by Tasha Black
Diaz nodded.
“Why?” Magnum asked.
“This is the biggest thing that has ever happened,” she replied. “Sykes will ruin everything.”
“Diaz,” Sykes yelled from the direction of the gate.
“Run,” she whispered, waving a hand.
Magnum pointed the other direction and Rima took off like a rabbit through a field. She was nowhere near as fast as Amy Diaz, but she could try.
“I’m here, Sykes,” Diaz called out somewhere behind her.
Rima headed straight back on the other side of the pond, to the north of the park, away from the front gate.
She stumbled over a crumbling curb by the Shooting Star, the children’s roller coaster they planned to have up and running for real next year, but she managed not to fall.
She followed a twisting path to Neptune’s Slide, the old water raft ride, then headed north again to the very edge of the park.
There was no sound from Magnum in the pond area. But she knew the ship had been soundless in the sky above the field and she hoped it was soundless now.
She didn’t dare slow down to search for glowing objects in the air overhead.
The thought of Magnum manning the ship alone tore her heart as the unthinkable occurred to her.
What if he took the ship up and just kept going?
She had passed the wooden rocket coaster now and was at the Cosmic Carousel. The alien seats leered and cackled silently at her, their paint peeling.
Rima stopped. Just for a moment, she told herself. Frantically, she studied the night sky over the park.
Still a velvet black studded with stars. No ship.
She heard footsteps approaching, barely audible above the sound of her own ragged breathing. A peek through the carousel showed her Sykes pounding her way.
There was no time to run. She crouched and tried to hide between the carousel creatures.
He was only a few feet away. Five steps from finding her.
Four.
Three.
Two.
“Up here, asshole,” Georgia’s voice crowed unexpectedly from somewhere deeper in the park. It took all of Rima’s control not to jump at the sound.
The footsteps stopped, one pace away, then ran off in the direction of the sound.
Rima dared a glance from her hiding spot.
Georgia stood down the path, in front of Neptune’s Slide, her red hair flying flame-like in the moonlight. When Sykes took off after her, she ran behind the ride.
Rima watched, spellbound, as her friend disappeared from sight.
If Georgia were here, Rocky couldn’t be far behind. She scanned the area, but didn’t see him. Maybe he was helping Magnum with the ship.
Rima caught a glimpse of movement higher up on the slide and squinted, expecting to see trash blowing around or maybe a bird.
It was Georgia.
Oh, god. Oh, no.
Georgia was climbing up the stairs to the slide.
And Sykes was behind her.
Georgia must have been expecting she could take the slide down.
Apparently, she didn’t know that Rima and Magnum had disassembled the first few panels of the slide itself.
The whole gang had spent days here pulling down rotting wood and ruined metal, anything that might be a risk to fall on someone. The first couple of fiberglass panels on Neptune’s Slide had tilted backward slightly - causing a build-up of rainwater and debris. The metal pins holding it together were rusted out almost completely, so Rima and Magnum had removed them.
She remembered well how high in the air they were and how scared she had been working on it.
Now Georgia was headed up that way with no way down. And she didn’t even know it.
“Rocky,” Rima screamed into the sky. But there was no answer.
Rima saw the exact moment when Georgia reached the top of the slide and saw there was no place to go.
Georgia’s pale face went taut in the moonlight. She looked around desperately, but there was no escape.
Then her eyes went back to the slide.
The gap was at least twenty feet. It was an impossible jump without a running start.
But Georgia was eyeing the distance, determination on her face.
Rima had seen that look on her friend’s face before, whenever Georgia was talking herself into something really difficult. She’d worn the same look the night they’d found out about the aliens, and Georgia had decided to stay.
Rima began calculating the trajectory of the jump, the wind conditions, the angle of the slide, which was slightly lower on the end Georgia was headed toward.
The numbers just didn’t crunch.
Rima screamed just as Sykes appeared at the top of the stairs, the glint of a gun in his hand.
They had pushed this ruse too far. He wasn’t playing anymore.
Georgia’s face was a study in calm. Rima watched helplessly as her friend took a deep breath, bent her knees and vaulted herself into the air.
Time seemed to stretch as Georgia flung herself upward and out, far enough to make it.
She sailed across the gap without slowing, without even dipping. She passed the point where Rima had envisioned her improbable landing, and just kept going…
And that was when Rima put together that Georgia was flying.
Rima could barely make out her friend’s stunned smile.
As she watched, Georgia lifted her arms and pointed her hands to the sky like Wonder Woman. Strawberry blonde hair glimmered in the moonlight and then Georgia took off like a rocket, disappearing into the night as if she had never been there in the first place.
She must have assimilated Rocky’s gift somehow. Incredible.
Rima forgot all her worries in the face of this discovery.
Had Posey assimilated some of Bond’s gift as well? Was that the reason they had gotten a jolt out of the radio transmitter together when Bond couldn’t do it himself before?
That was why Posey had seemed so wise all of a sudden. She hadn’t gained any intuition. She had been reading the people around her.
Spending so much time around their chosen mates must have caused the boys’ gifts to transfer.
In her excitement, Rima forgot that she was supposed to be hiding.
She stood on the edge of the carousel, looking into the night sky, her heart racing with the possibilities.
“Hands above your head,” a voice shouted.
Sykes. He had come back down the stairs and now she was caught.
Rima raised her hands over her head immediately. She did not turn or make any move, though the temptation was great.
“Turn around,” Diaz shouted, jogging up.
Rima turned very slowly.
Sykes did in fact have a gun trained on her.
“Where is it?” Sykes demanded. Sweat ran from his brow down to his blue eyes, but he didn’t bother to wipe his forehead.
“What are you talking about?” Rima asked.
“You know what I’m talking about, you brown bitch,” Sykes hissed. “Where is the ship?”
Rima’s knees threatened to go out from under her. This was the kind of moment her mother had warned her against one sad night after yet another incident on the evening news. And now here it was: an angry law enforcement official with a gun pointed at her, emotions running high.
Remain calm. Listen to what they say, and obey no matter what. Stay level-headed, even if you’re scared, and remember, they’re scared too.
Her mother’s words rang in her head. It had seemed like such good advice at the time, but her mother hadn’t anticipated that the officer with the gun might feel personally insulted by Rima.
After all, Sykes had spent a career pretending to search for something he didn’t believe in. And Rima and her friends had made a fool out of him. It seemed quite possible that he might make a horrible mistake tonight. People tended to be unpredictable when their entire worldview had been shattered.
“You mean the sp
aceship, right?” she asked him as calmly as she could.
“Bingo, hand the kid a prize! Yes, I’m looking for the spaceship and I know it’s here.”
“I think she’s standing on it,” Diaz said suddenly.
Rima looked down at the carousel.
It definitely was not a spaceship.
“Is that it?” Sykes asked excitedly.
“N-no,” Rima answered, not wanting to lie.
“N-no,” he imitated her. “Stupid bitch. You’re a shitty liar. Get off there, now.”
Rima’s feet wouldn’t move.
Sykes waved the gun at her.
“Sykes, there’s no need to go crazy,” Diaz said. “She hasn’t done anything wrong.”
“Hasn’t done anything wrong?” he repeated. “She’s obstructing a government investigation.”
“She may not have known what was happening,” Diaz reasoned. “Maybe the aliens… brainwashed her or something. Let’s put the gun away and focus on figuring this thing out.”
“Fuck you,” he hissed. “You probably knew all about this, didn’t you?”
“I didn’t know about this, but it has always seemed possible to me. Aren’t you excited?” Diaz asked. “Isn’t this what you’ve spent your career looking for? Where did you even get a gun?”
Rima was out in the open with him now, in the center of the park. She could no longer duck behind a carousel alien if he decided to take a shot.
“Show us the ship,” Sykes said, gesturing toward the carousel with his gun.
Rima gaped at him.
“Put the gun down, Matthew,” Diaz said.
Suddenly Sykes had his gun on Diaz.
“You’re nothing but an uppity little college bitch who thinks she can tell me how to do my job. You could disappear out here, too, you know,” he said, stalking closer to her.
“You think this is a good thing?” he snorted. “This is the worst fucking thing that could ever happen. These aliens will mix with us. They will taint the purity of our race. I’m not gonna just let that happen.”
Rima’s blood ran cold and she knew what she had to do.
Georgia could fly.
Posey could read minds.
It stood to reason she had inherited some of Magnum’s gift as well.
She must have Magnum’s strength.
Rima turned and grabbed one of the carousel aliens. She yanked it off its spring, and felt a tear of pain in her back and shoulder.
That should have been easier.
Screaming like a banshee, she launched the huge metal and fiberglass creature at Sykes, expecting it to fly through the air and pin him to the ground under the power of her newfound strength.
Instead, it dropped to the ground at her feet, stubbing her right big toe.
“What the hell?” Sykes said.
There was a flash of movement overhead.
Rima looked up to see Rocky and Georgia hovering above them.
“Lower your weapon,” Rocky growled.
Then Magnum was there, running toward Sykes as if to tackle him. His handsome face twisted in fury.
As if in slow motion, Sykes turned to face Magnum, gun in hand.
Rima knew what was going to happen before it did.
She had dreamed it.
Magnum, crimson covering his chest, looking down at the blood on his hands…
Before she knew what she was doing, Rima was running. She had spent a lifetime tripping over her own feet. But on this night, Rima Bhimani ran like a deer.
She launched herself into the air just as Sykes fired.
Flying in front of Magnum, she felt the sting of the bullet and then the blooming agony across her belly.
Rima fell to the ground, her cheek hitting the gravel as Rocky and Georgia descended on Sykes.
She smiled, in spite of the wave of agony that rolled through her.
Magnum was safe.
18
Magnum
Magnum threw himself to the ground beside Rima, putting a hand over her mid-section to stop the bleeding.
“Why?” he moaned. “Why would you do such a thing?”
“I had to protect you,” she murmured.
The irony of it tore at his heart like broken glass. It was his fault. She hadn’t even known his true gift.
“No, baby, I’m supposed to protect you,” he said, trying to hold back the ocean of tears that threatened to wash him away.
“No,” she told him, her voice weak. “I was wrong. We aren’t supposed to be mates. I didn’t even get your gift, after all the time we spent together.”
“What?” he asked.
“Rocky and Bond passed theirs to their mates. But I never got yours. I don’t have your strength. We’re not mates, Magnum,” she said with the hint of a smile. “But I love you anyway. I’ll always love you.”
“My strength is not my gift,” he said, confused. “I’m just strong because I’m big.”
She stared into the distance for a few seconds, then seemed to remember he was there.
“Then what is it?” she asked. “Your gift?”
But he didn’t answer.
The blood rushed in his ears as he realized what he had to do.
If Georgia and Posey had gained powers from Rocky and Bond after clicking, then maybe Rima could gain his power too…
Bonding with her could save her life.
But it would also make him fully human.
He wouldn’t be able to make the trip back to Aerie.
He would be giving up everything to spend the short time they had left with the woman he loved.
Magnum pulled her close.
She didn’t complain, though the front of her dress was soaked in blood.
He wiped the blood from his hand on the front of his shirt, then gently caressed her cheek.
“Rima,” he moaned. “Rima, I choose you. Will you accept me?”
“Magnum?” she said in confusion, her voice nothing more than a whisper.
“Will you accept me, Rima?” he begged.
“I’m dying, Magnum,” she whispered. “Choose another bride.”
“Rima, I beg you. Will you accept me?”
He couldn’t tell her why he was so desperate. She needed to choose him for her own reasons.
But she only gazed at him sadly, her eyes luminous.
“I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you, too, Magnum. I always will.”
“Will you always be mine?” he asked, stroking her curls.
“Always,” she sighed.
He held his breath, watching her, praying it would be enough.
Her eyelids fluttered shut.
He hugged her against his chest, sobbing.
How could he have been so stupid as to deny his love? Now she had paid the price for his stubbornness.
Howling in agony, Magnum tried to memorize her weight, her warmth, the scent of her hair.
In this darkest moment, the world was suddenly more vivid, every cruel detail illuminated.
Magnum tasted the salt of his own tears. The cold fresh air filled every cell of his lungs. His ears were tickled by the cry of the night birds. And the stars, so far away and yet so beautiful, winked and shimmered with a beauty that was almost obscene in the face of his loss.
With a shuddering sob, Magnum felt the weight of the world descend upon him, and he was human at last.
19
Rima
Rima could hear Magnum crying but he was far, far away.
She was sorry for his grief but glad he had accepted his feelings. He would surely find happiness now that he had truly learned what it was to be human, in all its glorious silliness and sadness.
He would just have to find it with someone else.
The pain of her wound was a small price to pay, and her life had been short in years but long in adventures and love.
She felt herself slipping away, her pulse growing weaker.
Then she felt an odd sensation. The feeling in her abdome
n went from blinding pain to maddening itching.
Her desire to fade into Magnum’s memory was waning.
And her heart seemed to be pounding more surely again, its rhythm regained.
Maybe this was the moment of bliss that came just before death.
But Magnum’s heartbeat was nearer again now. She was aware of the throb in his chest against her cheek where he held her so close.
He was a good man.
She squeezed him back.
“Rima?” he whispered, incredulous.
She opened her eyes.
He was spattered with blood, just like in her dream.
Why was she alive?
He covered her with kisses, her cheeks, her eyelids, her forehead, her chin, and finally her mouth.
“You did it, you clever girl,” he crowed. “My unbearably darling little mate.”
“What did I do?” she asked.
“You took on my power,” he told her and then kissed her forehead again. “And not a moment too soon.”
“What’s your power?” she asked, but she was already putting it together before the words were out of her mouth. That night in the cabin. The swinging light fixture. She was sure he’d been hurt, but then…
“I can heal, Rima. And now, so can you. We have clicked.”
“I thought we needed to… you know, first,” Rima said.
Magnum smiled down at her.
“We needed to connect completely,” he said, arching an eyebrow. “There will be plenty of time for the other part later.”
“How romantic, Romeo and Juliet,” Sykes scoffed from behind her. “But I’ve got back-up coming and you two are going to spend the rest of your life in cages - separate cages.”
Rima looked up, alarmed, only to see that someone had repurposed a safety belt to secure him to one of the metal aliens on the carousel.
“I see you found your alien match too.” Rima smiled, disregarding what she assumed was an empty threat.
“He’s right,” Agent Diaz told them worriedly. “I heard him call for back-up when we got here. There will be more agents. We need to make a plan.”
“Let’s get out of here,” Rima said, struggling to get up. “Let go, I’m fine,” she assured Magnum, who grudgingly let her up.
She ran a tentative hand along her mid-section. There was an alarming amount of blood, and her dress was ruined, but the wound had closed up completely. The only evidence was a small itchy spot, which was already fading. She felt a similar spot on her lower back. The bullet must have passed straight through her.