Page 15 of The Edge of Dawn

And she knew it was him.

He was surprisingly gentle.

Do I let this strange creature take over my body, or do I do nothing and let the MWA take me away?

Submit to me, human. Suddenly, his voice was inside her head, loud and clear. She should have been shocked, but somehow, it felt so very natural. I’ll take care of everything.

Part of her recoiled in horror.

But another part of her—a deep, secret part—wanted to let him take over. “How do I even do that?” She stared into his dangerously alluring obsidian eyes.

Let me guide you. Can you feel it? His gentle, invisible touch infiltrated beyond the edges of her consciousness. It was a cloud of invisible energy; it felt like a gently thrumming forcefield.

What is this?

We call it ka’qui. You either have the sense for it, or you don’t. You obviously do.

Pressure enveloped her from all sides. It wasn’t unpleasant, though. It was like being covered in a warm, weighted blanket.

His smile faded. He was perfectly serious now. I’ll take you out of here. When I enter your mind, don’t resist. Just let it flow.

She had no idea what he was talking about. All she knew was that the pressure was getting stronger, and it wasn’t a crushing pressure; it was more of a liquid feeling, like drowning in warm honey without the distress.

It was pleasant.

He felt pleasant.

Her first instinct was to recoil because the strangeness of it all freaked her out, but then she remembered what he said, and somehow, it all started to make sense.

In a way that only he could.

Because he was already impossible, so what should it matter if she suspended disbelief entirely?

She was already in deep shit, so what would it matter if she let an alien infiltrate her thoughts?

Submit to me.

So she emptied her mind of all thought; all doubt.

She simply let him be.

SEVEN

All of a sudden, she was awake.

Even though the tunnel was filled with noxious sedating gas, she was perfectly alert, but she wasn’t in control.

It was strange. She could see, but she couldn’t move. Everything felt different: the way she stood, the rhythm of her breathing.

“H-how…” she whispered frantically. Or at least she tried, but nothing came out.

Don’t talk. You don’t want to give away your position.

I… I can’t talk anyway, she replied, turning her words into thoughts. My mouth won’t move. Is this your doing?

Intense panic overtook her. He was inside her body, and she was completely helpless. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t move.

I told you not to resist. Don’t fight it. This is difficult enough as it is. If you mess it up now, I won’t be able to fight your enemies.

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