Helios Awakened (The Helios Chronicles #1) (40 page)

Madison snorted. “I know. Well, what can we say? We are in the company of rock stars.”

They made their way down to the beach, no one stopping them to ask why they were bringing the presumably expensive bedding of the hotel outside. The sun was just starting to drop below the horizon as they laid out the duvet and sat down. Madison drew her knees up and wrapped her arms around them.

“It’s breathtaking, isn’t it?” she asked dreamily.

Andrew smiled at her, running his hand down her spine before looking out at the sunset. It truly was magnificent. He had never really paid much attention to the setting of the sun aside from the fact that it marked nighttime. He had always dreaded the night because bad things happened in the dark and usually if he hadn’t found a place to crash by sunset he knew he was sleeping on the streets. But this was different, watching it with Madison. Her face expressed all the awe and wonder of someone who had always been loved and cared for. She saw beauty in the world and in him and it amazed him that, in spite of everything she knew about him, she still wanted him with her.

“It’s almost as beautiful as you,” Andrew finally replied as he kissed her temple.

She turned towards him, reaching one of her hands to cup his face. He brought his lips to hers, unable to stop the force that always drew him to her. Their kiss was filled with all the love they felt for each other. He laid her on the blanket and settled between her legs as he brought the other blanket up and over them. Madison wanted him, but more than that, she needed him, always.

“I love you so much, Andrew,” Madison stated as she grasped his face in her hands.

“And I love you, just as much, Madison,” he replied before their lips touched once again.

They kissed sweetly yet fervently under the stars, the ocean serving as the soundtrack to their lovemaking. They weren’t sure if anyone else was around but neither cared at that point. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful weekend. All that mattered in that instant was each other and the life they would be sharing together. Madison knew that things would be different in New York but she couldn’t help but feel optimistic about the journey they would soon be on.

Helios Illustration © Alex Marin

I want to thank you for reading Helios Awakened, the first book in The Helios Chronicles. This story has truly been a labor of love for me. Oddly enough, many of the things that happened to Helios and Madison are things that I have seen in real life, be it professionally or personally. Now, don’t get me wrong. I do believe the registry is very important and has saved many, many lives but there are situations where people are on it that shouldn’t be and that’s something that taints them forever.

When I was putting this story together I decided to consolidate Andrew’s backstory versus intermixing it within Book 1. As a result Helios Beginnings was created. It is available right now so go check it out. Helios lived a difficult life and I hope that after reading his story you will understand him a bit more and the decisions that he’s made or will make. What I love about him is that he is such a beautifully flawed character that reminds us to not judge a book by its cover, but to always dig deeper, looking for the reasoning’s behind behaviors. So be sure to check out how Helios became who he is.

Many of you are probably wondering what will happen next for Andrew and Madison now that they have decided to head East. Will going to New York be a good thing? Will Helios be able to get past the stigma of his status? Will Madison’s new position prove to be more of a hindrance than a help? Find out in the second book of the series, Helios Exposed, which will be released on December 6th, just in time for Christmas.

Author Tawa Witko lives on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation with her children, Adam and Deanna. They are accompanied by their many animals, which includes an Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix named Bella, a couple of ornery cats (Edward and Lil Bit) and their horses, Eagle Bear and Wild Spirit. She and her family enjoy attending wacipis, participating in tribal ceremonies, and living a quiet life without the hustle and bustle of the cities.

Ms. Witko is a licensed clinical psychologist, a full time writer/editor and one of the co-founders of Winyan Press, LLC, an independent publishing house geared at helping female writers find their voice
.
She is a multi-genre author who writes Young Adult Fiction, Crime/Suspense Stories, Adult Romance and Native American Fiction. She has put together a collection of short stories called SNAPSHOTS which is geared at giving readers a sample of her various writing styles. Look for it on Wattpad and as a FREE e-book, Fall 2016.

Helios Awakened
is the first book in an Adult Romance series that will chronicle the life of Andrew ‘Helios’ Harrison and Madison Ellis as they fight for their love in a world set on tearing them apart. The prequel novella,
Helios Beginnings
is also currently available, and the second book in the series,
Helios Exposed
, will be released December 2016.

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The Helios Chronicles

By

T.M. Witko

Helios Beginnings (August 2016)

Helios Awakened (August 2016)

Helios Exposed (December 2016)

Helios Renewed (April 2017)

Helios Forever (May 2017)

HELIOS Beginnings

Prequel To the Helios chronicles

Andrew Harrison lived a difficult life, wrought with pain, anguish and addiction. This prequel novella for the Helios Chronicles, will explore Helios’ life before he becomes Helios, beginning with his time in Detroit and ending in Bakersfield with the arrival of Madison Ellis, the woman that would forever change the way he saw the world.

Available on Paperback and Kindle

Now for a Sneak Peek of

Book 2 in the Helios Chronicles

HELIOS

Exposed

In Book 2 of the Helios Chronicles, Helios Exposed, we will find out whether or not Andrew and Madison can survive a life in New York City, where they find that things aren’t as simple as they hoped they would be. They soon discover that there are just as many enemies back east as there were on the west coast. When everything begins to crumble around them will their love be enough to hold them together?

THE ICE QUEEN

The rest of the week Andrew and Madison fell into a comfortable routine. For Madison, she resumed her regular duties in the office along with the ones assigned to her by her boss, Mr. Turner. Kurtis avoided her, and when they had to work together he was distant, although every so often she would catch him watching her. It was an uneasy and awkward situation. Madison would definitely be glad when he moved to the other office. There had only been one time he spoke to her about Andrew and that time had left her feeling extremely troubled.

“So that’s what you want?” Kurtis asked, watching her.

“What are you talking about?” Madison answered, not looking up.

“Does he even have a high school diploma? Hell, Madison, if you had told me I needed to dumb myself down for you to take me serious, I might have considered it,” he said with a sneer.

“You’re already an asshole so being dumb as well would have been overkill,” Madison said with a satisfied smile and then looked up. “Besides, he isn’t dumb. He’s very sweet and kind and talented. He has a lot to offer and...”

Kurtis laughed, cutting her off. “Sure, Madison, you keep telling yourself all that poetic bullshit but...” He paused and smiled evilly. “Do you really think he belongs here?”

Madison narrowed her eyes at him while he smiled and leaned back against his chair.

“And what about work, do you honestly believe you can advance with him by your side?” He cackled and rested his arms on the table between them. “That look tells me you know you can’t.” He ran his finger along her hand and grinned when she pulled it back. “I can bide my time because I know,” he tapped his finger on her nose, “that you will tire of him.”

“I won’t!” Madison glared at him.

“We’ll see,” he said, picking up the file he had been reading.

Madison rolled her eyes at the memory and glanced at the clock, wondering how things were going with Andrew. He had interviewed for a position as a mechanic at a shop near Harlem earlier in the week. Andrew said the interview went well and that the owner had told him to come back on Friday, which was today, so that he could see if it ‘worked out’, and if it did he would hire him. She took a deep breath, hopeful that it would. She knew that Andrew would feel much better about everything once he was working.

~*~

Andrew had already done a couple of tune ups, helped one of the other guys work on an alignment and was now under the hood of a Nissan that had just come in, trying to determine what was wrong with it. It felt good to work, and, so far, he liked the people at the shop. The owner was a man everyone called Sonny, and he seemed nice enough. It appeared that he hired a lot of ex-cons as most of the other employees seemed to have served time at one place or another.

“Andrew,” Sonny called to him.

“Yeah,” Andrew looked up from the hood.

“Why don’t you come back on Monday at 9:00?” he said simply and then walked away.

Andrew smiled and nodded. “Thank you, Sonny.”

“Congratulations,” a man named Leroy said nearby.

“Thanks,” Andrew replied, unable to stop smiling.

He worked for several more hours before they closed up the shop and he headed back home. He was excited and couldn’t wait to tell Madison. He was actually surprised that he made it to the apartment before she had. He went to the fridge and made himself a quick sandwich. He knew she would be cooking when she got home but he couldn't wait. He inhaled half of it before he heard a knock and set his sandwich down, wiping his hands on his thighs before opening the door.

“Can I help you?” he asked.

A woman who appeared to be in her mid to late forties was standing at the doorway. She was very beautiful with long brown hair and dark eyes. The woman was impeccably dressed with what appeared to be expensive jewelry on. She was eyeing him up and down and did not seem to be impressed by what she was seeing. He immediately felt like shirking away from her. She placed her hand on her hip and arched her brow and he immediately knew who she was.

“Who are you and why are you in my daughter’s apartment?” she said with a tone that made him feel unworthy and insignificant.

Andrew’s eyes widened. “Mrs. Ellis?” he asked, shocked.

She sighed. “And you are?” she said, tilting her head to emphasize her annoyance.

“I’m Andrew.”

Now it was her turn to appear shocked. “I see.” She shook her head and walked past him. “I can’t believe she brought you with her. Let me guess, you’re living here?” she asked as she sat down on Madison’s sofa.

“Um, yes, I am.” He walked into the living room and started to sit down.

“Do not sit on my daughter’s furniture with those greasy clothes on,” she screeched and Andrew stopped suddenly.

“Sorry, ma’am, um, I’m going to change,” he said quickly and darted into the bedroom.

Andrew slipped out of his soiled clothes and threw on a clean T-Shirt and jeans. He looked at the clock in the bedroom and wondered where Madison was. He needed her to get home and quick as he didn’t want to be alone with her mom. He took a deep breath and returned to the living room.

“Can I offer you anything?” Andrew asked, hoping for a distraction.

She huffed and eyed him speculatively. “I find it humorous that you are offering me something that is not yours to offer.”

Andrew stared at her, he wasn’t certain, but he felt as if she was insulting him in some way.

“A Greyhound would be fine,” she said, clearly annoyed and then turned to eye a ring she was wearing.

Andrew stared at her, unsure what a Greyhound was. He was not a drinker and generally only had beer, aside from the wine that he drank with Jayden’s family. She turned to him and rolled her eyes.

“It’s a shot of Vodka with Grapefruit juice. I know she has both. Can you manage that?”

“Uhh, yeah,” he replied quietly.

He washed his hands over his face as he tried to control his emotions. He couldn’t fathom how this woman could have raised his Madison. He opened the refrigerator, looking for the vodka but didn’t see it. He then started rummaging through cupboards, praying that it would magically materialize as he could feel her lethal gaze upon him. He heard her huff again and reluctantly he glanced her way.

“In the freezer.”

There was no denying the irritation in her tone. He closed his eyes and opened the freezer, pulling out a bottle of Grey Goose and dropping a few ice cubes in a glass before pouring the vodka and the grapefruit juice into it. He hesitantly walked into the living room, handing her the glass, hoping it was adequate for her. He took a seat and watched her sip her drink.

“So do you have a job or are you planning on living off of my daughter?”

“I have a job,” Andrew replied proudly.

“You’re not what I expected,” she continued. “Tell me about yourself, Andrew?”

“What would you like to know?” he asked, concerned, unsure what Madison had actually told her about him and his past.

“Don’t be coy, Andrew. It’s not amusing. Why are you here with my daughter? What can you possibly contribute to the relationship?”

“I love Madison.”

She rolled her eyes yet again and took another sip of her drink. “Andrew, love isn’t everything.” She leaned forward and eyed him. “My daughter has worked extremely hard.” She waved her free hand around the apartment. “All of this is not cheap, she has a plan for her future and I don’t want her to throw all of that away because of her... fascination with you.”

“I won’t let her do that,” Andrew said with conviction.

She leaned back and narrowed her eyes at him. “Well, we shall see about that.”

She sipped her drink and Andrew breathed in deeply. Andrew was beginning to panic as he hated being alone with her mom. His mom was crazy but there was something else going on with Madison’s mom. She hated him and she didn’t know him at all. When the door jiggled and opened, his heart leapt.

“Andrew, sorry, baby, I got a call right when I was about to leave and...” Madison stopped mid-sentence when she saw her mom on the couch and the distraught look on Andrew’s face.

“Mom,” Madison said, walking in and kissing her on the cheek. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

Madison turned and smiled at Andrew before taking a seat in her other chair.

“Well, you didn’t return my call.” She smiled and turned back to Andrew. “But Andrew and I were getting to know one another, weren’t we?”

Madison narrowed her eyes. She knew her mother well enough to know that she probably brought out her full-fledged ice queen persona just for the special occasion of meeting the man she deemed unworthy of her daughter. Madison turned to Andrew.

“Andrew, can you give my mother and I a minute.”

Andrew jumped out of the hot seat. “I’ll just be in the bedroom.”

Madison watched him walk away and then turned to her mom. “What did you say to him?

Jacqueline laughed. “Oh don’t be dramatic, Madison. Now, why didn’t you tell me you were bringing back something from California?” she said with a grin.

“He’s not a 'something', he’s a 'someone', and he’s very important to me.”

“For now, Madison, but... what could he actually offer you that would be of value?”

“He loves me,” Madison answered firmly.

Jacqueline chuckled. “Yes, that’s what he said when I asked him. Madison, you are wasting your time with this... relationship. You need to be with someone that will advance you in some way. What about that man at your office? He had promise.”

Madison was seething, so much so she wasn’t able to respond, afraid she would explode.

“I hate to see you sell yourself short,” her mother continued, seeming unaware of the powder keg before her.

“Promise me that you will try to get along better with your mother. She wasn’t always like she is now. She was once in love, as much as you are with Andrew. Your father’s death destroyed her. She was never the same afterwards. How would you be if something happened to Andrew?”

Madison closed her eyes as her grandmother’s words echoed in her head. Madison tried to find it somewhere deep inside of her not to unleash the fiery bitch that always seemed to come out whenever her mother was around. She opened her eyes to see her mom watching her with a confused look on her face, obviously anticipating the retort that hadn’t come yet.

“I understand why you feel that way mom but...” Madison took a deep breath. “But, I’m not you and he’s not dad.”

Her mother rose quickly. “How...” Her face twisted as if she was in pain and then Madison saw her expression change. “You know nothing about my relationship with your father,” she huffed angrily “So go right ahead, Madison. Throw your life away, but when he leaves you, or worse, when he stays and destroys everything you have worked so hard to achieve; I don’t want to hear about it,” she said, raising her voice.

“You know nothing about him.” Madison stood as well. “You are judging him based on what, exactly?” she asked, raising her voice another octave. “Can’t you just be happy for me, happy that I found someone to love and who loves me too?”

“Madison, you’re being ridiculous. Of course I want you happy, but at what cost?” She glared at her. “At the cost of your career, your future. How much are you willing to sacrifice for him?”

“Everything,” Madison whispered.

“I see. Well, I hope he is worth it then,” she said, shaking her head.

Her mother turned and started walking to the door. Madison wanted to fight with her, to scream at the top of her lungs that Andrew was everything to her and that a life without him would be pointless, but she wasn’t able to say or do anything. She was breathing hard, her heart racing uncontrollably. Her mother stopped at the door and turned around.

“I’m glad you’re home, Madison. I know you think I’m being a bitch but I only have your best interests at heart,” she said with a sigh before walking out.

Madison dropped back in the chair, bringing her head into her hands. She felt the sting of her tears and was flustered that she was allowing her mother to get to her so much. She didn’t understand why everyone in New York was acting as if Andrew wasn’t good enough for her. She couldn’t comprehend how someone who made her unbelievably happy could be considered a bad fit for her. She felt his hands move into her hair.

“Madison,” Andrew said softly. “Are you okay?”

She looked up at him. His eyes were soft and caring, full of love and devotion and it made her cry, uncontrollable sobs. She didn’t understand why people couldn’t see him like she did. He immediately pulled her close to him, letting his embrace comfort her weary heart. He laid several light kisses atop her head, letting his hands move up and down her back.

“Was she mean to you?” Madison mumbled against his chest.

“She was a mom worried about her daughter. I can’t fault her for that.”

“Did you hear what she said?” Madison asked, looking up at him.

He nodded slowly. “It doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter. How she treats you absolutely matters,” Madison said with tears flowing again.