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Introduction:
Foreword

My thanks go to neuroparenthetical, for his help and advice during the creation of the first part of this book.

I would also like to thank all those that followed me and supported me during its creation.

PastMaster

Chapter 1 – Awakening

Scars don’t just disappear.

I’d had one since I was little – for as long as I could remember, really. It had been quite the odd one too: almost like a bracelet around my left wrist. At the risk of being grotesque and making it sound worse than it was, I’d come to think of it in later years as what might happen if an actual red-hot bracelet had been put on there for just long enough to leave a rough pattern. One could feel it were they to run their fingers over it, but it hadn’t been so noticeable that everybody’s eyes had been drawn to it all the time. According to my parents, I’d been born with it. It was in my medical records and everything, and even my schools had been told about it in advance. My parents obviously hadn’t wanted anybody calling child protective services, even if the records would have settled the matter quickly thereafter.

Every now and again, it had itched. Over time, I’d stopped thinking about it – even when I’d absentmindedly scratched at it.

So, when did it vanish? I wish I could tell you that I noticed right away when it did; I was a little slow on the uptake. Roundabouts my twentieth birthday, though, strange things started happening, and so that’s where this story begins.

+++++

We were in the middle of a heat wave and the night had been close and muggy.

Josh, my roommate, had come back to the room late the previous night, in a very confused state. He’d been kind of half-angry, half-frustrated, and yet laughing almost hysterically too. Apparently, he and his girlfriend, Louise, had spent a good part of the evening in her dorm room since her roomie had gone home early. They had been making out and getting ready for the main event when, out of the blue, Louise’s older sister had decided to come calling. Josh had hidden under the bed in her room for almost three hours until the sister had left, by which time Louise had lost the mood and kicked him out with nothing more than a good night kiss and a severe case of blue balls.

I awoke to my normal morning wood and was contemplating taking myself into the shower to deal with it. I glanced across at Josh’s bed to see if he was awake, and whether it was safe for me to move without him seeing me in that state. I was met with an amazing sight.

At some time during the night, Josh had kicked off his bedclothes, and, since he apparently had decided to sleep naked, was laid on his back on his bed – still asleep, but with a huge erection standing proudly. He had a beautiful cock: easily seven inches long, not overly thick, but with a fat mushroom head that was, at that moment, bobbing gently in time with his heartbeat.

Stunned for a moment, I stared at the image before me. My hand unconsciously closed around my own, slightly smaller cock and squeezed gently. I glanced up at his face, but his eyes were closed and his breathing was regular.

I regarded his cock again and licked my lips. I imagined how it might feel to close my hand around his cock, just as I was currently holding my own. I fantasized that it was, indeed, his cock that I had my hand around, and again gave another gentle squeeze. A bead of clear fluid appeared on his cockhead, glistening in the morning sun that was filtering through the cracks in the blinds.

Another glance confirmed that he was still sleeping; I returned my gaze to his crotch, gently rubbing my own cock. My eyes were fixed on that bead, which had doubled in size and was beginning to head south, dripping in slow motion towards his belly.

I pictured myself stretching out to catch that drip with my tongue, then moving to feel the heat of the fat, throbbing mushroom head. I’d taste his musk and then chase the drip back up until the tip of my tongue lapped gently around his slit.

His prick jerked suddenly. He let out a stifled groan and I looked quickly back at his face. He was apparently having an interesting dream. He was definitely still asleep, but his breathing had started to become heavier, and the pulsing of his tool had become quicker, matching his increasing heart rate. The veins on his shaft were standing out more distinctly, and precum was starting to ooze out, chasing the drip onto his belly and working its way toward his belly button.

I continued to stroke myself, still imagining it was his hardness that I held in my hand. I imagined once again bringing my head towards his groin, inhaling the scent of his maleness, feeling his blood pulsing through his cock. I imagined how it might feel to take the head of his penis into my mouth, run my tongue around the head, and taste the salty musk of his precum. I stroked myself faster as I dreamed of gently cupping and squeezing the balls nestled at its base, then taking him further into my mouth, moving my head slowly up and down, sucking and licking at him.

The imagery was intense – so much so that, after only a few minutes, I could feel my own balls start to tighten and churn. I stroked harder and faster, trying to both satisfy my own craving and not disturb Josh’s sleep. I took careful glances at his face periodically to make sure that he had not woken up.

His precum had turned into a river by then, drooling constantly from his piss slit and pooling in his navel. I imagined pulling back, allowing the head of that magnificent organ to pop out of my mouth, before running my tongue down the length of his shaft, licking around his balls and then back up. I dreamed of running the tip of my tongue under the head of his cock before once more sucking his cockhead into my mouth and swirling my tongue around it as I bobbed up and down. I’d take more and more of his delicious meat into my mouth until I had pushed my face all the way down, so that the head of his cock was throbbing and drooling in my throat. I imagined that I could feel his cock becoming even harder in my mouth, the head swelling in the back of my throat – that I could feel his pulse as his meat throbbed and jumped in my mouth.

I was wanking my own cock like crazy; it was slick from my own precum, which was drooling from my cock at a similar rate to Josh’s.

With a last glance at his sleeping face, I once again immersed myself in the fantasy of feeling the hardness and heat of his straining cock in my hand as I slurped and licked at his circumcised head, lapping up the precum as fast as it came out. I imagined sucking harder, waiting and hoping for him to shoot a load of his cum into my mouth.

With that thought, I reached my own climax. With a quiet grunt, I felt my cock pulse, and the first spurt of spunk jetted from it, soaking my belly under my covers.

At the exact same instant, Josh let out a long, low moan, and his cock throbbed massively. I was amazed to see a huge gout of cum launch itself from his slit, and arc, almost in slow motion, through the air before splattering itself on his upper belly. In time with my own orgasm, his second spurt was even bigger than the first, rocketing out of him and splattering onto his chest and throat.

Jet after jet of hot, thick, creamy whiteness spewed from his cock, covering his chest and belly in a pool. In the frenzy of my own straining cumshot, I longed to lap it all up; to feel the sweet, salty stickiness of it on my tongue; to taste his musk; to wrap my lips around the head of his still-throbbing member and catch the final spurts of his emission.

Finally, both our orgasms tailed off, and Josh groaned. I snapped my eyes closed, knowing he was waking, and tried to control my breathing to make him think I was still asleep.

“Fuck me!” I heard him whisper. “What the hell was that?”

Through slitted eyes, I saw him glance over at me almost guiltily. Apparently satisfied I was still asleep, he ran his hand down his belly, feeling the sticky wetness there before grabbing his cock and squeezing it, forcing out the last pearls of cum.

I wished that I could have been close enough to stretch out my tongue and clean off those pearls.

Josh shuddered again.

Glancing at me once again, he quietly got out of bed and went into the bathroom, where I heard the shower start up.

The room smelled of cum, heavy and musky. Whether it was his cum, mine, or both I wasn’t sure, but my softening cock started to stiffen again at the scent. I grabbed a towel from my sports kit, and, after a quick wipe-down, pushed it under my bed for disposal later. I threw on some boxers, shorts, and a tee shirt, and opened the window to let in some air. By the time Josh was finished in the bathroom I was sitting back on my bed, waiting for my turn – and hopefully looking perfectly innocent. I stood up as he walked back into the room, also wearing shorts and a tee shirt.

“Hey,” he said.

“Morning,” I replied, feigning a yawn.

He looked at me sidelong. “Did I wake you?”

“Yeah,” I said, and he stiffened slightly. “Next time, don’t slam the bathroom door.”

He relaxed and grinned at me a little sheepishly. “Sorry!” he said, “Oh hey, happy birthday!”

I grinned back at him. “Thanks,” I said before turning into the bathroom. My only thought was that that had been a very interesting way to start my birthday. It been a little pervy, and very hot, but it hadn’t been strange.

Well, okay. It hadn’t been strange strange.

++++++++++

I don’t want to give too much away too soon, so let’s leave it here: as I was scrubbing my arms, wrists, and hands that morning, I simply did not notice whether my scar was still there or not. I’d just finished stealthily jerking off while gawking at my naked, sleeping roommate – and while seeing him have the mother of all wet dreams. My mindset was anything but attentive.

Josh had left the room by the time I had gotten out of the shower.

I dressed, then realized I was hungry, and so I headed down to the cafeteria to get some breakfast. As I was walking down the corridor I spotted Angela, a girl I had always admired from afar, walking towards me.

Angela was simply gorgeous. She wasn’t one of the ‘cheerleader’ crowd, but she had an amazing body. Most importantly, she had that ass.

I have to admit, I’m an ass man. If someone’s butt is hot, they immediately jump up several notches in my book, and I’ve spent years learning how to discretely ogle hot butts whenever I think can get away with it. Angela’s was firm, tight, and well-rounded, just the way I like them.

As well as having a hind end to die for, Angela also had a great personality. She was kind, generous, and fun to be around. Unfortunately for me, she was also in a relationship with a friend of mine, Bob, so she was off-limits. That didn’t prevent me from looking, though.

I decided to deploy one of my many well-practiced butt-ogling techniques. I stopped and turned, pretending to look around for something. It was perfectly innocent; after all, I was looking away from Angela, not toward her. Then I waited for her to pass by, and, what a coincidence, there was her ass, right in my eye-line. Sadly, although she was wearing jeans tight enough to have been painted on, I couldn’t see much of her ass; she had a shirt on which was untucked and fell almost to the top of her thighs. I could just see the bottom of her ass cheeks, though, and that was still pretty awesome.

I imagined what it would be like if she were to pull up her shirt to reveal that gorgeous butt of hers, letting me appreciate her full beauty.

Suddenly she stopped walking, and, for absolutely no reason I could see, grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it up. My jaw dropped. The sight of her beautiful rear end didn’t do anything to break the spell. I was so stunned that I didn’t even notice her turn slightly to look at me.

She laughed, then shouted, “Busted!”

I blushed, but also grinned.

“Sorry,” I said, and turned to continue my trek to the cafeteria, hearing her laughter fading as we parted ways.

Angela’s shout had distracted me from the strangeness of what had just transpired, but not for long. I walked down the halls on autopilot. My mind raced. I thought back to the event earlier with Josh. I had originally thought he had had a wet dream, but I was reconsidering. I’d imagined him having a fantastic sexual encounter – with me – and he’d shot off like someone who indeed had just had one. I asked myself if I’d imagined him coming. I remembered very distinctly that I’d hoped for it. That seemed very close, conceptually.

The idea that was percolating in my mind seemed far-fetched, but I did what one does: I pinched myself, making sure I wasn’t dreaming. It hurt, and I didn’t wake up in my bed. I had just briefly fantasized about Angela lifting up her shirt to show me her ass, and then she’d done exactly that. What she’d done afterwards hadn’t been a part of my little fantasy, though. I didn’t know what that meant.

I needed to run tests.

I looked up at the ceiling and fixed my attention on a light. I imagined the bulb exploding in a shower of sparks and glass shards.

Nothing happened.

I huffed. The test didn’t prove anything except that I couldn’t make a light explode just by imagining it, but it would’ve been a lot cooler if I could. It didn’t prove that I didn’t have any powers at all.

I arrived at the cafeteria and joined the queue for breakfast.

There were a number of people in front of me, and once again I was presented with a cornucopia of butts to observe. None were as good as Angela’s, but a few were worth watching. There was another girl with a rather shapely behind in the queue about three people in front of me. The view, however, was marred a little, as she had her phone in her back pocket, spoiling the curve of her cheek.

I imagined that she reached back and extricated the phone, thus clearing the view.

Within thirty seconds, the phone was in her hand. She was texting someone.

“Hmm,” I thought to myself, “that’s encouraging, but it could have been pure coincidence. I need something more definitive.”

I looked around the cafeteria and spotted Kyle and Jennifer. I’d known both of them since I’d started at Portland State University. They were a year head of me and the best of friends; they both wanted to be more, but neither of them had had the courage to make the first move. They’d both confided that in me, and sworn me to absolute secrecy. I’d tried my best to convince them to make that move, creeping up to the very edge of breaking my oath. It had been so frustrating. With Kyle, especially, I’d laid it on thick.

“Dude,” I’d said, “she so obviously wants you. She wants your dick. She wants you to man up and ask her on a real date. Her panties will fucking melt when you do, I’m so sure of it.”

Still, nothing. I decided that I suddenly had the perfect opportunity to help my two friends out, without breaking any promises – well, if I actually had powers.

Kyle had finished his breakfast and Jennifer was just finishing up the last of her juice. They would normally combine their trays, which Kyle would then go take care of, dropping off the trash and then the trays. Then he’d come back, and they’d leave the cafeteria together, continuing to suffer in mutual, cowardly silence.

I focused extremely hard, and I imagined something very different for them: as Kyle came back to where Jennifer was standing, she would simply grab the front of his shirt and pull him in for a searing kiss. Initially, he would be stunned, but would quickly get into it, putting his arms around the girl he had adored since they’d met nearly three years ago. He would place his hand on her hips, but she would take hold of his wrists and push them down so that his hands were firmly on her ass. Then she would press herself into him.

I saw Kyle’s eyes go wide as she grabbed him and pulled him in for the kiss. At first, he seemed like he might resist and deviate from my ***********, but he quickly melted into her, and his hands slid down her arms to her waist. Just as I’d imagined, she moved them all the way to her ass.

There was a chorus of catcalls and whistles, mostly good-natured, and they split apart, both blushing fiercely. She grinned up at him and linked her arm in his, pulling him out of the cafeteria. I wondered where they were bound, and hoped that, wherever it was, at least one of them had protection.

I sat at the table, stunned. I had my proof. There was no way in Christendom that Jennifer would ever have done that, and I would have bet money that if she had, Kyle would have panicked and cut and run. I had done all of that, just then, for them. I had no idea how, but it was clear to me that I had.

I had my proof, but I wanted to ‘run more tests’ immediately. Who wouldn’t have?

I spotted Sue walking over to my table.

Sue was one of my best friends. She was intelligent and pretty, with stunning, light-blue eyes. She was also larger than most girls. She had struggled for most of her life with her weight, and had suffered more than a little abuse at the hands of our fellow students.

I liked her a lot, and had had more than one fantasy that had included her. I may be an ass man, but a good personality can get you pretty far in my book too.

Sue and I had never had any kind of physical relationship, but we’d talked to each other about the various boys and girls we fancied or had dallied with. She was also aware I was a virgin. She, I’d learned quite some time ago, was not.

For an instant, I imagined what it would be like for her to kiss me as she sat down – nothing as passionate as the scene I’d constructed between Kyle and Jennifer, just a friendly peck on the lips, with no promise of anything further.

Her lips were soft and tasted of cherry. The kiss was brief, and then she sat in the chair next to me.

“Good morning to you too,” I said in an amused voice.

“Oh wow, Caleb,” she said, “I have no idea where that came from. Sorry.”

“Sorry for what?” I asked. “It was a nice way to start the day.”

“I guess Kyle and Jennifer finally overcame their fears,” she said. “Maybe that got me a little excited?”

“So, are you going to confess an unrequited desire for me that you have been hiding for years?” I asked with a smile.

She snorted. “Nah!” she said. “You’re a good guy, Caleb, but I like bigger men. I’d be willing to help you get rid of one of your V cards though. That might be fun.”

We had had this discussion before. She was one of the few people who knew about my being pansexual, which is why she’d referenced multiple V cards. She put it at two: one for men and one for women. It made about as much sense as anything else. I knew a lot of people went hole-by-hole, plus one more for getting your dick into one.

I grinned at her. “I’m not sure I’m enough of a man for you, Sue,” I said. “I wouldn’t want to disappoint a girl on my first outing.”

“Oh, you wouldn’t disappoint,” she replied with a glint in her eye. “I’d make sure to go in with low expectations.”

I laughed. “You know how to flatter a man.”

“So, what do you think finally made Jennifer bite the bullet?” she asked, looking toward the door they’d just left through. “Those two have been dancing around each other forever.”

“Mind Control,” I said. “I decided it was time and took control of the pair. Made them go for it.”

She looked at me for a second and then burst out laughing.

“I love the way you kept a straight face through all of that,” she said, still chuckling. “Oh, I nearly forgot.” She dug into her pocket, pulled out a small, wrapped packet, and handed it to me. “Happy birthday!”

“Dare I open it here?” I asked.

She just smirked. I carefully peeled back the paper and found a box with “Condoms and Lube” written on it. Blushing a little, I hid the box in my pocket.

“I got extra lube in case you decide to go the guy way for your first time,” she said. “It’s your party tonight; even you can’t fail to get lucky on your birthday.”

“You really know how to stroke a guy’s ego,” I said. “Besides, I’ve already had birthdays…”

She continued to grin at me.

“So, got your eye on anyone for tonight?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” I replied. “Are you coming to the party?”

“Hell, you know I am, but I was going to bring someone. Is that okay?” She looked worried for a second.

“Of course. You already told me that you are too much woman for me in any case. Anyone I know?”

“Gordon.”

“He’s a nice guy,” I said. “Be gentle with him.”

“I’ll take that under advisement,” she said dryly. Having finished her breakfast, she stood up. “Right, I need to get moving. I’ll see you later.”

I looked up at her, mocking a pout. “What, no kiss?”

She stuck her tongue out at me. “You’ve had your ration for today.”

She cleared her tray and headed towards the exit. I finished the last of my juice and stood to do the same.

Myriad thoughts were running through my head as I walked through the corridor to my locker. It was clear to me that I was influencing things. Kyle and Jennifer had proven that to my satisfaction; the kiss from Susan had just been a little cherry on top. What had been interesting, there, was that she hadn’t been particularly fazed by it, and seemed to have put it down to a sudden urge.

I got to the class and settled in. It was English. After having been horribly abused by an editor for months when I’d tried my hand at writing, I was painfully aware of how vital it was for native speakers to still take classes.

Mary, a girl I knew in passing, sat in front of me. As she prepared to sit, I noted a stain on the back of her trousers — small, red, and highly visible against the light blue denim.

Of course I was looking at her butt. Why wouldn’t I have been?

I heard a snort behind me and looked back to see Todd, the class asshole, pulling his face in disgust. I knew he would do something to embarrass the poor girl, who had either been caught short, or whose pad had leaked.

Looking at him, I imagined that, just as he was about to open his mouth to call her out, he suffered explosive diarrhea in his trousers. He would have to leave the classroom in a hurry.

The noise was astounding. It sounded like the biggest fart you could ever imagine. Todd yelped and stood up before rushing from the room. I smiled to myself before tapping Mary on the shoulder.

She leaned back to see what I wanted.

“I’m really sorry, but you have a bit of blood on the back of your trousers,” I said quietly – so quietly I knew that nobody else could hear.

She blushed.

“Oh,” was all she said before calling the teacher over and having a quiet word. The teacher nodded and then walked back to the front of the class.

Mary looked around, not wanting to stand up. I pulled off my sweatshirt and handed it to her.

“Tie this around your waist,” I suggested.

Gratefully, she took the sweatshirt, then left the room.

In addition to being incredibly satisfying, my latest experiment had also been quite interesting. Explosive diarrhea wasn’t exactly voluntary. I could do more than influence people to take conscious actions. I could make things happen to them, just by imagining them. That raised new questions, but it was a valuable bit of information in its own right.

I still needed more, though, clearly. Was it just people? Did it work on animals? Could I be the best animal trainer in the world? Did I need to be in the same room as the person, or would it work remotely? How did it affect that person? Did they know they were being manipulated? Would they suspect it if they took a conscious action, like Susan, but be less suspicious if their body just betrayed them, like Todd’s just had? Could I affect my own body?

My mind immediately went there. I wasn’t unhappy with my size, but hey, an extra inch or two would have been tops.

I determined there was a lot of experimentation I would have to do, but very carefully. I didn’t want to hurt myself, or anyone else for that matter. Well, okay, maybe Todd’s pride, his pants, and his butthole. Nothing serious is what I meant — and I’d only humiliate people who really deserved it.

I also thought about how easy It would be to get laid. All I had to do would be to…

Immediately I was hit with a wave of revulsion. The thought of effectively raping someone by controlling their mind made me feel physically sick. I determined that I would never stoop to that. I promised myself, then and there, that I might use my new ability to nudge people or to find out information, but never to force someone to do something they wouldn’t ordinarily do.

Then I thought back to Angela, Kyle, Jennifer, and Susan. Would they have ever done what I’d made them do? My stomach turned a little bit as I began to realize just how fraught my new situation might be. Mary came back into the classroom about twenty minutes later, and to be honest, that was one of the few events I actually paid attention to.

After English, I had a class on Concepts of Law, and then it was time for lunch.

Josh joined me at my table in the cafeteria. We had arranged to meet to discuss the party.

“No Louise today?” I asked.

He pointed behind me, and Louise walked around the table and dropped into the chair beside him.

She acknowledged me with a nod but then turned to Josh. “Come on, what’s with you this morning? You look guilty. Did you get up to something after you left me last night? I know you left frustrated, but if you ended up with…”

“Louise,” I said, “Josh got back to our room last night with the worst case of blue balls I think I have ever seen. It was both pathetic and hilarious.”

She looked at me, and then at him. “I’m sorry, baby,” she said. “I didn’t expect my sister…”

He gave her a look. “It’s fine,” he said. His eyes flicked toward me it. It was obvious he didn’t want to talk about it in front of me. I could have left, but I wanted to hear, so I imagined that they both completely forgot that I was even there – that neither of them could see me or recognize my presence in any way at all.

Josh’s face relaxed. “I had a dream,” he said.

Louise looked nonplussed. “Go on,” she said.

“This morning, just before I woke up, I started dreaming that I felt a hand on my cock. I must have been all backed up from last night, but it felt really good. It was stroking and playing with me, squeezing. Then I felt a mouth. Hot and tight, it took me inside and gave me the most amazing blowjob. I felt a hand on my balls stroking, and then the mouth let me go before moving down and licking my balls. You know how I like that.”

Louise looked stunned, but also a little flushed. She seemed to be getting aroused by his de***********ion of his dream. I looked around quickly, making sure nobody else was hearing Josh’s story; just for good measure, I imagined exactly that.

“After licking my balls, it went all the way back up, licking under and around the head before taking it back in and then deepthroating me. I could feel a face pressed right into my groin, and a throat working at the head of my cock. I came like I haven’t ever come before. All that time, the mouth was licking and sucking at the head, eating my load.

“I woke being showered with my own cum,” he finished.

“Wow,” she said. “That was some dream. Did you see who it was that gave you such great head?”

His head dropped and his face blushed. “Right at the end, just before I woke up, I got a quick flash of a face, still holding my cock in their mouth.”

“Not me, then,” Louise said. She didn’t seem too upset, but her voice was a little flat.

He shook his head.

“It was just a dream,” he tried to explain. “I didn’t do anything with anyone else.”

“I know,” she said, “but it would be nice to know who my competition is. Who is your subconscious pining after?”

He looked at her. “You won’t be mad?” he asked.

She put her hand on his arm. “You can’t control your dreams. If you had gone out and fucked some slut I would be mad, and you would be in the hospital. But dreams happen no matter what we want. If you are lucky, maybe I’ll tell you a couple of mine one day.” She smiled at him. I honestly had no idea if she was being sincere or setting a trap.

He still seemed uncertain of that himself.

“Come on, I won’t be mad,” she pressed. “Who gave you this magnificent dream blowjob?”

“Caleb,” he said simply.

It was a good thing that I had made sure nobody else could hear us, otherwise the dual gasps of surprise would have drawn a lot of attention.

For a few seconds, Louise said nothing, but then she smiled. “That. Is. So. HOT!!” she exclaimed.

Both Josh and I looked at her in shock. Of course, neither of them noticed me.

“You think it’s hot?” he asked, confused.

She looked at him. “Are you gay?” she asked. “Or bi?”

“I’m not gay,” he said certainly, “and I didn’t think I had any attraction to guys either. But for the last few months, I have been looking at Caleb and there is just something there. I never had any intention of acting on it. He is just such a nice person. The attraction was never sexual; it was just like he was my best friend.”

“Until last night,” she said.

He nodded.

“Is Caleb gay?” she asked.

“I don’t honestly know,” he replied. “He has a lot of friends of both sexes. I don’t ever remember him bringing anyone back to the room. I think he might still be a virgin.

“Where is he, anyway? He was just here, then he was gone. He knows we need to talk about the arrangements.”

“Umm right here?” I said. Neither of them reacted at all.

I filed that titbit away. Then I imagined that they could both see me and otherwise recognize me again.

“Umm, right here?” I said again. They both jumped.

“When did you get back?” Josh asked, blushing furiously.

“Just sat down again. Sorry, bathroom, couldn’t wait. What were you guys talking about?”

Josh seemed tongue-tied, but Louise picked up the slack.

“Just talking about the party. Happy birthday, by the way.” She grinned at me.

At that point, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned and looked up to see Mary, from my English class, standing there.

“Hi Caleb,” she said. “I wanted to thank you for earlier, and to return your sweatshirt. Don’t worry, I didn’t spill anything on it.” She took a quick sidelong glance at Josh and Louise.

“Thanks,” I said, taking the sweatshirt and putting it on. It smelled faintly of perfume, and I decided I rather liked it. “Listen,” I said, “it’s my birthday, and I’m having a party tonight. Why don’t you come along?”

She smiled. “Well, since you know what you know, I assume your motives are pure, so okay.”

“Awesome,” I said, and then immediately wondered why I’d said it. It was a word I never used. “The party is at a friend’s house.” I gave her the address.

“I’ll see you there,” she said, smiling as she walked away. I couldn’t resist a lingering look.

“So,” Louise said, grinning, “is she the new girl?”

“No,” I replied. “She is just someone from my English class.”

“You don’t lend your favorite sweatshirt to just anyone,” Josh said. He was grinning too.

“How do you know it’s my favorite?” I asked. The question was out before I thought about it.

He blushed and looked down.

Louise stepped in. “So why the clothing swap? Did you leave it at hers last night?”

“No,” I said. “If you must know, she got very chilly in class, in that way that only women do, sometimes. She needed some extra cover.”

“Ah, say no more,” Louise replied. “It all makes sense now.”

Josh was looking between us, utterly confused. “What makes sense?” he asked.

“I’ll tell you when you’re older, you big baby,” she hissed. “All you need to know is that Caleb was very chivalrous. Don’t you think that’s a very attractive quality in a man?”

Josh shut up in a hurry, properly chastised and embarrassed — probably terrified that Louise would spill his secret to me. Louise was very, very good. I filed that away too.

“So then,” continued Louise, “since she isn’t the one taking your V card tonight, who is?”

“What makes you so certain I still have my V card?” I asked. I kept it playful, letting her know I wasn’t offended.

“Are you telling me you don’t?”

“I’m not telling you anything,” I said. “Why are you so interested in it, anyway?”

“We just want to help a friend in need,” she said. “Don’t we, Josh?”

Josh blushed again. He couldn’t look at me. Louise was really, really good.

“Well don’t start trying to line me up with someone,” I said. “I’d like to be the one to choose who I have my first experience with, when I decide to do so. I doubt it will be tonight. I don’t want it to be part of a drunken fumble. I want it to be special.”

“Oooh, are you saving yourself for ‘The One’?” she asked, thankfully not making air-quotes. I hated pretentious pricks that did that.

“No,” I said, “I just want for it to be an experience I’ll remember, not just some drunken episode I’d rather forget. Anyway, I thought we were supposed to be talking about arrangements for tonight.”

“And I thought we already were,” she replied playfully. “But alright, we can discuss streamers and fruit punch instead, I suppose.”

Since we had spent rather too long on other things, we had only a few minutes to discuss the party, but it didn’t seem to be a problem. Our friend Bob was hosting. His parents had leased him a large house, which he normally shared with three friends in his class.

Bob had said that we could use his downstairs for our party, but that the upstairs was off-limits. Apparently, the rest of my friends had taken care of most of the details. Louise asked me a few questions about music, snacks, drinks, and the like, and gently prodded as to whether there were to be any more last-minute invites. They did need to know roughly how many people they’d need to feed, after all.

That was fair. I did my best to quickly give her all the info she wanted.

As I headed to my next class, my phone beeped. It was a text from my mother.

_Happy birthday.

I thought back to my questions earlier. Do I need to be in the same location for my ability to work?

I grinned to myself.

I imagined myself at my mother’s house, being presented with a new Ford GT Car. I saw it in royal blue with the GT Stripes. Mum was handing me the keys.

After a few seconds, my phone beeped again.

_Okay, you need to come home pronto. I know it’s a long drive, but come this weekend. We NEED to talk. P.S. I know you wouldn’t but DO NOT use it to get into some poor girls’ pants. Do nothing. Tell no one. I’m serious.

I stopped in my tracks, stunned.

The implications of that text blew my mind and left me with so many questions — but also the hope that I could get a lot of answers in a hurry. I wanted to call my mother right then and there, but I knew she would just tell me to wait until Saturday.

To say I was distracted in my next class would have been an understatement. In fact, I decided that I would skip the last class of the day and go back to my room to gather my thoughts.

I should have perhaps knocked, but, thinking that Josh was also in class, I accidentally barged in on Josh and Louise. Josh was down to his boxers, and was obviously aroused, and Louise had only on her bra and a red thong. Pretty much everything she had was on show.

“Oh God I am SOOO Sorry,” I said, turning my back as Josh drew a blanket over the pair of them.

Josh looked embarrassed, but Louise just grinned.

“See anything you liked?” she asked mischievously.

I decided not to back down from her challenge.

“I did catch a glimpse of a very nice butt,” I said, turning back around and looking her straight in the eye.

“Whose? Mine or Josh’s?”

“Well since you were on top…” I didn’t finish the sentence.

“See? He thinks I have a nice butt,” she said to Josh with a grin.

“He has good taste,” he replied. Josh had sense. That was a good answer.

She smiled and snuggled up against him under the blanket.

“I guess I’ll go and leave you two to… it,” I finished lamely.

“No, don’t go,” Louise said. “I don’t want to push you out of your room. Besides, I want to talk to you.”

I raised my eyebrows. “It’s not quite ‘we need to talk,’ but it feels about as ominous.”

She jumped out of bed, and, showing no signs of embarrassment, pulled Josh’s bathrobe on.

“What?” she said, looking at my surprised expression. “You already saw it all anyway.”

“I wasn’t expecting a repeat performance,” I replied.

She sat on the edge of Josh’s bed. He scooted up behind her, head propped up on his elbow.

“Caleb, will you be honest with me?” she asked.

“And that’s even more dark clouds on the horizon,” I said. “Do I even want to have this conversation?”

“Caleb, are you gay?”

My jaw dropped. I had not expected her to be quite so forthright.

I considered my answer. I could feign outrage and deny it, but saw no reason for that. It was the twenty-first century after all, and we were on a university campus. I had no reason to hide my sexuality. I supposed I could tell her I was bi, which was the easiest way to understand it, but for some reason, I felt compelled to go with the whole truth.

“No,” I said, but immediately went on to qualify. “I would describe myself as pansexual.”

They both looked at me, waiting for me to explain further. I rolled my eyes first. I really didn’t like this part. It was so… staid. It was boring.

“It just means that I can be attracted to anyone,” I said. “Sex and gender aren’t deal breakers. It doesn’t mean I actually am into everyone. There has to be something. There has to be a spark. I will admit, though, I am something of an ass man.” I gave Louise a grin. “But you never really know. It could be the eyes, the smile, the personality, or how they’re really great with babies or puppies or what-have-you.”

“Or their cock?” Louise asked suggestively.

“It could be, in a specific case, yes, Louise,” I answered with a sigh. “It could be their cock. Someone might have a really, really nice cock, and it might set off that spark.”

She bit her lip and squirmed a little. She clearly liked that answer — which, given my spy mission earlier, came as no surprise.

“Well?” I asked. “Make sense?”

“Why did you never say anything?” asked Josh. I went ahead and assumed that was a ‘yes’ on getting it, even though, from experience, it wasn’t necessarily so.

“I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable,” I answered. “I didn’t want you wondering if I was harboring nefarious thoughts about you, scared to relax in your own home. Also, I guess the stigma of alternate sexuality is still around, even today. You might have wanted to change rooms, or even if you didn’t, there’s guilt by association. You could have ended up getting hassled for sharing with me. You know what people are like. There would be snide comments about what was going on in here after lights out. It was just easier to say nothing.”

“Have you ever been with a girl?” asked Louise. “Or a boy?”

I shook my head, not really knowing how this was any of her business, but suspecting she was leading up to something.

“Then you still have your V… no, you have two V cards then?” asked Louise. She was on Team Susan there, evidently.

“Two?” asked Josh, once again confirming that Louise was the brains of their operation.

I sighed. “One for boys and one for girls, I’m assuming she means. Aren’t you forgetting the non-binary and trans and all the other identities, though?”

She thought about that for a moment. “That’s far too complicated, so I’m sticking with two,” she said.

That was probably the most honest answer I’d ever gotten about it.

“Have you ever given a blowjob?” she then asked. “Or had one?”

“Where are we going with this?” I asked. It wasn’t that I minded too much, but given the circumstances, I could see trouble ahead.

“I had a dream,” Josh said.

That threw me. I never would have thought he’d have spoken up about it. Cajoled — bullied, really — by Louise, sure, eventually. But just out of the blue? Never would have thought.

“So did MLK,” I retorted, “and he never asked me about my sex life.”

“I dreamt that you gave me a blowjob,” he continued, “and it was amazing.” He couldn’t look at me.

“Dreams are just that,” I said. “Dreams. You can’t be held responsible for them. Louise, surely you are not upset that he had a dream?”

“No, not at all,” she said. “I thought it was hot. And I wondered if I could persuade you to let me watch you do it for real?”

And that was exactly what I’d been worried about.

My worry was twofold, actually. Clearly, Louise was the driver here. Josh was being more forward than I’d ever expected, but Louise had already spilled to him that she thought the whole thing was hot. He was clearly uncomfortable. There was no way of knowing how into this he actually was, on his own, separate and apart from knowing that Louise was getting all hot and bothered.

And then there were the powers. To whatever extent Josh was willing, was it because I’d unknowingly used my powers on him?

I recalled more of the conversation from the cafeteria. Josh had confessed that he’d been drawn to me for some time, even if it hadn’t been sexual. As far as I knew, that well predated my powers. I supposed I couldn’t be sure, but, well… things in my life had been fine before yesterday, but not exactly what I’d have called magical.

“Is there a problem?” Louise asked, startling me from my ruminations. “Don’t you find him attractive?”

“The problem is you,” I said bluntly. “I don’t want to get in the way of your relationship. I can think of a million ways that this could go tragically wrong. You guys seem so good together and could be headed for a serious commitment. I don’t want to be the person who destroys that.

“How will you feel watching your boyfriend getting, and hopefully enjoying, head from someone other than you, especially another guy? Will you forever be wondering if he enjoyed it more than when you do it? Or if he prefers men now? If you do stay together, each time he goes out with the boys, are you going to be wondering what he is up to? I don’t want that responsibility.”

“I don’t think he’s attracted to other men,” she said. “I think he is attracted to you. And I feel it too. Don’t get me wrong, I love Josh, and you may be right, we may be heading for marriage and kids, the whole nine yards, but what he and I both seem to feel for you is outside that.

“I know that you don’t want to give your virginity to just anyone boy or girl,” she continued, “but we both have some urges towards you that, if you would like, we could explore.”

I looked at Josh.

“How would you feel about your girlfriend ‘exploring some of her urges’ with another guy?” I asked. “Won’t that mess with your head?”

“Before today I would have said it would,” he admitted, “but just before you came in, Louise and I were talking, and she got me to imagine her and you doing stuff. Not having full-on sex, but you going down on her and vice-versa.”

“And?” I prompted.

“Well,” he said, “I thought it would get me angry, but it just got me really really horny. “Besides, if we can’t go a little wild at college, when can we?”

I looked at the pair of them, wondering If I should do it – wondering if I was already abusing an ability that I had only just discovered. I thought about our interactions. I had not used my ability on Louise, other than to blind her to my presence as the couple had talked in the cafeteria. Josh was a little more complicated, but all I’d really done to him was give him a wet dream. I seemed to have intruded personally into that wet dream, but I wasn’t even sure that my powers had done that bit.

“You are very quiet,” Louise said. “Have we shocked you?”

“A little,” I responded.

“You said you were attracted to people, not to gender,” she said. “Is that the problem? Is it that Josh, or I, are not attractive to you?”

I shook my head. “I have been in lust with Josh since I moved in with him.”

He looked a little shocked at that.

“And you,” I said to Louise, “are one of the most beautiful people I know. I love how you are together. If anything, together you are more attractive to me than separately, if that makes any sense?”

“Then where’s the harm?” she asked.

“I guess I’m a little afraid. Afraid of hurting you guys. Also, I’m a little afraid that I’ll disappoint. That dream sounds like a lot to live up to, and, as I said, I have only fooled around a little so far. I have never actually done… that.”

“Well, I have,” said Louise, “and Josh is great at oral. I’m sure we can teach you. It may spare you some embarrassment in the future.”

I took a deep breath. “So when would you like to….” I started.

Louise stood up and dropped Josh’s bathrobe. She was standing just in her underwear.

She stood about five-four and had light brown hair just short of shoulder length. She had a slim build, which made her moderate C cup breasts look much larger. Even through her bra, I could see she was excited; her nipples stood proud through the material. Her waist flared out to a perfectly-sized pair of hips. I knew her ass was pert and round and taut; I had seen that when I’d come in before. To be honest, I’d ogled her more than once as she and Josh had walked around together.

“How about now?” she asked, crossing to me and looking up into my face. Before I knew it, she had placed her lips on mine and was kissing me.

I had been kissed before, and not just pecks on the lips like Sue had given me earlier, but real kisses. She was good – so good, in fact, that I didn’t realize that she had gotten my shirt off until I felt the warmth of her skin pressed against me.

She broke the kiss and took my hand, guiding me towards Josh, who was still laying on his bed.

I took a careful look at his face to gauge his reaction to the kiss, but he looked entirely unconcerned — eager, if anything.

“Where do you want to start?” he asked swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and sitting up. His boxers didn’t hide his arousal at all.

“I think,” said Louise, “that since the birthday boy here has never done anything other than fool around, I will start with him.”

She started to undo my belt, and then looked up at me.

“If this is your first time, I expect it might be a little quick,” she said. “That’s normal and nothing to worry about.”

Josh grinned at me. “I lasted exactly thirty-five seconds the first time she did it to me.”

Louise sank to her knees in front of me, taking my trousers and pants with her. Instinctively, I grabbed Josh’s pillow and dropped it on the floor for her to kneel on.

“Oooh a gentleman too!” she said. “Maybe we can learn something from you too.”

She shot Josh a look but let him off the hook with a grin. I remembered her hissing at him in the cafeteria. Apparently, despite having a girlfriend — a really, really hot girlfriend — he was still a little immature and dense when it came to sex stuff.

She took my penis in her hands. There was no need for her to stroke it to get me hard; it was already standing out, rigid and ready.

“Nice,” she said and then ran her tongue up the length of my cock, pausing just for a second to tease the underside of the head with the tip.

I jumped at the sudden contact and then groaned at the sensations she was eliciting. She was right; at this rate, I wasn’t going to last long. I worried I might not even last thirty-five seconds.

Josh put his hand gently on her head and guided her to take me into her mouth.

“Don’t tease him,” he said. “Not this time. Save that for later.”

Maybe it was just girls he was a little clueless about. He seemed confident as to what another cock would like.

She smiled up at him around my cock and began to swirl her tongue around the head. Then she pushed further down, taking about half the length into her mouth. I savored the heat and feeling. Then she pulled back, until the head was just resting on her tongue, and she swirled her tongue again.

Already I could feel a tingling starting just behind my balls. Once more, she moved forward, taking more of me into her mouth, then paused for a second and then back up. Another swirl.

Deeper again, pause, back, swirl.

On the next push she took my entire length into her mouth, pressing her nose into my pubic hair. She lifted her hand and began to scratch gently at my balls as they began to tighten. Then she swallowed. Once, twice, three times.

I was almost lost. I thought I might just hold out for a few moments more.

And then Josh kissed me.

His kiss was hot, strong, and totally unexpected. He pushed his tongue into my mouth, battling with mine, but it was a battle I had already lost since Louise had had me on the precipice already. That extra stimulation drove me into oblivion, and I groaned into his mouth as my orgasm hit.

I felt Josh supporting some of my weight. My knees must have buckled as I came. I felt spurt after spurt of cum jet into Louise’s mouth, but she made no complaint. She just kept on stroking my balls and swallowing. I wondered how long it had been since she’d breathed.

Finally, it was over and she pulled back, taking a breath through her nose, and once again swirling her tongue gently around the head of my twitching, overstimulated cock.

Releasing me from her mouth, she looked up at me. I had recovered my balance, and Josh had stepped back a little.

Louise smiled at him. “I didn’t expect that,” she said.

“Me neither,” he replied. “It just seemed the right thing to do.”

They both looked at me.

“Are you okay?” Louise asked “Not too much?”

“That was phenomenal,” I said. “Thank you.”

She smiled.

“What’s now?” I asked.

“Well, I think my boyfriend here has a slight problem we need to help him with,” she said, wrapping her hand around Josh’s manhood. “Do you think you would like to help me with it?”

I nodded. I was excited for this – especially having seen him this morning – but I was also nervous, for all the obvious reasons.

“You better grab your pillow too,” she said. “This floor is hard.”

I grabbed my pillow and knelt beside her, in front of Josh. I looked up at him and he grinned down at me.

“I never even dreamed that this would happen,” he said.

“Not technically true,” Louise said. “Now hush! I’m teaching, here.”

“I won’t need to tell you which parts are sensitive and which are not,” she said. “You already know that. Just do what you know or think will feel good to you. More importantly, be gentle with yourself. Most girls – sorry, most people – think that deepthroat is the goal. I can’t deepthroat Josh. He is too big for me. You are a perfect size. Start slow, stroke him a little, and then take him in your mouth. Just get used to it.”

I followed her advice, stroking his cock and spreading the pre-cum that was leaking steadily from him over the head and down the shaft. Tentatively, I moved closer. I could feel the heat from him on my face. I opened my mouth and stuck my tongue out, tasting him. He tasted exactly as I imagined: a salty, musky flavor that had my own cock hardening again, despite having just cum.

I took the head into my mouth, and, while squeezing the shaft gently with my hand, I swirled my tongue around. He jumped a little. I tried again, but softer this time. He groaned.

“Nice,” Louise whispered in my ear. “Nice and gentle at first. You can get a little rougher when he’s close, but not too rough.”

I pushed forward until I had about a third of his cock in my mouth. I could feel the fat head sitting on my tongue and taste the precum that seemed to be flowing out of him like a river. I rubbed my tongue across the underside of his head, searching for that little spot underneath that seemed so sensitive to me. Josh groaned again.

I had to swallow as I pulled back. I wasn’t sure if it was precum or just saliva, but I had built up quite a lot in my mouth. I pulled off to take a breath and then took him in my mouth again, pushing further down this time.

I must have gotten about halfway down. Once again, I could feel his head on my tongue. Again I moved my tongue across the underside of his cock. It was too far in for me to search out that sensitive spot again. I pulled back and swirled my tongue around his head again, gently poking the tip into the opening. I heard Josh’s breath catch.

Forward again and I was almost all the way down when I felt him hit the back of my throat. I gagged a little and pulled back.

“That’s okay,” Louise said reassuringly. “You will learn to control that with practice.

“But for now, you know how deep you can go.” She curled her finger around the base of his cock. “Hold him like this. This will stop you from going too deep. When he gets near, he may start to push, and you don’t want him making you gag, or worse, puke.”

I did as she showed me and once again took him in my mouth. I pushed forward until my lips met where my finger held his cock. Remembering something I had seen on a porno once, I stuck my tongue out, trying to reach further. I didn’t get far, but I guess the sensation of my tongue moving against the underside of his cock was good, because he moaned yet again.

I pulled back and started a regular rhythm as Louise had with me: push down, pull back, swirl, push down, pull back, swirl. As I pulled back, I would apply suction to try and increase the sensation for him. Every third or fourth stroke I would have to swallow, otherwise, I would have been drooling.

Within a couple of minutes of this, Josh started to move his hips. I knew he was starting to get his rise and I moved faster, trying to be gentle but applying more pressure. I wanted to give him maximum stimulation, but not make it so the sensation was too much.

I felt his hand on the back of my head, but almost immediately Louise gently took hold of it and removed it.

“Not yet, baby,” she said to Josh. “You don’t want to hurt him. Let him control the pace.”

I started moving faster, trying to match the speed of Josh’s thrusts. I remembered the sensation of Louise stroking my balls, so I brought my hand up and began to do the same. I gently stroked and tugged at his scrotum, which seemed to please him, as his hips started moving faster, and his cock got even harder in my mouth.

Something else I had read occurred to me, and I moved my fingers from his scrotum to his taint – that area just behind – and I began to massage there. Josh yelped, and suddenly his cock was pulsing as he came, shooting spurt after spurt of his creamy cum into my mouth.

I pulled back a little so only the first couple of inches stayed in my mouth. I needed to breathe. I took a breath through my nose and once more pushed forward, taking him almost to the hilt again as he finally finished dumping his cum into me.

I savored the taste of his cum for a second before pulling back and allowing his softening cock to slip from my mouth.

Before I could decide what to do with his cum, Louise turned my head and kissed me, sticking her tongue into my mouth and sharing it with me.

The kiss was incredibly erotic, and I held onto her for a moment.

We finally broke apart.

“Now you can swallow,” she said, after swallowing what she’d stolen in the kiss.

I did, as I’d kept the lion’s share.

I was a little breathless as I sat back on my haunches. My own cock was rigid and drooling precum. I would have to change my pillowcase before I went to bed.

Finally, I looked up at Josh. He looked a little shell-shocked.

“Almost,” he said.

“Almost?” I asked.

“My dream,” he replied. “My dream was the best blowjob I have ever had. That was almost as good.”

I looked at Louise, thinking she might be upset, but she was smiling.

“He will get better with practice. You are too big for me to deepthroat, but he will be able to once he gets control.” She turned her head to address me. “What did you do to him at the end?”

“I massaged just behind his balls. It stimulates the prostate.”

“I thought you had to put your finger up the ass to get to that,” she said.

“That too,” I replied, “but you can give some stimulation just by massaging the taint. Thanks for the direction, by the way. It made it much better for both of us, I think.”

I stood up and held my hands out to help Louise stand.

“Now I think it’s your turn,” I said.

“We need to be laid down,” Josh said. “Louise, lie on the bed. Caleb and I will get to either side of you. It will be snug, but we’ll make it work.”

Loise took off her underwear and we positioned ourselves as suggested.

She turned her face to Josh and whispered something I couldn’t hear. I heard his reply, though.

“I love you too.”

They kissed.

As they were kissing, Josh started to gently stroke Louise’s face and neck, and then ran his hand down over her breasts – not lingering too long – before moving to her belly. I could see her skin raising in gooseflesh and her nipples stood up hard. He broke the kiss, and then turned her face to me, indicating I should kiss her.

I did, and then I heard him talking softly.

“Be light and gentle with your caress, firm enough not to tickle though. Remember, women are more than just tits and pussy.”

I stroked her head, running my finger around the outer rim of her ear, then down her neck. She purred into my mouth. Moving across her breasts – again, just like Josh, not lingering too long – I stroked her sides and belly. I think I tickled her a little at first and she chuckled into my mouth, but then as I firmed up the pressure, she went back to kissing.

While we were kissing, Josh started kissing down her neck and over her shoulder.

She started to wriggle a little. She broke the kiss with me and turned her head to Josh. As he kissed her, I mimicked his move, kissing her neck and shoulder, but at the same time running my hand down her sides and over her belly. My hand reached just above where her pubic hair started, and she pushed her hips forward, pressing up against me.

I noticed Josh was stroking her breast, massaging it gently, occasionally running the tip of his finger around her areola, so I copied on her other breast. I wouldn’t have thought it possible for her nipples to get even harder, but they did, and she mewled into Josh’s mouth.

He broke their kiss and she turned her face to me again.

As my tongue battled with hers, Josh and I continued the assault on her breasts, massaging and stroking.

“Be gentle at first with her nipples. You can get a bit rougher later on, but at first go easy. You can easily break the mood if you are too rough. Tease rather than tweak. You’re not tuning a radio.”

I could see from the corner of my eye what he was doing, and I attempted to do the same. I erred on the side of caution, but she seemed to like what we were doing and she arched her back, pressing her breasts into our hands.

She broke the kiss with me, but instead of going back to Josh, she just put her head back and started to moan.

“More,” she said, “please.”

Josh smiled and began a firmer pressure, then he moved down and gently took her nipple into his mouth. I could see he was using his lips and tongue to roll the nipple around, all the time still massaging her breast. Louise moaned.

Once again I copied him, taking her other nipple into my mouth and continuing to massage her breast.

Louise had her hands on the back of both our heads and was pressing us into her breasts, but Josh had other ideas.

“Not yet,” he said gently. “Caleb has more to learn.”

He took my hand and ran it down her belly until it rested on her mound. Louise had a small landing strip of hair above her pussy, but it was otherwise bare.

As if he had pressed a switch, Louise’s legs fell open.

He indicated that I should move down and lie between her legs, and so I did.

I had never seen a pussy this close. I could see the outer lips, which seemed engorged and flushed with her arousal.

Without prompting, I leaned forward and put my lips to hers. She jumped a little at the contact. I stuck my tongue out tentatively, and ran it the length of her pussy, up one of her lips. She wriggled her hips a little, so I repeated on the other side. She wriggled again.

I decided I needed to taste her properly, and so I ran my tongue once again the full length of her pussy, this time splitting her lips and pushing forward slightly.

She moaned.

“Use your fingers to open her up,” Josh advised. “The outer lips are not that sensitive, but the inner lips are. Concentrate there. Steer clear of her clit for now, or it will all be over too quick.”

I did as he said and spread her pussy lips with my fingers. I could now see the inner lips and her opening.

I licked at her lips, first one side, and then the other, before finally circling her opening and pushing the tip of my tongue into her. She had a taste unlike anything I had ever experienced. It was sweet; it was tart; it was tangy; it was delicious. And there was a lot of it.

“Ooooh,” she said.

For the next few minutes, I continued my ministrations on her pussy. Josh was still alternating between kisses and sucking at her nipple. After a few minutes of that, Louise began to move her hips, and I started to really get into sucking at her. I would lick up and down her slit, pushing my tongue into her. Then I’d suck her lips into my mouth, lashing them with my tongue. Then I’d push my tongue in again and start all over.

It didn’t take too long before her movements and mine coordinated, and my tongue found her clit.

Josh was kissing her at the time and she mewled into his mouth.

He looked down at me and grinned.

“Push two fingers into her,” he said. “Palm up.”

I shuffled my position and pushed my fingers slowly into her. She was so wet that there was almost no resistance to entry, but her pussy walls squeezed my fingers together once they were inside.

I went back to licking. Since my hand was in the way, I could really only work the clit. She didn’t seem to mind one bit. Gently I worked my fingers in and out of her, but she seemed to want more, pushing her hips down to force my fingers in deep.

Without breaking the kiss Josh moved his hand to where I could see it, extended his first two fingers, then slowly curled them. His meaning was clear and I had heard about it before: the so-called ‘come hither’ gesture.

Pushing my fingers into her again, I obeyed his command whilst lashing her clit with my tongue. Keeping the pressure on the front of her vagina, I pulled my fingers back and pressed again.

She was getting more and more excited. Her hips were working, begging me to push in deeper. Josh was kissing her hard and she was mewling constantly in his mouth. I could see him playing with her nipple as well: tweaking and pulling, not being so gentle any more.

I figured that was as good a sign as any that I should ramp things up too. I picked up the pace with my tongue, and I massaged her more intensely with my curling fingers. Faster and faster she moved, until I was sure she was on the edge of release. Then I reached up with my other hand, and, taking the breast that Josh was not playing with, I tweaked her nipple.

She let out a squeak and clamped her legs around my head, trapping me against her. She was grinding her pussy into my face as I continued to lick and suck at her clit. I could no longer move my hand, but I kept massaging with my fingers.

Her juices were flowing from her now, and they were frothing up around my fingers as she ground her hips.

Eventually, she shuddered, releasing my head.

“Stop,” she gasped. “Too much.”

I gently pulled my fingers from inside her and left a last kiss on her pussy. She jumped.

I grinned and blew on her clit. She jumped again.

“Bastard,” she said. “Get up here.”

I moved back into position on her other side from Josh. He was grinning at me.

“Thank you,” she said, and then kissed me gently. “That was wonderful.”

I don’t know how we did it, given there were three of us on a bed designed for one, but we managed to doze off.

Someone once said that spooning in bed for the woman means warmth, comfort and protection. For the man it means a mouthful of hair, a dead arm and an awkward boner.

I can attest to that.

As we had slept, Louise had turned and was hugging Josh from behind. I, in turn, was behind her.

I extricated myself from the tangle, went into the bathroom and had a shower.

Josh and Louise were awake and cuddled up in bed. They watched me as I came back into the room.

I sat down on the edge of my bed and looked at them.

“Regrets?” asked Louise.

“No regrets,” I said. “It was amazing. Thank you. I just hope that I haven’t damaged what you guys have. Or our friendship. As good as it was, it wasn’t worth that.”

They both smiled at me.

“We are fine,” Josh said. “We are all fine.”

“I don’t know if it will happen again,” Louise said. “We will figure that out. Once you have had your moment, maybe we will do more. Whatever happens, I will remember this afternoon as one of the best since I got here.

“And you know,” she said, “There is one other potential benefit to this.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Well, if ever poor Josh comes back like he did the other night, maybe you could help him out?” she asked, giggling.

“I don’t think Josh and I will get together unless you are here,” I said. “It wouldn’t feel right.”

“You just want another shot at this gorgeous ass,” she said.

“Well, that’s up to you guys,” I said. “I’m not trying to insert myself into your relationship. You guys don’t need that, and to be honest, I’m nowhere near ready to get into anything serious yet. If this afternoon was a one-off, I will remember it as an amazing time with two amazing people.

“Now,” I went on, “I think you need to get your gorgeous asses out of bed. We have a party to go to.”

Chapter 2 – The Party

I was fashionably late for my own birthday party.

After our afternoon’s fun and subsequent nap, I had gone for a shower. Louise had gone back to her room to get ready, and, while I got dressed, Josh had his shower. I wondered if it would be awkward when he came out of the bathroom.

Prior to that afternoon, we’d often behaved as a pair of young men might in a gym locker room. We had both seen each other naked, but it hadn’t been a big deal for either of us. I wondered if that was going to change.

I was finishing getting dressed when he emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. That was normal behavior.

He looked at me but didn’t stop what he was doing. “So,” he said, “you never mentioned this girl Mary before.” He picked out a clean pair of boxers, dropped the towel, and put them on, exactly as he had done every day since I had known him.

“She is just a girl in my English class,” I replied. “She sits in front of me. I haven’t really spoken with her before today.”

“She’s not exactly hard to look at,” he said with a grin, “and you didn’t seem to be having trouble watching her ass as she walked away earlier.”

I grinned back at him. “You know me; I can’t resist looking at a nice ass.”

He thought about that for a moment before looking over his shoulder theatrically.

“So, what’s wrong with my ass?” he asked.

“Nothing. Why?”

“I never saw you ogling my ass like you did hers – or Louise’s for that matter, or Angela’s, or….”

I looked him in the eye. “You never caught me ogling your ass.”

His mouth dropped open for a moment.

“You were….”

“As I said, there’s nothing wrong with your ass. Except…”

“What?” he asked defensively.

“Except,” I continued, “It’s still not wearing any pants, and we have a party to go to.”

He threw his pillow at me, then started getting dressed.

Louise knocked on the door just as he was finishing, and I let her in.

“What’s taking you guys so long?”

“We’re ready,” I said. “Let’s go.”

Bob’s house wasn’t that far from campus, so we decided to walk since it was a nice enough evening. We could hear the music as we turned into his street, and I worried that the neighbors would be upset at the disturbance.

I needn’t have worried. Since the houses on the street were all rented to students, Bob had pre-empted any problems by simply inviting all of them to the party. It made for a much bigger crowd than I’d expected, but I decided it would be nice to meet some new people. Some of them were bound to have nice asses.

The house was quite crowded when we entered, and there was some cheering and calls of “Happy Birthday!” as the wave of recognition rippled out from the doorway. It quickly became apparent that despite the “Happy Birthday Caleb!” banner on the wall, the party had evolved into something else. I was happy enough with that.

I grabbed a beer from the table and began to circulate around the room, chatting to classmates and friends, and being introduced to some of the students from the surrounding houses who were either ahead of us or were studying elsewhere.

There were a few people dancing in the middle of the living room where some furniture had been pushed back to create a makeshift dance floor. I felt a hand on my arm and turned to come face to face with Mary.

I smiled. “Hi, glad you could make it,” I said.

She leaned in and pecked my cheek. “Happy birthday.”

“Let’s get you a drink,” I said, but she shook her head.

“In a bit, “she said. “First I want to dance.”

She held out her hand, and when I took it, she led me to the dancers and we joined in.

Now, I am fit. I run every day, am on the PSU wrestling team -go Vikings – unbeaten so far this year, by the way – and I go to the gym at least three times a week. Mary danced me to a standstill.

Eventually, I held my hands up in surrender and we went to find a drink and some food. She led me to a seat, and we sat, nibbling at the snacks and sipping our beers while I caught my breath.

I felt a slap on my shoulder and looked up to see Sue with Gordon. She was grinning at me.

“Happy birthday again,” she said, and then looked at Mary.

“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?” she asked.

“Sure,” I said. “Mary, this is Sue, a very good and close friend, and Sue, this is Mary, who sits in front of me in English.”

Sue looked Mary up and down and then looked at me.

“Good choice,” she said. “Remember to use my birthday gift.”

Sue turned to Mary. “Nice to meet you,” she said, before grabbing Gordon by the arm and steering him away.

I sighed and finished my beer.

Mary looked at me. “Is she an ex?”

I laughed. “Sue? No, I’m not her type.”

“You have that vibe between you,” she said, “like you were very close at one time.”

“We still are,” I replied. “I guess I have spent more time with Sue since I came here than I have with any other person. We just clicked. I get to hear about all her conquests and play agony aunt. Up until this morning, we had never so much as kissed.”

“Oh, and what happened this morning?” she asked, looking amused.

“I have no idea,” I lied, “I was sitting at breakfast, and she just walked up and kissed me, probably to wish me happy birthday.”

Mary stood. “Let’s dance again.”

We went back to the dancing but after only two more songs, it seemed it was time for a slow number.

Mary closed with me and put her arms around my neck. Mine naturally went to her waist. As we danced, she asked, “So, what did she get you?”

“Who?” I asked. I had spaced out a little. I’d been starting to notice things about Mary other than her phenomenal ass, which I couldn’t see just now. They’d distracted me, in a good way.

She was about 6 inches shorter than my 6’1”, and was slim, with a trim waist. Her hair was brown, with flecks of gold, and her breasts probably looked larger than they were, given her trim frame, but I would guess they were a D cup. What was most entrancing to me, though, were her eyes. She had golden eyes, the colour of a lioness’s. I wondered how I had never noticed before. They were mesmerising.

“Your friend Sue; what did she get you for your birthday?”

“Condoms and lube. She handed them to me in the cafeteria this morning. Not embarrassing at all.”

Mary laughed, “Are you sure she is not trying to get into your pants?”

“She likes her men bigger.”

“So, she knows how big you are?”

“I mean bulkier,” I responded. “More muscles.”

Mary nodded. “I’m not a fan of huge muscles, but these look fine to me,” she said, running her hands up my arms and back around my neck, before pulling me down for a kiss.

It wasn’t a passionate kiss, but it was tender and sweet, and it took me by surprise.

I must have looked as surprised as I felt, because she giggled. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I couldn’t resist.”

“Don’t apologise,” I returned. “It was wonderful.”

We moved off the dance floor and sat once again, this time on a couple of chairs opposite the stairs. I had snagged a couple more beers, and handed her one. We sipped them as we chatted, learning more about each other.

I told her about my life so far, about where I grew up, the fact I was an only child, and my future plans. I told her that I was hoping to go into law enforcement in some form or other but didn’t have the details sorted.

In her turn, she told me that she was an identical twin, but that her sister and she had made the decision to go to different colleges, deliberately spending time apart so that they could each develop their own identities. The separation was tough on them, but they spoke daily, and she was looking forward to the holidays so she could go home and spend some time with her.

Suddenly, something felt off.

Even now, I can’t describe it. It was like a smell, but it wasn’t coming via my nose. It was a sort of metallic, coppery scent, but mixed with something foul, like rotten meat. I just felt it, and it made my skin crawl.

I looked around and saw that a new guy had just come in.

He was short and a little stocky. His clothes were good quality, but not well-looked-after. They were creased, and had small food stains down the front. What was really off with him, though, was the expression on his face.

He was looking around the room, almost like he had walked into a strip joint. He was openly leering at everyone there. For a moment, his eye fell on Mary and then moved on. Then it settled on someone across the room. I couldn’t see who, but his grin made me feel dirty.

I turned to Mary. “Who is that?” I asked and she looked at the guy, who was now making his way across the room.

“No idea,” she said. “I’ve never seen him before.”

“Maybe he’s one of the guys from the street,” I pondered. “Bob did say he had invited them so they wouldn’t complain about the noise.”

I watched him as he picked his way through the crowd of people. I stood up. I had a really bad feeling about this guy and wanted to see what he was up to.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” I said, getting up and walking closer. I found the creepy man talking to Angela, Bob’s girlfriend.

As I got closer, the ‘smell’ got worse, and then I heard a scream.

I looked around frantically to see who had screamed, but nobody had reacted at all. It occurred to me that, like the smell, the scream hadn’t come to me via my senses, but had just arrived in my mind. The scream died and I looked back at the guy. I was amazed to see Angela with her tongue stuffed down his throat while she ground herself against him. He, in turn, had one hand on the back of her head, and was lewdly grabbing that perfect ass with the other.

I saw Bob come running across the room, but before he could grab the guy, I heard another scream, this time a more masculine-sounding one, and Bob just stopped dead in his tracks and watched his girlfriend make out with this obnoxious-looking man. His eyes were full of torment, but it seemed he couldn’t bring himself to do anything to break up the kiss – or anything at all.

I finally noticed that there was a dark line running from Bob’s head to the man, and, once I’d clued into it, I noticed another running from Angela’s head.

I don’t know how I knew, but I knew, that in some way, this guy had managed to gain some control over the pair and was basically raping Angela and forcing Bob to watch.

I couldn’t stand by and let it happen.

I moved nearer and reached out for the man, intending to pull them apart. Suddenly I felt a huge weight press down on my mind, trying to wrest away my control of my own body. I fought against the weight; I imagined it being pushed back hard. It persevered for a second, but then it was gone.

The guy staggered and disengaged from Angela, turning to face me, his eyes wide.

“How did you…” he started, but I didn’t let him finish. My outrage inspired me. I immediately imagined that his power was gone, and that anybody he’d enslaved was free.That was the clever bit. There was also the wrestling bit. The guy was no match for me there, either, and the element of surprise worked wonders. I picked him up and body slammed him to the floor.

He curled up into the fetal position and started to cry.

Bob moved forward as if to attack, but I stopped him and diverted his attention.

“Angela needs you,” I said quietly. “Go to her.”

He looked at where Angela had fallen to her knees and was sobbing, holding herself. He went and knelt beside her, putting his arm around her.

I noted now that the music had stopped, and everyone was looking at them, and me, and the guy on the floor.

My attention went back to the guy. I imagined that I knew everything the horrid little man knew. I regretted that immediately.

I just about got to the bathroom as I emptied my stomach into the toilet.

I knew that he wasn’t a student, but he did live in one of the houses on the street. He had moved in about a month prior. His name was Harold Bleasdale. He was twenty two years old, and, just after his eighteenth birthday, he discovered that he could control people with his mind. He had abused that power relentlessly, forcing himself on any woman that caught his eye.

It had started with just getting them to kiss him. Like me, he had been a virgin when he’d found his power, but he’d remedied that quickly and horrifically, forcing a young mother over a park bench while her child had cried nearby.

Of course, as well as practicing his perversions, he’d used his powers to amass wealth. He had stolen and conned and mind-raped multiple people until he’d gotten everything he’d wanted. I hardly needed to imagine myself knowing the future – or what would have been if we hadn’t run into each other. It never would have been enough. He would’ve kept raping and stealing for decades.

As time went by, he got bored with just sex. He started practicing more and more extreme perversions on women – first making their loved ones watch as the woman performed sex acts on him, then making them join in. His intention tonight had been to take Angela and strip her naked, and, while Bob stood by, powerless, force every male in the house to fuck her. He was going to make every single one of them pump their seed into her pussy, in the hopes that she’d become pregnant by someone – anyone – besides her boyfriend.

My nausea had abated, replaced with a blinding rage. I wanted to destroy this man, make it so he never existed, tear him apart, flay him alive. When I went back into the room, Bob had picked Angela up and was on a couch, holding her while she sobbed. Harold was still curled up on the floor, sobbing, with his hands over his head.

There were only a few other people left. Many of the partygoers had left while I had been in the bathroom. I could see Sue, Gordon, Josh and Louise and Mary.

I really wanted to hurt Harold again, but knew that doing so would reduce me to his level. Still, I needed to figure out a way to make sure he was punished. I needed help, and I thought I knew who could give it.

I imagined my mother knew exactly what had gone on tonight, and what I had learned about this creep. I didn’t imagine she knew everything he knew, like I did. I didn’t want to subject her to that.

Thirty seconds later, my phone beeped.

_Help is coming, they will deal with him. You help those he hurt tonight.

It was less than ten minutes later when there was a knock on the door. I opened it to see what appeared to be two police officers standing there. I didn’t bother checking to see if they actually were.

“Where is he?” one of them said, without any preamble, or any offer of identification.

I moved inside and led them to where Harold was still curled up on the floor.

They rolled him to his front, cuffed him, hauled him to his feet, and took him, still sobbing, out of the house.

Bob looked up at me as I approached. The look on his face was difficult to read. I saw rage, despair, and some fear.

“Bob,” I said, “take Angela to your room. I’ll come to speak with you both in a little while.”

For a moment I thought he was going to argue, but he simply nodded, gently helped her to her feet, and led her away.

“What the fuck was that?” Sue asked.

“Some creep attacked Angela,” I announced. “I took him down and then called the cops.”

“Wow, that was so fucked up,” Susan said.

I breathed a small sigh of relief.

“Where was Bob?” Josh asked.

I rolled my eyes – at myself, mostly. It was a good sign, I supposed, that he’d asked the question, but now I needed to spin even more lies.

“He was half a step behind me,” I said. “I just got there first. Then he did what he should and went to look after his girl.”

They all nodded, with the exception of Mary, who just looked at me. I was a little unnerved.

“Guys, it’s late in any case,” I said. “Let’s call it a night. I need to go and see if Bob and Angela are okay, but after that, I’m heading home.”

“Do you want us to wait for you?” asked Josh.

I shook my head. “You guys head off. I don’t know how long I’ll be here. I’ll try not to wake you when I get back.”

Sue, Gordon, Josh and Louise left. I looked at Mary.

“I know what you did,” she said. Her voice was even.

“I don’t know what you…” I began.

“Bullshit, Caleb,” she snapped. “Don’t treat me like an idiot. You broke his control and took away his power.”

My jaw dropped. Her countenance softened a little.

“Okay, not totally fair,” she said. “Secrets, and all that. I get it. Sorry I snapped. I have a thing about people lying to me. Let’s go speak to Bob and Angela, and then we need to talk.”

I knocked on Bob’s bedroom door, and a moment later it opened.

Bob stepped back to let us in. Angela was sitting up on his bed, her hands round her knees and her back against his headboard. She looked at me, then dove off the bed and threw her arms around me. She sobbed into my chest, and I stood with my arms around her shoulders. Bob looked broken.

Finally, she settled, and I sat her on the end of the bed. She hiccoughed a few times, and then she looked at me through red-rimmed eyes.

“Want to talk about it?” I asked.

She shook her head, but at the same moment, she started to talk.

“It was horrible,” she said. “I was talking to Sue’s boyfriend when suddenly, this smelly little man just turned me around, leering at me. I was going to slap him, but then I felt him… in my head. It was like I was being pushed out of the way – forced away from control of my own body and trapped in a corner. The next thing I knew he was kissing me, forcing his tongue down my throat, and I was enjoying it. At least my body was. He was holding my head and grabbing my ass with his other hand. It was like I was two people. On one hand, I was there, screaming for him to let me go, screaming at my own body to get away from him, but I was also there, feeling what I was feeling, enjoying the kiss, feeling myself getting aroused as he groped me. There was no doubt in my mind that we were going to…” she stopped there and sobbed.

“The worst thing was, that I wanted it. I wanted him.” She broke down again.

Bob looked sickened. Mary went to Angela, put her arms around her, and started to talk to her in a low voice.

I turned to Bob. He didn’t wait.

“I saw that little creep come into the room. I had met him a time or two before. He moved in two houses down about a month ago. I saw him make a beeline for Angela, and the next thing I knew they were making out. I couldn’t believe it. We had been talking about getting engaged, and she was sticking her tongue down that disgusting little cretin’s throat.”

He took a breath and then continued.

“I ran over and was going to pull them apart. But then, as Angela said, it felt like someone just came in and shoved me out of the way. The only way I can explain it is if you can imagine you are driving your car, but then suddenly you’re in the passenger seat, in a straitjacket. You see everything, but you have no control. I couldn’t do anything but watch as they made out, and then it got worse. I started getting aroused. I knew what was happening, knew he was going to fuck her, knew that everyone at the party was going to fuck her….”

He couldn’t continue.

“Tell me,” I said.

“I wanted to watch,” he whispered. Fat tears rolled down his cheeks. He put his face into his hands.

I looked across at Mary. She was still talking to Angela. I considered trying to use my power to help them, maybe make them forget this had happened, but I instinctively knew that that would be a bad idea. What’s worse I knew that I would be perpetrating on them the same kind of assault as the rapist had.

“Bob,” I said gently.

After a second he looked at me.

“You heard what Angela said, didn’t you?”

He nodded.

“You know that somehow that creep managed to take control of her mind, to force her into doing what she did.”

He nodded again.

“You know that he used that control to force her body into feeling what she felt, into wanting what she wanted. Even though she would never have otherwise.”

Another nod.

“You felt that control. You know what it was like to be forced out of the driver’s seat. Do you believe that she wasn’t able to fight what he did to her, that she would never have done what she did, if he had not controlled her the way he did?”

Yet another nod.

“Do you blame Angela at all for what happened?”

I noticed that Mary had stopped talking and that Angela was looking at Bob with trepidation.

“Of course not,” he said. “I know how hard I fought. I couldn’t break away, so there is no way she was responsible. I know she would never have done that if he hadn’t…”

Angela was about to get up, but Mary put her hand on her arm.

“Then you must know, Bob,” I interrupted, “that you had as much control over what you did and felt as Angela did. And if you blame yourself for the fact you didn’t intervene, and for the fact you got aroused, what you are saying is that you don’t believe Angela.”

He looked at me wide-eyed.

“I will say this to both of you,” I began. Angela looked up at me. “It wasn’t your fault. You are not to blame. You also need to remember that what you thought was going to happen, didn’t. He got interrupted.”

“Why didn’t he control you?” Bob asked suddenly.

“I surprised him,” I lied. “Whatever he could do, well, I’m willing to bet he was massively overconfident. Got sloppy. Didn’t spend enough time at the gym, either. I body-slammed him before he could do whatever it is he does. I guess I’m lucky that stopped him.”

I reached a hand to Angela, and she looked to Mary, who moved her hand from Angela’s arm. Angela stood and stepped toward us.

I took her hand, and I placed it into Bob’s. They looked at each other and then moved together, clinging to each other as they cried. Both apologizing and decrying the need for apology.

I knew that it would not be quick, but I was hopeful that they would recover.

Mary took my hand and guided me out of the room. She was silent as we walked back to campus. My one attempt at conversation was shut down instantly.

When we arrived at my room, she finally spoke. “Are Josh and Louise in there?” she asked.

As quietly as I could, I opened the door and peered inside. It was empty. I shook my head.

She indicated I should enter, and followed me in. She sat on Josh’s bed. I sank down onto mine.

“How long have you had your power?” she asked without preamble.

I looked at her. She looked at me. It wasn’t a contest of wills, exactly. It was a silent discussion of boundaries and trust. She quickly lost her patience, though she never said a word. Instead, her eyes flared.

I have read that phrase a good number of times. I guess it usually means that someone gave someone else a certain look – fierce, angry, something in that neighborhood. Not so, just then. Mary’s eyes actually flared. They burned, like with real fire.

I sat back, a little unnerved. I also gave up the notion that I was going to bluff her. She knew.

I sighed. “Since yesterday morning, I think.”

“You think?”

“Weird things started then, but maybe the night before. Very hard to say, on that note.”

She continued to look at me. She was not satisfied.

Not wanting to look at her as I explained, I laid down on my bed and stared at the ceiling. I had started feeling a real attraction to Mary and wanted to get to know her. Ideally, I wouldn’t be thinking about explaining my sexuality to her this early on, but I supposed I would have to, and accept that it might kill our budding relationship.

“It all started with Josh,” I began.

I explained his dream, Angela lifting her shirt, Kyle and Jennifer, and Susan’s kiss. I told her about Todd’s explosive diarrhea, I omitted the session with Josh and Louise. I even told her about the car I had tried for with my mother. Finally, I told her what I had experienced at the party.

“At what point did you realize that you could use your power to have sex with whomever you wanted?” she asked.

“What makes you think that I…”

“Because EVERYBODY does,” she replied impatiently.

“I don’t remember exactly,” I said wearily, “but you are right. The thought did occur to me.”

I noticed then that she was standing over me and staring into my eyes.

“And how did that make you feel?” she asked.

“Disgusted with myself,” I said bitterly, “that I would even consider such a thing.”

Her eyes softened. She sat on the edge of my bed and then bumped me with her hip. “Scoot over.”

I had moved before I realised, and next thing I knew she was laid alongside me.

“We need to talk, but I’m too tired now. For now, I’m not letting you out of my sight, so I’m staying here. We will talk in the morning.”

I turned my head to look at her. I gazed into her tawny eyes.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

“For?” she asked.

“I get the impression that I have ruined any chance I had with you. My life was complicated enough already, but I really liked you. I’m sorry I messed it up.”

“Liked?” she queried. “Past tense?”

“I kind of thought that ship had sailed.”

“It’s still at the dock, for now,” she said, “but we have a lot of talking to do.”

+++++

I don’t know when I fell asleep, but I woke up alone.

Mary had sent me a text, which surprised me since I hadn’t given her my number. I guessed she had somehow gotten it from my phone while I’d slept.

_Caleb. I’m so sorry to run out like this, but I had to leave urgently. I will see you very soon and we will have that promised talk. Take care, Mary

I saved her number to my contacts and noted I had another text from my mother.

_Caleb, I know I said come home Saturday, but skip class and come home today. We need to talk urgently.

I was starting to be a bit concerned about the number of people who needed to talk with me. Skipping class wasn’t a problem since our exams were finished and today would have been simply a round up of the semester and preview of what was coming after the holidays. I would normally have attended though. I couldn’t afford to miss anything.

I went for a shower. That was when I noticed that my scar had gone. Since everything was possible and nothing was a coincidence anymore, I immediately wondered if there was some connection between that and my newfound powers. I had a feeling I was going to be thinking about that a lot – if anything and everything was related to powers. It made me feel exhausted.

Josh burst into the room as I was finishing dressing.

“Hi,” he said. “Good party last night.”

“Until the last part,” I countered.

“Ah, you always get some drunk asshole crashing parties. It’s kind of a rule. You dealt with him, though. Was Bob really mad with Angela for getting with that guy?”

“I don’t think she really got with him,” I said. “He pretty much attacked her.”

“She looked pretty into it to me, “he replied. “But I guess if that’s what they are going with, who am I to argue.”

“I’m heading out to my parents,” I said. “I’ll be back after the weekend.”

He looked disappointed. “You didn’t mention you were going home. Louise and I were hoping you might like to…”

“My plans changed,” I said absently.

His face fell and he put his hand on my arm. “You’re not avoiding us, are you? Has what we did made you not want to be around us?”

I looked him in the eye. “No, not at all.” I showed him the text from my mom. “My mother told me to come home. She needs to talk to me. It has nothing to do with ‘us.’”

“That looks a little ominous,” he said. “Is everything okay?”

“Oh, you know what mothers are like,” I said, laughing it off. “Everything is a drama – but don’t ever tell them that, or you really will be sorry.”

He laughed too. “I guess so. When are you back?”

“Probably Monday,” I said. “If not I’ll let you know.”

I packed some stuff, bagged up my laundry – hey I was going home, it’s traditional – and headed out to my truck.

Chapter 3 – Going Home

It took a huge amount of control to not imagine the driver of the car that had just cut me off, almost forcing me into the median, having the same ‘accident’ as Todd had had in the classroom.

However, the memory of Harold Bleasdale forcing his will onto Andrea and Bob flashed before my eyes. I felt my rage refocus onto him – even though he was likely in a deep, dark hole – and then onto myself. Then I felt a little sick.

The usual moments of sheer terror aside, the drive home was giving me time to judge myself in the balance – the new me, anyhow. It was uncomfortable, but I told myself that it was necessary.

It was a scale, I had decided. At one end, the very worst, there was Harold. He’d barged into a party and started assaulting and molesting people. There had been not a single sliver of remorse. Even when he’d forced his victims to enjoy what he’d been doing to them, he’d only done it to enhance his own perverted satisfaction. I still didn’t know if it had been his own limitations, or another facet of his awfulness, that had led to Bob and Andrea’s horrified between-states, where they’d both enjoyed the crimes committed against them and hated them at the same time.

I wondered what Harold had been like before he’d found his power. Had he been a reasonable guy, or had he always been a predatory asshole? I found myself hoping for the latter, for obvious reasons.

That only established one extreme, but it was all I had at the moment. It was time to move on to my own case.

I examined each instance where I had used my power. I tried to evaluate my motives for using them, and also the effect they seemed to have had on my victims.

I decided I couldn’t be held accountable for Josh’s dream. I’d come to conclude that I had indeed caused it, but I’d been a horny teen indulging in some idle fantasizing. There was no way I could have known that it would affect him in any way.

I could, in good conscience, claim the same about Angela lifting her shirt. I still hadn’t known I’d had powers, or even had the slightest reason to suspect it. I did, however, wonder whether I had somehow made it easier for Harold to control her. Were people who had been influenced once easier or harder to influence again?

I doubted it would have made a difference. I had not influenced Bob in any way, and Harold had had no trouble controlling him as well.

My first real conscious attempt to control someone was the girl in the line for breakfast. I realized, guiltily, that I didn’t even know who she was. I never actually saw her face, being so focused on her ass. I made her take her phone out of her pocket. On a scale of zero to ten, how bad was what I’d done?

I concluded that since she’d suffered no harm or embarrassment, and that neither she nor anybody else seemed to have noticed anything out of the ordinary at all, I would score it a one out of ten, with Harold’s behavior being the ten. Not a zero, though. I had forced someone to do something that they were not going to do, almost purely for my own gratification. I could have picked a more innocent test. I’d gotten a better look at her ass out of it.

I was starting to feel a little unhappy with myself.

I moved on to the next incident. It didn’t make me feel worse right away. Instead, it gave me real pause.

I had known Kyle and Jennifer for all the time I had been at PSU. They were friends. I’d had long conversations with both about their feelings for each other and knew that they wanted to be together as more than just friends.

I had initially thought that I was doing them a service by allowing Jennifer to break through her fear and show her true feelings for Kyle, but was that the case?

How did I know that during our conversations, they hadn’t been telling me what they thought I wanted to hear? Maybe there were other reasons they hadn’t gotten together. Out of nowhere, my mind conjured a soap-opera scenario where they were blood relatives, born of infidelity, and had become friends – and resisted becoming more than that – as a way to look out for each other while hiding the shameful truths behind their births.

Fuck! Had I just forced an incestuous relationship on them?

I physically shook off the notion. I was getting stupid and crazy.

What my random musings did illustrate most clearly to me was that using my power to affect other lives was wrong. I didn’t have – could never have – enough information to make those decisions for others, especially not via freaky, quasi-magical powers that I deployed without their knowledge or consent.

I had taken away their free will, no matter that it was done with the best of intentions.

I paused there, again. Had they really been the best of intentions?

Had I done it just to help them, or had I been helping myself, too? I’d needed another test, and I’d decided to escalate – and oh, how I had escalated. I’d gone from a girl taking her phone out of her back pocket to a girl grabbing her friend and kissing him out of nowhere, in public. An image of Harold and Angela kissing flashed in my mind, and, once again, I felt sick.

It’s funny how the mind works. Through rumination and turmoil, mine settled on a single number: ‘six.’ Just like that. I almost laughed aloud.

My motives hadn’t been wholly selfless, and I’d certainly knocked both Kyle’s and Jennifer’s lives onto a very different course. I’d also caused them some public embarrassment for good measure. The only reason it wasn’t a higher number, I decided, was because I hadn’t pushed them to do anything more extreme, and I hadn’t imagined them feeling differently about each other. That seemed important, for some reason. Even though I’d violated them terribly, I hadn’t actually changed their minds.

Still, six was not a good score on the ‘sleazometer.’ I never wanted to score that high again.

Then there was the kiss. Sue.

I considered my motivations for that. I had already convinced myself that I had power, so there’d been no real need for further proof. It hadn’t been an escalation from the test with Kyle and Jennifer – and thank goodness for that. In a word, it had been gratuitous. In another, it had been selfish. Sue and I were good friends, perhaps best friends. How could I have done something like that to my best friend?

I knew that she had offered to take my V-card, and I thought that if I had wanted to take her up on the offer, she would probably have gone ahead with it, but I’d forced her to kiss me when she’d had had no intentions of doing so.

Sexual assault. Technically not, since she had kissed me, but it felt even sleazier to try to rely on a legal system that very obviously did not account for powers like mine being real.

I couldn’t even claim it had been a drunken mistake. I’d been stone-cold sober, not driven by drugs or lust or any extraneous emotion other than whimsy. I’d treated a sexual assault whimsically.

I figured I should complete the analysis, even though I was already well in the noose. I weighed what harm it had caused.

I didn’t think that anyone in the canteen had seen the kiss. It had happened quite fast. People were used to seeing us together, and Sue was not shy. I had seen her multiple times with her tongue down a guy’s throat in public.

So, she’s a slut and that makes it all right?

SHIT! I didn’t mean that. I meant that she wouldn’t have been embarrassed to be seen kissing someone in public.

Arguing with yourself is not fun. There’s nowhere to hide.

I decided on a Six for the kiss – Although the effect on Sue wasn’t as bad as that on Kyle and Jennifer, my motivation for doing it was more suspect. I tried to ignore the feeling that it should be a higher number. I had already decided that six was as bad as I ever wanted to get to. My self-reflection wasn’t going well.

Then there was Todd.

I grinned at the thought of his discomfort, but then that grin turned into a grimace.

Yes, he was an asshole, and yes, I could reasonably claim to have been defending Mary, but defending her from what?

I constructed the hypothetical and ran through it my mind: Todd calls her out. She’s embarrassed, but everyone knows that girls have periods and accidents happen. She probably has a more-than-adequate put-down ready for him, because she’s a big girl and doesn’t need anybody committing crimes just to spare her a little emotional discomfort. Todd, meanwhile, doesn’t get away with a bag of money or anything. He likely just cements his own reputation as a massive asshole – a university student who’s teasing girls as a shitty middle schooler might.

I’d done the equivalent of poisoning him – fast-acting and extreme. I’d certainly humiliated him, too, since nobody else could possibly have known that he’d just been poisoned. Todd himself hadn’t known that.

I’d done real, physical damage to the asshole – pun intended, I supposed. I’d ruined his clothes. It was impossible to know the second-order effects – just how badly he’d take it, and just how many metaphorical sharks would circle him, having seen a moment of weakness.

I just could not shake the feeling that he deserved some of that, though. Still, I’d had no right. I’d committed a crime against his person. Again, though, I hadn’t changed his mind. I hadn’t violated him in that specific way.

In the end, I scored it as a five. He’d suffered in a multitude of ways because I’d effectively poisoned him. In mitigation, I could claim that I’d been acting in defense of another, albeit misguidedly. However, what had my motives been in defending her? Had they been pure, or had I already been lusting after her?

The more I thought, the shakier all of these numbers seemed. I wasn’t sure I was making much progress after all.

When I moved on to consider Harold, I couldn’t even be sure I was continuing this farcical self-imposed tribunal for any other reason than to make myself feel better. I had needed to prove to myself that I was better than Harold and I wasn’t being particularly successful.

So, Harold. He’d been committing horrific crimes out in public. I’d stopped him. As far as I’d known, nobody else would have been able to. After that, I’d had plenty of probable cause and moral justification to execute my invasive search of his memories. He might’ve had countless other victims stashed away. I’d needed to know if he had, because, with a burst of my own power, I’d freed everyone in his thrall, not having known exactly whom that had included.

I frowned again when I realized that I’d gotten lucky. In my haste, I easily could have broken the chains of mind-slaves whose sudden liberation might have caused injury or death – to themselves or others. I realized there was so much I didn’t know about this strange new world of powers. I could hardly take a single step in any direction without risking stepping on a land mine.

In fact, it seemed to me that the safest, sanest, and most moral thing to do would be to find a way to remove my own powers as I’d done to Harold.

As far as my self-imposed tribunal went, though, I was comfortable scoring my actions at the party as a zero. It was still complicated, but I figured that my haste and inexperience only dragged up what should have been a negative number in the first place: truly necessary, truly moral, rescuing people from immediate harm and danger, the whole nine.

If I wasn’t going to strip myself of my powers, I needed to get better at using them – which, ironically, only barely included making myself more powerful in the comic-book sense, if that were even possible. It was mostly about being wiser. That was a big word: ‘wisdom.’ It covered a lot.

My period of reflection drained me, and I decided to pull over at a truck stop for coffee. I still had another two hours before I got to my parents’.

Normally I would grab my coffee to go, but I wanted a break from driving, so I decided to sit in and drink it. Since I was sitting in, I figured I might as well have some pie too.

While I was eating the pie, my mind wandered. It had a habit of doing that. I considered my earlier thought of whether I could imagine away my own power. Would it work? Would that be the best thing to do? Then I thought of that cliché line from Spider-Man.

It’s such a cliché that I’m not even going to repeat it, but you know the one I mean.

Was there a reason I had this power, and if so, what was it?

I’m an atheist, so I would never consider that this was any kind of divine gift, but if there were other Harolds out there, didn’t I have a duty to try and stop them? I had always wanted to be in law enforcement; was there a secret Psychic Crimes Agency? Was my mom a member, or did she just have them on psychic speed dial? What about those two ‘policemen?’

I held my head in my hands and groaned. I wanted things to go back to the way they were before my birthday.

I was just finishing up my pie when I noticed. I was holding the plate with my left hand and scraping the last of the pie filling onto the fork with my right, and my eyes fell onto my wrist. For some reason, there was something wrong with what I was seeing, but I didn’t immediately know what it was. There was a nagging suspicion that I had forgotten or lost something. Then I realised. The skin of my left wrist was clean and smooth My scar had gone. Stupidly I looked at my right wrist, like maybe I had forgotten which wrist had a scar I had had all my life, but the skin there was equally smooth too.

I knew I wasn’t the brightest guy in any room, but even I could add two and two together. Somehow these strange powers and the disappearance of my scar had to be linked. Had I powered it away or was there some other explanation.

I got back on the road. Despite my crabbing, answers did await.

I was exhausted by the time I got to my parents’ house. The eight-hour drive would have been bad enough in and of itself, but the entire journey being spent in reflection and self-flagellation had absolutely knackered me. I stretched as I got out of my truck, taking a deep breath.

My parents lived out in the country. There were farms nearby, and my father worked as a mobile mechanic, servicing and maintaining their machinery. My mother kept the house.

My mom came to meet me as I walked around my truck. She hugged me.

“Hi honey. Welcome home.”

I hugged her back and then turned to start getting my things out of the truck.

“Leave those for now,” she said. “There’s someone here you need to see.”

I looked at her quizzically. “Who?”

She didn’t answer, just took my arm and led me into the house. Her expression was one of concern.

She pushed open the door to the parlor, the room we never used, and indicated I should enter. I was confused when she didn’t follow me in, but instead closed the door behind me.

“Caleb.”

The man who addressed me was slightly taller than my six feet one inch. He was stocky and had dark hair in a side parting. He wore a suit, but no tie.

“Who are you?” I asked.

“My name is Gerald Cross,” he said. “I am here to talk to you about what happened at your party yesterday.”

“Okay,” I said, taking a seat on the couch. Gerald sat on the easy chair across the coffee table.

He got out a small recording device and placed it on the table.

“Caleb,” He began, “would you please describe, in your own words, what occurred last night at the party.”

I sat for a moment marshaling my thoughts.

“I was at my birthday party…” I began.

“For your twentieth birthday?” he interrupted. I raised my eyebrow. I quashed my sarcastic response that it had actually been for my nineteenth, but that we were running a little late.

“Yes,” I responded, “I was sat talking to Mary…”

“That’s Mary Everson?” He interrupted again.

I gritted my teeth. This was going to take some time if he was going to interrupt every sentence.

“Yes.” I responded again, “We were sitting talking when I suddenly got a strange feeling. It was almost like a bad smell, something rotten and wrong. I looked around and saw a new guy standing in the doorway. Someone I didn’t know.”

“And this was Harold Bleasdale?” He asked.

“It was, although I didn’t know his name at the time.”

“And what was Mr. Bleasdale doing when you first saw him?”

“He was surveying the room,” I said, “He had the look of a fat man at a banquet, trying to decide which dish to sample first.”

“What happened next?” He prompted.

“He seemed to *********** a target and moved across the room, toward Angela.”

“And what did you do?” He asked.

“I followed him.” I answered, “Even now I couldn’t tell you why, he just felt so wrong to me, I wanted to know what he was up to.”

I waited for the next question. When it didn’t come, I continued my tale. “I heard, or more exactly I experienced a scream.”

“When you say experienced?” He asked.

“Initially,” I responded, “I thought I had heard it, but since nobody else reacted, I realised that it had been only in my head. It was like the ‘smell’ I mentioned earlier. The sensation was the same, but it had arrived without actually being detected by my senses. I don’t know how else to explain it.”

“Had you ever experienced anything like this before?” he asked.

I shook my head. “This was the first time.”

“So,” he prompted again, “you ‘heard’ a scream. Then what?”

Slowly and with some prompting I described the rest of the events of the party, finishing at the point when Mary and I left after speaking to Bob and Angela.

“What happened after you left Bob’s house?” He asked.

“We went back to my room,” I replied. “Josh and Louise weren’t there so Mary came in and we talked.”

“About?”

“Personal stuff,” I said.

“Did you and Mary have sex?” he asked.

I stared at him. I wasn’t even going to dignify that with an answer.

He waited a minute or so before deciding to try a different tack.

“When did you first realise you had the ability to control people?”

“I thought you wanted to talk to me about the party,” I responded tightly.

“How many times have you used your ability since you discovered it?” It was as if he hadn’t heard me.

I stood up. “I think I have said everything I am going to,” I said evenly.

“We are not finished,” he said. “I need you to tell me about what went on between you, your roommate, and his girlfriend.”

He stood up and stepped around the table.

I backed away slightly. “That is none of your business,” I said.

“I am investigating a misuse of power,” he said stepping toward me. “It IS my business.”

“You said you wanted to talk about the party. I have told you everything I can about that. Now if you will excuse me.” I turned to leave.

He grabbed me by the arm to turn me around. That was his first mistake. You don’t lay hands on a wrestler and expect to get away with it. Almost instinctively I reversed his grip and bent his hand forward in a wrist lock.

“Don’t touch me.” I snarled preparing to push him off so I could leave. That is when he made his second mistake.

I felt a weight pressing on my mind, as I had with Harold, but much stronger. I felt something fighting with me for control and I pushed back, imagining that weight being lifted and thrown off.

Gerald’s face set, and he seemed to push harder.

I was not going to stand toe-to-toe with this guy and risk that he had more power than me. Bringing my knee up sharply, I rammed it into his crotch as hard as I could.

The weight disappeared from my mind as the air rushed from his lungs. I stepped to the side as he started to bend forward and slammed a right cross to his jaw as he was headed down to the ground.

I was just drawing back for the second kick to his unprotected head when my mother came running into the room shouting “Caleb, NO!!!”

I rounded on her, furious.

“What the fuck was this?” I shouted into her face. “How could you deliver your own son to be mind raped by this fucking creep?”

She stepped back, shocked at my fury.

I pushed past her, heading back toward my truck. “I’m going back to school. If I stay here, I’ll do or say something we will all regret.”

Opening the front door, I came face to face with Mary – no, wait, two Marys – and an older woman, perhaps in her forties, whose resemblance to the two Marys meant she was probably their mother. They all had the same beautiful, tawny eyes.

My mother followed me into the hallway, crying.

She started to speak but stopped as the older woman in front of me beat her to it.

“Caleb, would you be so kind as to spare me a few moments? I promise you; nobody is here to harm you in any way.” Her voice was low and melodious.

I looked at the woman, then at Mary, then at the other Mary.

Mary Two stepped forward. Left to right, from my perspective. It was wholly arbitrary.

“Caleb, please. I know this is a shock, and perhaps a little scary, but our ship is still waiting. If you leave, I am worried it might sail forever.”

My rage abated and I stood to one side, allowing the three women to walk past me. My Mary – as far as I knew – came last and took my hand as she did, leading me back into the parlor.

I closed the door in my mother’s face, shutting her out. I was still very angry with her. The man, Gerald Cross, was still on the floor, his eyes unfocused, and his hands cupped around his genitals.

“What happened?” The older woman asked.

“He attacked me, so I responded,” I said flatly.

She shook her head.

“Please.” She indicated the sofa. “Sit. I have some questions and some information. I promise I will give as much as I get, and there will be no further breaches of protocol.” She looked at Gerald with contempt as she said that last bit.

I was still not happy, but I sat. My Mary sat to one side of me, and her twin to the other.

“Firstly, allow me to make the introductions. My name is Dianna. I am Mary’s grandmother and the Matriarch of the Everson family. Mary,” she said, nodding her head towards my Mary, “you know, and Amanda.” She tilted her head towards the twin.

I looked back at Dianna. Grandmother? She didn’t look a day over forty. I was already struggling with the concept she might be Mary’s mother, but grandmother?

Dianna smiled as if she’d read my thoughts. “You are a sweet boy.”

Gerald chose that moment to crawl to his knees. He looked a little groggy and was still in obvious pain.

“I suggest you go into the kitchen and get some ice,” Dianna said to him with a voice that brooked no argument. “Perhaps this will teach you not to be so arrogant, or so hasty.”

Climbing to his feet, he staggered from the room. He didn’t even glance in my direction.

“Would you please tell me what happened?” Dianna’s voice no longer held that note of authority. She spoke kindly, and so I decided to respond.

“My mother delivered me into the presence of that ass… of Gerald,” I said, “he had questions about what happened at the party last night, which I answered. Then he started asking me personal questions which I declined to answer. I wished to leave. He grabbed my arm, and I brushed him off.”

Mary took my hand, which probably would have been comforting… except for the fact that, simultaneously, Amanda did the exact same thing with my other hand. It gave me goosebumps. It was creepy.

Dianna smiled. “Please, go on.”

“I felt a pressure in my head, like someone was trying to take control. It was very much like the feeling from last night at the party when that sleaze tried to stop me from interfering in his assault on Angela.”

“Initially I tried pushing back, and I thought I was making headway, but then he redoubled his attack, and my only option was a physical response.”

She nodded. “You did well to resist long enough to be able to defend yourself. He deserved what he got.”

She sat back in her chair. “As I said outside,” she began, “I have questions for you, and I promised you information. I will begin. I told you I am the matriarch of the Everson family. We are a family who has, for generations, had a gift. We are Empaths. We have a strong mental ability to share feelings and thoughts with others.

“We cannot compel or control with our gift, only share. We never do this without the consent of the person we wish to share with, although our non-invasive reading of emotions does enable us to work very effectively as counselors, and in other professions related to mental health.”

“For instance,” she went on, “I am in no way reading your actual thoughts right now, but I can feel your raw emotions even without doing so. You are angry – with some justification – more than a little confused, and a touch frightened.” Then she smiled. “And having my granddaughters in such proximity has also made you somewhat aroused.”

I blushed and retrieved my hands from the twins. They released them without complaint.

“The Everson family has, for generations, worked to protect people who have no gifts from those who do, and to mitigate damage and help victims to recover afterward. We cannot change what happened. We can only share the memory and help them come to terms with their suffering. I visited with Angela and Bob last night after you left. I must say, you did an excellent job for someone untrained. I was particularly impressed that you did not try and use your gift to change their perception of the event. That would have been a grave error.”

“Will they be okay?” I asked.

“They were both badly shaken,” she replied,” but your interference in their attacker’s plans and subsequent counseling meant that my job was so much easier. Using Bob’s desire to protect Angela to force him to forgive himself was inspired. I feel that they will recover.”

“Thank you. They are good people and didn’t deserve that.”

“Nobody deserves that,” she said with some steel. “Now back to you. I know you told your story to Mary, but I would very much like to hear about when you found your powers, and what you did with them. We could sit here all night while you tell your tale, or I could share your memory of the time since you found them. That would take only a few moments.”

“No!” I said flatly, my anger flaring once more.

She smiled at me again.

“I have made you angry again, and I know it’s a scary proposition having someone read your thoughts. However, there are reasons why it would be much better for both of us for you to allow me to help you.”

“Help me?” I asked a little more strongly than I intended. “You want to help me by mind raping me? Rummaging around inside my head and learning everything I might want to keep private?”

Mary put her hand on my arm. Her twin copied the gesture on the other side.

“Gerald is a member of your family,” Dianna said. “A second or third cousin, if memory serves.”

I goggled at her. “I never even knew I had cousins.”

“Your family, the Stotts, is another family that has, for generations, had gifts. Their gifts were more active. They could control and compel, not just share. Where the Everson family has always worked against those who abuse their gifts, the Stott’s legacy is… more complicated. Gerald is an excellent case in point. He’s actively chosen to assist my family and to hunt down people like Harold. And yet…”

I understood what she left unsaid. He was overzealous, and that was putting it mildly. The words ‘bad cop’ sprung to mind, in fact – though he hadn’t seemed to merely be playing the role. Dianna was clearly the good cop. That raised my hackles a bit. It encouraged me to remain suspicious.

“You mean I might be related to Harold from last night?” I asked her.

“No,” she answered. “There are others who also have gifts such as yours, with varying degrees of power.

“So how do you keep track of them all?” I asked.

“In reality,” she replied, “we cannot. We can only monitor those who are born into bloodlines we know have power. Sometimes new bloodlines appear, and sometimes bloodlines with power, fade. Your family line has remained solid, however. There are others, but yours is the most prevalent.”

“So, you police these bloodlines?” I asked. “How?”

“When a new baby is born into the bloodline, their powers are sealed. An amulet is placed around their wrist which blocks them from using their gift.

The amulet is usually removed on their twenty first birthday. They then undergo assessment, training, and counseling to enable them to adapt to having their gift, without the power corrupting them. We do what we can. We’re never as successful as we hope. Some abusers still manage to say all the right things and even suppress their true emotions and intentions. Others simply can’t resist the temptation as the years go by.”

“For some reason, your amulet failed. You came into your power before we were ready. We would have removed on your twenty first birthday. Now we are left with you having discovered and used, possibly abused your powers.”

I flinched.

“We need to know, Caleb. What kind of man are we unleashing into the world? How will you use your power? Do we need to worry that you are, or will become, a danger to the people around you? What’s more, I can feel that you have similar questions – I can feel your self-doubt, your guilt, your uncertainty. That is encouraging, but I still need to hear it from you.”

“And what if it turns out that I am dangerous?” I demanded. “That I am going to be corrupted by whatever this is? What then? Do you seal my ability with another amulet? Put me in prison? Kill me?” I was starting to become a little afraid.

Mary’s arm linked with mine and she pressed against me, comforting me. Amanda echoed the gesture on the other side. I wasn’t comforted at all. Under the circumstances, it felt like they were trying to restrain me. My fear spiked, and they instantly both released me and pulled back a little.

“I promised you that we weren’t here to harm you,” Dianna said softly. “If it turns out that you are at risk, then we’ll work with you, counsel you, and help you resist the descent. If that descent happens and you break the law, then you will be taken into custody and tried, exactly as will happen to the man you stopped last night.”

I sighed.

“Things happened yesterday,” I said. “Things that I don’t think had anything to do with my gift, but are private. It’s not just my privacy I would be violating by letting you share my memories.”

“And you also think I will think less of you when I find out that you had sex with Josh and Louise?” Mary asked.

My jaw dropped.

“Caleb, I’m an empath, remember? As soon as I saw you three together at the party, I felt it. I felt your feelings toward them, and what’s more, I felt their feelings toward you. It was obvious what you had been doing, and the feelings I was getting from all of you were beautiful.”

“And yet you still…”

“Empaths share,” she said simply, taking my hand. The fact that Amanda took my other hand at the same time suddenly took on an extra dimension. I blushed, knowing that all three of them would have felt my sudden arousal and probably realized the cause.

Dianna looked at me. “Will you let me help you? Will you share your memories with me? I promise that nothing I learn will be shared with others. My only concern is to reassure you, and others in both our families, that you are not going to be corrupted by your gift.”

“Is there no other way?” I asked. I had no desire to let anyone into my head. My experiences thus far had not been pleasant, and I was also scared of what she might discover. What if I was a rapist-in-waiting? How could I live with myself, knowing that I was destined to become that which I so feared and despised?

Mary moved closer. This time Amanda did not copy the movement. “You are a good man, Caleb. Fear is sensible, and self-doubt can even be laudable. A man cannot sit with them forever, though. That is its own descent. Let us stand alongside you as you wrestle with them. You must, for your own sake, even if not for anyone else’s.”

“We could do it Gerald’s way,” put in Dianna, smiling gently at Mary, “though by that, I mean questioning, not control. It will be long, tedious, and uncomfortable. Both approaches will extract the same information in the end.”

“And what if I just tell the lot of you to go fuck yourselves and leave? Do you plan to try and stop me?” The threat of being subject to Gerald’s questioning again had rekindled my anger.

“Nobody would try to stop you,” Dianna said gently. “Your mother would be devastated for you to leave on such bad terms, but I can tell you’re too angry right now to care about that. Running away is not the answer, Caleb. Mary spoke truly. You will have to face these questions about yourself eventually, or, instead, become a nervous shell of a man. We’re offering to help. We’re not wholly selfless, but that is what we’re offering: help. Help to know the truth of yourself.”

I felt a huge well of emotion rise within me, and tears began to leak from my eyes. Once more, I was enveloped by two pairs of arms.

“Let me help you, Caleb, please,” Dianna said again.

I sobbed, defeated. I knew she was right. If I refused to ‘share’ my thoughts with her, I had the option to be interrogated by Gerald again, or leave, creating a huge rift in my family. That was not the issue, though. I knew that every hour of every day I would be terrified of my own corruption. I couldn’t live like that. It would drive me mad. Wordlessly, I nodded to her.

I expected her to lean forward, to fix upon me with those tawny eyes and stare into my soul. She did none of those things.

I just felt her. A gentle, warm, loving feeling seeped into my mind. It was like an embrace. Instinctively I drew away and tried to push her out. She simply stopped and waited.

I made a conscious effort to relax, and allowed the feeling to envelop my mind. There was no loss of control, no feeling of violation, nor of having my memories rummaged through. There was just a gentle warmth – almost a feeling of love – permeating my mind.

After only a few minutes, I felt her slowly and gently withdraw, I felt the loss, and momentarily missed the warmth.

I saw her considering what she had learned.

“You do spend an inordinate amount of time staring at bottoms,” was her first comment.

Mary and Amanda both burst out laughing while I blushed furiously. Dianna grinned at me.

“You made some questionable decisions,” she said, “but your reflections during your journey here reassure me that you are not a danger to anyone. You have a strong moral compass that was challenged massively by a situation that you were never prepared for. I think seeing Harold in action, though surely traumatic, was good for you. The abyss stared through you, even though you hadn’t been staring at it first. You saw a monster. You know they’re real. You know where they come from.

“I am intrigued at the use of your power to steal – no, to appropriate – Harold’s memories. That is new. Normally, those with the power to compel don’t have the power to share.

“And here is where I once again place my trust in you, young Caleb,” she said. “I am going to tell you something that I needn’t. You are extremely powerful – possibly the most powerful Stott or Everson I have ever met. That, in and of itself, worries me. All great power does. But I already believe that you can stay on the righteous path. I believe you could become a great ally to us if you wished it.”

“Ally?” I asked.

“You wanted to go into law enforcement,” she replied. “There is, in fact, a ‘psychic crimes agency,’ though it isn’t called that. If a career in law enforcement still interests you after you graduate, then you should consider it an option. So very few in this world are even qualified at the threshold. We would be lucky and grateful to have you, should you pass all the tests and complete all the training.”

“’We?’ The Eversons?”

Dianna reached into her pocket and pulled out a badge, flipping it open. “Yes, and,” she said.

I looked down at the badge. FBI.

“We are a small division, and our true nature is a closely-held secret. On paper, we’re profilers and counselors. In theory, we use our extensive knowledge of human psychology and cutting-edge therapeutic techniques to catch the most elusive criminals, and assist the most traumatized witnesses.

“There are very strict rules regarding what we are asked and allowed to do, but you will learn all of that if you choose to apply and are accepted.

“Now,” she said, “your mother.”

Once again I felt my anger start to flare.

“I’m not sure I can talk to her right now. Despite what I have learned, I still can’t believe that she led me in here to get mind fucked by that cretin.”

Gerald is no cretin,” Dianna replied, rebuffing me gently, but without doubt or hesitation. “He is actually a very nice guy, just impatient and a little arrogant at times. I think you both…” she paused for emphasis, “reacted badly to a situation, and it spiraled. I know your reasons. You were already tender from beating yourself up practically the whole way here. You are also still raw from absorbing Harold’s knowledge. That was a mistake, and I would like to help you deal with that if you will let me.

“Your mother didn’t deliver you to him. He was supposed to have a conversation with you and ask you some questions about the party, nothing more. Instead, it turned into a pissing contest, and he got wet.” She grinned.

I didn’t.

“So, in your world, ‘actually very nice guys’ skip from blitzing an exhausted kid with questions straight to mind-rape when they don’t get capitulation, or should that be obeisance?” I countered. “That’s the bar? Hey, maybe Harold was ‘actually a very nice guy’ who’d just gotten a little pushback from society and the world, and just got a little impatient and arrogant.”

Dianna’s face fell, but it didn’t harden. She raised both her hands. “I concede the point, Caleb,” she said. “No argument. He crossed a line, and he’ll be punished for it – and he did get some rather instant negative feedback.”

That one almost made me grin. Almost.

“Your mother didn’t know that was going to happen, Caleb,” Dianna said. “She’s already a part of this world and has been for years. On top of that, she’s been worried sick about you – even though she put on a brave face for that text exchange of yours before the party. Go talk to her, please. Let her apologize, and consider whether, perhaps, she deserves one too.

“And who knows?” she continued. “Maybe she’ll be so profoundly guilt-ridden that she’ll buy you that Ford GT after all.”

That, finally, convinced me that Dianna was more than just a ‘good cop.’ I laughed, and it felt good.

Then I remembered that I still had some questions. “How much of my memory did you share?” I asked her. She probably knew I wasn’t attacking her just from her powers, but I did my best to keep my tone light.

“From you waking up yesterday until we spoke on the porch,” she answered immediately.

“I was wondering,” I asked hesitantly, “The, uum …”

“You’re wondering if your influence on Josh was the reason that he and Louise invited you into their bed.” she said. “If you had somehow used your power to create that scenario.”

I nodded mutely.

“As far as I can tell, Caleb, the answer is no. You are an attractive young man. You’re a nice person, and fun to be around. People are naturally drawn to you. It is natural that someone, who has lived with you since you started university, developed feelings for you.

“The dream, yes, you probably caused it. You had no idea. And yes, it probably shifted his own perception of what those good feelings toward you signified. But it was so far away from overriding his will, Caleb. People have dreams about sex they simply do not want to have in real life. Those dreams can be troubling, but they can’t really change a person like that.”

“But I still put Josh into a position where he was doing something he wouldn’t normally have done, my powers were involved.”

“You simply cannot know that,” Dianna replied. “You can’t. Josh confessed he’d been drawn to you long before that dream. He knew that what he felt for you was different – unique, even, perhaps, among all other men. You can’t know that there was nothing sexual there at all. Maybe he saw you in the shower or masturbating when you thought he was asleep. Maybe that was the spark, and not the dream.”

I blushed again. She was good at making me do that.

“I’m not going to give you all the answers, Caleb,” she said. “I’m giving you these because you were thrust into a strange new world before you were ready. You do still have to navigate some of your feelings, and some of your relationships, like any other young university student would. From what I just saw, and from what Mary has told me, you have not harmed either Josh, Louise, or their relationship in the slightest by using your powers.”

“But what about… at all?” I asked.

“Welcome to being human,” Dianna quipped. “To that, you’re not new.”

I looked at Mary and she smiled at me. She leaned closer and whispered in my ear.

“You didn’t,” she said. “I felt all of it. It was so beautiful.”

Her words, and hot breath, sent shivers through me. Dianna rolled her eyes, pretending to be annoyed that Mary had given me the inside scoop. Still, I couldn’t resist a little grumbling.

“Well, isn’t that convenient?” I complained. “Some people just-so-happen to get a leg up from their powers, and it’s all just fine and dandy.”

“Some people might get something else up from those same powers if they relax and go with the flow,” Mary replied, again whispering into my ear. “Josh and Louise don’t have powers, but they know how to share. We do too. Think of all the sharing we could do.”

Just as she said that Amanda’s arm slid around my shoulder.

“Sharing is so beautiful,” she said dreamily.

I looked at Dianna, who laughed. “If I were forty years younger, I might also be tempted. Now peel yourself away from my granddaughters, readjust your trousers and go talk to your mother.”

The thought of facing my mother killed my arousal instantly. I extricated myself from the twins. With leaden feet, I went to the door and opened it. My mother stood outside.

“Caleb, I…”

“I know, mom. I’m sorry.”

She threw her arms around me, and we stood for a moment. She squeezed me tightly.

“Now,” I said, “about that car…”

She laughed as she pulled out of the embrace. “When you can afford one, by all means.”

I followed her to the kitchen. There were three people there. My father sat at the table, which was set for dinner. There were eight places set. A man I didn’t know was sitting to his right, and in the next seat was Gerald. He stood as I entered the room behind my mother.

“Caleb, I owe you a huge apology,” he said. He sounded genuine. “I should never have tried to force you like that. It’s no excuse, but I had some bad news, had a really shitty day, and you touched a nerve. I only intended to make you talk to me, nothing more; I promise. I have no doubt I’m due official discipline, and I’m prepared for it.”

The other man gave a gruff affirmation. Gerald glanced at him.

“I think I’m gonna get my balls busted,” he said with a wan smile.

“No need,” I said. “I already did that. I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have gone off on you. I wasn’t in a good mood and we kind of lit each other up. We both did something we shouldn’t have. Can we not just call it even?”

Gerald looked at the man sitting beside my father.

“I have to investigate any complaints of abuse of power,” he said.

“Who complained?” I asked.

“Well, you would be the complainant,” he responded.

“I’m making no complaint,” I said, “and since there was no one else present…”

“You shared your memories with Dianna. Her evidence…”

“Sorry, Frank.” Dianna stood at the door. “I promised Caleb not to share anything I saw. And since Caleb would be the aggrieved party, he has the right not to press this.”

“There’s still the matter of an assault on Gerald. If Caleb doesn’t press the case, then his justification for attacking Gerald is no longer his defense.”

“Assault?” asked Gerald. “Who got assaulted? I tripped over my own feet and fell.”

“Onto your balls?” asked Frank acidly.

“Hit ‘em on the coffee table,” Gerald said.

Frank looked from me to Gerald.

“Oh, fuck off, the pair of you!” he grumbled, but then he grinned. Standing up, he offered me his hand. “Frank Howe,” he said. “Good to finally meet you.”

I shook his hand trying, to catch up with his shift in mood.

“You just saved me a ream of paperwork,” he said.

Dianna sat down at the table next to Gerald.

“You were lucky,” she said to him.

“I don’t feel very lucky,” he said. “I still ache in places I shouldn’t.”

“You were lucky that Caleb only attacked you physically. The only other person who tried to compel him suffered far worse. Caleb stripped him of his power.”

There was a collective gasp around the table.

“I didn’t even know that was possible!” my mother exclaimed.

“It’s not a common ability, but someone who is much stronger than you could potentially do it. Effectively, they compel you to forget how to access it – and it’s virtually irreversible.”

Everyone looked at me.

“There’s something else,” Dianna continued. “He is also an Empath.”

“What?” my mother exclaimed. “How?”

Dianna pulled a face. “We don’t broadcast it, but there are rare instances of people wielding compulsion and empathy together.”

“Only in the presence of other…” began Frank, but Dianna shot him a look and he stopped.

“Other what?” I asked.

“Other factors,” she replied smoothly.

I looked at her, and she looked blandly back at me.

“Such as?” I pushed.

She regarded me. “I am going to spend most of tomorrow with you,” she said. “I still need to work with you on the knowledge you took from Harold. If you would wait until then, I promise I’ll answer all your questions.”

I looked around the table, as my mother started to serve dinner, putting plates in front of each of us.

Once we were all seated my mother looked at me and said “Caleb, would you say grace?”

I raised an eyebrow at her. She knew full well my opinion on that matter.

“Grace!” I growled. Mary and my father grinned, and Amanda giggled.

I figured it had been a deliberate attempt to both change the subject and lighten the mood.

We all dug in.

I looked at Gerald. “So, Cuz?”

He nodded. “Second cousin on my mother’s side,” he said, “which is why I’m Cross and not Stott.”

“Why did I not know I had cousins?” I directed the question toward my parents. “That means I have aunts or uncles also?”

“One of each,” my father said. “You will meet your aunt at some point. She lives in New York, so we don’t see her that often. Your Uncle John, we have no contact with.”

“But why am I only finding out about them now?” I asked slightly aggrieved. For some reason, I had regressed to a ten-year-old and was thinking about all the birthday, Thanksgiving, and Christmas gifts I had missed out on.

“To limit your exposure to people with powers,” He admitted. “Until you grew into your own, and could be assessed, it was far easier to keep you out of that world. How would you feel knowing that you might have had power if when your amulet came off, you didn’t? It would be devastating. Also, you might try and find a way to remove the amulet early if you knew it existed. Children can be very inventive when they feel the need.”

I considered this for a while as I ate.

“Do you have power?” I asked him eventually.

“My gifts are so weak as to be considered non-existent,” he said. “At best the level of influence I can exert would be similar to that of a mildly charismatic person. Before you ask, no, I do not wish I had more strength. I have seen what these gifts can do to people and believe me I am happy to be well out of it.”

I looked at my mother expectantly.

“I have a little Empathy,” she said. “There is some Everson blood way back in my ancestry but so far back there would be too many greats to mention. That Is how I recognized what was going on when I first got the urge to buy you a car.”

My hand flew to my mouth. I hadn’t even considered in my reflections that I had attempted to control my own mother.

A hand on my arm stilled me.

“Let’s just get past it, Caleb,” Dianna said. “You were a young man trying to get something out of your parents. It’s bratty, but it happens all the time. It happened when your whole world was going topsy-turvy, so let’s just bake it into the one big apology pie, hmmm?”

There was a moment of silence, and then my father chimed in again.

“Now imagine a preteen with these powers,” he said. “Then, a toddler. Then, a newborn.”

I did, and I shuddered.

“Hence the amulets,” he said with a sober nod. “Hence the secrecy, too. Even a child who doesn’t know what the amulet is will tear it off themselves at some point. We must convince them it isn’t there – that it’s just a scar.”

I rubbed at my wrist absently.

“There have been arguments going back generations regarding the age at which the amulet should be removed,” he continued, “and the world as it is, or was, at any given point in time, definitely has a place in those conversations. For now, it’s twenty one. In the future, it might be as late as twenty-five. There’s science behind it.”

“Mmm,” Gerald said, “but now there’s also evidence that we might need to re-up the amulets in some cases if it has to go on that long, and that’s going to be a real pain.”

“Our best guess is you just plain burned yours out,” Dianna explained. “I’ll confess, there was some panic once word passed from your mother to the rest of us. Some insisted we do a snatch-and-grab ASAP. In hindsight, I think that would’ve been an error.”

A few looks passed between Dianna, Frank, and Gerald. Their meanings were fairly obvious: I would not have been so easy to snatch, and people could have gotten very badly hurt.

“Why don’t you have contact with Uncle James?” I queried, dreading the answer.

“He decided to go his own way,” my father replied. “He is a businessman. He has power and uses it to further his business needs. Nothing too dark, nothing the authorities want to get involved in. He is very rich.”

His disapproval of his brother was evident. I felt it even spilled over to Dianna and the FBI.

Dianna declined to comment. It seemed that this was a discussion they had had many times before.

I looked across at Frank.

“Are you part of the bloodline too?” I asked.

“Not me,” he replied with a shudder. “I’m technically the section chief for the Extended Specialist Profiling division of the FBI.”

“ESP?” I asked, “Seriously?”

He grinned. “They like to think they are clever. They also wanted what they term a ‘Norm’ in charge.”

“You said ‘Technically’ the section chief,” I said.

“Dianna runs the section. I just file the reports and do the expenses,” he said. “I’m a glorified pen pusher with a gun. I came tonight because I wanted to meet you. It is not every day someone untrained takes down a Psi-Rapist.”

Dianna pulled her face “They have invented a whole new dictionary of crimes. Mainly by appending Psi- to the beginning of other crimes.”

“What happens when they come to court?” I asked. “How is it that news of these crimes is not on CNN each night?”

“It’s kind of complicated,” Frank said. “And also, supposedly secret. So, unless you do join the bureau then I’m not really supposed to talk to you about it.”

I considered that as I finished my meal.

I helped clear the table and load the dishes into the dishwasher, then went out to my truck to get the stuff I had intended to bring in earlier.

“Throw your laundry down into the basement,” my mother shouted as I re-entered the house.

“What makes you think I brought laundry?”

Each of the four females in the kitchen gave me ‘that’ look.

“Okay,” I said with a grin, “I’ll throw it in the basement.”

Frank and Gerald bid their farewells, assuring me they’d see me again. I will admit that had Gerald not been my cousin, I might have been interested. He had a bubble butt.

Dianna and the twins were staying over, as I was to spend some time with Dianna tomorrow.

Mary approached me after I finished bringing my stuff in.

“Caleb, can we talk?” she asked.

“Sure,” I said. “let’s go out onto the back deck.”

She followed me out, closely followed by her twin. I looked at her, indicating that she had the floor.

“First, will you trust me – trust us – for a second?” she asked.

“To do what?” I asked.

“We want to touch your mind,” Amanda said. “Not to share anything, or invade your privacy – quite the reverse, in fact.”

“You see,” said Mary, “one of the problems that identical twins have in relationships is that their partners cannot tell them apart.”

“It’s caused issues in the past – with other twins,” Amanda was quick to clarify. “We want to head it off at the pass.”

“If you will allow us,” Mary took over, “we will make it so you will always be able to tell us apart. At a glance, even looking at a picture, you will know if it is Amanda or me.”

I was all for it, but the word ‘relationship’ had caught my attention.

“Relationship?” I asked. “Are we in a relationship?”

“Our ship has definitely not yet left the dock,” said Mary. “But it might have changed a bit.”

“It turned into a catamaran,” Amanda giggled.

“You mean?” I asked.

“That if you enter into a relationship with either, you enter it with both.” The new voice came from behind me, and I spun to see Dianna standing on the deck.

“And what happens if and when Amanda finds someone she wants to spend her life with?” I asked.

“You share,” said Dianna. “Empaths share. It’s what we do.”

I sat down on one of the chairs, stunned. The implications of what I had just been told were staggering. Firstly, I was pleased that Mary was considering entering a relationship with me, but then the fact that Amanda came as part of the deal was confusing. Part of me relished the thought of having two identically hot girlfriends. I was a hot-blooded twenty-year-old male. The thought, however, that I may have to share them with an outsider, gave me pause.

Yes, I was pansexual, and I did not know who I would end up with in the end. I did think, I supposed, that whoever it was, it would be a monogamous relationship, not some kind of commune.

The thought of ‘sharing’ Amanda was hot. Would I be so blasé with the thought of Amanda’s new boyfriend, if she were to find one, ‘sharing’ Mary?

“Those are all questions for later,” Dianna said, and my eyes widened. “Your aura, remember? I have had years to learn how to read them. Believe me, I understand how you are feeling. My husband was a twin. The question, for now, is will you allow the girls to touch your mind so that you will always be able to tell them apart? Even if you don’t end up doing more than working together, that may turn out to be useful in the future.”

“Okay,” I said, nodding. “I can do that.”

Mary knelt down in front of me and placed her hand over mine. Once again, I felt a warmth touch my mind. I noted that I could sense a slightly different ‘flavor’ in that touch. I guessed everyone’s touch felt different.

I managed to almost completely suppress the instinct to draw back and push the invader out of my mind, but Mary had anticipated that reaction regardless. She had simply made the connection and then waited for me to get used to it before going further.

Then I had a revelation. That was the only way I could describe it. I presumed that Mary had shared something with me, but it was as if a blindfold had been taken off when it came to the twins. Yes, they looked the same, but the differences between them were blatant. How could I have not noticed them before?

Mary smiled at me, and I noted that she was no longer in my mind.

My mother came out onto the deck.

“It’s getting late, and you have a long day ahead of you tomorrow,” she said.

I nodded. I was very tired.

“Dianna,” she continued, “I put you in the guest room at the top of the stairs. The girls are in Caleb’s room. Caleb…”

“Will share with us,” the twins said in unison.

My jaw seemed to be doing a lot of dropping just lately. It did it again, only this time it had company. My mother’s did the same.

“I’m not sure…” she began.

“Caleb has had a lot to deal with in a very short time and he is still carrying the knowledge he took from Harold,” Dianna said. “He shouldn’t sleep alone. Mary slept with him for most of last night to suppress his nightmares, he will need the same again tonight. Once he and I have spent the day together tomorrow, he should be fine to sleep alone again… should he wish.”

“Of course,” she went on with a grin, “if you feel uncomfortable sharing with the twins, you could always share with me?”

“It’s not me that’s uncomfortable with the idea,” I said with a rueful grin, looking towards my mother.

“If it makes you feel more comfortable,” Dianna said to my mother, “both girls are, shall we say, unavailable at this time. At most, he’ll get a blowjob.”

Did I mention how good she was at making me blush? I hid my face in my hands.

“Oh well in that case…” my mother said sarcastically.

“Mom,” I said, “it’s fine. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“Don’t be stupid,” she snapped at me. “Did you not hear Dianna? You need to be near them when you sleep.” Apparently, her need to protect her little boy outweighed her need to be prudish.

“Then I’ll sleep on the floor,” I suggested.

Mom sighed. “No, I’m being stupid. You’re a grown man now, and I knew at some point you were going to have…” I didn’t think she could bring herself to say it.

“Sex?” I suggested helpfully.

“A girlfriend!” she countered firmly.

I looked at her. Was this the right time?

“Did you not consider it might be a boyfriend?” I asked gently.

Her eyes widened a little. I wished at that moment I had Dianna’s ability to read auras.

“Caleb? Are you saying you’re…”

“He’s working his way up to telling you that sex and gender just don’t matter to him,” my father interjected.

Damn, I didn’t think my jaw could drop so far and still be attached.

“You knew?” I asked my father.

“Caleb, I watched you grow. I saw you with your teenage friends, and I saw how you interacted with and looked at some of them. The least important thing to you was their gender. I didn’t know if it was just you growing and you would settle to a preference, but when you came home tonight, I saw how you looked at Mary and Amanda, and also how you checked out Gerald’s ass when you thought nobody was looking.”

“He definitely is an ass man,” Dianna said with a grin.

“I wonder where he gets that from?” my mother said, glaring at my father, who grinned back at her.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” I asked him.

“Well, up until tonight, when I saw you drooling over Gerald’s rear, I wasn’t certain. Gerald’s married by the way, so I think you are out of luck there. It still wasn’t my place to start the conversation. You just did, so I figured I’d help out.

“We both love you no matter what,” he said, “and, I suppose I should add, that to us, this is no matter at all. You are who you are, and we love you. We’ll also love any and all partners you choose for yourself, unless and until they hurt you, at which point we’ll roundly denounce them as the spawn of Satan.”

My mother came over and hugged me.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’ll bet you were dreading that conversation.”

“On a scale of one to ten and given everything else that has gone on since yesterday, my sexuality doesn’t even register,” I said honestly. “I know you love me, and I knew you would be fine with it.”

She smiled at me. “I guess you better get yourselves to bed,” she said.

My room had a queen size bed, so although it was going to be a tight squeeze for the three of us, I was sure we would manage.

I showered and put on some boxers before knocking on the door.

Mary opened the door. “This is your room, silly,” she said. “You don’t need to knock.”

“I didn’t want to catch you girls changing or something,” I replied.

She took my hand and led me to the bed. Amanda sat on its far edge.

“Lie on the bed,” Mary said. “In the middle.”

I complied.

“Caleb, will you trust me once more?” she asked.

I looked at her. “With what?”

“I want to touch your mind again. Not to share, but just to help you rest.”

“Did you do that last night, while I was sleeping?”

She nodded, biting her lip. “I’m sorry, I didn’t ask, but I swear I didn’t …”

“No,” I said interrupting her, “don’t apologize. It’s time I put on my big boy pants and decided whom to trust. I was so freaked out when Harold tried to take control of me, that any suggestion of anyone connecting with my mind sent me into a panic. Despite my tantrum earlier, deep down I know my parents wouldn’t allow you near me if they thought you would hurt me. If they trust your family, then so do I.

“I would like to ask you a question though. Please be honest. I promise I won’t be angry at the answer.”

“Yes and no,” said Amanda.

I looked at her, puzzled.

“I saw you make the connection earlier,” she said, “even if you didn’t notice it yourself. You were wondering if Mary had been placed at your school to keep an eye on you, and if her getting close to you was just so she could help ‘contain’ you.”

I looked at Mary.

“Yes, and no?” I asked.

“Yes, I am at that PSU partly so I can keep an eye on you – not only for their safety, but for yours as well. No, I didn’t get close to you to help ‘contain’ you. When you helped me out in class with my ‘accident’ I realized what a nice guy you were. Then you invited me to your party, and I enjoyed talking and dancing with you. Had what happened, not happened, I would have liked to see where things would have led.”

“We still would,” added Amanda.

“Caleb, we are all young. None of us are ready to settle down yet. Can’t we have some fun until we decide what we really want?”

“Can we talk about this another time?” I asked. “I need time to get my thoughts in order.”

Mary nodded. “Try to relax,” she said, climbing in alongside me.

Amanda climbed in the other side. Both of them were wearing long tee shirts that came down to mid-thigh. They snuggled up either side of me, pulling up the covers and each putting a hand on my chest. I felt the warm embrace once more in my mind. This time I knew it was Mary. The flavor of her mental touch had gained new definition. I knew, somehow, that I would never mistake it for Amanda’s.

Closing my eyes, I allowed myself to bask in the feeling of both the physical and the mental embrace.

I slept.

Chapter 4 – Saturday

When I woke, I found myself staring into a pair of beautiful, tawny eyes that I immediately identified as belonging to Amanda.

“Morning,” I said, trying not to breathe too heavily in her direction. Morning breath is not great.

She smiled brightly. “Hey you!” she said chirpily. “How did you sleep?”

I stretched, luxuriating in the feeling. “Like a baby,” I said.

I looked across at Mary, who was still asleep. “How long have you been awake?” I asked Amanda.

“Oh, we took it in turns. Mary has been asleep about an hour.”

“Turns?” I asked.

“Someone had to keep you from having the nightmares. We took two-hour shifts.”

“Oh my god!” I exclaimed quietly. “I didn’t realize you would have to be awake. That must mean that on Thursday, Mary stayed awake all night.”

“She was fine with it. I picked her up Friday morning. She slept most of the way home in the car.”

“Can I sneak past you, please? I need to move, and I don’t want to disturb her.”

“She is awake anyway,” came a sleepy voice from behind me.

I turned my head to face her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It’s fine,” she said. “I needed to be up anyway.”

“What for?” I asked.

“To take care of this,” she said, wrapping her hand around my morning wood and giving it a gentle squeeze.

My breath caught in my throat. She leaned in, and heedless of my morning breath, kissed me.

There was a knock on the bedroom door.

Instantly, Mary moved back and closed her eyes once more. Her hand, however, stayed exactly where it was.

My mother entered.

“Morning, Mom,” I said quietly, doing my best to look like someone wasn’t rhythmically squeezing my erection under the covers while my mother looked on.

She looked at the girls. Amanda spoke.

“Mary is still sleeping. We took turns watching over him. She finished her shift an hour ago.”

My mother looked at Mary with kindness. “Poor baby. Let’s not wake her then.”

I was struggling not to laugh. Mary was still silently tormenting me, squeezing and releasing my dick, making me ache. It would take time, but she could quite easily make me cum just by doing that.

For some reason, my mother didn’t seem to want to leave.

“Would you guys like me to make you some breakfast?” she asked.

Amanda giggled. “Mary, give it up,” she said. “You’ve been busted.”

Mary opened one eye, looked at my mother, and grinned. “How could you tell?” she asked.

My mother laughed. “You think I don’t recognize that look on a boy’s face?”

Amanda and Mary both looked at me. Mary gave a couple of experimental squeezes.

“Okay, fair point,” Mary said – and then, to me, “You need a better poker face.”

I was starting to blush. This was as surreal a situation as I had ever been in.

Amanda skipped out of bed. “I need to pee,” she said unashamedly and went into the bathroom.

“I’ll leave you two to it,” my mother said. “Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes.”

Amanda came back a couple of minutes later and tagged Mary out. I decided to go grab some clothes and go into the main bathroom for a quick shower. After we’d all taken care of some business, we met in the kitchen.

My Dad was sitting at the table eating his breakfast. He smiled at me. “Morning son. Did you get ANY sleep?”

“Sleep was all I got,” I grumbled.

“Oh, you’ll be back in the land of never-ending debauchery before you know it,” he said with a grin. “It might do you some good to have a rest for the weekend.”

“I don’t know what went on where you went to university, but I go there to learn,” I said. I tried to put on a superior air, but it was difficult while also gulping down orange juice.

“And what did you learn during your threesome with your roommate and his girlfriend?” he asked.

My orange juice came out of my nose. Damn, that stings!

“I’m hoping to benefit from one of those lessons,” said Mary as she sat down at the table and passed me a napkin.

“How did you…” I asked, staring daggers at Dianna as she walked through the door.

“I heard Mary ask you about it yesterday,” Dad said, unabashed.

“Stop embarrassing the poor boy,” Dianna said, sitting down at the table. “Is it not enough that you cock-blocked him? Must you tease him as well?”

My mother and I both blushed at that remark.

“I didn’t…” she began, but Dianna looked at her with a raised eyebrow, and she stopped talking and turned back to the bacon in the pan.

Dianna then regarded my father just as sharply. “And you should know better than to have let her,” she said. “Can you imagine waking up between those two and not getting a release? Ever had blue balls? How am I supposed to train him if all he can think about is the ache in his nethers?”

My father looked down at his plate.

She looked at me. “Did you at least take care of it in the shower?” she asked.

“What?” I asked, dumbfounded. “Did I…”

“Did you masturbate in the shower?” she repeated. “You can’t be expected to go through what we are going to do today if you are distracted!”

I seriously thought my face was going to catch fire I was blushing so hard. I shook my head.

She sighed. “Mary, take your boy back to bed and bring him back properly drained,” she said. Then she grinned. “Amanda – go lend a hand.”

My mother opened her mouth, but a look from Dianna made her close it again.

Mary stood and offered me her hand. I looked to her, then Dianna, then my father – who seemed to be doing his best not to smirk – and finally to my mother. She sighed and closed her eyes.

“Sorry. I should have thought about… I just… Oh god, Caleb, just go!!!”

Sheepishly, I stood up and took Mary’s hand. Amanda came around the table and grasped my other one.

I was in a daze as we entered my bedroom. Mary pinched my arm.

“Ow!” I said, “What was that for?”

“Just so you know you aren’t dreaming. Your mother did just tell you to take two hot twins into your bedroom and empty your balls into them.”

“Into?” I asked. “I thought you…erm.. had visitors?”

“They left,” Amanda said. “We’ve been good to go since yesterday.” She cupped my balls through my trousers. “So, what do you think, sis, three loads? One each and one to share?”

Mary slid her hand down the front of my trousers, taking a more direct feel. “Sounds about right,” she said, squeezing gently.

“Quick shot to start?”

“Sounds good. Rock paper scissors for who goes first?”

“Now hang on a minute,” I said, getting a little annoyed. “Don’t I get any…”

Amanda kissed me.

Bringing her hands up, she took hold of both sides of my head and held it still, her lips on mine, her tongue gently exploring.

I didn’t even feel Mary remove my pants; I did, however, feel it when she took my cock into her mouth. She held the head in her mouth and swirled her tongue around and under before pulling back with a pop and licking it from base to tip.

While that was going on, they both touched my mind. It wasn’t like before; it was a more open connection. I could almost feel what they felt. I could feel Amanda’s tongue exploring my mouth and battling with mine, but I could also feel it from her perspective. The two sensations overlapped with each other. It got even more confusing, because not only could I feel Mary’s mouth doing sensational things to my cock, but I could feel what she felt. I could feel the spongy hardness of my cock on her tongue. I could even feel their own arousal ramping up, and that was something for which I had absolutely no context whatsoever. I could feel three sets of nipples becoming erect and two pussies becoming slick and tingling in anticipation. It was sensual, sensory overload, and it triggered the obvious and inevitable.

Mary held the head of my cock in her mouth as I pumped spurt after spurt of cum into it. How I stayed on my feet is a mystery. Throughout my orgasm, Amanda continued her assault on my mouth, kissing me, but also controlling my breath, heightening my pleasure. It was never enough to make me uncomfortable, but just enough to tease.

Eventually, the flow stopped, and Mary let my softening cock slip from her mouth.

She stood.

Amanda released me and then turned to her sister to receive her kiss. I guessed this was the load shared. They kissed for a good five minutes, their tongues working into each other’s mouths. I could still feel the sensations they were eliciting in each other, almost but not quite tasting the sweet saltiness of my cum as they swallowed it. I could still feel their arousal building. They were both soaked now and rubbing their thighs together to get some stimulation.

Finally, my cum was all gone and they turned back to me. Between them they had me naked in no time flat, all the time kissing and caressing me. Mary and I then turned our attention to Amanda, stripping her whilst stroking and kissing her. Finally, we turned on Mary. Following the same routine, she was also naked in record time.

Mary took my hand and led me to the bed.

“Caleb,” she said, “I know you wanted your first time to be with someone special and to be memorable. We would both be honored to be part of that. But if you would rather save it for another time, another place,” she paused, a little catch in her voice, “or another person, then we will understand. There are other things we can do without stealing something special from you.”

I looked at her – at them both – and I knew that this was not a decision driven purely by lust, although I was as horny as I had ever been. I could feel through my connection to them their feelings for me, the strength of which took my breath away. I realized that I had those exact same feelings. I had known them both for less than forty-eight hours; I’d had so little contact with Mary in my English class that I didn’t consider that knowing her, but I knew with a certainty that I couldn’t explain that these two girls were my future. I knew also that my future would involve others, but that there would be more than enough love for all of us.

“My only regret is that I only have one first time to give.” I said, “but I would be honored to share it with you.”

Mary and Amanda both climbed onto the bed. Mary lay on her back and beckoned to me. I noted absently that someone had placed a towel on the bed. I wondered who.

I moved forward and kissed Mary. I tried to move down her body, intending to return the favor from before, but she held me in place.

“Not this time,” she said. “Please, make me yours.”

I felt Amanda take hold of my rigid tool and begin to rub the head up and down Mary’s lips. Mary was already soaked, so my cock head was soon covered with her lubrication. Amanda gently placed the head of my cock against Mary’s pussy, and, with her other hand pressed, against my butt, encouraging me to push forward.

I took the hint.

Slowly, relishing the sensation, I pushed my cock into her. Her pussy was drenched. While there was little resistance, she was vice tight, and the heat was indescribable. She took my face in her hands and kissed me again as I continued to press forward until I hit a barrier. I stopped, stunned.

“Mary are you?.. is this…?”

“Yes Caleb, this is my first time too. Please, take my gift as I take yours. Make me a woman.”

I pressed forward again, but faltered, not wanting to cause her any pain.

I caught a brief look between Amanda and Mary, and then Amanda slapped my ass, hard.

Reflexively, I jerked forward, burying myself up to the hilt in Mary. We both yelped, her from the pain of penetration and me from the spanking. Before I could remonstrate with Amanda, Mary once more claimed my mouth with hers and drove that thought out of my mind.

I withdrew until only the head of my cock was still inside her, then I gently pushed back in until our bodies met. Once again, I pulled back and then pushed back in, a little faster than before. I continued to move in and out of her, building speed. The whole time we were devouring each other’s mouths. The physical sex was less than half of what was going on. We were sharing our minds and the sensations we were experiencing so we could both feel both sides of the lovemaking. She could feel me moving inside her, but also feel how her pussy was clamping on my cock and how each bump and ridge of her walls rubbed delightfully on my glans.

I could feel her belly start to tighten and the beginnings of her orgasm at the same time as she could feel my balls tightening and the tingling that leads up to my ejaculation.

Amanda wasn’t left out either. She was sharing in the sensation from both of us, and the fact that she was also furiously rubbing her clit whilst watching us threw a whole new level of sensation into the mix.

Mary arched her back as she came, screaming into my mouth. Feeling her orgasm, I had no defense and I erupted inside her, the sudden feeling of my scalding cum jetting into her immediately forcing her into a second, stronger orgasm. Amanda, on feeling both our orgasms, came too, her fingers working furiously, which pushed Mary into yet another orgasm that ripped through all three of us.

Mary and I clung together, still gently kissing one another as we came down from the incredible high. I tried to move off her, not wanting to crush her with my weight, but she held me in place.

“Stay, Caleb. I like to feel your weight on me, in me. Please, just a little longer.”

Eventually, my softening cock slipped out of her, and my arms began to tremble a little from holding myself up. She smiled.

“I think you can move now,” she said.

I rolled onto my back, and immediately Amanda snuggled into my other side.

I looked at her and saw tears on her face.

“Amanda?” I said, “are you okay?”

She nodded. “That was the single most beautiful thing I have ever experienced,” she said. “I had hoped that my first time would be like that.”

“I’m sure it will be,” I said, “When you find…”

“No, Caleb,” she said. “You don’t understand. You took us both then. Yes, it was Mary’s body, and I fully intend for you to take my body for its first time too. But I was there, sharing, inside her mind. You took my first as you took hers, as we both took yours, and it was beautiful.”

It was only then that I fully appreciated what Dianna had meant when she’d said that Empaths share. It had seemed such a superficial statement, akin to all Empaths being swingers, but it was much more meaningful than that.

I looked at Mary and found she also had tears.

“Mary?” I asked.

She smiled. “I would never have believed it if I hadn’t felt it,” she said.

I nodded. “It was truly amazing. Your body was perfect on its own, but your powers elevated it to a level I would never have believed.”

“Caleb,” she said, “that was YOUR power, not ours. You led that, supported us, and enveloped us in such loving, caring, warmth that it made me want to cry with happiness. Then, when you began to share our sensations, each with the other, it was mind-blowing.”

“But I thought…” I started.

“Empaths can share,” Amanda said, “but not like that. You made us as one.”

While she was talking, she had been gently stroking my chest, and her hand was slowly moving south. She leaned forward and kissed my chest. I felt another set of lips on and turned to see Mary mirroring Amanda’s movement on the other side. They moved down slightly until they were grazing my nipples, licking and taking gentle bites. The sensation was electric and connected directly to my manhood. By the time Amanda’s hand had traversed my lower belly, my cock had raised its head to meet her.

Amanda released my nipple from her mouth and looked up at me, her beautiful tawny eyes fixed on mine. “Caleb, would you please do me the honor of being this body’s first?”

I struggled to think of something equally formal to say to her but could come up with nothing.

“Just say yes,” Mary said. “She knows that you want to make it as special as possible for her, but you already did that. Like she said before: this is just her body. In her mind, you already gave her, gave us, the most perfect first time that any woman could dream of.”

“Yes!” I hurriedly exclaimed.

Amanda climbed on top of me and leaned down to kiss me.

Her breasts pressed against my chest, and I could feel her nipples, hard as diamonds, pushing into me.

Her tongue played with mine as once again I felt the hand of a sister get involved in the proceedings.

This time, Mary’s hand took hold of my cock and was holding it against Amanda as she rubbed her slit up and down on it, covering it with her juices. When she judged it was wet enough, Mary directed it to Amanda’s entrance and held it still, as Amanda started to lower herself onto me.

Like Mary’s, Amanda’s pussy was both incredibly hot and incredibly tight. She reached the barrier and stopped. I could tell she was nervous, and I tried my best to sit still, but the temptation to thrust up into her was almost unbearable.

Then Mary got a little revenge. The slap on the ass was for Amanda this time, and she yelped and jerked forward, impaling herself on me and tearing through her membrane. I felt a little sorry for her, but she soon got over it, continuing to kiss me deeply whilst grinding her pussy onto my rigid tool.

She started to move her hips, pulling up so I slid almost all the way out and then pushing down, impaling herself on me once more. When she bottomed out, she ground her clit into my pubic bone, sending thrills of sensation through her body.

Once again, as the sensations started to build, I felt the connection between the three of us and our universe expand once more. The envelope of love surrounded us, and I could see how it had formed and how it was stretching out around us. Then we started to share the sensations. I could feel her tongue battling mine, and mine on hers. I could feel my hands on her breasts and could feel her breasts being stroked and squeezed and, most wonderfully of all, I could feel her amazing, tight, slick, hot, pussy gliding up and down on my cock. I could feel each time she ground her clit into me, the sensations racing up and down my spine, threatening at any moment to push me over the edge. At the same time, we could all feel a hard, hot, ridged muscle moving inside a fiery-hot tunnel; the joy of stretching and being stretched; of fucking and being fucked; of having the G-spot massaged over and over again. Over to the side, Mary was also being bombarded with the same sensations and she, like Amanda, was contributing. Her fingers were strumming her clit while globs of my cum still leaked out of her. Occasionally she would scoop up some and use it to lubricate herself while her other hand rolled and pinched her nipple.

Nobody could have withstood that level of stimulation for long, but I managed to hold off just long enough for Amanda to hit her first orgasm. I felt her stiffen in my arms and would have known it was coming even if I hadn’t been able to feel it building. Once again, her release was the trigger for me to erupt inside her. The feeling she got from my orgasm, combined with the sensation of my cum surging up inside her, triggered a larger, second one. That hit all three of us, and Mary, who was already right on the edge of the bed, fell off.

She never noticed though, because she was just reaching the peak of her self-induced pleasure, which then fed back into all three of us.

Amanda collapsed onto my chest, panting hard, our sweat mingling, allowing her breasts to slide across my chest. She still twitched with aftershocks, and those prompted my own twitches, which made her giggle.

As identical as the girls were, Mary was the more serious and responsible of the two. Amanda, at heart, was still a little girl.

I heard Mary ask, “Um, Caleb?”

I looked across at her and realized that she was floating by the bed.

“What the hell?” I exclaimed, “How are you…”

“Do you think you can put me down?” she asked. “Gently would be nice.”

“Me?” I was astonished. “Am I doing that?”

She nodded. “Visualise your own mind. You should be able to see any powers you are using. Remember you said you saw a link between Harold and Angela? Look for something like that.”

I thought for a moment and tried to imagine the powers I was currently using. I saw several threads leading from me. There were two thick, rich, purple threads linking me with the twins, which I took to be the remnants of our sharing. I also saw a thin white thread linking me with Mary. I gently pulled it toward me and she floated back until she was over the bed, and then I cut the thread. She fell onto the bed.

She smiled.

I, however, wasn’t smiling.

I had also noticed that there were two other deep purple threads that both disappeared through the wall in the direction of the kitchen. I had a horrible feeling about where they led.

“Oh no!” I said.

“What?” Mary asked looking worried.

“I think we shared with more than just the three of us.”

“What?” Amanda asked.

“I have a horrible feeling that our sharing included some people we didn’t intend,” I reiterated.

“Who?” asked Mary.

“If I’m right, and I hope to hell I’m not, then one of them is your grandmother, and the other is my mom.”

Mary and Amanda looked at me, then at each other, and then erupted in gales of laughter.

“It’s not funny!” I said, “It’s tantamount to rape. How could I?”

“No Caleb, no it’s not,” Mary said quickly.

“It’s the most loving thing you could have done for either of them,” Amanda said. “You offered them a gift. You offered for them to share your first time, our first time. They could have refused it. If they are still connected now, then that is a choice that they both made.”

“But what about your grandmother? And even if that’s the case, how will my dad feel, knowing what happened?”

“Oh, he will be well compensated,” Mary assured me. “Your mother will feed off that energy for weeks, and he will benefit greatly, believe me. And Grandmother? I’m surprised she isn’t in here asking you for a one-on-one.”

“Ooh, he doesn’t hate that idea,” said Amanda, watching me.

“Oh god, kill me now!!” I said, putting my head in my hands.

Mary took my hands and pulled them away from my face.

“Caleb, please,” she said, “you must realize that things are different now. Your powers – our powers – change things. You need to look at things differently now. Sex is just one of those things. You never laid a finger on your mother, nor my grandmother, but I’ll bet we gave them some of the best orgasms they have enjoyed in quite a while. Empaths share; it’s what we do. It’s all done with love, and nobody suffers harm. I know you were brought up to believe certain things, but those things no longer apply.”

“But isn’t this exactly what we are trying to avoid?” I asked uncertainly. “This descent into hedonistic debauchery and corruption?”

“Well, the second one, of course,” Mary said seriously. “But there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this ‘hedonistic debauchery’ you’re so afraid of if everyone freely chooses to participate. And I’m surprised you’d think like that anyway. You felt the love, Caleb. You felt all of us – including you! – giving as much as they were taking. Everyone cared about everyone else’s feelings and pleasure. There’s nothing wrong with casual sex, but this was not that.”

“You made an offer, Caleb,” Amanda said. “Grandmother and your mom accepted, and your father declined. Everyone made their choice. Everything is okay.”

“MY FATHER?” I asked, shocked.

“Of course,” Amanda said. “Do you love him any less than your mother? Would you make such an offer to your mother and not your father?”

I opened and closed my mouth several times, trying to sort all this out in my head. Had I just descended into an incestuous relationship with my mother? And tried to do the same with my father? What would they think of me now? My newly-revealed sexuality must have seemed like the ultimate perversion to them in that context.

“You didn’t want to, offer to, or actually have sex with either of your parents,” Mary said. “Remember, they have been around powers for all their lives. They know how they work, whereas this is all new to you. I am quite certain you didn’t blindside them. The only person you blindsided was yourself, and we’re both trying to tell you that it’s all okay.”

“I’m still not sure I’m going to be able to face them,” I said.

“Oh, you are going to have some much tougher questions to answer,” Mary said, with a worried smile.

“Like what?” I asked.

“Like how you managed to develop telekinesis.”

We each grabbed a quick shower and got dressed again, then returned to the kitchen.

Dianna and my mother were both sitting at the table, looking like they had run a marathon. My father was sitting at the head of the table, giggling like a schoolboy.

I looked at him in surprise as he came over to me and hugged me.

“What?…” I began.

“Thank you, Caleb,” he said “I’ll admit I was a little surprised at the offer, but I have always been more of a physical rather than a metaphysical person. I hope you don’t feel I passed on it for any other reason.”

Dumbly, I shook my head. I hadn’t even been aware I had made the offer. In some sense, I was actually relieved he had not been a part of it.

“Besides,” he added, “It’s always so much fun watching those two twitching like landed fish, and I know that your Mom will want…”

I held up my hand, not really wanting to hear the end of that sentence. He turned to the twins.

“Thank you to you girls as well,” he said, putting an arm around each of them.

They both grinned back at him.

My mother stood and walked over to me. I cringed, waiting for I-don’t-know-what to happen.

“Caleb, thank you,” she said, embracing me gently. “I have not shared like that for such a long time. I know that was your,” she looked between the three of us, “all of yours, first times, and I was honored to be included. That hasn’t happened since… well, for a long time. Thank you so much.” There were tears in her eyes as she went on to embrace both the girls.

She left the kitchen and went outside for some reason.

“I didn’t tell her that it wasn’t deliberate,” Dianna said. “She thinks you did it out of love, and I suspect that, if you had realized it was possible and had had some more time to adjust to your new life, you probably would have offered it voluntarily – maybe to even more people than just the three of us.

“Let’s go into the parlor while I can still think,” she said, regarding her two granddaughters. “I have not felt anything like that since your grandfather was alive. Any time you feel like sharing, please feel free, and if you want to share more directly, I would be happy to.”

She leered at me, and I acutely recalled the twins’ lecture about how ‘hedonistic debauchery’ was not frowned upon, in and of itself.

“Oh, by the way, which one of you did the spanking?” she asked.

“Amanda did the first one to motivate me,” I answered, “and Mary did the second, to motivate Amanda, although I think there was a hint of revenge in there too.”

“It was good, but you need more. Once is only enough to shock. To really get into it you need to….”

“We’ll take that under advisement,” I interrupted, not really wanting to discuss this with the twins’ grandmother.

“Grandmother,” Mary said.

Dianna stopped talking and looked at Mary, the note of formality in her voice shifting the room’s whole vibe.

“Share with me,” Dianna said, and I felt their powers swell and connect. I was starting to recognize things now, and I was certain that if I had wanted to, I could have joined their connection.

Dianna’s eyes went wide. “Compulsion, Empathy, Telekinesis. That’s three. In multiples, there are never odd numbers. So, there is a fourth. Could be pyro or cryo, or even true telepathy. I don’t think I can train him. I can give him the basics, but he needs something more.”

While she was talking, I was watching her and the girls. Now that I had identified them, I could see their powers wrapped around each of them. There was a constant link between the twins, and I could still see the thick lines linking the twins with me. The other, lesser lines between me, my mother, and Dianna had faded now, and I assumed that the thicker lines would just take longer to dissipate. They didn’t seem to have weakened yet, though. I made a mental note to check again later.

I was also starting to appreciate something else. There was something about each of them. It was like seeing something, but without using my eyes. The images just arrived in my brain. Each of them had what could only be described as an aura. Once I spotted it, I couldn’t not see it.

“What are you looking at?” asked Mary curiously, seeing that I was looking from her, to Amanda, to Dianna.

“Your auras, I think,” I replied, still looking between them.

That caused a red spike in all three of the auras.

“Judging by that red spike, I take it that is not a good thing?” I asked.

“Auras are personal,” Dianna said, “and I mean personal to the observer. Simply put, because you take red to not be a good thing, that’s probably in the ballpark. You just need to remember that another aura reader’s colors might be very different. Never assume anything if you’re only told what color they saw.”

“Red means danger to me,” I said, “so tell me, why would you think it dangerous for me to be able to see Auras?”

“It isn’t in and of itself,” Dianna said, “but the fact that you have figured them out, without us having had to help you see them, shows that your powers are expanding at quite a rate. The worry is that they will expand so fast that you will be swept along, not be able to maintain your sense of self, and become corrupted by them.”

“I’m counting on a certain set of twins and their grandmother to help me make sure that doesn’t happen,” I replied.

“And we will do our utmost to help,” she said, “but I think we might need a little more help than what we currently have on hand.”

“I still have University,” I reminded them.

“Yes, we understand that,” Dianna said, “but I think we can make some arrangements. Also, you will find that with your powers unlocked your memory will be much better and you will understand things more easily.

“For today, there are a couple of things I want to do. Firstly, we need to deal with Harold’s memories. I would like to deactivate them if you will let me. It won’t remove them, but it will sever their links to your emotional centers. That way, they cannot affect you. I won’t lie to you, Caleb. Now that I have a better sense of how powerful you are, and how quickly you’re growing into that power, I strongly recommend that you allow me to do so.”

“But if they don’t affect my emotions, doesn’t that mean I’ll be able to view them without the feelings of disgust and horror that I do now?”

“That’s the point.”

“But surely, then, if I can do that, then what would prevent me from doing some of the things he did? If I can detach it in such a way from emotion, am I not in danger of repeating it?”

She considered me for a moment. “It would require malice aforethought, as they say in the law, for you to deliberately detach your emotions from bad acts you were about to do. These memories are not your memories. You can feel a much healthier amount of disgust just ‘knowing,’ as normal people do, what Harold did to his victims. Believe me, law enforcement is full of normal people who have to retire because that normal amount of disgust overwhelms them. You would not be losing much – only enough, I think, so that you’d be able to sleep on your own again.

“The only other way is removal,” she continued, “and that will make you as sick as a dog for hours. It will feel like someone took a blender, threw your brain in, blended it without the lid on, and then poured what’s left of it back into your skull.”

“And if you do nothing?” I asked.

“Then there is a chance they will haunt you in your dreams,” she said. “That would be terrible for a normal person, but in your case, it could be much more dangerous. Imagine if a sleepwalker had superpowers.”

“If the girls have suppressed my dreams,” I asked, “how do we even know if that happens?”

“Do you want to take the chance that you will spend your nights re-enacting the horrors that Harold perpetrated on all his victims, including your friend Angela?” she asked.

“Maybe that won’t happen,” I said. “Have you come across this before?”

She shook her head. “Nobody was dumb enough to take a brain dump from a degenerate psychopath,” she said acidly. “Honestly, what possessed you to do that?”

“I’m sorry,” I said, starting to get annoyed, “I missed ALL the lessons that you gave me growing up regarding the safe use of my powers. Oh, wait! There were none. I guess I should apologize for wanting to check if Harold had anybody chained up in his basement that I needed to go rescue, too.”

We glared at each other for a long moment, and then she sighed heavily.

“You can be a dick when you want to be,” she said finally.

“Try not being such a bitch and perhaps I might not want to be so often.”

The twins sat to one side, wide-eyed. Dianna and I continued to glare at each other.

I noted her aura had disappeared. I wondered if she was suppressing it deliberately to stop me from reading her mood. I took a gamble.

“Are you going to stop pouting now and teach me, or do you need me to spank you first?”

Suddenly her aura flared back into visibility. It was a deep, rich purple, like velvet, and it immediately made me think of arousal.

I raised an eyebrow at her, and she chuckled.

“Dick!” she said without rancor. “That would never have happened if I hadn’t just gotten caught up in your playtime.

“If you want to keep his memories intact and try and deal with them yourself then we can try it for a night,” she agreed. “If you have a bad night tonight, we can talk again in the morning before you head back. For now, there are a couple of things I want to show you. The first is how to defend yourself against a mental attack.”

To be honest, it was a bit disappointing: build a wall and make it impenetrable.

Being a bit of a Trekkie, rather than a wall, I imagined shields. I saw in my mind the icon of the starship Enterprise as the shields were raised, the forcefield surrounding the ship, protecting it from external threats.

I felt Dianna pressing at my shield, and she nodded. “Nice,” she said.

Then I had another idea. If a shield worked, then what would happen if I imagined not only a shield, but also a cloaking device, such as the Klingons or Romulans used?

“Okay, again,” Dianna said. “Put up your defense, and let’s see if I can breach it. I will be putting pressure on, but I’ll back off as soon as I get through.”

“If you get through, you mean,” I countered, grinning at her.

“Ready?” Dianna asked.

I heard the command in my head: “So’wI’ yIchu’!” That’s Klingon for “Raise the cloak!” I was, in fact, more than just a bit of a Trekkie. I imagined my mind shimmering into invisibility.

My ‘Cloak’ failed to engage. I sensed that there was something in the way. I examined my mind, and saw that those two broad purple lines still connecting me and the twins, effectively preventing me from using it. Irritated at my failure, I slashed at the links. My cloak engaged.

Immediately I heard the twins scream, a primal noise of pain and loss. I wanted to help them, to find out what had caused them to cry out like that, but I had also been hit by a sense of loss and abandonment so profound I could hardly breathe. My shields collapsed. There was a hole in my heart where the twins had been. I had not even known that they had occupied that space, but then they’d been violently torn out of me. It wasn’t mere absence, but an ugly, jagged, gaping wound. It brought uncontrollable tears to my eyes.

Then I felt Dianna bring her own power to bear, surrounding us, comforting us, and bringing us back together. I felt the twins once again in my mind and my panic and loss subsided. I felt their arms around me and we held each other tightly, sobbing in relief that once again we were whole.

“I’m sorry,” I sobbed, clutching at the girls “I’m so sorry.” On some level I understood that my cutting those links had caused what had just happened; I just didn’t understand why. Weren’t they just the remnants of our earlier sharing? Was it that they needed to fade naturally? Had I been too precipitous in my irritation and caused some kind of psychic backlash?

My parents had entered the room, presumably summoned by the screams. Dianna indicated that everything was under control, and they should let her deal with it. Reluctantly, they withdrew.

It took a while for us all to settle down again, and the twins held onto me, wanting the physical reassurance of my presence. I did not object. I needed to feel their presence every bit as much as they seemed to need to feel mine. I was still shaking slightly when I finally managed to turn my attention back to Dianna.

“What happened?” I asked, my voice by no means firm.

“I have a suspicion,” she replied, “Will you let me see it from your perspective? I should then be able to explain.”

I nodded and felt her in my mind.

She gasped, and I saw tears in her eyes.

“I never thought I would ever see it,” she said quietly. “I’d heard stories, but I never even dreamed that it would happen.”

“That what would happen?” I asked. “What did I do?”

“Caleb,” she said, “when you, Mary, and Amanda took each other’s first times this morning, it bound you together – more certainly and surely than any marriage. And of course, it happened with twins. My oh my.”

“I don’t understand,” I said, “what do you mean, ‘bound?’”

“Caleb,” she said, “you must understand that these powers have been around for generations. Hundreds of years. Over that period, they have evolved, and people have learned how to manipulate them using rituals.

“Most of the skills and rituals have died out,” she continued, “mostly because they were total nonsense. We are no longer living in the Middle Ages; we live in a scientific age. But, just like some ancient herbal remedies actually did work, I suppose some of those rituals did too.

“I’d heard of one, decades ago. It was originally designed as a marriage ritual. The idea was that the betrothed couple would each give their first time to the other whilst sharing. It was supposed to form an unbreakable bond between the pair – so much so that they could never bear to be parted.

“I never attributed much to the tales, thinking they were myths, but it seems that you did something quite like that – though, thankfully, not so extreme that you can’t be physically separate. In giving yourself to Mary and Amanda, and them giving themselves to you, you are now bonded.

“Those lines you saw were the bond, not just a remnant of your sharing. When you blocked them, you did something akin to cutting off your own arm. It really shouldn’t be possible to do that in the first place, but the power of your imagination seems to have few boundaries. What you saw, and felt, was the result. I am not sure of the effect on any of you should that disconnection become permanent. I would fear for your sanity, for your very lives.”

My chest tightened and I felt physically sick. I felt, more than heard, a litany of accusations in my head. They weren’t coming from some outside source. There were no red or black lines pumping venom into my head. They burned just as badly as any psychic attack possibly could.

Reckless. Stupid. Arrogant. Dangerous. Unstable. Selfish. Insane.

I couldn’t breathe. I had to get out of that room, out of the house.

Standing up, I rushed from the room, surprising my mother, who had just opened the kitchen door.

She saw my face and paled.

“Caleb, what happ…”

Spinning away, I yanked open the front door and fled.

I had no idea where I was going. I just needed to be somewhere, anywhere but where I was. I couldn’t think. I could only feel, and every feeling was terrible. Nightmares sprung up, burned or stabbed me, then fizzled just as quickly. I couldn’t even seize upon them long enough to think about them logically.

Mary and Amanda, lobotomized, drooling, purple collars and chain leashes – and I, the master who was even more negligent than I was cruel, tugging at them heedlessly, practically strangling them as I bumbled my way through some dirty street full of drug addicts and prostitutes.

Myself, an ugly, twisted scarecrow, grasping two beautiful balls of light – Mary and Amanda’s souls, of course – and greedily shoving them into my jagged maw… only to pierce my own fetid breast with a taloned hand, tearing them out again, covered in black sludge and screaming in agony. With red fire blazing in my blackened sockets, I’d crush them in my grasp, cackling with a madness that rejected all distinction between pain, loss, cruelty, gluttony, lust, and victory. Half-digested, they’d deform like a pair of gouged-out eyeballs as I squeezed them to death, snuffing out their light forever.

Myself again – but also Harold – heedless of my own unkempt stink, or perhaps so far gone I was truly unaware of it, sleazing and humping my way through a parade of half-crazed college students, leaving them stained forever with my foul seed. Bellies would swell up and birth my monstrous children as I forever moved forward, sniffing out my next victim while tugging my twisted cock back to hardness.

The ultimate nightmare would not have been hard to predict, had I any shred of perspective left to cling to: the entire world, a pit of filth; everyone bloody and diseased; endless, mindless, drug-addicted orgies; everything and everyone dedicated to my worship; nothing but chains everywhere, all leading back to me, their god. I would treat those chains like playthings. Some days, I’d squeeze or sever them without a thought for the pain and death it would cause. Other days, I’d manipulate them precisely to inflict those arbitrary punishments. Everyone, myself included, would be convinced that I was an immaculate Adonis, but from the outside, away from my ever-expanding aura of enforced, insane delusion, I would be exposed as the exact opposite. I would be filth itself. I would be disease itself. I would more than the devil, because I would be powerful enough both to make a hell of Earth and force everyone to believe it was heaven.

Slaver. Rapist. Monster. Abomination. Devourer. Ruiner.

Eventually, I ran out of steam and found myself at the river. I was mentally and emotionally exhausted – which, ironically, was the only reason I was cognizant of where my legs had carried me. It was always where I’d used to come whenever I’d had something to think through, or when I’d just needed to be alone. Nobody ever knew of it, so I thought I was safe there and could think without interruption. I suppose I should have known better, but I wasn’t exactly thinking straight at that moment.

I slumped down on a log by the water. I just felt ugly – ugly and wrong. Worse, I couldn’t stop a wave of self-pity from washing over me. After all of that feverish guilt and recrimination, suddenly I fancied myself a victim.

I wondered if there was a way of breaking the bond, of releasing the girls from the trap I had unwittingly sprung on them.

Had it been unwitting, though? I remembered thinking, just before they had given themselves to me, that I wanted them. Had that thought been the catalyst for the enslavement? If so, how did I know how to do it? Was there some kind of alter-ego in my subconscious that understood my powers already, and was steering my actions while my conscious self arrogantly thought it was in control? Or was that in itself an excuse to escape the blame for my heinous act?

“Oh, it wasn’t me, Your Honour, it was my evil twin hiding inside me!”

I laughed bitterly.

If I were to leave, to disappear, how would that affect the twins? They had seemed upset, but perhaps after a while, they would recover enough to live their lives.

I remembered the tearing feeling of loss I had experienced and knew that was not the case. If they felt anything like I had, then it would never go away.

I put my head in my hands and groaned. Things just kept going from bad to worse. I had no idea what to do next.

I jumped as the log I was sitting on shifted slightly as someone sat beside me: my father.

“I used to come here to think when I was younger,” he said, gazing out over the river. “Still do in fact, sometimes. I like the quiet. It soothes my mind.”

He put his arm around my shoulder, and I sagged against him. I was completely lost.

“Dianna told me what happened,” he said.

“I’m sorry Dad,” I began. “You must be so disappointed. I saw how you feel about Uncle John. To find out your own son has become…”

He pulled me into a hug, pressing my face into his chest and effectively stifling my words.

“Listen to me,” he said, “You haven’t disappointed anyone. If you will take a second to hear the truth of what happened, rather than what you think happened, you may see things as they are and not how you fear them to be.”

He released me from the hug. “Dianna is waiting. Will you talk to her?” he asked.

I hesitated. Could it be true? Was there really a ‘good’ explanation for what had happened? I couldn’t see how, but I was desperate to believe him. I so wanted not to be the evil degenerate that I had convinced myself that I had become.

I nodded.

He stood and walked into the trees a short way. Dianna stepped out from behind some trees and approached. She eased herself down onto the log next to me. She sighed and leaned against me.

“That was a long fucking walk,” she said.

“The plan was for some alone time,” I said. “I wasn’t expecting a party.”

She huffed.

“Caleb,” she began, “When you suppressed your bond with the girls, how did that make you feel?”

“I felt like a part of me had been torn away,” I said, remembering the pain. “The loss was indescribable.”

“And that’s that,” she said. “The three of you were – and are – in this together, as equals. Caleb, I owe you so many apologies. The girls are hurting right now, so let’s not say whether they owe you one too; it would be petty and cruel.

“You wanted this,” she said, “and the twins wanted it too. All three of you wanted to be bound together in this profound, beautiful way. The difference is that you had no idea about anything. You didn’t know it was possible; you didn’t know your powers could work like that. The twins know more about this stuff than you do, but I can’t imagine they knew the story about some old ritual and could’ve made the connections necessary to suspect that that one, out of so many other bunk and useless ones, might actually be a real thing.

“I was the one who should have been on alert. Me. I was the one who should’ve been telling all three of you to slow down, and not let your powers get out of control.”

I shrugged. It all made sense, but I didn’t care. “What’s done is done,” I said sullenly. “People die from accidents. It doesn’t just make it okay – that it was an accident.”

“Do you love them?” she asked.

“I do,” I replied immediately.

“Do you believe that they love you?”

“I do.” It was just as instinctive the second time, and just as true.

“Then you need to accept that this was an accident born of love,” she said, “even if you can’t accept that it wasn’t your fault that it happened. Accidents born of love can have steep costs, Caleb, but they can also turn out to be the best mistakes you ever make.”

She smiled sympathetically. “I’m only a little surprised you’re not taking me up on that offer to blame me, Caleb,” she said. “I think you should. I think it’s the best way to move forward, and I also think it’s deserved.

“If you have any doubts about how beautiful this accident can be,” she continued, “all you need to do is open yourself up. You certainly don’t need me to be a go-between anymore. This bond alone allows the three of you to share your deepest truths with each other. Frankly, if you were less powerful, I’m not sure you could block it as effectively as you’re doing right now.”

I grimaced. “Am I still hurting them?” I asked.

“No, dear,” she said. “I am holding enough of a connection to maintain you for now. You will have to restore the bond, though, when you are ready.”

“How can I ever trust what they feel now after it’s already been done? They’re dependent on me. They need me.”

“And you need them just as much,” she said. “Maybe believing comes later. Maybe accepting has to come first this time. There are still people on the outside, Caleb – people you love and trust. I don’t deserve your trust right now, but what about your mom? She’d never let you off the hook if you’d really done something ugly to my girls. She wouldn’t have let it get that far in the first place. She’d have stormed into that room and squeezed your balls until they fell off.”

I had to laugh at that. I didn’t want to literally picture my mom doing that to me, but I could believe it. I could half-imagine it, without the visual.

It felt good to laugh, but it was a fleeting thing. I looked at Dianna again, and I let out the deepest, darkest truth. It had been percolating and festering inside me ever since I’d run off.

“I’m too powerful,” I said. “I can’t trust myself, and I’m too powerful to trust anyone else. For the rest of my life, I’ll always be wondering whether I’ve just unconsciously or unknowingly used my powers on them – brainwashed them into being another cheerleader who tells me I’m a great guy who never does anything wrong.”

“Oh, dear,” Dianna sighed. “Oh, dear.”

I waited, expecting more. She’d been on something of a roll. She’d been doing well. I could recognize that, even as fucked up as I was emotionally. Mentally, I’d never felt clearer. That was the problem. That deep, dark truth felt so indisputable. It felt so… true.

“Each time I get presented with a situation,” I said, “I react. And it’s nearly always in exactly the wrong way.”

She stayed quiet. I could feel that she wanted to reach out and touch me, physically – nothing sexual, just a comforting hand on my shoulder or leg. She refrained. She gave me the look, the shrug, and the nod, though. She gave me permission to take over and just let it all out.

“I find I have powers and I screw up two people’s lives, sexually assault another and effectively poison someone else,” I said. “I get pissed about being asked questions and I physically assault someone. I find out that I have the love of two amazing, incredible, beautiful women, and I run off and hide. When can I trust myself to do things right? I am just so scared right now that I am going to hurt someone. You, the twins, my family or a perfect stranger. When does it stop?”

“It doesn’t,” she said. ”What you are feeling is exactly the same as every single person, when they suddenly realize that they have responsibilities outside themselves. It is worse for you because this sudden sense of responsibility was forced on you before your time, and because you’re just so powerful – and because I lulled you into a false sense of security right after you discovered all this. You learn to live with it, to stop reacting, and consider your actions. Training in a martial art can help you too; the discipline is good for your mind, and means you are less likely to succumb to knee-jerk impulses.”

“And how long does that take?” I asked. “To learn to live with it?”

“I don’t know, seventy years?” she suggested. “It doesn’t happen all at once, obviously. It’s a process.

“You also need to stop being so hard on yourself,” she continued. “Yes, you made some mistakes. Who hasn’t? Learn from them, forgive yourself, move on and try not to make the same mistakes again. If you can do that, then you are ahead of the game. It’s the same game for everyone. Different leagues, maybe. You’re in the super league, Caleb. It’s tougher.”

She stood then.

“We should get back. I’ll admit to being selfish when I ask you one more time to reopen your bond. My girls want it. I can feel it. Besides, it’s almost dinner time. Even you still need to eat.”

“How can I…” I began.

“You can always just talk to them instead,” she said. “They’ll understand that you want to try to work through some things without using your powers at all. They’re not quite adults, Caleb, but they’re already good, solid people – just like you are. Trust that.”

I nodded and stood. Even if I didn’t how to start that conversation, I knew I couldn’t keep being a coward. That would be on me.

As we walked back to the house, Dianna asked me about my shield.

“Just before everything went pear-shaped,” she said, “you completely disappeared from my awareness. How did you do that?”

“Imagination,” I answered. “It seems to be the way my abilities work – well, one of the ways they work. I don’t know if you watch Star Trek?”

“I’ve seen a couple of episodes,” she said.

I explained how I had imagined my defense not as a brick wall, as she had suggested, but as a shield on a starship. I then told her about the Klingon cloaking device, and how I’d figured that that would be a clever trick to play.

She nodded as we walked. “Visualisation is a powerful tool for controlling power,” she said. “You have a powerful imagination, and also a lot of source material to feed it.”

“Yesterday,” I said, hoping to take advantage of her loquaciousness, “you said you would tell me about these other factors that may allow the coexistence of Compulsion and Empathy.”

“Other powers,” she said simply. “Multiple powers always manifest in pairs. You can have a single power, but if you have more than one, then you always have an even number. Don’t bother asking me why; I haven’t got the faintest idea, but that is always how it has always worked. The strange thing is that Compulsion and Empathy are never a pair. To have both, you must have another power. Since just one other power would leave you with an odd number, you must actually have two more powers… at least.”

“I know I have Compulsion, Empathy, and Telekinesis,” I said. “How will I find out about my other power?”

“Wait for it to manifest,” she said. “It will show itself eventually.”

I thought about that.

“Isn’t that dangerous?” I asked. Given my track record, I wasn’t looking forward to the fallout when my unknown power suddenly made itself known.

“Less so now,” she said. “You know about power, so you will know to control your emotions and direct your energies away from people. Also, you have the twins to help you.”

We walked in silence for a while. I stole occasional glances at her.

“Go on,” she said. “Ask.”

“What?” I asked.

“You know what you wanted to ask,” she said irritably, “So just do it already.”

“How old are you?” I ventured.

“Didn’t you know it’s rude to ask a lady her age?” She cackled at me, pleased to have caught me.

“I didn’t,” I returned. “I asked you.”

That stopped her cackling. “Well,” she said, “even if you learn how to be a responsible adult someday, Caleb, I think you’re always going to be a bit of a dick.”

“Well, that’s probably best, since you like dicks.”

She guffawed at that.

“You will cut yourself one day,” she chuckled. “If you must know, I’m sixty-seven.”

I stopped walking to let it sink in. “Huh,” I said. “I mean, I’m still flabbergasted, but, once you told me that you were their grandmother, I just figured all bets were off. Sixty-seven, sure, but why not two hundred? It would be just as impossible.”

I didn’t actually mean ‘impossible.’ We were so far beyond that. She understood.

“Power users age more slowly than regular people,” she replied. “We live longer too, as long as we don’t die of something else first. So, it’s the most boring answer possible, in context. It just is.” She waved at me to catch up. I took a few hurried steps, and we kept moving.

“’ Something else,’ like illness or disease?” I pressed.

“Possible, but unlikely,” she replied. “We are pretty resilient. Accidents or ill intent are pretty much the only things that can kill us before our time, and our time is, on average, about quadruple the normal non-power user’s lifespan.”

She turned to look at me where I once again had stopped. “If you keep stopping, we will never get back,” she complained.

I started walking again. “You keep dropping these bombshells,” I said. “What do you expect? At this rate, you’ll be telling me I have adamantium bones and super speed before lights out.”

We came around the last bend in the trail and the house came into view. The girls sat on the bench outside, watching for us. They jumped up as we emerged from the trees and ran towards us.

I grinned at them sheepishly. “Hi, Honeys, I’m home,” I said in a sing-song voice.

Amanda giggled and Mary smiled.

Both of them pulled me into an embrace. I had one arm around each girl, and they pressed themselves against me. I don’t know why, but the physical contact broke me out of my funk. I opened myself to the bond. I understood immediately what Dianna had meant; it felt like we’d created a shortcut past all the other ways our powers could link us – and that shortcut also happened to be a wide, rushing river, with no limit to how much it could pour through and between all three of us. I was filled with love and joy at our reunification, and my feelings of guilt, shame, and remorse were obliterated in the face of that love. More tears ran down my face and I hugged the pair to me tighter, never wanting to release them.

I felt a hand on my back, and not wanting to let go of my girls, turned us all around to face my mother.

“Come on inside,” she said. “Dinner is ready, you must be starving after being out all day.”

The food was already on the table when we entered the kitchen. My father was seated in his usual spot at the head of the table. Mary and Amanda sat either side of me, and my mother and Dianna sat opposite.

“After dinner you will need to get all your stuff ready for tomorrow,” my mom said. “All your washing is done and in the bag downstairs. The red bag next to it is Mary’s.”

I suddenly had an awful realisation: Mary and I would be heading back to PSU tomorrow, but Amanda wasn’t at our university. She would be heading back to a totally different place, miles away.

That bad feeling was swept away instantly. Amanda told me, through the grand river of our bond, that she was going back with us.

“Words, please, you three,” Dianna gently chided. “Be polite.”

“Sorry, Grams,” Amanda said with a smile. “Grandma has quite a bit of pull through her job, Caleb. I’m already officially a new transfer student.”

My mind immediately pictured Josh’s face when he met both my girls, and I grinned. When I did, so did Mary and Amanda.

“What’s funny?” asked my mother.

“I don’t know,” I replied. “How do you girls feel about secret-twin pranks?”

“They can be amusing, within reason,” Mary said, her grin turning coy.

“Or maybe just a little bit past it,” Amanda added impishly.

It felt strange to not feel strange, but that’s how it was: the three of us were talking out loud solely for the benefit of the others at the table, and we all knew it. It was simply how it was going to be from then on. We couldn’t transmit every single piece of information to each other just through that rushing river of shared emotions, but it occurred to me that the twins could augment that river with their powers, to the point where we’d effectively have a telepathic connection whenever we wanted it. There’d be a tiny lag because we’d be trading memories instead of actual thoughts, but that didn’t seem like much of a barrier at all.

“Well then, I think Josh will be our first victim,” I said. “Nothing crazy. Just a little fun.”

“And no powers,” Dianna said.

All three of us nodded at her sombrely. We weren’t just putting her on. I didn’t know where my seriousness ended and the girls began, but it felt good to know that we were all on the same page. They were going to support me. They were going to help make sure I didn’t accidentally do anything else too crazy. Obviously, they’d stop me from doing anything crazy on purpose, too, but slowly, I was starting to believe that I wouldn’t. They both had just the right amount of faith in me – not too little, but, even more importantly, not too much.

I could see that my mother had something on her mind all through dinner, and I asked her what it was as we cleared the dishes together. My father and Dianna had gone out onto the deck, and the girls were packing up the remainder of our stuff.

“Caleb,” she said, “I know what happened between you and the girls, and I know what it means. I also know that when you get back to college you will likely be spending all your nights together.”

I braced myself. I knew what was coming. This weekend was all about ‘accidents,’ after all, in one form or another. Part of that was how to prevent them.

“You still have two years of schooling, and you need to get through that if you want to get into law enforcement, even if you don’t want to work with Dianna. You need to be careful. A baby, or two, could seriously jeopardize all your plans – yours and the girls’. I also suspect that you are going to be experimenting with others. Remember that it’s not just babies you need to worry about. Even if you three are particularly resistant to disease, most of your other partners won’t be. Make sure you take precautions.”

I blushed a little and nodded.

She hugged me. “I love you and I’m proud of you,” she said. “This weekend has been a huge challenge for all of us, but most of all for you. You handled it better than we could have hoped, given the way you found your powers.”

With the chores finished, we joined my father and Dianna on the deck and were joined shortly thereafter by the girls.

The evening was spent in pleasant but idle conversation. It felt like a family gathering, and I realized that that was exactly what it was. We were all family now. I was irrevocably joined to the two girls, and so now our two families had become one.

Mary and Amanda both yawned simultaneously… and so did I. I wasn’t sure if that made it less disturbing, or more. There were definitely two streams in that rushing river. One was smaller. The bigger one was a little silly and a little mocking, but mostly just reassuring. I could feel the twins telling me that it just wasn’t a big deal, and that I’d get used to it.

I could immediately tell that they weren’t faking it. I remembered that both of them had only slept half a night.

“I’ll sleep downstairs tonight,” I said. “You girls need your sleep.”

The rushing river almost immediately smacked my butt – figuratively – and told me to stop being such a martyr.

“No,” Dianna said, and she stopped short when I immediately held up my hands in surrender. She grinned. “I see the girls have already set you straight. Good.

“All three of you can just try sleeping tonight,” she said. “If something happens, I’m sure the girls will feel it right away, and all three of you can deal with it together. Like I told you, Caleb: it’s a profound and beautiful thing – and there are many benefits.”

“But Grandma,” Amanda said, “what if the nightmares end up affecting all three of us? Surely, we need to prepare for that.”

Her tone let me know something was up. The river swirled. I felt playfulness; it even felt a little dangerous.

“Yes,” Mary said seriously – but again, I could hear something in her tone. “I think it best if we pair up tonight, physically. Amanda and I will take one bed.”

“Uh…” I said.

“And Caleb and I will take another,” Dianna said definitively. “That’s an excellent idea, girls. Very astute, very responsible.” There went my jaw again.

“You’re not… I’m not… I can’t…” I couldn’t seem to form a coherent sentence.

“You’re bunking in with me,” she said, “so you better not snore.”

“He did last night,” Amanda said, “but only when he was on his back.”

I looked to my mother, hoping she would intercede on my behalf. If anything, she seemed amused.

“After what you gave us both this morning, are you surprised?” she asked.

My jaw dropped even further.

“Your father will…” she began.

I put my fingers in my ears. I had no interest in finding out how THAT sentence was going to end.

“I’m going for a shower,” I said and escaped into the house.

I had just gotten under the stream of warm water when a cold draught on my back announced that someone had opened the shower door. I turned as a naked Mary stepped through the door. She was followed by an equally-naked Amanda.

I wished I could have stood back and admired their beauty. Even naked, their most striking features were their eyes, those beautiful, tawny, leonine eyes. A very close second was a pair of identically-perfect behinds, one of which I had cupped in both my hands as Mary’s firm-yet-deliciously-yielding breasts pressed into my chest. A second pair of identical breasts pressed into my back as we rotated under the warm water, reveling in the closeness.

Mary reached for the body wash and began to wash me, using her hands to massage the liquid soap into my shoulders, running her hands down each of my arms in turn, and then interlocking her fingers with mine. Then onto my chest, washing and massaging, caressing, spending just slightly too long on each of my nipples to ensure that they were not only perfectly clean but also stood rigidly to attention.

My stomach came next, and she traced the outline of my abs as she washed, before dipping her finger into my navel.

Then it was Amanda’s turn. She started with the back of my shoulders, then washed and massaged her way down my back, taking her time to make sure I was both clean and relaxed, working out kinks and knots in my back I hadn’t even realized existed.

She washed my hair, reaching up to massage my scalp, before rinsing the soap away under the water.

Mary put her arms around my neck and kissed me. The feeling of her closeness, her breasts against my chest and my erection trapped against her belly, was augmented by the feeling of Amanda pressed up behind me, her breasts sliding over my wet back, her belly and groin pressing into my ass.

Mary stepped back and they spun me around. Amanda kissed me, her arms around my neck as Mary had, but then they both dropped to their knees and started to wash my legs.

Amanda put my hand on her shoulder, then indicated I should lift my foot. Between them, they soaped and cleaned my foot, massaging the sole without once tickling, which I found amazing, as I had previously hated anyone touching my feet, I was just so ticklish there.

They moved to the other foot and repeated the process, once again soaping, cleaning and massaging my foot, before allowing me to place both feet on the floor.

Amanda pushed outwards on my legs, indicating I needed to adopt a wider stance, and I complied.

They started on my lower legs, Amanda taking the front, and Mary the back. Between them, they washed and massaged up from my ankle to my upper thigh on my left leg, and then repeated the process on my right. Then the real onslaught started.

Amanda began to wash my cock and balls, and at the same time, Mary started on my ass.

Their touch was firm, almost business-like at first – as you would imagine a nurse would wash a patient. One might try to argue that it wasn’t sexual if one could ignore the fact that these ‘nurses’ were both absolutely stunning young women who were also naked.

Mary washed and massaged the cheeks of my ass, while Amanda cleaned around my cock, soaping and rinsing my pubic region and right up between my legs. Then she took my cock in her hand and began to ‘wash’ that. Her touch was still firm, but not brusque, her movements slow and teasing. She stroked up and down, rubbing the soap over and around the head, before stroking down the shaft, all the while massaging my balls with her other hand.

As if that wasn’t enough, Mary had progressed from washing my cheeks, and was running her soapy fingers up and down the crack of my ass. They drifted all the way from behind my balls – which Amanda was busily ‘washing’ – to the small of my back, and then reversed the trip. Each way, they lingered on my asshole for a second on or two, rubbing it gently.

I realised after a couple of minutes of this treatment that all the soap had gone, and along with it all pretence of washing. Amanda was properly wanking me, squeezing my cock with one hand while gently rolling my balls around with the other. As I realised this, she leaned forward and ran her tongue over my ball sack before opening her mouth and taking one of my balls inside and sucking it gently. She tongued it and rolled it around in her mouth before releasing it and moving onto its partner, giving it the same treatment. While she was doing that, she was slowly but firmly stroking my cock.

Around the back, Mary was still massaging my ass, planting delicate kisses on my cheeks.

Amanda moved up slightly, and, with slow deliberation, took the head of my cock in her mouth.

Since she had moved closer, I could feel her tits rubbing against my thighs, slippery with the water.

She pressed forward, slowly but inexorably, until she had taken my full length down her throat. I leaned forward slightly to protect her face from the shower as she looked up, gazing directly into my eyes as she held me in her throat and swallowed.

I was starting to struggle. The sensations were becoming overwhelming as Amanda slowly pulled back off my cock until she held only the head in her mouth. I felt Mary place her hands on my cheeks and separate them, before slowly and delicately running her tongue up the full length of my ass crack. Her tongue skated over my asshole, and I twitched, causing a small spurt of precum to squirt into Amanda’s mouth. She swirled her tongue around my head, smiling around my cock.

Then she started to move her head, pumping her mouth onto my cock slowly at first, but faster and faster, massaging my balls with her hand. I felt her seeking her own pleasure; it became mine, just as surely as mine was hers and Mary’s. The feeling of licking my own ass was definitely strange; I couldn’t actually feel it in a physical way, but I could feel how Mary felt about it. It was incredibly sexual. It made her feel submissive and servile, and so I felt that way too – but also felt the dominant satisfaction of being sexually serviced. I found myself enjoying Mary’s emotional experience almost as much as my own. I was seducing myself. I was giving myself another amazing three-way experience. We were all giving it to each other. Even I, who would seem to any naive observer the selfish beneficiary, was transmitting all of my good feelings back to my two bound lovers.

Looking down only confirmed that Amanda was busy with her own clit. Our bond was new and incredible, but I was still a very visual creature. Watching her pleasure herself instantly added to the experience. I could feel I was getting very close. I was amazed I’d lasted this long.

Mary took my hands and placed them on Amanda’s head, encouraging me to ‘assist.’ I immediately knew that Amanda wanted me to be more active and dominant – that I wouldn’t be surprising or hurting her in any way. I was still gentle; I resisted the urge to buck my hips, and instead languidly fucked into Amanda’s heavenly mouth. She moaned, and I felt her submissive satisfaction – plus one tiny note that I instantly understood: next time I could go a little farther and be a little more aggressive with her near the end. She’d let me know. She’d like it.

Then Mary blew my mind by spreading my ass cheeks wide and sliding her tongue into my asshole.

My world exploded in a whirlwind of sensations as I came: Amanda’s tongue, teasing and bathing the head of my cock as she accepted my spunk; her hand holding and tugging gently at my balls; and Mary’s tongue creating previously unknown sensations around my asshole, which twitched and writhed in time with the spasms as I pumped what seemed to be an unending supply of cum into Amanda’s mouth.

After the oral sex I’d given both Josh and Louise, I don’t know why it still surprised me that Mary and Amanda seemed to have loved sexually servicing me – not just because of the feelings I transmitted to them through the bond, but as a part of their own sexualities. It did, though, just a little. I was so grateful. They appreciated that, but the river between us playfully lapped at me, gently telling me that I was still learning what it meant to be a part of this world.

When I finally finished, I realized that I was leaning against the wall, almost incapable of standing unaided.

As they had that morning, the girls stood and kissed, sharing the spoils of Amanda’s amazing oral skills. I reminded myself that I would have to learn NOT to use my powers If we were to get together with Josh and Louise again, or any other outsider, for that matter. The word ‘outsider’ gave me a small pang of regret. It seemed so unfair to relegate my friends to that status – especially Josh and Louise – but I knew it was necessary to protect everyone concerned.

Amanda turned to me and kissed me. I could still taste the remnants of my cum in that kiss, but I had eaten my own cum on many occasions – it’s a much easier clean-up – so it didn’t bother me at all.

Mary turned me around and took her kiss. I could taste my cum in her mouth too. I reveled in the sensations of the kiss and of a very wet, very naked young woman pressed against me.

I was surprised when both girls got out of the shower and put on identical robes. This would be the second time they didn’t let me properly return the oral favor. They felt my confusion, and in return, I received that same mixture of emotions from them: playfulness, reassurance, and a hint of danger. I needed to remember that they were much better at this stuff than I was. They’d been bonded to each other, in a way, ever since their powers had first awakened.

Mary held her hand out and I got out of the shower after turning the water off. Between them, they dried me efficiently enough, but paid more than passing interest to my midriff, which meant that by the time I was completely dry I was once again rigid and ready for more.

Naked, they led me from the bathroom, and it took me a second to realise that they weren’t leading me to my room, but to the guest room at the top of the stairs. I opened my mouth, but Mary placed her finger to my lips.

Amanda put her lips to my ear.

“If you really don’t want to,” she began, “we will not insist, and she will not be upset, but after this morning she needs some physical love. Your father is helping your mother with her needs, but she has nobody. Will you help her?”

“And what about your needs?” I asked. “After what you did for me, you must have some.”

Mary giggled; I think it might have been the first time I heard her do so.

“We will manage,” she said. “Tonight, she needs you. Will you help her? Please?”

I nodded and Amanda pushed open the door, leading me inside.

“You can suppress us if you want,” she said, “while you’re with her. It’s up to you. We completely understand. We’ll be just fine tonight.”

I nodded my understanding, but I wasn’t sure whether I was going to. It was a lot to think about.

Dianna stood at the foot of the bed, facing me. She was naked and beautiful. I stopped thinking about anything else.

Her hair was darker than the twins, being almost mahogany, but she still had those captivating tawny eyes. She was slightly shorter too, probably about 5’3” or so, but despite her supposed years she was amazing to look at.

She had small, pert breasts with large, dark nipples surrounded by surprisingly-large aureole. Her tummy was tight and flat and her waist trim, flaring to moderate hips. As I gazed at her, she smiled and turned.

Her ass was beautiful too. It didn’t have the pert youth of the girls’, but it was firm and round, and it properly entranced me.

“Do I pass muster?” she asked, surprisingly shyly.

“You are amazing!” I exhaled.

“For a…” she began, but I interrupted her.

“For nothing. You are simply amazing.”

She smiled at me. “Thank you,” she said. “It’s a long time since someone has looked at me the way you are looking at me now. I have missed it.”

She held her hands out and I moved closer to her.

“Should we talk?” I asked. “It’s been a day.”

“I’ll do anything you want,” she said, “but we Empaths find that this is a very effective way of repairing strained relationships. It’s not an apology. It’s… reassurance. It’s a renewal of our commitment to each other, as family.

“It also fulfils a need,” she said. It was a confession, but a hungry one.

I decided we could try it her way. We’d already talked a lot.

Reaching up, she put her arms around my neck and pulled me down towards her, capturing my mouth with hers. Her kiss started warm and gentle, but soon heated up as her tongue invaded my mouth and strove to take possession.

Stooping slightly, I picked her up and walked to the bed. Once there, I laid her on the mattress, and she scooted up. I followed and resumed our interrupted kiss as she ran her hands over my body. Eventually, her hand closed around my cock, and she growled in her throat – a needy sound.

We broke the kiss, and I lowered my head, capturing one of her dark nipples in my mouth. She gasped as I nipped and nibbled at it, duplicating the sensations on the other with my fingers.

“That’s good, Caleb,” she said. “I want you to be aggressive with me tonight. It’s not hate. It’s not violent. It’s primal. It’s symbolic. Set me straight, with love. With sex. Fuck me back into your good graces. I want it. I need it.”

Any hesitation I might have felt was obliterated by the hunger in her voice. There was simply no way she was lying to me. She did want it, need it.

I moved across to the other nipple and repeated my assault, once again mimicking the sensations with my fingers. I alternated back and forth between her breasts, occasionally stopping to move back up and re-engage with the kiss. I could smell her arousal now, a sweet, spicy smell that was intoxicating. I decided I wanted a taste.

I moved down her body, kissing and licking all the way until I was lay between her spread legs, her pussy flushed, her labia engorged with her arousal. I leaned in and blew a hot breath over her lips, and she moaned.

“Please,” she said, “Don’t tease. Devour.”

For a moment, I felt my power. I knew I could deny her, and she’d still submit – at least for a while. It was one of those moments, I realized – a tiny one, but an important one, nevertheless. I could be a good guy, or I could be a dick.

I decided to play my part. I had a feeling it would be just as good for me as it would be for her.

Spreading her lips with my fingers, I ran my tongue up the length of her slit, starting at her asshole and slowly progressing across her opening all the way to the top, finishing with her clit.

She moaned. Her taste was exquisite – spicy and musky. I wanted more.

Using the flat of my tongue this time, I once again went from asshole to apex, this time pausing briefly to push the tip of my tongue into her opening. More of her delicious juices flowed out, and I began to lap at her eagerly.

I moved slightly up the bed and pushed my tongue inside of her. She squeaked slightly and I felt her pussy clamp on my tongue. She was surprisingly tight. I wriggled my tongue around, pushing it in as far as I could manage, before once again resuming my licking.

She was starting to move her hips, clearly wanting more, so I gave it. Once more I ran my tongue the length of her slit, but this time when I reached the apex, I used the tip to tease out her clit, then circled it over and over. I suckled on the nub for a few seconds before returning to push my tongue inside her again.

Dianna was breathing heavily, trying to grind herself into my face. I put my hands under her knees and lifted her legs, spreading her slightly. Pushing myself down into the bed, I ran my tongue around her asshole, and she jumped. The twitching of her pussy indicated that she liked that, so I did it again, and again, before moving back to taste her once more.

I thought she was starting to build up, so I returned to her clit, and started to write my name on it with the tip of my tongue. Remembering Josh’s tutelage, I slipped a finger into her pussy as I started writing the twins’ names with my tongue; for some reason that felt delightfully sinful.

I allowed that thought to leak across the bond, and I felt the twin’s arousal in response. I also got a quick hint of why, exactly, they were ‘just fine’ over in their bed. Impish as ever, though, they didn’t give me much more than that.

Dianna’s pussy was slick and dripping with her juices, so adding a second finger wasn’t difficult. I started to pump them in and out as I continued punishing her clit.

The image of Josh extending his hand and curving his fingers popped into my head and so I once again followed his advice, curling my fingers up and searching for that special spot.

I found it.

Dianna started to shake as I massaged her G-spot whilst ravaging her clit with my tongue lips and teeth. I pumped at her pussy, feeling her juices running over my hand. I added a third finger and her pussy started to squeeze on them. I pumped faster all the time massaging at her front wall and savaging her clit. She was grinding hard into my face, her hands gripping the covers on the bed on either side of her.

With my free hand, I reached up and cupped her breast. I pinched and rolled the nipple while I continued to work on her pussy.

She moved her hands from the bed to the back of my head, holding me in place as she ground her pussy into my face, panting and moaning. She seemed to be hovering right on the precipice, needing just a little nudge to push her over the edge, but that nudge wasn’t forthcoming.

Over and over, she ground her pussy into me, while I massaged her g-spot and licked and sucked at her clit.

Finally, remembering her words to me, and her reaction from earlier, I pulled my three fingers out of her pussy, and, with no warning at all, shoved them up her ass.

She shrieked like a banshee, and I was drowned in a deluge of her juices as she came. I could feel her asshole clenching over and over around my fingers while she jerked and spasmed on the bed like a landed fish.

After what seemed an age, she completely locked up, clamping her thighs around my head, before collapsing with a sigh. I gently lapped at her pussy a few times, but she jumped; the sensation was too much for her. I eased my fingers out of her and kissed her pussy one last time, eliciting another aftershock.

“Dick,” she laughed.

“If you insist,” I replied, and she laughed again.

“Give me a minute,” she said, “I need to recover. But good instincts, Caleb. Nice and aggressive. You really showed me.”

I really had, and it felt good.

Moving out from between her legs, I crawled up the bed and then settled beside her.

The room was warm so there was no need for covers. I lay on my side, gently caressing her body, running my hands over her belly and chest. I avoided her pussy and nipples, as they were still too sensitive.

She turned her head to me and smiled.

“Thank you,” she said. “It has been so long, but that was definitely worth the wait.”

I smiled at her. “You taste delicious,” I said, and, surprisingly, she blushed.

I laughed.

She shoved my shoulder and I fell onto my back. She, in turn, rolled onto her side and began stroking me.

There wasn’t really a need. My cock was already at full mast and raring to go, but I enjoyed what she was doing to me.

She leaned in to kiss me as her hand wandered up and down from my belly to my chest, occasionally scraping over one nipple or the other. As she continued the kiss, her hand moved lower, and then she wrapped it around my erection and squeezed.

I was already as hard as I could get, and she collected some of my precum – which had been leaking from me in generous quantities – and spread it over my cock, using it to make her hand slick as she started to pump up and down.

After a minute or so of this she moved, and still holding the kiss she threw her leg over me and settled astride before lining herself up and sinking down onto me in a long slow single thrust.

We both moaned into the kiss. Her pussy was snug, but not as tight as the twins’. That was no real surprise, but it was equally as hot. She seemed to produce a lot more lubrication than I expected, and, as she started to move up and down on me, I could feel it squirting out around me and soaking my balls.

She continued to ride me, alternating between kissing me and throwing her head back, at which time I would stroke and massage her tits, tweaking and rolling her nipples between my fingers.

Her speed increased and she once more came in for the kiss. Our tongues battled as she pounded her hips into me, smashing her clit into my pubic bone over and over again.

Suddenly, she stopped and rolled off me.

“From behind,” she panted and rolled onto her belly before kneeling up on all fours.

I wasted no time in getting behind her and in a single movement I thrust back inside her. I think she’d wanted to add more dirty talk – to encourage me once more to be aggressive and dominant – but I beat her to that punch with my rock-hard cock. She moaned once again.

“Yes,” was all she said. It was permission, but the game was that I shouldn’t care about that.

I grabbed her hips and started to pound her.

Each time I thrust forward, she pushed back, her pussy squelching, and more and more of her fluids getting forced out around my cock.

“Harder,” she demanded, “Ram that cock into my pussy.” Apparently, my sudden, forceful entry hadn’t tamed her for very long.

I kept pounding into her, and she continued to demand I persist.

Remembering the unwanted discussion from this morning, I released her hip and brought my hand down on her ass. I didn’t want to really hurt her, but, given how hard she was demanding I fuck her, I guessed it would need some sting to it. I guessed right.

“You fucking BASTARD!” she growled. “AGAIN!”

I raised my hand for a second slap, this time landing on the other cheek. It was harder than the last – slightly harder than I intended, even, but she lapped it up.

“More,” she demanded. “Harder.”

Over and over, I slapped her ass, until both cheeks were red and she was squealing and bucking under me.

“God, yes,” she growled. “You’re going to make me cum like a bitch. Pound my hole. Pump me full of your spunk.”

She continued her litany as I pounded her and alternated slaps between her cheeks.

She was so close; I knew it would take only a small nudge to tip her over the edge. Her monologue had devolved into grunts and her pussy was drenching me.

Once more, I decided the way to this woman’s orgasm was through her asshole.

I sucked at my thumb, getting it wet and slippery. Then, as I plunged my cock into her yet again, I rammed my thumb up her swollen pucker.

Her shriek was muffled, as she had her face pressed into the bed, but even so, I doubted that there was anyone in the house who hadn’t heard. Her pussy was clenching around my cock, bringing me to the very brink of orgasm.

She had gotten so wet by then that there was little friction in her pussy. After her orgasm was spent, she slid forward onto her, belly, panting.

I followed her down, staying in contact with her body but keeping my weight off her. My cock had slipped out, but I held her from behind as she rode out the aftershocks.

“Thank you,” she said. “That was amazing.”

“I didn’t hurt you?” I asked.

“You did,” she said, “but it was all good hurt. It was perfect.”

I smiled as I rolled off her onto my side. I continued to stroke her where she lay on her belly. I ran my hand gently up and down her back, up into her hair, and massaged her neck before returning down and over that amazing ass, gently cupping and squeezing her still glowing cheeks.

She chuckled.

“You really are an ass man, aren’t you?”

“I am with you,” I said, “Your ass is amazing.” She knew I was just an ass man, period, but pillow talk is pillow talk. People appreciate it.

She rolled onto her side so that we were spooning.

“I am all cummed out for tonight,” she said.

“That’s okay,” I said, “The twins took care of me earlier. I think they wanted to make sure I would last for you. If they hadn’t, you would have finished me off in no time.”

She chuckled again. “You know how to make an old woman feel special,” she said.

She reached behind her and grabbed hold of my still-rampant erection.

“The twins may have taken some of you tonight,” she said, “but I’m sure you have more to give, and I want it.”

“I thought you said you were done,” I said.

“I said I was cummed out,” she said, “but when you get to my age, you’ll realize that, as nice as orgasms are, they are not always necessary. The destination is nice, but sometimes the journey can be equally nice. And sometimes you just want to go out for a drive and go nowhere.”

She was starting to confuse me with that analogy.

“I wasn’t talking just to talk, just then,” she said. “I really do want you to pump your spunk deep inside of me. I need to feel it there.”

She pushed her butt back against me. “Like this,” she said.

I put my hand on her hip and stroked her as she started to thrust her ass back into me.

Still holding my cock, she began to pump it, until once again it was leaking pre-cum, which she then liberally spread over the head and down the shaft until it was slick and slippery.

Then she lined me up.

“Push it in, slowly,” she said, and I started to press forward with my hips. For some reason, her pussy seemed much tighter in this position – so much so that I was having a hard time getting my cock inside her.

The head did finally breach her opening, and she breathed a heavy sigh.

“Push it all the way in,” she said.

I obliged, pressing forward until my belly was flat against her and I was buried to the root inside.

I wondered at how tight she had become. I figured it must be the way she was curled up that was making things so much tighter.

She began talking again.

“Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me, slide that cock into me, give it to me, come on give me your spunk, empty your balls into me, dump that big load inside of me.”

Her dirty-talk wasn’t particularly inspired, but there was something about its uninterrupted endlessness. It was like a mantra. It was like she was in a trance, and it was my cock that had put her there. That really got me going. I started to move my hips, sliding my cock in and out of her remarkably-tight pussy.

Faster and faster, I pounded her as she pushed back against me and continued to demand that I fuck her and empty my sack into her.

I could feel my balls rising, and I knew that I was almost at the point of no return.

“I’m getting close,” I said. “I’m going to cum soon.”

“Oh yes!” she moaned. “Do it. Fill me up, Dump your load in me. Come on, dump that big load of spunk up my asshole.”

Suddenly the newfound tightness made sense. I wasn’t in her pussy at all. I was ramming my cock into her asshole, and it felt absolutely divine.

That thought, along with the sensations her ass was creating on my cock and her constant begging, pushed me over the edge. I went rigid as I emptied myself inside of her.

“Oh yes!” she exclaimed. “I can feel you pumping it all inside of me. Keep going. Your cock feels so good pulsating in my asshole.”

I lost count of how many spurts of cum I shot up inside of her. The whole time she was clenching and releasing her asshole, milking every drop she could from me, until eventually I shuddered to a stop, exhausted.

I laid there while I caught my breath, my semi-hard cock still inside her ass. Eventually I slipped out of her, and she snuggled back against me, pulling my arm around her and throwing the covers over us both.

“Thank you,” I whispered into her ear.

“Believe me, it was definitely my pleasure,” she said, sighing in contentment.

I felt the gentle warmth of her mental touch and considered why I had decided not to involve my powers, nor the twins, in my lovemaking with their grandmother – well, give or take one little check-in that I hadn’t been able to resist.

On one level, I supposed I still had some hang-ups regarding what I might consider incest. I hadn’t known I was involving family in our first encounter, and I probably had some ground to cover before I could be as blasé as them about it. There was something else, though. It somehow felt right for this to have been just between me and Dianna. I think the twins had known that all along, and Dianna had all but confirmed it. She and I had gotten off to a very rocky start, but she was going to be a very big part of my life going forward. There were probably several other ways we could have come to terms with each other, but, whatever my residual hang-ups, this had felt effective. It had done exactly what Dianna had said it would.

I reached out to Mary and Amanda with my mind, and their warmth and love instantly enveloped me. I also knew for certain that they had entertained each other while I had been otherwise occupied. They were comfortably dozing at the moment, waiting for me to say goodnight.

I was filled with powerful emotions: love, happiness, contentment, belonging. They were so powerful that they almost overwhelmed me, and I felt myself welling up.

Dianna embraced me, adding her own power to the mix, sharing in our bond.

“Let yourself be loved,” she said simply. She kissed me tenderly on my forehead, and for a moment, that bright, clear line between ‘lover’ and ‘family’ in my mind wavered. She rocked me gently, and I slipped off into sleep.

Chapter 5 – The Dream

I knew I was in a dream as soon as I became aware. I do not know how I knew, but I knew, and the thought was somehow reassuring.

I was standing on the high street of a small town, outside a movie theatre. There was a huge poster advertising the movie The Life and Times of Harold Bleasdale. It was not something I wanted to see, but I knew that that was why I was here.

I moved to the ticket office where Josh was seated. He smiled at me and handed me a ticket for the movie. Walking into the foyer, I saw Sue behind the concessions stand, where you might normally expect to buy hotdogs, soda, or popcorn. Her stand, however, was empty. She looked at me sadly, as if to say, “Sorry; there is nothing here for you.”

Louise, the usher, took my ticket and tore it in half before leading me into the actual theatre and down to the only seat, which stood alone in the middle of an auditorium that could have easily held five hundred more.

I sat, and immediately the lights dimmed, and the screen flickered to life.

The movie was boring. It started when Harold was around three years old, his first memory being of a car journey to somewhere with lots of green. He had an unremarkable childhood, went to school, had a few friends – pretty much the same as every other kid in middle America. The only thing really to note is that Harold had developed into a brat.

He had doting parents who gave him anything and everything he asked for. He held his parents in contempt. They were merely there to provide for him, and if they didn’t do so, he would punish them with atrocious behavior and tantrums, which almost always resolved the situation to his satisfaction.

He transposed this behavior to school and became a bully. His family had money, and so he was able to attract the type of sycophants that gravitate toward rich assholes, which is exactly what he had become.

The pivotal point happened in the last fifteen minutes of the film.

Harold had celebrated his eighteenth birthday the week before, and his parents had bought him a new car. He went to school and arrived to find that someone had just beaten him to the parking space he liked to use. There were other parking spaces, but Harold considered that one his. He honked his horn, indicating that the person, who was still sitting in his car, should move and find another space.

The guy in the other car looked at him, amazed, and wordlessly indicated that there were several parking spaces, and that Harold should go use one of those.

Harold honked his horn again. The guy flipped him off. Filled with rage, Harold shouted at the guy that he should move his car to another space.

The guy’s eyes glazed over, and then he did just that, backing out of the space and parking it a few spaces away.

Harold grinned. His reputation had won the day. He parked his car and went to school.

As he walked down the hallway, he became aware that there were strange clouds around people, of different, sometimes even shifting, colors. At first, he thought he was seeing things, but quickly realized that there was a pattern: one cloud around each person, and no clouds around anything else. He accepted the possibility that they were real, at least in some sense. His narcissism much preferred that to the idea that he was flawed in any way. He wondered at the clouds’ significance, but couldn’t immediately concoct any theories.

In the closing scene of the movie, Harold went to his locker to get his books. The locker next to his belonged to a girl he had repeatedly asked out and been repeatedly rebuffed by. She was always nice about it, but he didn’t take rejection well.

Today she looked particularly alluring, wearing tight jeans and a halter top.

“Hi Julie,” he said as he opened his locker.

She glanced up at him from her phone; she had been texting someone.

“Are you doing anything Saturday night?” he asked.

“Sorry Harold,” she replied, “I’m going out with Brad. We’re going to the movies.”

“Oh, I didn’t think you were going out with anyone just now,” he replied, disappointed.

She smiled. “It’s our first date.”

“Then you won’t be cheating on anyone if you give me a kiss now, will you?” he challenged her. He had no idea where that had come from.

“What?” she said, not believing what she had heard.

“Kiss me!” he said.

She kissed him.

He was amazed. Her kiss was hot and sweet and immediately gave him a huge erection.

She held the kiss for a moment before coming back to herself.

“Oh…” she said “Oh, NO, I’m sorry! I don’t know why I did that.” Then she fled.

The last shot of the movie was of Harold, fingers touching his lips and a triumphant expression on his face. He KNEW why she had done it. He had felt the power. He couldn’t wait to see exactly what he could do with it.

The credits started to roll, but then the screen went black, and I sat for a moment in the pitch darkness.

When the lights came up, I was no longer sitting in the movie theatre. I was sitting on a park bench, watching the world go by.

I looked to my left and saw Harold. It wasn’t the eighteen-year-old Harold; that version was walking down the path in front of me. The Harold to my left was the Harold I had seen at the party, complete with food stains on his clothes. He smiled ingratiatingly and indicated that I should watch what happened next.

Young Harold was on the prowl. You could see it in his gait. He was hunting, though for what, I had no idea. But then my memory of his memories gave me the answer. He was looking for his first woman: the woman on the park bench.

I looked around frantically and saw her at the same instant that young Harold did. We approached her at the same time, and I tried to intercept him. He did not indicate that he could see me, and neither did the woman. I realized to my horror that I was just a spectator, incapable of affecting the outcome. I turned, wanting to look away, but each time I turned, I ended up looking in the direction of the woman. I tried to wake myself up, but that escape was denied to me also. I was stuck there, observing the horror of what was to come.

Harold sat down beside the woman. I didn’t hear what he said to her, but he seemed to brace himself as if he was half expecting her to slap him. She didn’t. Instead, her eyes glazed over, and she reached for his belt. Within seconds, she had pulled his cock out of his trousers and was bobbing her head up and down on him.

Young Harold rested back on the bench, grinning like a maniac. He looked around, and, seeing there was nobody nearby, said something else to the woman.

Immediately she stood and bent over the bench, lifting her skirt and pulling her panties down.

The woman’s child who had been playing nearby had wandered further away and was playing on the slide. She climbed up the ladder and slid down, but couldn’t stop herself at the bottom and fell onto the gravel at the base of the slide.

Harold stood and thrust himself inside of the woman as her child started to cry.

I looked away and saw the older Harold, the one who had indicated I should watch. He was grinning. What was worse was that he had his cock out and was openly masturbating as he watched his younger self defile the poor woman.

I strode over to him and, with an open palm, slapped him hard across the face. He looked at me, surprised. I instantly knew his thoughts: I was a fellow power user; surely I understood. The scene around us disintegrated.

Harold and I stood in the darkness. He had a red mark on the side of his face, and his cock hung flaccid out of the front of his pants.

“Put that away,” I snarled at him. He flinched back, then complied.

“Why?” I asked, “What did she do to deserve that?”

He didn’t answer but regarded me fearfully.

Finally, he seemed to brighten up. He smiled tentatively and pointed.

Immediately I saw a pinpoint of light traveling towards us at speed.

It grew as it approached, and I saw it was the mouth of a tunnel. I had no appreciation of movement but as we emerged from the tunnel, I realized that I was now seated in a subway train. It was late at night, and the car was almost empty.

Young Harold was seated alone at one end of the car. The only other people on the train were me and older Harold.

The train stopped and a gang of youths got on. There were about six of them, aged between eighteen and twenty. There were four boys and two girls.

The boys were obviously trying to impress the girls, and they were loud and obnoxious about it. For whatever reason, though, the younger Harold caught their eye and stole their collective attention. They began to stalk towards him. Harold, rather than looking fearful at the approach of this feral crowd, grinned in anticipation.

“Da fuck are you grinning at, peewee?” the leader of the gang said, laughing and looking to the rest of the gang, who laughed along.

Younger Harold looked up at him.

“I’m grinning because I am going to fuck your girl’s ass, and then you are going to eat my spunk from it and thank me.”

The leader’s jaw dropped. He had no idea how to respond to that, and so, true to form, fell back on old favorites.

“Da FUCK you say to me?”

“You heard me. Now, which one of these sluts gets my cock up her ass? Point her out.”

The leader’s eyes glazed over, and he pointed to one of the girls.

She didn’t notice immediately. She was so sure that her man was about to beat Harold down that his change in behavior didn’t register right away. There was a strange pause, and then it clicked for her. I could see it on her face: confusion, already creeping into worry.

“Lenny, what are you doing?” she asked him.

“Tell her to drop her pants and bend over the seat,” young Harold told the leader.

“Drop your pants and bend over the seat,” the leader said woodenly.

“Say it like you mean it,” young Harold instructed.

“Bitch, you heard me, get them pants down and get over the seat.”

She looked at him fearfully, then looked to the rest of the gang.

They were looking around uncomfortably. Lenny was their leader and the toughest of them all. If he said something, then it was law. This was something well outside their norm though, and they didn’t know how to deal with it.

“Make her!” young Harold said.

Lenny grabbed the girl by the scruff of the neck and forced her over the seat. He then started ripping at her pants, trying to get them down.

She screamed and struggled. The other girl moved to try and help her, but one of the other boys, who I assumed was her boyfriend, put his hand out to stop her.

Harold stood and approached. “You boys help him.”

Immediately the other three males of the group descended on the girl and began to restrain her, one of them being far more successful than Lenny in removing her jeans and pants.

“You wanted to help her?” Harold said to the girl who had initially tried to help.

She was frozen in fear. Harold didn’t wait long for the response that was likely never to come.

“Then you can suck my cock. Get it hard and wet. Don’t want it going in dry, do we?”

It was not clear whether he had used his power on the girl, or whether the situation itself had persuaded her that obeying this strange person was her only option. Wordlessly, she dropped to her knees and fished his cock out of his trousers.

He was already hard, so she took him in her mouth and began a wet, sloppy blowjob.

One of the other boys was glaring daggers at Harold but didn’t seem able to abandon his post holding down Lenny’s girlfriend. There wasn’t much fight left in her anyway. She was just sobbing, pleading with Lenny and the group not to do this to her.

Harold stepped up behind the defeated girl.

I had seen enough.

Once again, I looked across at older Harold. Although he wasn’t openly masturbating this time, he was massaging his crotch, his arousal obvious.

Angry again, I stormed towards him. He saw me coming and flinched. The memory of the train fragmented, once more leaving us in darkness.

“You think she deserved that?” I yelled into his face. “You sick fuck!!”

Suddenly the darkness cleared, and I found myself in a courtroom.

Harold stood in the dock, his hands shackled. There didn’t seem to be any lawyers present, but there was a judge in black robes. I was seated in the jury box. There were eleven other people there, but they were grey and unmoving.

I looked across the courtroom and there was a huge television.

Beside the television was the clerk of the court, who was holding a scroll – a real, honest-to-goodness papyrus scroll. It was weird, but I’d never forgotten that I was in a dream, so I didn’t get hung up on it.

“The defendant is also charged with the rape of one Natalie Walsh,” he intoned. He gave the details of the offense, including the date and time. He then turned to the screen.

It showed Harold in a nightclub. He was sitting with his back to the bar, surveying the room. I had seen the look on his face before. It was the same look he had had at the party. I had described it to Gerald as a fat man at a feast wondering which dish to sample first.

I saw his expression change as he spotted his target. The screen showed a beautiful woman dancing with a man. They looked good together. The camera zoomed in to show that they wore matching wedding rings.

He watched her for a while until she said something to her husband. The husband nodded and headed to the bar. She, in turn, headed toward the toilets.

Harold made his move.

He followed her into the toilet. As she turned to close the door, he simply told her to drop her pants and bend over. She complied and he took her from behind. All the time he was raping her, he was talking to her, telling her how much she was enjoying it. He forced her to orgasm repeatedly as he was pounding into her.

Finally, he came, pumping his seed deep inside, telling her that the feeling of him cumming in her was giving her the most intense orgasm she would ever have in her entire life.

He pulled out and zipped himself up.

His parting shot was to tell her to go and tell her husband exactly what had happened, to describe how much she had enjoyed it and how many orgasms she’d had.

He watched from across the room as the woman re-joined her husband and began to talk to him. The look on her husband’s face – first disbelief, then rage – made him laugh.

The screen went dark.

The judge turned to face me and the rest of the jurors. “How do you find the defendant?”

I looked at the other jurors, still grey and unmoving, then looked at the judge, who was staring directly at me.

“Guilty!” I said.

He nodded, and turned back to the clerk.“Proceed.”

The clerk consulted his scroll again.

And so it went on. The clerk would read a scroll, there would be a video showing the crime, and the judge would ask for our – for my – verdict.

I pronounced him guilty every single time.

As the crimes rolled by, there was a definite progression. He started by just raping women. Then he started involving others, getting other men to join in. Girls were forced to take multiple men simultaneously. Sometimes Harold didn’t bother raping – directly, physically raping – his primary victim. Sometimes he just watched. Sometimes he forced some other woman to blow him, but it was obvious that he was laser-focused on the degradation and defilement of that first woman who had captured his attention.

Then he progressed even further. I think it started when some guy had upset him, and he ended up bending him over and fucking him in front of his wife and family just as a power play. That seemed to give him a taste for gay sex, though, and after that, his victims became a mix of both genders. Sometimes they were ***********ed for a reason – usually an insult, often an imagined one – but other times it seemed that someone just caught his eye.

It was becoming increasingly clear, though, that he wasn’t getting the same satisfaction from the rapes as he had initially. He kept escalating.

There were also charges regarding non -sex-related crimes.

Harold had used his power to steal. Compared to watching the rapes, it was almost a relief. It was also surprising to me how much cleverer he was about it. He recognized the limits of his own powers: that his commands might eventually wear off, and that the modern world was full of technology that he couldn’t mind-rape into submission.

He controlled a building supervisor into giving him an apartment in an uptown complex and committed himself to renewing the mind control on him – daily at first, then gradually spacing out the sessions to test his own limits. It was shocking to see him acting so responsibly, even in that criminal context.

He opened a bank account and got cards printed with the account details. Every person he met, he gave a card and instructed them to set up a direct payment of $100 per month into that account. He ***********ed an upper manager at his bank of choice, and, just like the building supervisor, made sure they were permanently in his thrall. On the rare occasions when somebody would call asking questions, they’d get a very official-sounding run-around, and the manager would pass along the caller’s details to Harold. Those curious individuals often became victims of his other passion. I could feel how outraged he was that they’d dared to challenge him, even indirectly.

After a few months, he had a regular $80-$100k monthly income. He even paid tax. It was surreal to watch him work with an attorney to make everything look legitimate – which was also shockingly easy, since he was so willing to give the government its cut. If his income started to tail off, as people couldn’t remember why they had set up the payment, or partners or other family cancelled it, he would give out another few hundred cards.

He didn’t often need money; he never got charged for food or drinks, nor entry to any establishment. But he liked the idea of having a big bank balance.

Every few months he would transfer a chunk from his US bank to an offshore account in the Cayman Islands. He had a few million stashed away.

It all looped around again, though. No matter how much money he stole, and how easily he lived, he secretly raged at his powers’ limitations. Every time he was forced to be clever or careful to get more money, he’d soon seek out yet more victims to psychologically and physically brutalize – and those victims were simply add-ons to his already-staggering habit. Whenever his tax bill came due, he’d go on a veritable spree.

I was so weary. I had seen countless videos of his crimes, it seemed like I had been sitting in the jury box for weeks without a break.

After each video, I was asked to give my verdict, and each time it was the same: guilty.

Most of the scroll was now on the floor in front of the clerk. He was peering at the very bottom entry. He read the charge. It was for the attempted rape of Angela. This was the one I had interrupted. For what I hoped would be the final time, the screen lit up.

I was surprised to see that it didn’t show the party. It showed Harold moving into the house he had bought on Bob’s street.

Angela was walking down the block, past his new house, as Harold was moving in. He was walking from his car, which was parked on the street, carrying a large box, just as Angela was walking by.

“Here let me get that,” she said, holding his gate open for him so he could get through.

She went all the way into his house, opening and holding doors for him until he was able to put the box down safely.

His first instinct was to control her and then just take her there and then, but he wanted something more. He had had countless women – and men – by then. The sex was wild and good, but empty. He wanted someone to love and who would love him, and he had found Angela.

“Thanks for your help,” he said. Before he could summon the courage to say anything more, she was gone.

For days he watched for her, waiting to see her again. He had hours and hours of imaginary conversations with her, where he would profess his love and she would swoon at his feet. They would spend the rest of their lives together.

Then, the week before the party, he saw her.

He was delighted and rushed out of his house to go and speak with her, only to see her kissing another man: Bob.

I almost felt sorry for him, then I remembered the atrocities I had witnessed him committing and my feelings of sympathy evaporated.

How could she do that to me? his black soul sputtered. She knows that she’s mine, and yet she’s being unfaithful to me with this jerk!

He stormed over, prepared to take retribution, but as he approached, Bob saw him and invited him to the party the following week.

Immediately he decided that he would wait. He would humiliate both of them in front of all of their friends. He would make sure that they would never be together. If she was not to be his, then no man would ever want her.

Then the screen cut to the party. It showed the events from his perspective, and heard his internal monologue about his plans for Angela. They were worse than I had originally feared.

Yes, he had planned to force himself on Angela while Bob watched. Then he had planned for all the other male guests to fuck Angela, making sure that they all came in her pussy, with the express intent of getting her pregnant.

His depravity didn’t end there though.

He had also intended that Angela would be forced to go down on every female at the party, before finally being serviced by four neighborhood dogs, whose owners he had instructed to come over at a certain time.

He ran through the scenario in his head, and it played out in the court as if it had actually happened. I was forced to watch, horrified, as first Harold, then all the other males at the party – myself included – raped poor Angela. Her body was reacting like she was enjoying the experience, but her face and eyes told the truth. He wanted her to experience the horror of what was being done to her.

Next came the women, each of whom stripped naked and forced her to eat them out. Sue, Louise, Mary, and every other woman there used her as some sort of masturbation aid.

I finally tore my gaze away from the screen and looked at the version of Harold in the courtroom. I had thought he would have been gloating, but that was not the case. Tears were flowing down his face as he wept bitterly.

I looked back at the screen in time to see one of the neighborhood dogs being led up to a sobbing Angela. I stood up.

“Your honor, I object,” I said.

The screen froze and the judge turned his eyes to face me.

“On what grounds?”

“Because this never actually took place. The intent may have been there, but the defendant was interrupted and therefore unable to carry out his plans.”

He considered my point for a few seconds. “Sustained,” he said finally. The screen cleared.

“To the charge of the attempted rape, how do you find the defendant?” he asked me.

I looked across at Harold, who was slumped over now, still sobbing.

“Guilty.”

The judge nodded, then said, “This court would like to thank the jury for its service and will proceed immediately to sentence.”

“The defendant must rise,” the clerk intoned.

Harold stood.

“Harold Bleasdale, you have been found guilty of all charges levied against you. Do you have anything to say before I pass sentence?”

Harold looked directly at me.

“I loved her,” he said. “Please tell her that I’m sorry. I never wanted to hurt her, but she betrayed me.”

I realized at that point that he was truly mentally unhinged.

Strange really, that it took that statement, considering all that I had sat through in this trial. Quite simply, Harold was mad. He had grown up being given anything he wanted and thought he was entitled to it. He genuinely believed that Angela belonged to him; since he hadn’t used his powers on her to create that imaginary connection, he believed it to be pure and unassailable on any grounds. Thus, he also genuinely believed that she had betrayed him.

I also remembered – or rather, became acutely aware in that moment – that my upbringing had been different from his. If I’d wanted something, I’d had to work for it. If I’d done something nasty to another child or to my parents, I’d been punished, but more importantly, lectured on the why of it. I knew that that didn’t mean I would not be corrupted by my powers, but, to my mind, it made it less likely. That thought comforted me.

Thinking of my parents made me wonder what had happened to Harold’s, there had been no reference to them in the dream after they had bought him the car. My question was answered in the form of a flashback, which was presented to me the instant I had wondered about them.

On the night of the kiss, Harold had returned home and tried his powers on his parents. He had not had any sexual urges toward either of them, but he controlled them, forcing them both to do menial tasks for him. Up until the time he finally decided to move out of a house he considered to be beneath him he treated them as slaves, forcing them to pander to his whims. After that time, he simply forgot about them, he had outgrown them, and he had no more use for them.

I didn’t hear the sentence that the judge handed down. It didn’t mean anything; it was just noise. I was watching Harold as he collapsed on the dock, sobbing. I didn’t feel sorry for him.

I opened my eyes.

I expected it to be morning. In my dream it seemed like weeks had passed, but it was still dark, and Dianna was lying beside me, her eyes closed, her breathing regular.

I examined Harold’s memories in my mind. They were still there, but fuzzy and indistinct. They had a ‘dealt with’ feeling to them and did not affect me, other than to make me angry. That was an emotion I was happy to have attached to them. Seeing something like that should make you angry; it would make any sane person angry.

I noticed Dianna’s eyes were open and she was regarding me steadily.

“May I?” she asked.

I nodded.

I felt her touch – the warmth of her mind enveloping mine. This time I did not react. I neither pulled back nor tried to deny her access.

She smiled.

“You have dealt with them well,” she said. “A trial seems like an appropriate method. Interesting that you were a juror and not the judge. I think that shows your humility – another good sign. I do sense that for an instant you had some sympathy for Harold?”

“He fell in love,” I said, “His expression of that love showed that he was batshit crazy, but his motive for attacking Angela was that he loved her. All that power, sex, and money left him empty. He had all that, but he didn’t have something that I already have, in spades. If there’s anything to learn from what I saw tonight, is that my biggest advantage over Harold is that I know that I have people who love me. My parents, Mary and Amanda…”

“And me,” she added, putting her hand to my face. “I saw you born. I was the one who placed the amulet on you. From a distance I watched you grow, and I have always loved you.”

I looked at her, surprised.

“I didn’t realize…” I began.

“Your mother and I have been friends for a long time. She and I shared my daughters’ first times, just as you shared yours with her. Carolyn, my daughter, was a year older than your mother, and they were good friends. Her death hit us both very hard.”

I didn’t want to ask what happened; I could see that the memory was painful for her.

“Carolyn,” she said, “and Tim, her husband, were both with the agency. They were flying back from an assignment and their plane went down. There were no survivors. The girls were two years old at the time.”

I saw tears in her eyes, and I moved to embrace her. Simultaneously and instinctively, I wrapped my mind around her, enveloping her in my feelings for her, and she smiled.

“Thank you,” she said. “That is beautiful, but if you want to help someone, you might want to tone down the ‘horny’ some.”

I blushed yet again and drew my mind back.

“It takes training and practice,” she said, “but you have good instincts. Now, it’s still very early, and although I might not need a lot of sleep, I do need some, and so do you.”

Her words made me realize how profoundly tired I was. I had slept, and dreamt, but I hadn’t rested – quite the opposite. Our conversation concluded, there was nothing left to distract me from that fact. Once more, I felt Dianna’s mind embrace me with all of its love and warmth. I knew she was using her powers to get me back to sleep quickly. I was happy for the help. I welcomed her in, and then faded away.

Chapter 6 – Back to school

The journey back to school took the same amount of time as my journey home, minus the stop for pie. We even shared the driving, so I was in far better shape when I got back than I expected to be.

Initially, we went directly to the girls’ dorms, taking Amanda to her new room. Mary went to speak to her current roommate to tell her she would be moving out.

Amanda and I ran into Louise as we were taking some stuff up to her room.

“Hey Caleb, you’re back,” she said, looking Amanda up and down. I guessed that she thought she was Mary. I was certain that even if they knew Mary was a twin, they would know – or ‘know,’ now, since it was no longer true – that her sister went to a different school.

Louise did a double take, looked at Amanda, and then back to me. Then she grinned.

“Good for you,” she said. “One down, one to go.”

Amanda and I both understood her meaning immediately. I blushed, but Amanda grinned back at her.

“How was it?” Louise asked Amanda.

“It was beautiful,” Amanda answered immediately, beaming. “Just as I always imagined.”

“Wait!” said Louise. “It was your first time too?”

Amanda nodded.

“That is so cool!” Louise exclaimed, hugging Amanda. “I guess you pair are an item now then?” she asked a little cautiously.

“Well,” I said, “not exactly.”

“Why ‘not exactly?’” Louise snapped at me. “I didn’t take you for the type to fuck and run.”

“Oh,” said Amanda, “we’re an item all right.”

Louise looked at me, confused.

“But not exactly a pair,” Mary said from behind Louise. She had approached unseen.

Louise spun around and saw Mary, did yet another double take, looked at Amanda, then back to Mary, and then to me.

“You lucky bastard!” she grinned. “Seriously? Twins, and you… the both… are…”

We led Louise into Amanda’s new room.

“It’s kind of complicated,” I said, “but yes. Mary, Amanda, and I are together, the three of us.”

“How does that work?” Louise asked. “Do you all.. you know.. together or…”

“We share,” Mary, Amanda, and I said simultaneously.

“Well, that wasn’t creepy in the slightest,” said Louise.

Amanda giggled. “You would know all about sharing, I guess,” she said.

“You told them?” Louise asked, astounded.

I shook my head. “Mary figured it out, I guess in much the same way you figured us out just now. She saw us at my party and put one and two together.”

“And I guess we kind of owe you some thanks,” Mary said. “Caleb learned some things that will definitely benefit us.”

Louise smiled at her. “I’m pleased for you guys. A little jealous if I’m honest. I was hoping for a repeat performance.”

“That sounds like fun!” said Amanda.

Louise stared at her, then at me. “You mean…”

“We share,” said Mary. “As long as everyone is on board, we have no issues having a little fun.”

Amanda moved toward Louise. “Do you like to play just with boys, or would you like to play with us too?”

Louise seemed lost for words, but since her nipples were, at that moment, attempting to poke their way through her shirt, I guessed her answer.

“Not unless Josh is here,” I said firmly. “We are not seducing Louise away from her boyfriend.”

“That wouldn’t be possible,” Mary said. “I’ve seen them together. I see marriage and kids in their future. But I also see a lot of fun along the way. What do you say, Louise?”

“Hell yes!” Louise said enthusiastically. “I don’t have a huge amount of experience with girls, but you two are so hot – doubly so because of the twins thing. I’ll bet anyone, boy or girl, would give anything to get with you.”

“Do you have plans for tonight?” I asked, having checked with the girls through our bond that they were up for some fun.

“Josh and I had plans,” Louise said. “They involved trying to get you into bed again. He – we – were hoping you would be back tonight.”

I grinned at Louise. “How would you feel about playing a little prank on Josh?”

She looked from me to Mary and then to Amanda. I saw the light come on. An evil grin played over her pretty face. “Oh yeah, that would be sooo cool!”

+++++

Louise had taken Josh to her room on some pretext, which meant that our room was vacant when I got there. Amanda went and hid in the bathroom. She would have to stay there for a little while, but she was up for it and didn’t mind.

I was lying on my bed when Josh and Louise got back a few minutes later.

“Hey Caleb,” he said as he walked through the door, Louise right behind him. “How were your parents?”

“They were good,” I replied. “As I suspected, it was something and nothing.”

He sat on the edge of his bed, eyeing me. Louise took the chair at his desk. That put her behind him, which I was glad of because she was grinning like a maniac.

“Listen,” he said, “about the other day…”

“Josh it was fine,” I said. “More than fine, in fact. It was an amazing experience that I will cherish.”

He smiled. “Would you like to…”

There was a knock on the door. Louise got up to answer it.

Mary entered the room; I sat up and she took a seat beside me on the bed. I put my arm around her.

It was incredible to see. Josh’s eyes lit up, and simultaneously his face fell. I wasn’t aware that was even possible.

“Mary!” he said, “How are you?”

She smiled at him. “I’m good,” she said.

There was a short silence. Louise was enjoying watching Josh spin in the wind.

“So,” he ventured, “you and Caleb?”

“Yes,” she returned. “We got together on his birthday… although we didn’t ‘get together’ until yesterday.” She giggled, and for a moment, I almost didn’t trust my special power to tell the two twins apart.

Josh’s eyes widened. “You mean?” He grinned at me “Way to go, buddy!” He offered me a fist bump. Louise rolled her eyes.

“Where’s your congratulations for Mary?” she asked him a little acidly. “It was her first time too.”

“Wait, what?” he said, looking at his girlfriend in surprise. “How do you know?”

“We ran into each other in the corridor,” I said, “as we arrived back.”

“You never said,” he said accusingly to Louise. “We were just talking about asking Caleb if…”

“Are you saying,” Mary asked sweetly, “that you would object to me joining you?”

Josh’s jaw almost literally hit the floor.

“You…” he began, “You… I… we…” Even sitting on the edge of his bed, I could see the erection tenting his trousers.

Mary stood and held her hand out to Louise, who stood also. They closed and kissed. It was long, slow, and sensuous. I damn near creamed my pants myself, but Josh couldn’t tear his eyes from the pair.

I stood up and took his hand, pulling him to his feet. His eyes were still glued to the two girls. As they kissed, they slowly undressed each other.

I started on him. Standing behind him, I nipped at his neck as I undid his shirt, running my hands up his hard body. He shuddered and I saw goosebumps. His nipples were stiff peaks as my hands skated over them. I didn’t linger. Josh stood transfixed as the girls put on an amazing show, stripping each other as they continued to kiss and caress each other too.

Josh’s shirt was gone now, and I had undone his belt and trousers. I kissed down his back, caressing his sides, and then, when my hands got to his hips, I eased his trousers and boxers down in the same movement. I continued to caress down his back, over his ass, and down his legs. Unconsciously, he raised each of his legs to allow me to remove his pants and socks.

I stood back up, pressing myself against his back while continuing to caress his body. He pressed back into me, but his eyes were still fixed on the girls. They were both gloriously naked and kissing with abandon while their hands explored each other. I’ll admit, it took a mighty effort to focus on Josh. The physical contact helped, though. He was a sexy guy.

Gently I reached around, and, while holding him against my still-clothed body, gripped his erection in my hand, squeezing gently.

Through our bond, I told Amanda it was time. The bathroom door opened, and Amanda slunk in, as naked as the other girls.

I could see Josh’s face in the mirror on my dresser. I saw his eyes widen, then dart wildly between all three girls. When he hit a twin, it was disbelief. When he hit Louise, it was suspicion and a desperate search for some reassurance. All he got, though, was more titillation.

Then he came, pumping his cum out onto the floor in thick, creamy spurts. I held his cock in my hand and squeezed, trying to make it even better for him.

He slumped back against me.

I heard Louise start to snigger, then laugh, and then all three girls were giggling uncontrollably.

“I guess he liked that,” I said.

Josh groaned. “I damn near had a heart attack,” he complained. “I thought I was hallucinating.”

I smiled at him. “Josh, this is Amanda,” I said, “Mary’s sister.”

Amanda came over and wrapped her hand around his still-stiff erection.

“I can see you are pleased to ‘meet’ me,” she said, grinning at her own little joke. She milked his cock until a pearl of cum appeared at the end, and she scooped it up on her finger. Gazing into his eyes, she brought it up to her mouth and licked it off.

Josh shuddered.

I had moved from behind him, and he slumped down onto his bed.

“You knew?” He looked at Louise accusingly.

She nodded, grinning. “Was it a nice surprise?”

He groaned and then grinned. “I seriously thought I was hallucinating.”

“Are you okay?” I asked him. I didn’t want to overwhelm him. The tables seemed to have turned.

“Okay?” he asked, incredulously. “Watching Louise and Mary together is one of the hottest things I have ever seen. Having you undress me like that was also amazing. But when Amanda walked through that door, it blew my mind.”

“That wasn’t the only thing it blew,” Amanda said with a giggle.

Josh blushed, but chuckled.

“You want to carry on?” I asked. “Are you okay seeing Louise with Mary or Amanda?”

“Hell yes,” he said. “If she is good with it, I’m all for it. She already saw you and me together, how hypocritical would it be for me to object to her having some fun?”

I smiled at him. “Okay then,” I said. “We will need to talk after, but for now no fucking. Anything else goes. Is that okay?”

Josh and Louise both nodded.

I stood. I was still the only one in the room who was dressed.

Louise came over to me and started to rectify that situation, giving me a lingering kiss as she worked. Amanda went over to Josh and pulled him to his feet, locking lips with him, as Mary moved behind him, much as they had with me in the shower. They began to double-team him. The poor guy didn’t stand much of a chance.

When I was naked, Louise whispered in my ear and my eyes widened. I looked at her. “Is he sure?” I asked.

She nodded.

I looked across at where Josh and the twins were entangled, but I could see that Amanda was whispering in his ear, and he was nodding. He said something to her, and she smiled.

Taking his hand she pulled him over to me, his face flaming.

“Caleb,” he said, “last time, Louise taught you how to…”

“I enjoyed the lesson,” I said, “and at some point, I might like some more practice.”

I saw his cock twitch.

“Well, this time,” he went on, “I was hoping that she, or one of the other girls, would teach me. That is, if you think that would be okay?”

I had been watching his aura – both his and Louise’s, actually. I could see that Louise’s was a rich, deep purple; there were no other colors visible. She was so horny it was blotting everything else out.

Josh’s aura was also a rich purple, but there were flecks of yellow, which reminded me of fear. I wondered what he might be afraid of. The answer came to me via my bond with the girls.

He is worried you might reject him. I didn’t hear the words, but I felt the meaning so clearly that there’s little sense in making the distinction from now on.

“I think,” I said, looking across at Mary, who nodded slightly, “that Louise is going to be a bit busy with Mary, but I’m sure that Amanda would be happy to give you some pointers. I would be lying if I said that I hadn’t been hoping for this.”

Mary took Louise’s hand and pulled her onto my bed, where they started to kiss and explore each other’s bodies.

Amanda, still holding Josh’s hand, leaned in to kiss him.

After a minute or so, she broke the kiss, then leaned in to kiss me, her tongue gently toying with mine. I felt a hand wrap around my cock, and as Amanda broke the kiss I looked down. It was Josh’s, with Amanda’s over it, guiding him.

Amanda sank to her knees, having pulled pillows from the beds for them both, and pulled Josh down beside her.

I couldn’t hear what Amanda was saying to Josh; I could only feel that she was enjoying her new role as teacher. She was whispering in his ear, and, between them, they slowly massaged my manhood. Precum was drooling copiously from my piss slit, and they covered my cock with it, making it slick. The feeling of both their hands working together on me was intense.

I felt Josh shift, and their hands disappeared. I looked down to see him bring his face closer to me. He looked a little conflicted. I could see there was eagerness there, but I guessed there was also the thought that he was about to suck another guy’s dick, something he had never considered doing until very recently.

I groaned at the sensation. His mouth was warm, and he started to gently massage my glans with his tongue.

I looked down at him again to check he was still okay, and he locked gazes with me. I had not noticed how blue his eyes were before that moment. I also noted his aura, which now was completely purple. All the yellow was gone.

I looked across at Mary and Louise to see that Mary had Louise on her back and was kissing and licking her breasts. Her hands were stroking her belly and working their way south. I had no doubt where that was leading. Louise, in turn, was holding Mary’s head to her chest with one hand whilst exploring her back and ass with the other.

I felt Josh shift forward, and moaned as he pushed himself about halfway down on my cock. His tongue worked against the underside, providing some amazing sensations. He applied suction as he drew back and then pushed forward again. I shivered, knowing that I wouldn’t last too long if he continued. Amanda was constantly whispering in his ear, but I also noticed that she had his erect cock in her hand and was wanking him as he was sucking me. Her other hand was on his ass, but I couldn’t see what she was up to back there. I knew she was having a wonderful time, though. The room was awash in purple. Somehow, it didn’t take away from any of the visuals. If anything, it enhanced them.

Josh had all of my cock in his mouth. He didn’t seem to have any problems taking me to the root. He pushed forward hard and swallowed before pulling back and swirling his tongue around my head. On the out stroke, he would apply suction, and that seemed to be making my cock swell even more, and the head become more sensitive. I could tell that precum was hosing out now, and he seemed to be swallowing it with relish.

He took my hands, which had, until that point, been at my sides. He placed them onto his head before once again forcing me into the back of his throat and swallowing. I was obviously not being forceful enough with him, because his next move was to grab my ass cheeks and begin pulling me into him, forcing me to face fuck him. I remembered Amanda’s wordless nudges to me from before. Josh wasn’t psychically connected to me, but he was sending me signal after signal that he wanted me to take charge and be aggressive. I just couldn’t do it. I was too afraid I might hurt him and ruin the experience for everyone.

It was hardly necessary on my end; I could feel my balls starting to rise, and I knew that I wouldn’t last much longer.

Amanda was still whispering in Josh’s ear and her hand was now working hard on his cock. He was also gushing precum, and she was using that to good effect. I saw that her other hand was moving rhythmically behind him, but couldn’t see what she was doing. Whatever it was, he seemed to be enjoying it as he rammed his face onto my erection, begging me to unload in his mouth.

Mary and Louise were squirming together now. They had moved around and were in a sixty-nine position. I could see Louise’s ass up in the air, and that Mary had fingers in Louise’s pussy while she licked and nibbled at her clit. Louise’s face was buried deep between Mary’s legs. I couldn’t see what she was doing but I made an educated guess.

We were deliberately not sharing using our powers, because we didn’t want to take the risk that Josh or Louise would get caught up in it.

“Josh,” I gasped, “I’m close. If you carry on, I am going to cum.”

I half expected him to back off, but instead, he upped his pace even more, pushing me deep down his throat, using his hands on my ass to pull me in.

Suddenly I felt him stiffen and he grunted. I felt his cum spray over my lower legs and feet as Amanda brought him to a climax. The thought of that, and the sensation of his cum on me, took me over the edge.

He pulled me in deep and held me as my climax hit. I shot rope after rope of creamy spunk into his throat, and he gulped it down, showing no signs of reluctance.

As my climax abated, he backed off, taking the last two or three spurts into his mouth, whilst suckling gently on the head of my cock, teasing out the last of my cum until I had no more to give.

He sighed as he allowed my softening dick to slip from his mouth, but before he could think of swallowing, Amanda captured his mouth with hers, wanting to share what was left of my load.

I heard Louise squeak and knew that Mary had just taken her over the edge. She seemed to redouble her efforts on Mary, who almost immediately stiffened as she reached her own climax.

Josh and Amanda separated, both swallowing the remnants of the load they’d shared.

“Thank you,” I said to Josh. “That was intense.”

“You’re telling me,” he replied, an embarrassed grin on his face. “Nobody’s ever done that to me before.”

Louise looked across at Amanda. “Done what?” she asked.

Amanda just smiled and raised two fingers together, turning her wrist expressively.

Louise grinned at Josh. “I guess we are all learning.” She had turned the right way up again and lay beside Mary. She leaned in and kissed her gently. “About a lot of things,” she said finally.

“We seem to be one orgasm short,” I said, pulling Amanda to her feet. She smiled at me, and I leaned in for a kiss.

I signaled to Josh, and he nodded, lying on his bed and placing his pillow behind his head.

I gently lifted Amanda and carried her over to Josh. I placed her on top of him, her pussy directly over his face.

She squeaked into my mouth as he went to work on her.

Mary and Louise got up and crossed the room, deciding to join the fun. Mary started licking and nibbling at Amanda’s breasts while Louise ran her hands up and down Amanda’s back, kissing the back of her neck before working her way down her spine and to her ass.

Under the onslaught of the four of us, poor Amanda had little chance, and I could sense her climax building; the sensations from all the mouths and hands on her body left her little respite.

Louise was the one who took her over the edge. Josh had pushed two fingers into Amanda’s pussy and was deftly massaging her G-spot while he ravaged her clit with his tongue. She was so wet that I could hear the squelching of her pussy. She was grunting into my mouth as we were kissing, and I could feel the tension building. Then Louise bent forward, parted Amanda’s cheeks, and shoved her tongue deep into her ass.

Amanda shrieked and went rigid, her eyes bulging as the waves of sensation overwhelmed her. She writhed and twitched, and her pussy gushed. Mary nipped and mauled her tits as Josh lapped up her juices. I took a leaf from her own book and used the kiss to control her breath, doing it just enough to heighten the pleasure of her orgasm.

I caught her as she slumped forward. She moaned, twitching from aftershocks.

“Fuck!” was all she could say.

As we relaxed afterward, Mary, Amanda, and I sat on my bed, Josh and Louise on his.

“Guys,” Louise began, “that was amazing, thank you. I hope it won’t be the last time?”

I looked at Josh, examining his aura, and I knew that the girls were doing the same. I didn’t see anything to be worried about. He seemed as interested as Louise did.

“We need a couple of ground rules,” I said. “Yes, it was amazing, and we would love to do it again. But we must be sensible. We are here for a reason and that reason isn’t this. None of us can afford to jeopardize our futures, either our education or our future relationships over this.”

Josh nodded. “I guess. It would be so easy to spend all day every day in here and fuck the classes.”

“That can’t happen,” I said. “My parents, and the girls’ grandmother, would have my hide if we flunked out for that reason.”

“You two also need time for just you,” Mary said, “just like we will need time for just us. It’s no reflection on you guys, but there will be times that we want our man to ourselves.”

“That sounds so weird,” Louise said, “don’t either of you ever want one-to-one time with Caleb? Without the other?”

Both girls shook their heads simultaneously.

Louise’s eyes widened. “Wait. You told me earlier that you took Caleb’s v, and he took yours. What about Amanda’s?”

“He took that too,” Amanda said happily. “It was beautiful.”

“You guys are so lucky,” Louise said.

“Another thing,” I interjected. “We only play together. It feels too much like cheating if only one of you, or us, is there. We are either all there or we don’t play.”

“Okay,” Josh and Louise said together. “That makes sense,” Louise finished for both of them.

“One more thing,” I said. “I’m trusting you guys to be honest with us. The moment this stops being good for you, then tell us. I love both of you and would be devastated to think that we had damaged your relationship for the sake of some fun. Maybe we can carry this on long term. Maybe in 60 or 70 years, I’ll be taking my false teeth out to give Josh a blowjob.”

Josh pulled a face, but the girls all laughed.

“Or maybe,” I finished, “next week you’ll realize that enough is enough. Please tell us. I promise it won’t affect any other aspect of our relationship.”

Josh nodded. “Same goes for you guys. Your relationship is going to be complicated enough. Don’t let what we are doing interfere with that. I have never seen Caleb look at anyone the way he looks at you two, and believe me, he watches every ass that goes by. You guys have something special. Don’t spoil it because of us.”

I sighed. “We should be getting some sleep; we all have classes tomorrow.”

“Caleb is right,” said Louise, “I should be getting back.”

“We’ll walk with you,” said Mary. “We have classes tomorrow too.”

“I don’t,” Amanda said. “I have to go to administration in the afternoon, but my morning is free.”

“You won’t want to stay here,” I said. “Josh snores, and farts in his sleep.”

“I do not!” he exclaimed.

Joking aside, I knew that sleeping arrangements were going to be an issue. The thought of not being with my girls did not appeal, and my bond told me that the girls agreed.

After a rather protracted goodnight, all three girls left to go to their dorms. Josh and I tidied our room and changed his bed. It had gotten kind of wet. Amanda was apparently a squirter – at least when she was getting overstimulated by four people at once.

It was close to midnight, and we settled to sleep.

“Caleb?” Josh asked.

“Yes?”

“Do you think that they are the ones?”

“Yes,” I said without hesitation.

“How will that work?” he asked.

“I have no idea,” I replied, “but we will make it work one way or another. I couldn’t imagine ever being without either of them.”

We were silent for a while.

“What about you?” I asked. “Do you think Louise is the one for you?”

“If you had asked me that a week ago,” he said, “I don’t think I could have said for sure.”

“Why?”

“We were having fun,” he said, “hanging out, making out, having sex. I was never certain there was a real connection, if you know what I mean. It seemed a little superficial. I expected that we would either drift apart, or we would just go our separate ways when we finished here.”

That surprised me. I had thought that they had more than that even before now.

“And now?” I asked.

“Now it feels real,” he said, “and the really strange thing is, that the first time I felt it – the first time that I really felt that I had something special with her – was when I had my dick in your mouth.”

I considered that.

“When you say that you felt it,” I asked, “what do you mean?”

“You had just started,” he said, “and I looked down at you, and her. She was kneeling beside you, talking to you. She was just so gentle and patient with you – with us both. I just felt something swell inside me. Then she looked up and I was staring straight into her eyes, and for the first time, I felt it. I really felt it. I think she did too, because she smiled at me, and she nodded, then went back to teaching you.

“How screwed up is that, that I fall in love with a girl, as she is teaching another guy to give me a blowjob?”

“Just for a second,” I said. “Forget the girl and the guy. You fell in love with someone, who was kind and gentle, patiently helping someone to give you something amazing. Does it matter what she was helping them do? Does it even matter whom she was helping? She was doing something out of love for you. That’s what you felt, and that’s not screwed up at all.”

“That’s you, isn’t it?” he asked after a while.

“What’s me?”

“I guess that’s what you meant,” he said. “I don’t think I got it before. I guess I just thought you just swung both ways. Obviously, I had no problem with that, but now I think I understand.”

I smiled in the dark.

“Goodnight Josh,” I said.

I woke early the next morning to go for a run. Josh was not normally an early riser, so I put on my running gear quietly and left the room, closing the door gently behind me.

I crossed the courtyard and saw the twins warming up at the gate. I smiled.

“Fancy meeting you two here,” I said. They both returned the smile.

We set an easy pace around the park. It had been a few days since I had run so I wasn’t in any rush. The girls easily kept pace with me, and I was certain that I was actually holding them back.

Through the bond, we ‘chatted’ as we ran.

I wondered how often they ran. They remembered running five miles every morning. I resolved to increase my schedule to theirs and they resolved to help and encourage me.

I also remembered I needed to find out about martial arts classes, since Dianna had suggested it. Amanda had an idea that since she was doing nothing all morning that she could find out for us while Mary and I were in class.

Our ‘conversation’ continued until we returned. I had run further than usual. I normally only did about two or three miles, depending on my mood, but running with the twins had been much more fun, and their support had made it easier.

I went back to my room for a shower to find Josh just getting ready.

“Going down for breakfast?” he asked.

“Quick shower first,” I replied, “then yes.”

“I’ll wait for you,” he said. “Louise won’t be there yet anyway.”

I nodded and went into the bathroom. Ten minutes later, Josh and I were walking to the cafeteria and were joined by the twins. Amanda and Mary flanked me, and Josh walked on the other side of Amanda, so to the casual observer it might appear that we were two couples.

We arrived in the cafeteria and queued for breakfast. Louise joined us a few minutes later, a wry expression on her face.

“So,” she said to Josh, “I just heard that you have been cheating on me.”

Josh’s eyes widened. “What? When? Who told you that?”

“I just got a text from Carol saying she saw you and Caleb with two hot girls walking down the corridor.” She grinned at him.

“That’s not funny,” he grumbled. “You know how dumb some people are. If those kinds of rumors get started it can really cause trouble.”

“Chill out,” she said. “I know there’s nothing to it. I set her straight.”

“What did you tell her?” he asked.

“I told her I knew the girls,” she replied, “and they both had a boyfriend, and that you would never do that to me.”

He smiled at her.

“Or I’d tear your balls off,” she finished with a sweet smile.

I chuckled. “I guess that’s what you call motivation.”

We all made our ***********ions and found an empty table.

As I sat down, I spotted Kyle and Jennifer a couple of tables away. I looked at their auras and tried to determine how things were between them. Both had multiple colors visible, including pinks, yellows, and deep purples. I had some idea of what some of the colors meant, but combinations were still too much for me to confidently break down.

I put the question to the twins over our bond. I saw two sets of tawny eyes fix on the pair, then identical smiles.

I got a jumble of impressions and thoughts from the pair, but it all pieced together to form an impression that Kyle and Jennifer were together now, and that they had made their relationship ‘intimate.’ There was relief and love in their auras, but a little fear that things might go wrong.

Inwardly, I sighed with relief. Yes, their relationship could still go in any direction, but for now, it was going the way they wanted it to. One thing was for certain: I wasn’t getting involved again – probably not even if, for some strange reason, they asked me to.

After breakfast, Mary and I made our way to English, and Amanda went back to her dorm.

I was a little surprised when Mary paused at the door. I was halfway into the room by the time I noticed, so, rather than go back and make things awkward, I took my seat, but watched her. All I was getting from her bond was a little amusement.

Once I was seated, she strutted to her seat in front of mine, and spent the next five minutes looking in her bag for something, all the time bent over and pointing her amazing ass in my direction.

I could feel the amusement from both twins, as they must have felt my reaction to the view.

I visualised Mary bent over my lap, being spanked, and her aura spiked purple. Two bolts of arousal assaulted me through our bond.

+++++

I was walking to my next class, which I didn’t share with Mary, when I heard a snatch of a song.

‘But we’ve known each other since we were nine or ten

Together, we’ve climbed hills and trees

Learned of love and ABC’s

Skinned our hearts and skinned our knees…’

I kind of knew the tune but couldn’t remember what it was. I just knew it was a very old song, like from the 1970s.

I put it out of my mind and went to class.

After lunch, it happened again. Mary and I were walking back from the cafeteria when I heard the song again.

‘Goodbye, Michelle, my little one

You gave me love and helped me find the sun

And every time that I was down

You would always come around

And get my feet back on the ground

‘Goodbye Michelle, It’s hard to die

When all the birds are singing in the sky’

“What is that song?” I asked. “I heard it this morning but couldn’t place it.”

“What song?” she asked me.

“Can’t you hear it?” I asked, listening again, but it was gone.

She shook her head.

“It’s gone now,” I said, “but it’s going to bug me all day.”

I felt her desire for me to share my memory with her, so she might hear it, and see if she knew the song. I recalled the memory and shared it with her. Her eyes widened.

Wordlessly she took my hand, and we walked back to my room. Since we were going to be late for class, I figured there had to be a good reason, so I didn’t press. I did feel her urgent need to see Amanda in my room, so it was no surprise that she was waiting for us when we arrived.

Once inside, we sat, and I looked at Mary, waiting for her to speak.

“Share that memory with Amanda,” she said without preamble.

Puzzled, I complied. Amanda looked thoughtful.

“I agree,” she said. “It feels like a thought.”

“A what?” I asked.

“A thought,” Mary said. “The reason I couldn’t hear the song is that you weren’t hearing it. You were picking it up from someone’s mind. If I’m right, then your unknown power may well be Telepathy.”

I sat and thought about it for a moment. “What’s the difference between that and Empathy?”

“Empaths can see auras,” Mary said, “and can share memories of things that have happened. Most of us need permission to access those, but the more experienced and powerful ones like Grandmother can sometimes force their way in. What they cannot do is truly communicate – as in speak, telepathically, or hear or see what a person is thinking and feeling in real time.”

“What about our bond?” I asked. “That feels pretty real-time to me.”

“The bond is a special case because of the way it was formed, Amanda said, “but if you think about it, even that is not real-time. Think about our conversation on our run this morning. You didn’t speak to us, you just remembered how far you used to run, and allowed that memory into the bond. We, in turn, remembered how far we used to run and did the same. It’s splitting hairs, I know, but it’s different.

“Also, Telepaths can more easily force their way into someone’s mind, and will overhear random and stray thoughts. If that is your new power, you will have to learn to block them out. Initially, I guess you will hear really strong thoughts, but as your power establishes itself you will hear more and more. You’ll need to outrun that growing power with your training regimen. Given how quickly your powers seem to progress on your own… that might be a challenge.”

I felt their concern. I tried to recognize it without letting it become a spiral.

“So, someone really likes that song,” I said, trying to keep things light.

“I’m not so sure,” Mary said. “I think I recognized it. Let me check.”

She opened up an app on her phone and tapped away for a second.

The opening strains of the song played. I recognized it immediately. “That’s it.” I grinned at her.

“Seasons In The Sun,” she said, “Terry Jacks.”

“It has a catchy tune,” I said, “although it’s a little maudlin.”

“That’s my point,” Mary said. “It may be that whoever is running around with this song playing on a loop in their head just really likes the tune, or it may be something more.”

“Like what?” I asked.

“It plays like a musical suicide note,” Amanda said.

“That’s a leap,” I said uncertainly. “Just because someone is carrying a song around in their head doesn’t mean they are suicidal. I mean, I would have been thinking about that song most of the day until I identified it. Isn’t that more likely?”

“It’s possible,” said Mary, “probable even, but if there’s even a chance that it’s something more, shouldn’t we try to help? I mean, how would we feel if we found out that a student had committed suicide and we hadn’t done something?”

“How would we even know if it was even our music lover?” I asked. “It could be completely unrelated.”

“I think we need advice,” Amanda said and picked up her phone.

Dianna, on speakerphone, listened quietly as Mary told her of what had happened, and the discussions we had had concerning what I had heard.

“Caleb,” she said, “I want you to do something. I want you to recall the memory of when you heard the song. Concentrate not on the music but try and feel what you heard. Dismiss the noise, and everything else going on. Search for the emotions behind the thought.”

I sat on my bed and recalled the first snatch of the song I had heard. It had been less than ten seconds long. I opened the bond to the girls also to see if they could get anything I missed. After a few minutes of replaying the memory over and over in my head, I just had a sense of sadness. I relayed that to Dianna.

“But it’s a sad song,” I said. “I often feel sad listening to sad songs.”

“Try the other memory,” she said. “Remember, search for the emotion.”

This memory was slightly longer, but not by much. However, when I replayed it in my mind, concentrating on the emotions rather than the music, I was hit by such a sense of loneliness and desolation I wanted to cry.

The twins looked at me; their faces were bleak. They had felt it too.

“Find that person,” Dianna said. “If what you are feeling is real, then they may be in danger of hurting themselves. Also, given the level of emotion in the latter memory versus the earlier one, they are escalating.”

We left my room and started walking along the hallways. Since I had heard the song after my first lesson and my third lesson, but not my second, I reasoned that the person was probably not on my rota. Mary had been with me both times, so he or she may have been on hers. I explained my theory to Mary and Amanda, and, in the absence of anything better, we went with that. Mary said she should have been in the science block on the fourth floor, and their class would be letting out in fifteen minutes.

We climbed to the fourth floor of the six-story building and walked past the classroom Mary should have been in, ‘listening.’ There was no music, but I was starting to hear a dull roar of voices, a bit like you might hear in a football stadium. There were no distinct words in any of it though.

I turned and walked past the classroom again, but still nothing. Either our mystery music fan wasn’t in that class, or they were thinking of other things.

I saw a small, slim person come up the stairs at the other end of the corridor from us, probably forty yards away. They crossed the corridor and started up the next flight. I hadn’t heard anything, but I saw their aura, and it was black, shot through with yellow.

“There,” I said, and started down the corridor at a fast walk.

By the time I reached the stairs my target was out of sight, but I dashed up the stairs, clearing them two at a time.

I had just reached the last set of stairs when I saw the door to the roof closing gently. I approached the door slowly, not wanting to burst out onto the roof and startle whoever it was. After all, they might have just been going up there for a smoke or something.

I could hear the music when I got out onto the roof, but this time I was actually hearing it – through my ears. Following the noise, I circled the stairway block and found my target.

It was a small, slender person with short black hair, dressed all in black. They were sitting on the parapet of the science block, their legs hanging over the drop.

Their phone was sitting beside them, and the song was playing. I guessed it was about a third of the way through.

I felt Mary and Amanda join me.

I had no idea what to do. I didn’t want to startle this person, or maybe anger them into doing something rash, but I was certain that their plan was to wait for the end of the song and jump off the building.

I knew I could compel them to come down off the wall, and then figure out the problem, but I also knew that it would have to be a last resort. I still had no idea what kind of damage my compulsion powers could do.

Slowly, I walked until I was next to the parapet, about six feet from the person. They still hadn’t noticed me.

“It’s a sad song,” I said, quietly, but loudly enough for them to hear me.

They stiffened and turned toward me.

It was a young man – probably my age, or maybe slightly younger. He was baby-faced though. His hair was collar length and tucked back behind his ears. He had dark brown eyes, which at the moment were wet with unshed tears.

“It’s how I feel,” he said simply, “but at least there is not long left.”

I glanced at his phone. The song was one minute and fifty seconds in. It looked like there was about a minute of it left.

“I’m Caleb,” I said. “That’s Mary and Amanda.”

“Jules,” he said, more out of reflex than any real desire to talk.

“Why are we up here, Jules?” I asked him.

He looked at me like the question surprised him. “Because it’s the tallest building on campus,” he said, as if it was obvious.

I walked forward slightly and leaned on the parapet, which was just under chest high. I looked down. This side of the building looked out onto a pathway between two buildings. Since classes were still in progress, there was nobody on the path below. The building opposite was a warehouse with no windows. At least we were spared the crowd of gawking idiots.

“Is that what you came here for?” I asked. “To end up down there?”

“Yes,” he said. “Why else would I be sitting up here?”

“I didn’t mean up here,” I said. “I mean, why did you come to this university? Did you spend all that time studying to get the grades, so you could come here, and do this?”

He stared at me for almost thirty seconds. I could hear the final refrain of the song and I knew that I needed more time.

“Can we hear that again?” I asked, “It really is a great song, and I missed the beginning.”

He looked down again, thinking, and then reached for his phone, restarting the song.

“Is that the plan?” I asked, “Wait for the end of the song and…” I didn’t finish the sentence.

He looked down again and nodded. More tears rolled down his cheeks.

“Do you mind us keeping you company until then?” I asked. “At least then you won’t be alone.”

“But I will be,” he said, “you’ll leave, just like everyone else.”

I shook my head.

“No Jules,” I said gently, “If you do this, it will be you, leaving us. Which will be sad, because we hardly even got a chance to know you.”

“Probably for the best,” he said. “It’s when people find out about me that they leave.”

“Did somebody leave you?” I asked. “Is that why we are up here?”

I felt anger flare. The flash of red in his aura nearly staggered me. “They ALL left,” he shouted. “Every one of them, one after the other. Why would you be any different?”

“I don’t know the answer to that,” I said, “because I don’t know what you hid from them.”

He looked at me shocked.

“I… hid?” he asked.

“You said they found out about you,” I said, “which implies that you hid something from them when you first met them. Which is perfectly reasonable. I mean, I don’t go up to everyone I meet and say, ‘Hi, I’m Caleb, I get windy if I eat butterbeans.’

“I mean sometimes there is a time and a place, right?”

He smiled slightly at that. “I wish it were that simple.”

“Why not make it that simple?” I asked. “We have a little time left, so why not tell me this secret? I mean, what do you have to lose? If I leave, then you are vindicated and can follow through with your plan, knowing you were right in the first place.

“Perhaps, though, it wasn’t you that was the problem. Perhaps the fault lies with them. It’s easy to blame yourself when others have a problem with you; believe me, I know.”

He looked me up and down for a moment as if to say, “what do you know?”

“Not everything is visible to the naked eye,” I said. “We all have issues of one sort or another. Tell me why I should abandon you up here, and let me – let us,” I indicated the girls, “make the decision. What do you say?”

The song came to an end. Jules stood up on the parapet and turned to face us.

“Please,” I said. “At least tell me why?”

“What do you see?” he asked. “When you look at me.”

I was instantly wary. That question implied that what was inside might be very different from the outward appearance.

“I see a young person, who is very sad and wants to do something drastic to end their pain.”

He cocked an eyebrow at me. “A young person?” he asked. “Boy or girl?”

“Does it matter?” I responded.

“It mattered to them,” he said bitterly. “They thought it mattered.”

“And they were wrong,” I said emphatically. “Who you are isn’t about your gender, it’s about how you live your life, what kind of mark you leave on the world, whom you love, and who loves you. It doesn’t matter if you are a boy, or a girl, or both, or neither.”

“Why would anyone love me?” he asked, shuffling his feet.

“Why would they not?” I countered. “Jules, you are a beautiful person. I can feel that you have a lot of love to give and that, up until now, you have given that love to people who have not appreciated what you have to offer. Don’t let their failings rob you of your future and rob your future love of their chance at happiness.”

“My future love?” he asked.

“There will be one,” I said. “At least, there will be if you are around to meet them.”

I saw a shift in his aura. Some of the black had faded, but there was much more yellow. I also saw threads of green. That made me think of hope.

Then the green disappeared, once again replaced by black.

“They will only leave,” he said, “when they figure me out.”

I decided to be more aggressive.

“Then let me figure you out,” I said, “and we will see when I learn your secret, whether I’m still willing to try to be your friend. Right now I think I could be, and there are two girls behind me who’d also give you a fair shake.”

“Just a friend?” he asked. “Not a love?”

I laughed softly. “At least buy a guy a drink first.”

He smiled a little at that.

“You asked what I see when I look at you,” I said, “which makes me think that people assume something from your appearance that is not true. Please don’t be offended when I tell you that to me you look like a rather good-looking young man, with beautiful brown eyes.”

He shook his head. “I’m a girl,” she said, making me re-evaluate her pronouns.

“You have beautiful eyes,” I repeated, “and part of the reason I thought you were a boy was your style: your hair and clothes. You chose those, Jules, so I’m guessing you wanted to look more like a boy – either because that is how you feel, or because that’s how you wanted others to see you, or both.”

“I didn’t want them to think…” she said hesitantly, “They all want… But I…”

A series of disconnected thoughts and images flashed across my mind. I saw snippets of conversation – an argument. I thought I was beginning to understand.

“Who was he?” I asked.

Immediately, the name “Jasper” sprang into her mind. It screamed into mine.

“Did he want something from you?” I asked gently, and she nodded.

“Did he try to force you?” I asked, wondering if she had been raped. I hadn’t seen that, but the guy had looked pretty angry.

She shook her head sadly, “No, he didn’t force me, He just wanted to… but I don’t feel it. It just isn’t me. I just wanted him to love me!”

I got a melee of thoughts and feelings from her. She had really liked this guy, liked his look, liked his company. He’d made her laugh. She’d also liked it when he’d hugged her and held her. It had made her feel safe and warm, loved even. But then he’d wanted more, and she’d had nothing to give him.

“And when he found out you were asexual?” I asked gently.

“He left me.” Tears were once more coursing down her cheeks. “They always do.”

I nodded sadly.

“I’m sorry Jules,” I said. “Most guys our age have only one thing on their mind, and it isn’t love. Love comes later, if at all. But I will promise you that there will be someone who will love you for you. I know you’re sad right now, but knowing who you are and what you want from your life is a huge first step toward happiness. In the meantime, you have friends right here, right now, who would like to get to know you, and maybe even come to love you. We know your ‘dirty little secret,’ and perhaps one day we will tell you ours.”

“I just… wanted someone to… hold me…” She started to sob.

I moved toward her slowly, not wanting to spook her when I felt we were so close.

“Come down here,” I said, “and I promise, that you will always have someone. Friends, who will be willing to hold you, as often, and for as long as you need. Until you find the one for you.”

She turned on the parapet. There was still a huge amount of yellow in her aura, but most of the black was now replaced with green. I was hopeful that she had decided not to go ahead with her plan.

Then, as she moved to step down, she stood on her phone.

Her foot slipped, and, her arms windmilling, she fell backward over the edge.

Instinctively, I grabbed at her with my mind. Thankfully, that was enough to get things started. I frantically called up all the memories surrounding the time I’d unconsciously kept Mary from falling onto the floor from the bed.

Jules stopped about three feet below the parapet, hovering in mid-air.

I visualized the connection, and saw the white line between us. I pulled up and inward, bringing her back over the parapet and pulling her onto the roof. I set her down, a foot in front of me, and held my arms out to her.

She stood there shivering for a moment, staring at me wide-eyed.

“Perhaps,” I admitted, “you learned one of my dirty little secrets sooner than expected.”

Surprisingly, she giggled, and then, with a huge sob, threw herself into my arms, bawling like a babe.

The girls closed in around her too, and I could feel them bathing her with loving feelings. I decided not to add my own power. I didn’t want to drown her. Besides, I remembered my attempt with Dianna, and I didn’t want to give her the wrong impression.

We stood for a time, just holding her, while she cried herself out.

Eventually, she drew back and looked up at me. I really did like her eyes. A thought occurred to me, and I had to stifle a giggle.

“What?” she asked.

“I just had a really badly timed and inappropriate thought,” I said.

“Tell me?” she asked.

“Not now,” I said, “but only because it is out of context for you. Once you get to know me, ask me again, and I’ll tell you then. I promise.”

“So, now what?” she asked. “You get me carted off to the funny farm?”

“I was thinking of an early dinner,” I said, “and then a long talk. I meant it when I said we are here for you, but you need to know about us first. You might not be so keen when you find out who we are.”

“You are the guy who saved my life,” she said, “with superpowers. Am I supposed to take you to our leaders now?”

I smiled. “Jules, I’m sorry I did that to you. I didn’t mean to take away your choice, but I thought you had decided not to do it, and the fall was accidental.”

“You mean you would have let me…?” she asked.

“If that was truly your wish, then yes,” I replied. “It would have devastated us, but we don’t have the right to tell you how to live or even end your life. Only you have the right to make that decision.”

She regarded me. “You could have pulled me down at any time, couldn’t you?”

I nodded. “It needed to be your decision. I would take it as a kindness if you kept what happened to yourself though.”

She laughed wryly. “Let’s think about that conversation for a moment. ‘I was up on the science roof the other day, just about to kill myself. When I jumped, this guy caught me using only his mind and pulled me back onto the roof.’ I can well imagine how that ends.”

“I would rather,” I said, “that you kept my ‘dirty little secret’ just that, because we are friends.”

“You really want to be friends with the freak?” she asked. “I thought that was just BS to talk me down.”

I shook my head. “No. I don’t want to be friends with a freak. I want to be friends with a beautiful person, with beautiful eyes, and a beautiful heart.” I held my hand out to her, and after a moment, she took it.

I looked into her eyes. “I see you, Jules,” I said. “I know who you are, and I like what I see. Will you be my friend?”

She pushed forward into my arms again, hugging me to her. I think it was so I didn’t see her crying again. Her voice was muffled and it cracked slightly. “I see you, Caleb. I don’t know who you are, or why you have any interest in me, and to be honest you frighten me more than a little. But you, all of you, make me feel wanted, and safe. I would like to be your friend.”

Mary and Amanda once again joined the hug, feeding warm, loving feelings to her.

Mary’s phone rang, breaking up the hug. It was Dianna.

She stood off to the side a little and spoke with her. In the meantime, I got Jules’ attention and offered her a kind smile.

“I wasn’t offended or anything,” Jules said to me.

I looked at her, confused. She shook her head apologetically.

“You know, about me looking like a boy. I know I’m a girl, but yeah, it’s just my dumb way of trying to attract less attention – you know, that attention.”

“So,” I said, “you dress more like a boy so that boys won’t want to have sex with you?”

Hesitantly, she nodded.

“But then, there are boys who want to have sex with boys too,” I offered.

“I know,” she said, grimacing. “I had to deal with some of those too. And some girls.”

“So then,” I suggested, “why not just be you?”

New tears welled in her eyes. “I’m not sure I know who that is.”

I hugged her again. “Then let us help you find out.”

“Grandma wants to talk with us,” Mary said, walking back towards Jules and me.

I held my hand out, expecting her to hand me her phone.

Mary shook her head. “No, she is on her way here. She will be here in about an hour.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Okay then. We can go get something to eat with Jules and then walk her…”

“She wants to talk to Jules too,” Mary said.

Jules’ eyes widened. She looked nervous.

“Jules,” I said, “Dianna is lovely, and she can do a much better job of explaining my little secret. I promise it will be fine.”

She seemed to make a decision, nodded, and then looked around for her phone.

Amanda handed it to her. “I’m sorry, the screen cracked when you slipped on it. I think it still works.”

Jules shrugged. “It won’t be the first screen I’ve changed on it. I’m always dropping the damn thing; I buy them in bulk.”

“You fix phones?” I asked, intrigued.

“I fix lots of stuff,” she replied. “My major is electronics.”

We walked out of the science building with Jules still holding my hand. I had no worries that the girls would have a problem with this. I could feel their understanding for the girl – that she needed someone. They were happy to share, in more ways than just sex. I wouldn’t have believed it possible that I could have felt more love for Mary and Amanda than I had before, but at that moment, I felt it swell to even greater proportions. The intensity frightened me, but once again I felt the bond between us soothing my fears and confirming that their love for me equaled mine for them.

The cafeteria was almost deserted, since most students didn’t eat so early.

I don’t know why, but Jules’ meal ***********ion surprised me. She opted for a burger, as rare as they were willing to make it. For some reason, I had imagined her a vegetarian. See? Even I have preconceptions.

As we sat down, she noticed me looking at her tray.

“What?” she asked. “I like meat.”

I chose a very inappropriate time to take a drink of my OJ because she went on.

“I just don’t like sucking on it.”

Mary and Amanda both laughed. I just got another nose full of juice, and it stung just as badly as the last time.

“Mary got a text,” Amanda said. She looked solemn.

“Grandmother is here,” Mary said. “She says we have to meet her in the counselor’s office.”

Jules paled.

“I thought you said…” she said, a look of betrayal on her face.

I took her hand. “Whatever it is, we will be there with you.”

Reluctantly, she stood up, but I sensed that our budding friendship had taken a blow. She had only just begun to trust us, and now she felt that we, too, had let her down. I hoped we could recover from it, but consoled myself with the thought that, even if we couldn’t, at least Jules would get the help she needed.

When we arrived at the office, the student counselor was sitting in the waiting room. She stood as we entered, crossing to Jules.

“Jules,” she said, “I know this is a shock, but we have a legal responsibility and a duty of care to you. Anyone who tries to take their own life needs to be assessed by a medical professional. Normally I would be detaining you to the local hospital for psychiatric assessment, but your case has been taken out of my hands.

“Whatever happens,” she continued, “my door is always open if you need to talk or vent, or if you are struggling at any point. Take a card off my desk while you are in my office. Call me at any time, day or night if you need to, even if it’s just to talk.”

Jules nodded. She was subdued, but her aura didn’t lie. She was pissed. She felt betrayed.

Just then, the door to the counselor’s office opened, and Dianna stood in the doorway.

She looked at me and I felt her power envelop my mind, asking permission. I shared the memory of the day with her. It took only moments.

She stepped back and indicated we all enter the office and closed the door behind her.

Eschewing the desk, she sat down on one of the chairs set around a small coffee table. Fortunately – or by hasty design – there were enough seats for all of us. Jules sat directly opposite Dianna. I sat to her right, and Mary and Amanda sat on either side of us.

Jules’ aura became overwhelmingly yellow. I wanted to take her hand again, but I thought better of it. The yellow was blotting everything else out, but I knew she was still upset with me – with all of us.

“My name is Dr. Dianna Everson,” Dianna said, looking directly at Jules. “I am a Doctor of Psychology, and a counselor working with the FBI.” She pulled out her badge and showed it to Jules.

Jules’s fear spiked. I saw her fists clench. Her knuckles went white.

“First of all,” Dianna went on, “let me assure you that you are not in any kind of trouble. I am not here in my official capacity, but I admit I used that to help prevent you from getting dragged off to the hospital. I am certain you could do without that.”

Jules relaxed a little and nodded.

“There are a number of reasons I am here,” Dianna continued. “Primarily to make sure you are okay, and no longer a danger to yourself. I got involved because these two tawny-eyed troublemakers here are my granddaughters.”

“Granddaughters?” Jules exclaimed, “But…”

Dianna smiled. “That never gets old, if you’ll excuse the pun.” She paused. “There is, however, another reason I am here, and that does involve my being in the FBI. You see, when you fell, Caleb used power to save you – a power we would rather you didn’t talk to people about.”

I saw Jules’s aura flare even more yellow. It seemed that she had taken Dianna’s words as some kind of threat.

I opened my mouth to speak, but Dianna held up her hand.

“No, Jules,” she said, holding the younger woman’s gaze. “I promise that whatever you do, there will be no legal ramifications. I don’t say this to threaten you. I am asking, as Caleb did, as a friend. Would you protect him? Please?”

Jules looked at me, and I saw the sense in Dianna’s approach. In giving Jules someone to protect, she was taking some of the focus off her own issues. Unfortunately, Jules wasn’t thrilled with me at that very moment.

I didn’t use my actual powers, but I did try applying some charm. I gave Jules a cute, apologetic look. I tried to convey the sum total of our brief acquaintance – which, incidentally, did arguably include me saving her life.

I think she got most of the message. Indeed, it felt like we had a little conversation with just our eyes in the span of a few tense moments. She sighed. “Caleb is my friend,” she said, still looking at me. “I won’t do anything to hurt him, or your granddaughters.”

Dianna’s eyes turned sharp at that.

Jules smiled faintly. “He is not the only one with power. I felt your granddaughters as they were comforting me, and yours when I first came in here.

“My grandmother had a gift,” she explained. “She could sometimes feel other people’s emotions. Not all the time, and she had to be really close, or even touching. I didn’t inherit her gift, but I did learn what it feels like when people are doing to me, what she could do.”

“It’s called Empathy,” said Dianna, “and it is not common, but also not as rare as you might think. I use mine in my job as a counselor. There are other powers too, like Caleb’s, and not all the people with those powers use them ethically, or legally. The section of the FBI I work with works to stop those that abuse their powers.”

“Like what happened at Caleb’s birthday party?” she asked.

“You were there?” I asked. I was almost certain I hadn’t seen her.

She shook her head. “I heard about it the next day. They all said that Angela was stepping out on Bob, but when they described what happened, I just knew it was something else. I know those two. She would never do that to him willingly.” She turned to me. “And it was you that stopped him?”

I nodded.

She looked around theatrically.

I frowned. “What are you looking for?”

“Your white horse,” she said, a little smile on her impish face.

Dianna smiled. “I’m happy to see you smiling. I think I can safely say that you are no longer a danger to yourself. The counselor tells me that you don’t currently have a roommate. Is that right?”

Jules nodded. “The person I was supposed to share with just never showed up. I think she got a place at another Uni, but never bothered letting the school know.”

Dianna nodded. “Jules, would you mind giving Caleb and me a few minutes alone? There are some things I need to talk to him about. Mary and Amanda will keep you company in the waiting room.”

I felt the twins’ objections. I even heard Amanda, in my head, saying “What? Why are we being sent out?”

I decided to see if I could give her the answer using Telepathy.

“Because Dianna either wants to chew me out, or she needs to talk to me about my new power,” I thought at her.

She winced. “Too loud,” I heard her think.

“Sorry, Is that better?” I tried to tone down my response.

She smiled at me and nodded.

“Please, girls,” Dianna said. “I just need a few minutes.”

Mary stood and offered Jules her hand. Jules was still hesitant, but she took it, and they walked out of the office together.

Dianna fixed me with a glare as the door closed behind them.

“Right,” she said, all business. “You shared your memory of what happened, so I know everything. You revealed your power to her. Now, tell me what you should have done.”

I racked my brain, working through each stage of what had happened. I considered how using my Compulsion would have gone, and I considered how it might have turned out if I had just used my physical strength. I even considered that I could have just let Jules fall – probably, although not definitely, to her death.

“I’m sorry,” I said, “I just can’t think of how I could have done anything differently. What am I missing?”

“Nothing at all,” Dianna said, smiling at me. “Considering you have had no training in counseling, you talked that young woman down off that ledge almost flawlessly. It was no reflection on you that she slipped as she was climbing down. You made a split-second decision, and it was the right one. You saved her life.”

“Then why…” I began.

“Because you have to learn to critically evaluate the use of your powers,” she said. “By doing that, it is less likely you will become blasé about their use, and therefore, it is less likely they will corrupt you. Part of that, though, is having confidence in your own analysis. Other people might have strong opinions about how you use, or don’t use, your powers. You need to be able to push back on them when they’re wrong.

“You also seem to be developing Telepathy, which was fortunate for Jules. Otherwise, you might not have been able to save her. You will need to learn how to moderate what you hear. I have found a new instructor, whom you will arrange sessions with. He will help you develop and come to terms with your power. It also happens that he is a martial arts instructor. Like you, he was advised to take it up to help him with his mental discipline, and it turned out he had both a passion and a talent for it. That’s a twofer, which works out well for us.

“Finally, we need to talk about your living arrangements. It’s no longer viable for you to stay on campus anymore, especially now that you have Jules to look after.”

“Wait, what?” I said, shocked. “What do you mean, I have Jules to look after?”

“I mean,” she responded, “that she needs someone to look out for her – for a while, at least. You are the best person for the job.”

I thought about that for a few minutes. I ran it past the twins over our bond. Their response was predictable. As far as they were concerned, it had already been a done deal even before Dianne had shown up.

“We can’t afford to live off campus,” I said. “My tuition is paid, and I get enough allowance to live, but I can’t afford anything more than that.”

“The house and all its expenses will be funded by the Bureau,” she said. “Dollars and cents make the world go ‘round, Caleb, and you helped us confiscate quite a few from a certain criminal’s offshore account. That was more than enough to convince my colleagues and superiors that you deserve to be an independent consultant.”

I frowned at her. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my wallet, drawing out my driving license. I handed it to her.

She looked at me, puzzled. “Why are you giving me this?” she asked.

“Just to prove I’m over eighteen,” I said. “As an adult, I have the right, and ability, to make my own decisions. I’m not your grandson, and I don’t work for you. What gives you the right to dictate where I live, or whom with, or to sign me up for a job with the Bureau?

“The answer is NO!” I said. “I will figure out what to do with Jules, unless you use your ‘credentials’ to take that decision out of my hands. The rest is up to me and the girls. Even my parents, who could claim far more right to a say in my life, wouldn’t make all these decisions without even consulting me. So NO, I’m not dancing to your tune.

“And while we are at it, you can tell your pet instructor not to bother. I’ll figure stuff out by myself. Amanda already had a lead on a local martial arts instructor. I don’t need another puppet master in my life.”

I stood, furious. Snatching my license back from her, I walked to the door of the office. “Did you want me to send the twins in on my way out?” I asked. She was still stunned, but she managed to make a face that I took as a ‘yes.’

“Your grandmother wants to talk to you,” I said to the twins as I walked out of the office. “I’m going back to my room. I’ll see you when you finish with her.”

Jules looked from me to the twins.

“Jules,” I said, “can I talk to you please?”

Jules stood and took my hand. We walked out of the reception heading back to the dorms.

“Well,” she said as we walked, “that seemed to go well.”

I smiled at her. “I’m not one for being ordered around. Dianne seems to think that because she is FBI, the girl’s grandmother, and old, I must dance to her tune. If I let her get away with it now, I’d spend my whole life doing it. That is NOT happening.”

Jules contemplated that for a moment.

“What about Mary and Amanda?” she asked, “They told me that you guys were together.”

“We are,” I said, “and that won’t change.”

Jules looked sad.

We climbed the stairs to my floor and entered my room. As I closed the door, my phone rang. It was my mother. Oh, joy.

“Hi Mom,” I said, indicating to Jules to take a seat. She sat on the edge of my bed.

“Caleb, I heard what you did,” she said. I was about to justify my actions when she went on. “I’m so proud of you; we both are.”

“Proud of me?” I said, a little confused. I still had the row with Dianna in the forefront of my mind.

“For saving that young girl,” she explained, as if to a child. “Dianna said you handled the situation better than she would have ever expected.”

I laughed mirthlessly. “I expect Dianna might have changed her mind by now.”

“Ah yes,” she said. “I just spoke to her.”

“So now you read me the Riot Act?” I asked.

“Actually,” she said, “she asked me to broker a truce.”

“A what now?”

“A truce. She didn’t want to ask Mary or Amanda, because that would seem like she was trying to manipulate you using them. But she would like to come to talk to you, to apologize.”

I sat on the edge of my bed, dumbfounded.

“Caleb?” she asked. “Are you still there?”

“Yeah, sorry,” I said. “I was thinking.”

She chuckled. “So can I tell her you’ll talk to her?”

I sighed. “Fine.”

“Thank you, Caleb. Stay safe and remember we love you.” She hung up.

I heard a message tone from outside my door, and then a knock. I went to the door and opened it.

Dianna was there, looking a little sheepish. Mary and Amanda stood behind her, and I was surprised to see that they were both suppressing grins.

I stood to one side, and they all entered my room. It was a good job Josh was still with Louise.

Jules stood, but Dianna said, “Please Jules, stay, What I have to say concerns you too. There are some decisions to be made, and you are involved.”

Jules sat back down on the bed and I sat beside her. Her aura told me how nervous she was, so I took her hand. She didn’t hesitate. I supposed that what she’d heard from outside the office had made her more confident that I wouldn’t just sell her out to anybody higher up than me on whatever food chain.

Amanda and Mary flanked us on my bed, Amanda taking Jules’s other hand, and Mary tucking her arm under my free arm.

Dianna turned my chair away from my desk and sat on it, facing us.

“Caleb,” she began, “I’m sorry. I was so caught up in trying to fix things, I forgot that you are a grown man, with the right to make his own decisions. I guess I got too used to just making decisions and giving orders. I saw solutions and implemented them, without considering your, the girls’, or Jules’s opinions. And I apologize to you all for that.

“Will you let me explain all my thinking? Then we can look at possible solutions – maybe the ones I already suggested, or maybe others, if you have ideas.”

I nodded.

She took out her phone, and before anyone could even blink, she took a picture.

“Wha…” I said.

“Jules,” she said. “As the clinician in charge of your care, I have some responsibility for you. I have a duty of care to make sure that you are safe and not at further risk. I don’t want you to be alone for a while, and for preference, I would like you to at least have a roommate, someone you can trust, someone who understands you and accepts you for who you are. Do you know of anyone who fits that de***********ion?”

I saw Jules glance sideways at me, but then shake her head sadly.

Dianne looked at me. “Caleb? Do you have any ideas?”

“One,” I said, “but it wouldn’t be just my decision.”

“Mary,” Dianne asked, “do you have any thoughts?”

“Amanda and I,” Mary answered, “would be happy to share.”

Amanda nodded.

“Then it’s up to you, Caleb,” Dianna said, “but you will need to explain it.”

“But what about…” I began.

“We can come to that once we know the situation,” Dianna said. “There is little point in talking logistics if they will not be needed.”

I looked at Jules.

“Jules,” I began, “you heard what Dianna said. What do you think?”

“I think she is probably right,” Jules said, “but I just don’t know anyone like that.”

“Don’t you?” I prompted. “Don’t you trust me? Or Mary, or Amanda? Don’t you believe that we accept you for who you are?”

“But they said that you all…” she trailed off, too confused to even put her objection into words..

I nodded.

“There are many things that draw me to someone,” I said. “With you, it was your eyes. You have the most beautiful brown eyes.”

“But…” she said.

“Jules,” I continued, “Mary, Amanda, and I have a unique relationship. You know we all have power. Mary and Amanda are Empaths, like your grandmother, but much stronger. We all like you. We are all drawn to you. None of us is going to pressure you to do anything that you don’t want to. If you would like, we would love you to join us. I promise that you will always be safe. There will always be a place for you in our arms, and in our bed, but just for comfort and rest.

“You are not naive. You know that Mary, Amanda, and I have a physical relationship as well as an emotional one, but it is something that you don’t need to be a part of. It’s something we can keep separate, so you don’t have to see it or be involved.”

“There will always be something missing,” she said. “You will have a full relationship with them, and a defective one with me.”

“Okay,” I said, “Answer me this. A man lives in a house with two beautiful women, whom he loves with all his heart, one of whom he has sex with, and the other he has never had sex with, and furthermore would never want to. Whom does he love more?”

“The one he has sex with,” she answered immediately, “She can give him more.”

“So what if I tell you,” I continued, “that the woman he doesn’t have sex with is his stepdaughter?”

I deliberately chose stepdaughter to avoid the ‘she’s his child,’ argument. “He brought her into his house when he married her mother and has grown to love her as his own. Is his love any less for the lack of sex?”

I could see her thinking it over. I pressed on. “Does that not prove that love and sex are not interdependent? Their importance in a relationship is solely up to the people involved. Mary, Amanda, and I enjoy it and enjoy how we can use it to make each other feel good. I would not do something to Mary or Amanda that didn’t feel good for them, because I love them. It would be no different with you.

I leaned across and held my hand out. Dianna handed me her phone. I had figured out why she had taken the picture. I glanced at it to be sure and was.

“Look at this,” I said. “Tell me what you see.”

“It’s the four of us,” she replied, “on your bed.”

“And what are we doing?”

She looked at the picture again. “Holding hands,” she said quietly.

“Look at the way Mary is holding my hand,” I said. “Now compare to the way Amanda or I am holding yours. Do you see any difference?

Jules looked at the picture and shook her head.

“Now look at your face, and tell me what you see there,” I pressed.

“I look happy,” she said, tears starting to leak from her eyes.

“And the rest of us?” I asked.

“The same,” she said.

“Jules,” I said, “even if it is only until you find that someone that I promised is out there for you, assuming that those someones aren’t already in the room, will you join us?”

“But how would it work?” she asked. “Where would we all stay?”

“I suspect,” I said with a wry smile, “That we have just been manipulated into accepting the arrangements that Dianna already made for us.”

Dianna had the grace to try not to look smug. She spoke to Jules. “If we can sort out the logistics, then what do you think?”

Jules looked at Dianna and then at me.

“I…” she began.

Amanda took her hand again and she looked across at her. Amanda smiled.

“I don’t know,” Jules went on. “It’s all so confusing. I don’t want to be there because you pity me. It would destroy me to think that.”

I showed her the picture again. “Can you see any pity here?” I asked.

She shook her head.

“Jules?” Dianne queried.

Without looking at anyone, Jules nodded. “Okay.”

Amanda threw her arms around her, startling her. “Thank you,” Amanda said, “I promise you won’t regret it.”

Jules looked over Amanda’s shoulder at me and smiled, a little sheepishly. Her arms closed around Amanda, almost reluctantly, and then she returned the hug. There were tears in her eyes, but she looked content.

I looked at Dianna.

“So, now what?” I asked.

“Now you need somewhere to live,” she replied. “Do you have any thoughts on that?”

“Do you have to draw it out?” I asked, a little irritated. “You’re getting what you want. Do you have to rub it in?”

Dianna’s face fell. She looked genuinely upset.

“Caleb,” she said, “please believe me. I’m not trying to manipulate you. I just want you and my girls to be happy. I knew you weren’t happy living in here now that you were together. I had organized the house even before Jules came into the picture, but it’s even more perfect now that she is.

“The job was needed so I could legitimately let you use the house and give you a bit of income. The trainer I had already spoken to you about. I know I kind of thrust it all on you as a fait accompli, but I really wasn’t trying to control you. You will have enough of that from the three women in your household.”

I grimaced at that.

“I know, I’m sorry,” I said, “Everything that has happened has left me feeling a little adrift and out of control. I guess I got a little spooked that I seemed to be losing even more control of my life.”

Dianne stood up and walked over to me. She put her arms around me and kissed me on the top of my head. “Remember what I said. I love you, Caleb, as much as I love my own granddaughters. I would never do anything to hurt you.”

I nodded.

“When can we move into the house? I asked.

“Whenever you want. It’s probably too late tonight, but you could go look tomorrow evening and maybe take some stuff over during the evenings. Move the rest at weekend?”

“And what about this consultancy?” I asked. “Do I get a badge and gun?”

“No gun,” she said with a laugh. “You are dangerous enough without one.” She fished in her pocket and brought out a laminated card. There was a picture of me, the same as my driver’s license, and the FBI crest. It had my name and the job title ‘Consultant’ underneath.

On the back was the telephone number of the local field office.

“If you need anything, call that number. Don’t forget that your section chief is Frank, and your employee number is under your name on the card. You will get payslips sent by post every month. Don’t get too excited; it’s probably about what you would get doing bar work, but it’s free money, and all the household expenses are paid directly.”

I put the card in my wallet behind my driver’s license.

Just then the door opened, and Josh and Louise walked in. They stopped dead, seeing all the people in the room.

“I think that’s my cue to leave,” Dianna said, standing.

She hugged both girls, then me.

“Josh, Louise,” I said, “This is Dianna, Mary and Amanda’s grandmother.”

Josh and Louise both looked stunned.

“Pleasure to meet you both,” Dianna said. “Maybe next time we can chat, but I have to dash.”

She left.

“Don’t say it,” I said to them as they turned to me.

“Jules,” I said, turning to her, “This is Josh, my roommate, and Louise, his girlfriend. Guys, this is Jules.”

They smiled at her. She looked uncertain.

“What are your plans for tonight?” I asked Josh. It was getting late.

“I just came back to get something,” he said evasively. “Then we are going back to Louise’s.”

I smiled at him. “Okay then,” I said.

He stood, uncertainly, looking embarrassed.

“Oh, for god’s sake! Where are they?” Louise demanded

“Top left drawer of his desk,” I said, grinning.

She stomped over to his desk and retrieved a box of condoms. “Really, Josh?” she said exasperatedly. “Last night we pretty much had an orgy in here. You blew Caleb in front of everyone – except Jules, I guess, hi, by the way, consider this the icebreaker. I don’t think anyone is going to be embarrassed by you getting a box of condoms out of a drawer.”

Josh’s face was flaming. Jules looked both a little shocked and amused. Josh made a beeline for the door.

Louise laughed and went to follow him out. “Nice to meet you, Jules. I’m sure we’ll see each other again.”

After they had left, Mary turned to Jules.

“Where are you and Caleb sleeping tonight? Here, or in your room?”

Jules looked stunned.

“What?”

“You heard my grandmother; you shouldn’t be alone. You could always come in with us, but that would leave Caleb alone, which is a little unfair, don’t you think?”

Jules looked at me. I shrugged. “Whatever you feel comfortable with. I will warn you, though. If you sleep in with me, I like to spoon, so you may wake up with my arms around you. I’ll wear boxers and jogging bottoms, so you should be safe from my autonomic nervous system.”

Jules looked confused.

“He means so you don’t get poked in the butt by his morning wood,” Amanda explained. “Well, not quite as hard, or directly, anyway.”

Jules blushed a little, but grinned.

“Can we stay here?” she asked.

“Sure,” I said. “Do you need to get anything from your room?”

“Why don’t we all walk over together?” Mary suggested. “Then you can collect what you need, and you and Caleb can walk back together.”

I spent twenty minutes in the twin’s room getting good night kisses while Jules went to her room to pick up some stuff. When she came back, we left the twins and made our way back to my room.

“Jules,” I said as we walked.

She looked at me.

“When you are ready,” I said, “would you please explain to me what being asexual means to you? From what I have read, it’s different for everyone. I don’t mean now, but when you are ready.”

She nodded.

“Did Josh really give you a blowjob?” she asked.

I nodded.

She considered this.

“So you’re bi?” she said.

“Not really,” I said. “Gender just doesn’t matter to me. I like whom I like, for all sorts of reasons.”

“So what do you like about Josh?”

“He’s a nice person,” I said, “but believe it or not, it’s not really Josh I feel the real attraction for.”

“His girlfriend? Louise, was it?”

“Yes, it was, and no,” I said. “It was them as a couple I was attracted to. They just fit so well together. I just feel something for them. Don’t get me wrong – I like both as individuals, but together they just do something for me.”

“Apparently,” she said with a giggle.

“Not what I meant.” I laughed.

“What about Mary? And Amanda?”

“I met Mary first,” I replied. “I didn’t know she was a twin. I noticed her ass first, but then I saw those eyes, and I was mesmerized. She also is such a strong, yet gentle person – and so giving. Obviously, Amanda has the same ass and the same eyes, but she has a mischievous yet innocent personality, and she is so loving. I am just so lucky to have them in my life.”

“Amanda told me you are an ass man,” she said. “She said even her grandmother noticed how much time you spend looking at asses.”

I laughed. “That’s what made me giggle on the roof. I promised I’d tell you. I had been talking to you for so long, and for most of the time you were facing away from me, and I hadn’t once checked out your ass.”

She laughed. “What’s wrong with my ass?”

I stopped walking suddenly, so she got a step or two ahead of me before she realized. I looked at her ass.

“Absolutely nothing at all,” I said, catching up with her and putting my arm around her shoulder.

When we got back to my room, I went for a shower. Jules had already had one in her room while I’d been saying goodnight to the twins.

I came back into the room, wearing boxers and jogging pants.

“Just boxers are fine if that’s your normal,” she said. “I can handle your autonomic nervous system, as long as you don’t expect me to do anything with it.”

Gratefully, I slipped off the joggers. I would have been way too hot with them on.

Jules wore a long Star Trek T-shirt that came down to just above her knees.

“A trekkie?” I asked.

“Of course,” she said.

We laid in bed. I was on my back, and she snuggled up against me. I had my arm around her.

She looked up at me in the semi-darkness.

“What about me?” she asked.

It took me a moment to make the connection, but I remembered the conversation we had had as we were walking back. I didn’t fault her for not remembering – or, perhaps, for wanting to hear it again.

“Your eyes,” I said. “You have beautiful, rich, deep brown eyes.”

“They look like mud alongside the twins’,” she argued.

I shook my head. “Their eyes are beautiful and unusual, I agree. But yours are no less lovely. You are also really cute. I’m still finding other things, too, as I get to know more about you.”

“Aren’t you going to ask me?” she asked.

“I wasn’t going to; I didn’t want to put you on the spot.”

“You make me feel safe and warm…” she hesitated, “and loved.”

She said the last part quietly, as if she was scared to admit it.

I pulled her closer to me, and she snuggled in. Soon after, I felt her relax, and her breathing became slow and even.

I was just dozing off when the door opened, and Josh sneaked in.

His eyes bulged when he saw me with Jules in my bed.

“Hey Josh,” I said quietly, “I thought you were staying at Louise’s. Sorry; we would have stayed at Jules’ if I’d known you were coming back. Jules had some bad news and shouldn’t be alone.”

“Dude,” he hissed, “What about…”

“Long story, but they are cool with it. We need to talk though, tomorrow?”

“Sure,” he said. “Will she freak if she finds me here when she wakes?”

“Only if you are trying to stick your dick in me,” said Jules, opening one eye. “Otherwise, you are good. I can always go back to my room if it’s a problem?”

I tightened my hold on her. “You are not going anywhere.”

“No,” Josh said. “You are good. We’ll figure out the morning in the morning.”

He went into the bathroom to get changed.

I was asleep before he returned.

Chapter 7 – Moving Out

I woke, with Jules curled up against me, my arms around her and her butt pressed into my groin. I tried to disengage, but she complained sleepily, tightening her hold.

“I need to get up” I whispered gently in her ear, and she sighed, releasing me.

“What time is it?” she asked.

“Still early,” I said. “I run in the mornings. Will you be okay to stay here without me?”

“I’m going back to sleep,” she said, “unless you’re kicking me out?”

I laughed and kissed the top of her head. Then realized what I’d done.

“I’m so sorry,” I said hurriedly “I…”

“Caleb,” she said softly, “it’s fine. I liked that. It felt affectionate and right, and I loved sleeping and waking up in your arms.”

“Get some more sleep. I’ll be back in about an hour.”

I went into the bathroom to get dressed. When I emerged, she was asleep again, with a contented look on her face.

Once again, the twins met me at the gate, and we ran.

Amanda glanced across at me and I heard her question. “How was last night?”

“It was fine,” I responded, directing my thoughts to both. Then, when Mary looked confused, I realized that she hadn’t heard the question. I pushed the memory of the question out to her via our bond and her face cleared.

I gave them the memory of mine and Jules’ night, Josh coming back, and finally our conversation this morning. I felt feelings of love from the pair of them as they relived my de***********ion of what I loved about each of them.

Amanda grinned. “Josh’s face was a picture when he caught you in bed with another girl.”

I sent the echo of her comment over the bond for Mary’s benefit and saw Mary’s answering grin.

I guesstimated we ran about five miles, and I felt energized rather than tired when I got back to my room. Josh and Jules were both dressed, and they were talking quietly when I entered.

“I’m just going for a quick shower,” I said. “Then how about we go down for breakfast?”

Josh stood up. “Jules told me what you guys did yesterday. You all deserve medals.”

I looked at Jules, and she had tears in her eyes.

“Jules?” I said gently, “are you ok?”

She nodded. “It’s weird,” she began, “but when I was telling Josh what happened, it somehow became real. Up until then, it felt surreal, like a dream. I remember being up on the wall and looking down at the path below; I wondered if it would hurt much.

“I remember talking to you, and you convincing me not to jump, and then I slipped and was falling. In that instant, I really thought that I had just been given the ultimate cosmic ‘fuck you.’ That the universe had decided that I really wasn’t worth saving, and had taken matters into its own hands.

“Then I felt you catch me, felt your strength as you gripped me and pulled me back up, and felt your arms around me, and for the first time in forever, I felt safe.”

I sat beside her and put my arms around her again.

“I’m happy that we were there,” I said, “and I’m even happier that you are here, now, with us.”

I looked at Josh. “Please keep this to yourself,” I said. “Jules doesn’t need the attention just now. Obviously, that doesn’t include Louise, but other than her…”

He nodded. “Sure thing. You best go shower if you want breakfast.”

I did, and we walked down to the cafeteria, where we met up with Mary and Amanda.

I was approaching the table with my tray. Being a gentleman, I had let the girls go in front of me in the queue and so they were all seated by the time I made my ***********ion. I was just about to dig into my breakfast when I found myself being enveloped in a hug, a pair of breasts pressing into my back. I turned my head coming face to face with Louise. She released me and then proceeded to hug Mary and Amanda, and then she moved to Jules.

“Can I give you a hug too?” she asked.

Jules nodded mutely and accepted the hug.

Louise sat down at the end of the table next to Jules.

“Josh told me,” she said, “and I am so proud of you, all of you.” She looked pointedly at Jules.

“You are so brave,” she said quietly. “Trusting a complete stranger and stepping down off that wall must have been the hardest thing to do.”

Jules nodded again, her eyes wet.

“Don’t worry,” she said, handing Jules a tissue, “I won’t tell anyone.”

Josh and Louise sat with us as we ate breakfast and then we all went our separate ways to go to class. Before we left, I asked Josh and Louise to meet us for lunch, as we had something to tell them.

My morning classes went quickly. I realized that, as Dianna had promised, now that my amulet was gone, my memory was much better, and I could understand things more clearly. I wondered how the amulet had affected my younger life. I’d done okay at school, but I wondered if I would have gotten better grades if my amulet had not been interfering with my brain. I made a mental note to ask Dianna about it.

Mary and Amanda were already seated at a table when I reached the cafeteria. They had grabbed a tray of food for me, so I didn’t have to queue. I supposed I could get used to that. I crouched between them, giving each a kiss on the cheek, then settled opposite them.

Amanda waved Jules over as soon as she spotted her entering the cafeteria. “I’m sorry,” Amanda said. “I would have got you a tray too, but I had no idea what you wanted.”

Jules smiled. “It’s fine, I’ll go grab something. I’ll be right back”

The queue wasn’t long, so Jules was back in less than five minutes. She settled into a chair next to me and began eating.

“How was your morning?” I asked her.

She scowled. “Okay, I guess.”

“That scowl says different,” I said. “What’s up?”

“Just some doofus in my class behaving like a child,” she replied.

“His name wouldn’t be Jasper by any chance, would it?” I asked.

Her eyes widened for a moment, but then I saw understanding on her face.

“Yesterday,” I said quietly, “when I asked you if someone had left you, you practically screamed his name.”

She nodded. “Only he thinks he has changed his mind. He keeps asking me to go out with him again. I did like him; we had fun, but then it became all about sex. I think he thinks he can change my mind.”

Mary leaned forward, “Did you tell him you were with someone else now?”

“Well, no,” said Jules.

“Then tell him,” said Amanda. “That should make him back off.”

“But, I thought that you guys…” she stuttered.

Mary reached across the table and grabbed her hand. “We,” she said emphatically, “are all with Caleb, and that includes you, until you decide otherwise.”

“And each other, of course,” Amanda chipped in.

At that moment, I saw Jules’s eyes flicker to the entrance of the cafeteria. I looked and saw a tall, lanky boy who had just entered. He seemed to be looking for someone.

“Is that him?” I asked, and she nodded.

He spotted Jules and was making his way over. I could see Jules thinking, and then she reached a decision. Jasper was about ten feet from our table when she leaned across, grabbed the front of my shirt and kissed me. It was no affectionate peck; it was a full lip lock, with plenty of tongue thrown in. I was surprised how good she was at it.

As startled as I was, I guessed immediately what she was up to and responded, bringing my hand up to the back of her head, but with no pressure there. It would look like I was holding her in the kiss, but she could back off at any time.

“What the fuck?” I heard Jasper exclaim. Jules broke the kiss and looked up.

“Oh,” she said, sounding surprised. “Hi Jasper, I didn’t see you there.”

“What the fuck are you doing?” he asked, “Who is this asshole?”

I stood and held out my hand. “Hi, I’m Caleb, you must be Jasper. Jules did mention you. She said you broke up.”

“We had a row,” he said, “but I wouldn’t call it breaking up.”

“So,” asked Jules, sounding perplexed “‘Get away from me you frigid little freak, I never want to see you again’ wasn’t breaking up?”

“Sounds like breaking up to me,” said Mary, and Amanda nodded.

“So,” he snarled, “less than a day later and you are shacking up with some dweeb?”

“Am I a dweeb?” I asked Jules.

“You don’t taste like a dweeb,” she answered with a grin,

I looked at Jasper. “It was nice meeting you.” the dismissal was obvious.

“Fine!” he huffed, “keep the whore.” He turned to stomp off and came face to face with Sue.

“In my experience,” Sue said in a very loud voice, “when a little boy like you, calls a pretty girl a whore, he is only doing it to hide his own inadequacies. And looking at you, I would guess that you have a very, very tiny penis.” She held her forefinger and thumb about an inch apart. “Am I right?”

“Get away from me you f…”

“Finish that sentence,” growled all six foot five of Gordon. “I dare you.”

Gordon didn’t have more than a couple of inches on Jasper, but he was much broader. I’d have put the weight advantage at forty or fifty pounds, and almost all of it was muscle.

Jasper gulped, glared at Jules and I, and slunk away.

Sue fronted up to me.

“And you,” she said. “What the hell is going on with you? First, I hear that you are banging a couple of red-hot twins, then I see you with your tongue down Little Miss Pretty’s throat.”

Jules went scarlet, but I interjected. “It’s a long, long story, Sue, and here is not the place. Can we catch up later?”

“Fine,” she said. “Your room, straight after class. You’ll need to be quick, because I have a date tonight. I can spare you half an hour, but it better be good.”

She and Gordon moved off.

Jules looked at me apologetically. “Caleb, I…”

“Jules, it was fine,” I said. “I figured it out almost immediately.”

“Besides,” said Amanda, grinning, “He didn’t seem to be putting up much of a struggle.”

Jules looked across at the twins.

“Don’t say it,” Mary said, “What’s needed is freely given, from any to all. That’s what it means to share.”

At that moment Josh and Louise came over.

“You wanted to talk?” asked Josh.

I sat back down and indicated the two empty chairs at the table. Josh and Louise occupied them.

“Josh,” I said, “I’m sorry, but I have to move out of the dorm room.”

Josh and Louise both looked shocked.

“Why?” he asked, “Was it…”

“It was nothing you did,” I assured him. “It’s just that since Mary, Amanda and I got together, we want to live together. So, we rented a house, just off campus, and we’ll be moving there.”

There were lots of questions regarding the house, which I couldn’t answer, and so I said that we would be going to look at it this evening and they could come along and see it with us.

I texted Dianna to ask for the details. She sent me the address and told me that there was a key safe with a combination lock attached to the wall just outside the main door. There were several more copies of keys in a drawer in the house. She also provided the combination for said key safe, and the code for the alarm.

We agreed we would go after my audience with Sue.

My afternoon was spent in the gym, wrestling. We were running try-outs for the team, and I had several bouts that afternoon, all of which I won convincingly. None of the new aspirants had much of an idea, although there were a couple that I thought would be pretty good with some work.

I showered and was back in my room in time for when Sue came calling.

“Okay, spill,” she said, dropping into my chair. “What’s the deal with all these women suddenly hanging around you?”

“Well,” I began, “you met Mary at my party, so you know her. What I didn’t know at the time was that Mary had a twin sister. I met her over the weekend and we kind of all hit it off sooo.”

“So now,” she interrupted, “you’re in a polyamorous relationship with twins. At least tell me that one of them took your V card?”

“They took mine,” I admitted, “and I took theirs.”

“Holy shit Caleb,” she exclaimed, “when you go, you go with a bang!!”

I grinned. “And what a bang it was.”

Sue laughed.

“So what’s the deal with Jules?” she asked. “She’s a nice kid. I hope you are not screwing with her.”

I raised my eyebrow.

“Sorry Caleb,” she said. “I was forgetting who I was talking to.”

There was a knock on the door, and when I opened it, Jules walked in. She sat on my bed next to me.

“I thought it better for Jules to explain,” I said. “It’s her story.”

“That guy at lunch,” Jules said, “I used to date. We broke up, but he decided he’d changed his mind. He kept pestering me. Caleb was kind enough to pretend to be my boyfriend so he would back off.”

Sue nodded. Then she looked at me. “So, you got Jules to tell me the story, so you wouldn’t have to lie to me?” She shook her head. “Damn Caleb, I thought we were friends.” She stood.

“Wait!” Jules said, “Please, it wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either.”

Sue looked at me, and then sat down again.

“Jasper really was an ex,” Jules began, “and he really was pestering me. It was a spur of the moment thing to kiss Caleb to show Jasper he was my boyfriend.”

“I saw the way you looked at each other,” Sue said. “There’s more there than friendship.”

Jules looked at me. “Tell her.”

I sighed. “Mary, Amanda and I were in the science block when I saw Jules walking up the stairs. For some reason I decided to follow her, and when we caught up with her, she was standing on the parapet of the roof, ready to jump.

“We talked to her, managed to talk her down, and now…”

“Damn Caleb!” Sue said, “She needs to be seen by a medical…”

“Already done,” I interrupted. “She was seen straight away by the university counsellor, and then by a doctor. The doctor released her into my care.” I looked down at Jules. “And I’m caring for her.”

“Do Mary and Amanda know,” Sue asked, “that you have fallen in love with your patient?”

Jules looked at Sue with shock on her face before turning back to me.

“They know,” I said, “and they love her too.”

“You love me?” Jules asked.

“Jules,” Sue said gently, “look at him. Look at the way he looks at you. It’s obvious. Even if I hadn’t seen the way he reacted when you kissed him, I would’ve known. That was the first time, right?”

Jules nodded. “I’m so sorry Caleb. I didn’t mean to lead you on.”

Sue looked puzzled. “What do you mean, lead him on?”

“I’m asexual,” Jules said. “I only kissed him to stop Jasper pestering me, I didn’t mean to make him…”

Sue laughed. “You didn’t make him fall in love with the kiss, dummy. He was already there before then. And if I know anything about Caleb, and I do, your sexuality won’t matter to him in the slightest. Besides, I think he’s probably got enough on his plate in that department.”

Jules looked up at me again, and I nodded.

“We already discussed this,” I said to her. “You do still need to tell us what you need, but there’s no rush for that. You decide when you are ready.”

Sue stood up. “Right. My pussy has a date with Gordon’s tongue so I’m going to love you and leave you.”

I stood up also. “I’m sorry I didn’t…”

She punched me in the shoulder. “Shush. Friends forgive.” She pulled me into a hug. “Look after them – all of them.”

She turned to Jules and pulled her into a hug too, whispering something in her ear, before leaving.

Jules turned to me, but before she could say anything the door opened and Josh entered, followed by Louise, Mary and Amanda. Mary and Amanda had already shared the memory of our discussion with Sue, and as they entered, they both went over and hugged Jules, who seemed on the verge of tears again.

“Right,” I said. “Who wants to go and look at our new home?”

We took Amanda’s car, so we four could all travel together. Louise followed with Josh in her car. I put the address into Amanda’s sat-nav and it took us less than ten minutes to get to the house.

It.Was.HUGE.

It was somewhere in the middle of a row of eight or nine single storey houses. They were each set in the middle of a plot of land with a large, paved area at the front and a double garage.

Amanda pulled her car onto the drive, and we all piled out. Josh and Louise pulled up just behind us.

“Fuck me,” said Josh as he got out of Louise’s car. “This must be costing you a fortune!”

I smiled at him and walked to the entrance door. I tapped in the combination to the keysafe and extricated the keys, then unlocked the door itself.

“Give me a sec to go and turn off the alarm,” I said.

The alarm panel was just inside the door, and simply holding up the keyfob was enough to disable it. I sighed with relief; I had had visions of struggling with that.

I pulled the entrance door open and invited everyone inside.

There were five bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, a living room, a kitchen/diner, a den and an office. There was also a utility room off the kitchen with a washer and dryer. Out back there was about one quarter acre of grass surrounded by a tall wooden fence without a gate. There was also a deck the width of the house, at one end of which was a hot tub.

The master bedroom was huge; the bed was a Wyoming king, which would have been large enough for everyone present to sleep in if we’d gotten cozy. It had an ensuite shower room with a huge shower that had multiple heads.

I texted Dianna.

_are we in the right place? house is a MANSION. how???

She sent back a smiley face emoji by itself, then followed up. It took a few moments for the giant text to come through.

_Confiscated from drug dealer. We used it occasionally for a safe house. It has been empty for about two years. There is a cleaning service comes in twice a week, but please don’t abuse the place. I’ll have to account for damage, and I WILL come looking for you if that happens.

_Can I offer Josh and Louise a room? I asked.

_Your house – up to you – but re-read my last. If you do, charge nominal rent, what they pay at the dorms. That will give you more income. Obviously do not charge Jules.

_Paperwork for house is in kitchen drawer. If anyone asks, it is your uncle’s house – he is staying in the Hamptons and letting you use it. There is a telephone number on paperwork for people to ring to confirm if required. Only use if LEOs are involved.

I read and re-read the texts in some disbelief before going into the kitchen and hunting out the paperwork mentioned. I went into the garage through the door off the kitchen and found it to be big enough for my truck and Amanda’s car. Mary didn’t have a car of her own, which was just as well. There was a workbench at the back, and I saw a couple of remote door openers sat on top.

I went out back onto the deck where everyone else had congregated. Mary and Amanda came over and hugged me.

“This place is awesome,” Amanda said, then looked around.

Jules was watching from a few feet away. Amanda held her arm out, and Jules came over and joined the hug.

“You never need an invitation,” Mary said to Jules as she snuggled in. “We are together now, ALL of us, unless and until you decide otherwise.”

“This is a beautiful place,” Josh said. “I’m seriously jealous.”

“Yeah,” Louise put in. “Let us know if you need help moving in.” She turned to Josh. “Come on, lets leave them to get acquainted with the house. I’m sure they have stuff to do.”

Josh and Louise left and the rest of us moved into the living room. It was getting dark outside, and a little chilly.

“Okay,” I said, “I guess we have some things to sort out.”

“Such as?” asked Mary.

“Sleeping arrangements, for one thing,” I said. “Who gets what room?”

“Well,” said Amanda, “since the house was technically provided to you…”

“By our grandmother,” Mary interrupted, faking a pout.

“Then you should get the master bedroom,” Amanda finished.

“That’s an awfully big bed for just me,” I said.

“Oh it wont be just you,” said Mary.

I grinned at her.

“Jules?” I asked. “What about you?”

“I can take one of the smaller rooms,” she said.

“Were you not listening outside?” asked Mary.

“What?” Jules asked puzzled.

“You can take whichever room you please,” I said, “But we were hoping that you would want to sleep with us. I really enjoyed cuddling with you last night and I would miss it if you weren’t there.”

“There’s no pressure,” I said. “Pick a room for yourself, but if it isn’t going to be with us, take the second bedroom. Then at least you have an ensuite.”

Jules shook her head. “I would like to share with you guys,” she said timidly. “If that is okay.”

“Of course it is,” said Mary. “As I said outside, we are all together.”

Jules shifted uncomfortably. All three of us stayed quiet, waiting for her to decide what to do or say next. Finally, she sighed.

“You asked me before what being asexual meant for me,” she said. “I guess if we’re all going to be sharing a bed, I should probably do the speech.”

“Well, if you have it on a little note card…” I offered.

She only startled for a split second, then rolled her eyes at me. Mary gave me a feather tap on my arm.

With yet another sigh, Jules psyched herself up. It was obvious she just wanted to get through it. “I have almost no sex drive,” she began, “no libido. Nor do I feel any sexual attraction to anyone, of any gender. Very occasionally, usually just after I finish my period, I get an itch that needs scratching. I masturbate maybe once or twice, and I’m good until the next time.”

All three of us nodded our understanding. I actually tried to de-sync mine from the twins’, just so Jules wouldn’t get thrown. It was clear she had more to say.

“I am attracted to some people,” she continued, “but it is not sexual. It is more about affection, family, and wanting to belong. I love holding and being held. It doesn’t ‘excite’ me in a sexual way, but it does give me a feeling of safety and security, and belonging.

“When I was in your bed last night, it was the first time in so long that I’d felt that. Even this morning, when your ‘autonomic nervous system’ was introducing itself to my butt, I still felt safe and loved. Normally that would scare me. When you kissed me on the head, it felt good. It showed me that you had affection for me. When I kissed you in the cafeteria, to me it felt much the same. It was pleasant contact, warm, comforting, and safe. I felt your hand on the back of my head lightly holding me, but I knew the instant I wanted to, I could break the kiss and you wouldn’t stop me. Even so, there was no sexual excitement with either kiss. My loins didn’t tingle, I didn’t get wet, my nipples didn’t get erect, none of that. It was just pleasant contact.

“But just because I don’t get sexually attracted to people doesn’t mean I am not attracted to some people. I guess in that way I’m like Caleb. I see something I like in someone, and it attracts me to them. Usually, it’s not a physical attribute. Unlike Caleb I’m not an ass girl.” She grinned at me before continuing. We all smiled back, happy she was comfortable enough to crack wise. “Occasionally, though, it does happen. With you girls, it was your eyes. The first time I saw you on the roof, I was captivated by them. Then, as I got to know you, I found other reasons I wanted to be around you.

“With Caleb, it is just him. He just makes me feel safe and loved. I’ll admit I am still a tiny bit frightened by his power, but he has never given me cause to fear him, and each time I have challenged him he has surpassed my expectations.

“I realize that if I share a bed with you guys, I’m going to see you having sex, and that’s fine. The sight of it doesn’t disgust me. As long as I am not scared I will get dragged into it, I will be happy for you guys. I’ll enjoy watching you guys enjoying yourselves, if that makes sense. If it creeps you out, then I can make myself scarce until you are done.”

She sat back and looked at us. I sensed a change in her. Now she had told us, it was like a burden had been lifted from her, and she seemed calmer and more confident.

“Thank you,” I said. “That can’t have been easy.”

“Okay,” said Mary. “Now you finally understand your place in our family. Welcome!” Mary got up, crossed to Jules, and hugged her, kissing her gently on the forehead.

Amanda followed suit, hugging Jules, and placing another tender kiss on her forehead.

Jules looked at me.

I smiled and crossed to her, hugging her, but when I leaned in to give her a kiss on her forehead, she tilted her face up and caught my kiss on her lips.

She smiled at my surprise. “Just because it doesn’t get my motor running doesn’t mean I don’t like the feeling itself, occasionally.”

We settled down, all on the couch now. Mary and Amanda were snuggled up on either side of me while Jules curled up contentedly in my lap, her head on my chest.

“Question,” I said. “Should we offer Josh and Louise a room here?”

“What did Grandmother say?” asked Mary.

“’Your house, your choice,’” I answered. “’Don’t trash the place, or it’s your ass.’ She did say we should charge them a nominal rent, something like they currently pay to stay in the dorms.”

“What’s Josh like to live with?” asked Amanda.

“Not too bad,” I said, “He keeps his side of the dorm tidy, and almost always picks up his laundry. Not sure how it would be otherwise. Since we eat at the cafeteria every day, not sure what he would be like in the kitchen.”

“What about Louise?” asked Mary.

“I never lived with her,” I said, “but every time I have been to her room it was clean and tidy, even when she didn’t know I was coming.”

“Would it be too much temptation,” asked Jules, “for them, and for you? If you have been sharing with them, would having them both living here mean you spend too much time playing?”

I thought about that. It was a real possibility. Also, there would be times when Josh was home alone with Jules or one of the twins, or Louise was home alone with me. Would we be risking damaging our relationship by pulling them in so close? Then there was the question of powers. Jules knew about our powers, but Josh and Louise did not. We hadn’t given ourselves away yet, but it had been less than a week. If they lived with us, there was certainly a greater danger of them discovering something they shouldn’t.

I voiced all these concerns to the room.

“Do you think they expect the offer?” asked Amanda. “I mean, we are all close. Given they know we have all the spare rooms, do you think they will be upset if we don’t offer for them to come live with us.?”

“Jules,” I said, “would Josh living here make you nervous? It’s one thing seeing him at PSU, or even in my room, but living in the same house, and if we were to play…”

She considered it. “I didn’t feel threatened by him when you went for your run. He got up, went into the bathroom, and got dressed, then left the room for a few minutes while I got out of bed. He was a gentleman. I don’t think I would like to be in the room if you and he were having sex. Not that I would mind seeing it, I just wouldn’t have the level of trust I have with you guys. Maybe that would build if he lived here.”

“It’s not a decision we need to make tonight,” I said. “Hell, we’re not even moved in yet. I’m in two minds about whether to stay here tonight or go back to the dorms. Do we all have everything we would need to stay overnight if we were going to?”

“If we go back to the dorms,” asked Amanda, “where will Jules sleep?”

“I have a whole double room to myself,” Jules said. “Caleb could stay with me in there.”

“Let’s do that,” said Mary, “but before we do, we should make a list of things we need to do. Tomorrow evening, we can start bringing stuff across. Caleb has his truck, and Amanda her car. We could probably get most of our stuff moved in the evening if we set to.”

Amanda nodded then looked at Jules. “How does that sound?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

I noted wryly that nobody had asked my opinion.

Amanda grinned at me. She pushed the memory of Dianna telling me that I would be ‘managed’ by the three women in my house through the bond. Mary laughed.

Jules looked from Mary to Amanda to me. “What?”

Amanda looked contrite.

“Sorry Jules,” she said. “Caleb was whining through our bond that nobody had asked his opinion about the plan. I sent him the memory of when Grandmother told him he would get bossed around by us three.”

Jules laughed, but then sighed.

I put my arms around her. “Jules, do you trust me?” I asked.

“With my life,” she said instantly. I was touched.

“Then relax, and look at me,” I said.

“Caleb,” asked Mary, “are you sure that’s wise?”

“You told her we were all together,” I replied. “If she is excluded, even in part, then she is not going to feel it.”

“But you could hurt her,” she argued. “At least talk to Grandmother before doing something like that.”

I sighed. “Mary’s right,” I said to Jules. “I think I have a way to include you in our bond, but I’m still new to my power. I need to ask Dianna before doing it, in case there may be something I don’t know about that could hurt you.”

Jules nodded. “Okay.”

We spent the next couple of hours looking around the house, checking out the kitchen for food and storage, and looking for things like towels and linen.

The house was fully stocked with everything except food. There was nothing at all in the refrigerator. It wasn’t even switched on.

We made lists of things to do, and shopping lists and by the time we were finished it was starting to get late. There were seven sets of keys in the kitchen drawer, each with its own fob to the alarm. I gave the girls one each, I already had mine from the key safe outside. Then I wondered if the cleaners used those when they came in to clean, so I put a set in there just in case.

I took one garage door opener for my truck and gave the other to Amanda for her car.

All that being done, we locked up the house and returned to the dorms.

I had no need to go back to my room since I had taken stuff with me to stay at the house if we had decided to do so, so we all went straight to the girls’ dorms.

“Why don’t we all stay in one room?” Amanda asked as we were walking up the stairs.

We all ended up in the twins’ room. The beds were never going to be big enough for all four of us, so we would have to sleep in pairs. The question was who would get to sleep with whom.

“Would it be okay if I slept with you tonight?” Amanda asked Jules.

Jules looked at me, and I shrugged. “It’s up to you. At least you know there will be no butt-poking from her.”

I was about to go into the bathroom to get changed for bed when Jules asked, “Did you need to use the bathroom, or were you just going to get changed?”

“The latter,” I said.

“Don’t do it on my account,” she said. “I’ve seen a cock before. It doesn’t do anything for me, but it doesn’t repel me either. Since we are going to be living and sleeping together, we should probably get used to seeing each other naked, don’t you think?”

“Sounds good,” said Amanda, immediately stripping off before putting on her teeshirt for bed. She didn’t wear panties. She looked at us expectantly.

“Come on,” she said. “Time’s a wasting and we have a lot to do tomorrow.”

Mary laughed and then followed Amanda’s example.

I was a little less blasé. I tried not to show my nervousness and stripped down to my boxers. I got a clean pair out, and swapped them over. It seemed stupid, but Jules had never seen me naked. Despite her sexuality, I still had the same anxieties as I guess most men have when they undress in front of a new partner for the first time.

When I looked up, there were three sets of eyes staring at me.

“What?” I said self-consciously.

“Nothing,” they all said, at the exact same instant.

Louise had been right. That wasn’t creepy in the slightest.

Amanda climbed into one of the beds and Jules climbed in beside her. They instantly rolled over onto their sides so that Amanda was behind Jules, her arm across her protectively. Jules snuggled back contentedly. Amanda smiled.

I climbed into the other bed, and Mary adopted a similar position with me: her back against my chest, her butt pushing into my groin – only Mary wasn’t just snuggling. She began to wriggle her ass, grinding it against me, which had predictable results.

I was rock hard within seconds, and I felt Mary reach around behind her and pull the front of my boxers down, releasing my erection, which she then took in hand. She squeezed it gently and began slowly to stroke. I groaned quietly.

Once she was satisfied that she had me as hard as I was going to get, she backed herself up, and, carefully lining me up with her pussy, slowly and inexorably pushed herself back into me, impaling herself on my cock. Her pussy was as incredible as I remembered: hot, vice-tight and incredibly wet. I got the sense that they had been planning this for some time.

I glanced across the room at the other bed, where Amanda and Jules lay, and saw that they were both watching us. Amanda was flushed with arousal; her bond to Mary was allowing her to experience what Mary was feeling. I was a little concerned about how Jules would react, but she was smiling gently, seeming completely unperturbed by what we were doing, and enjoying the closeness with Amanda.

My attention was drawn back to Mary who was starting to thrust back against me, her pussy walls massaging my cock, and creating amazing sensations as they moved against my glans. She was so wet that I could hear quiet slurping noises as she moved on me, and I could feel her juices leaking out of her.

I decided to take a more active role, and put my arm around Mary, pulling her back and thrusting deeper inside, making her moan. I reached around and pushed my hand down between her legs. After rubbing them across where we were joined to pick up her lubrication, I sought out her clit and began a gentle assault.

She jumped a little when I started to tease her like that, but soon began thrusting against my questing fingers, not only increasing the pressure on her clit, but also increasing the sensation she was experiencing from my cock being embedded inside her. Her breathing was becoming a little more ragged now, her thrusting becoming more urgent.

My eye caught movement in the other bed, and I saw Jules turn around and whisper something to Amanda. I knew that Amanda was feeling everything that Mary was feeling through the bond and I wondered if she had started to move against Jules and was making her uncomfortable. I was a little surprised to see them change positions, with Amanda moving to her back, and Jules taking position on her side, holding her.

Jules looked over and caught my eye.

“Don’t stop,” she said. “They’re almost there.”

At that point, Mary decided that she needed to be more aggressive. She slid off me and turned over onto her back, pulling me on top of her.

“Please, Caleb,” she whined, “fuck me.”

I entered her once more, still marvelling at the sensations her hot, tight tunnel created on my cock. I began stroking in and out of her, slowly at first, but building speed as she started to writhe beneath me. I leaned forward and claimed her mouth with mine, all the while grinding my hips, pushing deep inside her, to grind her clit against me when I was fully embedded. She brought her legs up and wrapped them around my hips, pulling me in tighter and allowing me to gain even more depth inside her.

I pulled her body tight to me, feeling her nipples rubbing against my chest. I ravaged her mouth with mine as I thrust into her, faster and faster. The bond was now fully engaging, allowing me not only to feel my side of the sensations, but also to feel what Mary was experiencing. Amanda was being bombarded with sensations from both of us and was twitching and moaning as Jules held her gently.

I could feel Mary’s orgasm approaching, and upped my pace even further, pounding her now, her juices being churned up into a white froth between us. She was getting close, so close, but my own orgasm was not to be denied, and I felt my balls tighten in readiness. I groaned as I came, spurt after spurt of thick creamy cum jetting inside her. The feeling of my cum pumping inside her added to the feelings she was getting from me of my orgasm. It triggered hers, and she screamed into my mouth as her pussy clenched tight around my still-spasming cock, and then pulsated, milking the remainder of my ejaculation deep into her womb.

I heard Amanda groan as her body twitched and writhed, riding out the sensations she had been fed over the bond, while Jules held her tenderly.

For a moment, I lay motionless, still deep inside Mary, gazing into those beautiful tawny eyes. It felt like she was gazing into my soul, and I felt an amazing feeling of belonging, and love. Mary smiled.

“Thank you, Caleb,” she said.

I kissed her gently. “Thank you.”

Amanda sighed, and I looked across at the other bed where the two girls were back in their original position, Amanda spooning Jules, her arms protectively around the smaller girl.

“Jules?” I said.

She smiled at me. “That was beautiful, thank you. Being included like that, without the pressure of being involved, was wonderful.”

I saw Amanda tighten her hold on Jules. Jules snuggled back into her contentedly. I briefly wondered about what had just happened, but then the familiar warmth of Mary’s mind enveloped me and eased me into sleep.

It was the beep of my phone that woke me – a text message.

_Your new instructor will meet you in the gym in half an hour. Don’t be late.

I groaned and looked at the time. It was five thirty in the fucking morning.

Gently, I tried to extricate myself from Mary, but failed miserably, her arms clamping over mine and pinned me in place.

“Just a few more minutes,” she groaned.

“You stay here,” I said. “I have to meet my new trainer.”

She turned to look at me.

“Who is it?” she asked.

“No idea,” I returned.

“Remember they are here to help.” she said. “They may well try to provoke you, so don’t react.”

I humphed. “They better not,” I said, grumpy from being woken up so early.

She smiled. “Then remember this.” She leaned up and kissed me.

I smiled as I clambered out of the bed and got dressed.

When I arrived at the gym, five minutes before six, there was nobody around. Wary of some kind of test, I decided I would shield my mind, and imagined once again the Star Trek starship, raising its shields. This time, however, I was going all out. I went for the Voyager multi-adaptive shielding that they had used in Seven of Nine’s rescue from the Borg. I raised them slowly to ensure they didn’t interfere with my bond. I would still need to figure out how to cloak around that, but other than that, I was content. I was as protected as I knew how to be.

I felt him before I saw him. There was that same coppery ‘smell’ that I had sensed when Harold Bleasdale had walked into Bob and Angela’s. There was no accompanying rotten meat smell, but all the same, the memory unnerved me. I double-checked my shield and surveyed my surroundings.

I stepped back and put my back against the gym wall. At least then, I hoped, he couldn’t sneak up behind me.

I felt my shield sparking as if it were under assault, a coruscation of energy playing over the surface. I tried to maintain my vigilance. Was this just some kind of distraction or was this a real attack? I tried to determine the source of the attacks on my shields, but it was diffuse, seeming to come from all directions. I had more luck with the ‘smell.’ That seemed to be coming from above me.

I launched myself sideways just as a body landed on the spot I had been standing. Rolling, I came to my feet, facing my attacker.

He stood about an inch taller than me, but was broader in chest and arms, looking like a gym rat. He had regained his feet and was standing in a relaxed pose, but I could tell by his stance he wasn’t finished yet.

“Not a bad start,” he said. “You have decent mental protection, good situational awareness, and you are reasonably fit. Dianne tells me you are a wrestler.”

“Good morning to you too,” I responded sarcastically. “Is it page one or two of the training manual that determines that trainers have to behave like cunts?”

He nodded. “She also said that you had a temper. You need to control that.”

“Believe me, I am,” I said. “Otherwise, you would be looking for a bag to carry your balls in.”

He grinned. “Gerald did walk funny for a day or two.”

He eased forward slightly, shifting his weight. I knew he was about to attack. My problem was that I didn’t have any idea what his martial art was, so I couldn’t predict how. If he was judo or another grappling art, I could maybe counter some of his moves. If his was a striking art – Karate, Kung-fu – I’d be toast before I could grapple him at all.

I decided that to launch an attack, he needed something to push off from. I glanced around, making sure there was nobody near, before using my telekinesis to lift him a foot off the ground.

He considered me from his new vantage point, nodding. “Good reasoning. If I’m not in contact with the ground, I can’t launch an attack. You are lucky that there is nobody around. You couldn’t use that in a crowded street.”

“I could do this,” I said, allowing him to return to the ground, but pressing down. His knees sagged as my power forced him downwards. I pressed harder, and harder still. He was tough, but I could see that his knees were about to give. As they buckled, I released the pressure and supported his weight, so he didn’t hit the floor. I didn’t want to hurt him, just make a point.

“Mercy?” he scoffed. “That’s a dangerous emotion.” He launched himself at me, but I had kind of expected that. I caught him mid-air and pushed him back until he was against the gym wall.

“Can we stop playing now,” I asked, “and start training? And FYI, it wasn’t mercy. I just didn’t want to have to explain to Dianna how I broke her trainer.

“Although,” I continued, getting a sudden sense, “I wouldn’t have to, since she is watching, aren’t you Dianna.”

The diffuse nature of the attack now made sense. It wasn’t a single attacker.

“Okay,” Dianna grumbled, stomping out from behind a nearby tree, “put him down.”

I released my hold on the trainer and he relaxed back into his ready stance.

“Thoughts?” she said to him as she approached.

“He was ready,” he said. “If he had not been expecting me, he would have been incapacitated before he knew I was there. He has good instincts and can read an opponent. Once his defenses are up, they are formidable. With time and patience, I could probably burrow through them but that is not certain. He is probably the most powerful user I have seen yet. He’s also an arrogant little prick.”

“No,” said Dianna. “No, he isn’t.” She sighed.

“Let me show you,” she said, “how he really is, and why he is currently so… grumpy.”

I sensed her power flare and saw his attention shift for a moment.

It is a strange thing, to have memories shared. When it is done, it’s like you lived them yourself, so you can assimilate that information almost instantaneously. I could watch an entire football game, then share it with you, and within a second, you would remember it as if you had seen it and knew everything necessary. So, a full game time, assimilated in less than a second.

“What a fuck up,” he said. “Do we know why his amulet failed?”

She shook her head. “It hasn’t been recovered, although we think he just overwhelmed it.”

He relaxed his stance and approached me and smiled.

“James Taylor,” he said holding his hand out. His stance was relaxed but I was still wary.

I shook his hand.

“Well,” he added, “at least my balls are still in the same bag I brought them in. That’s a start. Oh, and it’s neither.”

“Neither?” I asked.

“The training manual,” he said. “It’s neither page one, nor page two. It’s on the cover.”

I smiled. Suddenly I felt more presences closing in. That surprised me, that they were so close, and I hadn’t felt them earlier.

“Hi Uncle James,” Mary said as she, Amanda and Jules approached.

James hugged the twins.

“This is Jules,” Amanda said, “our girlfriend.”

Jules’s eyes widened at that introduction, but she smiled at James, and he returned it warmly.

Mary came and linked my arm, and Amanda and Jules joined us.

“You have a lot of power, Caleb,” James said, “and that gives you a lot of options. I have probably a tenth of your power, but I know I could beat you. Not in a face-to-face battle, but enemies rarely attack you face on. I can train you. We will have to spar, and I will have to test you as you learn. I can also teach you how to fight. Your wrestling is a good start, but it wouldn’t stand up in real combat, and I think you know that. Robbing me of my base was an excellent bit of tactical thinking. If I had had a weapon, though, it wouldn’t have stopped me using that.”

I nodded. “I have one stipulation,” I said.

He raised an eyebrow.

“Do not include my girls in any of your tests,” I said. “If I feel them to be in danger, my response will be extreme.”

He nodded. “That does make them your weakness.”

“It makes them an emotional weakness,” I said. “Dianna said that I could learn focus and discipline during these sessions. If you like, they’re just as much about training me as they are about saving anybody who really pisses me off from a fate worse than death.”

James raised an eyebrow. “Arrogance and wisdom,” he said. “Rare combo.”

“I guess you’ll probably want to start with a brilliant argument as to why I shouldn’t just Compel everyone who threatens me to stand down until I figure out what to do with them.”

James shrugged. “Not my department. That’s probably what you should have done to me right off. It completely neutralizes the threat and, in almost every situation, is extremely deniable. There is the chance, though, that they might not succumb to your power. Others have defenses too.

“Dianna,” he said, “Why don’t you take the girls to breakfast? Caleb and I have some training to do.”

James moved into the gym. After a quick kiss from all three girls, I followed.

“First,” he said, “you need to keep your shield up at all times – even when you sleep.”

+++++

“How was it?” Dianna asked when I joined them in the cafeteria an hour later.

“Interesting,” I said. “There is a lot to learn.”

“James is a good man,” she said. “Don’t let first impressions count against him.”

“To be honest,” I said, “I was expecting that. I decided to push back to see what would happen.”

“You seem to like pissing contests,” she remarked.

I busied myself with my breakfast. “So, what’s the deal with the mansion?” I asked nonchalantly.

For the briefest moment, I saw a flicker in her aura. “What do you mean?” she asked, “I already told you.”

I nodded. “It’s a setup,” I said, “but for who or what?”

She stared at me for a long moment.

“Your uncle John,” she said finally.

“Nope,” I said. “Not interested.”

“But you don’t know…” she began.

“No,” I interrupted, “I don’t. But I do know that you started the process without talking to me – to us – first. And you put my girls directly on the front line of whatever operation you are thinking of planning. So,” I fished the keys out of my pocket and dropped them on the table, “I’ll pass.”

She stood, visibly angry, and stamped her foot. “Damn you, Caleb! James was right. You can be an arrogant little prick!!”

“Fuck you, Dianna,” I hissed, bringing my face to within an inch of hers. “I didn’t ask for any of this. My whole life I have been lied to and kept in the dark, and now all of a sudden you are trying to turn me into some kind of secret weapon. This isn’t all about protecting me or keeping me from becoming corrupt. If anything, your actions are more likely to push me in that direction.

“You are just interested in how you can use this new resource that has suddenly fallen into your lap. I have power – quite a lot of it, too, as you all keep telling me – and all you care about is how best to control it. You don’t care about me. I wouldn’t be surprised if you’d engineered the bonding to your granddaughters in the first place. I’m certain that they didn’t know about it, but you did. How could you not expect what happened to happen?

“You were even part of the fucking ritual. You could have stopped it before the bonding was complete. So how do I trust a woman who is happy to sacrifice her own granddaughters into slavery to have my best interests at heart? You can keep your house, keep your FBI, and keep yourself the fuck away from me!”

I took out the FBI identification from my wallet and threw it on the table.

As I turned around there were two men standing behind me.

“Caleb Stott,” the first said, “you are under arrest. Turn around and put your hands behind your back.”

I glanced back at Dianna. “Really? You want to go to war?”

“Caleb please…” she began.

I turned back to the men. I imagined the first tasering the second, and then, while he was incapacitated, handcuffing him over the table and fucking him brutally up the ass. Simultaneously, I imagined Dianna having multiple bone-crushing orgasms over and over again until she lost consciousness.

Dianna screamed out in the first of the orgasms as the snap of the taser sounded in my ear.

I looked around for an exit. The front door was out; there would be people waiting, probably James. I raised my shields as hard as I could, wishing I could use the cloak.

I crossed to the kitchen and went toward the back door, looking to escape. As I got near the door, I ‘smelled’ James. He was waiting outside.

I imagined that James would suddenly lose all of his senses. I hoped I had enough power to beat his defenses, but it wasn’t like I had another choice. Just to muddy the mix, I decided to add in some orgasms for James too. Maybe that would keep his mind off me.

I peeked around the door, and saw James writhing on the floor, but there were three other men, weapons drawn. All three were suddenly fifty feet in the air. If they shot me, they would be killing themselves.

I ran out of the door and got into one of the cars that they had arrived in, As I drove off, I imagined that they would return to the ground, not exactly gently, but at least they would survive the fall.

I knew that the car would have a tracker in it, but I needed to get away from there quickly. I drove ten blocks and then bailed, imagining that a trucker who was stopped at traffic lights would open his passenger door and let me in, before driving away.

An hour later I was thirty miles away.

I had left the trucker after only fifteen minutes and ‘borrowed’ a motorcycle. I dumped my mobile phone, as I knew they could use it to track me. My biggest issue was the link I had with the twins. I needed to find a way to remove that, and yet not be incapacitated by the sense of loss that I knew would ensue.

I pulled over at the side of the road and examined the bond I had with the twins. I could feel them through it. They were looking for me, for what reason, I did not know. Were they dupes, as I had thought or were they skilful operatives who had played an innocent, horny man? I was becoming paranoid.

I braced myself and blocked the link.

Instantly the pain and loss hit me, and I fell to my knees, tears welling from my eyes as I felt my heart break.

“ENOUGH!”

I was on my knees in the gym, tears coursing down my face.

Arms wrapped around me. “Caleb, look at me.”

I looked into James’s face. Blurry through the tears.

“Breathe, Caleb,” he said, “It’s not real. It wasn’t real.”

I examined myself, and my mind. The bond with the girls was still in place; my heart was whole. I could feel waves of concern coming from the twins.

“It wasn’t real,” James said again, still holding me.

I slumped down to the floor, physically and emotionally exhausted.

“How can I tell?” I asked. “If someone can do that to me, How the hell can I tell what is and what isn’t real?”

“It’s interesting,” he said, “that even when you were under that much pressure, your response was non-lethal. I’m sure agent Sachs will be pissed about the buggering, but orgasms to incapacitate, that’s teen thinking for sure, but effective, nonetheless. Even the three agents outside got away lightly – I would guess nothing worse than a sprained ankle. The worst injury was inflicted on yourself and the girls when you blocked the bond.”

“So how can I tell?” I asked again. I was lying on my back on the gym floor. I didn’t trust myself to try and stand yet.

“It’s a construction,” he said, “but it is impossible to make it perfect. There will always be mistakes and little inconsistencies. You need to be alert for those.”

“I think that’s enough for today” he said. “I need to do some research, I love the idea of your cloak, and I am certain there is a way you can use it and still keep your bond intact. I need to watch some Star Trek.” He grinned.

“Before you go, I am going to share my memory of my first year of training in martial arts. It will give you the knowledge, but you will have to work on the moves physically. Most martial art is muscle memory. Normally it takes between one and three months to assimilate a year of learning. It’s much faster, but not instant. The more you practice, the faster it will be, at least an hour a day.”

“You didn’t really answer my question,” I said. “How do I know that I am not in an illusion right now?”

The experience had really shaken me. I remembered seeing movies like Inception and Crimson Sky, where the main character had not known whether he was in the real world or a dream, and they’d really messed with my head. Now I was living in one.

“Because you were prepared,” he said. “Look at your left wrist.”

I looked down at my wrist. There was nothing there. Turning my hand over, I saw I had written my name on the inside of my left wrist.

Suddenly the memory surfaced from the start of the training session.

“Caleb, I need you to write your name on the inside of your wrist. Once you have done that, you need to compel yourself to forget what you wrote but to remember that you wrote something. In an illusion, your mind will try and fill in the gap, but since you forgot what it was, your mind cannot supply that detail. The image will be blurry and indistinct. If you had looked at your wrist in the illusion you would have noted the inconsistency. That would have been enough to alert you to the fact that it wasn’t real. If you look at your wrist and you see your name written, clearly, then you are no longer in an illusion.”

“There are all kinds of ways to exploit that same hole: an in***********ion on a pocket watch, a photograph in a secret pocket, anything really. And of course, you can also do the Inception thing. It’s a solid idea. You figure something out, or better, more than one thing. The one commonality is that they all have to be private – the more private, the better. Writing on your body won’t do you much good if your enemies have access to it in the real world while you’re under; I guess you could say the same if they find your Inception totem on your person. Consider it your first test to come up with a few, knowing full well that once I know about them, you’ll have to come up with new ones. Next time, I’ll teach you how to exit illusions once you have detected them.”

He shared the memory of his training as promised, and we parted company.

I made my way to the cafeteria, where Dianna and the girls waited. After collecting my food, I joined them at the table. Mary and Amanda immediately put their arms around me.

“Are you okay?” asked Dianna.

“It was rough,” I said.

I ate in silence for a minute, then looked over at her.

“So, what’s the deal with the mansion?” I asked, nonchalantly.

Her aura was solid, and she regarded me steadily. “The house is exactly as I told you. It was a seizure from a drug dealer and used to be used as a safe house. It’s been empty for about two years.” She put her hand on mine. “It’s over for today, Caleb, I know it takes some time to trust that you are back in reality, but you are.”

I sighed with relief and then had a thought.

“Why am I spending so long at school?” I asked her.

“You need to get your degree,” she said.

“So why can I not just share the memory of a grade A student of all his classes, and then do the exams?”

She grinned. “I wondered how long it would take you to think of that. We can accelerate learning in that way, but it isn’t that simple. Your memory cannot assimilate that much information over that short a period of time. If you think that James gave you a year of martial arts training, that is training twice a week for a couple of hours – maybe two hundred hours, but a lot of that is repetitive practice. You could probably assimilate a month of schooling at a time, and although you would have the information available to you, you wouldn’t truly assimilate it for about a week.

“If you tried to take on more memories before you had properly assimilated the last ones, they would simply overwrite the previous ones and you would forget that information. Your brain needs time to move memories from short-term to long-term storage.

“There are certain things it works for,” she conceded. “We use it sometimes for undercover work, but I’m afraid you will have to sit through school in real-time.”

I finished my breakfast. I was bone tired, and my day hadn’t even started yet. We returned to my room in the dorms, where I showered and changed before heading to my classes for the day.

Chapter 8 – Moving in

It was a good job that Mary was in my first lesson because I didn’t take any of it in. Fortunately, I was able to share her memory of it as we left the classroom and separated to go to our second lesson – one that we didn’t share. I managed to concentrate a bit better in my second lesson, and by lunchtime, I was pretty much back to myself.

As I was the first person in, I got lunch for everyone, and so I was waiting at a table with four trays of food when the girls arrived. We sat and ate together and discussed our morning schooling.

“Is Jasper behaving himself?” I asked Jules when a momentary pause in the conversation allowed.

“So-so,” she said. “He is not being nasty to me directly, but there are a lot of snarky comments and whispers.”

“Would you like me to have a talk with him?” I asked.

“There are other options,” said Mary. “For instance, the student counselor might be interested that the guy that was responsible for your trip up to the science building is bullying you.”

“Or we could get Grams to have a word with him,” suggested Amanda.

Jules looked at each of us as we offered our suggestions. “No, thank you, guys. I can deal with him, but it means so much that I know you are all here for me. As long as I have that, he can’t really touch me.”

“Then never forget that you do,” I said.

Amanda linked her arm through Jules’s and pulled her in close. “Are we still going to move into the house tonight?” she asked.

“That’s the plan,” I said. “As soon as I finish lessons I’m going to go back to my room and pack up my stuff. If you guys can do the same, I’ll bet we can be done in a couple of hours. Then we’ll load it all into my truck and Amanda’s car. We can take our time unloading at the other end, and we can call out for pizza for dinner.”

We finished lunch and each went our separate ways for afternoon classes.

Josh was in our room when I got back after class. He looked miserable when I started to pack up my stuff.

“I guess I can’t blame you,” he said a little morosely. “If I had that place to move into, I’d be out of here as soon as I could.”

I looked up from where I had been emptying my desk into a cardboard box.

“Is that a hint?” I asked with an amused expression. He looked a little confused for a second and then realized what he’d said and how it could have sounded.

“Oh, god no,” he said. “I wasn’t hinting at anything, just saying. I… we, will miss having you around though. Even before we started fooling around, I enjoyed sharing a room with you. God knows who I’ll end up with next.”

I finished with my desk and moved onto my chest of drawers, packing my clothes into the suitcase I had retrieved from under my bed, plus my holdall.

“Where’s Louise tonight?” I asked.

“She’s studying,” he said. “She has a test tomorrow and needs to get good grades.”

“So why aren’t you helping her study?” I asked him.

“Because she can’t study if I’m there,” he said. “We always get kind of distracted.”

I smiled at him. “I don’t doubt it; she is a beautiful girl. You should hold onto that one tight.”

He smiled at me, but I could see there was something else. His aura was dark and subdued – a deep blue color that made me think of sadness. He slumped down on his bed and put his head in his hands.

“I think I screwed everything up,” he said sadly. “With you, with Louise. I just don’t know what to do.”

I sat beside him on his bed. “Want to tell me about it?”

He shook his head. “It wouldn’t be fair. I would be laying this all at your door, and it’s not your fault. It’s nobody’s fault, but I just got messed up and don’t know what to do.”

“Is Louise studying,” I asked him, “or did you cry off tonight?”

He looked at me anguish in his eyes.

“Caleb, I don’t know what to do. I really fell for Louise. I love her. I can’t see any future for me without her in it. She is such a beautiful, thoughtful, sexy, intelligent, wonderful girl.”

“I’m not seeing the problem Josh,” I said, my hand on his arm. “What is it?”

“I can’t tell him.”

I heard the thought as clear as if he had spoken it.

“It wouldn’t be fair.”

“Josh?” I said again.

He shook his head, but it was too late. Although he never voiced it, I heard his thought loud and clear.

“I love him too!”

Okay, I didn’t see that coming. This was possibly the worst outcome I could have predicted, and I had royally screwed up. In involving myself in Josh and Louise’s relationship, I had destroyed it. I had no idea what to do next.

I pushed the memory to the twins via our bond, with a plea for help. I was lost.

Mary took charge. She sent Amanda to go get Jules and bring her to my room. She herself went to speak to Louise

I put my arm around Josh’s shoulder to comfort him and thought about what feelings I had for him.

I had told Jules that my attraction for Josh was not really for him as an individual, but for him and Louise as a couple. I had just felt that they were so right together that I had felt drawn to the pair of them. Now I had to consider how I felt about them individually.

Josh was a good guy. He was good-looking, yes, but that wasn’t that much of a consideration. He was genuinely a nice person. When I had moved into the dorm, he had already been here a week, having come up early, and was settled. We’d hit it off immediately and he’d taken me under his wing, introducing me to people and showing me around campus. He’d introduced me to Louise and they’d both taken me out with them until I’d found my feet. I’d never gotten the feeling from either of them that I was in the way, and I’d never sensed any jealousy from them if I spent time with the other. I had just been adopted into their relationship. Up until a few days ago it hadn’t been sexual in any way, just a friendly, relaxed relationship, where two of them would go off and have sex from time to time.

There was a knock on the door, and I let Louise in. She immediately went to Josh and threw her arms around him.

“Oh Josh,” she said. “You poor, poor, man. I’ve really screwed you up, haven’t I?”

He looked at her, surprised, as did I. Mary had followed her into the room, and I looked to her.

She smiled at me and shared a memory. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one to have been confessed to this evening. Louise had spoken with Mary during the free time they’d both had at the end of the day. Mary had decided to wait to discuss it with all of us until we were in the house. My call for help had prompted a change of plan.

I assimilated the memory.

Earlier that day—-

“Mary, do you have a few minutes?” Louise asked as she caught up with her in the corridor. Both had just finished the penultimate lesson of the day and were heading to the library to do some private study in their free time.

Mary looked at Louise, and saw sadness, anxiety and a little fear there.

“Sure,” said Mary, smiling. “Here? Or would you rather talk privately?”

“Privately,” Louise affirmed. “We could use my room.”

Mary nodded, and they walked side by side, in silence, until they reached the room.

“Please,” Louise indicated her chair as they entered her room, choosing to perch on the edge of her bed rather than use her room-mate’s chair.

Mary sat.

“I don’t know where to start,” Louise began. “I don’t know how much you know about Josh and I, but we met the day he came to PSU. The moment I saw him, I knew he was the one. Don’t ask me why. He’s good looking in his own way, but there are better-looking guys around; he’s in reasonable shape, but again, there are better-built guys here. There was just something about him, something in his eyes, his manner, his personality that spoke to me, and I answered.

“For all the time I have been here we have been together. I knew I loved him, but I had a nagging feeling that although he liked me, he didn’t love me. He didn’t seem to have the connection with me that I had with him. And I was scared that at some point I was going to lose him.

“When Caleb arrived, and Josh brought him out with us for the first time, I was a little annoyed. I was supposed to be his girlfriend, and he was supposed to be with me, not hanging with his bro, but before half an hour was over, Caleb had won me over. He is such a nice guy and has a way that actually makes you feel good about yourself. I never minded him coming along after that. In fact, I encouraged Josh to invite him.

“I never considered leaving Josh for Caleb. Josh was and is still my man, the one I love, and the one I am going to spend the rest of my life with if I can, but, I’m sorry Mary, I fell in love with Caleb too.”

“He’s an easy person to love,” Mary said.

“Then last week,” Louise said, “Josh told me about a dream he had had. Someone gave him an incredible blowjob, and that someone was Caleb. A second before he told me, if you had asked what I would have done if Josh had said that another guy had sucked his dick, I would have told you I would have erupted like a volcano and committed violence on one or both. But the instant he said Caleb’s name, I can’t describe the feeling, it was like coming home. It felt so right, and HOT.

“Then we had our first encounter. This was before you and Caleb got together. It was amazing. The sex was good, not earth shattering, Caleb had never gone down on a girl before, but it wasn’t the physical sex that was so amazing. It was the feeling of rightness, of belonging, of love.

“Being included in your playtime was even better. Caleb might not have known what he was doing, but you certainly do.” She smiled at Mary, who grinned back at her.

“But again,” she went on, “It wasn’t just about the sex. It was that feeling of being part of something much bigger than us. There was still an ‘us,’ Josh and me, but we were surrounded by something else – something warm, and comforting, and loving.

“Yesterday, at lunch, when you guys said you were moving out, you may as well have gut-punched the pair of us. I didn’t know what to say or do. We were happy for you guys; you deserve to be happy, and that house looks amazing, but we had just found ourselves a part of something wonderful and we were going to lose it.

“After we left you guys at the house, Josh and I spoke. He told me that the moment he realised that I was the one for him, the moment that he knew he loved me, was while Caleb and I were on our knees in front of him. He said that he looked down and saw me talking to Caleb while Caleb was blowing him, and he just knew. He also told me, that although he knew that I was the one – that he loved me – that he also was in love with Caleb.

“Now you guys are leaving. I know we will see you at PSU, but it won’t be the same. Josh won’t be sharing a room with Caleb and I won’t see him, or you and Amanda, as often. Because the feelings I had for Caleb seem to have almost instantly grown to include you two as well. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to lose Josh, but I think he is suffering worse than me, and we don’t want to lose you guys.”

Mary put her arms around Louise, who wasn’t exactly crying but was pretty close. She gently flexed her power and projected feelings of love and comfort onto her.

“Let me talk to Caleb, Amanda and Jules,” Mary said. “I’m sure that Caleb didn’t know about this, and I have to say it’s a surprise to me too. I should have realised what was going on, but you and Josh were just so horny when we got together, I couldn’t see anything else. We are packing our stuff up today and going over to the house. Once we are there, we will get a chance to talk this through between ourselves, and we will come up with something to help you, I promise.”

Louise drew back, looking into Mary’s eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s so unfair of me to dump this on you like this, but I really didn’t know where else to turn.”

Mary smiled at Louise, and that’s where the memory ended.

Back to the present——–

Mary had shared the memory with Amanda at the same time she had with me. Amanda and Jules came into the room, Amanda talking quietly to Jules as they walked. I guessed she was bringing her up to date. I watched Jules’ face to see her reaction, and I saw her give Josh a look of compassion. Something else about Jules caught my eye. She was no longer wearing all black but had a pair of jeans and a T-shirt on.

I closed the door, and we all took seats. Josh and Louise were on his bed; I sat on my bed flanked by the twins. Jules surprised me a little by asking if she could sit by Josh. He nodded.

“It looks like we have some talking to do,” I said, breaking the silence. “Josh, Louise, I am so sorry. I had no idea what was going on. If I had known…”

“What would you have done, Caleb?” asked Josh. “What could you have done? You did nothing wrong; nobody did. I can’t help how I feel. I used to think that when you fell in love, that was it, nobody else mattered. But the instant that I knew that I was in love with Louise, that I knew what love felt like, I realised that I loved you too.”

I couldn’t help it. I surreptitiously checked my wrist. Nope, this was not an illusion.

I looked at the pair of them.

“Josh, Louise,” I said, “you are two of the nicest people I know…”

“But you don’t love us,” Louise said. “That’s okay. We understand. I mean…”

“Actually,” I interrupted her, “that’s not true. But my feelings for you are more complex. You see Josh, I like you, I like you a lot. Louise, I like you too, a lot. but when you are together, a couple then yes, I love you then. Individually you are wonderful people, but together…”

I looked to Mary. I needed her to say what was next. I could easily have done so, but Louise would have wondered how I could possibly know what she had said to Mary earlier.

“Louise and I had a chat earlier,” Mary said, Josh looked at her, then Louise, who nodded.

“I told her,” she said. “I knew you were hurting; I was hurting too, for both of us. I needed them to know how we felt and to see if they maybe felt something for us.”

“Josh,” This time it was Jules that spoke, which surprised me. Mary and Amanda looked equally shocked. “Why do you think you are losing us?”

Us? I thought. That was interesting.

“Because you are all moving out,” he said. “Once that happens, the only time you will be here is for class. You see it all the time. Roomies move out, they say they’ll keep in touch, and they do, for a short while, but it tails off, and before you know it you barely nod at each other in the hallway as you pass.”

Jules looked at me. She knew I would hear the question she was forming in her mind. “Can they come too?”

I sent that memory through the bond to the girls and they both immediately sent back feelings of love and acceptance.

I nodded slightly to Jules, and she smiled slightly before thinking, “Then ask them.”

“Are you sure?” I sent to her, and her eyes widened a little. I didn’t think she knew I could do that.

“They love you Caleb,” she thought, “and if what Amanda told me is true, Louise at least loves the twins too. You love them too; you already said so.”

“But what about you?” I returned. “How will you feel…”

I don’t know how she did it, but she interrupted me. “With even more love around? When love is what I have been craving for so long?” She smiled wryly at me and then surprised me even more by putting her arm around Josh.

“Josh,” I said, finally convinced, “you didn’t really give us a chance, but the girls and I were talking last night. We were going to get settled this weekend and then see if you and Louise would like to come and share the house with us.”

Louise and Josh both looked up in surprise.

“Seriously?” Josh asked. “You’re not just saying that?”

“He would have asked you last night,” Jules said, “but he was worried that I would be scared having you there. He wanted to make sure I was okay with it before making the offer.”

“But I would never…” he began.

“He knows that,” Jules interrupted. “You have to remember that two days ago, I was considering jumping off a large building. You can’t blame him for worrying that my reasoning isn’t sound just now, especially since I don’t know you as he does. You know he trusts you, or he would never have left me alone with you yesterday morning.”

“But you still don’t know me,” he said.

“I know enough,” she said. “I know that Caleb trusts you, which goes a long way, but that night when you came back and found me in bed with Caleb, you asked if it would upset me, you being there when I woke. Someone who didn’t care wouldn’t have even thought to ask. I’m prepared to take a chance on you – on both of you.”

“So, there you have it,” I said. “So, two questions: first, would you guys want to come and share our new home? And second, if yes, did you need one room, or two?”

I picked up some of my stuff. “I’m going to start loading my truck. That’ll give you a few minutes to talk about it.”

My three girls each grabbed something, and we left, walking down to where my truck was parked. Amanda’s car was parked beside it and I could see it was already packed up with the girls’ stuff.

“How are you coming along with packing?” I asked Jules.

“All done,” she said. “It’s just waiting in my room.”

We decided to go and get Jules’ stuff and load it into the truck also, and so it was nearly an hour later before we got back to the room. Josh and Louise were lying on his bed. They were fully dressed, and she was lying down with her head on his chest. They looked up when we entered.

“We thought you weren’t coming back,” Josh said.

“Sorry,” I replied, “that took longer than we thought. So, what do you think? Did you want to come with us?”

“I don’t think we can,” Louise said sadly. “I don’t think we can afford it.”

I frowned. “You can afford to live here; what’s different?”

“You know that housing here is subsidized,” Josh said. “We pay a nominal rent and no utilities. We couldn’t afford to live outside of the dorms.”

“It will be the same deal at the house,” I said. “Same rent, no utilities. And since we won’t be eating in the cafeteria all the time, we will probably save money. Although we will have to figure out who can cook. Look, there’s no reason not to. Apart from a ten-minute commute each way and a bit more property to keep tidy, there will be no difference to living in the dorms. So, what do you think? Will you need one room or two?”

Josh and Louise looked at each other.

“Louise?” Josh asked.

“For the kind of rent they are asking,” she said with a little glimmer in her eye, “it would be greedy to ask for two rooms.”

Josh grinned and looked at me. “I guess just the one.”

“Then you better start packing,” I said “Louise, can you fit all your and Josh’s stuff in your car?”

She nodded.

“You remember the address?”

She nodded again.

“Ok then – I’ll order pizza for…” I looked at my watch. “… Nine. Is that enough time?”

They both nodded again. I stood watching them for a minute. They didn’t move.

“What are you waiting for?” I asked.

Louise dived for the door, and Josh bolted to his feet and scrabbled about under his bed, looking for his bags.

I finished the last of my own packing, and the girls and I headed for our new home.

+++++

We had almost finished unpacking – although it would take a lot longer to get everything sorted out completely – when Josh and Louise arrived.

I answered the door and led them to the second bedroom, the only other bedroom in the house with an ensuite.

“Will this be okay for you?” I asked.

Although they had seen the room before, they looked around again happily.

“It will be awesome,” Josh said. “We need to talk to the accommodation officer tomorrow, then we’ll arrange to get the payments sent to you direct. In the meantime, we can…”

“It’s fine,” I said. “It can wait until the payments come through. I’m in no rush.”

“At the risk of looking a gift horse in the mouth,” Louise piped up, “how can you afford this place?”

“I have an uncle, Samuel,” I said, managing to keep a straight face. “He is funding it for us.”

“Uncle Sam? Really?” I heard the thought from Mary from outside the door. She knocked.

“Pizza has arrived,” she said, poking her head in and giving me an amused look.

While we ate, I turned to Jules. “You know we already decided on the sleeping arrangements?”

She nodded, looking a little nervous.

“I am not changing them,” I assured her, “but I think you should also, and I stress ALSO, have one of the bedrooms for yourself. If you need some time alone, you need somewhere to call your own. We love the idea of you sharing with us, but everyone needs their own space from time to time.”

Jules smiled. “Thank you, Caleb. I would like a room, but would it be okay if I turned it into a workshop? It would be great to have space where I can tinker with stuff.”

“Whatever you need,” I said. “Just try not to do anything permanent. My uncle Samuel is not very forgiving.”

“I thought you didn’t have any uncles or aunts?” Josh said.

“So did I,” I said. “That was one of the things that my mother wanted to speak to me about at the weekend. It was very enlightening. But it’s all ‘top secret’ family stuff, so don’t ask.” I grinned at him to show I was kidding.

He grinned back around a mouthful of pizza.

We each spent the evening getting our stuff set up the way we liked, and then decided it was time for bed. It had been a long, hectic, and surprisingly emotional day.

I had been considering how our arrangement was going to work. I needn’t have worried. The girls seem to have organised themselves, and I ended up in the middle of the bed, with Mary draped over me from one side and Jules from the other. Amanda, who seemed to have taken a particular shine to our newest addition, was behind Jules her arm across her protectively, her hand on my arm. I decided I liked this. Once again, I felt power envelop us all – Amanda, this time – and ease us all into sleep.

I woke early and snuck out of bed, leaving the three girls to sleepily rearrange themselves into a pile. I wanted to start working on my martial arts training. I had the knowledge, but I needed to develop the muscle memory to allow me to use it.

Dressing in a T-shirt and shorts, I went out onto the back deck and tried to assume a fighting stance, as I had seen my trainer do. I could immediately feel that something was wrong, and I repositioned myself until it felt right. For thirty minutes, I practiced over and over, just assuming the fighting stance. I figured I needed to get the basics right to have something to build on. By the end of the half hour, I was able to fall into the fighting stance without error, feeling relaxed and comfortable. Then I started on a blocking move.

Mary interrupted me nearly two hours later.

“If you don’t come and have breakfast now,” she told me, “you won’t have time for a shower before we need to leave.”

The next few days followed the same pattern. I got up early, trained for a couple of hours, and then went to uni. In the evening we would work on our assignments together, eat together and then watch TV until it was time to sleep. Since I was getting up so early, I was usually ready for bed by nine. Most nights I went to bed alone, but work up surrounded by female forms. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason as to where people slept. Sometimes, I had the twins on either side of me, at other times one of the twins and Jules. Jules loved to snuggle in. Whatever the combination, it felt right. Josh and Louise seemed happy with the arrangement, spending their evenings with us, and then retiring to their room to sleep, or whatever else they got up to in there.

Since I was getting up so early to train, and going to bed before the twins, we hadn’t had any opportunity for sex, either, and I was looking forward to the weekend, when we might change that.

Friday night, I asked everyone what their plans were for the weekend.

“We’re going to my parents,” Josh said. “It’s my mother’s birthday, and they still haven’t met Louise.

I grinned at her. “Nervous?” I queried.

“A little,” she admitted, “but I have to get a look at his dad. I need to see what I’m letting myself in for.”

I laughed. “Jules, how about you?” I asked.

“I don’t have any concrete plans,” she said, “but I was thinking of going shopping. I think I need some new clothes.”

I smiled at her.

Before I could ask the twins, I was assaulted with a barrage of images, all of them highly pornographic and all of them involving the three of us. I was instantly horny.

“We have plans too,” Mary said with a sultry smile. “Perhaps you can have a lie-in tomorrow?”

Despite getting up early, I deliberately went to bed late so I would sleep longer the next day. I didn’t want to be awake at five in the morning. I was still surprised to wake up on Saturday morning and find that it was already after ten, and that the girls were nowhere to be seen.

I stumbled out of bed, attended to some morning business, and found them in the kitchen. They were just putting a plate of food on the table.

“Breakfast,” Amanda said. “Eat it all up. You’re going to need your strength.”

“Are you not having any?” I asked.

“We had ours earlier,” Mary said, adding a glass of orange juice. I resolved to time my drinks carefully.

“Thank you,” I said. “This is wonderful.”

After breakfast, they took me back into the bedroom, and then into the shower.

The warm water felt wonderful cascading over my body, and the warm naked female flesh rubbing up against me felt divine. I reached for Amanda, and she gently pushed my hand down.

“Let us do the work,” she said.

As they had the night they had ‘prepared’ me for Dianna, they started by washing my hair. It incorporated a gentle but firm scalp massage that had me purring and weak-kneed. I wasn’t aroused at that stage, which was strange, given I was in a shower with two wet, naked, red-hot women, but I just felt really relaxed.

Once all the soap had been washed from my hair, Mary, who was stood in front of me, closed in and started soaping up my chest, while Amanda did my back. Once they were satisfied with the amount of soap, they both closed with me. Mary kissed me, her lips soft and inviting, and her tongue teasing at is invaded my mouth. Amanda pulled herself into me from behind. The net result was that while Mary was ravaging my mouth, they were ‘washing’ me with their breasts, the firm, slippery flesh rubbing over my chest and back. I could feel the hardness of their erect nipples almost digging furrows in my skin. When Mary’s nipples grazed mine, electric shocks shot through me, heading directly to my groin.

I was no longer relaxed.

Mary released my mouth as they both moved slowly south. Like dancers, they continued to undulate across me, using their own bodies to wash me. I felt Mary’s tits on my belly, as Amanda lowered to the same level behind me. They skipped my midriff for now, but continued down my legs, switching to using their hands once they were fully on their knees. Mary had my cock right in front of her face and she smiled.

My lower legs and feet were washed, again as they had been done the last time, and again I was amazed that they managed to do it without tickling my feet and breaking the mood.

Once again, they soaped up their hands and I braced. I was so close now I thought that if Mary breathed on my cock, I would come. She didn’t breathe on it, but she did start to wash it, and my surrounding groin and then my balls. Amanda, meanwhile, was rubbing my ass cheeks, then rubbing her soapy hand from my taint, all the way up my ass crack, across my asshole, and to the small of my back. The fleeting contact with my asshole made me twitch, and a pearl of precum appeared at the end of my cock. Mary smiled and wiped it away.

Soon all the soap was gone, and I waited for what came next. Remembering the last shower, I expected Mary to take me in her mouth. What I didn’t expect was for Amanda to start rubbing a slippery finger around my tight crinkled rosebud.

My breath caught and I tensed a little, but Mary stood and once again kissed me while soothing feelings emanated from her. I relaxed into the kiss, and Amanda continued her assault. Before I knew it, Amanda had inserted the tip of her finger into my ass, and was gently pumping it in and out. Mary continued to kiss me, her breasts rubbing against my chest and her hand on my cock. She wasn’t moving her hand much, but was keeping a gentle pressure on. Anything more would have been the end of me.

By then, Amanda had her finger in quite some way, and I felt her curl it forward and begin to massage toward the front. She was incredibly gentle, and I immediately got a weird sensation. It was like a cross between wanting to pee and wanting to come. I had never experienced anything like it before. I also felt a small squirt of precum leave me. Mary captured it and started to massage it into my cock.

Amanda gently withdrew her finger, leaving me feeling a little empty back there, but before I could bemoan the loss, she started once again to massage my anal ring, this time working two fingers into me. It wasn’t exactly painful, but I could feel myself being stretched back there.

I tensed, and Mary broke the kiss. She leaned forward and squeezed my cock a little tighter as she whispered in my ear. “Relax,” she said. “Trust her, you know she won’t hurt you. Let her show you how good it can feel.”

I made a conscious effort to relax, and Amanda, who had stopped moving when I’d tensed, began again.

That was Mary’s cue to once again slide down my body until she came face-to-face with my straining erection. Poking out her tongue delicately, she licked at the tip, capturing a pearl of precum that hadn’t yet been washed away by the water.

Amanda had worked her two fingers all the way into me. I could feel the rest of her hand bumping against me as she slowly pumped them in and out, twisting to provide more sensation. The feeling was starting to become very pleasurable, especially when the tips of her fingers rubbed over a particular spot inside.

Mary opened her mouth and enveloped the head of my cock in sweet, gentle warmth. She didn’t move, or even start to caress the head with her tongue. She just applied a little suction and sat with my cock on her tongue. I wondered what she was doing. I wasn’t kept wondering for long. Amanda suddenly started a firm massage in my ass, pressing onto my prostate. Feelings I had never encountered before shot up my spine, and my balls immediately began to give up their load.

Mary plunged her face forward, swallowing my length in a single move, and began to give me an almost violent blowjob. I couldn’t help myself. I grabbed her head and forced my cock as deep into her throat as I could, jetting spurt after spurt of my creamy spunk into her.

I felt a feeling of submission and arousal from Mary, and a little bit of dominance and satisfaction from Amanda, as they forced me to endure the most earth-shattering orgasm I had ever experienced.

I relaxed my death grip on Mary’s head, and she pulled back, gently bathing my cock with her tongue. Amanda once more soaped my ass and cleaned me, and her hands.

They both stood. I sensed a little disappointment from Amanda and realised that because I had shot directly into Mary’s throat, she had been forced to swallow it all, and there was none to share. They kissed all the same, although it only lasted a few seconds.

I caught my breath, and we stepped out of the shower. Once again, the girls dried me between them. After I was dry, Mary handed me a fresh towel and indicated I should help her to dry Amanda, it took longer than it should have, and certain parts of Amanda ended up wetter than when we started. Then it was Mary’s turn and Amanda and I spent some time making sure Mary was ‘dry.’

We moved into the bedroom.

Mary shared a memory with me, or rather a fragment of one. It was one where Louise had told her that while I had been good, it was not earth-shattering. The feelings that accompanied the memory were not mocking or ridiculing, but nurturing and supportive. I immediately recognised the message.

“Teach me!” I sent to them both.

Mary smiled, but Amanda grinned widely. I guessed that she was going to be the test subject.

I lifted Amanda up and kissed her, our tongues gently caressing each other, as I laid her down on the massive bed. She broke the kiss and scooted up to the middle. Mary lay alongside her and invited me to take the opposite side.

“Josh was right when he said that girls are not just tits and pussy,” she said, “but he needs to practice what he preaches a bit more. Start with a kiss.”

I moved in and kissed Amanda once again, gentle and loving, exploring with my tongue. Mary projected memories of things she’d done with Amanda and with Louise. It was not only instructive, but also incredibly arousing to have my very own POV porn show.

I decided to share with them as well. I used my power to push out to Mary what Amanda felt, and then what I felt to them both. I knew that would make things even more special. I couldn’t avoid sending out the love that we all felt as well for our extended family Mary, Amanda, Jules and me; that was just a given.

I began to enact the memories on Amanda, stroking her hair as we kissed, running my hands up and down her neck and sides. Because we were sharing, I immediately got feedback: what felt good, and what didn’t. I could feel how firm to be to avoid tickling her but not make it uncomfortable. It felt amazing – not just sharing the physical sensations, but the act of learning how to please someone with the most immediate and intimate positive feedback imaginable.

I started to kiss her neck and she sighed. My hands roamed her body, gently stroking and massaging, relaxing and arousing in the same moment. For a time, I avoided the obvious erogenous zones and tried to find the hidden ones. For instance, I discovered that her side, not quite under her arm but not quite on her breast, produced some nice sensations when stroked. I experimented further and found that kissing there increased the pleasure, and that gentle licks with the tip of my tongue worked best and made her wriggle with need.

I worked my way down her body, exploring every inch of her with my fingers, lips and tongue, still avoiding her tits and her pussy. I was enjoying myself so much that I hadn’t immediately realised that Mary had stopped giving instruction. When I glanced over to her, I saw that she was lying beside Amanda, her eyes closed, also enjoying the sensations my ministrations were causing. I grinned as I continued down Amanda’s legs, kissing and licking at her thighs. She parted them, inviting me to go further, but after the shower I was in the mood for a little payback, and I continued to tease them both.

The knees and shins didn’t produce much in the way of arousal, but the feet, well, that was a completely different story. As they had with me, I massaged each foot, careful not to tickle and break the relaxed, horny mood. Amanda moaned and squirmed as I licked along the bottom of her foot before taking her big toe into my mouth and sucking on it gently. I gave all ten of her pretty, pink polished digits a tongue bath before sitting back.

I moved back up her body, stroking, kissing and licking all the places I had found she liked, until I arrived at her breasts. I felt her need. She wanted them me to touch them, kiss them, maul them even.

I began once again at the side, on that little place I had found earlier, and slowly moved inward, kissing and licking at the firm, bountiful flesh. Amanda’s breath was becoming shorter, her nipples rigid and swollen with need. Gently, I captured her nipple in my mouth and began to swirl my tongue around it, as I lightly traced around the other with my fingernail.

Amanda moaned. “Please, Caleb…”

I got a confused flash of images from her as she fantasized in her ultra-aroused state: images of myself and Jules, latched onto both her nipples as Mary lapped at her pussy; another of me astride her chest, my cock pillowed between her breasts and spewing my cum over her face. There were more, but they were so fleeting I couldn’t catch them all. The wanton feelings that accompanied them very nearly caused me to lose my own control.

I persevered, nipping and nibbling at her nipples, alternating between stroking kissing and licking at her breasts. She was grinding her hips, thrusting up at the air, frustrated at the lack of contact, of anything that would truly slake her growing need.

I fleetingly wondered if I could make her come by playing with her breasts but decided that would be an experiment for another day. I wanted her on the edge. I wanted to delay her orgasm for a while longer, making it all the sweeter when it finally happened.

I pressed a final kiss to her breast and sat back a little.

“Turn over, baby,” I said gently to her. With a small moue of disappointment, she obediently shuffled over onto her belly, her head supported on her hands.

I moved back up her body, but this time I covered her with my body, allowing a little of my weight to press her into the bed and my raging erection to seat itself against her ass. She pressed back into me but I pulled back.

“Not yet,” I said. “It needs to be earth-shattering.”

She whined something incoherent, but I ignored her, and started up once again, kissing her neck and running the tip of my tongue around her ear.

This seemed to get a reaction, and I gently probed a little deeper before moving to the back of her neck once again.

I repeated the journey I had made down the front of her body, down the back, finding more places she liked to be touched kissed and licked. She loved her back being stroked, but it was more relaxing than arousing, so although I spent a little time on it, I moved on. I wanted her horny, not asleep.

Her hips she liked to be kissed, and she loved her ass cheeks massaged. She particularly liked me to part her ass cheeks, exposing her little star. Amanda apparently had a fetish in that direction, and I filed that bit of information for later.

The backs of her thighs she enjoyed, and once again she spread her legs invitingly, thrusting her bottom up, wanting more contact. A brief image from Mary made me smile, and I landed a sharp smack to her butt cheek. She yelped as it landed, but I felt the pain and heat of the smack run directly to her pussy. She was leaking heavily.

The backs of her knees were ticklish to the touch, but she didn’t mind kisses there, and she enjoyed her calves being massaged. Again, I discovered that that was more about relaxation than arousal, so I moved back up her body.

I was astride her legs with my face over her ass, and she started to rub my cock and balls with her feet, trying to get me worked up enough to fuck her.

I gave her two sharp slaps on her ass, one on each cheek, and she moaned. Her cheeks were slightly pink, both from my direct and indirect attentions. I then put a hand on each cheek and parted them before running my tongue all the way from the back of her pussy, up across her tight little star to her coccyx.

She twitched and moaned, opening her legs further.

I did it again. She started to push her butt up in the air.

I feathered some kisses around her cheeks and once again spread her, before pointing my tongue and pushing it against her asshole, swirling it about and working it into the tight ring of muscle.

Amanda squeaked and began to push up against me, allowing me to slide my hand under her to cup her pussy and start to rub my thumb up and down the length of her slit, which was slick with her juices.

I worked my tongue deeper inside her and she began to moan, grinding forward against my hand before pushing back against my tongue. Apparently I was nowhere near deep enough. I considered switching to my fingers, but decided against, instead opting to insert two fingers into her pussy as I continued to rim her tight little asshole.

With that added stimulation, she could no longer contain herself. She pulled her knees up, sticking her ass into the air and giving me all the access I needed. I began to pump my fingers in and out of her dripping pussy as I continued the assault on her asshole, using my thumb to lightly tease her clit. She shivered, and her breath became laboured and short.

I was struggling to balance, so I had to move up to my knees while I continued my aggressive tonguing. While I was stroking my fingers deeply inside of her pussy, I began to massage her G-spot, and increased the pressure I was putting on her clit.

She was moaning constantly, muttering indistinct words. The muscles of her thighs began to tremble; I could feel her orgasm building, and I knew that I could either let her ride it out, or I could deny her.

I continued to pump my fingers in and out of her, replacing my tongue with my wetted thumb from my other hand. I tried to hide my intentions from the bond, because I wanted my next move to be a surprise.

I felt her building and building as I massaged her G-spot while rubbing her clit and stretching her asshole with my thumb.

I brought her to the very brink, and then, at the very last moment before she was about to explode,, I stopped everything.

“NONONONONO!” she begged. “Don’t stop. Please!”

I could see Mary’s hands straying towards her own pussy, seeking the release that I had denied both of them.

Then I plunged my rigid cock all the way into her pussy in a single stroke, at the same time pushing my thumb back up her asshole.

Amanda shrieked.

I had intended to pound into her to bring her over, but there was no need. The sudden penetration of both her holes rocketed her into orgasm, which fed back into me. I immediately bucked again as my own orgasm triggered, shooting spurt after spurt of my cum deep inside her. My orgasm, and the feeling of me pulsing inside, her set her off again. She went rigid, clamping down on my cock as she seized up, her muscles going into spasm as she squirted copious amounts of her juices over my balls and thighs.

Beside us on the bed I saw Mary twitching and moaning, her eyes closed, her hands gripping the sheet beneath her. I could see that she had also squirted; there was a considerable puddle between her spread legs, and her pussy gaped a little, pulsating as she rode out her own orgasm.

I fell forward, forcing Amanda flat onto the bed I tried to roll off her, but she growled at me. “Don’t you dare fucking move.”

I was still inside her, and could still feel her pussy fluttering a little against my softening cock. Eventually I slipped out of her. And she allowed me to roll off her and onto my side.

“Wow,” said Mary. “Just, WOW. Talk about a quick study.”

I smiled. “I had a good teacher.”

I examined the bond, revelling in the feelings of love and satisfaction coming from both of them, the purple links between us blazing brightly.

And then I saw it.

There were the two thick, bright highways linking Mary, Amanda and I, but there was also a smaller link – almost unnoticeable by comparison -heading off elsewhere, linking to someone else.

“Oh NO!” I said, immediately sharing the vision with the twins. “Please, no. She wasn’t supposed to be in the house. How could I have done that to her?”

I shot to my feet and headed for the door.

“CALEB!” They both shouted together.

I turned, frustrated at the delay.

“Barging in there naked is not going to make things better,” Mary said gently. “Let’s get dressed and we will go and see her.”

I pulled on some shorts and a t-shirt while the girls dressed, and we emerged from the bedroom. Now that we were in the hallway, I could hear her. She was in her room, weeping.

I held my head in my hands. “You guys go see how she is,” I said miserably, “The last person she is going to want to see is the guy who just mind-raped her. I’ll call Dianna. I think she will need her help.”

Amanda approached Jules’s door and knocked. Mary came to me “Don’t do ANYTHING until we have spoken with Jules. She is our first priority; you can have your pity party later!”

I was stunned, but she was right of course. Jules had to be our priority.

Amanda entered Jules’s room. After a few minutes, she called us both in.

When I went into the room I saw Jules on her bed, with Amanda holding her. Jules was flushed and sweaty, and I could see that her shorts were soaked. I was mortified. I had forced an asexual person not only to endure what must have felt like hours of torture but then forced her own body to betray her and have several orgasms. Her aura was a kaleidoscope of colours that I had no hope of deciphering.

“Jules,” I said, “I am so…”

Jules looked up and saw me. She dived off her bed and flew at me. I fully expected her to attack me, claw my face bite and kick and scream, and I didn’t blame her. I didn’t flinch, I just stood, ready to accept whatever she felt she needed to do. She could do anything if it would make her feel even a little better.

I didn’t expect her to throw her arms around me and squeeze me tightly. I was so surprised that I didn’t understand what she was saying.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she was repeating over and over again.

I looked at Amanda, dumbfounded.

I was about to talk, but Mary shook her head. “Wait for her to speak. I think I know what’s happening, and if you apologize, it might ruin it for her.”

I gently disengaged Jules and led her back to her bed, sitting her on the edge and taking the spot beside her.

“I didn’t really believe it,” she sniffed. “I know you all said that I was with you and that you loved me, but I have been let down so many times. I didn’t dare believe that this time it was real. I hoped with all my heart, but the little voice in my head told me that I was being stupid, and I was just setting myself up for yet another huge disappointment.

“But today you have proved to me that you are telling me the truth. I felt the love, so much love between you guys and I knew that I was included. I could feel what you felt for Mary, and for Amanda, but I could also feel what you feel for me. I felt it from all of you.”

I felt you reach out to me, felt the love, and I gladly accepted it, but then I realized that you didn’t know I was here. “I know that you didn’t mean to include me in your sex,” she said, “and, given the look on your face right now, I’d say you are already thinking up new and novel ways to torture yourself about it. Please don’t. If you hadn’t, I would never have learned what I did. When you shared with me you didn’t just share the sex; you shared your feelings, so I know.

“The sex was, interesting,” she said blushing a little, “it’s strange experiencing it like that, to be honest, it’s not something I would like to do on a regular basis, but it was definitely an experience I will treasure, not for the physical aspects, although the massage was nice, but for the amount of love you have for each other, the love you showed for me, even when you were in the midst of passion with Amanda and Mary. Basking in so much love was worth some wet panties.”

She blushed a bit more. “And maybe, when I need my itch scratched, perhaps I might be allowed to ‘listen in’ on another of your sessions?”

I blew out a breath.

“Jules,” I said, “I could have found a way to show you what you needed without subjecting you to…”

“Stop,” she said. “I said no self-torture. You three have given me more love in the last week than I have experienced from anyone outside my family in my whole life. I kind of knew what I was getting myself into when I agreed to this, and I know there would be slips. The most important factor to me is intent. We all make mistakes; you have a shitload of power, and so yours are likely to be correspondingly bigger. But you are human, Caleb. You need to remember that despite your powers, and please don’t think I’m trying to insult you, you are still just a boy.

“You’re a twenty-year-old with huge power. What could possibly go wrong? You will make mistakes and bad choices. Mary, Amanda, and I are here to help you, support you, and love you, and if I have to suffer the odd orgasm here and there along the way, it’s not really a high price. I do think that the universe has your back though.”

“How’s that?” I asked, curious.

“Well,” she said, “it took you, a man with an exceptional interest in asses, and put you in a relationship with Amanda, a girl with a real fetish for ass play. Those were some interesting sensations, by the way.” She smirked.

Both Amanda and I blushed furiously.

Jules hugged me again. “I love you, Caleb. I love the three of you. Now go brush your teeth.”

Chapter 9 – Training and Sharing

I started my Monday with a run. The weekend had been amazing; there had been some ups and downs, sure, but overall, it had gone really well. Jules was euphoric, Amanda and Mary were happy, and Josh and Louise would be back from her parents’ later today.

For some reason I had got out of bed even earlier than usual, waking up just after four-thirty. I was wide awake and felt energized. I decided that rather than just waste the time, I could go for a run, get an hour’s worth of martial arts training in, and still be at the gym by six-thirty to meet James.

Intending to shower at the gym, I packed a change of clothes in my backpack and set out.

I was feeling particularly upbeat, so I put my earbuds in and started my playlist off with ELO’s “Mr. Blue Sky.”

I checked my shield as I ran. Ever since my first session, when James had told me I needed to keep it always raised – even when sleeping – I had endeavored to do just that. Maintaining it when I was awake was not a problem. It had the added advantage of blocking out all the extraneous noise I had been exposed to as my Telepathy had developed. Keeping it up when I was asleep was more difficult, and I’d failed miserably the first couple of times I’d tried.

I’d decided, then, that that was as good a time as any to perform an experiment I’d been hesitant to try: Compelling myself. I’d still shied away from the most direct approach, but ultimately, ordering one’s mental starship crew to keep the shields raised until eight in the morning is just ordering one’s self. That’s what I’d imagined happening, and, to my delight, my shield had stayed up until exactly then.

I got a little jolt when it dropped automatically at the predetermined time: an unexpected rush of mental noise. A small amendment to the order, though, and I was secure behind the best mental shield I could build. Best of all, the only cost seemed to be that I was eating more. I guess the energy had to come from somewhere.

I still hadn’t figured out how to cloak while the bonds with the twins were active. I was also a little concerned about them generally. As James had said, they were a vulnerability. Even without being attacked directly, I could be incapacitated if someone got to one or both girls and somehow neutralized the bond. I needed to figure out a way of not becoming completely useless if that happened. If it did, that would mean the girls were in trouble. I’d need to be able to save them.

I ran through the park, and, after I had covered around five or six miles, I ended up on a playing field just outside the university grounds. I dropped the backpack onto the ground and began to center myself and practice the forms I had been working on.

Half an hour later, I ‘smelled’ James’ approach. He was not trying to be stealthy, so I didn’t stop the kata I was in the middle of. When I finished, I turned toward him, and out of a reflex I didn’t even know I had, I bowed.

“Nice,” he said. “You are coming along nicely. How much time are you practicing a day?”

“I average about two hours a day,” I returned.

“Show me,” he said, adopting his own fighting stance.

We circled each other. I knew from the start that I had nothing that would worry him, so I concentrated on keeping my form good and executing each move precisely.

He feinted a blow, but I easily read his intent, ignored the feint, and blocked the follow-up.

I copied his feint, and likewise, he ignored it, but it was a double bluff. I followed through with the original move, forcing him to backpedal a little and block. Then I saw an opportunity to use my wrestling skills; I grappled him, taking him to the floor and trying to apply an arm bar. He wriggled free and rolled away, regaining his feet and immediately attacked me while I was still down. I was in no position to defend myself, so I used my Telekinesis to push him away.

He grinned at me. “Excellent use of combined skills and abilities,” he praised. “Your martial arts training is coming on well; I will give you more memories at the end of today’s session. Remind me.” He chuckled at his own joke. “Adding in your wrestling experience was a good play. It’s something you are familiar with, and had you locked in that arm bar I would have been in trouble. The fact that you didn’t would have been a problem if you hadn’t thought to use your power to give yourself space to recover.

“I am not concerned about your ability to fight, so I think we need to concentrate on other things from here on. I’m not abandoning the martial arts training, but if you maintain the regimen you have been following, I don’t need to be as involved.

“Actually,” he reconsidered, “let me give you those memories now. Drop your shield for me.”

I complied and soon felt more martial arts information being poured into my mind. With that out of the way, he indicated that I should follow him, and we jogged briskly the half mile or so to the gym.

Once inside, we sat on a bench at the side of the room. “I am sure you have been thinking about things since we met last,” he said. “Is there anything you want to talk about before we start?”

“I need to do something with the bond,” I replied, “so I’m not incapacitated if it is disrupted. No matter how good my defenses are, if someone gets to the girls or somehow finds a way to block the bond from outside my shield, I’m fucked.

“Also,” I continued, “I need to figure out how to use the cloak and not disrupt the bond. I was also thinking about how to use the cloak more like a disguise. Apparently, the cloak makes it look like I’m not there. Having a physical presence, but no mental one would be a red flag to anyone who can sense it.”

He nodded. “All good points. Did you figure out something to use to detect illusion?”

I nodded.

“What did you decide on?” he asked.

I grinned at him. “If I tell you that,” I said, “I’m going to have to start all over again.”

“Good man,” he laughed. “Tell nobody – not me, not Dianna, not even your three girlfriends. Only you need to know.”

We started the session. First, he showed me how I could compartmentalize my mind so that no matter what I was going through emotionally, I would still be able to function. It was initially unpleasant, as it effectively switched off my emotional drive completely. It was dissociative; I could still recognize the emotion and understand its significance, but it didn’t affect me directly.

“Use that with care,” he said, “and only in dire need. It is possible to overuse it and lock it into place. If that happens, you effectively become a psychopath, with no emotional drive. I’m sure you recognize how dangerous that could be given your power. Also, you need to remember that if the bond is disrupted, you may have locked off the emotion, but your girls will still be suffering the full pain of the disruption, so make sure you resolve the issue swiftly.

“Now,” he continued, “about your cloak. I did some research, and I found something that might answer two of your questions – specifically, I watched Star Trek VI, where the cloak has been improved to the level where they can not only fire their weapons through it, but it can also mimic its surroundings and appear to be the same as normal space.

“Since your abilities seem largely driven by your imagination, perhaps you can imagine a scenario where the phasing of the energy making up your cloak allows the specific frequency of energy that forms the bond to pass through unimpeded, and also picks up the background signals you are receiving from those around you and uses them to create an image to project instead of just a blank space.”

I nodded but decided it was something that I needed to practice at home. I needed to have the girls in sight in case something went wrong and I accidentally blocked the bond.

“I said that I would show you how to exit an illusion once you determine that you are in one,” he continued. “I am going to create an illusion, and pull you in. Once you recognize that it is an illusion, I want you to tell me. That will let me know how good your detection is. Then I will show you how to get out.”

I nodded.

“Ready?” he asked.

I nodded, but nothing happened. I wondered when he was going to start but then thought about how much of a sneaky bastard he was. I surreptitiously checked my ‘tell’ and found that we were in fact within an illusion.

“Ok, so when did it start?” I asked him.

He looked at me, grinning. “Did you ever see those movies where they depicted the film getting jammed in the projector and catching fire?” he asked.

“Yes,” I replied.

“Just imagine that whatever is in front of you suddenly freezes, and then melts, like in that scene. That should be enough to disrupt the illusion and force you back into reality. Always double-check your tell once you are out.”

I looked at him, imagining that his visage had frozen. Suddenly I saw it, just as he had described. The film strip, even with the perforated edges, froze and then melted from the middle out. I was standing in the middle of the park where we had been fighting.

I checked my tell again, very careful not to let him see what I was doing. It seemed I was out of the illusion.

“Excellent!” he said. “But you forgot to check your tell.”

“Did I?” I asked innocently.

He laughed. “Not a visual tell then. I was watching your eyes. A physical one. That’s even better. But remember if whoever has you in an illusion also has you physically, which they probably will, they will have access to your body and everything you have on you. They may well strip you naked, and remove jewelry like your signet ring, necklace, and anything you have in your pockets. Once they figure out how you are using whatever it is, they can include it in your illusion.”

“I take it that that is why you had me drop my shield,” I said. “The martial arts memories were just a ruse?”

He grinned again. “Yes and no. I was going to give you those memories, but I wanted to pull you into an illusion without you knowing. I can’t do that when you are shielded.”

Once again, I checked my tell and then raised my shield.

“If that’s the case,” I asked, “why worry about illusion? If it can’t be imposed through my shield, then shouldn’t I be immune?”

“If you keep your shield up permanently, then probably,” he replied, “but you still have to consider that as powerful as you are, there may well be someone more powerful than you that could overwhelm your shield. There are also drugs that can temporarily dampen your abilities. If, for instance, I were to slip that into a drink or food, then you might find your psychic abilities become unavailable to you for a while.”

“Then how could I leave an illusion with no psychic abilities?” I asked. “And what would be the point anyway? Surely if I have no abilities, then I could be compelled to do anything they wanted me to do in any case.”

“No,” he said, “if your psychic abilities are blocked, then no psychic abilities can be used on you either. The drugs effectively prevent connections being made to your mind, in either direction. There are physical side effects, though, which is why norms working in the agency don’t routinely take them.”

“I don’t understand the purpose of illusion, then,” I said. “If they have to break down my shields to both Compel me and to use illusion, and they can Compel me to do, say, or reveal anything in any case, what is the use case for illusion? Why would they even bother?”

“Good question,” he replied. “Yes, they can Compel you to do or reveal anything with Compulsion, but a trained operative can often spot someone who is being Compelled, even subtly. One use case for illusion is, naturally, to trick a person. It’s a way to make them act how you want them to act because they’ve been fed bad information.

“Other use cases are more… dire,” he continued. “I might even call them perverse, which is quite the word when we’re also discussing people using mind control to commit rape. If somebody buys into an illusion, they’ll stay there potentially forever. The longer they stay, the more their own mind will take over and do the work. It’s a great way to take somebody off the board for a very long time, or, once again, to brainwash them in a way that doesn’t ‘smell wrong’ to another powered person. Does that make sense?”

“I think so,” I said thoughtfully. “Now I guess I just have to deal with possibility that I’ve been in an illusion for weeks or months, and will never know.”

“Yeah, that is the thing, isn’t it?” he said ruefully. “I’m not going to tell you not to push occasionally and see if you can find some cracks, but, well… be careful. You’re rolling some heavy dice if you dedicate your life to that instead of to anything else.”

He indicated that I should follow him, and we jogged briskly the half mile or so to the gym, again, except actually for the first time. I checked my tell; still not illusion, unless everything else had been too.

“Right,” he said. “Let’s see your Compulsion.”

We trained for about an hour; the lesson of the day was subtlety. He told me that most untrained people with the Compulsion power just overwhelm their victims psyche and force them to do what they want them to do. It’s brutal, traumatic, and easily detectable to those who also have power. Even those who have been trained, but are unskilled, use that approach. He didn’t hesitate to share his opinion that it was lazy, disrespectful to the power, and even disrespectful to the victim.

He explained that you could use Compulsion in a targeted and subtle way, not to force, but to encourage people to do what you wanted them to do. It was about nudging their motivations rather than their actions – a simple domino effect. If you found the right motivation at the right time, you could trick the subject into thinking they’d been acting completely of their own volition. Not only that, but it was much harder to detect from the outside. The threads of control are so fine that they are easily missed.

“Couldn’t I just imagine the subject believing that they were acting completely free of all influence?” I asked.

“You could, but that would still be full-on Compulsion, and therefore highly visible to an external observer with power. It’s not necessarily just about the victim’s perception. You can also get a cascade effect – sort of like a doctor giving a drug, and then giving another drug to minimise the side effects of the first, but then having to give a third drug to minimise the side effects of the second and so on. If you stack Compulsions like that, it can get out of hand.

“Let me demonstrate the difference between full on compulsion and a more subtle approach,” he said.

I dropped my shields again, and he tried to compel me to do something, I wasn’t sure what, because I felt the Compulsion on my mind like a lead weight. I forced it off, pushing him out of my mind, feeling pleased with myself.

It was only then I realised that I was scratching furiously at my balls, trying to rid myself of an incredible itch that just wouldn’t go away. I examined my mind and saw the tiniest of threads connecting us. I severed it with a scowl and the itch stopped.

My shield went back up.

Just then, all three of the girls showed up.

“Are you coming for breakfast?” Mary asked. “If so, you need to shower now.”

I looked at James and he nodded, grinning at me, pleased with himself. I experimented, reaching out delicately to his mind, and sent a tiny thought, giving him the worst ring itch imaginable. He squirmed, not wanting to scratch his ass in front of the girls. I grinned back at him.

“Same time on Wednesday?” I asked.

I saw him concentrate for a second and felt the connection snap. “You will pay for that,” he said, but then grinned again. “Nicely done though. See you Wednesday.”

He departed, and I headed for the showers.

************

On Wednesday, we talked about shields, and how to get through them.

“Most people imagine their shields as a wall, brick, stone, marble, steel,” he said. “Things that they think are impenetrable. You can usually find cracks or flaws that you can worm your way through. If you are subtle enough, and gentle enough, you can do so without them even knowing their shields have been breached. That is the gold standard.

“You, however, have gone high-tech: energy shields. But the principle is the same.”

“Does that mean that in order to breach a shield, you have to know how the target visualises it?” I asked.

“Yes and no,” he said. “The shield will be visible to you on approach, so yes, you do have to, but no, it’s not something you need to go out of your way to discover. Look at my shield.”

I reached my mind out to his, and immediately was faced by an endlessly tall wall of ice.

“Game of Thrones?” I said, “Really?”

“I picked it for today’s exercise,” he replied dryly.

I Examined his shield looking for gaps, I looked up, there was nothing, the ice went on gently curving to a horizon some distance away. Looking down gave me the same view. Left and right glances confirmed my thoughts. I was looking at a huge ice sphere.

I tried shifting my perspective but although I moved, my view didn’t change. I tried going closer and closer, magnifying the sphere looking for cracks or crevices I might worm through, but this was ice. It was smoother than glass.

I tried pulling back, seeing the sphere as a whole, looking for anything I might use to gain access.

I slowly worked my way around, not physically moving, but mentally circling his shield searching for any route through.

“Well?” he said, “any thoughts on how you might get through?”

“It seems very strong,” I said, temporizing, but at the same time catching sight of a small ripple in the ice that I wanted to investigate further.

“And it completely encloses your mind,” I added, moving closer to get a better look. There seemed to be a tiny section where there was an overlap, where the ice didn’t appear to seal perfectly. I moved closer to that point.

“I think I might have an idea,” I said, burrowing through the tiny hole left where the imperfection had left his shield vulnerable.

The ring itch was back.

“You FUCKER!” he exclaimed, squirming. He severed the connection.

“Do I need to worry about you?” he asked. “You seem awfully interested in my ass.” He obviously hadn’t learned about my sexuality.

“Well, it is pretty cute,” I said, winking at him.

“But you have three girlfriends,” he said, clearly confused.

“Four, apparently,” I said, “and one boyfriend so far, although he is with one of the girls, so I’m not sure how they count.”

He looked stunned.

I backpedalled. “Look,” I said, “my giving you ring itch was purely a revenge for the itchy balls. You opened that particular can of worms. If you’ve got a problem with my personal life, let’s call it here and I’ll talk to Dianna about finding a replacement.”

He shook his head. “What’s good for goosed, right, Caleb? I started it, just like you said. I’ll try to keep the locker room cracks to a minimum from now on. As long as you never do anything to hurt my ‘nieces,’ it’s all good. If you do, then I won’t care if you’re the straightest arrow in the quiver.

“For the record, though,” he finished with a chuckle, “the itch is fine as a motivational technique, but no scratching it for me, okay? I’ll go find myself a classic pinup nurse for that.”

I smiled at him. Inwardly, I was a little relieved. You really never knew when you were going to run into one of those people. James and I hadn’t been working together for very long, but I would’ve been very disappointed if he had turned out to be a bigot. Honestly, I would’ve felt betrayed.

“So back to the topic,” he said. “How did you breach my shield?”

“I found a hole,” I said simply, and then grinned at the unintended double-entendre “and used that.”

“I guess I could have gone at your shield with heat, or force, but since we were working on subtlety, I thought I’d give that a go.”

James frowned. “Damn, I spent ages constructing that. I guess I missed something. Anyway, you see that there are two main ways to breach a shield. You can brute force your way in, sledgehammer, explosives, etcetera, but that will mean your target will know you are there. And if you fail, you may be in for a battle. The other way relies on the fact that people are generally lazy and linear in their thinking. Unless they take time and pay particular attention to detail when creating their shields, there are usually flaws you can find and exploit. For instance, most people think in two dimensions; they will build a wall around themselves but forget to look up or down. You will be amazed at how many people simply build a brick wall that you can just step around. If your target is OCD in building their shields, brute force may be your only option.

“I took time, and paid attention building my ice sphere, but you still managed to find a weakness in it. Some people may take a lot more care than I did. Anyway, check your shield, and then I will see how long it takes me to get through.”

I considered the new information for a moment and re-imagined my shield. I started by imagining a ball of energy in the palm of my hand. I expanded it so it covered my entire body, not just my mind. I then set it spinning, first in the x axis, then in the y axis, and finally in the z axis. I hoped that by doing that, I would make my shield exceptionally difficult to examine carefully.

Going by what James had said, that just left brute force. It seemed to me, then, that once shields were a given, they were more about detection and delay than actual defence.

“Ready?” he asked when I looked at him.

I nodded.

I waited, and waited, and waited some more.

“FUCK!” he shouted. “I can’t get through. You’re not the first to choose shielding like that, but I couldn’t find any flaws to exploit.”

I smiled to myself. Because the shield was featureless, he couldn’t even tell it was spinning, so even if there were flaws, they would probably be almost impossible to see. I guessed that if the flaw was big enough it might be detectable, but tiny ones would be invisible.

“How about now?” I asked, adding my cloak. I had figured out how to visualise the bond phase-shifting with my cloak, so that it would always be present, even though my mind was totally cloaked.

“Now I can’t even fucking see you,” he said grumpily. He seemed to be getting frustrated with me.

I added in the background cover.

“I see you now,” he said, “but it’s like it’s not you. Just a load of random thoughts. I can’t fix on anything. If you can keep that up twenty-four-seven, then I have nothing to teach you regarding defence. I guess we are going to be concentrating on refining your control of your other abilities.”

“I don’t understand,” I said thoughtfully, trying to collect my thoughts into a coherent question. “Why does it have to be so complicated? Why can’t I just imagine an impenetrable barrier and leave it at that?”

“What are you, five?” he asked with a grin, but then said, “You need something at least plausible to hang your imagery on. As an adult, you know that there is no such thing. Your mind will reject the impossible. You must at least be able to rationalise that such a barrier could exist, and only someone with an exceptionally simple intellect, such as a child, or someone mentally challenged or insane, would be able to do that. That is another reason why uncontrolled children with power are so dangerous. Their imaginations are not tempered by learning and experience, and they CAN rationalise such things. Fortunately, they often don’t recognise the need to shield their minds and rarely do, so we can sneak up on them, so to speak, and stop them from hurting themselves or anyone else.

“Don’t forget there is always the option of brute force,” he reemphasized. “No matter how strong someone’s conviction in their imagery is, it is limited by the actual amount of power they have. If you are stronger, you will be able to take them down. If they are stronger, or even the same strength, then they can always just push. You should remember that, too, since you’re so strong. In an emergency, reject the game. Feel the forces instead. Just push as hard as you can. Crush, smash, all that.”

“Do I have to turn green and ruin my shirt?” I asked cheekily.

“Dealer’s choice,” he replied with a grin. “Don’t use the catch phrase, though, or you’ll get sued for sure.

“One last thing,” he said. “In my experience, most untrained psychics – what I call ‘wild’ psychics, ones who discover their power on their own – don’t even bother to shield. It doesn’t seem to occur to them that others may have a similar power. That’s not a guarantee, but an observation from my own experience. If you come across someone with a shield, the likelihood is that they have been trained, so approach with care.”

I nodded.

He looked at his watch. “We still have some time left,” he said. “Let’s talk about Telepathy.”

+++++++++

When I got home, Dianna was sat outside in her car. The twins and Jules would be home in the next hour or so; they had decided to go do some shopping after uni. Josh and Louise would be home any time.

“Why are you sat out here?” I asked. “You know the combination of the key safe.”

“I didn’t want to presume,” she said.

“No presumption,” I said. “If we are not here, just go in and make yourself at home. Josh and Louise have the second bedroom, and Jules the last one, so I’d ask you to respect their privacy…”

“I thought Jules was in with you guys?” she said.

“She is,” I answered, “but I thought she might want her privacy from time to time. But I do need to talk to you about Jules.”

“I know,” she said. “That’s why I’m here. Mary told me what happened, and also what you wanted to do. I’m glad you saw sense and waited to speak to me first.”

“Would it have hurt her?” I asked worried.

“Possibly,” she said, “but more to the point, you needed to let her know all the ramifications of what you were about to do. Since I doubt you know them all, I thought I should come talk to you all.”

“That might be difficult. Josh and Louise are here, and they don’t know about us.”

“You need to tell them, Caleb,” she said.

“But I thought…”

“They are your lovers, yes?” she asked.

“Sometimes,” I said.

“Not just casual sex partners,” she clarified. “Lovers. There are feelings there – both ways?”

I nodded.

“Then they need to know,” she said, “and the reason I am going to tell them and not you, is so that I can assure them that you didn’t use your powers to make them love you.”

My jaw dropped. “You think they might think…”

“It’s possible,” she said. “Josh in particular must be wondering why he suddenly is in love with a guy, when he has been straight all his life.”

“But you said I didn’t…” I began.

“I know you didn’t,” she assured me, “but they might not believe it coming from you. They are far more likely to believe it coming from me, someone who works the FBI. I also want to talk to you about the summer holidays, and your plans.”

I heard a car pull up and looked around. Josh and Louise had arrived home. We all went inside.

“Josh, Louise,” I said, “I’m sure you remember Dianna, Amanda and Mary’s grandmother – and before you say it, yes, she really is their grandmother, and I know she doesn’t even look old enough to be their mother. Her ego is big enough already, so don’t feed it.”

I got an elbow in my ribs for that, but Dianna chuckled all the same.

“Happy to meet you properly,” she said.

Louise smiled at her, but Josh just gaped. I heard ‘MILF’ run through his head and I snorted.

“That would be ‘GILF’,” Dianna said helpfully, and he flushed scarlet.

Dianna couldn’t have heard him, but she could read auras so well she may as well have been Telepathic. Louise laughed. We went into the kitchen, and I made coffee.

“I needed to talk to you both,” Dianna said to Josh and Louise, “because now that you guys and Caleb and the girls are lovers…”

Josh spat his coffee onto the counter and looked at me accusingly.

“Relax, Josh,” Dianna said, and I felt her power flex a little, soothing him. “It was necessary for me to know, and when I explain, you will understand why. Caleb has a tale to tell you both, and I want you to listen carefully to him. But before he does, I want to assure you that what you feel for him, and for the girls, is completely genuine, and comes from within you. When you hear his story, you will understand why I’m telling you that. Okay?”

They both nodded. I could see the confusion on their faces. They had questions, but decided to keep them until I had told my tale.

I started with the morning of my birthday. I explained everything: Josh’s dream, all the experiments I did, the visit home, the party, Harold, hearing Julia’s music, everything.

There was stunned silence.

As I came to the part about Dianna being FBI, she pulled out her credentials and placed them open on the table.

Throughout my tale, Josh’s eyes had got wider and wider. I seriously thought his eyeballs were going to fall out. Louise had a slight frown on her face.

Louise was first to speak. She directed her question at Dianna. “You said that our feelings for Caleb, come from within us,” she said. “You thought we would assume that he had used his powers to Compel us?”

“It is not an unreasonable assumption,” said Dianna. “Probably more so for Josh, since he never exhibited any inclinations to being bi before. He might think that Caleb had pushed him in that direction. Caleb gave him a wet dream, nothing more. And I promise you that he didn’t do even that deliberately. At that time, he didn’t even know he had powers.”

“How can you be so sure?” asked Josh quietly. He was looking at me, not exactly with suspicion, but I could see those thoughts running through his head.

“Because I have powers of my own,” she said. “Caleb shared his memories of that time with me. With his permission, I will share them with you. You will see what he saw, hear his thoughts, know what he knew.”

She looked at me.

“Do I have a choice?” I sent to her.

“It’s the best way to show them,” she said.

I nodded. “Okay, go ahead,” I said.

“And your journey home?” she queried.

“Fine,” I said.

She turned to them. “Relax,” she said, “It won’t hurt. I won’t be reading anything from your minds. I will purely be sharing some information with you. It will feel a little like watching a movie, but really fast, and you will remember it all. Ready?”

Louise nodded immediately, Josh a minute later. I felt Dianna’s power flex, and Josh and Louise’s eyes glazed for a second. I was surprised that Josh spoke first.

“I’m sorry Caleb,” he said.

“What for?” I asked surprised.

“For suspecting that you…” he twiddled his fingers in a hocus pocus gesture. “On me.”

“I kind of did,” I said. “But I never intended…”

“No,” he said, “you didn’t. Dianna was right. I had feelings for you long before that dream, and no, I never saw you jerk off. I guess that dream just made me accept them.”

“That was hot,” said Louise. “Seeing you shoot off like that.” Then she remembered Dianna was still in the room and she blushed furiously.

Dianna chuckled. “It kind of was,” she admitted.

Louise grinned a little sheepishly.

“So, what can you do?” Josh asked.

I looked at Dianna, she nodded.

“I have Empathy, as do the twins.” I said. “We can see auras, and share thoughts like Dianna did with you before. We can also project emotions on people close by.

“So that is why,” interrupted Louise, “when I was upset the other day, talking to Mary, when she hugged me, I got a huge feeling of love and support.”

I nodded.

“What are auras?” asked Josh.

“Kind of coloured lightshows around people,” I said. “They portray your current emotions. They take practice to read; I am still very new. I can see some fear in yours, and for some reason Louise is more than a little horny.”

Louise blushed again.

“Could you make me…”

“NO!” I said firmly, and she jumped. Dianna put her hand on my arm.

Louise flinched back and I saw spikes of yellow in her aura.

“I’m so sorry Louise,” I said apologetically. “Yes, I could do that to you, but it wouldn’t be fun; it would be rape, plain and simple – having your body taken over by someone else and forced to do something against your will. It’s not fun, it’s not horny. It’s disgusting. If you have fantasies along those lines, I would be more than happy to play pretend, but no mind control powers, ever. In a fantasy you will always have a safe word – a way to stop if things get too much. If I used my power, you wouldn’t. You would do exactly what I wanted no matter how much you hated it. I would never do that to you or anyone else.”

“Can I feel?” she asked. “Just once, to know what it feels like?”

I looked at Dianna.

“Tell him exactly what you want him to make you do,” she said. “But you need to make it uncomfortable for you – something you wouldn’t do normally. There’s no point in getting you to kiss him, for instance; you would do that probably if he asked. You need to not want to do the thing you are going to ask him to do, to appreciate the feeling of powerlessness it gives you.

“Remember, though, you are perfectly safe here. Nobody will hurt you or mistreat you in any way. He will refuse if your request is too extreme.”

Louise thought for a moment, looking around the room. I saw her eyes alight on the fruit bowl – specifically, the bananas.

“I would bet fifty dollars you would do that if I just asked,” I said, reading her thoughts.

She blushed a little but said, “Not in front of Dianna.”

“You want me to make you masturbate with a banana?” I asked. I saw Josh’s aura go deep purple instantly.

I looked at Dianna.

Dianna bent close and whispered something in my ear. I looked sharply at her, but she nodded. I sighed.

“Okay, Louise,” I said, “I will do what you asked. But remember you asked for it. This is the ONLY time I will do this.”

I flexed my power. I wasn’t gentle. I wanted to show her how horrible it was – that it wasn’t sexy or fun. I took control of her body.

She moved over to the counter and ***********ed a banana. Then she bent over one of the stools at the breakfast bar. She flipped up her skirt to reveal her pert ass – clad in a pair of white lace panties, the crotch of which was already soaked. Our talk had got her quite heated.

She pulled the panties down to her thighs, and then put the banana in her mouth, licking and sucking on it like a cock to get it wet – not that she needed to.

She placed the end of the banana into the opening of her pussy and pushed it in slowly, all the time gazing lovingly at Josh. She started to work the fruit in and out, faster and faster. Her juices flowed around the fruit and down the inside of her thighs. There were squelching noises coming from her pussy, and I could tell that she was on the verge of orgasm. I stopped her, getting her to pull the fruit out, and put the now slippery end against her asshole.

I heard her mind say, ‘No, not in my ass, t’s too big! I have never…’

I got her to push lightly on the banana, so its tip just started to breach her little rosebud.

‘NO! PLEASE! NOT IN MY ASS! PLEASE! NO! STOP! STOP!’

I released control.

She threw the banana away from herself and turned to face me, snarling.

“YOU BASTARD! I NEVER SAID YOU COULD DO THAT!” she screamed at me, tears in her eyes.

“Exactly,” Dianna said. “If he had just done what you told him to do, you would have just had your fantasy fulfilled. That was not the purpose of that demonstration. You asked to feel what it was like to be Compelled. You needed to feel how it feels to be Compelled to do something you DIDN’T want to do – not something you did want, but was a little naughty.”

“I am sorry, Louise,” I said. “I would never hurt you. But you must understand how abhorrent it is to me to Compel someone like that. I need to keep it that way. If I start using Compulsion as part of my sex life, how long before I think it’s okay to use it to make people who don’t want to be involved, get involved? I needed to make you understand: it’s not a sex toy. It’s a dangerous power that could seriously hurt someone.

“Please forgive me, but you had to understand.”

She looked at me. Her cheeks were wet with tears, but I saw I was getting through to her.

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I guess I just got carried away with the fantasy. It sounded so horny. It was. When you were making me masturbate, it was fantastic. It was naughty being in front of Dianna, but I couldn’t stop it, so there was no guilt. But when you started pushing it into my ass, I didn’t want that. I wanted to stop, but I couldn’t. I tried to pull it out, but my body wouldn’t obey me. I was really scared that you were going to…”

Josh put his arms around her and held her while she sobbed.

I felt Dianna flex her power, and soothing feelings flowed over them both.

Louise looked up. “Is that you?” she asked me.

“Dianna,” I replied. “Apparently, I still inject too much horny when I project emotion. At least with people I’m attracted to.”

Louise giggled. “That might not be a bad thing.”

“You want to take a few minutes and get straightened up?” Dianna asked.

Louise nodded. Pulling up her panties, she went into the bathroom.

“Josh,” I said, “I’m sorry.”

“She asked for it,” he said. “Sometimes Lou can be a little too adventurous. Normally you won’t find me complaining, but just sometimes I wish she would dial it back a little.”

“So, you don’t want a demonstration then,” I said lightly.

“No thank you,” he replied. “I have no desire to have a banana shoved up my ass.”

I did catch a fleeting thought of what he might like to feel sliding up his ass, and it sent a shiver up my spine.

Louise came out of the bathroom just as the twins and Jules arrived home. I immediately sent the memories of the conversation so far to the twins, and they both went and embraced Louise. Jules looked a little confused.

“I’ll catch you up later,” I said to her, giving her a hug.

I made more coffee for everyone, and we settled down.

“So is that it?” asked Josh, “Mind reading and mind control?”

“One more,” Dianna said. “Caleb, that banana is still on the floor over there. Could you put it in the trash, please?”

Louise went to get up. “I’ll get it.”

The banana floated up, crossed the kitchen, and dropped itself in the trashcan, which had obligingly opened its lid, and then closed it again once the banana had dropped inside.

“Telekinesis,” Dianna said.

Louise’s eyes bugged out, but Josh said, “COOOOOOL!!!”

I smiled at him.

“That’s how he saved me,” Jules said quietly.

Louise turned to her.

“When I slipped of the roof and fell,” Jules continued. “He was too far away to grab me. I really thought I was going to die. Then I just stopped. I was hanging in mid-air. Then I started to rise again and floated over the parapet, and back onto the roof in front of Caleb.”

Louise reached for Jules to give her a hug, but then hesitated.

“May I?” she asked.

Jules nodded and was enveloped in a tight embrace.

“Okay,” said Josh, “so Caleb has all these powers, and the twins too.”

“We are only Empaths,” said the twins together.

“Have you two seen The Shining?” he asked.

They grinned, and, in perfect sync and with equally eerie voices, said, “Hello, Josh. Come and play with us!”

He shuddered. “That’s way too creepy.”

He turned back to Dianna, who was trying not to grin herself.

“So they all have these spooky powers,” he continued. “Why are you telling us?”

“Now that you are living together,” Dianna said, “and sometimes sharing a bed, it’s possible that Caleb may manifest his power unintentionally. If you didn’t know, that would bring up questions in your mind. You might have then started looking for answers, and in that search, revealed his powers to someone who might want to exploit or hurt him.”

“When you say ‘manifest his power,’” asked Louise, “What do you mean?”

“Sometimes,” I said, “during sex, I can share sensations, so we all feel what each of us feels. But occasionally I get a little carried away, and it gets shared with people that I didn’t intend to share it with.”

Louise’s eyes widened. I could see the questions in her mind.

“Maybe next time,” I said.

She flushed, but this time not with embarrassment.

“I got caught up in their play last Saturday,” Jules said.

That sobered Louise up. “Oh Jules,” she said hugging her again. “That must have been terrible.”

Jules smiled. “The orgasms were actually quite nice,” she said, “but the feelings of love were amazing. And nobody forced anything on me.

“I felt a knock on my door,” she said, tapping her head, “asking to come inside, and I figured it was just Caleb checking in. Well, it turned out to be an invitation rather than a request, and to quite the party.”

“I am still learning to control my power,” I offered. “For the moment, those kinds of things sort of come and go. I think I have two deep, instinctive desires that are at odds with each other – to not violate anyone, but also to share the love – and until I get a better handle on things, it’s tough to say which one will dominate at any given moment.”

“The early morning training?” Josh guessed, and I nodded.

“I’ll own up to my mistakes,” I said, “but just fair warning, I probably still have plenty of those ahead of me.”

“We have given you a lot to consider,” said Dianna. “If you are no longer comfortable living here, I can arrange for another house for you to stay in, same rent as here. It’s not quite as big, but it’s nice enough. Or you could always move back to the dorms.

“I would beg you not to reveal anything you have heard here today. It would only hurt him, and my granddaughters – and, by extension, Jules as well.”

Sensing that the ‘meeting’ was over, Josh stood up. He held his hand out to Louise. “Come on, Lou. Let’s give them a little space. It looks like they have other stuff to discuss that doesn’t concern us.”

They went into their room, and I heard the door shut. Jules got up too.

“Where are you going?” asked Dianna.

“I thought…” she began.

“After what you felt on Saturday,” Dianna said, “I thought you had finally figured out that you are fully in this relationship. All four of you. Together. No?”

“Yes, but they…”

“There is no ‘they’,” Dianna said. “When it comes to Caleb, Mary, Amanda and you there is only ‘we.’ Remember that, because I am going to help you get even closer to them, if you would like.”

Jules nodded. “You mean…?”

“Yes,” Dianna said. “Caleb was right not to do this without talking to me. He and the twins share a very special bond. It cannot be broken. Nobody can give you the same bond, nor would we want to. They got it more by accident than design, although I think it was a happy accident.

“What we can do, is to place a non-permanent bond between the four of you. It works in exactly the same way as the bond that they have, with the exception that any of you can break free of it at will, with no adverse effects. You will be able to sense the others’ presence and rough location, you will be able to send and receive memories, and you will be able to send and receive emotions. There is a chance that strong emotions may also leak across the bond unwittingly, so if you are particularly happy, sad, or frightened, they will likely feel it. And the same in reverse.

“But I have no power,” Jules said. “How would it work?”

“You don’t need power to be tied in,” Dianna said. “Caleb would use his power, and his and the girls’ power would maintain the link. Breaking the link would not require you to have power. You already know that Caleb can read your thoughts and speak to you directly anyway. With practice, you will be able to speak to him at any time, and from anywhere. The girls will show you how it works.

“This is an offer, not a requirement. If you don’t want this, then nobody is going to force it. Caleb and the girls just want you to be a full part of the relationship, and you sometimes seem left out when they are using their powers. You don’t have to answer now. Take as long as you need to.”

“YES, YES, Please,” Jules said quickly. “I would love to be able to be connected to them. Will you offer this to Josh and Louise?”

“No,” I said. “They have their own lives to lead. They are involved with us, but not a part of us, if that makes sense. It may change sometime in the future, but my feeling is that at some point those two will go their own way. My hope is that you will stay with us for the long term. That’s just a hope, though. You’re not obligated.”

“Do you still want to go ahead?” asked Dianna.

Jules nodded without hesitation.

“Caleb, you need to drop your shield. I can’t share a memory with you with it up.”

I dropped my shield and received a memory from Dianna. I raised my shields again and cloaked, and then checked my tell. I was becoming paranoid. I reviewed the memory and saw how to include Jules in our bond. Since it would be a ‘piggy back’ connection on the twins’ bond, it wouldn’t be affected by my shields or cloak either.

I took Jules’ hands and looked into her beautiful brown eyes.

“Can you hear me?” I thought to her.

“I can. Is this the bond?”

“Not yet. You will feel the bond in just a moment. When it first starts it may get a bit overwhelming. Relax and let the feelings flow over you. You will find yourself after a few moments. Ready?”

“Ready!”

I embedded a bond into her mind and connected it to myself and to the twins. Immediately I felt a torrent of love, and acceptance, warmth, and happiness from the two girls towards Jules. I knew that she would be feeling the same from me. From her I felt some fear, loneliness, and doubt. There was love for us – far more than I had anticipated – but the other emotions were still dogging her despite her revelation the previous Saturday. I guessed that a lifetime of living like that wouldn’t be cured overnight. The bond would go a long way to washing away those negative emotions, though.

I saw Jules’s eyes fill with tears as she felt the bond and the feelings it carried. She buried her head in my chest and clung to me, sobbing. Mary and Amanda closed around her, and we held her while she acclimatised to the new sensations.

I looked across at Dianna and saw her smiling softly. She nodded to me. “I’m going to go, and leave you to it,” she said.

“I thought you wanted to talk about summer break,” I said quietly, still holding Jules.

“Another time,” she said. “There are still a few weeks. Did you have plans already?”

“Not really,” I replied. “I was going to try and get a job, and earn some money.”

“You have a job, Caleb,” she said. “If you intern for us, you will be paid a lot more than any other summer work. I have an assignment I would like you to do, but let’s discuss that another time.”

I nodded. Dianna leaned forward and kissed my forehead, then repeated the gesture on the twins, and finally kissed the top of Jules’ head where she was nestled against me, still snuffling a little. Then she left.

“Now do you believe us?” I asked Jules gently when she finally raised her face.

“It’s beautiful,” she said. “I have never felt anything like it. I thought that I had, when you included me last Saturday, but that was like a lightning flash. It illuminated for a second and then it was gone. This is like the sunrise. I can see everything, and bask in the warmth.”

“We will teach you how to use the bond,” I said, “but right now, I’m going to show you how we can send you memories. I’m going to share with you my memory of what happened with Josh and Louise before you arrived here tonight.”

I sent her the memory and saw her eyes glaze for a second as she assimilated it.

Surprisingly, she giggled. “Be careful what you wish for,” she said.

“Be gentle with Louise,” I said. “It was a shock. She thought it was a fantasy, and it turned into a nightmare.”

“You did warn her,” Amanda said, “but she didn’t listen. We should also help her get over that particular hang up as well.”

I grinned at Amanda. “Trust you to think of that,” I said, “but I do seem to recall her objection being ‘too big’ and not ‘never-ever.’”

“Ah well,” she said. “And here I was, hoping for an actual challenge. Mary was a pushover too.”

My jaw dropped. Amanda giggled.

“Not like that, exactly,” she said. “It’s just, well, when we first starting experimenting with our powers, we realized that we each liked – and loved – a few different things about sex, with some overlap, too, of course. We agreed that it’d be fun if we both sort of blended all the likes and loves together, so that we both liked and loved all sorts of stuff.”

“Huh,” I said. “That’s actually really clever.”

“Why thank you,” she replied goofily. “So anyway, Mary likes anal – maybe even loves it. I just happen to luuuuuuuurv it. And that means I’m expecting you to do something about my technical virginity back there very soon, mister!”

I glanced over at Mary and saw from her look, that she placed herself in that queue also. The feelings of arousal from both, spiking.

I stepped back from Jules; I had a sudden erection, and I didn’t think she would appreciate having it poking into her.

“His autonomic nervous system likes that idea,” said Jules, giggling.

The twins laughed with her.

I heard Josh and Louise’s door open, and they emerged from their room.

“I take it Dianna left,” said Josh.

“About five minutes ago,” I replied. “Did you need more information, or want to take her up on the offer of alternative accommodation?”

“No,” he said, “neither. It was a conversation opener, that’s all.”

“Okay,” I said. “What do you need, guys? Tell me, and I’ll try my best to give it to you.”

“We want to stay here,” said Louise. “I’m sorry I shouted at you before, and I understand now why you wouldn’t want to use your Compulsion frivolously. I asked for that, and I got what I deserved. We would like to experience the other power though, the sharing. Can we do that?”

I sent out a query across the bond to see what the twins thought. Momentarily I’d forgotten that Jules was newly connected to us.

I got positive responses from the twins, and a negative one from Jules. I smiled.

“It’s okay, I now know how to be much more ***********ive in my sharing.” I sent to her. “I promise you won’t get dragged in by mistake. Remember though, you have to accept the share. Now that you know what it is, you just need to reject it.”

“I could never reject you guys,” she sent back, and I felt a lump in my throat.

“Let me rephrase then,” I sent. “If you feel me reach out like that again, unless you want to be involved, just gently pull back. Don’t think of it as a rejection. Remember too that you will be feeling all our love and connection through the bond, as we will from you. I promise we won’t feel rejected.

I sent the memory of the conversation to the twins, and they both hugged Jules.

I looked at Louise. “I think we can arrange something,” I said, “but not tonight. We have stuff to do, and we all have uni tomorrow.”

In reality, I wanted to talk to the twins about how far they wanted to go with Josh and Louise. I recognised the hypocrisy in it, but I didn’t think I was comfortable with either of the twins having sex with Josh. I wasn’t sure I really wanted to have sex with Louise. But what about Josh and me? To say that things had got complicated would have been an understatement.

I saw all three of my girls looking at me; I could see that each of them had picked up on my uncertainty. Jules hadn’t picked up much more than that. It was emotional leakage after all, but the twins had put that together with my aura and were looking at me lovingly. I felt feelings of love and reassurance flow through the bond from both. Jules also got those, and she shivered and smiled, wrapping herself up in those emotions like a blanket.

The rest of the evening passed uneventfully. Mary had shown that she knew her way around a kitchen, and with everyone pitching in we soon had a meal prepared, which we then ate together around our dining room table.

By about nine I was getting tired thanks to my new schedule and decided I would go to bed.

What surprised me was that the twins decided that they would go to bed at the same time. That was unusual. I could feel Jules’s uncertainty. She wanted to join us but thought that the twins and I wanted some alone time. I was about to say something, but then felt her make a decision. She stood up and started to follow us. There was a little hesitation, but she decided to trust what we had said, and what she could feel through the bond. I sent love and happiness at her, and I know that the twins did also, having sensed her inner turmoil. She sighed and smiled as she entered our room. Mary hugged her.

“Thank you for trusting us,” she said.

I went to have a quick shower before bed and wasn’t surprised when I felt a wash of cold air on my back. someone had joined me in the shower. Since all three girls were in very close proximity, it was not really possible for me to identify who had joined me by the bond. I could feel mischief and a little uncertainty though, which puzzled me.

I turned, and was surprised to find Jules standing behind me, naked, and looking up at me.

“Jules?” I queried.

“The girls said that you liked to shower with them,” she said timidly. “It doesn’t always have to be sex, does it?”

“No,” I replied, “as long as you remember that although my mind knows it’s not, I can’t always control my body’s responses.”

“The old ‘autonomic nervous system’ excuse?” she asked.

I smiled. “You are a beautiful girl,” I said. “Any male with even the slightest of sex drives would find you attractive. Especially seeing you as you are now. But I am not a slave to my urges, and I promise I will not do anything you don’t want.”

“Will it not leave you frustrated?” she asked. “I have been told many times about ‘blue balls.’”

“I can always take my frustration out on one of the twins,” I said, and I felt a rush of arousal through the bond.

Jules smiled. “I think they are listening.”

“Of course they are,” I said. “But sex aside, I like being close to you, and if you want to share a shower with me, then I’m happy to.”

“May I?” I asked, lifting my hand to her shoulder. She nodded.

Gently, I manoeuvred her under the spray. I washed her short hair, running my fingers through it, massaging her scalp. She moaned at the sensation. Strangely, although I had immediately got an erection as soon as I had seen her naked, it had subsided as I had started to wash her.

After her hair, I washed her back, down to her waist, using a soap and a soft washcloth. I turned her around and started on her shoulders and arms, All the time she just looked up at me, her beautiful brown eyes brimming with love and trust.

I soaped up the washcloth, meaning to hand it to her, so she could wash her breasts and front, but she shook her head, sticking her chest out toward me, her meaning clear.

Gently I washed her breasts and her belly, before moving down and starting on her legs. I knelt in front of her, and soaped her left leg from ankle to hip, allowing the shower to wash away the suds. Then I did the same for her right leg.

I indicated for her to lift her foot, and she placed a hand on my shoulder while I washed each foot in turn. Now the only places I hadn’t washed were her butt and her pussy. I looked at her enquiringly, offering her the washcloth.

After a moment’s thought she took the cloth, and finished her wash.

I started to rise but she put her hand on my shoulder.

“I can’t reach you properly if you stand,” she said, and began to wash my hair.

As I had done for her, she washed me from top to toe, allowing me the same options of washing my own ‘private’ places.

When we were done, we stepped out of the shower to find the twins waiting for us with towels.

“Thank you, Caleb,” Jules said, “That felt so good. I have already shared a shower with the girls. I didn’t want you to feel left out.”

“Thank you for trusting me,” I said.

We went to bed. I laid down first, then Mary settled in on my left, and Jules laid a little way down the bed, her head on my chest and her leg over mine. Amanda was behind Jules, but because Jules was lay half on top of me, she was close too.

“Now,” said Mary, “let’s talk about what’s bothering you.”

“When we first got together,” I said, “and I found out about Amanda, I remember thinking that it would be hot for me to ‘share’ with Amanda. Remember, this was before the bond. I also wondered how I would feel when Amanda got her own boyfriend and wanted to share. I wasn’t sure I would be okay with him sharing you.

“Now we are bonded, and I love you – all of you,” I squeezed Jules and she snuggled, “but I don’t know if I’m okay with the thought of you having full on sex with Josh, or anyone else for that matter.

“I know it’s hypocritical, since I still have thoughts of having sex with Josh myself. But this is just screwing with my head. I almost wish we hadn’t invited them to live with us, but at the same time I love them.

“I know it’s my insecurities nagging at me. Josh has a bigger cock than I do, and far more experience. What if he’s a better lover than I am? Then there’s Louise. I don’t know that I want to have sex with her. She is a beautiful girl – nowhere near as beautiful as any of the girls in this room, but still, it would feel like cheating for me to have sex with her. How is that different than thoughts of having sex with Josh? Is it because he is a guy? Does that change things? Should it?”

“It’s normal to have reservations,” Mary said. “I’m surprised that it’s taken this long to manifest, although I thought it was starting at our last session with Josh and Louise where you said ‘no fucking.’

“You must remember that we, Amanda and I, have grown up in an environment where this is normal behavior. I think Dianna told you that our Granddad was a twin. It is possible to separate love and sex. You know, without a shadow of a doubt, that we love you. We are bonded to you more surely than if we were physically attached, and we are deliriously happy to be so.

“Neither of us would do anything to hurt you. If you say we shouldn’t have sex with Josh, or anyone else, then we would be happy to do that for the man we love. But our love for you compels me to try and show you how good it can be to share, with love, but with a secure relationship. No matter who it is, how big his cock is, or how good a lover he is, there is simply no way that you could be replaced in our hearts. Look inside yourself, examine the bond, and you’ll see I’m telling you the truth.”

I was surprised that neither of them used their power to demonstrate their love, but then realised that they deliberately weren’t. They were trying to make me see, without applying undue influence, how much I was loved.

Mary leaned in and kissed me. “You need to sleep,” she said, “but after the shower, I suspect you are a little achy. How about we relieve the pressure a bit?”

I felt a hand close around my cock and squeeze. It was rigid immediately. The hand started to move slowly and steadily up and down, eliciting some very nice sensations.

I tried to lift my head up, but Mary pinned me, kissing me again. I felt her hand come up to my chest and start teasing my nipple. The hand working my cock pumping steadily, pausing occasionally to spread my precum up and down my shaft for lubrication.

I worried at Jules’s proximity but was overwhelmed with feelings of love and lust. I felt a hand cupping my balls and massaging gently, then sliding behind to rub gently at my perineum. A question tried to form in my mind, but another overwhelming rush of love and lust wiped it from me, and I felt the massage get firmer. My balls tightened and I was lost. I came, shooting spurt after spurt of cum over my chest and belly. I arched my back with the release while Mary continued the kiss and Amanda continued to massage.

The hand on my cock was still moving languidly, milking out the last drops of my cum, when Mary released me.

I looked down to see Jules, looking up at me, a mischievous glint in her eye, her hand still wrapped around my cock.

“It seemed only fair,” she said, “since I got you all worked up, that I should help relieve the pressure.”

“But…” I started.

“Caleb,” she said, “I love you. I’m happy to…” she paused and giggled, “lend a hand, occasionally.”

Amanda had climbed out of bed and returned with a warm washcloth and a towel. Between them they got me cleaned up and dried.

“Sleep now,” Mary said, “but think on this. Did you feel any less love for us when you were with Dianna?”

I mulled that over in my mind as I drifted off, once more wrapped in the love of the three most important girls in my life.

++++++++

Friday morning’s training session rolled around. I was easily getting two hours of martial arts in a day and was coming along in leaps and bounds.

When James arrived, we spent a few minutes sparring, and he gave me some extra pointers where I had misinterpreted some of the information I had assimilated.

“I want to talk to you about pain,” he said. “What is pain?”

“It’s a warning that something is wrong” I answered. We’d covered that very early in wrestling.

“Exactly,” he said. “The problem is that it can be debilitating, which defeats its purpose. You need to be able to block pain messages, both in yourself and in others. That may make the difference between life and death.”

“But if you block the pain message,” I asked, “aren’t you risking doing more damage?”

“Yes,” he replied, “which is why you only ever do this if you either know exactly why the pain is there or if you need to function in an emergency. Let’s say, for instance, you have a toothache. If you blocked the pain while you went to see the dentist, all is well and good. If you blocked the pain and never took any other action, though, that could lead to all kinds of other complications. It’s a temporary measure, but a useful one.

“I am going to show you how to block pain,” he said. “Drop your shield and I’ll send you a memory.”

I dropped my shield and the memory duly arrived.

“Right,” he said, but then froze. I saw the film melt and disappear as I broke out of the illusion.

My shield was up.

He grinned at me. “You are now displaying the exact right amount of paranoia,” he said. “Well spotted. I still haven’t caught onto your tell. I do need you in the illusion for you to practice.”

I dropped my shield again.

“Right,” he said again. I was in the illusion once again. “You now have a pain in your finger.”

My finger started to hurt. Not bad, just a pinch. He explained, using the memory, how to locate the pain message using Telepathy, and then how to block the signal.

By the time the session was over and I had emerged from the illusion, I was sweating and drained. I had experienced all levels of pain, starting at the pinch and going up to excruciating agony. I needed to be able to block even the worst pain before it overwhelmed me. I managed, eventually, to be able to do so.

I didn’t feel much like going to class that day.

In the afternoon I caught a break. We were supposed to be having more wrestling try-outs in the gym, but a water pipe had burst that morning, flooding the gym and it was closed. I suddenly found myself with the afternoon off.

I texted the girls to let them know I wouldn’t be meeting them for lunch. The truck was overdue for an oil change, so I went into town, took care of that, and ran a few other errands before heading home. I figured that with luck I could get a few hours sleep before they all got home from uni. Once back at the house, I went and had a shower, with the intent of getting myself some lunch and then crashing. I came out of our room in just my boxers, expecting to have the house to myself, and came face to face with Louise. She was completely naked.

“Sorry,” I said. “I didn’t know anyone else was home.”

She laughed. “Caleb, we have seen each other naked before; why is it such an issue?”

“We were not alone at the time,” I said. “Josh and the girls were there.”

“Ah, so this feels like cheating,” she said. “Give me a minute; I’ll put on a robe. I wanted to talk to you.”

When she came back into the kitchen, I had taken the opportunity to put on shorts and a T-shirt. She smiled at that.

“Caleb, what’s wrong?” she asked. “Ever since we moved in, it seems like there is a distance between us that wasn’t there before.”

I looked at her for a moment, wondering just what to tell her. “I guess I’m scared,” I said.

I was expecting her to be surprised, but she nodded. “I get that,” she said. “So much has happened to you in such a short time. You were still a virgin when you met Mary and Amanda, and now, before you really have a chance to consolidate your relationship with them, there are others coming into play: Jules, whom you obviously love a great deal, and Josh and I. Everything is happening so fast that you need to step back and take a breath.

“You know Josh and I both love you, but we are together, we have each other. If you need to take some time out, and not ‘share’ with us for a while then that’s fine. I get that the thought of Josh having sex with the girls makes you uneasy. It’s human nature for a man not to want his woman bedded by someone else. I also get that you still have the feeling that you and I having sex would be cheating on the girls, but you know their views on that. We could fuck right here and now, and the girls would be pleased to feel you having a good time.”

“What about Josh?”

“He would be jealous,” she said, “but not of you, of me, because I got you to fuck me before he could. Ever since Amanda ‘broadened his horizons’ we have been exploring that avenue. He is literally panting to get you inside of him.”

“Does that not bother you?” I asked. “That he is so fixated on someone other than you?”

“No,” she said, “because I love him, and I know he loves me. He is being denied just now, so he wants it more. Once he gets his fill,” she sniggered at that, “it will be just another thing to add to his repertoire, something maybe to do when we share.”

“I also would love you inside me,” she said. “I know Josh is bigger, but size is not the be-all end- all. There is so much more to sex than the size of your cock, and I would love to experience being loved by you.”

“What if…” I tried to think of a way to phrase my question without sounding conceited.

Louise smiled. “What if you are so much better than Josh?” she asked.

“That sounds so big-headed” I said. “He has so much more experience than me, why would I even think that I would…”

“You and he are different,” she said, “and the sex will be different. I love you, Caleb, but I LOVE Josh. You won’t displace him in my heart, just as you won’t displace me in his. Nor will he displace you from the hearts of any of your girls.”

“Which one of them spoke to you?” I asked, and immediately picked up the image of Mary, Amanda, Jules, and Josh sitting around a table in the cafeteria.

I nodded, surprisingly feeling a little betrayed. That they all had got together behind my back and engineered this encounter felt wrong.

I started to wonder if the girls just wanted a shot at Josh but then gave myself a shake. I could feel the girls, through the bond. I felt their love. That dispelled the thought of duplicity, but it didn’t dispel my annoyance at them trying to manipulate me.

Just then my phone beeped. It was Josh.

_Just fuck her man, it’s all good, he sent with a grinning emoji.

That arrived at exactly the wrong moment. My anger ignited. Doing my best to keep my cool, I excused myself and decided to go out onto the deck. I decided that some martial arts practice might help me to cool down and regain a sense of perspective. Using Telekinesis, I sealed the door so that Louise couldn’t follow me out.

I guess I must have lost track of time because it was starting to go dark when I had come back to myself. I looked at my phone and saw it was after seven. I had been out there for nearly five hours.

I was surprised that I couldn’t open the door into the house. For an instant I thought they had locked me out, but then remembered I was holding it closed using Telekinesis. I released my hold on the door and opened it.

Dianna was sat in the kitchen, working on a laptop. She looked up as I came in. “Finished sulking?” she asked.

“Fuck off,” I said amiably. “Who let you in anyway?”

“Wasn’t it only yesterday you told me I could come in and make myself at home?” she asked.

“That was if there was nobody home,” I said. “I’m home.” I looked around, “I guess the others are around here somewhere too.”

“Nope,” she said. “Just you and me. I sent them out for the evening.”

“Another intervention?” I asked. “Those don’t seem to be going well so far.”

“Caleb,” she said, closing her laptop and looking at me, “talk to me. Tell me what you are feeling. You know I have your best interests at heart.”

Does she, I thought, or is she just out to bat for her granddaughters?

I’d momentarily forgotten how good she was at reading auras.

“It’s a fair question,” she said. “They are my granddaughters, after all. I would be bound to try and protect them. But let’s start from what we know, or rather what YOU know. Look inside yourself, examine the bond, and you will see that both those girls love you with everything they have. Let’s start there, and build a way forward, okay?”

I nodded and did just that. I looked at the bond – examined it closely. I could feel all three of my girls. I could feel they were worried. Jules was angry; I was not sure at what: whether at the girls for the surprise, or with me for my reaction, or possibly about something entirely unrelated. Underneath the surface emotion, I could sense something else, though: a deep, abiding, intense, unshakable love – a love so perfect it made my heart ache. I felt tears trickle down my face and felt Diana’s arm around me.

“Now you see it?” she asked.

I nodded again.

“Do you remember when I told you that my husband was a twin?” she asked. “How I understood what you were feeling when you and my girls got together. It was before you bonded.”

“Yes,” I answered.

“They were not identical,” she said. “Gary, my husband, was tall and slim. His brother, Steve, was stocky – not fat, but full of muscles. I knew that at some point we would end up sharing – me with his brother, and my Gary, with Steve’s wife, Jennifer. She was a lovely woman, very much like Jules in build and height, but blonde and much more outgoing. I was nervous – no, I was scared. I had exactly the same concerns you voiced: what if she was better in bed than me, would Gary leave me for her, or worse, what if Steve was better than Gary? Would I then be constantly pining for someone I couldn’t have? What if I was better than Jennifer? Would I ruin Steve and Jennifer’s marriage? Remember, Gary and I weren’t bonded like you and the girls, so I had no reassurance from that. I loved him, and I knew he loved me, but would that be enough?

“The fateful night finally arrived. I had given in to persuasion and agreed that we would share. Up until that point I hadn’t even seen Steve without his shirt, let alone naked. They could see my unease, so we all stayed in the same room.

“When I first saw Steve naked, I nearly ran away. His cock must have been ten inches long and as thick as my wrist. I was convinced he was going to kill me with that thing. He didn’t, but he did turn me inside out. He fucked me so hard and for so long that I lost count of the number of orgasms I had. I begged and pleaded for him to keep pounding me until he finally came, pumping what felt like a gallon of spunk into me. It felt so good and so right.

“After I had come down, I was terrified to look at Gary – that he would think I was a whore for saying the things I did while his brother was drilling me into the bed. But all I felt from him was overwhelming love. He held me, and kissed me, happy that I had had a good time and that his brother had been able to make me feel so good. Then we made love.

“You would think that after being pounded for so long by Steve’s massive prick, Gary’s six inches wouldn’t have come close to satisfying me, but the feeling of him moving inside me, stirring up his brother’s emissions, coupled with the love I felt pouring into me from him, made me come even harder than Steve had with his monster cock and his pounding.

“I never regretted fucking Steve or anyone else we shared with. I never again felt jealous or worried about Gary fucking other women. I knew he loved me, and I loved him, and that was unshakable. I didn’t even have the bond to tell me. I just felt it from him.

“Don’t be angry with the girls, Caleb. Remember that they are young too. They were both virgins, like you, just not as inexperienced as you. They love you, and want to give you everything they know they can. They haven’t yet figured out how much you hate to be manipulated, although I would have thought that the episode with Jules would have clued them in. They were trying to make it easier for you, and they screwed up.

“Josh and Louise are both infatuated with you, and Jules is mad at the twins. She didn’t agree with what they did, but they didn’t listen to her. They are currently doing a lot of grovelling with her. I can’t say that you knew what you were getting into with the twins, because that morning it was only supposed to be a bit of fun. I never expected the twins to actually fuck you; they decided that on their own.

“Nobody expected the bond, but you ended up tied to a couple of Empaths, who have so much love and a need to share it. They can and will stay faithful to you if you demand it, but you will be crippling them. You could send them out to find their sharing without you, but that would destroy you. Also remember that amongst your other powers, you are also an Empath. You need to share as much as they do, but you weren’t brought up in the atmosphere that they were.

“You have the morals and the attitude of a ‘Norm’. Nobody expected you to have Empathy. If anything, you might have had Compulsion, and that doesn’t have the same need. You NEED this, Caleb. I promise you that once you get past your initial fears, it will be wonderful for you. You didn’t have any issues with sharing with me, did you?”

I shook my head.

“But it’s the thought of another man fucking your women?” she asked.

I flinched; it sounded so neanderthal.

“No other man is going to breed your women,” she said. “That right is yours alone. It’s an evolutionary response to hate the thought of another male impregnating your mate. That will never happen. And it doesn’t matter how big, or thick or chiselled, or good looking, or great a lover they are, those girls will always, ALWAYS, love you and come back to you. They could be mid-orgasm on the biggest cock in history and if you needed them, they would push him off them and come to you.

“Is this where you tell me that they are currently fucking Josh,” I asked levelly, “but they’ll be back home soon?”

“If it was?” she asked.

I examined my feelings – or, rather, how I would I feel if that were the case.

“I would be very, VERY, angry,” I said, “because that would be cheating. Even more so because, in my anger, I would feel that the bond had me trapped. In a normal relationship, if my partner cheated, we would be done. I don’t have that escape. My only outlet for my anger would be against Josh.”

I could feel my rage building even at the thought, and I slowed my breathing and tried to centre myself. Dianna didn’t try to soothe me, and that was probably a good idea.

“There is sharing,” I continued, once I had calmed a little, “with my knowledge and approval, and there is cheating. I doubt they are doing that, because of the love that they have for me, but it’s difficult. They have such a different upbringing and viewpoint about things from me. They might not even consider fucking Josh as cheating, with or without my knowledge.”

“They will never cheat on you, Caleb,” she assured me. “You know that. They are currently at a restaurant, about ten blocks from here, having dinner. Josh and Louise are with them, as is Jules, but I promise you they are not doing anything other than eating dinner. They know how you feel. They have been trying to ‘help’ you to see how damaging that could be to you, but they got it wrong.”

I put my head in my hands.

“Everything is happening at once,” I said. “My powers, the bond, this. I’m drowning, Dianna. Everyone seems to be looking to me because I’m the one with the powers, but a month ago the biggest decision I had to make was whether to jerk off in the shower or not.”

I felt her power start to soothe and support me.

“You are not alone,” she said. “The girls are young, but they will support you. Mary is surprisingly mature, but even she gets it wrong sometimes, Amanda always leads with her heart. Jules has a decent head on her shoulders, now that she is not being bullied into depression. And I am always just a phone call away.

“Although,” she added with a grin, “I will always advise that if you are going to jerk off in the shower, take one of the girls with you to help.

“Look inside, Caleb,” she continued more seriously. “If you ever doubt, look inside yourself. Look at your bond; feel the love and support that you have from those girls, and be guided by that. Be certain in that love, and Jules’s love. You won’t go far wrong then. If somebody screws up, well, try to keep it in perspective. Be prepared to forgive honest mistakes – both theirs, and yours. You already asked Josh and Louise to do that, remember? It was about your powers, but the principle is the same.”

I nodded. “Thanks, Dianna. I needed someone to help pull my head out from my ass.”

She smiled. “Don’t be too hard on yourself either. Like you said, it’s a steep learning curve. I promise it will get easier.”

I heard cars pull up outside. “I guess it’s time to face the music,” I said, standing to face the door.

“I’ll bet they are thinking the exact same thing,” she said. “Just feel the love.”

Jules was first through the door. She all but threw herself into my arms. “We’re so sorry,” she said. “We didn’t think it through properly. Please don’t be mad.”

I had to smile. Even though she had been against the plan, and was mad at the twins, she was standing by them.

“Jules, I love you,” I sent to her, “I’m not mad, I just needed some time. If it’s okay, I would really like a kiss?”

She lifted her face to mine and kissed me. A gentle pressing together of lips affirmed all her feelings.

“Thank you,” I said, looking at the twins, who were standing by the door.

I don’t know what they could see in my aura. I was still full of a turmoil of emotions, but I supposed they would have seen the determination most of all, because that filled me. What they wouldn’t have been able to tell was the determination to do what, exactly.

I walked over to Mary and kissed her, putting every bit of my love, hope, trust, faith, and, most of all, forgiveness – both giving and requesting – into it. Amanda joined the hug, and I felt tears running down Mary’s face towards our joined lips. I released Mary and turned to Amanda, delivering the same kiss. Her face was already wet with tears before we even came together. Unconsciously, Amanda and I both opened up our arms and Jules slotted in to join the group.

“Jules didn’t want us to do it,” Mary was saying. “She got so mad with us.”

“I know,” I said. “I felt her anger.”

“But she stood by us,” Amanda added thickly, holding Jules tight.

“Because she loves us,” Mary said, “as much as we love her.”

Dianna got up. “I think it’s time I got going,” she said. “You know where I am if you need me. Caleb, don’t forget what I said about the shower.”

I chuckled, and felt curiosity from all three of them through the bond.

I pushed out the memory of that portion of the conversation. The sombre mood broke.

“Where’s Josh and Louise?” I asked.

“Outside in their car,” said Jules, “waiting for the ‘all clear.’”

“Am I really that scary?” I asked.

“Not scary, no,” said Mary, “but they know that we all screwed up. When we felt your rage, we knew, but it was too late. I think they are half expecting to be thrown out of the house after our stunt this afternoon.”

Dianna must have given them that signal, because they came through the door at that moment. Louise came over to where I was stood with the girls. We were no longer hugging, but were still standing close together.

“Caleb,” she said, “we really misjudged the situation. We thought that if I could persuade you to… for us to… you know.” She stopped talking.

“Louise, are you on birth control?” I asked.

She looked a little stunned but nodded.

“So why do you and Josh use condoms?” I asked.

She looked a little embarrassed. “We don’t, not now, we did before because…” she looked at Josh apologetically.

“Because she wasn’t sure how I felt about her,” Josh interposed, “and didn’t know I wasn’t screwing other girls. I wasn’t screwing anyone else, but she was right, I was holding back. I don’t blame her at all.”

“Would I have to wear a condom?” I asked gently.

She shook her head, her eyes never leaving mine. I was going to ask Mary and Amanda if Josh would need condoms, but I decided that would be between them. I would find out soon enough, I was certain.

“Are you sure?” I asked, “How do you know wouldn’t catch something from me?”

Louise smiled. “You and the girls were all virgins up until a week ago. You’re practically still in the wrapper. I know you haven’t been with anyone other than the girls since then. Josh and I both got tested when we got together. I haven’t been with anyone other than Josh and you guys since then, and neither has he.”

I looked at the girls. I could see that they both looked aroused.

I looked around for Jules. She was not there. I reached out with my mind. “Jules?” I queried.

“Enjoy yourselves. I have a project to build. If I’m still awake when you are done, I’ll join you in bed, otherwise I’ll see you in the morning. I love you all.”

I felt a feeling of love and contentment come through the bond from her.

I took Louise’s hand and led her towards the bedroom. I glanced across at the girls and then Josh, who all followed.

Once in the bedroom, I tilted Louise’s head up and touched my lips to hers. Her kiss was soft and experimental. When she felt my tongue gently probing, she allowed her lips to part and I began a slow and sensuous exploration of her mouth. Our tongues caressed and writhed against each other.

I started to undress her while I continued the kiss. A glance to the side showed me that Josh was being double teamed by the twins again. Amanda was in front, keeping his mouth and hands occupied, while Mary was pressed up behind, and systematically removing his clothing.

Louise’s hands were as busy as mine, and she soon had my shirt off, and then my trousers, while I had her down to her underwear.

I had never had much luck with bra fastenings, so I cheated. Flexing my will, I used Telekinesis to undo and remove her bra. Her eyes widened and she moaned into my mouth. That was obviously a turn on for her, so I extended her fantasy and slowly pulled down her panties the same way. I swear she orgasmed at that point, squeaking into my mouth.

I felt a mixture of arousal and amusement coming from the twins over the bond.

Louise broke the kiss, dropping quickly to her knees, at the same time yanking down my trousers and pants. In a savage thrust she took my rigid took into her mouth and began to suckle on it.

Josh was also naked, as were both the twins. I wasn’t sure how that had been achieved. Mary was kneeling in front of him, bobbing her head on his cock, and Amanda was stood behind, a tube of lube in her hand working two fingers into his asshole. He was standing panting and moaning.

I decided it was time to share.

Gently, I started to collect sensations from everyone involved. Mary and Amanda felt this, and I saw Mary smiling around Josh’s cock. She pulled off, knowing that as soon as I started both Josh and Louise would probably not be able to cope with the sensations and would come straight away.

I pulled my cock out of Louise’s mouth and pulled her to her feet. Kissing her again, I walked her back to the bed until she felt it behind her. I saw her intention to pull me down and then scoot up until I was on top of her. I beat her to the punch.

She squeaked into my mouth again, this time in surprise as I lifted us both gently and placed us on the bed, her on her back and me lying over her, my weight supported by my arms. We hadn’t broken the kiss.

Mary had also moved Josh to the bed using more mundane methods, and he was less than three feet from me while I was naked on top of his girlfriend. He didn’t look in my direction, though; he was too busy with Amanda’s pussy, which had descended on his face.

I sent to Mary to hold off for a second on mounting him and she looked at me, nodding and smiling.

I was now connected to all. Unconsciously, Josh and Louise had accepted the share. I supposed they had felt something nice and just gone with it. At that point it was just a warm feeling of love and trust.

I started to filter in the other feelings that were being experienced: the kiss between Louise and I, the feeling of Josh’s tongue on Amanda’s pussy, her nipples as she played with them while enjoying his ministrations. I felt Louise start to squirm. Slowly and deliberately I lined up with her opening, and sank my cock into her.

She sighed, feeling not only the penetration, but the sensations I was feeling: her hot, smooth pussy rubbing against my sensitive head.

Mary mounted up on Josh, sinking her own hot, tight pussy onto his raging erection. Once again, we all felt it: her tightness and liquid heat, and his rigid, veined tool, pressing deep inside of her.

Mary and I started to move. It became a kaleidoscope of sensations. I knew that none of us would last very long, and that the first orgasm would be the trigger that would set off a chain reaction. I started moving faster, pushing deeper into Louise, and pulling back until just my head was inside her before thrusting deep. I had found the angle that caused her to get the best sensations, with my head rubbing over her G spot. When I was fully inserted I ground my pelvic bone against her clit and she thrust back at me.

Mary was riding Josh like he was a bucking bronco now, ramming her pussy down onto his cock, grinding against him for a second and then raising up squeezing him on the outstroke, generating some amazing feelings for him, and then all the rest of us. Amanda was grinding her pussy onto his face, and he was savaging her clit with his tongue. He had managed to get one hand up and was rubbing his finger around her asshole. I knew what was coming next, and I wondered how Louise would react.

Mary and Amanda were kissing, and I once again captured Louise’s mouth with mine, as Josh, having wet them first, shoved two fingers up Amanda’s asshole.

Louise screeched; the sudden, unexpected, and unfamiliar stimulation of something being shoved up her ass triggered a massive orgasm. That, and the feeling of her pussy clutching and spasming around my cock, finished me off. I began to spurt long, thick ropes of spunk deep inside of Louise. Amanda and Josh triggered next, either because of what was happening, or because of my orgasm; I would never know. That fed back into Louise, who came again, clutching at me, her legs wrapped around me in a rictus. Mary, feeling Josh’s cum shooting inside of her, started her climax, which fed back into Amanda, who came for the second time, soaking Josh’s face and neck.

We all stayed motionless for a moment, almost scared to move, I started to pull out of Louise and she clung to me.

“Just a little longer,” she said, panting in my ear.

Amanda had dismounted from Josh, and was kissing him while he calmed down. Mary laid on top of him, with him wilting inside her, her head on his shoulder. He absentmindedly stroked her back and hair.

Louise released me and I gently pulled back, rolling to the side, which put me face to face with Mary.

I could see a little concern in her eyes, but I smiled and leaned in for a kiss.

“I’m sorry,” I sent to her and Amanda. “I was being stupid, that was awesome, and I love you both.”

I felt feelings of love, happiness, and a little relief from them. I sought out Jules’s bond and felt contentment and concentration. She was working on something and enjoying herself in her own way. I sent love, and her feeling of contentment increased.

Mary had ,moved off Josh, and he and I now laid side by side.

“Fuck me!” said Josh.

“I might need a minute,” I said, and we both laughed.

I looked across at Louise and saw tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Louise?” I said, concerned, “are you okay?”

She looked at me through watery eyes.

“That was beautiful. The sex was fantastic, but the feeling of love and connection just blew my mind. I could feel your love for each other. But more to the point, I could feel Josh’s love for me.”

I felt Josh move and I got out of his way. He kissed Louise and held her close. I looked over Josh’s shoulder at Louise.

“So, was that just okay again?” I asked.

She laughed. “I can’t believe she told you that. Listen, Caleb, for your first time, it was amazing, but this? This was out of this world. When you used your power to undress me, I came.”

“I kind of noticed,” I said.

“Josh,” she said, “I need you to fuck me now.”

She pushed him down to the foot of the bed until he was standing, then she sat on the edge of the bed, and took his soft cock into her mouth. She was good, because within a few minutes I could see that he was responding, his cock becoming hard and thick until he was once again ready to go.

Louise laid back on the bed, right on the edge and lifted her legs. Josh widened his stance a little and entered her, beginning a slow, gentle fuck. She pulled him down, her mouth capturing his.

Mary moved to me, and took my semi-erect cock into her mouth. She bathed it with her tongue and sucked, drawing blood into it, forcing it back to its fully erect state. She began to deep throat me. My cock was as hard as it was ever going to get. I looked down and saw Amanda was stood behind Josh, and once again she had a couple – no, three – fingers working his hole. He was moaning all the time he was fucking Louise.

Louise looked at me. I heard her thought loud and clear. “Fuck him. He wants to feel you inside him.”

I concentrated on Josh. His mind was confused. It was understandable. He was being overwhelmed by sensations, and barely able to decide which were truly his – not to mention his feelings about each of them. With a bit more distance, I was able to pick a few out. He was really loving what Amanda was doing to him… but he wanted it to be me – my cock. He wanted to feel it stretching him out, filling him up, and then shooting its creamy load up inside of him.

I moved to the end of the bed and stood up. Amanda immediately grabbed my cock and pulled me toward her. She slathered it with lube, base to tip, then slathered it again for good measure.

I moved behind Josh, where he was bent over, still revelling in the long, slow fuck of his girlfriend. He froze when I put my hand on his hip. I could see Louise looking at me over his shoulder. He had his face buried in hers, whether with shame or passion I couldn’t see; his aura was pure lust.

Amanda lined me up, rubbing the tip of my cock against his asshole, which, although she had had three fingers in him only moments ago, was tightly closed.

She put her hand on my ass and pushed me forward. There was resistance. I pushed forward, then relaxed. I started a gentle thrusting motion, each thrust forward gaining another millimetre progress. When my head was about half way through the tight ring of muscle, I stopped thrusting and pushed, slowly easing through until his hole swallowed my whole head, and clamped up on my shaft just behind.

He moaned.

I gave him a few minutes to acclimatise, then began the gentle thrusting again, pushing in a millimetre at a time and pulling back. In a few minutes I as nearly half way in, Amanda applying more lube to prevent him getting sore. Then Josh moved. He pushed back, in one thrust, taking me all the way to the root.

He moaned again, and so did I.

Then he started to fuck Louise again.

I decided to share once again, so I gently allowed the sensations I was feeling to bleed into Josh and Louise. Then I bled Louise’s into us all. I added Josh’s last and tried to fade them in. I wasn’t sure how it would feel having a cock up my ass, but I needn’t have worried. Amanda had prepared him well. Other than an overwhelming feeling of fullness, there were also some amazing feelings each time the head of my cock passed over his prostate.

I saw Louise’s eyes widen. She was experiencing something that ought to have been impossible: how it felt for a man to get fucked in his ass. I didn’t want to jump to any conclusions, but the feedback loops and auras didn’t lie. Louise was getting into it. It certainly didn’t hurt that she had a major kink for watching her boyfriend have sex with another guy.

I added Mary and Amanda to the link. Mary laid on the bed while Amanda stood beside me, her hand on my ass, kissing me.

Mary started to grind into the bed, feeling all the sensations. Amanda, unconsciously, thrust her butt backwards. She really wanted to get buttfucked. She was definitely on my list.

Josh was pounding Louise, driving himself back onto my cock after each thrust. Louise had her legs around his waist, and I was actually holding onto her ankles to balance. Louise didn’t seem to know what to do with her hands, so, with an evil smile, I pulled them up until they were above her head and fixed them there with Telekinesis. That pushed her over the edge. It seemed she liked to be overpowered – and, even more than that, with superpowers.

She came hard, squirting around Josh’s cock, her orgasm powering into us both through the link. Amanda grunted and came too, her orgasm just an echo of Louise’s.

Mary had started to pleasure herself, her fingers strumming her clit, and as Amanda came, that sent Mary over the edge, her self-induced orgasm once more feeding back into us. Louise hadn’t even finished her first orgasm when the second, caused by the twins’ feedback, hit her. Her pussy clamped down on Josh’s cock, adding to the stimulus of all the girls orgasms, and he let go, pumping thick streams of cum into Louise to join the load I had pumped into her earlier. His orgasm, along with the feeling of his asshole clenching around my cock as he came, forced me to come. I thrust forward hard, my cock spasming as I emptied my balls of their second load of the night, this time into the welcoming ass of my friend.

We stayed still, enjoying the moment. I released Louise’s hands, and she hugged Josh, kissing him and whispering in his ear.

Gently, I pulled back. I didn’t want to hurt him by yanking out of him. There was a small pop as my cock exited his asshole, and his ass snapped closed, trapping all my cum inside.

Josh got up and left the room. I looked at Louise. “Is he okay?”

She smiled. “I think he needed to go potty,” she said.

“I need to go shower,” I added, and Louise nodded.

By the time I had showered, Josh had re-joined the girls in the bedroom. He had also showered and put on shorts and a T-shirt. Amanda had put on her night things. Mary held her hand out to Louise and they went to shower together.

I flopped onto the bed, beside Josh, who was laying on his back looking at the ceiling.

“I guess we both lost another v,” he said, holding his hand up for a fist bump.

I obliged, but then I had to ask. “You okay?”

“It was intense, man,” he said, “even before… you know. Feeling everything that everyone was feeling, it was confusing at first, but once it all sorted out, it was amazing. Then, when people started to come… I never knew women’s orgasms felt like that.”

“How could you?” I said. “I only found out recently.”

He turned his head to look at me. “Caleb, thank you,” he said. “I know you were scared. If I’m honest, so was I, a little. I can see how much Louise loves you. I did worry I would lose her to you, but along with all the sensations I felt, I also felt her love. God, if I’d only known sooner how she felt.”

“You know now,” I said, “so enjoy it, and love her back.”

“How could I not?”

“I didn’t hurt you?” I asked.

“No,” he said. “Amanda really got me ready, and Louise has been working on me for a few days now. I was scared, though. I wanted it so bad, but I’d heard so many stories. You took your time, and it was awesome. Can’t say I’m not a little sore now though.” He grinned. “But I’ll get over it.”

Louise and Mary returned, both in night gear. Our bed was huge, so there was plenty of room for us all. Mary and Louise snuggled up together; Josh and I laid side by side. Amanda laid on my other side, her head on my chest and her leg thrown over mine.

I saw the door open, and Jules peeked in.

I held out my free arm and she smiled, crossing the room to take up position on my other side. She would have Josh behind her, but I was sure she could deal with that. Amanda asked her if she wanted to swap sides, but Jules shook her head. Then she looked up at me.

“Did you have fun?” she asked.

I nodded. “It was unbelievable.”

“No regrets, worries, concerns?” she asked, those beautiful eyes boring into mine.

“My only regret is that you were excluded,” I said. “I don’t mean from the sex, but from the love. There was a lot of it being thrown around tonight.”

“I wasn’t excluded,” she said. “I may not have been in the link, but don’t forget that strong emotions ‘leak’ across the bond. Love is the strongest of all. I felt it and it filled me with happiness. I also felt you check in with me. I’m not sure how you found time, but that was nice too. AND I finished my project. So, all in all, I had a great night too.”

She reached up and pecked me on the lips. She seemed to enjoy that, and I wasn’t complaining.

“Goodnight, Caleb,” she said.

I stroked her head, and we drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 10 – At the Mall

I woke to a feeling of misery and pain radiating through the bond.

The room was dark, but I saw that Jules wasn’t in bed with me. I went to go find her, but Mary put her hand on my arm.

“Amanda is with her,” she said quietly.

“What’s going on?” I whispered, trying not to disturb Josh and Louise, but concern rising. I briefly wondered where my phone was, in case we needed to call 911. That earned me a little nudge from Mary.

“Caleb,” she said, “don’t panic. She’s not in danger. It’s just her time of the month.”

“It hurts her that much?” I asked incredulously. “You guys didn’t seem to have this much pain when you were…”

“It affects some girls differently,” Mary said. “Amanda and I are lucky. We get some cramps, but they are not bad. Some girls have it really bad. Jules, unfortunately, falls into that category.”

“Does she need to see a doctor?” I asked. “Can’t they do something?”

“No, she just has to ride it out,” she replied sadly.

“How long for?”

“Normally a couple or three days.”

I slid out of bed. “Where is she?”

“Caleb…”

“Where?”

“Her room,” she sighed. “She’s curled up with a heating pad. Amanda is keeping her company.”

I went to Jules’ room, knocking on the door softly. Mary followed.

I heard a grunt from inside and took that as permission to enter.

Jules was curled into a tight ball. Amanda was behind her, stroking her back. Pain didn’t make it through the bond, but I could feel Jules’ misery.

“Hey Kitten,” I said, sitting on the side of the bed, stroking her hair. “How’s it going?”

I heard several responses running through her head, some of them quite vitriolic.

“Jules,” I said gently, “I need to know: is this pain exactly like your normal period pain?”

She looked up at me, pain filling those beautiful eyes, and nodded.

I put my hand on her side. I didn’t actually need to be in contact with her, but it felt like the right thing to do. Stretching out my awareness, I sought out the pain messages screaming through her body and blocked them.

I felt her relax. A feeling of relief came over the bond, followed quickly by one of confusion.

I examined the block and considered how long I should leave it in place. I didn’t want her to be in pain, but I also didn’t want to block pain that might signify something abnormal was going on.

I decided on forty-eight hours. I figured I could always alter it after speaking to Jules if her pain normally lasted longer.

“How’s that?” I asked.

“What did you do?” she asked.

“I blocked the pain signals,” I said. “That’s why I needed to know if this was your normal period pain. I didn’t want you to ignore pain that might signify you needed help. How long does the pain normally last?”

“Two days, sometimes three,” she said.

“I have blocked them for forty-eight hours,” I said. “I can always extend if necessary.”

She sat up, gingerly at first, still expecting the pain to return, but when it didn’t, she slid her arms around me.

“Thank you,” she said.

“Of course,” I replied. “Please, never hesitate to come to me with stuff like this. I would’ve gotten out in front of it, had I known.”

“I’m sure Jules would’ve too,” Amanda said gently, “if we had known. Bit of a new development, sweetie.”

I realized she was right. I had only learned to block pain signals the day before, and then things had gotten very complicated very quickly on the home front. All had ended well, but I’d been so exhausted and sex-drunk that I hadn’t been thinking about telling anybody about my day.

“Jules, I am so sorry,” I said, hugging her tighter.

“You are more than forgiven,” she sighed. “I had the pain for less than an hour. Normally it’s at least two days, and I’m sorry I called you names.”

I smiled. “It’s fine,” I said. “It popped into your head; you didn’t actually say it.”

I sent the memory of when I had asked Jules how it was going and her mental response.

“How do you think it’s going, fuckwit?”

Mary and Amanda both giggled, and Jules blushed.

“Come on back to bed,” Mary said. “It’s still early.”

Josh was still fast asleep when we returned to our room, but Louise was awake.

We all climbed back into bed, settling down once more.

“Is everything okay?” Louise asked quietly.

I nodded. “Jules was just feeling a little unwell,” I said. “She’s fine now.”

“Josh wasn’t getting ‘handsy’ in his sleep, was he?” Louise asked, “He does that sometimes.”

“No,” said Jules, “he was fine. Just cramps is all.”

“Ah,” Louise said, “I have some anti-inflammatories in our room if you need them.”

“I’m good, thanks,” Jules said. “They’re gone now.”

“You’re lucky,” Louise griped good-naturedly. “Mine last all day.”

“I am very lucky,” Jules said, snuggling into me again and smiling. She looked up at me with the obvious, silent question. I smiled back.

“When they start up, come see me,” I whispered. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Wait… do you mean…?” Louise half-asked.

“I do,” I replied. “Now let’s get some sleep.”

I couldn’t help but notice the brief flash of purple in her aura.

+++++

When I next woke, I was alone in bed with Jules. She was already awake, her head on resting on my shoulder, her hand gently stroking my chest.

“Hey you,” I said quietly, “how’s it going?”

She chuckled. “How do you think it’s going?”

“Seems to be going okay for now,” I ventured. “How’s your tummy?”

“It’s fine,” she said, looking up at me. “Caleb, I am sorry I called you names.”

“Hey, don’t be,” I soothed her. “You can’t be held responsible for every stray thought that pops into your head, especially when you are in that much pain. It was quite a stupid question after all, but what do you say to someone you love when you can see they are suffering?”

“How did I get so lucky?” she asked.

“I was asking myself the same question,” I replied. “Where’d everyone go?”

“Josh and Louise went out somewhere,” she said. “I didn’t ask where. The girls are in the kitchen making…”

“Breakfast!” said Amanda, pushing open the bedroom door and entering carrying a tray.

Mary followed with a pitcher of juice and some glasses. We picnicked on the bed and then I went and attended to my morning ritual. When I came out of the bathroom, I dressed and joined the girls in the kitchen.

“Do we have plans for today?” I asked.

“I still need to go shopping,” Jules said. “I kind of got side-tracked last week.”

“Why don’t we all go?” I suggested. “We can have a browse around the mall, maybe have lunch there? Amanda and Mary can help carry our bags.” I grinned at them. Amanda stuck her tongue out at me.

After we cleared away the breakfast things, we took Amanda’s car and drove to the big out-of-town mall, around forty minutes away. Mary rode shotgun with Amanda driving. Jules and I were in the back.

I had decided that I needed to get a couple of items for myself, and I had a bit of spare cash in my bank account, since I didn’t really spend much. I figured I had maybe three or four hundred dollars; I would have to check my balance to be sure.

“How are you guys for cash?” I asked. “I have a bit to spare if you need anything.”

Mary gave Amanda a look, and I sensed a twinge of embarrassment over the bond.

“Hey,” I said, “it’s okay, I don’t mind fronting you some if you are short.”

“We’re good,” said Mary. “How about you, Jules?”

Jules grinned at us. “My daddy loves me,” she said. “He still sends me an allowance. I’m good.”

I realized that I knew absolutely nothing about Jules’ family.

“Where do your parents live?” I asked her.

“They live out of state,” she said. “Daddy has a bit of land with a few cows.” She looked at me a little worriedly. “I was hoping you might like to come and meet them in the holidays?”

“Have you told them about us?” I asked.

“Not exactly,” she said a little evasively. A feeling of discomfort was leaking over the bond.

“Not exactly?” I asked. “Or not at all?”

“I was waiting for the right time,” she rushed.

I smiled at her. “Jules, it’s fine,” I said. “Breaking the news to your parents that you have met someone is a big deal. That’s a big phone call. Breaking the news that you have entered a polyamorous relationship with three other someones is more than a phone call. That’s a face-to-face thing.”

“So, you’ll all come?” she asked hopefully.

“I think Dianna has some plans for me for the summer,” I said, “but I’ll make sure I make some time for it. What about you guys?” I directed that question to the twins.

Mary smiled. “We don’t have plans, so we’d love to,” she said.

“YAY!!!” yelled Amanda. “ROAD TRIP!!!”

“How will your parents take it if the three of us come home with you?” I asked. “Will we need a hotel room or something?”

“No, there will be room at the house,” Jules said. “I’m sure we can squeeze in.” I felt amusement over the bond, and I pictured us all squeezing into my bedroom at home. I laughed.

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll confirm dates with Dianna, and then you can check with your parents if we can go up.”

She nodded happily.

We spent a fun few hours browsing around the mall. I discovered, much to my surprise, that I was no longer in charge of choosing my own underwear. The girls had long debates about it, out loud, right in front me, much to the amusement of some passers-by. Jules bought herself some new clothes, including some more jeans and t-shirts, and even a dress. I had noticed that she’d been starting to grow out her hair, and figured she was done hiding behind the boring boy look. I hadn’t said anything; it had felt unnecessary, and a bit too confrontational.

We were just finishing our lunch when several things happened almost simultaneously.

One was that I ‘smelled’ a coppery scent, which I normally associated with someone with powers. It was weak, and it had some sickly-sweet overtones.

At the same time, I caught a panicked thought, even through my shield.

“No! Not again!!” was almost instantaneously followed by an actual shout. “GOTCHA!!”

Everyone in the area looked across to the front of a shop, where a fat, sleazy-looking security guard had grabbed the arm of a young girl, probably in her late teens. She was pushing a stroller in which a toddler, aged around two, sat. In her hand, she had a toy, wrapped in bright plastic, which she’d apparently been trying to steal.

The security guard was gloating. “This is the second time,” he said. “You’ll definitely go to county this time!” He was gripping her arm tightly and I saw her wince, tears running down her cheeks.

Much to my horror, I saw a dark thread of compulsion connecting the girl’s head to that of the child.

“Oh FUCK!” I said. I had no idea what to do. I only knew that I needed to speak to Dianna urgently.

I picked up my phone, but the security guard was starting to drag the young girl back into the store, and I was concerned for her safety when I heard his thoughts.

“If I threaten her with county, maybe I can get her to blow me like that slut last week. I can make another video.”

“DOUBLE FUCK!!” I said. I had to move quickly.

“Call the police,” I sent to the girls. Mary pulled out her phone.

“And?”

I was already walking over to the commotion as I responded. “Kid has powers. Guard is a perv. Just call in the shoplifting to get them here quickly.”

The girl was resisting the guard’s pull, and he was starting to get annoyed.

“Stop!” I said. “You can’t drag her off like that.”

“Mind your business, boy,” the guard said. “I am legally detaining her for theft.”

“Legal detention does not include imprisonment,” I replied. “The police are on their way. She will stay here with us until they get here. You are not taking her anywhere with you.”

At the mention of the police the girl whimpered, and the security guard glowered, squeezing tighter on her arm.

“Take your hands off her,” I said. “You’re hurting her, and it’s not like she’s going to run away with a stroller now, is it?”

“She is coming with me, so I can search her, ready for when the police arrive,” he said, starting to move again. I stood in his way.

“Let her go,” I said quietly.

I saw his free hand drift toward his belt, where he had a pepper spray and a short baton. I tensed ready to react when a voice broke in.

“What’s going on?”

I turned and came face to face with two police officers, one male and one female. Fortunately, there was a small police post in the mall, and they had been patrolling nearby when Mary’s call had come in.

“I caught this girl stealing this toy,” the guard said. “This is the second time I’ve caught her; she got off with a warning last time. I was trying to take her back into the store when her friend tried to obstruct me from doing my duties. He’s obviously working with her, trying to run interference.”

“I’m not with her,” I said, “but he was assaulting her, and was trying to drag her heaven-knows-where to do heaven-knows-what. He knows you are here. There was no reason for him to go anywhere. She was detained. He should have just called you and waited until you arrived. She is a female minor. He had no right to drag her anywhere.”

“Don’t you tell me how to do my job,” the guard spat at me.

The police officers decided to split us up.

“Sir,” the female officer said, “would you step over here and speak to me please?”

I nodded and followed her a few paces away. The girls, who had been standing behind me, followed.

“Are you all together?” the officer asked.

“Yes,” all four of us answered in perfect unity. The officer raised an eyebrow.

“Officer…” I read her nameplate as I reached in my wallet. “Davis. My name is Caleb Stott. I’m a consultant with the FBI.” I showed her my ID card.

“Forging government IDs, even for a prank, is a felony offence,” she said.

“Someone, call Dianna.” I sent to the girls.

“I tried,” I heard Mary think, “She is out of contact. You’ll have to get in touch with Uncle Frank.”

“The local office number is on the back of my ID,” I said. “The section chief’s name is Frank Howe. Please call him to confirm.”

Her eyes narrowed and I could hear her thinking. He’s either telling the truth or I’ll never play poker with him. Shit!!

She pulled out her phone and called the number. Her eyes widened as she spoke to the local office. Thanks to my Telepathy, I was able to hear the other side of the conversation clearly. The most reassuring part was that a couple of agents were en route, though it would take them about a half hour to arrive.

“Okay Agent… I mean Mr…” the officer was foundering, trying to decide how to address the uni kid in front of her who had suddenly turned out, while not to be her superior, to be someone she needed to respect.

“Caleb is fine,” I said.

“Okay Caleb,” she said. “What would you like to do?”

“Do you have an office?” I asked. “Here, in the mall?”

She nodded.

“Can we take the girl and the child there until the agents arrive?”

“Under arrest?” she asked.

“Does it have to be?” I queried.

She shook her head. “She looks like a minor, and while there’s nothing illegal about a girl her age minding a kid, if we think there’s a problem, we have the right to step in and get the parents to come down.”

“That sounds good, thank you.”

I looked at the girls and pulled some money out of my wallet.

“Will you guys go buy one of whatever that toy is and bring it down please?”

“You need the toy?” asked officer Davis.

“The kid wanted the toy,” I said. “If we want to keep the kid happy, we need the toy.”

“We’ll take it with us,” she replied, “as evidence.”

We re-joined the other officer. He was standing talking to the security guard, who still had a death grip on the girl’s arm.

“You can let go of her arm now,” said Officer Davis.

He let go like he had been scalded. Her arm was bruised. Finger marks were visible.

“Steve,” Officer Davis said, “I’ll take these guys to the office. Get his statement and I’ll meet you back there. Oh, and we’ll need to take the toy as evidence.”

Steve nodded, and Officer Davis put her hand gently on the young girl’s shoulder and guided her away.

She started to resist, but I took the toy and placed it in the lap of the child. Her resistance ceased. The child laughed and began playing with the packet.

“Can I push him for you?” asked Amanda, and the girl relinquished the stroller to her.

“What’s your name, hon?” asked Officer Davis.

“Mary-Beth Vardy.”

“How old are you, Mary-Beth?”

“I’m seventeen.”

“And who’s this?” the officer indicated the stroller.

“That’s my brother, Davey.” Mary-Beth’s lip curled as she said it. There was obviously some animosity there.

“Has he done this to you before?” I asked.

The officer looked at me with a puzzled expression, but Mary-Beth gaped at me. “You know?” she gasped.

I nodded. “Don’t worry,” I said, “you’re not in trouble. We’ll get it all sorted out when my friends get here.”

I saw tears trickling down her face. She had obviously been suffering at the brat’s whims for some time. I guessed that as the oldest child, she had been left to look after him, probably while the parents worked.

We reached the office, which was more like a break room. There was a desk with a computer, though, and an office chair. Over to one side, there was a kitchen-like work surface with a sink and a coffee machine. I saw a couple of cups draining by the sink. There was also a couch against the opposite wall, in front of which was a low table. Mary-Beth was directed to the couch, where she sat, the stroller with Davey just beside her.

I wanted to talk to Mary-Beth but didn’t want to give too much away in front of the officer. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust her, but I wasn’t sure of how ‘secret’ we were supposed to be.

Davey was still gleefully banging away at the packaging of the toy, although I sensed that he was getting bored with it already.

“Maybe Davey would like a nap?” I sent to the twins, hoping that they would be able to send him off to sleep with their powers as easily as they could me.

Mary looked at him, and within seconds he was fast asleep.

The office door opened, and Steve walked in.

“Ok, Debs,” he said, “what’s going on, and who are these guys?”

I looked at Mary, and, with a twinkle in her eye, she gestured for me to introduce myself.

I held my hand out. “Hi,” I said, “I’m Caleb Stott. I’m a consultant with the FBI. This is Mary, Amanda and Jules.”

He looked at ‘Debs’ with scepticism, but she nodded. “I rang the field office. He checks out. There are two agents en-route.”

“Are you all, erm… consultants?” he asked.

“No,” said the girls in unison, “we’re his girlfriends.”

His jaw dropped and he looked at me. I just shrugged and smiled. Debs chuckled.

“So, what’s the deal with our little thief?” he asked. “Why is the FBI interested in petty larceny?”

“It’s a bit more complicated than that,” I said. “And, with the greatest respect, I’m only a consultant with the FBI. I don’t know how much information I’m allowed to give you. The last thing I want is to get you guys in trouble for being read into a situation that you shouldn’t have been. Would it be okay if we wait for the agents to get here? They will know how much information can be shared.”

Officer Steve opened his mouth, then closed it, and looked at his partner. She returned his look and shrugged.

“I need to talk to Mary-Beth,” I said. “Right now, she is confused and frightened. It’s not fair keeping her like that.”

Debs nodded. “I can’t leave you alone with her, no matter your credentials. She is still a minor and you are a male. Your girlfriends don’t count as chaperones. I’ll stay by the door and talk to them, and if you talk quietly, I won’t hear anything I shouldn’t.”

We all looked at Steve.

He sighed. “I guess I’ll go outside and wait for the agents.” He seemed resigned, but also a little put-out. He left the office.

Debs moved to the door, as did Jules and Mary. Amanda and I sat on the couch, one of us on either side of Mary-Beth.

“Hi,” I said, “my name is Caleb, and this is Amanda.”

She looked at me, her eyes still wet. She was trembling a little, and I caught fleeting thoughts of her being in trouble – memories, but called up to the surface and actively played out. She had received a beating from her father for previous thefts that she had been forced to perform, and her mother had threatened to throw her out if there was any more trouble.

“I promise I’ll make it right,” I said. “Whether we’re allowed to tell them everything or not isn’t up to me, but we are going to help you.”

“You can’t,” she said sullenly. “If you don’t tell them, then nothing will change. If you do, they won’t believe you. They didn’t believe me, and I’m their daughter. For fuck’s sake, he does it to them too, at home, and they still don’t believe it.”

“We can be very persuasive,” I sent to her.

Her eyes widened and she let out a little scream, her hand covering her mouth. I saw Debs shoot a glance over in our direction, wondering what I had said or done to the girl. I felt Amanda’s power flow over Mary-Beth, reassuring and soothing her. I also felt Mary doing the same to the officer, who relaxed her stance.

“I’m going to help you, and help Davey,” I said. “In order to do that, I am going to need you to trust me a little bit. Do you think that you will be able to do that?”

She looked at me, her eyes still full of tears. Another wave of reassurance, overlaid with a feeling of safety, security and trust rolled over the girl. She nodded, although I was starting to get a little uncomfortable at Amanda’s manipulation. I hadn’t really considered how Empathy could be used in that way, but under the right circumstances it could be as powerful as Compulsion.

“I’m going to talk to talk to you directly again,” I said. “Would that be alright?” I knew that Debs, even if she heard me, would have no idea what I meant, but I figured better safe than sorry.

Mary-Beth nodded.

“Hi again,” I sent, “in here, just think what you want to say, and I will be able to hear it, okay?”

“He has nice eyes,” I heard her think, then, “Oh no! did he hear that?” She blushed.

I smiled at her gently. “Don’t worry, and thank you, it’s always nice to get a compliment. Earlier this morning my girlfriend called me a name, so being told I have nice eyes is a pleasant change.”

She smiled shyly at that.

“How old are you, Mary-Beth?” I sent to her.

“Seventeen. I’ll be eighteen in three months.”

“And how long has Davey been making you do things?”

“I don’t know exactly,” she thought. “I guess I realized it was him doing it about six months ago, the first time I stole something. Before that I did stuff, I guess, but just didn’t think anything of it.”

“Do you think you could show me?” I sent. “If you think of all the times he has made you do something, I’ll be able to see them. Depending on how word comes down, I might be allowed to show your parents too.”

She nodded, and I got a cascade of images from her: film clips of the times she had been compelled to do something by her little brother. She had stolen several items, most of the time without getting caught. I saw a clip of the last time the fat security guard had caught her, and I delved into that deeper. He had taken her into the manager’s office and told her that he was going to call the police unless she agreed to give him oral sex. He was just approaching her when the manager entered the office and took over, telling the guard that since she was a minor, he would give her a warning that time. The manager, a middle-aged man, had given her a severe warning about stealing from his store again before telling the guard to escort her off the premises.

She also showed me her parents: her mother screaming at her when she had been called to another store after she’d been caught stealing from them; then her father, using his belt on her behind, for getting caught again at the same store. He had had to pay them compensation to stop them from calling the police, and she’d been banned from the premises.

“It’s all over now,” I sent. “I will straighten it out with your parents, and make sure Davey can never do that to you again.”

She looked at me wide-eyed again, and then threw her arms around me, sobbing into my chest with relief.

Debs cleared her throat meaningfully, and I looked at her, shrugging with my arms spread, showing who was hugging whom.

Amanda gently disengaged the teen from me, pulling her instead into her embrace while she calmed, which Debs didn’t seem to have a problem with. Like that’s not sexist.

There was a knock on the office door, and Steve stuck his head in. “The agents are here.”

I stood up, leaving Mary-Beth with Amanda on the couch.

“Special Agent David Spencer, Special Agent Andrew Garraway.” The other agent showed his credentials. “We’re with the Extended Specialist Profiling Division. Mr. Stott here is a consultant working with us.”

“Officers Davis and Maine,” replied Steve, indicating first Debs and then himself.

David looked at me and raised an eyebrow.

“Can I show you?” I sent. I figured that if he had worked with Dianna he would be used to mental communication. I didn’t sense any powers in either of them.

“Show us both,” he thought, and I sent them my memories from the time I had first become aware of the compulsion.

He nodded, and then turned to the officers.

“Officers,” he said, “do you think we could impose and borrow your office for a short while?”

The officers looked at each other. Once again, they weren’t obliged to obey him. He was not in their chain of command, but FBI was FBI.

“Sure,” said Debs. “We’re due a meal break anyhow. How long do you need?”

“Half an hour should be plenty,” he said.

“No problem,” she said. “Come on Steve, you’re buying.”

They left the office.

“Caleb,” David said, “As you no doubt detected, Andrew and I are both Norms. These two young ladies I recognize as Dianna’s granddaughters, but this young lady?” he asked, indicating Jules.

“That’s Jules,” Mary said, “our girlfriend. She is fully read in.”

David shook his head ruefully. “Some things I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to. I’m pleased to meet you all.”

David sat down in front of Mary-Beth.

“Hi,” he said kindly, “my name is David, I’m with the FBI.” He showed her his badge.

Mary-Beth trembled, looking scared again. Amanda once again soothed her.

“Caleb has already explained to me what happened,” he said. “I promise you are not in any trouble, and we are going to straighten all this out with your parents, okay?”

Mary-Beth nodded hesitantly.

“Where do you live Mary-Beth?”

“One-hundred fourteen Pine, near Henderson.” she answered.

“Where are your parents?”

“Working. Mom works at the hospital and Dad works for the city. He drives maintenance trucks.”

“What time are they due home?”

“Dad will be home now; he’s going to be mad because I should be home already. Mom will be home soon, maybe another half hour.”

David looked at me.

“Sorry to ask you Caleb, but Dianna is away on a call just now, and we have no other users in the area. Would you come with us to help explain?”

I nodded.

I heard Mary think, “Amanda should come with you, too. She will be useful. I’ll take Jules home.”

“Amanda too,” I said. “She is far better with Empathy than me.”

Davey nodded and looked at Amanda. “Would you mind?”

“That’s fine,” she said, fishing out her car keys and handing them to Mary.

“We’ll see you guys later,” Mary said. I got hugs from them both, and they left.

“How did you get here, Mary-Beth?” asked David. “Did you drive or take a bus?”

“I walked,” she said quietly.

“It’s a long walk,” David said.

“Davey likes the walk,” she said, her voice low, “so I walk.”

“Okay,” said David. “We’ll take you home now and speak with your parents, but before we go, I think we need to do something about that security guard.”

“What can you do?” I asked. “The only proof is what I lifted from his memory. Is that enough to prosecute?”

“Not on its own, but Mary-Beth’s statement is enough for an arrest and search warrant. We should get plenty of evidence, judging by what you saw.”

Mary-Beth’s eyes went wide again. For the first time, she didn’t seem scared. She still didn’t really accept how quickly her fortunes had changed, but I figured a lack of fear was progress.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Debs poked her head in.

“Do you need more time?” she asked.

“Actually, officer…”

“Davis,” I supplied. “Debs to her friends. She lets me call her Officer Davis.”

She grinned at me. “Maybe one day,” she said.

David smiled. “Perhaps you could do us another small favour.”

“Sure,” she said.

“Go arrest that security guard for assault, extortion, and propositioning a minor. We may even go for statutory rape. Seize his cell phone.”

Debs whistled. “Boy,” she said to me, “I guess I’d better let you call me Debs. I don’t want to get on your bad side.”

“I don’t have a bad side,” I said. “I’m wonderful from every direction.”

Debs laughed. “And modest too. C’mon Steve, before I get roped into being girlfriend number four.”

“She’s pretty,” I got from Amanda.

“Not too old?” I asked.

I got a memory of me, writing the twins name on Dianna’s clit with my tongue. It was the thought I had sent them while I was ‘sharing’ with Dianna.

I blushed, but I supposed she was right. Dianna was sixty-seven, even if she only looked to be in her thirties. I put Debs around twenty-five or twenty-six.

Amanda had soothed Mary-Beth so much that she was actually dozing in the older girls’ arms with her head resting on her shoulder.

David nodded for me to follow him outside, which I did.

“I’m going to ask the officers to get the guard transported to holding at the main precinct. They can’t interrogate him here.”

I saw the officers returning with the guard, his hands cuffed behind him. Steve had the guard’s phone in his hand.

“His phone is locked,” Debs said. “Eight-digit passcode.”

“May I?” I asked and she handed it to me, with a look at her partner.

“May I look at your phone please?” I asked the guard. I couldn’t help sounding a bit smarmy. He deserved worse.

“Fuck you,” he growled. Steve opened his mouth, but I beat him to it.

“Thank you for your cooperation,” I said. “Oh, it appears to be locked. Can you tell me the passcode please?”

“Fuck you twice,” the guard snarled again.

I looked intently at his face. “The first number is…” I started counting. “One, two, three, four, five, six… ah, six.”

I went through that same charade until I had ‘discovered’ all eight numbers and unlocked his phone. I hoped it would look like I had seen some reaction when I had said the correct number; I remembered something like that in an episode of The Mentalist I had watched.

“So,” I summarised, “six one seven nine three five six five? Great, thanks.”

The guards’ eyes were like saucers as I unlocked his phone and handed it back to Debs.

“See? You just needed to ask him nicely.” I smiled.

Debs started to look through his image files. Her face took on a sick expression as she lifted her radio.

“Central, I need a transport for one under for statutory rape.”

She went to turn away.

“Debs?” I said. “You got a pen and paper handy?”

She handed me her notebook and pen.

I scribbled down a couple of numbers.

“What are those?” she asked.

“Top one is the passcode to his phone in case it times out again on you,” I said. “From his reaction, that number is important to him, so if you find anything in his house that requires a combination, it will probably be the same number, or perhaps the first or last four digits of it.”

I stared at the guard again. “He is the type to have a… wall safe, floor safe – ah! A floor safe! – in his kitchen, den, dining room, garage, bedroom, attic – okay, bedroom then – a floor safe in his bedroom, somewhere, I think.”

The guard went grey. Debs look both amused and impressed. I thanked my lucky stars for the abundance of crime procedurals on television – and, I supposed, that the FBI itself was considered quasi-magical by local law enforcement.

“And the bottom one?” she asked.

“That’s my cell,” I said with a grin.

She laughed.

Steve shook his head. “Kid, you’ve got game!” he said ruefully.

They walked the guard out to meet the transport at the main entrance.

“Nicely done,” David said. “A little ‘Patrick Jane,’ but it got the info across, and didn’t reveal you as anything more than a cocky guy with a bit of a gift for reading people.”

I grinned at him knowingly. Even the FBI knew about the power of television. I supposed that Patrick Jane, The Mentalist himself, would probably use that same type of cultural conditioning to help crack a suspect. It was quite poetic, really.

We roused the dozing Mary-Beth, and, with the still-sleeping Davey in his stroller, we all walked out to the agents’ SUV.

After about a twenty-minute drive, we arrived at a small house. There was a truck in the drive and a car parked on the street outside. Andrew, who had driven the SUV, parked across the drive, and we all got out of the car.

The door opened as we approached. David was in front with me following him. Mary-Beth was carrying the still-sleeping Davey, and Amanda and Andrew brought up the rear. Amanda had her hand on Mary-Beth’s shoulder, still soothing her. I had felt her fear climbing as we had gotten closer to her home.

I wouldn’t have said that Mary-Beth’s mother looked much like her. She was a short, Rubenesque woman with dark hair and an angry expression. The man that stepped up behind her was taller, and I could see some resemblance. He had fair hair and a pleasant face, and I saw worry in his expression. I immediately caught his thoughts, and read that he had not wanted to use his belt on Mary-Beth, but had done so to placate his wife and stop her from throwing the girl out on the street. He felt massive guilt that he had not stood up to his wife, and he wondered how he was going to protect his daughter this time.

My feelings toward him, which up to then had been extremely uncharitable, started to thaw a bit – at the cost of my feelings toward his wife.

“Mr. and Mrs. Vardy?” David asked as he approached.

They nodded. “Now what?” the woman asked. “What has that stupid little bitch done this time?”

“Becky,” Mr. Vardy said, “you don’t know that she did anything yet. Give the girl a chance for once.”

“I’m Special Agent David Spencer with the FBI,” he said, flashing his badge. “This is Caleb Stott.” I showed them my ID, thinking to myself I needed a wallet I could just flop open to show it in a cool way. “That’s Agent Andrew Garraway, and Amanda Everson.” Amanda smiled at them both. “May we come in?”

They looked at each other and then backed away from the door, indicating for us to enter. Becky led the way into their living room, where two other children were sitting watching television. One, a girl, was about twelve, and she looked up when we entered. The other, a boy, looked to be about six, and his attention remained firmly fixed on the program he was watching. I checked them both swiftly and could detect no powers on any of them. Likewise, the parents looked to be ‘Norms.’

Mr. Vardy followed us into the room, and, picking up the remote control, turned the television off, which sparked protests from the younger boy. The older girl was much more interested in finding out what was going on.

Neither of them was particularly happy to be told to go to their rooms. It took a glare from their mother to silence their protests, and then they slunk out. I got the sense that the girl would try and eavesdrop. She seemed to like the thought of her older sister being in trouble again.

“What’s she done this time?” Becky asked again once the children had left, and the door was closed.

“Actually,” said David, “we’re not here to talk about Mary-Beth. We need to talk to you about your son, Davey.”

“Davey?” they echoed in unison, surprise in their tones.

“What has she done to Davey?” asked Becky. “Did she hurt him? I knew she was getting wild, but I never thought…”

“Mary-Beth did nothing wrong,” I said loudly, stopping them in their tracks. I was getting annoyed with the litany, and I could feel Mary-Beth’s fear building again. Amanda was right on top of it, as usual, but that wasn’t any kind of a long-term solution.

“If you would let me explain,” David said to them, giving me a slightly irritated glance.

“Sorry,” I sent to him, and I saw the corner of his mouth quirk up.

“Perhaps we might sit?” he asked.

Mr. Vardy pulled some chairs over from the dining table so there were enough for everyone Mary-Beth, Amanda and I settled on the sofa, recently vacated by the children who’d been watching television. The two agents took the dining room chairs. Becky and Mr. Vardy, sat on a couple of easy chairs facing the couch.

I paid close attention. I figured I could learn a lot about proper procedure, if nothing else. I had a feeling the discussion was going to begin poorly; I also figured that that was a fairly normal occurrence – as far as anything was normal in the situation.

“Mrs. Vardy,” David began, “would it be okay if I called you Becky?” She nodded. “Thank you, and?” He looked at her husband

“Gary,” he replied.

David nodded. “Thank you. Becky, Gary. It is possible that you might already have noticed this, but Davey is not quite like other children his age.”

“What are you saying,” asked Becky harshly. “that our son is retarded? Nobody has ever found anything wrong with him before.”

“Not exactly,” said David. “In fact, quite the opposite. Davey is actually gifted, but it’s a gift that he doesn’t know how to use responsibly yet, and he has been using it on Mary-Beth, and probably others as well.”

“A gift?” asked Gary. “What kind of gift?”

“A very small number of people,” David continued, “are born with abilities that are beyond what are normally available to the rest of us. Davey is one of these. He was born with the ability to use his mind to compel someone to do his bidding. Simply put, he can force them to do things, even if they don’t want to do them.”

I waited for the reaction. I wondered how I would react if I were in their shoes. I had only recently realized that such powers existed, and I’d had the benefit of discovering that I was the one who had them. I’d never had to be on the ‘Norm’ side of things.

Gary and Becky looked at each other.

“I…” said Gary.

“It’s not…” said Becky.

I knew then that, deep down, they’d known. The denial was probably so strong as to be violent and overwhelming – probably only cowed slightly at the moment by the presence of the federal government in their house – but they knew that something strange had been going on.

“I know it’s a lot to take in,” said David. “Not only that such power exists, but that your son can wield it. I can give you proof in both cases – or rather, my young friend here can.” He indicated me.

They both turned their attention to me.

“Mrs. Vardy,” I said. I decided it was her denial that had to be the most forcefully overwhelmed. “I am going to ask you go get me a glass of water. I want you to resist doing so as hard as you can. I promise it won’t hurt, but I cannot think of any other way to show you.”

They looked at each other again. I saw fear in their auras – both of their auras. That only confirmed it. They’d known something. Her hesitation wasn’t born of scepticism, confusion, or even fear of the thing itself. Without even probing her mind, I suspected that she was worried about how things might change – especially between her and her husband – once denial was no longer an option. I vainly hoped she might be afraid of having to apologize to Mary-Beth, but I doubted she’d ever do so.

Finally, she nodded.

I sent the Compulsion. She needed to get me a drink, and she needed to use one of her best glasses – those that, ironically, were exclusively for ‘better’ company that they never entertained.

She stood up, leaving the living room and going into the kitchen. She was back in a few minutes, placing the glass on the low table in front of me before taking her seat again.

Gary stared at her wide-eyed. He had not missed the glass she had used. Becky stared at me. Once again, her mind and her soul were open books. Once again, she was afraid, but not of the thing itself. She was also angry. I was the messenger, and she wanted to kill me.

“I couldn’t stop myself,” she said sullenly. She wanted to pretend to be surprised, but she couldn’t sell it. “How is that possible?”

I felt, rather than saw, the key memory. I didn’t probe for it, but I knew what it would contain: another time when she’d felt like that.

Amanda sent out a wave of soothing and reassurance.

“I promise you I will never do that to you again,” I said gently. “You just needed to remember how it felt, and how impossible it was to resist. You need to accept what Davey has been doing to Mary-Beth.”

I chose my words carefully. I had some sympathy for Becky, but not too much.

“Davey can do that?” Becky asked.

I nodded to her. “Let me show you both what Mary-Beth shared with me. Would that be okay? It will be just like watching a movie.”

Gary nodded. I could sense more reluctance from Becky. She’d just gotten another taste of Compulsion, and, atop that, she was still worried about herself – her future. I was the messenger and the harbinger. I tried not to show it, but I felt quite pleased to be playing both roles.

“I promise, it’s just a show,” I said reassuringly. “Nothing more.”

She nodded uncertainly.

I played all the memories that Mary-Beth had shared with me. When I showed them the memory of Gary using his belt on Mary-Beth, he paled and put his hand to his mouth. The one I kept until last was the one where the security guard had tried to get her to give him oral sex. Gary shot to his feet, ready to kill someone.

“He is already in custody,” I said. “He never touched her, but she was frightened. She didn’t dare to tell you because she thought you would punish her for getting caught stealing again.”

Becky stood and rushed from the room. I heard her in the kitchen, retching over the sink. Gary looked at Mary-Beth, who was looking up at him, tears rolling down both their faces.

“Mary-Beth,” he said, crossing to her. I moved so he could sit beside her and hug his daughter.

Becky came back into the room, looking pale. She saw the scene between her Mary-Beth and her father. Even amidst her visceral upset, I saw her wheels turning. I saw the moment she decided to swallow her pride. She walked over to the pair of them, knelt down, and awkwardly joined in the hug.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.”

Gary, bless his heart, pulled his wife in closer. I knew it wasn’t my place to unduly interfere in their ‘Norm’ dynamic, but I was sorely tempted.

I could hear all three of them talking from within the huddle, but couldn’t make out what they were saying. I decided not to use my powers to eavesdrop.

I felt Amanda pushing feelings of love, support, and forgiveness over them. A miniature conversation of emotions passed quickly between us via the bond; she could tell I wasn’t thrilled with Becky being let off the hook. She stood firm, though, confident that love was the way forward.

I sat down on Gary’s vacated chair, and we waited. I knew it would take much longer for the new normal to firm up in their household, but I guessed that Dianna would pay them a visit at some point and give them more support.

Finally, David spoke. “Gary, Becky,” he said, and waited until they looked up at him. Amanda moved, and Becky took the seat beside her daughter. Mary-Beth was pale, but I got feelings of relief, plus some righteous anger toward her parents. They still had some way to go to be completely reconciled. Amanda believed they’d get there, with some help. I wasn’t so sure.

“Davey has an incredible gift,” David continued, “but he is too young to understand the damage he can do with it. Children his age are driven by selfish needs, and, as you saw, when he wanted something, he made sure he got it. If you think back, you yourselves were probably compelled at some point to do something.”

“The drives,” Gary almost whispered. “About three months ago, we took him out one night when he wouldn’t settle. I drove around for a bit, and eventually he went off. For the next three weeks, I took him out every night, drove the same route over and over again. Even when I was dog tired after a fourteen-hour shift, I took him out. I was late for a night shift and nearly got fired because I took him on the drive. Then it just stopped.”

“He probably got bored with it,” David said. “Now think about Davey as a six-year-old with this power. How about when he reaches puberty and starts having sexual urges?”

Becky went white, and I heard her thought. “Oh my god, that’s why I did it. He must have had the same power.”

That was my cue – my permission to dig. It was about somebody else who might have powers. I did, and saw the memories:

She had been at work in the hospital. One of the new orderlies had told her to go with him to a store cupboard, and she had followed him in.

He had told her that she wanted to kiss him, and she had. She’d really, truly wanted to kiss him.

They had made out for a while, and then she had gone down on him, sucking his cock, taking it deep in her throat. She hated giving oral. The thought of it was abhorrent to her. She would never do it for her husband, but she had willingly sucked this orderly’s cock until he had filled her mouth. She had drunk it down with relish, continuing to lick and suck until he’d gotten hard again. Then he had turned her around, bent her over a pile of laundry and fucked her.

Three times that day he had taken her to the storeroom and fucked her, the last time taking her in the ass – another thing she wouldn’t even do for her husband.

When the sickness had started three weeks later, she’d known, but she’d hoped she was wrong. Her husband had never questioned Davey’s parentage; they looked enough alike.

She’d known the baby wasn’t her husband’s, and she couldn’t understand what she had seen in the orderly – why she had broken her marriage vows for a couple of episodes of delinquent, perverted sex.

The orderly had lost interest in her and had moved departments. She still saw him around the hospital from time to time, but he didn’t even acknowledge her, and whenever she went to speak to him, she had a sudden urge to be somewhere else.

I closed my eyes. We were travelling down a rabbit hole. I shuddered at the thought of just how overwhelmed and outmatched Dianna’s special division might be against an onslaught of psi-rapists – ones that seemed to either not care about, or be thrilled by, the possibility of getting their victims pregnant.

I sent that memory to David, Andrew, and Amanda. I saw Andrew’s lips thin. David didn’t react at all. Amanda scowled.

“We can help him,” David said to them. “There is a way to keep him, and your family, safe from his powers.”

“How?” asked Mr. Vardy.

“We seal them,” David said. “We take them away from him, temporarily. That lets him grow up and develop as a normal, healthy young man. With your guidance, I have no doubt he will develop a strong moral character. When he is ready, usually around his twenty first birthday, we’ll release his powers, train him in their use, and help him come to terms with them.”

“You’ve done this before?” asked Mrs. Vardy.

“Many times,” said David. “Believe me, it’s the safest way. If we leave his powers with him, he will grow up warped. If he can get anything he wants just by demanding it, why would he work? Nobody will be immune. You will have no control over him – in fact, it will be the reverse. At some point he will do something unforgivable to somebody, and we will have to step in and stop him. For his safety and for the safety of you and your family, you need to let us do this.”

“Will it hurt him?” she asked.

“Not at all,” said David. “He may be a little confused for a few days when he doesn’t get his own way all the time like he used to, but he’s young, and will soon forget what came before.”

Becky looked at David, at her husband, and then down at the sleeping Davey. Finally, her eyes rested on her daughter. I felt Amanda push something towards Mrs. Vardy – just her. It was remorse.

I’m fairly certain Amanda got the gist of my reaction through the bond: cheating.

“It’s not your fault,” Amanda said firmly, “either of you. Powers like these are outside your experience. Nobody believes they exist. How could you know that what Mary-Beth said was the truth? It wasn’t your fault.

“You have been pushed to the limit by a naughty child,” she continued. “You were just punishing the wrong child. How could you have guessed what was happening? I’ll bet even Mary-Beth didn’t realize for a long time. Gary, you took him out for three weeks for drives and you didn’t make the connection. It’s nobody’s fault.”

I bit my tongue, both out in the world and through the bond.

“Right now, what’s important are your two children,” David said. “Davey, we need to make him safe until he reaches an age where he can use his power responsibly. And Mary-Beth needs your love and support, and forgiveness. And you need hers.”

“How do you stop him using his powers?” asked Gary.

“With this,” David said, holding out a small wire with a tiny disc the size of a watch battery attached. “It loops around his wrist, and while he wears it, he will not be able to use his powers at all. He won’t even know they exist.”

“What if he takes it off or loses it?” asked Becky.

“He won’t be able to do either,” said David. “Over the next few days, it will gently sink into his wrist, until all that is visible is a small mark that will look like a scar or birthmark. It takes its power from his own body’s electrical field, so it will never run out, and it will keep him safe until we come and remove it.”

“It won’t hurt him?” she asked.

“He won’t even know it’s there,” I said. “I didn’t.”

All three of the Vardys stared at me.

“You had one?” Gary said, and I nodded.

“It came off on my birthday,” I said, pointedly avoiding the small detail that I’d apparently overwhelmed it somehow, a year earlier than planned.

“So that’s how you knew?” Mary-Beth asked.

I nodded again. “I could see him using his power on you.”

“Why didn’t you use yours on the guard then?” she asked. “To make him let me go?”

“The power that Davey has is one of the most dangerous ones, Mary-Beth,” I said. “You have no idea how badly I wanted to make that ass – er, that sleazeball let go of you and go jump in a lake. But it’s even worse than physical violence, in terms of the consequences. It has to be the last resort.

“I’m so sorry he hurt you,” I continued. “It wasn’t right. It’s amazing how just a little bit of power can bring out the worst in people.” I spared Mrs. Vardy a pointed look just then. I hadn’t completely resigned myself to letting Amanda have everything her way.

Mrs. Vardy, for her part, couldn’t hide her flash of fear. It didn’t feel all that good, since I’d seen the memories of her own victimization, but I hoped it might make her newfound love and sympathy for her daughter stick a little better and a little longer – and more genuinely in the first place, perhaps.

“You have all suffered at the hands of someone who abused his power,” I continued, “some of you more than others.” I gave Mrs. Vardy another look – one that was much softer. She connected the dots, and recoiled. Her aura flashed red, yellow, and black.

“DON’T YOU DARE!” came through, as both more and less than an articulated thought.

I sensed her horror, her terror, and her guilt. For nearly three years she had been carrying a secret – a secret that had been eating her up inside, twisting her into a caricature of the woman she used to be. She loved Gary with all her heart and soul and loved her children just as much, including Mary-Beth. When Davey had come along, she had tried to convince herself that he was Gary’s. She’d been perversely lucky, I supposed, that Gary was so trusting, and there had been some resemblance. When the strange things had started to happen, she’d known the truth but had been desperate to hide it from her family, to prevent it from being torn apart.

She’d carried on the deceptions, each lie requiring a bigger and more complex lie to cover it, until everything had spiraled out of control. Her whole world was about to come crashing down. From her perspective, I was a judgmental little prick swooping into her life, about to lay waste to it in the name of some crusade that, notably, hadn’t protected her from her rapist. She wasn’t thrilled with the agents either, but again, the fact that they were official FBI tempered her rage with some fear. Me, though? I was too young. I was just a sanctimonious little shit.

I was stunned. Was that how she saw me? Was that how I was behaving?

I was pissed at her for her treatment of Mary-Beth and had felt justified in that, but I hadn’t known the full story. Mrs. Vardy was a victim herself, and she was right: we hadn’t protected her. She’d been left to deal with everything herself. She hadn’t made the best choices, but what right did I have to judge her?

I considered, with great discomfort, what role the government’s stubborn insistence on secrecy might have played in making her feel isolated, and maybe even crazy. As I thought about it, it all seemed rather arbitrary and half-assed, too. We were telling people left and right, but generally only after damage had been done.

I shook off the stray thoughts; I needed to focus on the problems in front of me, with the people who were suffering right then. I realized that Amanda had been right all along: love was the way forward. Becky had had a fair point, too. I’d rushed to judgment.

“I won’t tell him,” I sent back as gently as I could, “but you need to think about this, maybe talk to someone about telling him. If it ever comes out in the future, how will he react? Everyone these days is doing DNA testing for just about everything – or what if Davey or one of the others gets sick and needs blood or bone marrow?

“This secret has been killing you. It’s twisting you up inside, and it’s why you, a loving mother, could even consider turning her back on her own daughter. You were trying to protect the rest of the family. There was never going to be a good choice.

“But you have to remember, YOU are a victim. You had no choice in what happened to you. I just proved that to you. You’ve been carrying a terrible secret for three years, and it’s been tearing you and your family apart.

“There is help available. The FBI counselor will help you, and Gary, work through what happened to you and your family. Whatever your decision about Davey, you need to let the guilt go. I’m sorry I judged you. I didn’t see what you had gone through. You didn’t deserve it, but neither did Mary Beth.

“I promise you one thing. The man who did this to you, Owen Booth, will be stopped, and he will be punished.”

Her aura was still a storm of colors, but they did shift to a less immediately-dangerous combination. Mary-Beth, meanwhile, wasn’t thrilled with my response about the security guard. I caught her not-so-subtly rubbing her arm. I couldn’t do much more than offer a sympathetic, apologetic look.

Gary seemed oblivious to everything transpiring between me and his wife, and me and his daughter. “But he’s just a baby,” he said. “He didn’t know any better.”

“True,” said David, “and that is why he is not being punished. He is just being protected. Think of this as childproofing. We are taking nothing away from him, just locking away the dangerous objects until he is old enough to be safe using them.”

Gary nodded. “Okay,” he said.

We looked at Becky, and she nodded.

David knelt down beside the still sleeping Davey and gently lifted his arm. He placed the little disc on the inside of his wrist, and wrapped the wire around, feeding it through a small hole in the disk. Some kind of mechanism pulled the wire in and held it snug against Davey’s wrist. David observed for a few minutes, and then, satisfied, stood up.

“I’ll arrange to have an entry added to his birth record to show the ‘scar’ as a birthmark,” David said. “That way there will be no trouble with social workers thinking that you have hurt him. You can relax now, it’s done.

“We will check in periodically, and make sure you and he are doing well. When he reaches his eighteenth birthday, we will come and explain everything to him and arrange for the amulet to be removed. After that, we will help him come to terms with his new powers and find his way.”

David looked at the family. “I think we should leave you to talk. One of our counselors will be in touch, probably tomorrow, and will want to come and speak with you and your other children.”

Becky and Gary both nodded. Gary was relieved. Becky was too but also frightened. She seemed to accept what I had said to her earlier but was still afraid of what would happen if Gary found out. Despite that, the thought of not having to carry that weight around with her anymore had given her a feeling of relief, of freedom. She just hoped her marriage would survive the process.

“Mary-Beth,” Amanda said, and the younger girl stopped rubbing her arm and looked at her. “I know that amongst all the emotions you are feeling right now, there is a lot of anger – anger toward Davey, and anger toward your parents. You took a lot of punishment for something you didn’t want to do – something Davey made you do. Try not to let that anger hurt you. Davey was too young to understand what he was doing, and your parents were presented with something that nobody would have believed. Think about it yourself. If you’d caught your little brother taking something from your bedroom, would you have believed him if he told you that Davey had made him do it?”

I saw her mulling that over. She wasn’t willing to give in so easily.

“Not if it was the first and only time, maybe,” she admitted sullenly, but then she mustered up some nerve. “Not if it had never happened to me, I suppose. I’d like to think that maybe I’d have gotten suspicious when, say, everything ended up with Davey eventually, and were things that he was most likely to want. I might’ve wondered why an older child would risk getting caught stealing baby toys.”

I felt for her; I really did. My epiphany earlier hadn’t completely robbed me of my sense of outrage at what her mother – well, both her parents – had done to her. I just understood the ‘why’ a little better. Despite everything her parents had been through, I wanted them to really listen to what she was saying. It wasn’t exactly between the lines.

“Your parents love you,” Amanda pressed, “and Davey loves you too. Trust me, I know.” Amanda gently, meaningfully placed her hand over her own breast. “Whenever you get angry, remember that.”

I saw an opening, so I looked at her parents. “And you two, remember you owe her, big time. So perhaps a little leeway when that anger surfaces?”

They both nodded – Gary quickly and eagerly, Becky more thoughtfully. She did nod, though. That was something.

“One more thing,” said David. “It is imperative that you keep your knowledge of Davey and his powers, and powers in general to yourselves. Think of the consequences if someone found out that Davey had this power. He and you could be in serious danger. Also, most people would probably not believe you, and you would end up being denounced as crackpots.”

He didn’t mention something that I would find out much later; that the FBI had a whole department set up to discredit people who tried to ‘out’ people with power. They would dig up dirt, manufacture bizarre and contradictory evidence, and basically make anyone trying to prove that powers existed look like complete nut cases.

We all stood and took turns shaking hands with Gary, then Becky. I felt Becky’s reluctance to come near me and I didn’t press the issue.

Mary-Beth gave Amanda a little hug, but then, blushing furiously, gave me a peck on the cheek.

“Thank you,” she said. I smiled at her. I couldn’t help noticing Gary’s eyes narrowing for an instant. It was a very convenient moment for the FBI and friends to leave the Vardys to their turned-upside-down world.

As we drove away, David turned to me. “Do you have any more information on the guy who psi-raped the mother?” he asked.

I nodded. “An orderly at the hospital, Owen Booth. According to Mrs. Vardy’s recollection, he is currently working the day shift, seven until seven on the surgical floor.”

“Can you send me the information?”

I sent him the memory.

He nodded his thanks. “Okay, then, time to bag some scum.”

“Wait,” I said. “Right now?”

He shot me a look. “You really want to wait a day for us to get the roofie team in place? We’ve got you here now. We’re calling for emergency authorizations as we speak. Not our first rodeo, Caleb – but don’t you want it to be yours?”

I knew I didn’t have much time to decide. I mulled it over for a few seconds, then nodded my head.

David grinned. He liked my answer. “Relax, kid,” he said. “We’re the FBI. Owen Booth is done. It’s only a question of whether he’s done right now or tomorrow. I give him one percent odds of ducking us longer than that, and that’s only if everything goes wrong. Do you want some quick profiling? High-level psi criminals don’t keep low-level jobs in hospitals – not even if they’ve got the most specific fetishes in the world.”

It was very strange to simultaneously feel comforted and completely out of my depth. Even Amanda responded to the dichotomy through the bond. She sent me back a little jolt of confidence – of faith in me.

“Okay, so,” David continued, “what do you need to do your magic? Direct contact? Visual? Proxy? We can make almost anything work. You’re practically undercover already: just a young college kid who’s got a broken arm or whatever. We’ve got a bunch of air casts in the prop trunk. One of us agents can be your dad or uncle or whatever. No cracks about how we look in cargo shorts and crocs. We know.”

“Uh…” I began. “I think… I just need to be close enough, really. I’ve been learning how to scan for powered people from James, so I don’t need to be close enough to ‘smell’ him if I already know I’m supposed to be looking for one.”

David nodded. “That’s fantastic. Two agents will go undercover into the hospital, but won’t do anything until you give an update. We’ve got the outcome matrix plotted. You just let us know if you neutralized him, and how spooked he seems.

“Listen,” he said, his tone getting softer, “this is your first time. If things go badly on your end, please just admit it. Nobody’s going to think any less of you unless you start giving us bad info. Be honest, and this one’s a freebie. A training exercise, more or less.”

“That seems a little cavalier, don’t you think?” I asked.

He shrugged. “I’m telling you, Caleb, we practically have this down to a science. Sure, there are unknowns, but I think it’s good for you to realize that the world’s a big place, and the U.S. government’s a big deal. No offense, but I think the occasional dose of humility is good medicine for anybody who’s got special powers – hell, even if their special power is just being rich.”

“That one seems pretty effective against you guys,” I replied.

Davis gave me a fake scowl. “Mmmm, okay, fair enough, college boy.” He broke the facade and grinned again. “We like a sense of humor. Believe it or not, you’d fit in good with the crew.”

We arrived at the hospital, and things happened fast. Badges were flashed, and suddenly we were allowed to go anywhere. David parked us as close to the hospital as possible without blocking an emergency lane, and I saw what looked like a security guard give our vehicle a sober nod from about twenty yards away, confirming that nobody would bother us.

David got a message through his earpiece, then turned to me. “Okay, Caleb. Just tell me what you need.”

“Let’s just try it from here,” I said. “So… just some quiet, I guess?”

“I’m wounded terribly,” he said, deadpan. With another nod from him, it was my time to put up or shut up.

Amanda gave me one last jolt of confidence and faith through the bond, then ‘quieted down’ for me. I sent her gratitude, then settled into the seat and closed my eyes.

I worked cautiously more than quickly. I extended my senses and actively blocked out what I suddenly dubbed ‘Norm noise.’ I was on the hunt for tendrils, coppery smells – or ‘smells,’ since I wasn’t using my nose – and everything else that might give away a careless powered person.

Special Agent Spencer’s profile held; Owen Booth was weak, sloppy, and defenseless. He wasn’t actively using his powers, but I sensed a number of lingering after-effects and hoped he’d only been doing what he’d done to Mrs. Vardy whenever she’d tried to approach him after the rapes: getting people to stay away from him. My thoughts went to some dark places, though, and I decided to clamp down on my own emotions for just a few moments while I worked. The clarity and focus were instant, and, obviously, I wasn’t troubled by my sudden non-reaction to the thought that perhaps Booth had just raped somebody else.

He had no cloak and no shield. I sent out a gentle, subtle tendril to his mind, and it invaded it so quickly and easily that I might as well have shot him with a high-powered sniper rifle. He was even weaker than Harold had been. I took away his power, and he didn’t even notice.

“Subject is neutralized,” I said flatly. I wasn’t fully immune to the power of movies and television myself. I felt nothing – no relief, no pride, no sense of justice having been done.

“Confirm?” David said. I couldn’t tell if he was playing along or not.

I opened my eyes. “Owen Booth no longer has any psychic powers,” I said, just as flatly. “You guys are free to do whatever else it is you do.”

David sent the info along. Amanda nudged me through the bond. I didn’t feel anything else. It was just a nudge. I focused on her, since I supposed she wanted my attention.

“Undo whatever it is you did to yourself, Caleb,” she thought. “I understand why you did it, but it’s over now. You did good; now go back to normal.”

For a moment, I considered simply not doing so. There was no good reason. I was clear, focused, and completely unburdened. Then, something triggered. I wasn’t surprised. I’d set it up for myself. A memory of James popped into my head.

“This is the first step towards being on the bad side of the agency, Caleb,” he said. “You need your emotions. You’re not powerful enough to take on the whole world. Game it out.”

I did just that, and quickly surmised that James was correct. Odds were, I’d lose my friends and lovers due to my personality shift, depriving me of vital allies. I’d start doing things that would garner negative attention and responses. While I’d likely be able to manage a web of secrets, lies, and even Compulsion for a period of time, eventually, the superior resources of the division – let alone the entire world – would overwhelm me, and I’d be neutralized.

I stopped suppressing my emotions. For a fraction of a second, I was suspended between non-feeling and feeling. I braced for the flood.

Amanda was right there, through the bond, helping me through it. I felt nervousness, a fear of failure, intense outrage at Owen Booth, a surge of righteousness that he’d been stopped, and pride that I’d been pivotal in doing so. I also remembered that I loved Amanda – and Mary, and Jules – profoundly, and that became my anchor.

“Aw, I love you too,” Amanda thought, and she used her Empathy more masterfully than I’d ever before witnessed. She helped separate the emotions from each other, then helped me feel and process them one by one – and quickly enough so that Special Agent Spencer didn’t even think anything was odd, just that I’d taken a few minutes to collect myself. She didn’t suppress or overwhelm any of the emotions, either. She let them all have their moments. She only regulated their intensity enough so that I didn’t feel compelled to act on any of them recklessly, and so that my physical responses to them weren’t so extreme.

“You’re really good at that,” I sent to her. I was a bit exhausted, but otherwise no worse for the wear.

“Thanks, lover,” she thought back happily.

David got some more messages through his earpiece, and he smiled. “And that’s that,” he said. “Subject is in custody. Too shocked to even put up a fight. We even swapped agents out to give him the full ‘Men In Black’ experience for the arrest – and so that those two other poor bastards could get out of costume sooner.”

“There are others,” I choked out. The emotions that Amanda had helped me with suddenly resurfaced as I voiced what I had seen. “Others he controlled, maybe raped too. They need help as well.”

David nodded somberly. “I guessed there would be. He obviously found himself a rich feeding ground, and was too lazy or too stupid to think he would ever get caught. ‘Wild’ power users often think that they are the only ones, and that their power makes them invincible. They don’t seem to consider that a fifty-cal bullet can’t be compelled, or that agencies exist that could easily put them down with one.”

I gazed at him, wondering if that was a not-so-veiled warning to me.

“We can’t just go in there, Caleb,” he continued, “and start ‘helping’ those people. It would give the entire game away. Our protocol is to release the story that he was arrested for using drugs to commit assaults, and invite anyone that thinks they may have been affected to come forward. Then we can help them.”

“Won’t the hospital try and hush it up?” I asked. “For all we know, he could have raped patients too.”

“And in all likelihood he did,” he answered, “but we can only do what we can do. We took him off the streets, and prevented him from attacking anyone else. We will get help for anyone who asks for it; others will seek help in their own way. That’s the best we can do, given our resources.”

I wanted to argue further – to say that we should turn him inside out and get the names of everyone he assaulted and track them down to offer help – but then reality kicked in. His final comment about resources echoed in my head. It was all about money, and I wasn’t so naive that I believed I could ever change that. I sighed, disappointed that we couldn’t do more.

“Take the win, Caleb,” he said, seeing my mood deflate. “You did a great job. I must say, having somebody extra-powerful on the team is a real plus. That was quick and easy, with zero exposure, and we didn’t even have to drug up. I’ll make sure the guys know that you’re to thank for that. When they’re eating regular dinners tonight and not hanging out near their toilet bowls, they’ll definitely be thinking of you.”

“Talking of dinner,” said Amanda, “I’m starved. Can we go home and eat now?”

David and I both chuckled. Still, it was hard for me to believe it was already over, and that it had been so simple. Intellectually, it made perfect sense. It just didn’t feel right, for lack of a better word. It felt like there should be more to it. I said as much to Special Agent Spencer.

He nodded again. “I get it,” he said. “There was more to it, both before and after your bit. That’s what working on a team – especially an experienced, well-oiled machine like ours – is all about. Everybody does their part. Nobody gets to feel like an out-and-out superhero, sure, but nobody has to deal with the drawbacks of being one either. We all get to go home tonight, and without any injuries, scars, or even headaches and upset stomachs. That’s a big win, Caleb, and you were part of it.

“And, as you get more training,” he offered, “you’ll get to see those other bits, and maybe even help out with them. We’ll get to find out if also have magical warrant-application-drafting powers.” Then he leaned in conspiratorially. “If you do, though, you might want to pretend you don’t. You don’t want to get stuck being the best guy for that job. You’ll never see fieldwork again.”

“Thanks for the heads up,” I said.

“Well, that’s just Office Politics One-Oh-One,” he said casually, leaning away again. “Never be the guy who’s the best at the boring jobs, unless you’re a freak who actually loves them. If you are, no judgments. Something tells me you’re not, though.”

“Probably not,” I admitted, “but who knows? Maybe I’ll surprise myself.”

“Maybe,” he said. “Okay, time to get you guys home. You’re not quite old enough for post-collar beers yet.”

I was a little disappointed by that, but I was also looking forward to being back together with all three of my girls. David let the rest of the team know that he was breaking off, and for the rest of the short drive back to our house, only a few bits of small talk interrupted the comfortable silence.

******

We were surprised to find Dianna sitting in the kitchen when we got home. She had brought pizza, and the others were tucking in lustily. They had saved us some.

Jules ran to us and hugged us both. I realized the anxiety I had felt earlier had been hers.

“Caleb,” Dianna began, “Amanda, Mary, Jules too. You all did great today. Not only did you prevent a child from becoming a predator, but you also took down another predator. I got word that when they searched that security guard’s home, they found a lot of stuff in his safe that he really didn’t want found. I’m not going to go into it because we are eating, but suffice it to say, he will be going away for a very long time. As you and Amanda already know, Owen Booth is likewise in custody.

“You seem to have made an impression on a certain police officer too,” Dianna said. “Thanks to that collar, both her and her partner are being bumped up and taken off mall patrol. They are being put on the street, and they are really very happy about it. By the way, she is twenty-three and currently single.”

I glanced at the twins and saw they were both smiling at me. I still hadn’t got used to that concept.

At that point my phone beeped: an unknown number.

_you delivered for us. I thought you were bullshitting but he really did have a safe, the combination was the first four digits as you said. I owe you one…. Debs.

_one what?

_one of whatever your girlfriends will let me give you.

_give me, or us?

_us? Four on one? That’s a little one sided

_3 on you. Can you handle that?

_only If I can bring my cuffs and nightstick.

_If you think they will help you.

_Ill def be in touch.

I showed my phone to the twins, and Amanda purred.

Mary just grinned. “What was it Steve said? ‘Kid, you got game.’”

After dinner, Dianna left. The girls and I settled into the living room to watch television. Josh and Louise were having some personal time, so they were in their room. They had been all over each other since our sharing. Feeling their love for each other had really boosted them.

“Caleb,” Mary said. “We need to talk.”

I looked at her nervously, but then I decided to jump out in front. I momentarily ignored Mary, and turned to Amanda. I put on my best ‘woman about to drop the hammer on a man’ tone. “Amanda, we need to talk.”

Amanda gave me a goofy grin, then playfully batted at my shoulder. “Mary’s trying to be very serious right now, Caleb, so stop being a pest,” she said, feigning exasperation. Suddenly, I felt much less nervous about her twin.

“Okay,” I said, raising my hands in surrender. I regarded Mary. “Mary, my love, the floor is yours.”

Mary shook her head, smiling. “I can only hope I rub off on you as quickly as she does,” she said. “It’s nothing bad, honestly. We just we need to get you up to speed on some things.”

“Okay,” I said, “but can you tell me from in here?” I pulled them both to me in a hug.

They settled in, one on each side, as I sat on the couch. I raised my eyebrow at Jules, and she curled up on my knee, head on my chest. I sighed in contentment.

“Right,” I said. “I’m ready for anything. Hit me.”

“You know when you asked if we needed money?” Amanda asked. “Earlier today?”

“It’s not a problem,” I said. “I’m sorry if I put you on the spot. I swear, I’m not trying to show off or anything.”

Mary leaned in and kissed me, gently silencing me. I took the hint.

“We don’t need money,” said Mary when she broke the kiss. “I know that Grams told you what happened to our parents.”

“They died in a plane crash when you were two?” I said, and she nodded.

“What she didn’t tell you was that the cause of the crash was deemed to be negligent maintenance by the airline. We got involved in a class action lawsuit. The airline settled on one point two million dollars for each family member lost.”

“So, you got two point four million dollars?”

“Each,” Amanda said. “A bit less after lawyer’s fees. I think we ended up with three point eight million between us.”

“Well okay then,” was all I could think to say.

Amanda smiled and kissed my cheek. “We know you weren’t trying to strut, lover boy,” she said. “You were just being kind to people you love. Hopefully, you’ll accept that we’re doing the exact same thing when we tell you that what’s ours is yours. If you need anything, that money is available. We were going to transfer some to you soon anyway, so we were going to have to have this conversation.”

I looked at them both. “Girls,” I said, trying to think how to navigate the minefield, “everything I need, I have right here. I don’t need any more money, and that money is yours, from your parents. I can’t take that from you. I love you and I really do appreciate the offer, but I have all that I need.”

I could see Amanda was going to object, but Mary silenced her with a look.

“Let’s call it an emergency fund, then,” she offered. “Don’t use it unless the need is real and dire, but let’s make sure it’s there. I guess the only advice I might offer is, don’t give it all away to the first orphan or homeless person you meet on the job.”

“It’s for you, too, Kitten,” Amanda said, softly stroking Jules’ hair, “and it doesn’t have to be an emergency fund for you unless you feel the same as Caleb about it.”

Jules raised her head, regarding the twins for a moment.

“Thank you,” she said. Then she reached up and put her fingers to Mary’s face before drawing her down for a tender kiss. Amanda was next, and finally, it was my turn. It wasn’t a passionate kiss; it was just a gentle, genuine expression of love.

When it was done, Jules sighed contentedly and then rested her head on my chest again. “Caleb,” she said from her position on my chest. “We need to talk.”

“Man, they’re really running interference for you tonight, huh?” I sent to Amanda.

“Yup, girl power to the max,” she replied.

“Okay,” I sighed. “What did I do?”

“You’re treating me like a child,” Jules said.

“What?” I asked, confused. “How?”

“I don’t mean that you are talking down to me, or telling me what to do,” she clarified, looking up at me, “but every time your body reacts to something – when you get an erection – you push me away, like you would a child. It’s like you think it will burn me or something.”

“I just didn’t…”

“Caleb,” she said, interrupting me, “I thought you would get the message the other night, when I gave you the hand job. I am not afraid of it, or of you. I don’t want you thinking of me as a child, because one day I am going to want a baby, and, even though sex doesn’t do it for me, I’d much rather have you fuck me than be on the receiving end of some doctor’s turkey baster.”

I did the jaw-dropping thing again.

“I shied away from things like that with others,” she continued, “because I didn’t trust that they wouldn’t try to force me into something I didn’t want to do. I never loved anyone enough to do what I did with you the other night, and I enjoyed it – not sexually, but as a gift from one lover to another. Seeing you happy makes me happy. I love seeing you that way, and making you feel good – all of you.

“I’m not asking to be included in all your play,” she clarified. “It’s not really a game I am cut out for, but I’m happy to watch from the touchline, and maybe, occasionally join in when the need arises, or when I get the itch.”

I realized that she was right. In my mind, I had classified her as a child. It was how I viewed her when I was washing her in the shower. There were no sexual feelings, just feelings of love, as I would have for a younger sibling, or maybe how I thought I might view my own child. I had felt uncomfortable later when she had done what she’d done, and I finally understood the reason for it.

I could see how damaging that could be to our future relationship, especially if, as she said, she wanted us to have a baby – although that was going to be a discussion in and of itself.

“I’m sorry Jules,” I said. “I guess you are right. I guess it stemmed from the example I gave you the night I asked you to join us.”

“The step-daughter?” she asked.

I nodded.

“I suspected as much,” she said. “I know this is all new to you Caleb, and you girls too, being with someone that isn’t interested in sex.

“Believe it or not, your body will eventually get the message,” she said, looking at me again, “and stop reacting when you see me naked. The human body doesn’t like to waste resources, and once it figures out that pumping that thing up when I’m around is a waste of time, it will give up.

“I’ll try and do better,” I said, “and thank you for talking to me about it. I’m sorry I made you feel like that.”

She snuggled down into my chest again.

We heard the scream even through the closed door.

I caught Louise’s thought and grinned, passing it onto Mary and Amanda. I didn’t think Jules would be interested.

“Damn,” said Amanda, “I can’t believe she did it before I got to.”

“What?” asked Jules, lifting her head once again.

“Josh just opened up Louise’s back door,” I said. “I think she rather liked it.”

Jules wrinkled her nose. I laughed and kissed the end of it.

She smiled. “Should I go start another project?” she asked.

“Not tonight,” I said. “After what we saw today, I’m not sure any of us are really in the mood for anything other than being close, and for that, we need you right where you are.

“But you and I still need to talk, Amanda,” I said.

Mary’s hackles raised immediately. Amanda was right there, physically and through the bond, reassuring her that it was nothing too serious.

“It’s fine,” Amanda said breezily. “Caleb is about to tell me that I took quite a lot of liberties today with my powers. He and I had a difference of perspective, and it made him, shall we say, especially sensitive to just how much nudging and soothing and smoothing-over I was doing for – or to, if you want to be snitty – a family in a tough spot.”

“Not exactly,” I said.

“Not exactly?” she echoed, cocking her head to the side.

“I realized something today,” I began, “that had never even occurred to me before. I guess once again I was caught up in my own hubris. I had kind of given each power I have a rank, with Compulsion being at the top.

“I guess there is a slight excuse because that is the power that everyone seems to be so terrified of me using, so I ranked them Compulsion, TK, and Telepathy, with Empathy being at the bottom, almost as a sub-power of Telepathy.

“I dismissed Empathy – almost discarded it as a useless power, for me at least, since I had the others. But in doing that, I also belittled the power itself – your power – and forgot just how powerful and effective it could be when used by someone who really understands it.

“You showed me that today. You showed me just how powerful Empathy could be. And Amanda, I am so grateful to you for how you used it to help me – but we’re bonded, and you know that I welcome that kind of help from you, and from Mary. I know you have that power, and I’m able to sense when you’re using it on me.

“With the Vardys, though,” I continued, “I finally saw how easy it would be for a skilled Empathy user to get basically anything they wanted just by manipulating people’s emotions – the emotions of people who have no idea what’s happening to them or why. It made me uncomfortable. You made Becky feel remorse at exactly the right moment, when she might not have felt it then, or at all. You nudged them all away from negative emotions and towards positive ones otherwise, and it almost certainly affected how they interacted with each other. Even with Mary-Beth, sure, you helped her be less afraid, which eased her suffering, but if somebody had slipped her a sedative without her knowledge to get the same effect, they’d have been committing an out-and-out crime.

“That leaves me with some questions, and I don’t know if there are any good answers. Firstly, what happens tomorrow, or the next day, when they’re still struggling, and you are not there to push them in the direction you wanted them to go? Will that cause even more problems? Given that we just told them about mental powers, will they realize that they were manipulated and react badly to that?

“Secondly, and more importantly, how is what you did different from Compulsion? It’s not as brutal, certainly, but it all boils down to the same thing. You forced them into doing or thinking something against their will. I know it was done with love. I know that because I know you to be the most loving and caring person anyone would ever want to meet. But love is not enough of a reason to take someone’s free will away from them.

“We all have the same problem,” I continued, pulling both the twins in tighter. “We want to help, and we have the powers to be able to do things that others just can’t do. But that surely doesn’t give us the right to impose our will, our beliefs, our ‘happily ever after’ on others, does it?”

I looked into Amanda’s eyes, where tears were brimming. I felt horrible, like I’d kicked a puppy. I knew that she had felt proud of herself, of how she thought she had helped the family, and I was turning it on its head.

“Amanda, I love you so much,” I said, “and I wouldn’t have wanted to do anything I did today without you. You were incredible, but I think you – and even Mary, sometimes – are a bit too convinced that love, peace, understanding, and, sorry for the pun, empathy, are such good causes that they can excuse pretty much anything.

“I’m not telling either of you how to use your powers,” I said, even though that wasn’t completely honest. It never could be. “I guess I’m just asking you to ask yourself those questions too.”

I reached out with my own Empathy, surrounding all of us with love, trust, and forgiveness.

“Still a little too much horny,” said Mary, smiling.

“Come on,” I said. “Look who I have in my arms. Can you blame me?”

Amanda giggled through her tears, and I kissed her gently. Then she tucked her head into my shoulder.

I closed my eyes, feeling like shit.

“She needed to hear it,” Mary thought to me, “and you couldn’t have been any gentler. Sometimes love means guiding people to do the right thing. I know I have some medicine to take too. I’m not going to blame the twin bond, Amanda, ‘Empath instinct,’ or anything else. I have to be better.”

I rested my head against Mary’s, allowing my mind to wander, recalling the day’s events. I guessed we were all doing the same thing. I could feel emotions ebbing and flowing through the bond. I concentrated on Amanda’s, trying to sense how badly I had hurt her, and I sensed that although she was upset, I hadn’t devastated her. She seemed to be examining her actions, and I felt a mental wince at something she had seen. Whether it was something she’d done, or something someone else had done because of her power, I couldn’t tell.

Jules shifted. “I’m going to bed,” she said.

I smiled at her. “Can we come?” I asked, and she smiled back, standing up and holding out her hand to me. I relinquished my hold on Mary and took it. Jules then held her other hand out to Amanda, who smiled and accepted it I felt Amanda’s spirits lift. I was glad about that.

With my other hand I helped Mary up. We went into the bedroom, saw to our nighttime routine, and settled down to sleep. Amanda was cuddled up against me, with Mary spooning her from behind. Jules was on my other side, so the two girls were face to face across my chest.

Jules leaned forward slightly and kissed Amanda. “Good night, my love.”

“Good night.”

Chapter 11 – Opening the back door

I woke up the next morning, once more alone with just one of my girls – Amanda this time. She was curled up against me, wide awake, her beautiful tawny eyes looking up at me.

“Good morning beautiful,” I said to her, and she smiled.

“Good morning to you too,” she replied, her hand stroking my chest.

“Where is everyone?” I asked. I couldn’t hear anyone else in the house, and my bond was telling me that Jules and Mary were some distance away.

“They went out,” she said simply.

“Oh?,” I asked, resisting the temptation to peek into her mind. The feelings coming across the bond were more than enough to let me know what the little minx had planned.

“We decided that Louise was right,” she said. “We love sharing with you. With Louise and Josh, and with each other. We will love sharing you with Debs when she plucks up the courage to call you. But once in a while, just occasionally, each of us would like some time with you alone.

“Is that selfish?” she asked with a naughty grin.

“Not at all,” I replied.

“Are you hungry?” she asked.

I shook my head. “Not for food.”

Her naughty grin turned lascivious. She climbed off the bed and held her hand out to me. “Time for a shower.”

We went into the bathroom, and I was contemplating asking her to give me a minute. I had been asleep for probably eight hours, and my bladder was complaining. Amanda surprised me, however, walking me over to the toilet and pulling my cock out from my shorts. Pointing it at the pot, she looked me in the eye.

“Relax, let it go.”

Unfortunately, her manipulation of my man meat gave it other ideas, and it was now pointing in entirely the wrong direction. Even if I had been able to relax enough, I would have probably hit myself in the eye.

She giggled.

“That’s not going to work,” I said.

“Trust me,” she said, maintaining her hold. She leaned in to kiss me, and I felt her power gently wash over me. There was love, as always, but a feeling of relaxation and warmth, trust, and safety. Her kiss almost felt like one of Jules’. There was love and trust, but no lust. It quieted my ardor.

I heard the sound of my stream hitting the water and was amazed to find that I had not only relaxed enough to pee, but that my erection had subsided enough for her to point it accurately at the bowl. The sense of relief was pleasurable, and when I was done, she shook it off, and began squeezing, milking the last drips out. That brought my erection back full force.

She flushed the toilet and led me, by the cock, into the shower.

Once again, I got my hair washed; there is something incredibly sensuous about having someone else wash your hair. Then her hands traveled down my body, and over the next twenty minutes or so ensured that every inch of it was squeaky clean.

As expected, she ended up on her knees in front of me, the tip of my cock just brushing her lips.

She gazed up at me, transfixing me with her glorious stare, and moved forward, allowing her lips to part as she engulfed me in a single, long slow push. She didn’t blink, and before long, she was pressing her nose against my belly, the tip of my cock nestled in the back of her throat.

She swallowed, and I almost lost it then.

She pulled back, allowing the spit collected in her mouth to drool out, over my cock and balls and dribble across her magnificent breasts. When she had almost pulled all the way off my cock, she gave my glans a gentle tongue lashing, paying attention to the frenulum on the underside before pushing forward again to deepthroat me once again.

I groaned in appreciation and leaned back against the wall. I doubted that my legs would continue to support me if she kept on.

Amanda pulled off with a pop, and then knelt up, bringing her tits to either side of my cock, pillowing them together, and encasing it in a glorious mound of firm, slippery delicious tit-flesh. She slid down until the tip of my cock peeked out, and gave it a loving lick, before sliding up again, engulfing my turgid meat in the wonderful smooth wetness between her breasts. Up and down, she slid her tits, keeping the pressure on with her arms and lapping at my head each time it peeked out from between her luscious mounds.

She gazed up at me, love in those beautiful tawny eyes. “Do it,” she said. “Fuck my tits. I want to feel your spunk on them, on my face, in my mouth.”

I groaned and started moving my hips, sliding my slick member between her glorious mammaries, feeling the hot firm flesh pressing in and rubbing against mine, stimulating my sensitive head, which she was sucking into her mouth each time it appeared before releasing it with a gentle ‘pop’ as I drew back for another thrust.

She was using her upper arms to press her tits together, keeping the pressure on. That freed her hands up. With one, she gently caressed and stroked my balls. The other, predictably but wonderfully, snuck inexorably back, massaging and stroking at my taint for a few moments before drifting up to my asshole. I felt her fingertip stroking it, then probing at it, and I groaned.

It was obvious what her endgame was, and I had no complaints. I was in heaven. I reached out to her to share the sensations with her, but she gently rebuffed my advance, missing a couple of thrusts with her mouth to speak.

“This is all about you,” she said. “Relax, enjoy, and feed me your cum.”

I was moving quicker, really getting into fucking her tits, the feelings elicited in my cock and balls making me forget everything but that. I felt her finger breach my anus and gently stroke inside a few times, stretching me out and massaging my special place. That almost tipped me over, and I whined as I felt her withdraw her finger. The loss of sensation was enough to deny me the orgasm that had actually been sneaking up on me.

“Fuck my tits,” she said in a low voice. “Give me your spunk. Shoot all the thick juicy cum all over me.”

Then she shoved two fingers fully into my asshole, and I was lost.

I had the tip of my cock in her mouth when I screamed out my orgasm, the first spurt going fully into her mouth. She didn’t even twitch, but as my hips came back, impaling me on her fingers, even more, she massaged me inside. Another spurt hit her full in the face and then coated her tits as I pulled further back.

She released my cock from between her tits and began wanking me, with two fingers still working away inside me, and pointing my still-spurting hose at her face and her tits, reveling in the cum bath I was giving her.

Amanda milked me dry, squeezing out the last drops of my cum, which she gently licked off before gently sliding her fingers out from my ass and standing up. She pulled me to her, kissing me deeply, sharing what she had caught in her mouth with me whilst rubbing her slick and sticky breasts all over my chest.

By the time she released me, I was boneless.

She drew back and smiled at me. “Now, about that shower,” she said.

I smiled at her, spinning us both in a half-circle and then pressing her against the shower wall.

“I think it’s your turn,” I said, kissing her deeply again, the taste of my cum still fresh in both our mouths.

I saw her eyes widen and her pupils flare with arousal as I started to stroke her body.

There was no pretence of washing. Pure lust drove us. Neither of us was under the water at this stage, but the shower was hot and filled with steam, keeping both our bodies covered in a light, slippery sheen.

I tapped into my power to feel what she felt. I wanted direct feedback for every stroke, lick, and kiss I gave her. I was finally going to tame this lioness.

I kissed her again, and she pressed against me, her arms coming around, trying to regain the advantage. She squeaked in surprise as she was suddenly, albeit gently, pinned to the wall. Invisible hands held her arms above her head while I started to explore her body.

My lips trailed over hers in a soft kiss whilst I stroked her neck and chest, still sticky with my cum. She purred as I gently massaged the gooey mess into her tits. I also used some of it to lubricate my fingers before going to work on her nipples, tweaking and rolling them just how she liked it. All the while, my tongue plundered her mouth.

Trailing kisses down her neck, I continued to massage her breast with my hand as I began to kiss and lick at the other. She seemed to really like the thought of me tasting my own cum off her body. I continued to lap and nip at her breast, sucking the nipple into my mouth, rolling and nipping at it gently while I used my hands to replicate the sensation on the other breast. An idea occurred to me and I pulled back a little, using the tiniest bit of Telekinesis to continue the sensations on her nipple. Her eyes were closed at this stage so she didn’t notice I had pulled back. She could still feel what she thought was my mouth on her breast. Carefully, I fine-tuned my power, using the feedback I was getting from her to make sure it felt exactly as it should.

I then attacked her other breast with my mouth, licking and nipping and rolling her nipple around between my tongue and teeth. She squeaked, opening her eyes in surprise. Initially, I felt confusion; she wondered who had joined us before the realization hit. She moaned, pushing her breasts forward, basking in my ministrations.

I remembered wondering in a previous session if I could make someone cum just by playing with their tits, and decided I was about to find out.

I started using my power on her other breast, continuing the licking, biting, and sucking, massaging the flesh and running broad strokes of my tongue over her tits and down the valley between them. I collected a good amount of my own cum on my tongue and stood back up, capturing her mouth and thrusting my cum-covered tongue deep inside.

That was too much for the poor girl, and she screamed into my mouth as her first orgasm shot through her. I felt her juices splattering against my legs as she came; she bucked and trembled under me as I controlled her breathing with the kiss.

I eased off the assault on her breasts, just delivering gentle kisses while she rode out the last of her orgasm. Her breath was coming in gasps. I delivered soft kisses and licks to her lips until her eyes opened at last and she looked at me.

“Take me to bed,” she said, but I shook my head.

“We’re not finished here yet,” I said.

For a second I thought I saw actual fear in her aura – the tiniest spike of yellow – but it was subsumed in an instant by rich purple.

I kissed her again, then began the journey down her body once more.

Everywhere my lips and tongue touched, I left a tiny amount of power, continuing the sensation as I moved on, so that by the time I had reached her breasts she was breathing heavily again, with the beginnings of another climax already boiling in her belly.

I kissed lower and lower, lapping at her breasts, then down to her soft but trim tummy. I spent a few minutes with my tongue gently exploring her navel, sending her images of my cock rubbing all over her body, spurting shot after shot of creamy spunk over her.

She shuddered and moaned, the climax building further. When I was finally down in front of her, I used my power to pull her legs up and out, bent at her knees. Once more she squeaked as I opened her up, exposing her to me.

I kissed the insides of her thighs, moving closer to her pussy, and then moved across to the other side. She twitched and writhed, trying to get my mouth on her pussy, to finish the inexorable climb to orgasm. I had reduced the sensation on the rest of her body to slow the climb down. I didn’t want her to cum too soon.

Finally, I ran my tongue up the length of her slit, starting by circling her asshole and then taking a broad sweep upwards. I paused to dip inside of her, scooping out some of her juices with my tongue before continuing up to her clit and writing my name there.

She ground her hips forward, trying to get more sensation. Again and again I repeated the performance, each time faster than the last: a swirl around her asshole, a lap, a dip to collect some of her copious juices, and then a swipe up to her clit. I picked names to write, each time letting her know whose was being inscribed. It’s not like I had any shortage.

Mine, Jules, Mary’s, Dianna’s, James’, Debs’… I could feel she was getting closer and closer with each pass until I knew she was on the very edge. I increased the stimulation elsewhere on her body and once again lapped at her asshole. This time I pushed my tongue in as far as I could go.

I felt her climax build, but subside when I pulled my tongue out. She whined.

I moved up to her pussy, and once again stuck my tongue in as deep as I could get it, lapping and swirling it around to collect as much of her juice as I could.

Yet again her climax built, but once more I denied her, pulling out before she reached the tipping point.

I stood. All the foreplay had gotten me completely rigid once again, which is what I had been aiming for. I captured her lips once again, and in the same instant, thrust my tongue, still covered in her juices, deep inside her mouth as I rammed my turgid tool deep inside her pussy.

Her eyes snapped open and bulged as her orgasm hit her like a train. I held the kiss and controlled her breath as she whimpered and thrashed, trying to comprehend the overwhelming cascade of sensations racing through her body. Her back arched and her legs clamped around my waist, pulling me deep inside of her. I could feel her pussy fluttering and pulsating on my cock, and had I not had the training in blocking pain, I wouldn’t have been able to prevent my own orgasm. I’d figured I could use the same technique to block those nerve impulses instead.

For what seemed to be an age, she squeaked and whimpered and thrashed under me. Eventually, she quieted down and relaxed – still supported by my power, but limp and exhausted.

I released her mouth from the kiss.

“Oh my…” she said. “Caleb…”

Gently, I released her arms from the bonds. I placed her on her feet and carefully washed her, trying not to cause her too many spasms from oversensitivity. Thanking my stars for the constant hot water heater, I swiftly washed myself off while supporting a stupefied Amanda with my power.

I got us dried and then took her and laid her gently on the bed.

“Caleb,” she said, tears in her eyes, “that was wonderful, but I…”

“I know,” I said. “Relax, and let me take care of you.”

Gently I rolled her onto her tummy and once again began my gentle exploration of her body. I remembered all the places I had found the last time around: what had wound her up, and what had made her sleepy. I didn’t want her sleepy yet.

I kissed her ears, running my tongue around the rim, kissing and nipping at her neck and shoulders.

One good thing about using my power to stimulate her breasts was that It didn’t matter if she was laying on them or not. She would still feel me lapping and nipping at her nipples.

I spent only a little time on her back, knowing that made her sleepy. Skipping her butt, I began to kiss and lick at the back of her knees before trailing kisses up the insides of her thighs

She opened her legs and gave me access to her treasure, and I lapped at her pussy, just about able to reach her clit, before running my tongue up her slit to finish off at her asshole, where I pushed the tip inside.

She bucked her hips back. She wanted more.

I spent the next few minutes lapping at her pussy and setting a tiny amount of power to gently suckle at her clit. I rimmed her deeper and deeper, eliciting squeaks and groans of pleasure as she pushed her ass back at me.

A bottle of lube flew across the room into my hand, and I dropped a dollop of it directly onto her asshole. She jumped a little bit from the cold sensation, then started to purr as I pushed first one, then two and finally three fingers into her, opening her up in preparation.

“Caleb,” she moaned, “Please, no more. Just fuck my ass. Please.”

I slathered my cock in the lube, and then some more, placing the tip against her slightly-loosened sphincter. I pushed forward gently, and she groaned as her asshole began to unfold around the head of my cock.

She tilted her hips, pushing herself back and impaling herself more. I saw a small spike of pain in her aura, and I retreated a little until it faded before once again pressing forward.

The sensation for me was incredible. Her ass was the tightest thing I had ever been in. It was like trying to force my cock into a slick, hot, steel press. I pushed forward, finally getting the whole head through the tight ring, which clamped closed behind it, trapping me inside.

Amanda moaned again. “Push it in. All the way.”

I pressed forward with my hips. Moving slowly and carefully, I buried my entire length in her bottom, my balls resting against her pussy and my crotch pressed tight against her ass.

She turned her head, trying to capture my mouth in a kiss. I drew back slightly, and she let out a whine which turned into a moan as I pressed back inside of her.

“Again,” she said, and I obliged, pulling out a little further this time before pushing slowly back in as far as I could reach. Even then, she pressed back into me trying to get me as deep up her ass as she could.

“Now fuck me,” she said. “Hard.”

I pulled back once again, a little further, then pressed forward, and pulled back, then forward, again and again slowly picking up the pace, constantly making sure she was only getting pleasure from my movements. Soon I was fucking her. Her legs were wide, and mine were between them, as I really started to plow into her.

I lifted her hips, pulling her into a kneeling position, which allowed me to get even deeper inside of her. My balls slapped against her drooling cunt and were splattered with her juices on each thrust.

I increased the Telekinetic action on her nipples and clit as I really started to pound her. Soon I was ramming my cock up her ass as hard as I could go, meeting her as she pushed back hard, begging me to push harder and faster and deeper.

I knew that I was starting to get close, and it was going to be a race to the finish. I could feel her climax building. I decided that my shooting my cream deep up inside of her would be enough to push her over the edge, and I dedicated myself to that end faster and faster, harder and deeper.

I hauled up and delivered a stinging slap to her ass, and she squealed, the pain causing her asshole to twitch and heat to rush to her pussy. Another slap, and another. I could feel that the heat and sting were pushing her so close that anything at all would tip her over.

I roared as I pushed myself into her as deep as I could go and released a torrent of spunk, jet after jet of creamy hot jizz shooting up inside of her.

The feeling of my orgasm – of my cock pulsating inside her asshole – compounded by the thought of my spunk being shot deep inside her, pushed her into her own orgasm. She let out a keening wail and began to twitch and thrash. My balls and thighs were soaked as she shot spurt after spurt of her juices over them. I pushed two fingers into her cunt and pressed hard onto her G-spot, and she seized up. My TK was still lapping and sucking at her nipples and clit. Her asshole was spasming wildly on my cock and she was thrashing and twitching like a landed fish.

Then she passed out.

I followed her down to the bed, taking my weight on my arms, and gently pulled out of her ass. Her asshole gaped a little, and a rivulet of my cum trickled out and across her pussy.

I rolled off her and lay on my side, gently pulling her onto hers and into spoons before covering us with a sheet. We would need to change the bed in any case, and we both needed another shower.

I felt her stiffen as she woke, and then she began to sob.

“Amanda?”

“Happy tears.”

She rolled over to face me, letting me see them.

“Thank you, Caleb,” she said. “That was everything I hoped it would be.”

“It’s me who should be thanking you,” I said. “My only concern is I have no idea how anything could ever measure up to that again. Am I doomed to a life of disappointment?”

She smiled. “I’m sure we will be able to come up with something.”

I offered her a fist bump. “It’s something of a tradition, apparently,” I said as she obliged.

We both spoke at the same time.

“Caleb,” she began.

“Amanda,” I said.

She giggled and I smiled. I loved that sound.

“Please,” I said. “You first.”

“This may sound strange,” she said, “given the way Mary and I keep encouraging you to ‘share’ – and we will. We love to share. Both of us are really looking forward to Debs sharing with us, and anyone else, male or female, we want to invite, but…”

She looked uncertain, but I knew what she wanted to say, because it was exactly the same thing I wanted to.

“But our family is complete now,” I said. “You, me, Mary, Jules. That’s all I need and all I could ever want. If at some time in the future some kids come along, then that’s something else, but as far as the ‘adults’ are concerned, we’re closed to admission.”

She looked at me, biting her lip.“You don’t mind?”

I laughed. “Three months ago, I thought I was bound for a monogamous relationship. I wasn’t sure who, or even what gender, they would be, but I thought that when I found ‘the one’ that would be it.

“And then I found Mary, and then you and Jules, and you are all ‘the one.’ Even without the bond, I could no more be without you or Mary than my head, and the same goes for Jules.

“I never wanted a harem. I just wanted someone to love, and who would love me. And I have found them.”

“But what if you…” she began.

“What if you… or Mary, or Jules?” I countered. “If that happens, we will deal with it then. Yes, it is possible that any one of us might fall for someone else. If that happens to Jules and she wants to leave us to be with that person, then I will be personally devastated, but she deserves to be happy.

“The bond makes our situation a little more complicated. If any of us falls for a new person, then we are going to have to discuss it. But for right now, I don’t think I want anyone else in this relationship. I am more than happy with those who are currently involved, and I’d love to spend the rest of my life proving it.”

I heard a sniff from the door and saw that Mary and Jules were standing there. We had been so tied up in each other that neither of us had noticed their return, even through the bond.

Jules came over and climbed on the bed beside me.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she said. “There is no way I could ever find anyone that I could love as much as I love you guys.”

I smiled at her and pulled her in for a hug.

She wrinkled her nose. “You stink, by the way.”

I saw Mary look at Amanda, and then Mary’s eyes glazed over for a second. I guess she had shared the memory of our time together.

“Hey, that’s cheating,” I said. “Now I have to think up something new.”

Mary smiled at me, tears running down her cheeks.

“If you make it that good,” she said, “I don’t care if you repeat yourself a little, but Jules is next in any case.”

I looked at Jules. “You want to do something with just me?” I asked, wondering what she had in mind. I was thinking of movies or a night out.

She smiled a little bashfully.

“Tomorrow, with luck, will be the last day of my period,” she said. “I was hoping that Tuesday night, you might like to help me ‘scratch my itch.’”

I pulled her closer. “I would love to help you,” I said.

“You still stink!” she said, pulling away. “Go shower.”

I let Amanda use the bathroom first, giving her some privacy to clean up from our activities. I guess I could have used the family bathroom, but I busied myself stripping the bed and taking the laundry to the utility room.

I ran into Josh and Louise in the kitchen as I walked through, naked. I grinned at them.

“Oh hey, congrats,” I said, offering Louise a fist bump.

She looked at Josh, a little annoyed.

“Sorry Louise,” I said. “If you want to keep stuff like that private, then don’t sing so loud when it happens.”

Josh laughed and Louise went scarlet, but then relaxed and laughed also.

“Sorry,” she said. “Considering all we have done together I shouldn’t be bashful.”

“Amanda was so jealous that you lost it before she did,” I said.

“I’m sure you’ll get to it,” Louise said, before looking at me again. “Oh, I guess you already got to it, which is why you smell like a backstreet brothel and are changing the sheets.” She offered me another fist bump.

I shook my head. “She wasn’t my first, but I was hers.”

“She was your first woman, though,” Louise said, holding out her fist.

I gave up and bumped her.

I put the sheets in the washer and made my way back to the bedroom. Jules had remade the bed and Amanda was out of the bathroom. I went and showered. After that, I spent a couple of hours in the garden, doing some martial arts training, took another quick shower, and then decided I was going to try my hand at cooking dinner for us all.

About ten minutes in, Mary came and rescued me, and we spent an enjoyable couple of hours cooking and then eating a meal together, everyone gathering around the table and complimenting me on the beans I had managed to not destroy.

I needed to learn to cook.

Since I would be having a training session early the next morning, I had an early night, and went to bed, accompanied by Amanda.

“You don’t need to…” I began. It was quite early for her.

“I want to,” she said. “To use the vernacular, I’m fucked.” She grinned at me.

“Are you okay?” I asked. “I didn’t hurt you?”

“A little, but it was a good hurt,” she said. “Right now, I’m floating on air.”

I remembered that Jules’ pain block would expire in the early hours of the morning, so I checked in on her with my powers. I could still see the pain signals firing, so I extended the block for another twenty-four hours. I made a note to check her again tomorrow.

I pulled Amanda to me and curled up behind her, soon falling into a dreamless sleep.

When I got to the gym the next morning, James was not alone. There was a small woman standing with him who looked to be about fifty, with iron-grey hair pulled back into a tight bun and spectacles. She looked me up and down and sniffed disapprovingly. I raised an eyebrow at James.

He grimaced. I could see in his aura he was dreading what was about to happen.

“Caleb,” he began. “I would like to introduce you to Maggie Forbes. Maggie, this is Caleb.”

“I’m pleased to meet you,” I said politely. She just stared at me.

I stood relaxed and waited. I had an hour and a half to kill, so if she wanted to play games then I would be happy to go along.

“A pleasure to have met you,” I said to her at eight o’clock, and I left to go shower before breakfast. If nothing else, the ninety-minute meditation had done me some good.

+++++

“Who?” asked Mary, as I queried her about the woman.

“Maggie Forbes,” I said. “Small woman, I would guesstimate in her fifties, although if she is a power user, I have no idea. Gray hair.”

Mary shrugged, although I felt something awry in the bond.

“So, you do know her, but have been told not to warn me about her,” I concluded. “Whom by – her, or Dianna? And by what right?”

“Caleb, please,” Mary said, “it’s not always that easy.”

I considered, for a fleeting second, just pulling the information from Mary’s mind. She wouldn’t even know I had been there. But that would be a violation of trust. Even if I felt that she had violated my trust already, I couldn’t do that to her. It was one thing overhearing errant thoughts, but purposely digging into someone’s mind without their consent, that was something else.

I picked up my phone and called Dianna.

“Caleb,” she said upon answering. “What can I do for you?”

“You can tell vinegar tits that I won’t be training with her in the future,” I said. “She stepped over the line telling my girls to lie to me.”

I heard Dianna sigh.

“Maggie likes to make her own assessment of her trainees,” she said. “If the girls had told you, then you would have been prepared for her.”

“Well, I am prepared for her,” I concluded, “for her to fuck off and leave us alone. I don’t need her meddling in my private life. My relationship with the girls is built on love and trust. How much can I trust them if someone like her can order them to withhold information from me? If anyone, and I mean anyone, told me to withhold information from them, then I would go tell them to take a walk. I guess I am starting to appreciate my status in the pecking order.”

I put the phone down, looked at Mary, and left the table to go to my first class.

Once again, I was mad as hell.

I was mad with the Forbes woman, but I was even madder with Mary, who had agreed to do whatever this woman had wanted. I didn’t know where Amanda stood, but I guessed that she had been told the same thing. I wondered what she would have done in the same circumstances.

I skipped English, not wanting to speak to Mary just then. Instead, I went to the gym and did an hour’s worth of martial arts practice. At lunchtime, I chose to run around the track. I wasn’t hungry in any case.

I just didn’t understand. I thought the bond meant that we were supposed to be there for each other – a solid unit, unassailable from the outside, looking out for each other and having each other’s backs. Or did that only count when it was me having their backs? Was it all one way? I examined the bond and could see the love there, but if that love was true, then how could she so easily be compelled to lie to me, or at least withhold information? I didn’t mean Compelled, either. There’d been none of that; I would have seen it. They’d been asked, told, or convinced to do it, and I struggled to imagine what would convince me to do the same to them.

I was coming around the track for the fifth time when I saw Jules sitting on the bleachers, waiting for me. For an instant, I considered running right by, but I supposed she was blameless. I sincerely doubted anybody had looped her in.

I jogged up and plonked myself onto the bench beside her.

“Hey you,” she said. “How’s it going?”

“Jules, I love you,” I said, the corner of my mouth turning up. “And I love Mary and Amanda. But right now, I’m mad, certainly at Mary, and probably at Amanda too. Am I going to be mad at you too?”

I looked into those brown pools and hoped against hope she wasn’t part of it.

She nodded. “I’m sorry Caleb,” she said. “They made me swear an oath not to tell you.”

I sighed and climbed to my feet. Again, I knew I could easily pluck the information from her mind, but I couldn’t do that to her.

“I’m sorry too, Kitten,” I said and ran on.

Amanda was standing outside my first, afternoon lesson in the science block. I nearly turned around and walked away. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see her. I just really didn’t want confirmation that all three of the girls that were supposed to love me – that should have my back and that I should be able to trust one hundred percent – had chosen to prioritize something or someone else.

Amanda, as always led with her heart. “Caleb, you know we love you,” she said. “Please don’t be mad at us.”

“Do I?” I asked. “Then tell me, who is Maggie Forbes? And by what right can she tell you to lie to me, or at least withhold information? We are bonded – supposedly an unbreakable bond of love and trust, only I’m not feeling much trust. So, Amanda, tell me: who is she?”

Her eyes filled with tears. “I can’t tell you. Please don’t ask me.”

I nodded my head sadly. Again, the temptation to reach into Amanda’s mind and just extract the information was there, but I pushed it away. If she was unwilling to share it with me, then I had no right to violate her mind to steal it from her.

I closed the classroom door as I entered, leaving Amanda standing outside. I remembered nothing at all from the lesson.

I needed to think, to decide what to do. I needed some peace and quiet. It was too noisy. Then I realized where I was.

I climbed the stairs until I was facing the door to the roof, which had been kept locked since the university had heard of Jules’ attempt.

It took me longer than it should have to use my TK to open the lock. I stepped out onto the roof, walking over to the parapet. I leaned on it, looking down at the scene below. I was on the other side of the roof to that which Jules had chosen, and was overlooking the quadrangle.

The parapet came up to my chest. I had no intention of throwing myself over, I just wanted some peace to think and decide what to do next.

Being on the roof reminded me of Jules, and I wandered around to where she had been sitting on the parapet, legs dangling over the drop below. I was disappointed in Jules, but I could understand how she might get bullied into holding back information, especially if she could be convinced that there was a good reason, and that the information wasn’t that important in any case. What had devastated me was that the twins had gone along with it. The bond was supposed to be an unbreakable, unimpeachable link. It was the foundation on which I had started to rebuild my faith in both me and those around me. According to Dianna, those girls were supposed to be mine, just as I was theirs. As far as I was concerned, it would be impossible for me to withhold information about anything from them, even if, for some unfathomable reason, I felt it was the right thing to do. I didn’t understand how the same couldn’t be true the other way.

I checked my tell again. I wasn’t in an illusion… Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. I did have faith in the bond. I did trust my girls. I reconsidered: what was more likely, that the twins somehow violated the bond without me knowing, or that James had figured out my tell, and had accounted for it in the illusion?

I was curious as to how he had gotten through my shields, but the more I thought about it, the more I became convinced that that was what was happening.

I felt a wicked grin flicker on my lips. I thought about payback. If I was certain I was in an illusion, I could put on a show of my own for anyone watching. I could run amok, cause mayhem, and make them think I’d completely lost my mind.

The problem was that I wasn’t certain. My faint flicker of feeling powerful and in control vanished, and I got mad – just plain mad.

I imagined the scene below me freezing, and the filmstrip appeared, melting from the middle to leave me staring at James’ grinning face. Maggie stood beside him, regarding me coldly. They were both outside of easy punching distance. That was smart.

I turned around and started to walk away.

“Caleb,” he said, “we’re not done.”

“Yeah, we are,” I replied, pulling my ID out of my wallet and dropping it on the floor.

“Is that rainy day fund still on offer?” I sent to Mary and Amanda; their response was immediate.

“Of course, what did you need?”

“We need a place to live.” I sent. “I just quit my consulting job.”

My phone rang: Dianna.

“Caleb?”

“Agent Everson.”

“Agent? What? What’s going on, Caleb?”

“They crossed the line,” I said. “I told him right at the beginning that if he used my girls in the training, my response would be extreme. I think I’m being incredibly restrained.”

“Maggie said you stormed off in a snit, like a child.”

“And standing there refusing to even acknowledge my greeting was the sign of a mature adult?” I retorted.

“Caleb, you can’t just walk away from this,” she said.

“No?” I said amiably. “Watch me.”

I hung up the phone, and then switched it off. Anyone I wanted to speak to just then didn’t need to use a phone. Anyone else could leave a message.

While I walked, I checked my shield. I had been holding it since the last time James had asked me to drop it, and it had degraded. I hadn’t been paying attention. The cloak was patchy, and the shield itself had stopped spinning. It was no wonder she’d been able to get through. I had become complacent, and it had cost me.

I reconstructed the shield, and then for good measure created a second one to run inside the first. I covered both with the cloak and then examined them. Collectively, they seemed as good as I could make them. It did make me feel hungry, though, which tracked.

It was still too early for there to be many students in the cafeteria, but they were open, so I decided to get myself a good breakfast. Picking up a tray, I moved along the buffet line, making ***********ions from the displayed trays of food. When I reached the end, I saw that I had ***********ed almost double the amount of food that I would normally eat, but I knew that I needed it. I added a carton of milk and a carton of juice.

“Hungry?” asked the girl on the register, and I grinned at her.

“I’m a growing boy,” I said, and she looked me up and down with a twinkle in her eye.

“You look fully grown to me,” she returned as I paid.

I moved to a table, not nearly as keen to flirt as usual. I had barely started eating when James and Maggie pulled out the chairs opposite me and sat down. I ignored them both and continued to eat.

“Caleb,” Maggie opened. “James…”

“Ms. Forbes,” I cut her off.

“It’s Assistant Deputy Director, actually,” she said a little snippily.

“Apologies, Assistant Deputy Director Forbes,” I corrected myself. “I don’t recall allowing you the use of my given name. I would prefer it if you would address me as Mr. Stott.”

“Caleb,” James started.

“And I would prefer it if you didn’t address me at all,” I said to him as I went back to my breakfast.

“How long do you intend to sulk like a petulant child?” she asked. I noted she didn’t address me by name.

“Sulk?” I asked, raising my eyebrows. “I’m not sulking. We had an agreement. He broke the agreement, so our relationship is terminated.” I continued working my way through my breakfast, not looking at them.

“You were becoming complacent,” she said. “Your shields were a joke, and he figured out your tell. You had to be corrected.”

“All good points,” I said, cutting into a particularly tough piece of bacon, “and ones I would have been delighted to be corrected on, but we had an agreement. The twins were not to be used in training. I warned him of the consequences.”

“And we didn’t use the twins,” she said. “We used an illusion. To put it another way, we’ve been bending over backward to accommodate you, even though the entire point of this training is to get you ready for when somebody truly malicious makes a play. Frankly, I’m both disappointed in, and surprised by, James’ restraint. Dianna’s is equally disappointing, but not surprising. That’s why I’m here.”

“Well, now you can leave,” I replied. “I’m no longer your problem.”

“You’ll always be my problem, Caleb,” she said. “I was hoping you’d be more than just that.”

“And what did I say about my name?” I asked, flattening my tone.

“Trust me, young man, I have a lot of other things I’d like to call you right now.”

James had a lot of discipline, but I felt him squirming next to the iron lady – if not literally, then at least figuratively. It was only when I felt Ms. Forbes’ power amassing that I felt him shift, mentally, into a ready stance. He shot her a quick glance. Her eyes didn’t flicker toward his, but I could tell she got the message. Her jaw tensed, but the power dissipated.

“You’re a loaded weapon, young man,” she said. “You are always going to be my problem until I retire, and some other poor fool replaces me. You can’t just wander around without training in how to prevent yourself from being used.”

“Second amendment would say different,” I said. “Show me where it says that anyone with a loaded weapon must have training. Besides, I was getting training, until somebody broke our agreement.”

Maggie scoffed. She actually sounded a bit British. It fit her vibe rather well. “You didn’t tell me he was an out-and-out cliché, James,” she said, pointedly shifting her focus from me. “A university freshman lecturing a high-ranking law enforcement official on the Constitution. Somebody who was discussing the ramifications of Heller with some of the nation’s most powerful people when he was barely out of diapers, and whose agency deals with beyond-top-secret threats that make the entire War on Terror look like the farce it is – well, except for those occasions when it falls under our purview too.”

I chuckled. It was forced, but it felt right. “Gee, you’re really doing everything you can to convince me that you’re the good guys. A nice dose of ‘liberty and dignity are just lies we tell the masses’ at just the right moment in the conversation. Well done, Ms. Forbes. Well done.”

That drew her attention back to me. Her eyes narrowed.

“We had no agreement,” she said. “James told you he understood your position. You apparently erroneously concluded that he, a martial arts trainer, spoke for the entire agency, and was making you a promise. That’s its own kind of sloppy, young man. Honestly, when are you going to show a single shred of humility? Evidence that you’re not nearly as invulnerable as you think you are just smacked you upside the head, and you’re responding to it like a spoiled child. Did Harold Bleasdale or Owen Booth go through proper channels and arrange a contest between themselves and each of their victims? Set it in a boxing ring, maybe, or one of those octagons you young people seem to like? Did they give their victims itchy genitals and throw up another point on the scoreboard? Did they hear the end-of-round bell ring and ease up? Back off when the ref was dealing with their downed opponent?

“Compared to some of the shit out there, young man, they’re nothing. We’re trying to stem a tide of pure fucking evil that can sleaze its way past ninety-nine percent of the safeguards and systems that the Norms have built, including those on literal weapons of mass destruction. You’re nearly powerful enough to qualify as one of those yourself, and you’re crying about the fact that we lightly probed your self-admitted biggest vulnerability inside of an illusion, as part of an established training regimen.

“Frankly, I’m amazed you can sustain this ‘bond’ of yours with three other people at all, because from where I sit, you can’t even see past the end of your own nose – hardly surprising when your whole head is up your ass.”

James shot her another look. She shut him down without returning it, or uttering a single word aloud.

I shrugged. I knew I didn’t need to push. I was under her skin already. “It’s fine,” I said casually. “I’ll be perfectly happy up there with my girls. No more helping. No more devil’s bargains for nice houses or whatever else. I’ll call my uncle John and see about being just another happy, selfish piece of shit while you do your best to alienate every powered person who might’ve been an asset to your organization. All evidence suggests that that’s what you want. You’d have behaved so very differently today otherwise.”

She smiled wickedly then. That told me everything I needed to know about uncle John; he was in on it. I had to admit that it came as a surprise. I gave her a grateful nod for the information, and her smile vanished.

“She’s…” James began. It was a race between Maggie and me to see who could cut him off first. I won, at least by appearances – perhaps because I was the only one willing to speak aloud.

“She’s family,” I said. “That’s the final card to play. Long lives, only two main bloodlines, ours is big and powerful and scary with the Compulsion and whatnot. Yes, sensei, I am able to connect a few dots, even up here in the dark recesses of my own rectum.”

“Dianna indulges herself,” Maggie said coldly. “I can’t afford to. Arguably, neither can she.”

“Don’t shed a tear about it,” I said. “I’m building a family of my own, and you don’t need to even bother applying.”

I was finished with my breakfast, and quite finished with the two people opposite me. I made a point of arranging my trash on my tray before standing up. They stood too – James out of some semblance of decorum, and Maggie to rebuff my power play. It was plain in their body language.

“I don’t want to see you, hear from you, or feel you,” I said. “If I do, it’s itchy genitals all around – the first time. Each time after that, it spreads to a fun new area. Otherwise, go do your jobs. Save the world – the one where you bully and abuse everyone for the greater good. You’re not done with me? Fine. I’m done with you.”

Our final pissing contest was silence and stares. They were both good at it; Maggie was infinitely better. I indulged it for longer than I should have, but finally just shrugged and walked away. I had to go find my real family a new place to live.

When I got back to the house, I was hungry again. Maintaining my shields at that level obviously came at a cost, and I considered whether I really needed the dual-level shields plus a cloak at all times, or if that was just a knee-jerk reaction to my own lack of care.

Eventually, I decided to drop the second shield, and just make it part of my daily routine to rebuild my main one. I resolved to check them every hour for a couple of days and see whether daily was enough.

I also considered and created a couple of new tells. I decided I needed a backup, in case my primary was compromised again. I had thought not to bother, thinking that just attempting to break out of the illusion would be enough, but then I remembered my wicked thought up on that fake roof. It seemed to me there might be advantages to staying in an illusion once you’d discovered it.

While I was thinking of that, I was also making myself a sandwich, practically on autopilot. I had just sat down at the kitchen counter to eat it when the front door opened. Maggie and James walked in.

“Get out,” I said to James. “You are not welcome here.”

“Caleb,” he began, but I pushed him out of the door with TK and slammed it behind him.

“This is your one freebie because we’re related,” I told Maggie. “It’s a very tiny one, so get to the fucking point.”

“Caleb I’m your great-great-grandmother,” she said.

I silently let her know how much I cared, and that she’d better hurry it along.

“When I first saw you,” she continued, “you were three days old. Even then I could see that you were more powerful than any other user I had ever seen. We needed to make sure that power was controlled, to make you safe. You overwhelmed your amulet, which isn’t supposed to be possible; you manifested, and not two, but four powers emerged in rapid succession. Simply put, you are making a lot of people very nervous.”

“Mmmm, well, it seems to me like fear has led to the Dark Side,” I replied. “You just don’t get how important trust is – was – in all of this. Break that trust, and literally, my entire life is up for review, and the results aren’t good. Even more so this new facet of it, and everybody who’s a part of it.”

“Even the twins?” she asked.

“Don’t fucking go there,” I replied.

The door opened and Dianna walked in, demonstrating the worst timing in the history of all entrances.

“Get out,” I said, pushing her back out, and once again slamming the door. I sealed it with TK. I immediately felt someone testing the strength of the seal. There was no particular sense of urgency though, and that annoyed me.

“Well?” I prompted. “Your time is running out, old lady.”

“We have to know,” she said simply. “Ultimately, there is no other trial than trial by fire. You don’t like the law enforcement and military metaphors, I know, but they’re apt. Let’s try sports instead. You learn to dodge by taking hits. You learn to endure the hits by taking hits. You learn to get surprised less often by getting surprised. You learn that you’re never going to dodge everything, and you’re never going to fully eliminate surprise from the equation. That leaves the last defense: taking the hits.

“That’s all there is to it. You understood that with James’ lessons right up until you didn’t. I’m trying to get you to see that there is no difference of kind, only degree – and, like it or not, you jumped the line all the way up to the highest levels of power and risk. That means the fire we use to test you has to be as hot as fucking hell – and today, we did nothing more than nudge the dial. Believe it or not, you blew the test away, right up until you melted down. You got sloppy with your defenses beforehand, yes, but you caught on to the illusion so quickly. We’re all curious how.”

I laughed. “Like I’m going to give you even more ammunition to use against me. You’re just not getting it. I am so done with you and yours. You want puppets, and I refuse to be one. You said it yourself: I’m a weapon. Weapons are things. I am not interested in working with anyone who sees me as a thing. You have controlled my life for eighteen years, and I never even knew you existed. It ends now.”

“Of course it does,” Maggie said quietly. “After all, you’ll just know. Multiple powered people, an entire government agency, hundreds of years of history, but no, you’ll know. You’ll be so sure.”

“I’d goddamn well better be,” I replied. I finished my sandwich and put the plate in the dishwasher.

“I’d like you to leave now,” I said, “before I get accused of kidnapping. I lasted eighteen years without knowing you. I am certain that my life won’t change much if you just fuck off and leave me the hell alone. If that turns out to be an itch you can’t stop scratching, well… one good itch deserves another.”

I unsealed the door and it opened. There were people standing on the porch: James, Dianna, Mary, Amanda, and Jules.

Jules walked through the door, came over to me and put her arms around me. She didn’t speak. She just gazed up at me. Those beautiful, big brown eyes were liquid. Amanda and Mary followed, each putting their arms around me. I felt Amanda flex her power, and I felt feelings of love, trust and forgiveness flowing over me.

I quashed them. It was easy. Her eyes widened.

“No, Amanda,” I said. “It’s not that easy. You can’t just wave your magic wand and make it all better. I will choose to believe that was a genuine effort to make me feel better, and not a cynical manipulation driven by your grandmother or the scheming witch who calls herself my great-great-grandmother, or both. But please, don’t do it again.”

I caught a flicker of her eyes toward Dianna and shook my head. That confirmed that Dianna had manipulated Amanda into doing that, no doubt telling her it would make me feel better. I didn’t think Mary wouldn’t have fallen for it.

“Caleb,” Jules said, “let’s go visit my parents for a while. Get away from here. You need to cool off, and being around here is not going to allow that. I have spoken to Daddy, and he would be happy for us all to go and stay for a few weeks.”

I looked down at her and nodded.

“Sounds like a plan. If we take our books, we can keep up with the work and catch up on anything we missed after the holidays.”

I looked at Mary and Amanda. “What do you think?”

“We definitely need some distance and some time,” Mary said.

The pair on the doorstop became a trio as Maggie joined them. We left them there and went into the bedroom to pack our bags. Jules said we didn’t need more than a week’s clothes, as we could wash them there. I took my laptop and some books, as did the girls.

When we came out, Maggie had vanished, which seemed appropriate in more ways than one.

Dianna hugged Mary, and then Amanda. She moved towards Jules, but Jules stepped away. Dianna nodded understanding but looked saddened.

Then she looked at me. She sent me an image: a baby that I knew to be me, cradled in her arms.

I sent the same image back, on fire, the picture crisping and turning to ash. My meaning was clear. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

James looked on sadly. He stepped up and offered me his hand. I ignored it, stepping past him.

“I don’t know where yet,” I said, “but when we come back, we’ll get our stuff out of the house. It may even be back in the dorms, but we’ll let you know.”

We loaded our luggage into Amanda’s car and piled in. Amanda would drive, and Jules rode shotgun. Mary and I were in the back.

I didn’t even know where we were going, or how long it would take to get there, but I didn’t care. It was anywhere but there, and that suited me just fine.

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