Brothers of Brimstone Spin-off: Axel vs. Pollyanna
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Elizabeth Gordon
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22
Axel has traveled through time to save Pollyanna, but even with the threat gone, his job is far from over. Now, it’s all about winning her heart again and helping her shine on the silver screen. Pollyanna’s career is floundering, and only Axel’s wit, charm, and relentless determination can guide her toward stardom. Just when things seem to be falling into place, two furious sky gods come calling, and Axel finds himself in need of a rescue. Love, ambition, and cosmic chaos collide as Pollyanna and Axel discover that sometimes saving each other is the greatest adventure of all.
Breathless
I glanced in my rearview mirror, heart thumping. The taxi pulled up exactly when it was supposed to, stopping a block away—just like the driver had been told.
A brunette in a baby-blue skirt stepped out. She paused, checking her reflection in the car window, smoothing her dark hair, and sliding on a pair of oversized sunglasses.
Her white-gloved hand dipped into her purse, and she handed the driver a tip big enough to make sure he’d remember her.
The sunglasses made her look like she was trying to hide, but honestly, they just made her stand out more. Even people who didn’t know who she was couldn’t help but stare at the mysterious woman with the confident walk.
The ones who did recognize her—Pollyanna Rose, the actress—stopped and stared even longer. They watched her every move, probably planning to tell the paparazzi exactly where she was headed.
The photographers were always lurking, hoping for a glimpse of Hollywood’s newest star.
I let myself relax a little. I had time. I’d been here before—more times than I wanted to admit.
Every time, things played out a little differently. But two things never changed: I always fell for Pollyanna, and no matter what I did, I couldn’t save her.
I didn’t feel any more confident this time around, but I couldn’t stay away. Even knowing how it would end, I wanted to see her again.
Maybe this time would be different. Maybe.
In every timeline, the Magical Council got warnings about Victor Humphrey—a bitter warlock who kept messing with time because he was scared technology would ruin the arts. He wasn’t wrong, but messing with time was dangerous and totally forbidden.
The council used to ignore him, but now, things had changed. They finally investigated, and Victor got sent to Brimstone to pay for what he’d done.
So this time, there was no Victor. No playhouse. No investigation to throw Pollyanna and me together.
If I wanted to see her, I had to make it happen myself.
I watched her through the restaurant window. Her agent had just dropped her—she couldn’t make the jump to talking films.
In other timelines, she didn’t care, because her coven would call her to help with Profit’s Playhouse, the theater Victor used to mess with time. But this time, no one would call. Pollyanna was just…unemployed.
I got out of my car as she left the restaurant. Usually, she’d stop to talk to the reporters she’d tipped off, saying goodbye to Hollywood. But today, there were no cameras, no crowd.
She’d told the driver to circle the block, and now she walked slowly, hoping he’d spot her.
She looked the same as always, but something about her was different. Defeat clung to her, and nobody noticed her—not even the driver she’d paid.
“Hey!” she called, waving when she saw the car.
But the driver didn’t hear her. He just kept going, eyes on the empty sidewalk.
“Damn it,” Pollyanna muttered, trying to chase after him. But her tight skirt and heels made it impossible.
The taxi turned the corner and disappeared.
I took my chance. “Ms. Rose?” I called.
She spun around, her face shifting from annoyed to perfectly glamorous. She expected a reporter, so she flashed a bright smile.
But when she saw I didn’t have a pen or a camera, her smile faded.
I wore rose-tinted sunglasses to hide the fire in my eyes, but there’s no cologne strong enough to cover the scent of brimstone. She pressed her lips together, looking at me like I was something she’d scrape off her shoe.
Most guys would’ve crumbled under that look. But I was used to it. She always looked at me like that the first time we met.
You hate me now, baby, but soon you’re going to love me, I thought, holding out my hand.
She glanced at my palm, disgusted, then looked up at the sky. “The sun’s still up,” she said. “Isn’t it a little early for demons to crawl out of the pit?”
“I’m a time demon, so I have special privileges above,” I lied, hoping my voice sounded more confident than I felt. That used to be true, but not anymore.
I hadn’t been called for this mission—I’d just found a loophole and slipped through. Things were a mess in Brimstone right now. My father, Hades, was finally retiring, and Blaze—his half-human son—was taking over.
Blaze could handle it, but demons don’t exactly love change. Everyone was distracted, so I took my chance and came up here.
Pollyanna folded her arms tight across her chest, like she was trying to shield herself from me. She looked at me like I was about to write her up for breaking some magical law.
“Buzz off, demon, you’ve got the wrong witch.”
I wanted to tell her the truth. I wanted to say that we’d met hundreds of times before. That I’d waited millions of years for the timeline to reset, just so I could see her again.
And every single time, she loved me.
But I couldn’t. Telling her would break every rule about time manipulation—and worse, it might change how she felt about me.
Losing her physically was hard enough. The only thing that kept me going was knowing I still had her heart.
So I tried a different tactic. I took off my rose-colored glasses and raised an eyebrow. “So, you’re saying you didn’t use that herbal sleep tea to sabotage your competition at your last audition?” I asked.
Pollyanna’s eyes went wide. She grabbed the lapel of my jacket, her voice low and sharp. “You can’t just throw around accusations like that,” she hissed. “This town has eyes and ears everywhere.”
“Why don’t we go somewhere more private?” I said, nodding toward my car across the street. The engine was still running.
She stared at me like I’d lost my mind. “You can’t be serious. You came all the way from Brimstone just to hassle me about some herbal tea magic?”
“You’ve got it all wrong,” I said, pulling the script from under my arm and holding it out to her. “I’m not here to punish you. I’m here to offer you the acting gig of a lifetime.”
