Accidentally...Over?(17)

       
           



       

"My condition," he interrupted, "is not a power. I cannot transfer it to other objects. Wearing clothes only terrifies people."

Ashli turned her head toward the voice. "I knew it! I knew you were there. By the way, spying is completely rude."

"That man, you want him?" asked that deep, seductive male voice, filled with irritation.

Is that all he had to say?

"Nice," she sneered and went outside to her patio. She sat at her tiny  table, where she often loved to read or eat breakfast while marveling at  the jewel-colored waves. She took a giant bite of her pastry. The sugar  on the top was always her favorite part.

Suddenly, a chunk of bread caught in her throat. She sprang from her  seat and attempted to cough it out, but the air in her lungs simply  wasn't passing.

She clasped her throat.

"Dammit all to bloody deity hell, woman!" Two large arms wrapped around her stomach.

One thrust.

Two thrusts.

With the third, the chunk of bread flew from her mouth, landing in the sand.

The arms released her, and Ashli leaned forward to catch her breath.

"Soup. You will only eat soup from now on," he roared. "Do you hear me?"

He was angry? She'd almost died. Again!

"Oh my God. I can't take this." She wobbled into the kitchen in search of a glass of water.

"I am taking you away from here," he said, following closely behind her.  "Somewhere without oceans, cement patios, bees, and anything else that  might be deadly."

Ashli turned toward the sound of the voice. "You can't be serious."

"Why the hell not?"

"You really think the universe wants me dead?" The logic of that defied  everything she understood to be true in the world, despite the eerie  evidence.

"How else do you explain that you have died at least twice since I found you and almost died twice more?"

"Whoa-whoa-whoooa. What?" She set down her glass of water on the countertop. "What do you mean, I died? Twice?"



Máax had not originally intended to reveal that little tidbit of  information to Ashli, but now, he saw no other way to inspire the  obedience he required to protect her. After all, he no longer had  powers, so compelling was not an option.

Máax cleared his throat, wishing Ashli could see his face; it would make  it easier for her to discern the importance of what he was about to  say. "A few days from now, you are stung by a bee, right here in your  kitchen. You do not receive your medicine in time, and you die. A few  days after that, you run from me and are hit by a bus."

Ashli's curls fell over her lovely, sweet, and confused face. "I don't  understand. You're saying I die twice? In the future? That's not even  possible."

"Of course it is possible. I do not lie."

Her head snapped up and focused on something in his direction. Gods, he  wished their eyes could meet, and she could see what was inside his.

"And you know this how?" she asked, her hands trembling.

"Each time you have died, I come back to you a few days earlier to when you are still alive."

"Oh, hey. Thanks. Makes tons of sense."

"You are making fun, I see. However, I assure you, I tell the truth. My  first trip to meet you is ten days from now. This is when you are hit by  the bus. My second trip is in approximately three days from now. This  is when I fail to save you from the bee. My third visit to you was a few  days ago, when you hit me with the shovel. So as you see, this is why  we must leave now. I must take you somewhere safe until your life is  squarely on a new path, one where you are destined to live."

"Okay." Ashli took a deep breath and bobbed her head. "But I'm not leaving here."

Máax's anger spiked. Why did she need to argue this point? "Because you have a date with the doctor?"

Ashli huffed, "You're joking, right?"

"I do not joke."

She rolled her eyes. " 'Kay, buddy. Whatever."

"My name is Máax, not Buddy."

She smiled as if trying not to laugh. "Máax. It's a nice name."

"Not really, but it is a story for another day. In the meantime, you will answer my question."                       
       
           



       

"Listen to you. You're like a robot. Are all gods so stiff? Christ, I can't believe I'm having this conversation."

"I am very ancient, Ashli. I simply do not see the need to add hyperbole  to my speech or inflection to my voice. It will do little to impact the  situation. A situation, I might add, that is dire, yet you refuse to  take seriously. But I assure you, there is nothing more serious than  this. I must keep you alive so that you can fulfill your destiny, which  is why you need to come clean. What are you hiding?"

"Hiding? Me? Like what?"

"You're the key to stopping the apocalypse. There has to be a reason  why-your family history, special abilities, something. And do not lie to  me; I will know."

Ashli rolled her eyes. "You can't seriously believe I can stop the end of the world? That's absurd."

"I couldn't agree more."

"Wow. You're a real charmer."

"Yes. I am. It comes with the territory. Now stop avoiding the question, woman."

She threw up her hands. "Listen to yourself. Do you honestly think I  have a clue what you're talking about? Or that if I did, I'd lie about  it? I hate liars. Dishonesty is for cowards and criminals."

"And you have no idea why the Universe wishes to extinguish you?"

"Ohmygod! No!"

Fantastic. This was like trying to steer an oil tanker through a maze of  icebergs while blindfolded. At night. Alone. While doing tequila shots  and hopping on one foot. "Then I have no choice but to take you  somewhere safe. You will pack your things immediately."

She stifled a chuckle and then released a frustrated breath. "What makes  you think I'm safer somewhere else? If my number's up, it's up."

Fucking hell! Why did she not understand? That was not how the Universe  functioned. Survival of the fittest. You fought or perished. Nothing was  handed to anyone. It was a brutal, brutal world that required an iron  constitution, conviction, and determination. Without those, you'd be  overrun by the will of many. Drowned by their competing agendas.

He growled. "If you are not willing to fight for your existence, then I  will. I will not allow you to take such a complacent approach."

"So you're a superhero, Máax? You think you can stop the planet from  spinning, change the order of the seasons, stop time?" she asked.

"But of course. I am a deity." Had he not said this already? What was  the matter with this woman? "However, this does not signify that I do  not encounter my fair share of challenges. Such is life. Complications  are to be expected. For example, I cannot be allowed to encounter  myself. It would be very destructive for the order of the Universe,  which is yet another reason we should leave."

She grabbed a pen off the counter and marked a giant X on her puppy calendar. "Okay, then."

"What is the meaning of that?" Did she want to play tic-tac-toe?

"Today is the day I've heard it all," she explained.

Oh. Good. Because tic-tac-toe was his competitive Achilles' heel. Once  he started, he couldn't stop until he won. "In actuality, you have not  ‘heard it all.' You haven't begun to scratch the surface of my world;  however, that will have to wait. We must leave."

"You don't actually expect me to pick up and go? Who'll take care of the  café? Fernando's new; he can't run the place by himself."

"This is why I did not return to you immediately. I have made  arrangements for your café and home to be looked after for as long as  you are away."

"By whom?" she said bitterly.

"We call them Uchben," he explained. "They are our human allies and manage our affairs in this realm."

She laughed and put another X on her calendar. "Sure. Why not?"

She was mocking him. And sparking an urge in him to draw a circle on her calendar. "Do you truly find it hard to believe?"

"I can't just let some strangers take over my life, Máax."

"Then we shall stop by your café, and you will meet our most valued  Uchben soldiers: Brutus and his men. Then they will no longer be  strangers. I have also arranged for the Uchben to take us to my  brother's home in Arizona. It is the safest place I know. There is a  large Uchben encampment a few kilometers away, along with our private  hospital, underground bunker, and 24/7 security."