glass fell to the asphalt and I exploded in a ball of fire. It radiated everywhere around me as I screamed. From behind me Sam shrieked in terror.

“Madison!”

Asia ran up to me, ignoring my burning bubble and placed a hand on my chest.

“Max, calm yourself.”

“I can’t! Not this time!” I roared. From behind us, Sam bellowed with pain and Kris found her with comforting arms and was already calling for help on her phone.

With a serious pout, Asia ordered, “Save your power for when we end them all.” She winked through my twisting flames. Even after breaking her heart, she was still ready to protect me…protect my daughter…save us both. My flames pulled back a bit and Asia stepped from the bubble and pulled out her cell phone.

“They can’t outrun my helicopter,” she said determined, and tried to call out on the line. No one answered on the other end. She immediately started to panic.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“No answer at the house,” she snapped. Just then her phone rang in her hand and a face popped up on her video calling feature. It was a sobering image. Avery in the belly of a helicopter with Asia’s adopted girls unconscious and tied up. It became clear that they he was calling her from inside her very own helicopter. The one she kept perched atop her exotic mansion. They had just taken off and Avery laughed wildly.

“I told you both you couldn’t hide them forever.”

“Avery! You son of a…” Asia choked.

“Don’t worry, Ms. Michaels, I may have these four
, but soon, I’ll have Madison too. I don’t need you or Max anymore. So, consider this your lucky day!” he said, smugly.

I let one hand power down and ripped the phone from Asia and screamed, “Where’s my daughter?”

With a fit of laughter, he answered, “Come and get her, Max.” He quickly ended the call and the screen went black. Asia let out a long howl of pain and I tried to smash her phone on the ground but she stopped me at the last moment.

“No, wait!” She feverishly searched her cell phone apps for one particular icon.

“What do we do? Madi doesn’t have much time,” I broke. Sam and Kris joined us in our circle of pain and I let my fires fall completely away. I was still too hot to stand next to, but Sam still tried.

“Max, our baby girl is gone again…I can’t do this again,” Sam wailed. I shared her thoughts and began to feel weak in my legs. Asia had other plans though.

“Don’t worry,” Asia said, to both of us. “I have an idea.” She quickly opened the phone app and began entering a password and other info. Kris watched her closely already aware of what Asia was doing.

“A location app,” she whispered.

“A what?” I asked.

Asia found my breaking eyes, and explained, “Every phone has an inner location system, like a GPS. If any of the girls have their phone on them, it’ll show me where they are headed.”

“Genius, Asia,” Kris beamed. Just then three police units slid up with their tires screeching. One of them was a motorcycle officer. His bike pulled up right next to us.

“I got a signal! It’s Star…we have to go!” Asia ordered. My eyes filled with renewed hope, and they turned toward the officer on his motorbike. Kris had already had the same thought.

She ordered with a wave, “Officer, I need your keys.” Her tone was absolute and the man dismounted the bike and tossed her the key. I snatched them from the air just before they reached the detective. “Max! No!”

It was too late, I had already climbed onto the motorcycle and cranked its engine to life. “There’s no time, Kris!” The detective nodded in agreement and I pushed the cycle forward. Asia quickly jumped on the back and locked her strong arms around me. My fires slithered under my skin and she squeezed even tighter. Kris and Sam forced their way into one of the extra squad cars and they followed in pursuit.

I forced the bike even faster, determined to find all the girls. With Asia’s hand closed around her phone in front of me, she called out, “They’re heading South.”

“I’m coming Madi,” I spit, with venom.

~ Love & Death: Tokio Hotel ~

The police motorcycle handled the wet streets well as I put it through the roughest ride possible. Asia’s magical storms descended on the entire island of Maui. Black and purple thunderclouds formed everywhere and with sticky humidity they pushed down closer and closer to the surface of the island.

“Talk to me, Asia…where are they headed?” I screamed over the winding engine of the bike. She studied the shaking screen of her phone and pressed her lips to my ear.

“I know where he’s taking them.”

“Where?” I begged.

“To the highest point on Maui.” As she said the words a violent crash of lightning set the sky on fire. It ripped along the clouds, pointing me in the direction I needed to go. I revved the bike with all it had and prepared for the greatest fight of my life. The ground began to vibrate with a force that made the motorbike almost spill onto the road. Lightning ripped into the landscape all over the island, and the shaking doubled in intensity.

“Asia, what the hell is going on?” I asked, and noticed her eyes were glowing with spinning pools of blue power. She was losing control.

“They’ve stopped moving,” she warned.

“Where? Where are we headed?”

“Mount Haleakala.” As if on cue the volcano came into my view. Its majestic peak shoved directly into one of Asia’s darkest storms. Threads of white lightning reached from the clouds to the once dormant monster. It shook violently again and I had to stop the bike or risk throwing Asia and I into the wild grass along the mountain trail. Only a mile in front of us the mysterious white van left a trail as it zigzagged its way to the summit.

“Madi…” I mumbled.

“Don’t stop now, Max. We’re almost out of time!” Asia promised.

“Why is he taking them here?”

“With my hurricane this low to the island it’s the only place he can takeoff safely. Avery probably plans on making a quick dash to one of the adjoining islands for a waiting plane or boat.” The mountain exploded to life with chunks of black ash as it billowed into the smothered sky. “We have to keep going.”

Already readying both of us on the bike, I lunged forward with fire slipping from the corners of my eyes. The bike climbed the rough trail about as well as you’d expect a street bike to do, but I kept pushing it to its maximum. Asia held me like a vice as we almost wrecked on some of the tighter turns. Rain was everywhere and making the chase muddy and terrifying. I would have told her to ease the waterworks, but we were almost to the van. It had slowed down immensely and I knew we could make it to Madi in time.

“Max, there they are!” Asia screamed in my ear with one arm pointed up the hill.

I nodded, “Take out their tires!” She closed her eyes and made a fist with her outstretched hand. A bolt of fire the size of a massive tree trunk pulled from the cloud above us and ripped outward directly for the van. It slammed into the back bumper and doors with the force of a rocket. The windows all shattered outward and all four tires exploded. The van carved into the wet road, sliding forward for at least fifty-yards. During the final ten-yards the van snagged on something buried deep within the ground and it rolled onto its side.

I screamed, “No! Madi!” Seconds later I slid the bike into the long crevice the van had cut out. I jumped from the bike, leaving Asia to handle its balance. My feet pushed me toward the smoking van and my mind raced with the thought of Madi hurt. Just as I reached the back doors, the long and dented side door opened in a metallic scrape. One of the hooded thugs popped up, his head bloodied and battered. I made a fist and threw a fireball through the night air. It imbedded into his chest, sending him flying backwards and on fire. His screams were quick to fade as the next thug tried to exit the wreckage. I lit both of my hands in flames and readied them to burn him to a crisp.

He put his arms in the air and surrendered immediately. “Please don’t kill me…she’s alive, the girl is alive…”

“Shut up!” I hollered.

“I’m telling the truth,” he said, with blood pouring from his bottom lip. Quickly, he reached back down inside the van and returned with Madi in his arms. She was crying and had three gashes along her face. I ran up and removed her from him, my hands barely back to normal. As soon as I had her though, her wounds had faded away. She was perfectly fine again.

“Madi, your healing power is so strong…” I said, and she tried to stop her tears. Asia joined us and placed a soothing hand on both of our necks. Holding Madi closer to me, I said, “I’m here, you’re safe.”

From behind us the thug jumped down and stumbled off into the distance. Asia pushed past us and clapped her hands together. A large gust of wind spun around the man. It lifted him into the air about twenty-feet before smashing him back down. With a sick thud, he never moved again.

“Max, the girls!” Asia exclaimed, as she saw her black helicopter sitting atop a clearing just before the mouth of the volcano. She ran in a full sprint.

“Hang on!” I yelled out, but she was already on the move and couldn’t hear me over her crashing thunderstorm. With a quick glance behind us I realized the motorbike was buried in the growing mudslide that the lower half of the mountain was becoming
.
Damn Asia’s torrential temper
.
In the distance, at the bottom of the volcano, I could see flashing lights from a couple police cars. They were no longer moving and I was sure it was because of our destructive pursuit of Avery up this mountainside. The rain was heavy enough to wash out any and every roadway up here.

“Sam…” I whispered. She was probably down there with no way to reach us. I didn’t have time to think about that now. Urgently, I placed Madi along my back and told her to hang on. Her skinny arms slid over my shoulders and under my chin. She tucked her head in between my shoulder blades as I pursued Asia. She seemed to be running with an extra boost of speed and I had no possibility of catching her.

Suddenly, over our head, a second helicopter arrived. It was twice as big as the one Avery stole from Asia’s place. He was most likely needing more space for his escape. Asia’s fancy helicopter was fast, but barely fit six people. The black and silver sky-carriage ripped past us as if it was trying to stop our momentum. Madi screamed in terror and her eyes came alive. Her hands ignited along my neck and it felt like we were one.

In seconds, the chopper’s spinning tail propeller burst into a ball of sparks and red flames. Smoke poured from it and it started to lose control. It’s engine stuttered as it fell directly for Asia and her emotional attack.

“Asia!” I screamed so hard my throat hurt. Asia stopped running up the mountain just a stones-throw away from Avery and a very large armed man. She whipped around as the sound of the falling chopper became unavoidable. I dug my feet into the muddy terrain and pushed my legs harder. Madi and I were almost to her when she raised her arms and swept the air above her. Her powers over the weather spun the helicopter to the right, just missing her. Two men in full riot gear jumped from the helicopter. It looked like the pilot and another thug that worked for Avery. The pilot snapped his ankle as he hit the ground and he bellowed as if he was dying. The copter shredded the side of the mountain with chunks of rock and debris that bounced everywhere. Instantly, the rest of the machine crinkled into the dirt with a crunch of fiberglass and metal.

“Get down, Asia!” I warned with all my heart. The chopper exploded only a few yards from her. She turned toward Madi and I just in time to cover her face with her arms. I dropped Madi to the ground and she fell to her stomach and covered her head with another shriek.

“Max!” Asia yelled. I jumped past her with my body fully engulfed in white fire. I opened my arms and leaned into the explosion and absorbed the deadly heat and flames. It was a total superhero move and I would have patted myself on the back if half of the helicopter engine hadn’t of slammed into my chest. My inferno took most of the force, but it was still enough to throw me backward and break a couple of my ribs. Asia reached for me with one hand and her other toward Madi and an impossible funnel of wind and rain surrounded us like a tornado. It rushed past us with the feeling of a freight train. Madi jumped to her feet and ran up to both of us. Asia had already tried to help me back to my knees. My chest ached terribly and blood washed from my mouth with the falling rain.

“Are you okay?” Asia asked, in a panic. Madi clamped her hot hands onto my stomach and closed her eyes. Within seconds, I was healed and feeling stronger.

“Completely.” I winked, with a nod toward my amazing daughter. Asia kissed Madi on the forehead and stood up, ready to fight.

“He still has my girls,” Asia said, through clenched teeth. The mountain roared with a new tremble that made me queasy inside. The clouds rolled overhead, doubling their speed. Asia stormed forward and her protective tornado around us fell to the ground. When our view was clear again, Avery and his two hired guards were standing in front of us with their guns drawn.

My hands washed over in bright yellow and white fire. Spiraling embers dripped to the dirt as I locked my fists at my sides, ready to attack. From the corner of my eye I watched as silver arcs of light jumped from Asia’s opened palms. The lightning crawled up her arms and shoulders and shot out her upper back like angel wings. Raindrops the size of hockey pucks flattened everything they touched. She took an even bigger step forward, and my heart skipped a beat. She was beyond beautiful, beyond imaginable.

That’s when Madi jumped in front of both of us, fully ablaze. Her whole torso was covered in a pulsating red and white fire. Sparks popped from her outline like miniature fireworks. The sight of my daughter ready to protect the ones she loved, leveled me. I had never experienced a moment of love so profound, so absolute. We all took a step forward, together.

“That’ll be close enough,” Avery called out, in a wicked laugh. In his right hand was a blinking remote that had the worst intentions. “You three need to calm down right now, or else…” Avery pointed our eyes toward Asia’s stolen helicopter on the outcropping behind him. Attached to the side of it was a matching blinking box. Just past the box was all four girls sound asleep inside the copter. They were bound in duct-tape and zip ties.

“My girls!” Asia cried out.

“One more step, Ms. Michaels, and I push this button…and trust me, it may not look like much, but this particular explosive packs quite a punch. You move, they die,” Avery promised, with his steel-gray eyes.

“You wouldn’t risk destroying your trophies. Isn’t that why you came back after all?” I dared him. He let out a belly laugh and pointed directly at Madi.

“Look at her, Mr. Valentine, your daughter is more than I need to continue my work. The other girls are worthless now,” he said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder.

“I’ll kill you,” Asia declared, and her storm backed her up.

“Settle down, beautiful. You might get your chance, but then again, you might kill the four most important things in your life,” he teased, wickedly. He tightened his fingers around the trigger and focused his eyes back to me. “Besides, could you really live with yourself if you caused the death of your beloved boyfriend’s family?”

His question sucked the air from my lungs and I stepped backwards and my flames fell away. Softly, I asked, “What did you just say?”

“That’s right, Max…” Avery crossed his arms and continued. “All four of those amazing young women are your biological siblings. Your sisters.”

The rain stopped falling and the clouds slowed their advance, and Asia began to cry. Her powers subsided and I reached out and placed a shaking hand on Madi’s shoulder. She quickly let go of her fires and tightened her fingers around my hand.

“How is that possible?” I asked, numb.

Avery nodded our way, and tilted his head as if he were wearing a hat. “Shall I explain?”