Page 65 of Dark Awakening: Hidden Currents

Margo winced. "You can't because I don't live in the village. I can't."

He'd already forgotten what Toven had said about Margo not being able to come with him to the village. "Why can't you live there?"

"Because of Negal."

"Your boyfriend?" Understanding suddenly dawned. He hadn't met the guy yet, but after Toven's story, he assumed that Negal was immortal. Evidently, he'd been wrong. "Because he is human?"

Margo laughed. "Negal is a god."

Rob blanched. "How is that possible? Toven said that only he and the Clan Mother survived whatever happened to the other gods."

"Negal and his friends are new on Earth. They arrived not too long ago." Margo launched into an explanation about Negal and his friends, their mission on Earth, the evil Eternal King they were trying to fool, and the trackers embedded in their bodies. With each word, Rob felt his grip on reality slipping further away.

Slapping a hand over his eyes, he shook his head. "Stop. I can't take more of this. My brain is going to explode.

Margo chuckled. "I know how you feel. I felt the same way when I learned about this alternative reality. It's like falling down the rabbit hole."

Rob nodded emphatically. "Totally."

In the span of a few hours, the world as he knew it had been turned upside down. Immortals, gods, secret villages, and the evil master-of-the-galaxy dictator who did not know about Earthly gods and immortals and would destroy Earth to eliminate them. It was too much to absorb.

Toven's voice cut through Rob's swirling thoughts. "Mia and I would love to host you. It would be our pleasure."

Rob looked between Toven and Mia, seeing nothing but sincerity in their expressions. Despite the surreal nature of the situation, he felt a spark of hope reignite in his chest. After Lynda's crushing betrayal, the idea of starting a completely new life was intoxicating.

"Thank you," he said finally. "I can work from home, so that should be fine. I'll just need to call my boss and let him know that I won't be coming into the office for a while."

"What do you do?" Toven asked.

"I'm a programmer," Rob replied.

A smile spread across Toven's face. "If you are not too attached to your current job, there is plenty of work for you in the village. Skilled tech people are in high demand, and you'll be working with cutting-edge technology."

"I bet." A thrill ran through him at the prospect of working on alien tech.

It was strange how quickly he was adapting to this new reality, but he supposed shock had a way of making even the most outlandish situations seem plausible.

"What about our parents?" Margo asked. "They need to know that the wedding is off."

Rob felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him at the thought of dealing with his mother. "I can't do that right now," he admitted. "It's still too raw."

"I'll handle it." Margo cast him a sympathetic look. "Are you sure that you don't want to go home to pack a bag? I can do it for you if you want. You can wait in the car while I collect your things."

For a moment, he considered her offer but then shook his head. "It's a fresh start, right? There is nothing in that house that I feel attached to. I'd rather buy everything new."

The furniture and everything else in there had been purchased by Lynda. She hadn't even consulted him about any of it.

She could keep it.

He didn't want to ever again set eyes on any of that stuff. Fortunately, the house was leased, not purchased, and the lease was expiring in four months. He would pay the monthly payments, and once the lease expired, Lynda's new boyfriend could foot the bill or get a new place for her and her stuff.

The reality of his situation hit him anew. He was about to leave everything behind—his home, his job, the life he had built with Lynda. It should have terrified him, but instead, he felt a tremendous sense of liberation.

"When do we leave?" he asked, the eagerness in his voice surprising him.

"We can go whenever you're ready," Mia said. "But there's no rush. We want you to be sure about this decision."

Rob appreciated the consideration, but he had made up his mind. "I'd like to go as soon as possible. The longer I stay, the more I'll overthink things. And right now, moving forward feels right."