Sun God Seeks…Surrogate? (Accidentally Yours #3)(46)
Author: Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

Holiday crackers! Less than a week until Christmas.

No one had mentioned a thing, but then again, it would be a little strange for the gods—except Cimil, obviously, because she was just weird—to observe a human holiday. I’d have to find out what they did celebrate. Probably some weird crap like Hot Poker in the Eye Day.

Well, it didn’t matter that I was missing Christmas; I was in no mood to celebrate. I was in the mood to fight, win, and then pick up the pieces of my life.

“And when you’re all better,” I said to Kinich, “we’re going to finish what we started.” I rubbed my nose against his. It was cold. I winced and resisted letting the sadness back in.

No. No more.

“It is time,” a deep, raspy voice said from behind.

I practically jumped from my skin. “Brutus! You scared the hell out of me!”

Brutus was dressed in his combat gear: black from head to toe, a gun holstered to each side, electronic equipment wired to his head.

He held out a large pack.

“Parachute?” I asked.

He nodded once.

“I love parachuting.” I’d dropped five times, but it had been for fun. This was different. This was war. Life or death. And I was ready. Brutus had spent the last twenty-four hours making sure of that.

“Okeydokey. Let’s go get my mom.”

This was it.

***

Five hours later I’d successfully herded the scaredy-cats scrambling around inside my head and locked them in a cage. Brutus had explained—in exactly ten words—that the key to winning any battle was having a clear head and calm nerves. He and his men meditated for a minimum of two hours before every mission.

I bet he wished Emma had followed the regimen, not to mention learned to skydive. He did not seem happy suiting up for their tandem jump.

“Dammit! Stop wiggling!” Emma barked over her shoulder. “And that had better be your flashlight!”

I tried not to laugh but couldn’t resist.

“Ma’am?” One of Brutus’s men, sitting to my side on the long bench at the tail of the plane, helped me with my parachute.

My scaredy-cats began getting restless in their cage, chucking hair balls. This was it.

Dressed in a black jumpsuit, I strapped on the pack and got into formation behind Guy and Emma (and Brutus) who were deep in conversation. Over the roar of the engines, I couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but I saw their faces and couldn’t help but be envious. The way Guy regarded Emma was nothing short of worship.

Then Emma elbowed Brutus and spouted, “Okay. I’m ready. Let’s kill some Scabs and get my granny!”

Let’s go get my mother, and capture at least one Scab? Those bastards would pay, but not before telling me how to cure Kinich.

She glanced over her other shoulder toward me. “Ready?”

“You better believe it,” I replied. “These clowns picked the wrong girl to mess with.”

***

I thought I knew what terror was—finding a giant fuzzy spider staring you down in the shower or discovering a mysterious curly hair in your salad after you’ve eaten the entire thing, for example—but nothing in my life compared to the moment I found myself hurtling through a black void on a moonless night toward Earth, scared out of my frigging mind, hoping my altimeter didn’t fail.

“Penelope? Are you there?”

Voices. I’m hearing voices. Oh perfect. Dammit. This was no time to lose my marbles. Go figure.

“Penelope, please respond.”

The voice sounded like Emma.

Headset! Headset. I sighed with relief. I pressed the transmission button on my neck. “I’m here.”

“Don’t forget Guy’s instructions: Wait for Brutus to signal you.”

I remembered every word. Once everyone was on the ground and in position, the Uchben would go in first. I’d stay behind until given the word—or a poke, since he didn’t really talk—from Brutus.

“Got it,” I replied.

The alarm on my altimeter beeped. Time to pull the cord and pray: Dear Lord, or universe, or anyone out there powerful enough to save my unworthy, stupid ass, please don’t let me land on a power line, something sharp, or a really tall tree…

***

The dear Lord, universe, or other being powerful enough, had listened. I landed with a soft thump in a soggy, grass-covered clearing along with three other Uchben I didn’t know. One came over and helped me out of my harness, then pointed to a tall patch of grass several yards away. I scurried over and crouched.

It was the dead of winter, but the tropical air of southern Mexico was moist and heavy. The dank, earthy smell of the jungle instantly penetrated my nose.

Now, I know any normal person would wet themselves at the thought of jumping headfirst into this situation but, perhaps as a testament to my “exotic DNA,” my body buzzed with anticipation. Now that I’d decided not to take my situation lying down, I felt like I’d been born for this moment, to serve justice to these horrible beings who’d harmed the people I loved.

“People” you…love?

I loved my mother. That was a given. But did I love Kinich, too? We barely knew each other, frankly. Yet there I was, ready to put my life on the line for him. Yes, if my mom weren’t a part of this, I’d still be here.

It was a startling revelation, really. How had I gone from infatuation to soul-clenching lust to…love?

True love defies logic. That’s its signature trait.

Funny, people always said love was something that grew in both intensity and depth as you got to know a person, but I was never sure about that. Maybe the love is already there, dormant inside your heart, waiting for “the one” to unlock it. That would certainly explain how I felt; I loved him. I felt like I always had and I always would.

“Great. I’m in love with a comatose deity who has mixed feelings for me,” I whispered to myself. Could my life possibly get any more complicated?

“Penelope,” I heard Emma call out on my headset.

“Yes?” I whispered back.

“Um, don’t freak, okay?” Emma’s voice crackled over the tiny speaker in my ear.

“Well, since you put it that way, I’ll be sure not to,” I hissed.

“Point taken. Listen, Brutus is coming to get you.”

“Where are you?” I asked.

“I’m standing in the middle of the Maaskab village.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Everything’s fine,” she replied with a melancholy tone. “See you in a few.”