by Ines Johnson
Her mother had been a different story, or rather the same continuous story. From birth to death, Shanti's mother continued her lifelong devotion to Shiva. In life, her parents' different beliefs didn't interfere with their love. They had been the most accepting people she'd ever known.
Shanti had never subscribed to any particular religion. She'd gone through so many in her youth that they all melded together. She did know that there was a Creator. It was evident in every blade of grass, in the organic systems of all living creatures, in the perfection of the ecosystem. That is, before humans began poking at it with a stick.
She was surprised to find her easy acceptance of this next stage of her existence. She was health-conscious by birthright. She'd expected to live an active life as an octogenarian as the coach-potato adults and the handheld-device addicted youth in her community withered away after half a century. She'd wanted to be able to say 'I told you so' to everyone who went against her and continued to pollute the waterways. She'd wanted to dance in front of them in her svelte yoga body as they all lay in hospital beds on dialysis. Now it looked like they'd have the last laugh.
Thirty was too soon to go. But so far death was having its perks. For example, that building buzz of an orgasm. She wanted to hold still and let the waves of pleasure consume her. But then they stopped. The pleasant pressure released from her leg, but not her forehead.
She looked down at her leg. The hooded being had removed his -or maybe her- hand. Shanti tried to peer into the darkness of the hood, but she could see no facial features. She saw no dog muzzle to indicate Anubis either.
"Am I going to heaven?" Shanti asked.
No response.
"To Nirvana?" She wracked her brain through all the religions her parents had introduced her to. "Elysium? Shangri-La? Zion?"
Still no response.
"Well, I can't be going to Hell. Not with all the work I've done for the environment and animals."
The hooded figure pushed his hood back, revealing his face and Shanti let out a blood-curdling scream.
She'd never thought the Creator was a being like her. She didn't think such a craftsman had a huge ego to shape its highest being in its own likeness. Plus she believed in evolution, which told her that humans were not born first. Neither were they naturally the highest on the food chain. Had it not been for a meteor, the dinosaurs would have eventually evolved to write the stories that would make up religious texts and humans would be worshiping a reptilian god.
It was a shock to see such a different being up close and personal. The closest approximation Shanti could use to describe this being was that he looked like a depiction of the Buddha. Not the human prophet Siddartha Gutama, who was an Indian, human male. This being resembled the cone-headed Buddha depictions with nodes around his dome instead of hair. His skin was a pale shade of blue. His eyes were overlarge and without lashes.
When all the air left her lungs at the end of the scream, Shanti calmed down and caught her breath. As common sense returned, she guessed this all made logical sense. She was in India, after all. It was fitting that one of that culture's idols serve as her guide into the after life.
The being held up his hand. Even his fingers were overlong. It took Shanti's mind in a different direction, wondering if all of his limbs were long.
God, she was horny even in death.
The hooded figure stretched out his fingers to her as though he wanted her to take his hand. After a moment's hesitation, Shanti placed her hand in his. The second their palms touched, warmth flooded her body.
Pictures flashed through her mind. She saw an Indian woman smiling at her. The woman was familiar. She looked like the old woman who cleaned the ashram; the one who’d told Shanti she’d come full circle. But this woman was younger, and she was surrounded by other cone-headed males with big eyes. Blue men, purple men, green men. Then stars. So many stars. And planets. Planets of colors she'd never imagined.
Was this what she could expect after life on Earth? To travel amongst the stars?
"Yes."
Shanti blinked and refocused on the being before her. His lips hadn't moved, but she got the sense he was communicating with her.
"Would you like to see the stars?"
Shanti gasped. Her gasp was the only sound in the clearing. His lips still hadn't moved. The words she'd heard in her head hadn't been words, more of an image of the stars in a sea of dark space and a sense of someone welcoming her into that space.
"I have not heard the language of the Earth for many years." His large eyes probed hers. "My deepest apologies if you find this invasive."
He went to withdraw his hands from hers. Shanti clasped his back, tightly.
"No. It's fine," she said aloud. "It’s just -I've never experienced this before. Well, of course I've never experienced this before. Unless there's such a thing as past lives, which my mother believed in, but I've never been so sure. I don't really know what I believe? Which is crazy now that I sit here before you and you're giving me a choice of what to do next with my soul."
Shanti stopped her tirade and took a deep, cleansing breath. She stared up at his eyes. His deep, soulful eyes.
"Did you understand any of that?" she asked. She waited to hear his response, but it sounded from within her, from somewhere deep within. It began in her gut and radiated to her head. She struggled to concentrate on his words, or were they his thoughts?
"I understand that my touch does not repulse you." His thumb rubbed the ridge of her hand.
Shanti felt a thrill skitter up her arm. "I like the way you touch me," she said.
A small smile ticked at the corner of his mouth. His lips were full. She wondered what they would feel like against her lips, her neck?
His hand moved to her neck.
Shanti's eyes widened. "Oh god, are you reading all of my thoughts?"
He shook his head slowly, his eyes still fastened to her neck. "I do not understand all of your words."
His eyes traveled across her lips. Shanti felt the heat. She pulled the corner of her lower lip into her mouth.
His eyes locked on her mouth. "I can read your emotions, your desires, clearly."
Shanti's lips parted. His nostrils flared.
Oh God, was she seriously flirting with this...she didn't know what he was.
"I am Eloheem."
Shanti knew that word. It was the Hebrew word for angel. So this was it. She really was dead. She looked down at her leg. The wound was closed. Only a red spot remained, but the redness was fading fast before her eyes.
"I sense unease within you,” the Eloheem said.
Shanti turned back to him. But he was no longer looking at her eyes, lips, or neck.
"Does it still ache?" His hands went to her thigh.
When his long fingers brushed her skin, Shanti shivered. That pleasure-filled pressure ran to her core. Her eyes closed unbidden. A soft moan escaped her lips.
"I sense another ache in you."
"Yes," she moaned aloud.
The physical feel of his fingers combined with the mental invasion of his voice threatened to send Shanti over a cliff of pleasure.
"Tell me your name," he whispered into her mind.
"Shanti."
"Shanti." This time the sound hit her ears.
Shanti opened her eyes. His large eyes roamed over her body leaving a trail of heat in its wake.
"If you come with me," he said into her mind, "you will never ache again. I promise you..."
Shanti watched as his mouth opened. She saw his tongue, saw his teeth clench the second before he sounded out her name.
"...Shanti."
Shanti couldn't form any words with her lips. Luckily she didn't have to. He said he could read her emotions, her desires. What she felt was crystal clear.
She reached for his hand. When their fingers clasped, Shanti knew her life, or whatever this existence now was, would be forever linked to this man, or whatever this being before her was.
Chapt
er Five
Chen gathered the female to himself. She came willingly. The chambers of his hearts pumped at double speed. She felt right in his arms. One of his arms went under her legs, the other around her back as he cradled her body into his chest.
There was no longer a sense of fear in her. Only a hint of uncertainty remained. Chen's new lifelong intention was to eradicate any sense of doubt from her entire being and replace it with the certainty he now felt about her.
She was The One. He already felt his soul reaching out and entwining with hers. Her hand rested on his chest. Her five fingers left an invisible brand on his skin. His life was no longer in his own hands. His body had linked with hers, deciding at the first touch that she was the mate to his soul.
When he first clasped hands with her, Chen saw a slew of images. A brown man with skin like an arbor's bark. A tan woman with skin the color of earthen sand, much like his own mother's.
He saw Shanti surrounded by a myriad of humans over time. But she always stood apart from the group. Reaching deeper, Chen uncovered an overwhelming sense of loneliness. He cradled Shanti even closer to him.
He rose with his precious cargo and turned towards the water's edge. She hesitated, twisting her body in his arms. Chen sensed distress. He halted his steps. His shoulders slumped. He tried to stop his fingers from digging possessively into her skin.
He knew it couldn't have been this easy. It was too much to believe that he would be able to come down and find a willing woman, a woman who he felt attracted to, a woman who called to him on a soul-deep level. It was too much to come into contact with a woman who agreed to leave her home planet and travel the galaxy with him after knowing him for a few moments in time. Chen knew it had all been too good to be true. He tried to unfurl his fingers from her supple skin, but they wouldn't budge.
Words spewed from her mouth. She had a lovely voice. It reminded him of watching a star rise while standing atop the highest peak of a planet's mountain.
Chen's eyes fastened on her lips. He'd felt her desire to press her lips against his. He’d felt her desire to have his lips pressed against hers, and various other parts of her body. Chen ached to give into her desires. He wanted to communicate with her, to tell her he would give her anything she desired. But he couldn't grasp all of her words.
She reached behind them, motioning towards a sack.
Chen sensed an attachment to the sack. "These are your belongings?" he thought to her.
"Yes." She nodded her head.
"Yes," Chen repeated out loud, adding a second word to his vocabulary.
She smiled at him. All tension released now that he understood her desire. Chen grabbed the sack and slung it over his shoulder. Then, quickly, he moved to the water.
Shanti tucked her head under his chin and sighed. Chen's steps faltered as her hot breath hit his bare neck. He pulled her even more closely to him, determined he would never let her go.
She gasped once more when, instead of stepping into the water, his feet tread atop the surface. Her eyes were wide as she watched their progress. She tilted her head up at him and spoke. Her lips tilted in a mix of wonder. He felt delight shimmer across her skin.
Chen added the word "water" to his vocabulary. It was similar to the word in his mother's language. He also recognized another word she'd used. He'd heard his mother speak the name of "Jesus" before. He had been a human male, a great spiritual teacher.
They reached the other side of the bank where the transportation pad lay. With great reluctance, Chen set Shanti's feet down on the ground. He was gratified to see she still clung to him.
His hands rested on her back and he pulled her flush to his chest. "Do not be afraid." He pushed his meaning telepathically to her.
"I'm not afraid," she responded.
"Not afraid," he said aloud.
"No, I'm not." Her smile was beatific.
"Shanti," he sighed, pulling her against him.
She came willingly, more unintelligible words came from her lips. Chen didn't bother to understand. Her intention was clear. She was ready, willing, and dare he believe, excited to go with him.
Shanti placed a hand over her chest, pressing down on her ample breasts. "Shanti," she said. Then she placed the same hand over his chest and pressed down. Her head inclined to him.
Chen was too busy staring rapt at her breasts. It took him a moment to take her meaning. When he did, his hand rose to cover hers. "Chen-Na."
"Chena?"
Though she pronounced it wrong, he loved the way his name rolled off her tongue.
"Chen," he used the familiar form of his name. After all, she would soon become very familiar with him.
"Chen."
He nodded.
She smiled.
They stood there in the embrace. Chen's hand rose from her hand. It traveled to her face. His thumb rubbed tentatively at her bottom lip. She leaned into his palm. He felt her desire. Everything in Chen urged him to lean in and claim her lips. He moved closer.
The light from the ship cast them in a glaring glow. Shanti shut her eyes from the harshness. Uncertainty rose within her. Chen wrapped his arms around her and pressed her into him.
Fear skittered down her spine as they went airborne. He could tell the moment she opened her eyes and saw that the ground no longer lay beneath their feet. She squeezed her eyes shut again and clung to him.
"You are safe," he told her spirit. "You will never be alone again."
Shanti's eyes opened. Her head tilted up to his. She pulled his head down and brushed her lips against his.
Chen was a patient male. He'd achieved levels of zen that many of his kind had never reached. To reach these levels had taken many star rises of concentration and attention in one sitting. With one brush of Shanti's lips against his, Chen lost hold of his entire being.
The force of his lips meeting hers caused her to gasp for breath. She broke away and exhaled into his mouth. Chen captured her head so she couldn't break away again. He set his lips over hers, aligning himself with her, trying to connect his soul to hers as they rose towards the stars.
Shanti's tongue traced his bottom lip. Chen's legs buckled. He reached his tongue towards her. On impact, they both moaned.
Her body throbbed with desire. Her emotions, her desire, her need overwhelmed Chen. His other arm snaked around her lower body. His loins ached to join in the exploration. He was ready to strip them both bare in the middle of the Earth's atmosphere.
He heard someone clear their throat.
On instinct, Chen put himself between Shanti and the intruder. With Shanti behind him, Chen took a fighting stance. He came face-to-face with Pakua Chang.
The male sat at the controls of the heliopad. Pakua raised a brow at Chen. Chen relaxed his stance, marginally.
"She is here willingly?” Pakua's eyes fixed behind Chen. “You must have found your father's sutra."
Chen didn't respond to Pakua's questioning. "Where is my brother?"
"He is at meditation along with the rest of the Yins. I am on duty."
Like Hsing, Pakua was a Yin, one of the warrior halves of their kind.
Chen nodded. From behind, he found Shanti's hand, entwined it with his own, and led her forward. "When he is finished, let him know I have returned with our soul mate."
Chen walked Shanti past Pakua. He felt a sense of confusion within her. She didn't understand their language and Pakua wouldn't dare try to link with her to communicate directly. Chen would explain all to her in good time.
Now was not that time.
They arrived at his rooms. Chen ushered her in and sealed the door behind them. When he turned back to her, she stood apart from him.
He took a step toward her. "Afraid, Shanti?"
Her eyes widened at the sound of her name on his lips. "No, Chen."
Chen's nostrils flared at the sound of his name on her lips. He stepped closer. She didn't retreat. He reached a hand out toward her. He may have imagined her hesitation. Her fingers trem
bled as they contacted his. But then their palms touched. Like a comet, that same wave of connectedness zigzagged through both of them.
"I intend to keep you, Shanti."
"So, I'm not going to heaven?"
"We are in the Heavens, Shanti." Her words were becoming clearer and clearer with each connection.
She looked around the room. There were no openings from which to see the blackness of space and Chen lacked the patience to take her to the front of the ship and show her. He lacked the patience even to wait for his brother. He needed to claim her now.
"I want to calm the ache within you," he said to her telepathically, unsure of how much actually translated. "It is the same ache within me. But you must know, I have never touched a female in this way before."
Shanti shook her head and words tumbled from her perfect lips. "I don't understand, Chen."
"I am untouched." He tried to send her images of purity, but feared she would not understand.
"Untouched? You've never touched a woman?"
Chen nodded.
"You mean you're a virgin?" Shanti dropped his hands and stepped back. She looked him up and down, doubt written across her face.
Chen reached for her hand. "True," he said aloud. And then he sent her images and the sensations of desiring her intimately. He imagined himself pressed against her, their bodies unclothed. He imagined the feeling of heat and passion and fullness.
Shanti took a few steps closer until she was pressed against him.
Chen sent her his uncertainty. All he knew was that they were supposed to be pressed together. Chen worried that he didn't know how to please her, that he might even hurt her with his ignorance.
"It’s all right," she soothed him. "I know what to do." She kissed the side of his mouth.
Chen understood each of those words. When she stood close to him, touched him, kissed him, everything was clear between them.
"My father wrote a sutra on female seduction," Chen thought to her. "The sutra was known as the Kama. It would tell me how to proceed so I might give you maximum pleasure. But it is lost to us."
"Kama? You mean the Kama Sutra?"