Neil was too stunned to speak. He watched as the pudgy orb Shermaine had been talking to suddenly ballooned in midair. Cloaked in a haze of blue mist, its form became unrecognizable, only far more menacing than before.
Then, with the force of a miniature cyclone, the blue mist swept toward the robots.
Within minutes, one after another collapsed to the ground, their Energon Cores ripped out.
When it was over, Dave floated down and flopped onto the floor like a deflated beach ball, belly bulging, letting out a loud burp.
Shermaine walked over and hoisted him up. “Done eating?”
Another hiccup of flame. “So spicy! Sheary, wasn’t I fast?”
“You were.” On a normal day, Shermaine might’ve chuckled and played along. But not now. Her mind was elsewhere, on Joshua. She had to get back to him..
“If you’re full, then get to work.”
Dave could sense the tension in her voice. Realizing something serious was going on, he nodded solemnly. “Okay. Sheary, hold on tight, don’t let go.”
She motioned for Neil, who stepped forward and grabbed Dave’s other hand.
A sudden surge of energy pulsed through them, vibrating in the air like static before a storm.
Dave exhaled a shimmering bubble that enveloped them completely.
A heartbeat later, they vanished.
Neil had flown countless planes and never once gotten airsick, but he hated roller coasters. Now, he felt like he was stuck on one, plunging through pitch blackness, head spinning, stomach churning. He shut his eyes, trying not to throw up.
After what felt like an eternity, but was probably only a minute, light began to break through the darkness ahead. They were almost there.
He prayed it would end soon. He was on the verge of losing his breakfast.
Meanwhile, Judy had already taken the booklet. She flipped through it, double–checked the contents, then handed it off to Harry.
Next, she gestured for another document, this one a divorce agreement, not of this world, but it looked official enough.
In her eyes, once Joshua signed the contract from the Kingdom of Xyperia, whatever bond he had with Shermaine would be null and void.
And once she seized the throne, Judy had every intention of returning to Earth with wealth and power behind her. She’d buy her way back into everything.
“Go on. Sign it,” she said, handing Joshua a pen.
A shadow fell across his face. He took the pen, slowly.
It was the first time he realized there was something in this world he couldn’t bear to lose.
Even if Judy’s threats were empty, he couldn’t risk it.
He pressed the pen to the page, but just as the ink began to flow, a voice echoed beside his ear. “Don’t sign it!”
He froze. He looked up, scanning the room, but no one showed up.
Chapter 445
The others heard it too. Confused, they turned just as a blinding white light burst through the ceiling. And then, Shermaine fell from above.
The moment Joshua saw her, the pen hit the ground. In a flash, he rushed forward and caught her in his arms.
Dave and Neil landed with far less grace. Dave hit with a dull thud. Neil, groaning, barely managed to sit up before vomiting on the floor.
Dimensional rift travel had already burned through half of Dave’s freshly absorbed Energon, but it didn’t matter.
He was charged enough for now and ready for another fight, if need be.
Shermaine collapsed into Joshua’s arms. He held her close, tighter than he ever had. “Sheary…”
She lifted a hand to his cheek, brushing it softly. “I’m fine.” Then, her gaze sharpened as it shifted toward Judy. “First you came for the booklet… and now you’re trying to steal my man?”
