The Enlightened

by Dima Zales

  After a couple of drinks, Eugene stands up. He’s solemnly holding a shot of vodka.

  “It’s a Russian tradition. If no one minds, I’d like to say a toast,” he says, looking at Mira.

  She hesitantly gives him a slight nod.

  “Let’s drink to having made great new friends,” he says with aplomb. “Let’s drink to the health of the hostesses. They, who raised such an awesome offspring.” He winks at me. “Let us also drink to newly reunited families,” he says more seriously, “as nothing is as important as family—”

  “Za zdorovje,” Mira says and clinks her wine glass to Eugene’s shot glass.

  Eugene beams at his sister.

  “Zdarove,” my moms mumble, trying to match Mira’s perfect Russian. They clink their glasses with the siblings’.

  “Za zdorovje,” Thomas says, seemingly without an accent. He adds his own clink to the mix.

  “Salute,” Liz says, adding her glass to the growing crowd of drinks.

  “Cheers,” Bert and I say, joining the clicking with our beer bottles.

  Everyone drinks and from there, dinner becomes progressively merrier, reminding me of Thanksgiving.

  When it’s over, Mira and I end up staying at my moms’ house for the night, while it’s somehow decided that Eugene will crash over at Bert’s. There’s even mention of coding and/or experiments, which I suspect Hillary finds disturbing, even if she doesn’t show it. Thomas and Liz leave together, but of course, we don’t discuss their sleeping arrangements, as it probably falls under strict doctor-patient confidentiality.

  “You can take the bedroom on the first floor,” Sara says after locking the door behind everyone. “I changed all the sheets in your room and put new soap and shampoo in the guest shower.”

  “Thanks, Mom,” I say, trying to seem nonchalant. It’s weird when you know that your parents know you’re about to have sex under their roof.

  “Don’t mention it,” she says. “I hope you two can join us for brunch tomorrow.”

  “I’d love that,” Mira says before I can make up an excuse.

  Today is just full of surprises.

  * * *

  “Can you try not to be as loud as usual?” I say after getting Mira’s pesky clothes off her.

  “There’s two floors between us,” Mira says with a smirk. “Do you really think they’ll hear me?”

  “I have no idea, but it would be weird if they did.”

  “Well,” she says, giving me a mischievous wink, “I guess you’ll have to shut me up somehow. I’m feeling very noisy all of a sudden.”

  I know full well she’s not kidding, so on a whim, I phase into the Quiet and kiss frozen Mira’s naked flesh.

  When a second Mira appears in the Quiet and sees where I kissed her body, her breathing gets heavier, and her mischievous look transforms into something far more sensual.

  “I like the way you think,” she says as she approaches me, and then our bodies intertwine on the bed with an urgency that reminds me of the very first time we had sex.

  When it’s over, I phase out, and then go right back into the Quiet.

  After Mira materializes in the Quiet, she says, “Darren, what the—”

  Then she stops talking when she sees me. It’s not just injuries that get reset in the Quiet. I’m ready for another round.

  “Oh my,” she says. “This is the best idea you’ve ever had.”

  She jumps on me, and we make this second round more mindful than the last.

  And then we repeat the whole experience a dozen times over, getting more and more creative as we go. We even make use of the frozen versions of ourselves. Yeah, don’t ask.

  Eventually, pure mental exhaustion overcomes us.

  “One day, I want to spend a whole month in the Mind Dimension,” Mira says sleepily, back in the real world. “Just you and me.”

  “You say the word, and I’ll do it,” I say. “It sounds romantic.”

  She raises an eyebrow, yawns, and says, “Okay. But definitely not right now.”

  “No, not right now,” I agree. Scooping her into a spooning position, I hold her, reveling in the warmth of her skin against mine.

  As we lie together, I think about the past and all the things that have happened in such a short time. It’s really amazing how much my life has changed. I never would’ve dreamed I’d be where I am at this very moment.

  As I drift off to sleep, I think about the future. The nebulous threat of the Enlightened and whoever was manipulating Kyle is still out there, but at this particular moment, I can’t bring myself to care. Whatever comes, I’ll deal with it. For now, in my pleasant drowsy haze with Mira in my arms, I can’t picture a future that isn’t awesome. The details of this future materialize, making me feel as though I can touch them... and then I’m fast asleep, and the momentary epiphany becomes a happy dream.

  Sneak Peeks

  Thank you for reading! If you would consider leaving a review, it would be greatly appreciated.

  Darren’s story continues in The Elders (Mind Dimensions: Book 4), which will be available at most major retailers in 2015. In the meantime, you can read about Mira in a short story called The Time Stopper.

  Please sign up for my newsletter at www.dimazales.com to be notified when the next book comes out.

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  And now, please turn the page for sneak peeks into my other works.

  Excerpt from The Sorcery Code

  Once a respected member of the Sorcerer Council and now an outcast, Blaise has spent the last year of his life working on a special magical object. The goal is to allow anyone to do magic, not just the sorcerer elite. The outcome of his quest is unlike anything he could’ve ever imagined—because, instead of an object, he creates Her.

  She is Gala, and she is anything but inanimate. Born in the Spell Realm, she is beautiful and highly intelligent—and nobody knows what she’s capable of. She will do anything to experience the world... even leave the man she is beginning to fall for.

  Augusta, a powerful sorceress and Blaise’s former fiancée, sees Blaise’s deed as the ultimate hubris and Gala as an abomination that must be destroyed. In her quest to save the human race, Augusta will forge new alliances, becoming tangled in a web of intrigue that stretches further than any of them suspect. She may even have to turn to her new lover Barson, a ruthless warrior who might have an agenda of his own...

  * * *

  There was a naked woman on the floor of Blaise’s study.

  A beautiful naked woman.

  Stunned, Blaise stared at the gorgeous creature who just appeared out of thin air. She was looking around with a bewildered expression on her face, apparently as shocked to be there as he was to be seeing her. Her wavy blond hair streamed down her back, partially covering a body that appeared to be perfection itself. Blaise tried not to think about that body and to focus on the situation instead.

  A woman. A She, not an It. Blaise could hardly believe it. Could it be? Could this girl be the object?

  She was sitting with her legs folded underneath her, propping herself up with one slim arm. There was something awkward about that pose, as though she didn’t know what to do with her own limbs. In general, despite the curves that marked her a fully grown woman, there was a child-like innocence in the way she sat there, completely unselfconscious and totally unaware of her own appeal.

  Clearing his throat, Blaise tried to think of what to say. In his wildest dreams, he couldn’t have imagined this kind of outcome to the project that had consumed his entire life for the past several months.

  Hearing the sound, she turned her head to look at him, and Blaise found himself staring into a pair of unusually clear blue eyes.

  She blinked, then cocked her head to the side, studying him with visible curiosity. Blaise wondered what she was seeing. He hadn’t seen the light of day in weeks, and he wouldn’t be surprised if he looked like a mad so
rcerer at this point. There was probably a week’s worth of stubble covering his face, and he knew his dark hair was unbrushed and sticking out in every direction. If he’d known he would be facing a beautiful woman today, he would’ve done a grooming spell in the morning.

  “Who am I?” she asked, startling Blaise. Her voice was soft and feminine, as alluring as the rest of her. “What is this place?”

  “You don’t know?” Blaise was glad he finally managed to string together a semi-coherent sentence. “You don’t know who you are or where you are?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  Blaise swallowed. “I see.”

  “What am I?” she asked again, staring at him with those incredible eyes.

  “Well,” Blaise said slowly, “if you’re not some cruel prankster or a figment of my imagination, then it’s somewhat difficult to explain...”

  She was watching his mouth as he spoke, and when he stopped, she looked up again, meeting his gaze. “It’s strange,” she said, “hearing words this way. These are the first real words I’ve heard.”

  Blaise felt a chill go down his spine. Getting up from his chair, he began to pace, trying to keep his eyes off her nude body. He had been expecting something to appear. A magical object, a thing. He just hadn’t known what form that thing would take. A mirror, perhaps, or a lamp. Maybe even something as unusual as the Life Capture Sphere that sat on his desk like a large round diamond.

  But a person? A female person at that?

  To be fair, he had been trying to make the object intelligent, to ensure it would have the ability to comprehend human language and convert it into the code. Maybe he shouldn’t be so surprised that the intelligence he invoked took on a human shape.

  A beautiful, feminine, sensual shape.

  Focus, Blaise, focus.

  “Why are you walking like that?” She slowly got to her feet, her movements uncertain and strangely clumsy. “Should I be walking too? Is that how people talk to each other?”

  Blaise stopped in front of her, doing his best to keep his eyes above her neck. “I’m sorry. I’m not accustomed to naked women in my study.”

  She ran her hands down her body, as though trying to feel it for the first time. Whatever her intent, Blaise found the gesture extremely erotic.

  “Is something wrong with the way I look?” she asked. It was such a typical feminine concern that Blaise had to stifle a smile.

  “Quite the opposite,” he assured her. “You look unimaginably good.” So good, in fact, that he was having trouble concentrating on anything but her delicate curves. She was of medium height, and so perfectly proportioned that she could’ve been used as a sculptor’s template.

  “Why do I look this way?” A small frown creased her smooth forehead. “What am I?” That last part seemed to be puzzling her the most.

  Blaise took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing pulse. “I think I can try to venture a guess, but before I do, I want to give you some clothing. Please wait here—I’ll be right back.”

  And without waiting for her answer, he hurried out of the room.

  * * *

  The Sorcery Code is currently available at most retailers. If you’d like to learn more, please visit my website at www.dimazales.com. You can also connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

  Excerpt from Close Liaisons by Anna Zaires

  Note: Close Liaisons is Dima Zales’s collaboration with Anna Zaires and is the first book in the internationally bestselling erotic sci-fi romance series, the Krinar Chronicles. It contains explicit sexual content and is not intended for readers under eighteen.

  * * *

  A dark and edgy romance that will appeal to fans of erotic and turbulent relationships...

  In the near future, the Krinar rule the Earth. An advanced race from another galaxy, they are still a mystery to us—and we are completely at their mercy.

  Shy and innocent, Mia Stalis is a college student in New York City who has led a very normal life. Like most people, she's never had any interactions with the invaders—until one fateful day in the park changes everything. Having caught Korum's eye, she must now contend with a powerful, dangerously seductive Krinar who wants to possess her and will stop at nothing to make her his own.

  How far would you go to regain your freedom? How much would you sacrifice to help your people? What choice will you make when you begin to fall for your enemy?

  * * *

  The air was crisp and clear as Mia walked briskly down a winding path in Central Park. Signs of spring were everywhere, from tiny buds on still-bare trees to the proliferation of nannies out to enjoy the first warm day with their rambunctious charges.

  It was strange how much everything had changed in the last few years, and yet how much remained the same. If anyone had asked Mia ten years ago how she thought life might be after an alien invasion, this would have been nowhere near her imaginings. Independence Day, The War of the Worlds—none of these were even close to the reality of encountering a more advanced civilization. There had been no fight, no resistance of any kind on government level—because they had not allowed it. In hindsight, it was clear how silly those movies had been. Nuclear weapons, satellites, fighter jets—these were little more than rocks and sticks to an ancient civilization that could cross the universe faster than the speed of light.

  Spotting an empty bench near the lake, Mia gratefully headed for it, her shoulders feeling the strain of the backpack filled with her chunky twelve-year-old laptop and old-fashioned paper books. At twenty-one, she sometimes felt old, out of step with the fast-paced new world of razor-slim tablets and cell phones embedded in wristwatches. The pace of technological progress had not slowed since K-Day; if anything, many of the new gadgets had been influenced by what the Krinar had. Not that the Ks had shared any of their precious technology; as far as they were concerned, their little experiment had to continue uninterrupted.

  Unzipping her bag, Mia took out her old Mac. The thing was heavy and slow, but it worked—and as a starving college student, Mia could not afford anything better. Logging on, she opened a blank Word document and prepared to start the torturous process of writing her Sociology paper.

  Ten minutes and exactly zero words later, she stopped. Who was she kidding? If she really wanted to write the damn thing, she would’ve never come to the park. As tempting as it was to pretend that she could enjoy the fresh air and be productive at the same time, those two had never been compatible in her experience. A musty old library was a much better setting for anything requiring that kind of brainpower exertion.

  Mentally kicking herself for her own laziness, Mia let out a sigh and started looking around instead. People-watching in New York never failed to amuse her.

  The tableau was a familiar one, with the requisite homeless person occupying a nearby bench—thank God it wasn’t the closest one to her, since he looked like he might smell very ripe—and two nannies chatting with each other in Spanish as they pushed their Bugaboos at a leisurely pace. A girl jogged on a path a little further ahead, her bright pink Reeboks contrasting nicely with her blue leggings. Mia’s gaze followed the jogger as she rounded the corner, envying her athleticism. Her own hectic schedule allowed her little time to exercise, and she doubted she could keep up with the girl for even a mile at this point.

  To the right, she could see the Bow Bridge over the lake. A man was leaning on the railing, looking out over the water. His face was turned away from Mia, so she could only see part of his profile. Nevertheless, something about him caught her attention.

  She wasn’t sure what it was. He was definitely tall and seemed well-built under the expensive-looking trench coat he was wearing, but that was only part of the story. Tall, good-looking men were common in model-infested New York City. No, it was something else. Perhaps it was the way he stood—very still, with no extra movements. His hair was dark and glossy under the bright afternoon sun, just long enough in the front to move slightly in the warm spring breeze.
/>   He also stood alone.

  That’s it, Mia realized. The normally popular and picturesque bridge was completely deserted, except for the man who was standing on it. Everyone appeared to be giving it a wide berth for some unknown reason. In fact, with the exception of herself and her potentially aromatic homeless neighbor, the entire row of benches in the highly desirable waterfront location was empty.

  As though sensing her gaze on him, the object of her attention slowly turned his head and looked directly at Mia. Before her conscious brain could even make the connection, she felt her blood turn to ice, leaving her paralyzed in place and helpless to do anything but stare at the predator who now seemed to be examining her with interest.

  * * *

  Breathe, Mia, breathe. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a small rational voice kept repeating those words. That same oddly objective part of her noted his symmetric face structure, with golden skin stretched tightly over high cheekbones and a firm jaw. Pictures and videos of Ks that she’d seen had hardly done them justice. Standing no more than thirty feet away, the creature was simply stunning.

  As she continued staring at him, still frozen in place, he straightened and began walking toward her. Or rather stalking toward her, she thought stupidly, as his every movement reminded her of a jungle cat sinuously approaching a gazelle. All the while, his eyes never left hers. As he approached, she could make out individual yellow flecks in his light golden eyes and the thick long lashes surrounding them.