“Fine.” Pax chewed on her lip thoughtfully. The only problem with using etorphine was that it had to be administered through injection. This thought made Pax shiver, and the little hairs on the back of her neck stood up in spikes. She had no problem with giving out injections, but she had never been stabbed with a syringe once in her life! She shook her head, pushing the image away until later. She could see that Amara was amused by her discomfort with needles. It seemed an irrational worry for woman with as many abilities as Pax possessed. She grew upset that she could not keep a private fear tucked away secretly in her mind without it being exposed to her nosey friend. She immediately shifted her thoughts back to the hot day spent near the African watering hole. She remembered driving along over the bumpy terrain in the durable little Jeep, Thornton sitting beside her and drinking water from a canteen. There was something so sexy about a man with a canteen…
“Eww,” Amara said, wrinkling her nose. “Stop that. I do not want to see you and my brother getting it on in a Jeep. You’re both so sweaty in that memory. It’s gross.”
Pax smiled. “Then stay out of my head. I can do whatever I want in here.”
“I’m trying,” Amara said with a shudder, “but I just can’t stop watching. Whoa, you’re really flexible—I can’t do that. It looks uncomfortable.”
Lifting her hand, Pax twisted her fingers to send a small tidal wave of emerald sand in Amara’s direction. “Get out of my head, Mara!”
The blonde woman shrieked at the incoming deluge and immediately began to levitate away from the green tsunami. Pax laughed as she lifted more sand, increasing the height of the wave and propelling it forward so quickly that it nipped at Amara’s heels. The other woman’s screams and yelps were extremely satisfying. The girls had the sense of being kids chasing each other around on a playground—or rather, in a giant, supernatural sandbox.
Amara was finally buried by the upsurge of sand, causing Pax to erupt in uncontrollable, body-rocking laughter. She had still not quieted down by the time the blonde woman managed to dig herself out of the gemstone grave, sputtering and violently brushing the green particles out of her hair and eyes.
“You Burnsons!” Amara shouted, digging sand out of her hair with her index finger. “I swear, you fire devas will be the death of me! You and your miserable uncle—I want to suffocate you both! Especially him. I would kill it with fire if fire could kill it!”
“Poor Mara.” Pax smiled. “You know, it might be better just to let it go.”
“What?”
“Let it go. Your anger at Ash. Instead of us holding this grudge and pumping our bodies full of tranquilizers meant for animals that weigh 15,000 pounds, you could, possibly, consider letting him go.” Pax pulled her lips into a thin line. “I love my uncle dearly, but I know you could find a better guy in minutes. Maybe someone with a job.”
“What the hell are you saying, Pax?” Amara shouted. “Don’t you understand what he means to me! We’ve been in here for almost four years and I get angrier at him every day! There will never be anyone else for me, and there’s no better guy… he’s Ash!”
“Okay, okay! Relax,” Pax said lightly. “It was just a suggestion. Don’t blow a nut.”
Amara moved over to her friend, sitting before her quietly. “You wouldn’t let it go, even though you know it’s unhealthy. So don’t ask that of me. I dream about Ash every night—I think about what he would have said with every decision I make. He’s deeply ingrained in my brain; he’s part of me. He hurt me really badly and ripped me all up inside—for no good reason.”
“Hey, it was my duty as a friend to suggest it,” Pax said gently. “I’m glad you aren’t letting go, because it makes me feel less crazy. Besides, we should really finish what we started.” The dark-haired woman allowed her eyelashes to rest against her cheeks as she began meditating again. Her tranquility was interrupted by a scream from Amara, sending her eyelashes flying up to collide with her long bangs.
“Pax… there’s something behind you!”
Turning to glance over her shoulder, Pax was startled by a creature’s head rising out of the sand in the distance. Apparently, her little tidal-wave-stunt had disturbed its slumber. The creature roared, shaking its massive mane before it began barreling toward them at a breakneck pace. A protrusion like a giant serpent extended from its body, slithering alongside the beast.
“What the fuck is that!” Amara shouted. “A lion? A snake?”
“Chimera,” Pax answered, rising to her feet, and allowing silver flames to engulf her body. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
Amara nodded enthusiastically.
“Tacos,” the girls said in unison.
* * *
Para had discovered that she greatly preferred the taste of dragon meat to chimera. Among other discoveries, she learned that while fighting in Golden Form, her hair became a snakelike weapon which she could use to destroy her enemies. Channeling her prana into her lengthened hair, she could use it to pelt her opponent like a whip. She had found this greatly amusing, and had practiced wrapping her hair around her own limbs and squeezing—when the viper-vice pressure crushed her arm until it bled, she immediately stopped constricting. She believed that as a Golden Goddess, she had the power to kill a man with only her hair.
“This sure could come in handy!” she had exclaimed with a laugh, using her energy to move her hair around as though it were a fifth limb. She had flown along the ground, using her energy to make her hair strike the ground repeatedly; she was sure that the power of such bashing would deliver extreme damage to any enemy.
“Can’t do that, can you Ashton?” she gloated into the emptiness. When Para fantasized about a man, which she sometimes did during her grueling half-hour training sessions, it was always this stranger. She had only seen him once before, when Asher and Thornton had used the coalescence technique to help save her life on Venus. Her curiosity was great, having only been able to look upon him for a few minutes. She had been mostly distracted by the fight at hand, but both of her halves (and Suja) had been stunned by his physique. Thinking back to that battle, she wondered how much of a strategic advantage it had been to have her back to Ashton while Suja faced him. The enormous man looked as though he had stepped directly out of the pages of a comic strip about a superhero. If Para had been a dreamy teenager, she would have surely plastered her bedroom walls with posters of Ashton in masculine, shirtless poses.
It was only natural, since he was the combination of her two lovers. She fantasized about him in every way—she liked to imagine the challenge of surpassing his power, physically beating him, and of course, being with him sexually. Para knew that it would probably never happen; it was imperative to conceal her identity from the boys. That was exactly why the fantasies were so thrilling. Even an immensely powerful goddess needed to have an unattainable desire. She liked to imagine being dominated by the godly man. Just the thought of it made her prana flare, sending a powerful surge of energy through her. She had years of pent up sexual energy to channel into the training of her mind and body.
When the final yellow door appeared before her, Para was caught off-guard. She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach, and she was suddenly nervous at the thought of leaving the vector zone. She had wanted it so badly, and for so long, that she was terrified that something would emerge and stop her from going home at the last second. Something would surely blow up in her face and kill her right before her fingers touched the door handle. She swallowed, staring at the yellow door warily.
It occurred to her for the first time that the real world was, in fact, far scarier than the Pseudosphere. When she thought about the fact that she would soon see Thornton and Asher again, she felt physically ill with anticipation and fear. As can be expected, over the duration of the past few years, both of Para’s halves had made thousands of mental notes about things they each needed to do upon exiting the vector zone. This giant to-do list ranged from the smallest whim such as buying a tub of a favor
ite ice-cream, to larger, more long-term goals such as spending more time with family members. Para had considered establishing some sort of weekly girls’ night to do something small and sweet with Amelia and Rose. Pax wanted to make an effort to reach out to her father more, while Amara had dozens of mechanical innovations rattling around inside her mind, begging for life.
However, Para was too wise to allow herself to be drowned by the overwhelming ambitions of the two girls, most of which would never be fulfilled. While Amara and Pax might have been useless on their own, fumbling to do more than they could manage, Para was their calm and responsible shepherd. She was the filter and the funnel, distilling all of their scattered youthful goals into only the essential. There was no room for anything more than the essential.
As Para stared at the yellow door, she began forming a basic plan of action in her mind. She knew that Pax and Amara would be disoriented and unable to gain their footing once they stepped back into their old world. They would be two soldiers, lost without direction—but Para was their general. Para would give the commands, and when she separated, her respective halves would dutifully follow out her orders.
Para would divide and conquer.
But first, she would need a to-do list. She would need a simplified and achievable to-do list of tasks that could be completed in only one day. There was only so much that a person could accomplish in one day; Para intended to find the perfect balance, being reasonable without overreaching.
Amara’s To-Do List
Go Shopping (It has been far too long.)
Get Fake Identification for Para to Prove She Exists
Purchase a Furnished Home for Para with Immediate Closing
Find Photos of Young Girl who Resembles Para
Pax’s To-Do List
Find Out if Comet is Really Going to Destroy Earth
Teleport to Africa—Steal Elephant Tranquilizer
Put my Condominium up for Sale
Break Thorn’s Heart
It was modest. She would ease back into her daily life, constantly moving forward. Para intended to be an asset to both of her halves, helping them to achieve everything they each desired and more. Deciding this, she confidently strode toward the yellow door. At the last second, she turned back, gazing fondly at the giant hourglass. She would miss this place. It was gorgeous, albeit in a disconcerting, paranormal way. On a whim, Para stooped to gather a handful of emerald sand.
I’ll keep this with me as a souvenir to remember this place… since there isn’t a gift shop where I can get a refrigerator magnet. Para smiled to herself, staring down at the sparkling grains in her gloved palm. The tourist industry must not be thriving in these parts. I wonder why. I would totally get a hat or a t-shirt that read “I survived the Pseudosphere.” Maybe a little snow globe or a stuffed dragon. She felt her chest bursting with pride as she opened the yellow door.
This was definitely better than the Bahamas.
Chapter 20: Two Seconds’ Notice
All of their family members had been invited to Sakra’s Point to welcome the girls home, but only Vincent, Raymond, and Asher had decided to make the trip. The men stood around silently waiting for the few minutes that it took Sakra to prepare the hexagonal portal with his energy.
“So, you guys need to try to be supportive of them,” Asher instructed. The two men turned to him with wry looks. “Be all fatherly and stuff.”
“I am supportive,” Raymond told his younger brother.
“Sure.” Asher gave him a skeptical look. “As much as you can be from the other side of the planet. I’m going to be cynical and rude to make you two look better.”
Raymond narrowed his eyes. “Ash, I don’t need…”
“They will be arriving in the next few seconds,” Sakra said, clearing his throat.
The Burnson brothers quieted down. All three men stared at the glowing hexagonal portal until a lemon-colored mist began to rise. Two silhouettes began to materialize, revealing the bodies of the young women. Asher detected the energy of the two girls before he saw their bodies, and he was startled. They did not feel like the same people. Especially Amara—he knew her life force intimately, and she did not feel anything like the person he had lived with for so many years. He swallowed, wondering if Pax had transplanted her organs into Amara’s body, or something of the sort. It wasn’t just that her own essence was amplified—there was something new.
Meanwhile, Raymond’s face had been transformed with a smile. Vincent remained expressionless, but he uncrossed his arms and let his arms dangle in a relaxed posture at his sides.
As soon as the girls had fully materialized, Amara dropped her duffle bags. She made fleeting eye contact with Asher before ripping her eyes away, as though she had been wounded by the sight of him. She rushed forward, throwing herself into the waiting arms of her father. She did not want to show any emotion in front of Asher; she tried her best to remain strong, but she could not keep the tears from her eyes. She turned her face away from Asher’s direction, burying her cheek against Vincent’s chest and trying to keep from breaking down in sobs.
You have done well, Amara. Vincent told her telepathically. You are the first female devas to survive the vector zone. That is no small accomplishment.
I’m just glad to be home, Amara answered. I missed you, dad.
Your mother will be relieved to see you in one piece. He looked over his daughter’s head intending to nod at Pax to thank her for her patience and dedication in training Amara, but what he saw made him frown.
Pax was standing in Silver Form, with the prominent radiance enfolding her body. She did not acknowledge anyone in the temple around her, but a strange expression had transformed her face. She took a step forward shakily before glancing up at the sky in confusion. She seemed to be dizzy, for when she took another step, one of her legs gave way underneath her and she fell to one knee. One hand tightly gripped the knee which was bent, and another hand clenched into a ball at her stomach.
Raymond quickly rushed to her side, but she seemed not to notice his presence as she stared up at the sky with a worried and perplexed look. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Raymond turned to look at his younger brother for help, not knowing how to address his daughter’s strange behavior.
“Hey, cupcake,” Asher said lightly to his niece. “Why don’t you relax a little?” When she failed to respond, he cleared his throat. “Paxie—I can see that you’re really excited to show us all that you can use Silver Form, but it seems like you need to practice it a little more. You know, so that you can do it without falling over.”
“For your information,” said Amara coldly, “she has been using that technique comfortably for well over a year.”
Asher seemed surprised at this knowledge, and even Vincent’s face displayed a favorable reaction. Raymond, however, was less concerned about his daughter’s strength and more worried about her emotional state. He crouched to her side, gently placing an arm around her back.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” asked Raymond gently. His voice brought Pax’s attention back to the mountaintop temple, and she smiled and placed a hand on her father’s arm. She gave him a reassuring nod, before slowly rising to her feet. She looked around, glancing at all the men present, especially letting her eyes linger on the quiet, unobtrusive Sakra.
“Where’s Thorn?” Pax found herself asking.
“He had a work thing,” Asher answered.
“Oh,” Pax answered with disappointment. She swallowed, noticing that her father was still looking at her with concern. “It’s nothing, Papa. Just… when I was in the Pseudosphere I couldn’t sense any energy signals at all other than Amara’s. As soon as I stepped out I could sense everything all at once, every life force on the planet, every person, animal, and every plant—it just overwhelmed me for a moment.”
Raymond nodded in understanding. “It will take some time to readjust to this plane.”
Vincent, however, was unconvinced. He stared at her for a
moment before sending a telepathic message. Girl. You weren’t looking at a life force on the planet. What did you sense?
Pax turned to him, surprised at how well he was able to read her. It’s nothing, Vincent. I just thought I sensed someone very powerful in distant outer space. Someone more powerful than any of us… even you. But that’s not possible, is it?
Haven’t I always told you that what you want to believe and what you know are two different things? Possibilities change by the second. Vincent walked away from the crowd, moving to the edge of the temple. He tried to focus his prana detecting ability, but he couldn’t distinguish anything unusual. He trusted Pax, and realized that she was probably unusually sensitive at the moment. He released a breath and allowed a golden glow to surround his body for a moment, heightening his own sensitivity. He tried to block out every other distracting force, and stared up at the sky, searching. When he felt it, he frowned.
Pax followed him. I am probably mistaken. I must have been able to sense the life forces on distant planets for a moment, and they must have all blended together. I’m just a bit dizzy. Sorry for the false alarm.
Be quiet! I need to concentrate. It’s far away, but I can sense someone. This does not make any sense. Vincent’s fists were clenched. I should have been aware of this! A life force of that magnitude is unprecedented.
Pax felt a shiver run through her at this confirmation. It’s a person… not an object?
“Object?” Vincent asked sharply, speaking out loud for the first time. He turned to look at her curiously. “What do you know?”
“While I was in there—I had this dream. I think it was a dream, but I need to make sure. It felt different. ” Pax paused, seeing that the others had moved to join them at the edge of the temple. “This may be a silly question, but… there isn’t a comet heading toward the Earth, is there?”
Thirty Minutes to Heartbreak Box Set (Books 1-3) Page 46
