Helios Awakened (The Helios Chronicles #1)
Read Helios Awakened (The Helios Chronicles #1) Online
Authors: Tawa M Witko
Book 1 in the Helios Chronicles
HELIOS
Awakened
By
T.M. Witko
Copyright All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof
may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever
without the express written permission of the publisher
except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing, 2016
ISBN 978-0-9861133-7-6 (ebook)
ISBN 978-0-9861133-6-9 (paperback)
Tampa, Florida
Copyright © 2016 Winyan Press, LLC
Cover Art © Alex Marin
This book is dedicated to all my friends in the fandom, to all the FF authors looking for a voice, and the readers who encourage and support.
PREFACE
I would like to take a moment to thank all of my friends and family that have encouraged me to write over the years. Your support means the world to me.
To my partner in crime, Mindy Marin, thank you for all that you do, not only for our company but also for what you do for me as a friend. Love you!
To my long time editor, Amanda Rash, thank you so much for being one of the first people to tell me I should write when I didn’t think I could anymore. We started this journey together a long time ago and it’s only fitting that you are here with me now.
To my lovely friend Corinne, my maske’ from across the pond. Thank you for all the late night chats and the support you have given me over these many years. Words can’t express how much your friendship has meant to me. To my friend Tamara who’s been pushing me to publish since the day she was first introduced to my writing so long ago. To my amazing fandom friends: Brenda, Rachelle, Leeanne, Tamara, Amanda, Corinne, Michele and Carrie. You ladies have served as my Helios Reading Group, affectionately known as my Helios h00rs, from the beginning, your input and support has been invaluable. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! And Brenda, yes, I know you are the original Helios h00r and that you called dibs on him a very long time ago. But remember, sharing is caring!
To Stephenie Meyer, thank you for giving me such beautiful characters to fall in love with. Twilight was the first series in a long time that made me yearn for the beauty of uncompromising love. Your kind and loving words served as a healing salve on a then aching heart.
To the world of fan fiction, I thank you immensely for helping me find my voice again. Without it, and some very good friends, I would have never tried my hand at writing again. You let me be me and produce whatever thought I had at the moment and in the process released the writer in me.
And last, but certainly not least, thank you to Bobby Long for supplying the soundtrack to The Helios Chronicles. I wrote this entire series while listening to my ‘Bobby’ playlist. You wrote such powerful and moving lyrics that inevitably inspired me and my work and I am most grateful for it.
Okay, now that the pleasantries are done, let’s get to the nitty gritty of this particular book. It is the first in a series of three books that will chronicle the life and times of Andrew ‘Helios’ Harrison and Madison Nicole Ellis as they traverse the difficulties of loving one another in a complicated world that throws unbelievable obstacles in their way
.
In Book 1 we will be introduced to our eclectic cast of characters. Some of which you will immediately fall in love with while others you will likely despise from the get go. It is my hope that as you read Madison and Andrew’s story that you will fall in love right along with them, that you feel your hearts break when theirs do, and that you will cheer for joy at various points in time, throughout this first phase of their journey together.
Please remember that this is an adult romance and as such there will be some graphic language and situations that are clearly not suitable for younger audiences. With that in mind, I welcome you to the world of Helios, may you love him as much as I do!
CONTENT WARNING
Please be advised that this story contains graphic language and situations that are not suitable for younger audiences.
Winyan Press, LLC would like to acknowledge the following individuals for their contributions on
Helios Awakened.
Leeanne Lemaster, Proofreader
Alex Marin, Graphic Artist/Illustrator
Amanda Rash, Copy Editor
Table of Contents
May 2012
Madison heard the incessant ringing on her phone but refused to answer it. It was too early and she had fallen asleep too late, not to mention that her head was still pounding. By the second round of rings, she groaned and grabbed the receiver, prepared to yell at whoever was on the other end.
“Madison,” her mother said flustered.
“Yes, what is it, Mom?”
She glanced at the clock, 7:00 a.m. Madison couldn’t fathom why on earth her mother would be calling her so early, especially on a weekend. She stretched a little and then felt a hand brush up against her lower back. Madison sighed. She had already forgotten about the man lying beside her.
“What the hell is going on?” Madison barked into the phone as she sat up and wiped her hand over her sleepy eyes. She glanced at her hand and saw black there. The remnants of last night’s heavy mascara and eyeliner winked at her. She shook her head just as Kurtis grunted and reached out for her.
“It’s your grandma.”
There was an edge to her mom’s voice, more so than usual. That immediately set off alarms. What could be going on with her grandma that could cause her mom to call so frantic?
“Hold on, Mom.”
Madison slipped out of the bed and looked around the floor for her clothes. Instead, she spotted Kurtis' t-shirt so she quickly threw it on and then glanced back at the bed. He was lying on his stomach, his naked backside completely exposed. Kurtis worked in her office and was her occasional... Well, let’s just say he served a purpose. It had been awhile since they had been together, but a work gathering and several margaritas later, they found themselves making love wildly in her bed. Madison frowned. They had left the bar close to 2:00 in the morning, were at her apartment by 2:40 and he was asleep by 3:00. Not exactly the evening she had envisioned. She wasn’t even sure why she’d invited him back to her apartment in the first place. He was definitely handsome, but often a lot more work than she wanted. Her frown turned into a scowl as she realized that now she would have to do the whole awkward thing where he wanted to hook up again and she wanted to forget they ever hooked up at all. She ran her hand through her knotted hair, frustrated that she didn’t seem to have any chemistry with anyone. She heard her mother’s impatient breathing on the other end of the line and quickly exited the bedroom. Her lack of chemistry debate would just have to wait for another time.
“What happened to Grans?” she asked as she walked towards the living room.
“Apparently she slipped last night in her bathroom and they had to admit her to the hospital.”
“Is she okay?” Madison asked as she made her way to the couch, plopping down on it in shock.
“I don’t know, Madison. I’m going out there. My plane leaves in three hours. I’ll call you when I know something.” Her mom sounded oddly kind and compassionate.
“Thanks, Mom,” Madison replied, feeling tears already pooling in her eyes. “Hey, can you please tell Grans that I love her and that I miss her.”
“I will,” her mom said right before hanging up.
“Oh God! Grans please be okay.”
Madison dropped her face into her waiting hands. She was consumed with guilt. She should have gone out to see her. She shouldn't have been so selfish. It had been a while since she had even talked to her. Madison had thought she would always be around, that she would be there to let her vent about what her mom was saying or doing. Madison wrapped her fingers in her hair and cried, hoping that it wasn’t too late.
~*~
“Mom, there is no way in hell that Grans is going into a home.”
“Well, she has to. She can’t be on her own. The doctors say she needs assistance.”
“For how long?”
Madison watched as her mother paced in the living room. She couldn’t help but think that her mom was just angry that this was a huge inconvenience for her.
“Oh, who knows, Madison? You know how doctors are. They don’t give a straight answer to anything. They say anywhere from 3-6 months to forever,” Jacqueline replied flustered.
“Can't we hire a nurse or something?”
Madison was trying desperately to find a solution that didn’t involve forcing her Grans out of her home. It wasn’t as if she had some life-threatening disease or anything. She just needed help getting around. Why was her mom making it so complicated?
“With what, Madison?” Jacqueline asked harshly, snapping Madison out of her thoughts. “How are we going to pay for a private nurse? With your charm and good looks? How much is that going for now-a-days?”
Madison could hear the bitterness in her words. All she could think to do was glare at her. They had never gotten along that well but, at this moment, Madison despised her. What kind of daughter throws her mom in a nursing home just because she doesn’t want to take care of her? It wasn’t Grans fault that this happened. Of course, now that Madison thought about it, would she want to take care of her mother? Probably not, but this was Grans they were talking about. She was always kind and sweet, a little too religious, but to each her own. Madison often wondered how the hell her mom came from her womb. She couldn’t believe how selfish she was being.
“Don't look at me that way, Madison. I have a life here that I am not willing to sacrifice. What? Are you going to give up your career and your life to help her? Because that’s what it will take,” Jacqueline said, cocking her brow, having thrown down the challenge.
This was just great. Her mother was putting all of this on Madison. If she said ‘no, I won't help’ then her mother would send her Grans away and Madison couldn’t say anything about it and if she said ‘yes, I will help’ then Madison really would have to give up her career and life. As she contemplated what the options were, she noticed the smirk on her mom’s face and suddenly knew exactly what she was going to do.
“Yeah, I’ll do it. I’ll take family leave. According to the Family Leave and Medical Act, the firm will have to hold my job. I’ll go and I’ll take care of her.”
Madison smiled at the expression on her mom’s face.
“So let me get this straight. You’re going to go live in white trash central in a tiny two bedroom trailer in the dead of summer. In Bakersfield, no less. That's your plan?” she stated, now smiling at the stunned expression on Madison’s face as she realized that that was exactly what she had just agreed to do.
“Yeah, I guess so,” Madison replied with less conviction than she had before.
Jacqueline huffed and threw her arms in the air. “Fine, fine, go martyr yourself for her. I don’t care.”
Madison rolled her eyes which elicited the scowl that she had come to look forward to from her mother. It meant that she’d won this particular round. It wasn’t until her mom stomped out of her apartment that she looked around and realized what she’d just done.
“Oh Shit!”