by Abel, Regine
“Of course,” Thanh said.
Raven didn’t have to ask Kazumi. A simple glance from him sufficed for her to nod her assent. Jealousy and a sense of injustice tore through me as he held both of her hands in his and connected his mind to hers. He emerged moments later and exchanged a glance with Legion who had also disconnected from Thanh. They both shook their heads and frowned. My heart sank at the thought they hadn’t found anything; that this hadn’t been the breakthrough we’d hoped it might be. But that only Asians saw the spirits had to mean something.
“Both of you, look at Wrath,” Raven said, “and try to connect with his soul.”
Over the next ten minutes, they tried any number of things, from pushing their psychic power at Wrath, to Ayana trying to portal him to them: nothing happened. By then, Wrath was in increasing pain, his soul in the early stages of unravel. Finally taking pity on him, Raven asked Nathalie to disable the force field around Wrath’s Shell. They repeated the same exercise with three more Warriors, still with the same disappointing results.
The bodies were piling up on the rebirth tables. While the men quickly got back on their feet once back inside their Shells, the women were out for the count because of the inhibitor drug. It angered me that we couldn’t figure it out. When they had discovered Ayana’s spark, it hadn’t taken much time to at least get some sense of progress even if they hadn’t yet been able to figure out its purpose. But as she’d pushed power into her spark, her portal had steadily grown.
So, where the fuck was our spark?
I tried to silence my frustration as Chaos lay down on an empty table and Ayana portaled him into Tabitha’s vessel. Staring at Thanh and Kazumi floundering made my chest ache. Asian culture strongly promoted excellence in all things. The three of us were utterly failing—publicly. Their frustration and embarrassment echoed mine.
But at least they are trying to do something while you’re just wallowing in self-pity.
I stiffened at the sudden realization. Another wave of shame washed over me. Where was the strong, over-achiever, go-getter I’d always prided myself in being? Straightening my back, I lifted my chin and stared at Chaos before pushing psychic energy towards his soul.
Nothing happened.
I pushed some more, steadily increasing the amount of energy to the point I started feeling dizzy, and yet, still nothing. Not surprising really, considering the other two women had been doing the same without success. We were like defective robots banging repeatedly into the same wall rather than circling around the obstacle. But how? What the heck could it be?
I stopped pushing energy at him, having concluded it was pointless. Instead, I began examining every inch of his ethereal form. Nothing stood out to me, except that he was starting to fade. He wouldn’t last much longer before he needed to return to his Shell.
A sudden hunch told me to draw him in rather than pushing myself at him. After all, Soulcatchers drew their Warrior’s soul into themselves, sheltering him inside the vessel within their psychic void. Portals also drew the Warriors into their vortex before sending them on their way. I wasn’t ready to have anyone inside my head—not like they’d have anywhere to go—but I could draw in his psychic energy, let my extra-sensory perception become infused with him.
Within seconds, Chaos’s ethereal form became brighter, and a strange tingle spread in the back of my psychic mind. I drew more of him to me and, at first, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, and then a constellation of stars began swirling around him.
“Oh God!” I breathed. “Raven, I see them!”
“What?” he asked, rushing to my side. “What do you see?”
“Stars! Sparks… Dozens of them, all around him.”
“I don’t see them,” Kazumi said. “What did you do?” she asked, with excited curiosity.
“I don’t see them either,” Thanh echoed.
“Can you interact with them? Push your power into them?” Legion asked, also coming to my side.
I was terrified to do anything that might make them disappear. But time was running out. Even through the glow, I could see Chaos faltering fast.
“I… I will try.”
Throwing caution to the wind, I pushed my psychic energy at the brightest star. Startled shouts erupted around the room as a glowing dome appeared before Wrath for half a second before fizzling out.
“Fuck me!” Raven exclaimed, in a whispered tone. “Again! Do that again! Push your power in a sustained fashion.”
I didn’t know if I could. My head felt caught in a vise, and an unpleasant throbbing sensation behind my eyes announced an impending monster migraine. I hadn’t used my psychic abilities in far too long.
Sucking it up, I complied, pushing a lesser, but steady stream of power at the biggest spark. The tingling sensation in my psychic mind turned into the prickly feeling of a thousand needles. I gritted my teeth through the pain as glowing bursts of light flashed all around Chaos, as if striking an invisible dome. They expanded, starting to touch until they formed a complete bubble around him. Chaos’s ethereal form heaved a sigh and straightened, appearing to no longer feel the pain of unraveling.
A warm liquid trickled from my nose and from my ears. My vision blurred, and my knees buckled. Raven calling out my name with fear in his voice was the last thing I heard before his arms closed around me, and darkness sucked me in.
Chapter 4
Raven
“Shields,” I said, pacing Legion’s office. “The Asians are freaking Shields! No wonder we couldn’t figure out what their power was.”
My mind still reeled from the momentous discovery. I wanted to shout my elation from the rooftops. Telling Kazumi and Thanh, as well as all the Soulcatchers and Warriors that had witnessed the experiment, to keep mum for now had been as hard for me as it had been for them to agree. The two high-ranking Operators had been unable to repeat what Liena had done. Until we could successfully reproduce it and demonstrate, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that all Asian psychics could perform it, we couldn’t spread the word. The devastation it would bring should it prove inaccurate would be too great.
“Indeed,” Legion nodded. “What were the odds of having an Asian psychic in the presence of a disembodied Warrior? But how did she do it?”
“That’s the main question,” Chaos said. “My worry is that she’s one of the only two Asians ranked as level five psychic during the last census. Kazumi and Thanh didn’t see the ‘stars’ she saw.”
“Ayana is the only known Black level five psychic,” Legion argued. “Yet, every level four Black and brown-skinned psychics turned out to be Portals like her.”
“Yes, but all of them had a spark in their psychic voids that could be trained,” Chaos countered. “You both confirmed finding nothing in the two women’s minds.”
“Let’s not borrow trouble,” I said. “Both Kazumi and Thanh also saw the souls. That Liena saw the ‘stars’ but not them may indeed be because she’s level five, but that could simply be because she’s naturally more powerful and thus requires less effort to see it. Once she tells us how she pulled it off, we might figure out how to train the others to do it as well.”
“How many Asians do we have in the Vanguard?” Legion asked.
“Thirty-two, including Kazumi and Thanh, but not counting Liena,” Chaos said. “But we have thousands of rank threes and a few hundred rank fours in the Coalition HQ and outposts.”
“Thirty-two? That’s great!” Legion said with a grin.
“Don’t get too excited,” I cautioned. “Those Operators never go to the front. In most cases, their combat and weaponry skills are basic.”
“That needs to change,” Legion said, sobering. Standing from his usual leaning position against the edge of his desk, he circled around it to sit in front of his computer. “Regardless of what this power turns out to be, from now on, unless physical restrictions prevent them from it, every female psychic will complete the advanced combat training, and maintain their skills, even the
non-combatants.”
Chaos nodded in agreement. “The same should apply to all psychics, even those stationed with the Coalition and the outposts.”
“Agreed,” I said.
“Sending the order now,” Legion said, his fingers flying over his holographic keyboard. “How long before Liena awakens?” he asked, glancing up at me.
“An hour or so,” I said. “She bruised her brain pretty badly, pushing herself too hard after her psychic muscles had remained unused for years. I could beat the crap out of myself for being so negligent,” I said with anger. “I should have realized that might be the case and protected her instead.”
“None of us thought about it,” Legion said, sympathetically. “Do you think you can help her?”
“Yes, if she’s willing. If the bastard who broke her hadn’t already died, I’d track him down,” I said in a growl.
I still didn’t know the details of what had happened except for the general message passed around and the strictly controlled information given in the news at the time of the incident, since she’d still been a minor.
“Raven,” Legion said, a serious look on his face, “I do not need to tell you how important this could be for us. Your father will be here in a few days before he leaves again on that mission. Feryleze will not be ready in time. Those Shields might give him the edge he needs.”
“Liena is no fighter and will never be ready in time for that either,” I said, my protective instincts flaring up at the thought of putting my soulmate in harm’s way. And yet, the need of keeping my father safe also tore at me.
“Not her,” Legion confirmed with a soft voice, “especially not with her psychic trauma. But the other women. Find out how she did it and focus your training efforts on the Asian Operators with combat skills.”
I nodded. “Time for me to go. I want to be by Liena’s side when she awakens,” I said, heading towards the door.
“Is she the one?” Legion asked, as my hand reached for the door.
Looking at him over my shoulder, I held his gaze unflinchingly. “Yes.”
A slow, affectionate, big brother smile stretched his lips. “I’m happy for you, kiddo.”
His underlying meaning didn’t escape me. Although he’d never rubbed it in my face, Legion had known I’d ached over his mate.
“I’m not a kid, old-timer,” I mumbled, barely avoiding making a face at him.
Chaos snorted and Legion’s smile broadened, taking on a teasing edge. He knew exactly what had crossed my mind, having watched me grow up since my toddler days when I followed him around like a puppy. In all the ways that mattered, Legion was my big brother, even though he technically was old enough to be my father.
“Laters,” I said, walking out.
I hurried to my mother’s medical clinic located inside the Training Center, one bubble transport stop away. The large, off-white building shaped like a seashell was where the Aspirants—the new women whose psychic tests had qualified for a chance at joining the Vanguard—would train to earn the coveted black uniform dress and Gomenzi Dragon insignia, each colored according to the unit they would join.
This was also where my mother operated the main medical clinic of Khepri’s City Center, although two smaller ones could be found in the Aspirants Residence and the Vanguard HQ buildings.
I nodded at my many pupils on my way to the clinic. The majority of the women agreed that this was the most unusual medical clinic they had ever set foot in. While they found the gleaming white floors, walls, and furniture to be standard, the colorful cubic paintings and art pieces confused them. I grew up with similar types of decoration in our home. Since my mother had always loved colors, this all felt normal to me. Even the white furniture of the clinic didn’t escape my mother’s touch with abstract patterns adorning them, be it the edge of the desk’s top, the arms of the chairs, or the base of the examination tables. Personally, it struck me as a smart choice. After all, sick patients didn’t need to also be trapped in a bleak environment.
I made a beeline for the ward, empty but for Liena who lay peacefully on one of the beds. Her pale skin looked almost luminescent against the pristine blanket covering her. And that aura… That mesmerizing aura dancing around her had me utterly entranced.
I absent-mindedly nodded at Mindy, the nurse currently on duty. She returned the nod before turning back to whatever required her attention on the monitor of her computer. Pulling a chair next to Liena’s bed, I took her hand in mine and patiently waited for her to awaken. I could stare for hours at her beautiful face with its perfectly shaped eyebrows, enticingly mysterious, elongated eyes, delicate nose, and sensuous mouth. That plump, bottom lip begged me to bite, nibble, and suck on it.
And I would… soon.
Sonia, my infuriating Soulcatcher, had been accurate when she’d spilled all of my secrets in front of Liena. She occupied my every thought. With all that Feryleze testing, I’d been bouncing in and out of Sonia’s psychic vessel during my turn as the Guinea pig. In the short time she held my soul, my Soulcatcher could get glimpses of my thoughts and emotions. Besides the embarrassment I felt at having my feelings thus exposed, it had to be awkward for her to get flashes of me drooling over another woman. I certainly didn’t enjoy the flashes of images of her fantasies with that Tegorian. Sonia and I may not be blood-relatives, but she was a little sister to me. No brother wanted to see images of his sister going at it.
While I waited for Liena to wake, I telepathically contacted the Asian Operators on Khepri to start organizing individual and group meetings to assess their combat readiness, and establish their new training schedules. Halfway through a conversation with Shan, Liena stirred.
“I have to go. I’ll contact you again later to finalize everything,” I mind-spoke to Shan, eager to end the conversation.
“No problem. Talk to you later,” Shan replied.
I broke our mental link and leaned over Liena, one hand still holding hers, the other caressing her forehead. My woman’s eyelids fluttered, and her fingers tightened around mine.
“Raven,” she whispered, sounding a little groggy.
“Hello, Sleeping Beauty,” I said, softly. “Welcome back to the world.”
She smiled, the milky white of her cheeks taking on a slight reddish tinge while magenta beams shot out of her aura. I barely repressed a satisfied purr.
“How is your head?” I asked with a bit of concern.
Mother had confirmed everything looked fine, but until one of us checked Liena’s psychic mind, I wouldn’t feel fully reassured.
“Okay, I guess,” she said, her obsidian eyes still locked with mine. “A little foggy—no doubt as someone would who’d slept a hundred years.”
I smiled, my thumb caressing her forehead. “You scared fifty years out of me.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, looking contrite. “I didn’t mean to.”
“Don’t be. I’m the one who owes you an apology,” I said, squeezing her hand. “I pushed you too hard. You could have been severely hurt. If something had happened to—”
Liena pressed her fingers to my lips, interrupting me.
“Don’t be silly. It wouldn’t have been your fault. I chose to push through, and we may have made history together today,” she said.
I kissed her fingers still touching my lips. She gasped, and her eyes widened. I remained still, but for my thumb still caressing her forehead in a slow movement. Liena hesitated for a moment, then her face took on a resolute expression. The tips of her fingers brushed over my mouth, tracing its contour before straying to my cheeks. I closed my eyes for a few seconds, reveling in the silky softness of her touch as she explored my features.
Her fingers drew the scales on my cheeks, over my eyebrows, and along my forehead. I reopened my eyes to find her staring at me with such wonder and awe, my hearts began pounding in my chest. An emotion I couldn’t quite define washed over me: a mix of joy, hope, and affection. For all the fantasizing I had done over Liena, in this instance, a
ll I felt was a powerful wave of tenderness and the burning need to protect her.
The clip-clop of my Mother’s heels approaching snapped us out of our trance. Liena quickly pulled her hand away from my face, her pale skin blushing again.
“Well, well, look who’s back among the living!” Mother said, stopping on the other side of Liena’s bed. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m doing okay. My head is a little heavy, and I’m feeling a bit drained, but otherwise good.”
Mother nodded and ran a handheld scanner over Liena’s head. “Any nausea? Headache? Blurred vision? Trouble hearing? Speaking?”
Liena kept responding in the negative, which also made me feel quite relieved.
Once done, Mother brought the scanner closer to her own face to read the result. That was when she noticed my hand still holding Liena’s. My mother did a double-take, then her gaze flicked towards me, her lips parting in shock. I held her stare, unflinchingly. Realizing what was happening, Liena tried to pull her hand out of my grasp, but I tightened my hold.
“How is she looking?” I asked nonchalantly, pointing at the scanner with my chin.
That seemed to snap my mother out of her shock. Slapping a neutral expression on her face, she glanced at the screen again.
“Everything looks good, but your psychic muscles were way too rusty for such an effort. You need to do some psychic stretching for a bit before trying any of that again,” Mother said to Liena in a stern voice.
“We need to check her psychic void for any ruptures,” Mother mind-spoke to me.
“Agreed. Leave it to me. I will convince her.”
“Yes, Victoria. I didn’t realize disuse could cause that,” Liena said in an apologetic tone.
“So… You and Liena?”
“Don’t pry, Mother.”
“She’s my employee, and Dr. Xi’s great-granddaughter. She’s not for play.”
“No. She’s mine to claim.”
