From the ashes anniston.., p.1
From the Ashes (Anniston Secrets Book 2), page 1
From the Ashes ©2020 J.N. Pack
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From the Ashes
I’ve been to hell; I rose from the ashes and came back a phoenix.
Who am I?
Harlow Drake Dubose.
Daughter of Drake King.
Sister of Andrew King.
I’ve struggled with finding my place for as long as I can remember. Now that I’ve found it I’ll die before I let anyone destroy what I’ve found.
Who am I?
Axel Kincade.
Son of Marcus Kincade.
Heir to the throne.
Only I’m not. I could never rule his kingdom. I’ll protect the people I love from him if it costs me my life.
Warning:
From the Ashes is a young Adult/New Adult Contemporary Dark romance. It features dark themes, LOL moments, teen angst, and all the swoon worthy moments I know you're dying for. This book contains violent scenes, excessive use of profanity and sexual Content. Please proceed with caution.
Chapter 1
Axel
Fury poured through me. Drew was alive! How could I not know? He was my best friend, even closer to me than Moose. He was like another brother. Why wouldn’t Drake tell me? I wanted to be with Harlow right now, but I needed to get my head straight first.
Moose and I line our cars up and Cass stands between us. I rev my engine and Moose does as well. When Cass drops his hands, we both gun our engines. The race is tight all the way to the finish, but I pull in front of him at the end. I spin around at the end, just playing with my car. I drive back down to the starting point and turn my car off. I know the lengths I can go with pushing it and how far is too far. I feel like pushing the limits and plowing right through all the of them.
Moose pulls beside me and climbs from the car. Cass walks over to where we are. I climb out and lean against the car.
Moose walks over and leans against the car beside me while Cass stands across from us.
“I can’t believe he’s not really dead. It’s been what, three years?” Moose says.
“Two years. It’s been two fuckin’ years.” I growl.
“You know why Drake didn’t tell us. He was protecting him from Marcus.” Cass says.
“I know that, but he was my best friend. Like I would rat him out to the devil himself.” I say.
“True, but you got to look at it from Drake’s point of view.” Cass says.
“I get all that, but why wouldn’t Drew at least let me know. I thought we were tighter than that.” I say.
Moose smirks and says, “Stop being a little bitch about it. He did what he had to do to survive. We need to hear Drake out; he’s been too good to us.”
I roll my eyes at him knowing he is right. I’ll get over this shit, but damn does it suck.
Harlow
I honestly didn’t take offense to Axel running out like he did. Honestly, I was just tired and needed to rest. Drake doesn’t say much else about Drew, my brother. Wow is that weird. I’ve always been the oldest and now there’s someone older than me and it’s always been just us girls. I wanted to ask questions, but I didn’t want to push. Drake said he wanted to talk to us all together, so he’d be back when Axel and the others returned. I could wait, but eventually I wanted answers.
Shortly after Drake left Harley helped me back up to Axel’s room. I curled in his bed and fell asleep. Harley went back down to help Axel’s mom Candy clean up the mess from breakfast.
The dreams come again, and I wake up in a cold sweat. Once I realize that I’m safe I curl back into a ball and snuggle into Axel’s pillow. I’m lying there staring out the window for probably ten minutes when his door opens, and he steps in. He shuts the door softly trying not to wake me and I smile. He turns and returns the smile. “I didn’t want to wake you.”
“Not asleep anymore.” I whisper.
He climbs in the bed beside me and curls up behind me throwing his arm over me. I scoot as close to him as our bodies will allow.
“You better now?” I ask him.
He nods, “I am. Sorry I left. Just needed to get my head in the right place.”
“Tell me about him.” I whisper.
He smiles, “He was...He’s an amazing person. We used to do everything together. He helped build the engine for my car and we had started building the engine in his. We were together all the time. He was always here, or I was always over there. Marcus did to him what I’m sure he intended to do to you. I really thought he was dead. He was my best friend. More like a brother.” He ends that on an almost whisper.
“Will he like me?” I ask nervously.
He smirks, “Nahhh.”
When I look devastated, he says, “He’ll fuckin’ love you.”
I smile back at him. “I keep hearing that we looked alike. That we look alike. Do we?”
“Yep. You could pass for his twin. The resemblance is undeniable. Only difference being your long hair and long eyelashes. He has short hair, almost like mine and his eyelashes are long, but somehow yours seem to be impossibly long.”
I’m playing with his fingers while he holds me. I whisper, “What are we doing Axel?”
He nuzzles his nose in the back of my neck and whispers, “Not fighting it anymore.”
“But...” I start.
“But nothing. Your mine and I’m yours. No more fighting it.” he says pulling me even closer to him.
I want to ask him what that means, but I don’t have the energy and fall back asleep with my body safely pressed against his.
Chapter 2
When we finally get up Candy tells us that me and my sisters are going to stay with Drake, because it’s not safe for us alone in the house next door anymore. Axel, Moose, and Cass go with us next door for us to pack our belongings. Axel sits on my bed and watches as I shove the few things, I own in a duffle bag. He watches me untape money I had in plastic bags from under my dresser drawers and pull some from a hole in my mattress. He smirks but doesn’t say anything. Once I have my things in a bag we go to Harley’s room.
“What, no complaining?” I ask being a smart ass.
She smiles and says, “No Low, not this time. This is probably going to be the best move we make.”
Hanna comes in and flops down on the bed and looks sad.
“What’s wrong Hanna Banana?” I ask trying to make her smile.
“I just made friends and… and they were close. I could hang out with them every day. Now I have to move away. This stinks.” she whines.
Moose smiles, “No worries Hanna, Drake said they can come hang out anytime and you guys can have sleep overs there instead. You’ll still see them, promise!”
That perks her up. She smiles and runs to Moose giving him a huge hug. Moose freezes, then gently pats her back smiling.
It takes us an hour to pack our bags and load them in my car. When I start to climb in the driver seat Axel says, “Ooo no… no, no, no. You aren’t ready for that yet.” taking the keys from my hands.
“I can drive.” I say just as a dizzy spell takes over and I have to lean on the car to make myself stable. He comes around and puts his hand on my hips and I start to become tense and he leans down looking me dead in the eyes, “We’re not going back to that. You know I’m not going to do anything to hurt you.”
I smile, “So you’re going to drive us?”
He smirks, “Yes, yes I am. It’s about time I get to drive this baby.”
I can’t help but smile at that. “She is pretty bad ass.”
Harley climbs in Axel’s mustang with Cass driving and Hanna and I climb in my car with Axel driving. We pull into Drake’s drive ten minutes later.
I get out and stand beside the car. Axel comes around and stands beside me. I look up at the house for a minute and then back at Axel. “We’re definitely not in Kansas no more Toto.” I whisper.
Axel smiles, “It’ll take some getting used to.”
I look at him sideways and smirk, “I don’t think I will ever get used to this.”
Hanna grabs her bags and I go to grab mine, but Axel takes it from my hands, and I start to protest, but realize he’s not going to let me carry it myself. He meets Hanna as she struggles with her own and takes the heaviest off her hands. She smiles brightly, “Thank you.”
Axel smiles back, “Come on.”
We follow him up to the house. Harley and Cass got here before we did, and we are met by them as they are leaving the house to go get Harley’s bags from the car.
Once we’re inside Drake shows me up to my new room. It has Dark gray walls and all the furniture is white. The bed is huge. Axel drops my bags by the bed and winks at me.
Axel nods and I am beet red. When Drake looks at me, he says, “No babies! Not for a while anyways!”
I shake my head and he turns, walking out of the room.
Holy shit! What the hell?
Axel runs and jumps on the bed. He props his head up on his arms.
I smirk and climb on the bed beside him.
“Pretty comfy!” he says smiling.
I smile and whisper, “Yours was better.”
He smiles, “We can maybe work out a trade.”
“Wouldn’t be the same, you wouldn’t be in it.” I say half smiling.
He cocks his head sideways, “You like this, huh?”
“This? What?” I ask.
“Me, in your bed.” he says glancing around the room and then turning a heated look on me.
I smile and nod. He smiles pulling me down on the bed beside him.
“I can stay anytime you want. Or when Drake allows you out of his site again, you can come crawl in my bed.”
I glance over my shoulder at him, “You want me in your bed?”
“I want to hold you as much as you will let me and when you’re ready I’ll take your body too.” Axel says kissing my nose.
I squinch my nose up and lift my head to meet his mouth as he kisses me. His tongue dancing with mine. His hand rubs through my hair and he whispers, “Mine, all mine.”
I smile.
Chapter 3
That night Drake orders dinner for everyone, including Cass and Axel.
“I wanted to finish our talk from this morning.” he says.
Axel tenses and sits his fork on the table. I look from him to Drake, who continues.
“Drew is coming home.” he says.
Stunned everyone stares at him with their mouths agape.
“When he heard about Harlow and Marcus targeting her. He demanded I let him come back. I argued with him, but you all know how Drew is. Well, except you girls. He’s closing everything up where he is, and he should be here Friday.” Drake says.
I’m anxious and my leg starts bouncing under the table.
“He was keeping tabs on you all and looking for an excuse to come home. When he heard he had a sister he started arguing with me about coming home, but when he heard about her being targeted, he demanded I let him come home. I tried to argue, and he told me he’d see me Friday and hung up. Stubborn ass!” he says.
I smirk.
Axel finally smiles and Harley giggles.
Axel clears his throat, “Tabs.”
Drake smirks, “Yeah. Jessi.”
Axel’s mouth drops open and so does Cass’s. “She knew he was alive?”
Drake says, “Yes and don’t be angry with her. She did it to protect him like she would for any of you.”
Axel smirks, “Oh I’m not angry, but Moose, Moose is going to be furious. They don’t do secrets and this… this is a big one.”
Drake’s eyes drop to the floor, “She was visiting her sister at the hospital when we were getting Drew out of there. He made her promise. We made her promise. He’s been keeping tabs through her.”
Cass finally speaks. “How? I mean how is he alive? His heart stopped.”
Drake smiles, “It didn’t, it just slowed way down. When they got him to the hospital, they gave him Narcan. It reversed the effects of the heroin. We got him into a six-month rehab facility and got him clean. Then he started going to college, but he kept tabs on you all. He never wanted to leave, but I knew he wasn’t strong enough then. He is now and he’ll be even stronger with his friends on his side.”
Curiously Cass asks, “As much as he loves racing, how has he not raced in over two years?”
Drake smirks, “Oh, he’s raced.”
“Really?” Axel asks, “Where?”
Drake says, “You’ll have to ask him that.” and he looks at me and then away.
It was strange the way he looked at me when he was talking about Drew racing.
Harley finally speaks, but her eyes don’t meet any of us. “You won’t get tired of us and kick us out, will you? I mean I know Harlow is your kid, but Hanna and me, we aren’t.”
I look at Harley and then back to Drake, who smirks, “Nah, I think I’ll keep the lot of you.”
Harley and Hanna’s head come up looking at him with tears shining in their eyes. I guess deep down they thought they’d be tossed to the curve because that’s what happened to us in the past. I smile knowing that we are safe. We have a home and we don’t have to leave again.
Cass rubs circles on Harley’s back to ease the tension in her. Hanna jumps from her seat and runs around to Drake throwing her arms around his neck. “Thank you, Mr. Drake.”
He smiles and hugs her back, “Just Drake. No need for Mr.” He pats her back and she walks back around to drop down in her seat.
Drake notices the relationship between Axel and me and Cass and Harley and he smirks, “I’m never going to be able to get rid of you guys now, am I?”
Axel lips quirk into a life altering smile and Cass gives a little laugh. “With Drew coming home, you’re going to have a house full. You know as well as I do Moose and Jessi will be here too.” Cass says.
Drake smiles, “Honestly, as long as Drew and Harlow and her sisters are happy and healthy, I don’t care. I’ll smile every day and have the cook make plenty of extra food.”
Everyone smiles. The conversation starts to dwindle down and everyone excuses themselves.
Me, Harley, Axel and Cass end up in my room watching some scary movie that Cass rented a week ago. I’m lying on my bed with my head in Axel’s lap while he runs his hands through my hair. Cass is sitting on the floor with his back against my bed and Harley is sitting beside him leaning on his shoulder. At some point in the movie my eyes drift closed and stay that way until something obviously scary happens and Harley squeals causing me to sit upright in the bed. Axel and Cass laugh at her. Axel puts his hand around my waist and slides me back against him. “Go back to sleep. I won’t leave tonight.” he whispers knowing all too well I don’t want to sleep alone after what happened to me. I nuzzle closer to him and he smiles down at me. “Sweet Dreams sleeping beauty!” I smirk up at him before closing my eyes again.
Chapter 4
Axel
Laying here in her bed holding her felt right. It felt like I was doing the best thing for her and me. For once it wasn’t about anyone, but the two of us. I glance down at my brother and Harley. He seemed content, happy. Harley is outspoken, funny and she says what she is thinking at any given point. Cass is quiet until pushed to speak, he’s protective and the perfect complement to her. I’m happy for my brother, but I also know we all have a rough road because of my father. This is one fight I won’t stay out of. I drift off to sleep before the ending credits.
Harlow
Monday morning, we all get up and as Harley and I got dressed the boys went home to get dressed and meet us at school. At seven thirty theirs a knock on the door and when I answer it Jessi is standing there smiling. “Hey! I figured Hanna might still want to ride to school with Ace and Misty, if that’s cool with you guys?”
I smile and step to the side. Hanna squeezes past me and runs out to the car. “She was hoping you’d come by.” Jessi smiles big as she leaves to carry them to school in Moose’s car.
Drake’s in the kitchen on the phone when Harley and I go to leave. “See you girls later.” he calls after us.
“Later!” Harley and I shout simultaneously.
Once we are in the car and on the way to school a familiar blue mustang pulls behind us following closely. I feel a breath escape my lips; I didn’t know I was holding.
Harley smiles, “Better?”
I nod slowly feeling relieved that he is close again.
Once we get to school things go normally. Axel meets me at my locker and walks me to class. Of course, Moose is asleep when I walk in. Harley and Jessi are standing at the door fuckin’ with him. They keep throwing small pieces of balled up paper at him and ducking around the corner. When I take my seat he mumbles, “They think I don’t know they’re around the corner. I’m just too sleepy to give a shit.”
