“Whatever. I’m not falling for you or your tricks.” Maia took another few steps back until she was beside Zander again. She felt a deep relief inside when he slipped his arm protectively around her shoulders, pulling her tight to his side.
“Tell us what this is all about,” Atlas said, challenging Orion.
Orion faced Atlas head on, like two bulls eyeing the same red flag. “Actually, this is all your fault, old man.”
“How so?”
“You’ve been in power for eternity. I think it’s about time someone else got a chance to run things for a while. If I can make one of your daughters fall in love with me, enough that she wants to marry me, maybe even have a kid with me, then we’d become the highest ruling body in the universe, and your reign as all-high-and-mighty would finally be over. I’d be the new top dog in town.”
“This is what it’s been all about? Having power?” Electra asked.
“Yep,” Orion answered easily. “Don’t you see? Together we would be the most powerful couple in the entire universe. And if we had a child together, we’d have everything. Our child would be immortal, even on Earth. Everyone would look up to us, envy us, and worship us. Every door would be open for us. Everyone would cater to our needs. Finally, I’d get the respect as the hunter who finally caught his prey.”
“You disgust me. The fact that you think you can use one of us for your own gain shows me how crazy you really are. I can’t even believe you’re crazy enough to think one of us would actually have sex with you and produce your offspring.”
Orion reached out and grabbed her by the arm. The strength of his hand sent streaks of pain shooting down into her fingertips. “I haven’t come this far to let you go,” Orion said, pulling her away from Zander and up against him. In his gaze, she saw hunger, and not the good, sexy kind either. The scary, terrifying kind. “I know you could love me if you let go of the hostility. You need to stop fighting it. Stop running from your feelings and be with me.”
“Let me go,” Maia said with as much force in her voice as she could find. “You’re hurting me. I’ll never love you.”
“Get your hands off of her,” Zander yelled as he pushed himself in between Maia and Orion, forcing him to break his hold on her. “You’ve pushed her around for the last time.”
“Orion, this has gone too far.” Atlas raised his voice over the commotion. “You’ll leave this place at once and never return or threaten any of my daughters again or there will be a price to pay.”
“Tell them you want to be with me and we can finally be together.” Orion tried to push past Zander, but couldn’t.
“She said no. Take a hint already, asshole,” Electra said.
“Dude,” Zeus piped up from the sidelines, “give up already. You’re not going to win this one. Now you just look pathetic.”
“And desperate,” added Electra.
“Get this useless mortal out of my way and be with me.”
“No, Orion.” Maia stepped beside Zander. “I could never love you no matter how you threaten me. I love a guy from Earth and nothing is going to change that.”
Tears filled her eyes again, blurring her vision. But even through the tears she could see Zander smiling back at her. “You love me?”
She nodded. “I do, with all my heart.”
“I love you too,” he said, bringing his lips to hers.
It was as if the rest of the universe stopped existing for the next few minutes. The only thing Maia could focus on was Zander and how amazing it felt to know he loved her as much as she loved him. What they would do about it now didn’t even matter anymore. The important thing was they both wanted to be together and somehow they would make it happen.
“I’m never going to stop trying. I still have six other sisters to pursue.” Orion moved toward Electra.
“Try five, ‘cause there ain’t no way you’re ever getting your hands on me. Not if you want to keep your balls attached to your body.”
Orion stopped in his tracks. “Fine. Five other sisters. Now where are they?”
“You’re never going to stop, are you?” Atlas asked with a shake of his head. His disappointment and disgust was evident on his face, in his body language. “Zeus, if you will.”
Zeus stepped forward. “You sure, boss?”
“Are you sure about what?” Maia asked.
Her father ignored her and signaled for Zeus to do whatever it was he was supposed to do. Zeus held up a gleaming lightning bolt that had appeared spontaneously out of thin air and aimed it at Orion. “You really should have walked away when you had the chance.”
Orion raised his hands and backed up a few paces. “Hey now. Let’s not do anything hasty we might regret later.”
“The only thing I regret,” Atlas said, “is not doing this sooner. You’ve come after my daughters too many times.”
Blinding light flashed from the lightning bolt in Zeus’s hand and shot straight toward Orion, hitting him square in the chest. The light illuminated his entire body for a fraction of a second before Orion disappeared into nothingness.
“Where’d he go?” Zander asked.
“The other side of the black hole,” Zeus answered.
“That was un-fucking-believable,” Jude said from his place on the grass.
Everyone turned to look at him. Maia hadn’t even noticed him sitting there this whole time with everything else going on. His mind must be exploding right now with all of this. Zander’s must be too for that matter.
Jude looked at Zander with a sloppy smile on his face. “Dude, I don’t know what the hell I ate recently, but this is the craziest dream ever.”
“It’s not a dream,” Electra said, offering Jude her hand. She pulled him to his feet then helped support him as he swayed with disbelief. “Welcome to Pleiades. Maybe I can show you around if you plan on staying a while.”
“Is this shit for real?” Jude asked Zander.
Zander nodded. “I think it is.”
“Amazing. Show me everything.” Jude pulled Electra down the path.
“If you insist,” she giggled and waved goodbye to Maia.
Maia laughed. She knew that giggle and she knew exactly where they’d find Jude later—in Electra’s bed, if she got her way.
“Wait,” Maia called after Electra. “Where are the others? I haven’t seen Taygete or Merope or anyone else yet.”
Electra stopped on the path and looked back while Jude studied one of the blossoms on the weeping tree. “They’re still out there, somewhere. Zeus hasn’t been able to find them or zap them back here. Tomorrow we’ll go find them.”
“What?” Maia glared at Electra and her sneaky father. “How could you not tell me our sisters are still missing? How do you know they’re not hurt?”
“I’d just gotten you back. You were already stressed and upset. I didn’t want to stress you more.” Atlas smiled at Maia and her heart almost forgave him. Almost. “And if they have even half your strength and determination, then I’m sure they are managing just fine.”
But almost wasn’t close enough when it came to her sisters. She needed to find them.
She turned on Electra. “And what’s your excuse?” Whatever it was, it’d better be good.
“Our sisters are just as strong as we are. I’m sure they’re fine. Besides, I had a sister right here who needed more help than they probably do.”
Maia felt her anger fall away. Electra was right. She had needed help getting back to Zander. But not anymore. Now she had him right here with her and the thought of not taking him back to her bedroom was too painful to entertain.
Maia looked between Zander and Electra, torn between finding her sisters—who probably were okay, especially now that Orion was out of the picture—and spending the next few hours alone with Zander on her home turf. “Tomorrow?”
“Bright and early, right Zeus?”
“If that’s your wish.”
Electra and Jude wandered down the path. “See you tomorrow. Not too early though. I think Jude and Zander are going to need some rest after their big day today.”
Maia laughed, knowing exactly what kind of “rest” Electra had in mind for Jude. The exact same kind of “rest” Maia had planned for Zander.
She led Zander down the path in the opposite direction toward her home. She wanted to show him Calliope Springs and the waterfall beside her house first, then her bed, then maybe her kitchen table—it was made of sturdy oak.
“I don’t know how you’re handling being here without completely freaking out. No mortal from Earth has ever lasted long in the stars.”
He pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her. “I don’t know. It doesn’t seem weird to me. It feels like I’ve come home.”
“Really?” Could it work? Was it possible Zander’s scientific mind and his interest in all things space-related would be enough to keep him sane here in the stars with her?
“Really. I love you, Maia, and I want to be with you forever—for eternity if we can figure out how.”
“I love you too.”
“There is nothing on Earth that would make me leave you to go back there alone.”
They stood at the edge of the springs, staring at the beauty of the cascading waterfall. “What about Arius Industries? Your family? Don’t you care what happens to them or what they think happened to you?”
“Of course I care. But I care more about you. When we go looking for your sisters, I’ll drop by and tell them I’m leaving the company and running away with the love of my life. They don’t need to know where.” He pulled her close and kissed her.
“Want to go for a swim?” she asked when he broke away, leaving her body trembling for more.
“Only if we keep our heads above the surface this time. I may be okay with living in the stars and all of this, but I have my limits and needing to breathe is one of them.”
She laughed. “Good. It’s too hard to kiss underwater anyway.”
They undressed and stepped into the warm, blue water of the lake. Maia’s body lit up the water again like it had at the dam, only this time she didn’t have to hide it. Of all the places in the universe, she couldn’t believe she’d found the man she wanted to spend the rest of her eternity with on Earth.
And tomorrow they’d start searching for her sisters. Together.
More stars are falling soon!
Will Zander survive living on Pleiades with Maia? Now that Jude has found his way to the stars, will he stay or will he be sent back to Earth with a story to tell? Where are Maia’s sisters and who will help them get home to the stars? Will Maia’s sisters find true love, or will the universe conspire against them?
Find out the answers to all those questions and more when
Falling Stars
takes you on another exciting intergalactic adventure!
Stay up to date on all upcoming
Falling Stars
books and the seven sisters of Pleiades by visiting: http://heatherthurmeier.com
Also by Heather Thurmeier
Bunny Hills and Bikinis
Meadow Ridge Romances:
Love and Lattes, Love on Landing, Love or Luxury
Reality TV Romance trilogy:
Falling for You, Stuck on You, Lost Without You
About the Author
Heather Thurmeier was born and raised in the Canadian prairies, but now she lives in upstate New York with her own personal romance hero (aka her husband) and their two little princesses. When she's not busy taking care of the kids and or pets, Heather's hard at work on her next romance novel. For more information on her current and upcoming releases, check out her website at http://heatherthurmeier.com.
Heart, humor, and a happily ever after.
Facebook: Heather Thurmeier, author