by Elana Brooks
From what she could see, her astral form looked like her physical body, but it felt so different. Light and nimble and vibrant. She’d been able to change the way her tether looked; maybe with concentration she could change the appearance of the rest.
“There’s nothing wrong with your body.” Adrian’s words were earnest, but she saw how his eyes slid away from her flabby belly and thick limbs. “You need it.”
“No, I don’t.” She looked up, evaluating the distance. “I’m never going back.”
“You have to. You need to eat and drink, which you can only do when soul and body are united. When your soul is traveling, it’s like your body is in a coma. It can’t survive that way forever.”
“I don’t care!” Beverly flexed her knees and launched herself into the air with all the strength she could muster. She shot toward the ceiling. Catching one of the network of metal joists that honeycombed the space below the roof, she swung as deftly as an acrobat to perch on it.
Adrian was pursuing her, zooming up with an intent expression. She couldn’t let him catch her, but his greater experience with this non-corporeal state would give him a big advantage. How could she escape? She’d die if she was forced to exist in that prison of a body again, now that she’d tasted freedom.
If she was nothing but spirit now, why were things of the physical world solid to her touch? Maybe they didn’t have to be. She glared at one of the joists and swept her hand toward it. It passed through without even a trace of resistance.
With a shout of exultation, Beverly hurled herself at the ceiling. She burst through into the afternoon sunlight.
Higher and higher she soared, her astral form responsive to her every wish. The sky stretched above her, brilliant blue, dotted with huge, fluffy cumulous clouds. Laughing, she tipped her head back to drink it all in and flew toward the infinite heights.
Cursing, Adrian shot through the roof of the convention center and chased Beverly into the sky. Damn the woman! And damn him for his carelessness. If Earth’s best hope of salvation was lost because he’d bungled her initiation…
The faint thread of her tether led him up through layers of atmosphere. God, she was strong. To go so far, so easily, with no training at all—he couldn’t imagine what she might become with all the resources of the Covenant devoted to developing her potential.
What would he do if she outstripped his range? He was comfortable as far as the moon’s orbit, and he’d been to Venus and Mars under Rabbi Sensei’s guidance, but to her native power such boundaries might mean nothing. How long would it take to fetch the leaders of the Covenant to help him? Damn it, he should have already called in Rabbi Sensei.
He reached out to send a telepathic message, but before he made contact he spotted her, hovering where the shining Earth below bent into a visible curve and space blackened overhead, revealing the stars. He abandoned the effort and glided to a stop beside her.
Her face was rapturous as she gazed back and forth between the Earth and the stars. He kept his voice soft. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Oh, yes.” She pinwheeled, stretching her astral arms and legs wide as if she wanted to embrace the whole universe. “It’s amazing.”
How much should he tell her? He didn’t want to overwhelm her—she’d coped with enough mind-bending revelations already today—but if he didn’t make her understand at least the basics, he’d never win her cooperation.
“We protect this,” he said, waving to encompass the whole planet. “HBQ, the organization I work for. That’s our mission. We were created to protect Earth from its enemies.”
She drifted around to face him. “Enemies?”
“Yeah. Aliens. They tried to conquer Earth once, millennia ago, and we know they’re coming back, very soon now. That’s why we’re seeking people with psychic gifts. People like you. We need you, Beverly, desperately. What you’re doing now—it shows you have the ability to do even more. We need your gifts to fight the aliens, to protect the people of Earth.”
She stared at him, lips slightly parted, a faint vertical line creasing her forehead.
Abruptly she shook her head. “This is just a dream. A lovely dream, but I guess I’m going to have to wake up soon.” She turned to look wistfully out at the stars. “Supposedly if you die in a dream you die for real; have you heard that? If I just keep flying on and on, until this” —she gestured to the slender thread at her chest— “fades away, do you think I would keep dreaming forever?”
He clenched his fists. “You’re talking about suicide.”
She shrugged. “Haven’t you ever thought about it? I almost tried, once. But I hated the thought of the mess, the ugliness. Guns are awful, of course. Even drugs can make you puke or shit yourself. And there would be pain, at least for a moment. But this… this is so beautiful… so peaceful…”
God, her tether was thinning out before his eyes. If she truly surrendered her will to live, would it vanish? Her eyes were so bleak and empty.
“I can’t let you do that.” Despite his best efforts to keep it gentle, his voice roughened. “You’re too important.”
Anger flashed. “How are you going to stop me?”
“I don’t know. But I have to try.”
For a long moment she glared at him. He stared back, willing her to capitulate. His fingernails dug into his palms.
She turned away with a bleak snort. “Aliens. Astral projection. Flying into space. None of this is real. Nothing I do matters.” She pointed at him. “And you’re nothing but my imagination.” Her voice trembled. “I hoped we might—” Her hand went to her heart and trailed over her breast. She turned away. “But I guess not even in a dream—”
Maybe he could reach her that way. She was nothing like the type of woman he’d normally be attracted to, but his heart went out to the pain so obvious in her face and voice. And her astral form was so luminous, her reaction to her liberation so uninhibitedly joyous.
He reached for her hands, his voice going huskier than he’d expected. “Is that what you want?”
She stared at him, trembling. Her hands tightened on his, and her tongue came out to lick her lips. “Yes.”
“Come with me then. Back to our bodies.” To his surprise, his heart was beating hard, his senses vibrating.
She drifted slowly toward him. But before their lips could touch, she turned away. Her hands lost solidity and slipped through his. “You’re just trying to trap me.”
“Beverly, please!” He grabbed for her, but his hands passed through her like vapor.
“No! I won’t go back! I don’t care!” She turned and fled, toward the sun that blazed yellow in the black sky.
Her tether snapped. Adrian lunged to seize the falling end, but it crumbled to nothing in his grasp.
Chapter 2
Three minutes, more or less. That’s all she had. After three minutes without oxygen, her brain would suffer damage. After a few more, it would cease to function. Her soul would fade away, to heaven or hell or simply oblivion, Adrian didn’t know.
He couldn’t touch her if she didn’t let him. As he flung himself after her and tried to seize her, she remained insubstantial. There was no way for him to drag her back to her body so it would breathe again.
Unless—
Adrian’s heart stuttered and blood roared in his ears. There was one thing he could try.
He didn’t even know if it was possible between two people with no prior connection. They were practically strangers. If he attempted it and failed, the recoil could kill them both.
And even if he succeeded, it would be a horrible violation, a violent assault, a crime against the sacred principles that governed the realm of the spirit. She would suffer.
But it could save her life. And by saving her, save Earth.
What choice did he have?
With a reckless burst of speed, he outdistanced her and spun to face her. Her startled eyes met his for an instant. It was all he needed. From his inmost depths he sent a wave of energ
y along their linked gaze. It invaded her being. Ruthlessly he slammed their souls together and forced them to bond.
She screamed. Pain exploded through him as well, but he ignored it. He could touch her now, and she couldn’t stop him. He wrapped his arms around her body and plummeted Earthward, dragging her with him.
She writhed and kicked and beat at him with her fists and bit him. She could force her touch on him now just as he could on her. But no matter how hard she fought, he refused to loosen his grasp. Even when her knee slammed into his crotch and his astral form experienced the same agony his physical body would have, he managed to hold on.
He couldn’t lose her. The future of humanity depended on it.
The city spread beneath them. He followed his tether back to the convention center and plunged through the roof. Where was Beverly’s body?
There. Perfectly still, no rise and fall of breath, face deathly pale.
In his arms, Beverly’s struggles weakened. She grew unreal to his touch. Even his soul’s link to hers wouldn’t be enough to maintain the contact when she slipped from existence.
“No!” There had to be time. He slammed them both onto her body. She whimpered and strained to resist, but he stretched out full length on top of her and used all his strength to press her down. Inch by inch he forced her astral form to overlap the space her physical body occupied.
She gasped as her selves rejoined and her heart jerked back to life. Her limbs twitched and tears seeped from under her closed eyelids.
“Shh, shh. It’s okay.” He brushed the dampness away while he sent his mind into hers, nudging her still deeply tranced brain into the patterns of sleep. It would only last a few minutes, but that would be enough. He hovered over her, tucking an occasional stray hand or foot back into place, until she stilled and her two halves locked into complete unity once more.
He carefully withdrew. All around them, bodies lay relaxed and oblivious.
The clock on the wall showed it was only a few minutes past the time he would normally have ended the meditation session. He dropped into his body, enduring the usual moment of disorientation. As soon as he was sure he was fully integrated, he cracked his eyes and cleared his throat.
His voice sounded rusty, but no more so than usual. “Gently wiggle your fingers and toes. When you feel ready, roll onto your right side…”
The instructor’s words penetrated the fog of sleep, and Beverly roused. Her breath quickened. No, please, not trapped back in her body again—
She swallowed as reality reasserted itself. God, that had been a vivid dream. So lovely at first, and then such a freaking nightmare at the end.
She rolled to her side and struggled to cope with all the long-buried emotions the dream had unearthed.
She wasn’t suicidal any more. It had been a long time since that call to the hotline. The shrink had said she’d be okay.
Sex was the last thing she wanted. She’d been there plenty, and it had never made her happy. That instructor might be yummy eye candy, but he was so not her type.
Her body wasn’t pretty, but it was hers. Even if it were possible to leave it behind forever, she wouldn’t.
Would she?
It didn’t matter. It had just been a dream. Intense and detailed as the memories were, they felt reassuringly surreal. If she were still doing therapy, her shrink would have a field day trying to figure out what it all meant, but Beverly was sure it was nothing more than her subconscious having a little fun at her expense.
Aliens! How ridiculous could you get?
She heaved herself up, folded her legs awkwardly to sit cross-legged, and listened to the instructor’s closing spiel. “Thank you for coming today. I hope each of you has gained a better understanding of your inner potential.” He pressed his hands together in front of his chest. “Namaste.”
Around her people echoed his gesture and salutation, but Beverly was too distracted looking at his hands folded over his heart. Right there the shining cord had sprung from his glowing, transparent form…
She shook her head and climbed to her feet along with everyone else. Thank goodness it was over. She could go home and forget about her ridiculous impulse to experiment with alternative crap. Her normal life might be boring, but at least it didn’t give her trippy hallucinations.
The instructor was by the door, chatting with people as they filed out, accepting their compliments and answering questions. Odd that he’d never pushed whatever moneymaking scheme this was really about. Probably further classes, overpriced books and DVD’s, phone consultations with pseudo-psychic advisors, stuff like that. It must come later. They had her e-mail and phone number and address. Probably she’d be getting spam and junk mail and robocalls for years because of this.
She carefully avoided looking at him as she shuffled along with the crowd funneling out the door.
As soon as he shepherded the last participant out, Adrian strode to the table where his assistants handled the paperwork. The two women weren’t Covenant members, just non-psychic employees of HBQ. Publicly HBQ operated as combination long-term investment firm and charitable trust promoting spiritual development. Only a small percentage of its employees were privy to all the Covenant’s secrets.
He remembered to give Joyce the other woman’s mat number, as was standard procedure. Concealing his agitation, he turned to Anne. “And I’m going to need the whole file for the woman on Mat 42. Her name is Beverly, I think?”
Anne pecked at her laptop. “That’s right. Beverly Jones. I’ll send you everything we’ve got on her. Do you want me to schedule her for follow-up along with the other one?”
“No.” He quailed at the thought of the usual impersonal phone call from the recruiting department. Beverly would require a far more delicate approach if they hoped to bring her in. “I’ll handle this one myself.”
Anne blinked, then shrugged. She hit a key. “There. Her info should be in your inbox.”
“Thanks.” Adrian snagged his laptop from under the table. He itched for papers in his hands, though usually he approved of HBQ’s environmentally friendly policies. The few minutes he would have to wait before he could delve into Beverly’s file stretched impossibly long.
“Enjoy your break. See you at six.” He waved as he headed out the door. He had an hour free to evaluate the situation and consult with his boss. If Rabbi Sensei told him to blow off the evening sessions and go after Beverly, Anne and Joyce could handle turning away the disgruntled attendees.
Thank goodness his hotel was right across the street from the convention center. He grabbed a sandwich at the snack bar on his way up to his room and devoured it absently as he fired up his laptop and pulled up Beverly’s information.
Twenty-eight—a year older than him. But she’d only graduated from college last year. A bachelor’s degree in accounting. Employed with a company Adrian had never heard of—he looked it up and discovered it was a medium-sized holding company that managed several local fast food chains. Single. No kids. A number after her street address, so she lived in an apartment. When he mapped it, the street view showed a shabby-looking complex in an older part of town.
They couldn’t get very detailed on the web form, but Beverly’s responses to even the limited questions they asked were stubbornly unrevealing. Q: Why do you wish to attend our introductory workshop? A: To learn yoga. Q: What do you hope to gain from your experience? A: Exercise. Q: Tell us about anything you’ve experienced that has made you curious about the hidden potential of your mind. A: Nothing. Q: What else could HBQ offer to further help you develop your mind and body? A: More exercise classes.
Adrian had to smile. She had a tough shell, that was for sure. Prickly as a hedgehog. How many people glimpsed the wonder and vulnerability she’d revealed when she thought herself in a safely private dream? Very few, he’d wager. Maybe only her family.
Huh. Even though the fields for mother, father, and siblings were required, she’d filled in only N/A. Too bad; psychic gifts were at lea
st partially genetic, though they didn’t follow typical inheritance patterns and HBQ’s research scientists hadn’t completely puzzled out the mechanism. They’d have to get information about her relatives from her in person. Even if her parents were deceased and she was an only child, she’d have cousins somewhere if they looked far enough back in her family tree.
That was all. Adrian stared at her telephone number. He couldn’t possibly call her—this went way beyond his league. Obviously he needed to report to Rabbi Sensei right away and turn over the whole situation to his mentor’s wise, experienced leadership. But for some reason he was reluctant. He felt possessive, as if discovering Beverly’s existence gave him some sort of right to be involved in bringing her into the Covenant.
That was ridiculous, of course. He was only a minor player in the ranks of HBQ, his gifts well below the strength necessary to qualify him for the higher levels. He was ambitious, but he knew his limits—he hoped to be a lieutenant in the coming war, but he’d never make general. While Beverly was surely destined to earn a place in the inner circle once she was fully trained. She’d probably become one of the Eight someday.
If any of them survived that long.
He grabbed his phone and hit Rabbi Sensei’s contact. While he waited for his mentor to answer, he tried to compose some sort of coherent summary of what had happened. If he could calmly convey the situation, Rabbi Sensei would tell him what to do.
God, he’d bound his soul to hers. That was irreversible. Only death could break a soul bond. That’s why they were normally entered into only after long and serious contemplation, by two people who loved each other deeply and trusted each other implicitly. Even members of the Eight didn’t always choose to soul bond with their spouses, even though two people’s gifts joined that way became far more powerful than either individual’s alone.
If Beverly had bonded to someone close to her level, they could have become something truly spectacular. But now she was stuck linked to his mediocre talents. What if he’d doomed them all by his impetuous action?
