Immortally Embraced by angie fox Read Free Book Online

a terrible risk, one I’d never planned to take.
    Aside from the demonic creatures that would delight in eating me whole, there were hell vents, bottomless sand traps, not to mention the stark dry desert itself. That was before I got to the Great Divide.
    Immortal armies built up incredible amounts of energy. It was a side effect of the enormous power of these demi-gods. It could melt engines, jam guns, short out modern weapons systems. Colonel Kosta told me once that walking the front lines could actually make an immortal’s hair stand on end. Which was pretty funny at the time because Kosta was stone-cold bald.
    The current wouldn’t be as powerful with the armies standing down, but it’s not like I could skip through the middle of the Great Divide. Marc was a silver dragon. He’d shifted and flown. I’d have to find another way.
    When I got back to the tent, my werewolf roommate’s bags were stacked outside, along with half a dozen crates of Star Trek figurines.
    “Really, Rodger?” I said, opening the flimsy wooden door and banging inside. “You could have brought back Girl Scout cookies. New sheets, pillows, blankets. Instead we have plastic Captain Picards.”
    My auburn-haired, barrel-chested roommate turned from his suitcase on the back cot. “They’re called action figures,” he said, as if I were the one being ridiculous. He gave me a half hug and a clap on the back. “Besides, you should know by now that I only collect classic Star Trek. ”
    “Of course. Nothing but the best.” They all looked the same to me.
    “These are really valuable down here,” he insisted.
    Right. “I didn’t think I’d see you for another two days.”
    He shrugged. “They offered me a deal. Come back early and take four days at Christmas.”
    I had to grin. “No kidding. Christmas with the family.”
    “It’s a dream come true,” he said, returning to his unpacking.
    I hoped Rodger had made them specify which Christmas. Unlike the gods, we didn’t live forever. But if he hadn’t thought of that, telling him now would only depress him.
    “Dang you’ve gotten tan,” I told him—or at least more red. Rodger’s fair skin didn’t do well in the sun. His hair was wilder than ever, approaching Einstein proportions. It seemed he hadn’t had time for a stop at the barbershop. “Did they say why they wanted you back?” I asked, taking a seat on Marius’s footlocker. My roommates occupied the two cots on the far wall, overlooking the tar pits. “We still have a cease-fire.” As of this morning anyway.
    He shoveled a stack of sweaters into the dresser next to his bed. Mary Ann sure liked to knit. “Something’s going down.”
    That’s what I was afraid of. “Did they say what?”
    “Of course not.” He slammed his suitcase closed. “I suppose we’ll find out soon enough.”
    Didn’t I know it. “You look like you’ve been in the desert for a month.”
    He grinned at that. “Try the pool with the kids.”
    For Rodger, there was no better place to be. “How’s Mary Ann?”
    Rodger’s expression went goofy at the sound of his wife’s name. “She’s fantastic. Sexy as hell.” He headed for the door. “Before I forget—” He ducked outside and returned with a stack of Star Trek junk, with a Macy’s shirt box on top. “She sent you this.”
    I took the Macy’s box and opened the lid on a batch of Cajun ginger cookies. They were small and perfectly rounded with thick, glistening sugar sprinkles on top. I bit into one and could taste the fresh spice and molasses, not to mention the cayenne bite.
    “Stephen helps her bake now,” Rodger said, heading outside for another load. “His favorite shows are SpongeBob and Cake Wars. ”
    “I think I’ve found my dream man.”
    “Speaking of which,” he said, easing another load inside, “how’s Galen?”
    My heart twisted. “Gone.”
    “Aw, geez.” He set down his boxes on the floor.
    Rodger had lived through the first set of prophecies with