Half of What I Could Be

Chapter 43

This is it. Wow, I never thought I would see this. An end of four years of writing. When I started this, I was 19, going through nursing school. I never had a boyfriend let alone knew what a healthy relationship was. If you read this in 2019, you saw me change this book so many times. Now, I am 23, freshly engaged, and developed these relationship dynamics to give all you readers a fun time... especially in the future books! That is right, Mae's story is not done. There is much more to come with Jacin, Taylor, Hades, Roan, Kate, and my new favorite...Atlas. Over the next few weeks, I will be editing this. I will change some dynamics and placing in little easter eggs for the next book. I hope you enjoy our last chapter. 

Chapter 43: Anonymous

Mae had no idea what she should have anticipated when she knocked back the Demon Blood. Euphoria was not even the realms of possibilities. Yet, there she was, warm all over riding the best high of her life. Everyone's high is different. Of course, it depends on the drug. Some are hallucinogenic or lower the boundaries of social structure and emotion. Hers made her feel like a god.

Atlas was not expecting it. He was trained to anticipate anything. Still, the small black haired beauty in front of him threw a curveball. She was beautiful. Deep in his subconscious, he recognized that. His conscious registered her as his mission. As the person he was tasked, once again, to retrieve and eventually train. Trust me, if you want, most do. He argued with Hades of course. He understood his reasoning, but breeding an heir to take his throne was foolish. Genes do not make a good ruler. History can prove that. Yet, in the end he did what he was told. Commander in occupation, but in the end he was a follower. We live off followers.

He liked her wit, but she was young. He couldn't even remember when he was 18. That was centuries ago. He was never sure of his birthday. Indentured servants never were. He had a bad life before Hades. Saving anyone from what he went through breeds a special type of servitude. Hades knew this.

He was expecting ignorance and a stronger than life attitude. She was ignorant, but knew her strengths and weaknesses. He knew she had a plan, Demon Blood just wasn't it. He thought she would put up a fight. She cared for Katelyn. She was attached... indebted. He respected that. That would make a good leader.

The surprise made him pause for a second too long for his taste. Right when the blood merged with the constriction of her stomach she stood up and threw the bar chair back. It banged against the dirt ground with an open thud. He sat there registering what was happening. First thing he noticed was her shoving her hand down the front of her Toga. The gentleman instilled in him, made him glance away. That was his first mistake. It gave her time to open the vial and slam it down.

It wasn't a fire that spread through her, but an inferno. It started in her stomach, and engulfed every single cell. Her body glowed. It wasn't the red glow she had when she was angry. It was a glow that emitted power.

When Atlas's brain realized what was happening, he followed her suit: stood up fast and threw his stool back. His men followed suit. The sound of crashing chairs spread through the Tavern. The only one who stayed sitting was Katelyn, who was in a magically induced coma.

Her eyes rolled in the back of her head for a split second. It was one of her many body reactions to the high she was feeling. When her eyes came back to the world, they were red. Everything was red: iris, sclera, pupil. Cracks opened up underneath revealing the depths of hell. The veined down her face toward the descending part of her cheek bone.

In the matter of a second, she reached down, grabbed the now horizontal stool, and chucked it at Atlas. He dodged with ease. It crashed against the wall and broke into a million pieces of century old cedar, "Give me Kate, and we won't have a blood bath on our hands."