Krissy slowed, bending in half and placing her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. "Wait, Tate. I just need a minute."
I rubbed her back. "Take slow, deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. We only have a minute, that thing could be back any—SHIT!"
Rhodes came out of nowhere, grabbing a hold of Krissy by her arms. "You little bitch! You're gonna pay for that stunt."
Krissy screamed, kicking and struggling to free herself from his hold, but he never budged. I looked around for something—anything I could use as a weapon, but we were standing the middle of a street, surrounded by nothing but desert.
Until I remembered the knife.
I pulled it out and flicked the blade open with one flick of my wrist. Rhodes' arms were squeezing the life out of Krissy—I could see her turning blue from the strain and lack of oxygen. My only clean shot was to go for his back, maybe strike his kidney. That might be enough to get him to loosen his grip so she could get away—or at least breathe.
Rhodes' focus wasn't on me, and I used his distraction to approach him from behind. I gripped the blade and withdrew a breath. I knew I'd only get one, maybe two shots at the guy. I couldn't afford to miss or only knick him.
With one quick thrust, I jabbed the knife into the left side of his back, just below his ribcage. The knife sunk in to the hilt. I expected Rhodes to scream or grunt in pain. At the very least, I thought having a four-inch blade jammed into his side would make him loosen his grip, but he barely budged.
"Tsk, tsk, little boy. Did you really think your mortal weapon could stop me?" He slowly turned his head and glared at me. "As if I could ever be that weak."
One glance at Krissy, who was no longer conscious in his arms, and I backed up a few steps and charged at him like a linebacker, aiming my shoulder directly where the blade was positioned. Blinding, white-hot pain rain through my body as I struck, traveling down my arm and back. I knew the impact from the knife's hilt tore something, but I got back up. Rhodes had stumbled slightly, but not enough to lose control of Krissy. I readied myself for a second run at him when the sound of squealing tires turned both of our attentions.
The car never slowed, aiming directly for Rhodes. I dove out of the way as did Rhodes, who dropped Krissy. I scrambled to her side and dragged her to me, thankful for the car that now idled between us. "Krissy! Wake up, beautiful. Please wake up." I checked her neck for a pulse, thankful to find one though it was weak. I watched carefully for the rise and fall of her chest, but it never came, so I started mouth-to-mouth. I'd spent years imagining the moment my lips would finally taste hers, but never thought it would be to save her life. "Breathe. You gotta breathe for me."
After several arduous moments, she sucked in a deep breath, coughing.
"Oh, thank Jesus." I cradled her in my arms, only then remembering the mysterious car and Agent Rhodes. "Just breathe, and try to stay quiet. I'm going to check out what's going on."
Krissy only nodded, still coughing painfully. I stayed low, listening for sounds of movement. Besides some rustling, and a grunt every now and then, it was silent.
Eerily silent.
Creeping behind the rear bumper of the Dodge Charger, I peered around the edge. Even with all of the amazing things I'd seen and experienced over the last week, the sight still managed to shock me.
Agent Rhodes was bloody and beaten—but not from my knife or the car. Standing in front of him—and beating the crap out him—was a little girl in braided pigtails and a Dora the Explorer romper. She spun, landing a roundhouse kick to his face. Rhodes spat black, oozy liquid onto the ground, and then spoke in a language I'd never heard. The little girl replied in the same language, giggling like he told a joke.
I turned my attentions back on Krissy. She hadn't moved but to wrap her arms around herself and shiver—though I doubted she was cold. I pulled her back into my arms, keeping my voice low. "I know you're hurting, but we need to try to get out of here. The keys are still in the car; we may be able to escape. I don't see another way. There's some crazy badass little girl kicking the crap out of Rhodes, so it's now or never."
Krissy's eyes widened a bit. "You said a little girl? And he hasn't killed her yet?"
I scoffed. "I know, right? I tried everything I could think of and he wouldn't budge for me. This little kindergartener comes out of nowhere and suddenly she's like Jackie Chan crossed with Chuck Norris out there."
"Tate, Anusha was like that too, remember? Looked like a child but she wasn't. I bet that's who we're supposed to find!"
"Holy crap! You're right. I didn't even put the two together. So what then? Should we go see if she needs help or something? Though, from what I saw, she was holding her own and then some."
Krissy stood on shaky legs. "We should at least try."
Seeing Krissy attempt to breathe, and the pained look on her face she took with every breath, made up my mind. I scooped her up and carried her. "Right now, you're my priority. He squeezed the shit out of you, and it wouldn't surprise me if he cracked a rib or two. I'm not worrying about anyone else. You're more important to me than anyone or anything. Now I'm going to put you in that car and drive you to the hospital. No arguing!"
She laid her head on my shoulder in quiet capitulation. I stood up straight and peered over the hood of the car. The little girl was now straddling Rhodes, her whole body glowing bright orange. The longer she glowed, the brighter she shone, and the dimmer and more translucent Rhodes became. Mesmerized, I didn't move. I just stood watching in awe. The sight was both beautifully fascinating and frightening.
"My God," Krissy exclaimed. "He's fading away as if he never existed."
It took only seconds before Rhodes was gone. The little girl shuddered and closed her eyes, allowing the glow of her body to fade away as well. When her eyes opened again, she looked over at us and smiled. "You need not be afraid. I will not harm you."
The adult words and tone coming from the small child were off-putting, and I didn't know whether to believe her or not, but that wasn't important. "I need to get her to the hospital."
"Please," Krissy added.
The little girl stood, reaching her arms out to us. "Bring her to me."
"I don't think so. Just let us go, and we won't tell anyone about you or what we saw."
The little girl shook her head. "Please, let me help. It is what I do."
"Just let her try," Krissy whispered. "If she wanted to hurt us, there's nothing we could do to stop her. Besides, for some reason deep in my gut, I trust her. She reminds me of Anusha."
The little girl's eyes widened. "Anusha? You knew my sister?"
"Anusha was your sister?"
She smiled, wistful longing twinkling in her eyes. "Yes, my name is Abhaya. I was sent here to find her, but when I arrived, I knew I was too late. I could not feel her light."
Abhaya strode toward us and placed her hands on Krissy's midsection. When they began to glow brightly, Krissy sighed in relief.
"Are you okay?" I asked Krissy, concerned that somehow the light was making her injuries worse.
"That feels so much better. Thank you, Abhaya."
Abhaya bowed slightly. "It is my pleasure to help friends of my sister."
"I'm so sorry for your loss," Krissy said.
"Thank you. But please, tell me, did the heir survive? Is he safe?"
I shook my head. "I'm so sorry; I have no idea what you're talking about. Rhodes asked us the same thing."
"Anusha never gave you anything?" She tried again.
I eyed Krissy and she nodded. "Well, yes, but it wasn't a person."
Abhaya inhaled sharply. "Please, take me to it."
We piled in Abhaya's car, although it was incredibly weird to let a six-year-old behind the wheel. She even had a booster seat with pedal extensions so her feet could reach. When she saw me staring, she giggled. "I realize how this must look to you, but I promise I'm perfectly competent behind the wheel and am a very safe driver."
I let Krissy take the front seat, safely clicking her seatbelt into place as she lowered the seat to a reclining position. She might have been healed, but her body was exhausted. I kissed her forehead before buckling myself in, whispering the directions to Abhaya along the drive.
Chapter Six
Krissy
"Hey, beautiful. Time to wake up. We're here." Tate's husky voice tickled my ears, causing me to emit a happy sigh. Yeah, I liked this dream. "She's out. Let me carry her," I heard him say before being scooped up in powerful arms. Realizing where I was, I know I probably could have opened my eyes and walked on my own, but this felt way too good to protest.
Tate sat me on the couch and I reluctantly opened my eyes, leaving my happy cocoon of denial. Abhaya sat in the club chair across from us.
"I'll be right back," Tate said, before turning to me. "You okay? Need anything?"
I shook my head. "No, I'm feeling much better, thank you."
Tate hurried into the other room, presumably to get the stone Anusha had given us. As I watched him walk away, I couldn't help but shake my head at how much had changed between us. I wasn't sure if it was just going through this together or if his feelings had genuinely changed toward me, but for the first time in years, I was happy. With Tate. Who woulda guessed it?
Abhaya smiled, swaying her Ked-clad feet since they couldn't reach the floor. "Your union is a strong one. I can see it in each of you—that tie connecting you is strong. You'll go far together."
Heat rose up my neck and into my cheeks. "Oh, um. We're not together. We're just friends."
Abhaya winked at me. "For now."
I didn't get to ask her what she meant before Tate came back in the room carrying a padded handgun sleeve. Abhaya scooted forward in her seat as he approached, looking like a kid on Christmas awaiting her presents.
"I'm sorry, but this is all Anusha gave us. It's just a stone. I don't know anything about an heir."
He held it out and Abhaya reached for the stone reverently. Tate sat next to me, wrapping his arm around me as I sunk into his side. Abhaya opened the bag and pulled the stone out. It began to glow in her hands and her eyes closed and she sighed happily. "I can't tell you what this means to me and my people." She held it to her lips and kissed it adoringly, then opened wider and swallowed it whole.
"Oh my God!" I scooted to the edge of my seat, disbelieving what I had just seen.
Tate was furious. "We went through all of that for you to have a snack?"
Abhaya ignored Tate's comment, her face lit up in pure ecstasy. When she opened her eyes, she stood rocking on her heals. "When the Suryti destroyed my planet, a few of us were lucky enough to escape, including some of the royal family. My sister and I were a part of the Royal guard, assigned to protect the King and Queen." She paused, sighing. "But we failed, and they died. But not before passing us their heir and begging us to protect him and keep the hope for our race alive.
"We travelled for years, but never found a planet that could sustain us. Until we reached Earth. You have a beautiful planet, and we lived here peacefully for years, searching for others of our kind. But the Suryti found us, and found us once again."
"But why? Why do they keep trying to kill you?"
"It didn't start that way. The Suryti's planet began to self-combust. It's just the nature of their being: they are consumers. Of everything. And after a while, they consumed so much, they consumed everything they needed to survive. They were our closest neighbors, so they came to our planet and began to consume it—and us! A war ensued, and many lives were lost. But we are a gentle people, and were no match for the Suryti. They destroyed us easily.
"We thought they'd leave us alone once we got here, but their appetite for our light only grew. They craved it. We are able to stay hidden in places with much light—like your New Mexico here. But Zaket was a hunter, and he found us."
As Abhaya answered, an amazing thing happened. She began to grow—both up and out. It was like watching a time-lapsed home movie of someone through the years. But it wasn't only that. With each word she spoke, her abdomen grew.
And grew.
And grew.
By the time she finished, a young, very pregnant woman stood before us. My jaw dropped to the floor and Abhaya grinned shyly, rubbing her swollen belly.
"Thank you for keeping the heir safe. His Highness will be here soon, and we will have a leader once again."
"As a baby."
Abhaya chuckled. "Yes and no. Our race can save and transfer memories, and those of his parents have been stored away. He'll be a sage ruler, I assure you that. I cannot thank you enough."
I glanced at Tate, who, like me, was at a loss for words. "Um, what will you do now?"
"Zaket did not work alone. Others will follow, so it is time for me to move on until we can find a way back to our true home so the heir can rule. Perhaps Florida." She pushed her now full body up and out of the chair. "I hear it is known as 'The Sunshine State.'"
Abhaya made her way to the front door, Tate and I in tow. Just an hour ago she looked to be barely in elementary school, and now she looked older than us—and she was pregnant! If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I never would have believed it.
We hugged Abhaya goodbye, wishing her luck on her journey. I knew it would probably be the last time we ever saw her again.
"I wish you much happiness, my friends, and much light. But, judging from the light that emanates around you two, I don't think you'll need any luck." She winked, before waddling down the stairs and down the street.
"What do you think she meant by that?" Tate asked me.
I shrugged. "No idea. She said something very similar before as well. I think she meant…" I bit my lip to keep the embarrassing words from escaping. Tate might have befriended me, but that didn't mean he wanted anything more.
"She meant what, Kris?" He stepped closer, until his warm, soft lips were mere inches away from my own.
I gulped, and pulled up my big girl panties. I couldn't look back and regret staying silent in this moment. "I think she meant we should be together—romantically."
Tate moved even closer as my eyes slid shut. "That's the best idea I've ever heard."
His lips closed in on mine, causing me to moan. I wrapped my hands around him, gripping his hair to bring him closer still. His kiss started soft, exploring and tasting, before turning heated and passionate. I couldn't get enough of him—his smell, his taste, his touch.
He pulled my bottom lip into his mouth, biting down gently. The bite of pain sent a wave of pleasure straight through me. My tongue swept into his mouth, tangling with his own. We stayed lost in the pleasure of each other, not even caring that I was growing lightheaded from not pausing to take a breath.
Tate's lips left mine, traveling down my cheek and along my jaw. "God, Krissy, I've wanted to kiss you for so long."
"You have?" I breathed, barely able to concentrate on his words as he nibbled his way to my ear, sucking on the lobe. I wanted those lips everywhere, and never wanted this to end.
"For as long as I can remember. It's always been you, Krissy. Always. I just always managed to screw it up, and never knew how to make it right."
I pulled back, needing the distance to focus. Though, staring into his lust-filled eyes only made me want to resume kissing. "I thought you hated me? You did so many mean things…"
Tate placed his hands on either side of my face so I looked him in the eye. "I could never hate you. I'm just an idiot. I was a stupid punk kid who never knew how to make you see how much I loved you. The hair pulling? I just wanted your attention—your eyes on me. The drawing? I drew it so I could always see your beautiful face. It was that asshole Joey Fishborne who drew nasty things on top of it. He stole it out of my backpack and passed it around. And Prissy Krissy? Joey was going around telling everyone you were a lesbian because you wouldn't put out. I told him you had better taste than to be with a jerk like him, so he said if you weren't a lesbian, you must be a priss. He s
tarted the nickname. I kicked the crap out of him after gym class for that, but by then the damage was done. The whole school had heard it and it stuck. I'm so sorry, Krissy. I never wanted to hurt you. Never."
I blinked, replaying every incident from my childhood with Tate in my head, but my mind kept focusing on one thing. "Love? You loved me?"
"No, Krissy. I love you. As in, present tense. I always have."
I didn't need any more words, any more apologies. I went to him, kissing him feverishly. My hands roamed over his broad shoulders and strong, defined arms. He picked me up, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He led us into the house and onto the couch, setting me down like I was delicate china.
"Are you sure I'm not dreaming? Aliens? Being chased and almost dying? And now this? You? Here with me? I must be dreaming."
Tate wrapped a strand of my hair around his fingers, pulling gently like he used to as a kid. "No, Krissy, this is just a dream come true. A long, overdue dream come true. We've heard the rumors about aliens our entire lives living so close to Roswell, and I never believed it. I always thought it was a pain in the ass with all the damn tourists and crazy lunatics who came here for them. But I swear, I've never been so happy to have found evidence that other life forms exist, because they brought me closer to you. And my life? It's complete now that you're here."
"I couldn't agree more."
From that moment on, every time I saw a falling star in the sky, I'd think of Anusha and Abhaya. And thank them. Tate and I may have saved their future, but they saved ours in return. And I couldn't be happier.
The Ascendant
By Raine Thomas
For information on other titles
Visit the author's website: http://rainethomas.com
The Ascendant
Jason Ringsted was a colossal butt-munch.
That thought pounded through Kyra's head in time with the blades whipping across her windshield. Her knuckles whitened as she gripped the steering wheel and struggled to focus on the road. It was a toss-up whether her inability to see clearly was due to the monsoon currently drenching the township or the hot tears pouring from her eyes.
Take Me To Your Reader: An Otherworld Anthology Page 21
