Chapter 8

Ethereal Threats

The smell of pine oil soap filled the air as Joshua Lam and Heather Stevens raced across the wooden floor of the dojo pushing their polishing rags in front of them. Master Shin was a stickler for cleanliness, so the two top students were stuck with cleaning duty after the other students had left.

Josh lived at the dojo, so he always had cleaning duty, but some days, like today, Heather hung around to help him clean up after some extra sparring.

“I don’t understand you, Heather. You spend most of your time studying books and the rest of your time trying to kick my butt. What makes you so driven?”

“Working out with you helps me forget my problems, and I want to be at my best. I know I’ll never be a Chi Master like you or Master Shin, but I want to be in the best form I can be.”

“Yeah, I used to train hard for the tournaments before Master Shin took me in as his assistant.”

“You used to cheat at those tournaments.”

Josh blushed. “Yeah, a few times. Master Shin broke me of that habit when he took me in. He taught me to focus my Chi energy in whole new ways. Now, I use my skills to beat up on students.

“So, Heather, how long do you plan to keep working out?”

“Until I’m the best I can be.” Technically, their martial art had no formal ranks, but Heather had been training for years, so she could be considered a black belt. The Eastern ways of Chi control still eluded her for the most part, but she could keep pace with Josh in the normal forms and sparring. “A really good workout helps me clear my mind.”

“I still think you work too hard.”

“You can knock people down with the slightest touch of your hand, and Master shin can leap multistory buildings while fighting demons with a wooden sword and move objects with his mind.”

“True. But you have your own brand of magick.”

“I know, but I have to think about my spells. Concentrate. Your Chi abilities are innate.”

Heather knew about four forces that ruled her world. Magick, which was now so weak it had to be kept a secret, Psi: the powers of the mind, Chi: the Eastern arts that brought the power of the body, mind, and soul together into one force, and the Overman Gene which bestowed superpowers on those lucky enough to inherit it.

Magick and Psi required both talent and training, Chi was almost the same, but the Overman gene, seed of an ancient race called Nephilium, cropped up at one’s birth and you were blessed with its powers from that day forward, and although one’s skill still grew with usage, the knowledge of how to use one’s powers came as part of the package.

Of her closest friends, only Master Shin and Josh knew she could use magick. Like Shin, she hunted demons, and she teamed up with him on occasion. Another close friend, Jeanine, was one of those people genetically blest, but she was clueless about Heather’s powers and didn’t give much credit to the mysteries of the Orient found in martial arts, so she thought of Heather as a very boring person most of the time, and never let Heather forget it.

“I wish my life was as uneventful as most people seem to think it is, but studying to me is just one more way to prepare to fight evil. I use my magick to ferret out the dark things that hide just outside the light. Then, I do my best to deal with them.”

Josh was keeping up with her in their rag pushing competition. “What’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen?”

“I don’t know. I’ve seen a lot of strange things. Maybe a dragon? Yes, I’ll have to say the weirdest thing I’ve seen was a dragon.”

“A dragon, huh? I saw a six foot long dragon in a shop when I lived in Hong Kong.”

“The one I saw was in France, and it was a little bigger than a Leer jet.”

“Wow.” Josh kept polishing the floor.

Heather paused for just an instant before catching up with him again. The floor was beginning to resume its usual luster. “I’m serious. I saw it fly right over me, and I think... I think it might have been laughing.” Heather left out the small detail that she had released the imprisoned beast along with a horde of other monsters when she had broken the seal so long ago.

Josh looked at her for all of five seconds. “I guess you are serious,” he decided, “So, where do you think it is now?”

She had asked herself the same question many times. “He’s out there somewhere, and if he’s making trouble, I’ll have to deal with him.” And, she would, but she had no idea how.

Heather and Josh rinsed out their rags and sat on the steps leading to the apartment as they let the floor dry.

Josh went upstairs for a moment and came back with two colas. He handed one to Heather. “So, what’s your second strangest tale?”

“Well, I took on a tribe of brownies that had overrun the school basement-- which was pretty strange.”

“I thought brownies were supposed to be nice fairies. Like smurfs.”

“Well, these little beggars were vicious and had sharp teeth. Always playing mean pranks on people. They glued some people to the toilet seats... Wait a minute, that reminds me of my old friend George.”

“George?”

“Yeah. George Jones. Back in middle school he wanted to be a superhero. He was convinced he had an active Overman gene factor, but that it hadn’t kicked in yet. He did some really dangerous things, stupid things, to prove what powers he had. Somehow, he managed to survive until high school. He hangs out with Jeanine now.”

“So, what did his power turn out to be? Did he even have one?”

“Yep. He can rearrange molecules which is why he probably didn’t get himself killed when he stuck a fork in the toaster to ‘turn on’ his power. Unfortunately, the first time he tired to rearrange his own molecules, he was teleporting you see, he made a minor error in scale and wound up three inches tall.”

Josh laughed at that and Heather laughed along with him.

“He keeps trying to make himself taller with each teleport, but he hasn’t learned how to control that aspect yet so he’s been small for the last year and a half. But, I’m sure he’ll get it right someday soon.”

“So, then, there really is a downside to having the Overman Gene. I thought all those guys were supposed to work perfectly.”

“George is having too much fun with his misfortune. He can sneak in almost anywhere unnoticed like the girls’ locker room at school.”

“Stop, cola is gonna come out of my nose.”

“He has to be able to see where he’s teleporting to, so they had an exterminator come in and fill in all the cracks and gaps in the walls ‘because of a rat problem.’”

A firm look of resolve passed over Joshua’s ever smiling face. “Good, he doesn’t need to be peeping at you,” he paused a bit too long, “or at anyone else, either.”

Heather gave him a slight smile as if to say, “Thanks for the thought.” “As far as I can tell he’s just being an average teenage guy.”

“Hey, I’d never do anything like that.”

“I know Josh. You are a sweetheart. I don’t consider you average.”

Josh felt his ears growing warm and decided to change the subject.

“Why...Why, do you help Master Shin fight demons? Why do you fight them at all?”

“Let’s just say my reasons are personal. But, how could I not help defeat evil things that plan to harm people when I have the power to do so.”

“Hey, I could be his sidekick, but look at me. I know I don’t want to get involved so I answer the phones here at the dojo while you and Shin go out to have your fun.”

Heather gave him a sharp look. “It’s not what I call fun. It’s a calling for me.”

Josh wanted to say he understood, but in truth he didn’t, and he knew he couldn’t. He glanced down at the floor. “I think the wood is dry by now. Give me a hand with the tatami”

They walked down the steps in silence, and together they placed the foam mats, which were piled in one corner, in an orderly fashion around the center of the workout area.

Josh mumbled a thank you to Heather, who was gathering up her things to go home.

“Yeah, I’ll see you again tomorrow night, Josh. We can spar some more and I can finish my story about the brownies.”

Josh nodded and headed back upstairs wondering about Heather, and questioning his own calling.

***

     Heather met Jeanine at the subway station.

“My style must be rubbing off on you.” Jeanine looked Heather up and down.

Heather was dressed in her faded, urban camouflage fatigues, a dirty sweat shirt, and combat boots. Most of her costume was hidden under her long, black trench coat. She often dressed like this coming back from the dojo, or when she was working. She had forgotten Jeanine had rarely seen her like this since she usually changed in the Pen Station restroom, and wore her school uniform home.

“Enjoy your sparring date tonight?” Jeanine and Heather started heading for the car.

“It’s not a date. It’s practice.”

“You see him often enough. It could be called a date.”

“Josh is sweet and all, but he’s really not my type.”

“I don’t know if I believe you. He’s pretty buff and awfully funny. He’s not my type but I figured him for the type you might go for.”

“Like I said we are just friends. I’m too busy to worry about a social life right now.”

“If you keep thinking like that then all the good guys are going to slip away.”

“I don’t mind. I’m not really into guys much.”

“Yes, you prefer your nose in a book. I want to change that. Take my guy Seth. He’s great for relieving tensions on a weekend. I can really relax around him because he doesn’t judge me.”

Heather stared out of the passenger-side window without speaking. She was lost in thought and uncomfortable about the direction the conversation was taking.

“Really. You should give Josh a chance. I can tell he likes you.”

Heather was getting exasperated, but Jeanine was too busy talking and driving to notice.

“We are friends. He’s probably my best friend, but it doesn’t go any farther than that.”

“Well, who is your type? Another book nerd?”

“I said I wasn’t into guys. Didn’t you hear me? I... I like girls. Okay with you? I think I’m into girls.” Tears had started flowing down Heather’s cheek. She had never told anyone this secret.

“Uhm, okay. It doesn’t matter to me. I always thought you were a little different. Now, I know how. It’s okay, girl. I don’t hold it against you.”

Heather sniffled, “Really?”

“Really. It’s not my thing, but I have a broad mind. I can deal with it. And, I think my point is still valid. You need to find someone special, if you can.”

“My parents would die if they found out.”

“Are you sure?”

“Pretty sure. I don’t know how dad would take it, but my mom... I think it would break her heart.”

“I figured your parents were cool with whatever you did. Maybe they could handle this.”

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t have time for a social life right now, so I don’t have to tell anyone anything. I’m not seeing anyone, so no one has to know. And, please don’t tell anyone what I told you.”

“Understood. I know we haven’t always been the best of friends, but I think you should know by now that I can be discreet when I want to be.”

“Thank you, Jeanine.” Heather’s face was trying to return to its normal color from bright red.

Suddenly, the car swerved to the right as the passenger-side back tire exploded. Jeanine struggled to keep control of the car as she brought it to a stop on the side of the road. Heather was already jumping out of the car and scanning for invisible beasts. She saw three fuzzy shadowed humanoid outlines standing behind the car. Their faces were skull-like and their hands clawed. They looked like something that was kin to the skull cats. Heather grabbed a talisman out of her back pocket and advanced on the first creature.

Jeanine was just getting out of the car. “What the hell was that?! Darn it, I just got this car back from the shop and now its rim is shot... Hey, Heather where are you going? Help me with the spare.”

Heather was too busy to listen to Jeanine. The creature kept bobbing and weaving just outside of Heather’s reach as she tried to slap the talisman on its head while avoiding its claws.

Acea had been following Heather home in her scout ship and landed one hundred feet in front of Jeanine’s car to observe the fight. The invisible girls got out of their invisible ship, and they started walking toward the fray to get a better look.

Heather backpedaled as the first two creatures tried to sink their claws into her. Their shroud-like bodies tried to envelope her. She ducked down to let the creatures’ arms pass over her then she reached up and slapped the talisman on the first one’s bony forehead. The creature disappeared with a faint popping sound.

“Heather! What are you doing?” Heather seemed to be fighting something but Jeanine couldn’t see what.

“Sorry, Jeanine! I’m just a little busy right now.

The third creature tried to get in an attack as Heather was recovering and managed to sink his claws into Heather’s forearm. Her whole arm and hand went numb at its chilling touch. Heather grabbed a talisman with her left hand and crouched down into a ball. She uncurled even quicker and landed a sweeping jump kick on the third creature’s face. The shadow staggered backward at the impact, but its friend shifted itself forward to attack her.

Frigid razors slashed across her right breast and she found it was getting hard for her to breathe. Blood ran like ice water through her veins. With a wild swing, Heather nailed the second creature on the side of its head with a talisman. It also disappeared in a pop, but now she dropped to the ground unable to move.

The last of the creatures was upon Heather when Acea pulled her automatic pistol from her holster and let loose with a barrage of mana pellets. The mana spheres glowed a bright blue when they impacted the form of the shadow. Holes started to appear in its body shroud. It let out a blood curdling scream as it disintegrated into nothing.

     Hibisicia grabbed her leader’s hand. “It’s not our place to interfere...”

“It’s not our place to let her die either.”

“You are becoming too emotionally attached to the target,” said Smilax.

“Nonsense. Because of me we still have a target. I take full responsibility for my actions. You five need not worry about it. I’ll call it in myself.”

Heather was still curled up on the ground when Jeanine ran over to her. “Heather, are you okay? What happened? What was that lightshow?”

Heather groaned and rolled over to face her friend. “I’m hurt. Hurt bad. Get me in the car and take me home.”

Jeanine scooped up Heather and carried her to the car and gently placed her in the seat. She had no idea how Heather got hurt, but she could see Heather was pale and cold and breathing heavily. She put her coat over Heather and hurried back to change the tire.

Heather still couldn’t feel or move anything on the right side of her body. She could hear Jeanine fiddling with the tools and felt the car sway as it was lifted. Heather thought she might be bleeding, but she wasn’t sure. She also wasn’t sure about the fate of the third monster. Someone else had taken it out. She’d have to think about that when she could think straight.

Jeanine finished with the tire and drove Heather straight home. Heather could feel Jeanine’s strong arms bundle her up and carry her into the house.

“Watch out. Coming through. She’s in shock I have to get her into bed.”

Mrs. Stevens was beside herself. “What happened? How’d she get hurt?”

“I haven’t a clue. There’s not a mark on her.”

Heather made a feeble attempt to explain. “I’ll be okay mom. I just need some rest.”

Jeanine carried Heather up the stairs to her bedroom and laid her on her bed.

Heather managed a weak smile. “Really, I’ll be okay now. You can leave.”

“Not while you look like hell. I’ll call a doctor.”

Heather do not let her do that. I can heal you. Get rid of her. Simon jumped onto the bed and curled up next to Heather.

Heather raised herself up with her left hand. “See. I’ll be just fine. I just got the wind knocked out of me. I’ll be fine.” She still couldn’t feel a thing on her right side. It was numb and starting to tingle.

“All I see is friend who needs....”

Simon intervened. Jeanine.

“Who’s that?” Jeanine thought she heard a voice but could not tell where it had come from.

Simon’s eyes peered deep into Jeanine’s with a look at supreme concentration on his face. Jeanine. I need you to forget about everything odd you saw tonight. I need you to go downstairs and tell Mr. and Mrs. Stevens that Heather collapsed from exhaustion during a strenuous workout and too many late nights studying. Do it for Heather. Do it now.

“Jeanine, thanks for your help. You really can go.”

“Sure. I’ll just touch base with your folks, and then, I’ll head home.”

“Okay, Simon what’s wrong with me?”

What hit you?

“There were the three shroud-like shadows with skulls for heads. I banished two of them but I got hurt in the process. The third one kind of exploded. I’m not sure why.”

They were ethereal stalkers. They do psychic damage when they touch you. I can heal it. Just lie still until morning.

***

Back at the New JerseySchool for Girls, Michele Ken could not believe her ears. “Acea, just what the hell do you think you are doing?”

“We were about to lose the target, ma’am.”

“It was your duty to observe the target not interfere!”

“She was about to die!”

“Acea. Think about it. She’s an immortal. If we let her die we can observe how the spell revives her. She bears a special kind of immortality spell. That spell is the reason we are observing her.”

“Well, nobody told me.”

Michele’s eyes glowed a fiery red and her claws came out as she embraced the girl’s light blue face. “Look you cheeky, little girl! You should have read that much in your briefing.”

“Y-yes, ma’am. I should have...”

“Acea, you are my most prized student. How old are you again?”

“E-eighteen, ma’am.”

“If you want to make Technomage by age twenty, you are going to have to keep your Acolyte standing, and to keep that you are going to have keep on your toes.

“I am putting you on report for your idiotic actions today. Don’t let it happen again. You are responsible for watching the target only. Now, go read your briefings again, and think before you act.”

Flight Soldier Felix Forte was waiting to enter Michele’s office as Acea was leaving. He glanced at the dejected looking girl as she shuffled by him. “So, I take it she’s not in a good mood,” he mumbled through his face covering. The girl ignored him.

The school secretary motioned to him. “Ms. Ken will see you now.” Forte stood up and gathered his flight helmet along with his gear bag.

“Thank you,” he muttered as he walked past her into the Head mistress’ office. Michele Ken was standing with her back to him spreading her large bat-like wings in the last glow of the evening sun that was coming through the window. She was wearing a white skirt and a white jacket hung on the coat rack. She was bare from the waist up.

“Sit down, Miles, I know your business.”

“Good then this shouldn’t take long. Commander Darius wants a complete report on your operation.” He removed his fascia from his flight suit pocket and placed it in the data port on her desk. “I prefer to stand, ma’am.”

“Go on relax a little. I am.” She folded her wings about herself and turned toward him. “I’ll even let you smoke.”

“If you say so, ma’am.” He uncovered his mouth and nose and took out a silver cigarette case. He opened it. It was filled with black papered cigarettes. He took one from the case and stuck it between his lips. With his left hand he traced the rune for fire on his gauntlet. A flame sprung from his finger tip, and he lit the cigarette with it. Blue-white smoke curled from his pursed blue lips.

Michele noted how his light brown hair contrasted against his darker skin. “You’re Bellicosian; right?”

“Mostly ma’am. My grandmother was from the Galan Empire.”

“I see. How goes their war with the Er?”

“It’s spreading through three star systems now. Bellicose Command thinks the war might be headed our way. Commander Darius wants your girls trained for the battlefield as soon as possible.”

Michele reached her hand out from under her wings and touched a button on her keyboard. A light on the data drive glowed blue. “Here is my report to Commander Darius. The girls have finished their stealth training. I’m sure they will all grow up to be fine covert operatives for our mercenary legions. Right now they are keeping tabs on the Terran mages. My report says that the Wizards Council is sitting on its hands. They are too interested in maintaining their fragile resources of mana to be much of a help or hindrance to us.”

“What about the Nephi?”

“The Seed of the Nephilium is still too unstable to be of much use to us yet. We have to protect the knowledge of them until we can get enough powerful ones to recruit. If the Galan or the Er find out about the Terrans they will undoubtedly seek to destroy this world before the Seed reaches its full potential. The other races of man are paranoid of the power that the Seed might posses and the sapient cats would go berserk at the thought of the humans gaining that much power again.”

Forte nodded. “So we won’t be able to trust our allied humans in Galan for some time.”

“That’s about the size of things. We keep the secret for now. Terra is the final resting place of all that the ancient race was. The Blue Pentagram is good at keeping secrets.”

Forte dropped his smoke in the ashtray on her desk and replaced his face covering. “I’ll deliver your report.” He took the fascia from the data drive and put it back in his flight pocket. “I’m expected back at base now.” He saluted her and backed out of the office.

Michele nodded her head and watched him go. She absorbed her wings back into her body and put her jacket back on. “It’s times like these I’m glad I’m not human,” she said to no one in particular.

Forte made his way to the landing pad before he donned his helmet. He drew some more runes on his gauntlet, and his little one man space fighter opened its cockpit. He climbed in.

The flight panel in the cockpit was just coming to life as he sat in the pilot’s seat. He ran through the flight list.

“Engines. Powered up.”

“Thrusters. Online.”

“Soul disk. Active.”

“Mana reserves. Full.”

“Gate drive. Charging.”

“Stealth field. Activated.”

The ship chimed in greeting. “I’m ready to take off anytime you are ready.” The ship’s soul disk, which was the heart of the ship and its personality, had been programmed with a female voice. Forte relaxed when he heard it. He tweaked the vertical throttle, and the ship rose slowly into the air.

He traced the homing rune on the ship’s console and a Black Portal  appeared before the nose of the ship and he flew into it.

In the wink of an eye he was coming out the other side of the gate and flying toward the Blue Pentagram space port stationed at L5, between the tidal forces of the Earth and the moon.

As he entered the landing pattern, he noticed a twin fuselage space fighter of Galan design making a rather hot series of touch and go landings on one of the landing strips. The pilot was coming close to the parking area before veering off and revving the engines to full and coming back around. Forte could not suppress a smile at these antics as he recognized the style of the pilot.

Forte chose a landing pad on the upper deck after he received clearance from control. He looked out on a row of battle cruisers stationed in the docking berths as the landing pad retracted into the station the second his skids touched down.

He shut down his ship and climbed out of the cockpit. The auto taxi slid up to his front skid and dragged his ship to the parking area. He took an elevator up to the pilot’s ready room.

He had just settled in for a smoke when a large pair of red hands grasped him by the shoulders.

“Don’t look so melancholy, Forte.” The voice was loud and raspy but full of warm greeting. The voice and the hands belonged to a tall, red skinned demon.

“Daemon Ruskle! Quit sneaking up on me like that.”

Ruskle smiled a toothy grin. “She’s here, you know.”

“Yes. I saw her fighter on the way in. She still flies like a maniac.”

“She does.” Ruskle took a look out the window at the flight deck. “She’s finished and heading this way now.”

Forte extinguished his cigarette and pulled his face covering over his nose.

“You know, Forte, those things will get you killed.”

“What? The cigarettes?”

“No, women.”

The elevator doors opened and out hopped a red-headed ball of energy wearing a light blue flight suit with black highlights on the sleeves. Her skin was white porcelain. She stood about a head shorter than Forte even in her boots. When compared to the tall demon the top of her head barely reached his chest.

“Oh, Felix!” She ran over to Forte and gave him a big hug.

“Practicing your crash landings again, Jax?” Forte returned the hug without equal vigor.

“Now, come on Felix. You can’t tell me you weren’t impressed by my little display.”

“Okay, I was impressed that no one was killed and no equipment damaged.”

“Silly man. Why do all you Bellicosian warriors wear that stupid face mask? I can’t kiss you when you wear it.”

Daemon Ruskle interjected, “It’s all part of the warrior mystique that comes from being a soldier in the Blue Pentagram legions.”

“But you don’t wear one.”

“I’m not a warrior. I’m a tactical advisor. Besides, I’m not a Bellicosian. I haven’t adopted their ways.”

“What’s a Galan girl supposed to do? Wait! I know.” She seized the edge of Forte’s face covering tugged it down to his chin. She planted a big wet kiss on his thin blue lips and put the face covering back in place. “There! That’s better.”

“I wish you wouldn’t do that to me Jax. It’s disrespectful to the uniform.” Forte felt his cheeks burning beneath the covering.

“C’mon. I know you love it. You love me.”

“Yes, I do. In some strange way, I love you.” Forte was smiling under his covering.

“That’s why he puts up with you.” Ruskle was filing his inch long claws into fine points with one hand while his other two operated the remote controls for the lounge view screens.

“So, Felix. How long are you around for this time? Do we have time to visit your quarters?”

“I have a briefing in an hour with the Commander. Then I might be off again to who knows where. That’s the lot of being a courier.”

Jax grabbed him by the arm and pulled him out of his seat. “Fine. An hour is plenty of time for what I have in mind. Let’s go.”

Forte let himself be led out of the lounge by Jax. “I’ll catch up to you later, Ruskle, if I have the time.”

“Don’t mind me. You two go have your fun. I’ll be right here.”

***

Forte’s room was rather bare. All it had for furniture was a small writing desk and a single bunk. Everything was framed from steel that had been painted a dull grey. A single light orb illuminated the room in a harsh blue light.

Jax peeled down his face covering and gave him a long kiss. This time he responded in kind. He was much more comfortable showing affection in private.

Jax sat on the bunk unzipping her flight suit. Her pale skin almost looked Bellicosian in this light. She kicked off her boots and wriggled out of the suit. Tossing away the suit, she hurriedly removed her underwear. She wadded up her undergarments and tossed them against the wall. “What do you think, dear?”she asked posing on the bunk.

Forte was hanging his uniform on a hook making sure it wasn’t wrinkled. His commander demanded he be tidy. He was an official envoy and had to look the part. He paused a moment and looked at her. Her hands were behind her head and her back was arched to accentuate the curve of her breasts. One of her knees was raised. She looked like she was in a classical painting. “I think you are the most beautiful woman in the galaxy.”

He meant it. He loved the way her long red hair cascaded over her milky shoulders. He loved the firmness of her breasts. But, most of all, he loved her mischievous smile. The smile she wore whenever she saw him.

He had stripped down to his shorts. Jax looked at his body as if it were a fine piece of meat. Forte wasn’t extremely buff, but he had the kind of lean build she liked. Forte’s sinewy muscles in his back rippled as he moved. She liked his butt too. He turned around and she admired the symmetry of his smooth chest.

The room was small enough that she could reach out and grab his hand. “Come here, you.” She pulled him on top of her.

He immediately began to kiss her face with tender kisses. She relaxed in his embrace and raised her head so he could kiss her neck. Finally, their lips met in a long and lasting kiss. She opened her mouth and let his tongue slide over her teeth. Her tongue rubbed over his with tender deliberateness. She was heating up. His kisses lit her on fire. She rubbed her hands over his sleek shoulders and pulled him closer to her.

Jax ran her hands across his supple back. She could feel his muscles move as he shifted his weight. The pressure of his body against hers drove her wild.

His hands fondled her breasts like they were ripe fruit. He stroked her pointed nipples and squeezed them. He delicately rolled her nipples between his fingers. She let out a soft moan as he played with them. His every touch thrilled her. She loved this man.

“Come on. Give me what I want, soldier.” Jax ripped off his shorts and fondled him. He was firm and stiff—ready for her. “I want you. Now!” She took him in her hand and guided him into the moist place between her legs. He entered her and fulfilled her in the way she had been waiting for. They were one. She gasped as he pumped. He was touching her deepest places and she loved it.

Later, they lay together on the bunk. She leaned up against him-- skin touching skin. “You really took off there, flyboy. I have to come by more often.”

“I love you too, Jax.”