“Life is an ugly, awful place to not have a best friend.”

  Sarah Dessen, American Author

  The sizzle of bacon and eggs greeted Bethany as she wandered into the busy staff lunchroom. Anjali, Priyanka, and Jaya were seated in the far corner, the now four-year-old child making a mess of her breakfast as she asked when Papa was coming home. Priyanka scolded her granddaughter, but Anjali just stared quietly at her own breakfast, ignoring her daughter and the drama she caused.

  Against the window, Angela, dressed in blue jeans, a black, sleeveless top, and a thick, biker-style leather jacket, gazed out at the great wall that surrounded the city, her fists clenched with anticipation.

  Rocky was cooking up a storm in the kitchen, having broken into their most valuable breakfast stores. It was an hour until sunrise – an hour before they would travel to Mosaic Stadium and the Key of Fire – and no one wanted to skimp on what could be their last breakfast.

  Bethany wasn’t focused on breakfast. Her mind whirled with a thousand thoughts. The plight of Eternity. The imprisonment of Oracle. The tyranny of the High Lord and the rebellion stirring below the surface of the god contest. Somehow, she’d found herself smack dab in the middle of it all. The weapon of Eternity.

  But those thoughts fell by the wayside when she saw the handsome farmer serving Harmony and Brandon their breakfast with a kind smile. She blushed as she recalled his hands on her skin and his lips dancing across her thighs. She felt her neck grow hot as she replayed every tantalizing kiss and desperate thrust as her anger and anxieties fueled their night of passion.

  Their eyes met across the room, and Bethany stood there like a deer in the headlights, unsure of what to do or say.

  Do I ignore him? Kiss him? Run away? Shit, what are we? It was just one night – my first night. But definitely not his. What if I come across as clingy? I don’t want to drive him away, but I also don’t know if I want anything more.

  Elias gave her a sly, subtle smile and a half-hidden wink, and sat down next to the kids to eat his own breakfast.

  Bethany’s inner turmoil kicked into overdrive.

  What the hell was that? A smile and a wink? What does that mean? And he’s not going to come over here? Was I just a one-night-stand to him? That… jackass!

  Bethany’s fingers twitched. Light formed unconsciously at her fingertips as her eyes narrowed at Elias in irritation.

  “So… looks like someone took my advice,” Emily exclaimed from behind her, interrupting her spiraling thoughts. Her light faded as quickly as it came. “Tell me everything.”

  “What… I didn’t… we didn’t…,” Bethany stammered in denial as strode towards Mr. Mercury’s Emporium. She pulled her four attribute coins from her pocket and fed them into the vending machine one-by-one, selecting toughness each time.

  “Yes, you did,” Emily countered as she leaned against the machine, her eyes dancing with curiosity. “These walls are thin, and you and farmer boy weren’t exactly quiet.”

  Bethany’s blush reached the tips of her ears. She uncorked all for potions and swallowed them, hoping the second of pain and increased toughness would cause her blush to fade away.

  It did not.

  Emily led her friend insistently to a table in the corner. She sat across from Bethany, elbows on the table and leaning forward to close the distance.

  “Well?” Emily prompted with a secretive whisper.

  “It was… good,” Bethany answered as her transformation pain faded. As it took effect, she snatched a fork from the table and jabbed it into her forearm. The fork bent like it had struck concrete, and it felt like a mosquito bite. “Well, that would have been useful to have in the maze.”

  Emily gently lifted the bent fork from Bethany’s grasp and set it on the table. “Yah, yah, this world is a miracle. Who cares? What do you mean, it was good?” she pried with a touch of concern. “Bethany, are you okay?”

  “What?” Bethany exclaimed, jarred by the question. “Yes, I’m fine. I’ve just… never talked to anyone about sex before. It feels weird, and I’m still processing everything. Elias was gentle…”

  Bethany glanced over her shoulder, eyes on the farmer as he headed back to the kitchen.

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  “… but I don’t think I was,” she added in a barely audible whisper. Her chest grew hot at the memory of riding him, her anger and anxiety the fuel of shared passion. “I don’t know what came over me.”

  Emily’s eyes sparkled with mischievous delight. “Damn, girl. Good for you, bringing out that wild side. So, are you going to see him again?”

  “There’s just so much going on. The Key of Fire, and …other things… and what if he doesn’t want to? He didn’t even come over to say good morning. Just a smile and a wink, like I’m some kind of… of… I don’t know what!”

  Emily grasped hold of Bethany’s hands with firm but gentle pressure. “Woah, okay, Bethany, calm down. Take a deep breath.”

  Bethany held her friend’s eye as she breathed deep and tried to calm her pounding heart and spiraling thoughts.

  “Forget about what Elias wants. What do you want this to be?” Emily asked simply after a few breaths. “Is he your one-and-only, or is he just a fling for fun?”

  “I don’t know. Something in between, I guess?” Bethany said uncertainly. “I like him, but it happened so fast. One moment he was escorting me to my room, and in the next his pants were on my floor. And this isn’t exactly the best time to jump into a relationship. But where does that leave me?”

  “It leaves you smack dab the world of no-strings fun,” Emily said encouragingly. “You’ll get no judgement from me. I spent most of my winters at the ski hill living that life. Sven… Michael… Johnathan… ah, those were good times.”

  Now it was Emily’s turn to glance at Rocky, who was wearing a dirty apron and busy in the kitchen. He was arguing with Elias over the appropriate crispiness of the bacon. She bit her lip, remembering the secret corner in the old basement filing room they’d found last night for their own sensuous pleasures.

  “But there’s something to be said by being with someone who knows you better than you know yourself,” Emily added. “Both in life, and in the bedroom. Do you want my advice?”

  “Your last piece of advice was to take his pants off and get laid, which got me into this emotional mess.”

  “You’re overthinking it. It spoils the fun. You did nothing wrong, Bethany. People hook up all the time, and you don’t have to jump into something more if you aren’t ready for it. Just tell him so he knows where he stands. He’ll be fine – men have the emotional depth of a sparrow.”

  Bethany chuckled a little as Emily waved at Rocky in the kitchen. Rocky waved back with spatula still in hand and accidentally spattered Elias with droplets of bacon grease. Emily giggled and turned back to her friend.

  “The morning after is always a shitshow of emotions. That wink and smile? He was probably trying to balance affection and being too clingy and ended up coming across as aloof. You did the same thing. It’s not like you jumped into the guy’s arms when you saw him. You went straight for the Emporium.”

  “I… guess I did,” Bethany admitted, deflated.

  “Don’t worry, you’ll figure it out,” Emily said, as the lunchroom doors open and Zee and Becka strolled inside. Zee headed over to Rocky and Elias, shouting across the room in his usual bombastic fashion. Becka, spotting Bethany, swerved away from them and headed for the pot of coffee on the counter. “Her, on the other hand…”

  “Yah, any advice on that one?” Bethany asked, her fingers twitching. The anger was still there, bubbling just below the surface, but their need kept her anger at bay.

  “Well, breaking her nose last night was a good start,” Emily said, only half joking. “She didn’t say a word after that. We told everyone about the riddle and the key, and Zee jumped at the chance to fight for it. Becka and Abigail just went along for the ride. It was Priyanka who fought against it, once Rocky said we needed Jaya. She looked like she was about to grab her granddaughter and run until Anjali agreed with us.

  “Anjali said we could bring Jaya into the arena? Without any argument?”

  “Yah, Rocky and I couldn’t believe it either. We’ve got to keep an eye on her, Bethany. She’s been spending more and more time fighting monsters, and less and less time with Jaya.”

  Memories are being dumped into her daughter’s head and she’s aged years in a matter of days. Does Anjali even see Jaya as her child anymore? Would I blame her if she didn’t? That poor woman.

  “Balboa, when’re we getting this show on the road?” came Zee’s call from the kitchen, drawing Bethany’s attention.

  “As soon as the sun’s up,” Rocky replied, flipping a couple fried eggs onto the plates in Elias’ hands. “Same plan as the last time you asked me… ten minutes ago.”

  Zee snatched a slice of bacon off the grill with his bare fingers and popped it into his mouth, earning him a swat from Rocky’s spatula. “Get away from my fucking bacon, Zee! You already ate.”

  Elias, trying to hold in his laughter, headed for Bethany and Emily with the plates.

  “Two farmer’s breakfasts for two lovely ladies, curtesy of our wonderful chef and his very handsome waiter,” Elias said cheerfully, leaning over to set the plates down. “Eggs, bacon, potatoes, toast and beans. A feast fit for an army about to march into battle.”

  His shoulder grazed Bethany’s arm as he did so, and she breathed in his scent. She felt a hunger deep within that had nothing to do with food.

  “I think Bethany could use a tall drink of water too,” Emily said with a smirk. “She’s still parched after last night.”

  “Is that so?” Elias answered slyly. He pressed slightly against Bethany’s arm and, as he went to leave, traced his finger ever so gently down Bethany’s back. She felt her back tingle, which caused her to squirm in her seat. “Well, Bethany knows where to find me whenever she gets thirsty.”

  With that, Elias left them alone and headed back to the kitchen.

  Bethany buried her crimson face in her hands as Emily fought to hold in her amusement.

  “I can’t believe you said that,” Bethany said with a mix of admonishment and gratitude. “He’s going to think I’m just an awkward bimbo. I…”

  A hand reached over Bethany’s shoulder and set a plastic glass of water in front of her. Bethany looked up and found herself staring into Elias’ eyes.

  “Umm… just in case that water thing wasn’t an inuendo,” Elias said, his casual charm breached. “And I don’t think you’re a bimbo. I think you’re amazing.”

  Elias brushed his hand over hers, just for a second, and he hurried back to the kitchen.

  Bethany watched him leave, heart pounding, as Emily erupted into snorts of laughter.

  When he turned to catch her eye as he entered the kitchen, she gifted him her own sly smile before she turned away and dove into breakfast, suddenly famished.