Accidentally...Over?(36)

"Would you fucking watch where you land?" Máax growled.

Niccolo's turquoise eyes twinkled before he chuckled. "Sorry, didn't see you standing there."

Why did everyone think his transparency was so damned funny? It wasn't. It blew to be invisible.

"Máax! Bad god! Bad!" Cimil's voice screeched through the other gods' roars.

A silence quickly fell over the prison.

Kinich, ex – Sun God and the epitome of all things sunny right down to his  skin, hair, and fucking annoying altruistic attitude, placed his palms  flat against the glass. His large body eclipsed the petite brunette  behind him, Penelope. "Máax, where the hell have you been? Let us the  fuck out of here right now. Or so help me gods-"

"I am not the one holding you prisoner," Máax barked. "That said,  keeping everyone jailed does seem like the logical solution, albeit a  temporary one. Except in my case. Which cell is mine by the way?" Máax  was ready to face the consequences of his actions.

"You think we're worried about locking you up?" Cimil rolled her eyes  and then pointed straight at Ashli. "As if that matters now! We've had  eight earthquakes. Eight! Human cities are about to crumble like a fine,  drunken goat cheese! And why don't you try explaining, Máax, what the  hell Miss 1993 is doing here? The one thing I told you not to do, you  did! Now we're all completely screwed. And not in a fabulous orgy kind  of way, either!"

"Máax." Ashli's wounded expression pierced his heart from across the room.

Well, time to face the ugly music. This was not how he wanted Ashli to  learn the horrible truth. He'd brought her forward in time, rendering  Cimil's "cure for the apocalypse" prophecy null and void.

But Ashli cares for you; she will understand.

Or be a thousand times more hurt.

Máax cleared his throat, and all eyes shifted in his general direction.  "Before anyone passes judgment, I ask that you hear me out. I realize  Cimil believes that in order to halt the apocalypse, I had to leave  Ashli in 1993 and allow her to arrive here through the normal course of  time, but that simply was not possible. Ashli would not have survived,  and I had to save her. She is my mate."

Ashli pushed her way through the crowded room, following the sound of  his voice. "Máax? What are you talking about?" The look of hurt in her  eyes was almost unbearable.

The entire room instantly fell into a hush, all eyes glued to Ashli.

He swallowed. "I was told, Ashli, that in order for your destiny to be  fulfilled, in order to halt the apocalypse, I could not bring you  forward in time. Your life needed to play out the normal way without  time travel. However, that is the silliest-"

"You lied to me! To me?" Ashli's face turned rage red. "How could you? I trusted you!"

"Máax." Kinich's turquoise eyes flickered from black to a calm pastel  blue. "Why have you betrayed us? We're your family. Don't you love us?  Because we love you." Grumbles of concurrence erupted from everyone in  the prison, including the platoons of Uchben and vampire soldiers.  Looked like a godsdamned leather pants convention.

Máax ignored the awkward touchy-feely question from Kinich and instead  focused on Ashli. "You would never have survived, Ashli. For whatever  reason, the Universe sought to eliminate you. She told me herself in a  vision. But I have rectified that now; you are immortal, a gift I was  unable to give you in 1993 because the portals to my world were sealed  during that time. It's a long story but true."

Cimil tsked in Máax's general direction. "Now you've done it! You've  been banished from the realm of the gods. But you went there anyway and  made her immortal? Without our blessing? Máax! I'm shocked. Bad god.  Bad!"

Why did Máax have the distinct feeling that Cimil was putting on a show?  Because she is a horrible liar. Yes, she was up to something. Perhaps  the entire prophecy thing had been a ploy. Wouldn't surprise him at this  point, honestly.                       
       
           



       

Ashli's gaze fell to the floor. "Is it true that we are all going to die? All because of me?"

"I do not believe so," Máax said. "I believe that-"

"Yes! Yes! It's true!" Cimil squawked. "After earthquake number ten, the  gods go to war with each other. Within seven months, we completely  destroy the planet."

Ashli flashed a glance over her shoulder at Cimil. "That must be your sister."

"Ashli, do not listen to her. Cimil is not trustworthy," he said.

"Oh"-Ashli poked his chest-"but you are? You lied to me. Lied. And  aren't you the God of Truth? Aren't you supposed to be incapable of  lying?"

"If you'd simply allow me to-"

"No." She held up her hand. "I don't want to hear another word. I should  have known better, but it's my own damned fault. I allowed myself to be  taken in by you and your-your godly hotness. I'm an idiot." She threw  up her hands. "I actually allowed myself to dream this could work, that  we could have a life together. And now you're saying that my being here  is a death sentence for the entire planet?"

"Not exactly. Prophecies are very difficult to interpre-"

"I want to go back," Ashli said. "And not just to my house, but to my own time. We have to undo this!"

Go back? Yes, he'd made her immortal, but she wasn't indestructible. She  was more like a vampire who might live forever as long her body wasn't  destroyed. Gods were the only true immortals in existence. "You cannot  return to your time." Bottom line, she might be fine. She might not. But  why take the risk? What for? They would find another way to stop the  clock.

The smell of anger wafted from Ashli's body. Yeah, he had to admit, it turned him on.

Maledicta, is there anything about this woman I don't like?

"You made me immortal, didn't you?" Ashli looked at Cimil. "I'm safe now, right?"

Cimil shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. Except on Fridays. My  guessing sucks on Fridays. Because that's when I go to happy hour. It's  such a distraction when hot wings and onion rings are complimentary with  a purchase of a pint. Yanno what I mean?"

The vampires and Uchben soldiers exchanged glances and then nodded and mumbled in agreement.

"See." Cimil grinned.

"Today is Friday," said Kinich.

"Oops," Cimil said cheerfully, "I guess the guessing store is closed today. Or not. 'Cause I just guessed."

"Ashli," Máax pleaded. "Do not listen to Cimil. We will find a way to make everything right."

"I hope you are certain about that, brother," Kinich argued. "Because  now the prophecy will go unfulfilled, and we are almost out of time.  You've gambled with the lives of everyone, including those of our  children. By the way, can anyone explain why I have the sudden urge to  write a song about puppies and cute little chipmunks? Anyone?"

"Have you all gone mad?" Máax argued. "Have you? We all know by now that  Cimil isn't to be trusted. Hell, she doesn't even trust herself half  the time. Just ask Roberto."

This was the only perk about being invisible: intelligence gathering.  Máax had long ago begun to suspect that Cimil was up to something and  began spying on her. Of course, he never could have imagined the  shocking truth. Cimil had aided the gods' enemies-those evil Mayan  priests, the Maaskab, and evil vampires called Obscuros. She'd also  poisoned Chaam with dark energy and used him to do her evil bidding.  Again and again, she'd masterminded unspeakable atrocities. But then  Máax discovered something else. There was an odd cosmic method to her  cataclysmic madness. Yes, when one stepped back-really, really far  back-one began to see that those seemingly unconnected, malicious events  she'd orchestrated weren't random at all. One might even go as far as  saying that Cimil was the yin of the Universe's yin and yang. Good  always seemed to blossom from the rubble she left behind. But that did  not mean she could be trusted.                       
       
           



       

Roberto crossed his arms. His dark eyes and the angular planes of his  face matched his hard-boiled personality. "It is true. In fact, Cimil is  the bringer of the apocalypse."

A collective gasp erupted from everyone inside the prison.

Cimil shrugged. "I'm a complex creature. What can I say?" She looked  behind her and stared at the vacant corner of her cell. "I'm not talking  to you, Twinkie twat, now am I?"