“Paxie,” he said with a laugh. “You can open your eyes. I’m flesh and blood.”
She squinted one eye open, and seeing that there was, in fact, a man beside her, she gasped and threw her arms around his neck, covering his face with kisses. “Thorn! Oh, Thorn, don’t ever let me leave you again. Don’t ever let me do something this stupid.”
“I told you not to go,” he said softly, stroking her hair. “Look at you, kid. You’ve gotten so much stronger. Do you want to find a way out of this place?”
“I don’t care anymore,” she whispered, clinging to him. She kissed his lips, soaking his face with her tears. “I just want to be with you. Anywhere. Keep me on a leash. Keep me attached to you with handcuffs or a chain or something.”
Thornton chuckled softly, enjoying the enthusiasm that was evident in her body language. He held her close, returning her kisses and running his hands over her entire body, familiarizing himself with her new muscle tone and sharper life force.
Pax could not get close enough. She pushed Thornton onto his back and climbed on top of him, adhering herself to him like a second skin. “I love you,” she whispered, between endless kisses. She was grateful that Thornton was just allowing her to cuddle him and not pressing her about her answer. She didn’t know how she would respond, but if he asked her now she would almost certainly say ‘yes’ without thinking. When Thornton began to pull off her already tattered clothing, this seemed like a better idea than talking or thinking.
Before too many seconds had passed, they had both hastily removed their clothing, and were interlocking their bodies together urgently. Pax sighed as she lowered herself against him, feeling the length of him inside her. Everything wrong seemed cured for an instant; she leaned forward and kissed his jawline, moving against him unthinkingly for a few minutes. His hands drifted along her back and over her hips, guiding her movement as his lips trailed along her neck.
Suddenly, looking into his grey-blue eyes, Pax felt a bit of a chill. She paused in her movement. “You haven’t asked about your sister,” she realized.
“Who?”
Pax froze, staring down at the man to whom she was making love. “You’re not Thorn.” She felt nausea as she ripped her body off his, levitating away from him in shock.
“Paxie, Paxie—I was just kidding,” he said, standing up and moving after her. “I saw Amara first when I came in here, and she told me that you two weren’t talking.” He grabbed her waist affectionately and returned his lips to hers with gusto. “We can talk about her later,” he growled.
She nodded, melting against his mouth. This answer had been satisfying enough. She allowed him to push her down on the ground and hurriedly fumble to get back inside of her, as if his life depended on it. She could feel his need, somehow almost matching hers, when he began to rhythmically heave his body between her legs. She cried out at the sensation, wrapping her legs around his hips to get closer, and clinging to his shoulders. “Thorn,” she moaned. “I don’t know how I lasted a day without you.”
He kissed the tears that were accumulating in the corner of her eyes as he slammed himself into her, making her gasp and tighten her grip on his shoulders. “It was worse for me. You’re mine, and I’m not letting you out of my sight again.”
“Please don’t,” she gasped out, letting her head roll back in pleasure. She lost herself in the feelings, for several long, sensuous minutes. She moved against him, with him, seeking her pleasure and feeling her body building to a climax.
“Pax,” he moaned, “baby—”
“What?” she barked, hitting his shoulder abruptly. “What did you call me?”
“I don’t know,” he said, pausing in confusion. He nuzzled her nose gently. “What did I say? I’m not really thinking straight right now.”
She frowned and nodded. “Okay. Just don’t stop.”
As he continued, as divine as it felt, Pax began to become more and more certain that something was wrong. She could feel fluctuations in the life force beneath her hands; there was a strange coldness radiating from the center of his body. She shook her head violently. “You’re lasting too long,” she muttered, trembling. She shut her eyes tightly. “Get off me.”
“What?” he asked. “I could have finished ages ago, but I was trying to make it better for you.”
“No,” she said softly. “I’m not an idiot. Thorn doesn’t last for 45 minutes—at least not the first time. Everything about you is wrong! I wanted so badly to believe you were him so I ignored all the signs. Stop playing games with me! Who are you?”
A slow smile spread across the blonde man’s face. “Who do you think I am, darling?”
Pax swallowed, putting her hands over her chest in a meager attempt at modesty. “Suja.”
“That’s right, dear. I couldn’t bear to see you all alone and suffering in this awful place. So I thought I would come and make love to you. Doesn’t it feel amazing?” He continued to move inside of her, sending waves of pleasure through her abdomen. “Do you really want me to stop?”
Pax dug her teeth into her lip, feeling her whole body shake in horror with the wrongness of the situation. “Suja!” she groaned. “How could you do this to me?”
“I cannot help but notice that you didn’t ask me to stop,” Suja said, smiling through Thornton’s features as she continued to thrust into Pax. She lowered her face, brushing her warm cheek against Pax’s neck. “Just tell me to stop, and I will. Believe it or not, I do care about you, darling.”
Pax stared upward blankly, appalled by the situation and how much her own body was betraying her. Even though she knew that it was not Thornton moving above her, she could see—and feel—his features so clearly that it was hard to pull away. She was immobilized, and unable to react except to allow her shapeshifting enemy to continue being intimate with her. Pax was dismayed and humiliated when she couldn’t resist moving her own hips upwards to meet his thrusts. She closed her eyes and moaned. “Please,” Pax whispered.
“Please, what, darling?”
She was shocked at her own inability to command Suja to stop. “Is this what you did to him?” Pax asked, through tears of frustration. “Is this how you tricked Thorn into screwing that woman!”
“No, my dear. I didn’t trick him into doing that.” Suja cupped Pax’s cheek with her palm, ever so gently. “Darling, just relax and enjoy this. We can talk after. Just let yourself go and enjoy my gift to you. I know you have wished for this so badly—I know you have imagined this every night when you lie awake, aching for your lover.”
“For him,” Pax responded. “I don’t ache for just his body—but for the man inside it.”
“I wish I could give you that too,” Suja said. “Unfortunately, all power is limited. Just close your eyes and enjoy this small pleasure for now. Later, what I could do is maybe help you break that stubborn sphere of yours.”
There it was. Her bargaining chip—for Suja always seemed to have something Pax required. Pax knew the Asura woman possessed the power to break the fjuyen globe, and she would have to appease her in any way possible. Appeasing her did not seem so unpleasant at the moment. “Okay. But get out of his body!” Pax whispered hoarsely. “I can’t focus when you look like him.”
“I told you not to see with your eyes,” Suja whispered, her voice changing from masculine to feminine. “What form would you prefer for me to take? I notice that you didn’t ask me to get out of your body.”
“Anything,” Pax said quickly. “Just not Thorn. He’s precious to me.”
“Understood, sweetie.” The Asura woman’s perfectly styled blonde hair began to darken and grow messy. Her pale blue eyes became dark as midnight. “How about this? Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it. Growing up with your dad’s little brother; a little sneak peek of Ash changing here and there, a glimpse of him in the shower. Tell me the wrongness doesn’t excite you—don’t you want to know why Amara could never get enough?”
Pax was stricken for a moment at the si
ght of her uncle’s beloved and familiar face. “No! No. I never thought about it. Just be yourself, Suja. Just be honest with me.”
Suja seemed confused by this request. After a moment, she complied, allowing feminine features to transform her countenance, and her long, soft white hair to emerge from her scalp. She seemed almost vulnerable and exposed, as if shedding her disguises truly made her naked for the first time. Pax nodded and gave the woman a small smile, feeling slightly better about the situation, and slightly worse. She was no longer being tricked; she was a willing victim, hoping for the possible reward of freedom. It also meant that she was betraying Thornton in the exact way that he had betrayed her.
Pax had never been with a woman before; she had not realized that it would be different in so many ways—other than the obvious ways, of course. Suja’s fragrance was heavily perfumed, intoxicating her senses. Her skin was tender, and every inch, from her lips to her center, tasted of sweetness and honey. The texture of Suja’s breasts did not feel like anything on a man’s body, and Pax did not know what to do with them in her hands. She felt slightly awkward, but fueled by the need to please Suja so that she would break the sphere. She was groveling, she knew; she was ingratiating herself in a despicable way.
But Pax was also driven by genuine curiosity and admiration for the strange goddess. When they finished making love, they lay beside each other peacefully and thoughtfully. Suja’s white hair spilled against Pax’s dark locks, creating a sharp contrast. The Asura goddess smiled. “My husband rarely made love to me. Those spiritual monk types, you know. But when we did, he always asked me to shapeshift into a famous actress. I spent so much time being other people that I have grown rather uncomfortable being myself.”
“You shouldn’t be,” Pax said softly. “Lord Sakra may be a great healer, and the wisest man I have ever met—but he’s a fool for letting you go.”
“I doubt he even notices that I’m gone,” Suja admitted. “It’s like he saw everything—everything that happened in the entire world. He was aware of events in the Americas, Africa, Europe—he watched so carefully and noticed every detail. But I was there, right in front of him, and he looked right through me as though I was worthless. I hated that feeling.”
“Do you want him to notice that you’re gone?” Pax asked.
“I used to. I used to choose my every action based on what would annoy him the most. (This would have annoyed him.) I used to do the most scandalous, reckless things possible to get his attention, but eventually I gave up. Now I just do what I want to do, and live my life by my own impulses. I find much more gratification that way.”
It seemed that Suja still had the ability to impress Pax, even after she had placed her loved ones in mortal danger. Pax found herself lost in veneration for the woman, thinking about how her enemy was, in some ways, a better person than she was. Suja always seemed so clear-headed and pure of purpose.
“Darling, don’t look at me in that way,” Suja said with a small smile. “You might almost lead me to believe that you actually like me. But I know you only did this so that I would consider dissolving the fjuyen for you. I bet you really want to get out of this hellhole.”
“I do.” Pax did not clarify which sentence she was answering. She could not force herself to be as enraged with Suja as she wanted to be. She imagined it had something to do with the woman’s polite manner. It might have also been due to the fact that she had not spoken to another person in over a year. Amara’s absence had cleaved a new empty spot in her soul, enhancing the previously cavernous void left by her brother; Pax felt like Suja had in fact, done her a sort of kindness. That is why her gloved hand drifted to rest on the woman’s naked abdomen, idly stroking her creamy skin.
“I’m furious with you for this,” Pax informed her, “but I’m thankful too.”
“I know, sweet thing.” Suja glanced at Pax, studying her strangely. “I’m not sure why I’m here either, to be honest. I should be pissed at you for blowing up my beloved Ishtar. I guess you fascinate me.”
“I’m asking this question a little late,” Pax said, amused at herself, “but I guess I’ve been somewhat distracted. Did you hurt Amara?”
“No. Not this time—she’s far too easy a target.” Suja leaned forward, pressing her lips against Pax’s cheek. “Why, darling? Do you want me to?”
Pax laughed. She shouldn’t have laughed, but she did. “No, I don’t want that.”
“What do you want, dear?”
“I want to go home,” Pax said instantly.
“Well, I can certainly help,” Suja answered. “It would take me seconds to dissolve this sphere for you.”
“Would you?”
Suja smirked, raising herself onto her elbow. “This is an opportune moment for me. I can see that you’re willing to do just about anything to break that substance. What will you offer me in return?”
“What do you want from me?” Pax asked.
“The Planet Earth,” Suja answered.
“I don’t believe that’s exactly mine to give,” Pax responded with a nervous smile.
“No. But together, it could be ours to take,” Suja answered. “You should be my ally. I hate to see you wasting your time on someone as weak as Amara. I would like to mentor you and see you become as strong as you could be. You’re something special.”
“I’m not sure I can do that,” Pax answered. “I mean, I agree about Amara—especially now. I wish I could join forces with you, but not to take the Earth. I can’t turn against my home and all the people who care about me. I would lose.”
“Understood,” Suja whispered, tracing her fingertips along the other girl’s arm. “That’s too bad. Things could have been so different.”
“I guess you won’t help me destroy the sphere,” Pax said, her stomach sinking. She had visions of being stuck in the Pseudosphere for the next ten years, trying vainly to break the material. She wondered whether she would end up killing herself before long.
“What do you take me for? I am not a monster. I will help you, lovely.” Suja’s voice was laced with ice as she spoke. “The thought of you wasting away in this place is simply not satisfying. I will give you your freedom, along with an exciting ultimatum.” Suja gently brushed her fingers through Pax’s dark hair, smiling as she spoke: “Miss Burnson, you will either join with me to conquer Earth, or you will watch me destroy the planet. Decide now.”
Pax swallowed. “So you’re asking whether I want to fight against my family, friends, and fiancé, or whether I want to fight against you and your army of Asura?”
“Precisely.”
“I will stand with my family, Suja. I’m sorry—I respect you, but not your intentions. Just a warning—together, we’re all a lot stronger than you might anticipate.”
“I thought you’d say that. No hard feelings.” Suja smiled. “My people will be launching a comet at your little planet—it should shake things up a little. It will be an exciting time in human history, these next couple months. I want you to remember that you could have prevented it by joining me.”
Suja waved her hand and the fjuyen sphere began to disintegrate, becoming iridescent dust. Pax stared in disbelief as the substance she had failed to even scratch for over a year now yielded under the power of Suja’s mind. As expected, there was a yellow door at the very center of the solid sphere. Suja smiled smugly. “Face it. You need me. Maybe this gift will make you realize this, Pax. Enjoy your freedom. Let me know if you change your mind about the job offer.”
Pax felt cheated, but grateful. She just wanted to go home. “Thank you,” she murmured, staring at the destroyed sphere. She was too worn out to believe that the trial was really finally over.
“It was quite easy, you know,” Suja remarked. “If you couldn’t destroy that little fjuyen ball, you’ll never be able to put a dent in my comet. You won’t be able to stop me.”
“I guess we’ll have to see about that,” Pax answered. She wished she could have said something cocky and condescen
ding, but she felt too defeated to find the words. As much as she longed to rush forward and dive through the yellow door, she did not feel as relieved as she thought she would. It was shameful knowing she had been unable to earn her freedom herself. It was disgraceful knowing she had done to Thornton exactly what he had done to her. Her head ached.
“Poor babe,” Suja said in a breathy voice. Her hand reached out to tenderly cup Pax’s breast as she leaned forward, planting a final goodbye kiss on the woman’s lips. Her eyes glistened with mirth, and she laughed melodiously as her body began to fade away from view. “Parabellum!”
Pax stared after her enemy’s vanishing form. “I will, bitch.”
Chapter 17: To Share Laugher
Pax felt her face being slapped. She squinted and moved away from the assaulting hand.
“Wake up! We have to go. Come on, Paxie.”
She peered up at the blonde woman in confusion. She hadn’t seen Amara in many long months. “Was that a dream? Was Suja not really here?”
“I don’t know,” Amara admitted. “I heard what was happening through my telepathy, but I wasn’t sure if you were dreaming or awake. At any rate, something has happened, because the fjuyen was destroyed. Either you did it with your mind in your sleep—or Suja really was here.”
Pax looked down at her body, finding herself fully clothed. She ran her hands over her body, trying to determine whether or not she had recently had sex. She grasped a chunk of her hair and sniffed it. “Do you smell perfume on me?” she asked Amara.
The blonde woman leaned closer and took a sniff. “I don’t know, and I don’t care. Let’s get the hell out of Room Five.”
“Okay,” Pax mumbled, a bit baffled. She rose to her feet shakily, staring at the destroyed fjuyen sphere. It looked exactly as it had appeared in her dream, vision, or memory—piles of iridescent dust.
“For the record,” Amara said, “I would have fucked Adolf Hitler to get us out of that place.”
Thirty Minutes to Heartbreak Box Set (Books 1-3) Page 44
