Insight
Chapter Eleven
By: Rogue Knave
Everything that I had been planning to say simply evaporated from my mind as I stood there, stunned.
“She’s pregnant?” I asked incredulously. “But… how?”
Cindy cast an exasperated look in my direction. “Do you really need me to explain that to you?” she asked.
Jess was looking at me shyly with a gaze that wrenched my heart. Just when I had found the strength to do the right thing, this happened. Now what was I going to do? I couldn’t wipe her mind and return her to the nightclub in her current state. And as I saw the joy shining forth from her eyes, I realized that I couldn’t tell her the truth I had just discovered about our relationship. In her mind and heart our love was real. Damn.
I felt a silky light touch on my shield and Ashley spoke into my mind. “Don’t just stand there.” She said. “Jess needs you to be her man right now.”
She was right. Gulping and taking a deep, shaky breath, I crouched down beside Jess and, attempting to make my smile appear sincere, I gave her a big hug. “That is great news!” I squawked.
Not knowing what else to say I sent a mental plea to Ashley. “Help!” I begged. Ashley stepped forward and joined the three of us. “I’m so happy for you.” She said. And she sounded like she really meant it. “Do you know how far along you are?”
“No, not really,” Jess answered. “But I think somewhere around three weeks.”
I quickly ran the math in my head. That would mean that she had become pregnant about a week after we arrived at the cabin in Idaho.
“I have been feeling kind of funny this past week, but it was Cindy who sensed the baby… I didn’t have a clue!” Jess continued.
Sending a mental note of gratitude to Ashley I sat back and listened as the three women engaged in excited conversation. After a few minutes, they seemed completely oblivious to my presence, which was just fine with me. I needed some time to think all this through. Of the three women, only Ashley knew the full truth about Jess and me. I watched them talking and it quickly became clear to me that I could no longer let Jess go. If her timeline was correct, then I was the child’s father. I still wasn’t sure how I should handle the situation, but my original plan was no longer an option.
The hours passed quickly, and we soon found ourselves on the outskirts of Billings, Montana. For the time being I figured it best to stick to our original plan. We would travel aimlessly around the country for a week or ten days, catching rides in random RVs. Our daily destinations were not important. In fact, it was better for us if we didn’t know where our rides were headed. That would make it more difficult for clairvoyants to follow our trail.
Jack and Rose, who were in no hurry, had planned to spend the night in Billings. I felt a bit uncomfortable stopping so soon, so we decided to find another RV and hitch a ride to wherever they were going. The women thanked Jack and Rose profusely, but I felt bad that I couldn’t give them something for their trouble. As we turned to search for another ride I saw three young women, probably 18 or 19 years old, unpacking a car by a small cabin. I sent Ash over to see if they were alone, and if so, to make a few changes to their minds. Then I turned back to Rose and Jack, making a few adjustments there as well. As we walked away, the three girls were knocking on the RV’s door and giggling. I smiled to myself, hoping that the old folks didn’t die from overexertion in the next few hours.
That is how we lived for the next ten days. We travelled randomly, my only desire being to stick to the warmer parts of the country as much as possible. The first few nights I continued to suffer the nightmares in which I was being pulled towards a lightless, lifeless abyss. In the early morning hours of the third night, I dragged myself desperately away from the abyss and startled awake, covered in a slick of sweat. It was getting harder to resist the pull into the chasm. Ashley was sitting on the edge of her bed with a concerned expression on her face. She had obviously been watching me for some time.
“When did your nightmares start?” she asked quietly.
“I had the first one four nights ago, when we stayed at Dave’s house.” I answered in a whisper so as not to awaken the other women.
“Is it the same dream every night?” she asked again.
“Yes.” I replied.
“When my group attacked your cabin did you… kill anyone? I mean, directly, with your ability.” She pried.
“No, I’ve never killed anyone, ever… in any way.” I stated, fighting to contain a huge yawn.
“Hmm…” Ashley emitted through pursed lips, a slight frown creasing her forehead. “Were you mentally connected to anyone who died? ‘Cause your symptoms seem a lot like those of Vicarious Demise.”
“What the hell is ‘Vicarious Demise’?” I grumbled.
“Oh, uh, I keep forgetting that you have never been formally trained.” Ash admitted. She bowed her head and gathered her thoughts.
Whispering she said, “Well, to put it really simply, it is dangerous to directly kill a person using your talent, or to be connected to someone telepathically when they die. You can command someone else to kill them, but you should never use your ability to directly take a life. If you do, some piece of them, their soul or spirit if you like, will ‘stick’ to you in that moment.”
Now it was my turn to frown. “Their ‘soul’?” I inquired incredulously.
“Well, that’s what I call it.” She responded with a slight smile. “Nobody really knows what it IS. But we have all been taught to avoid killing directly if at all possible.”
I thought of the night when Ashley and her crew had attacked our cabin in the woods. Rambo had been shot to ribbons and I had tried to ease his pain by putting him to sleep, and then commanded his heart to stop.
“What about animals?” I stammered. “Does this…vicarious demise happen with them too?”
“No, I don’t think so,” Ashley answered. “At least, I’ve never heard of it before. Why?”
She cocked her head sideways, listening intently as I explained what I had done to Rambo that night.
“That is strange,” she admitted, “but you are far more powerful than any telepath I have ever encountered before. It could well be that this makes you sensitive to animals’ deaths as well.
Placing a finger over her lips, and pressing it up against the tip of her nose, she thought for a moment before continuing. “If a telepath kills a human being, the piece of the victim’s soul will eventually succeed in dragging the telepath down into… well, death. The only way to survive is to share the experience. Each time it is shared the weight of the soul shard is divided, thereby weakening it. With time the shards will fade and dissipate.”
Looking at me intently Ashley said firmly, “you need to share this with me… and probably with Cindy and Jess as well. If you don’t let us help you, it could kill you.”
I sighed deeply. I already felt that I owed Cindy and Jess a great debt for what I, and others, had done to them. “Ok,” I said resignedly. I gently woke Cindy and Jess and explained the situation to them. They eagerly agreed to help. But I decided that now was the time to start putting things right, at least between Cindy and I. I wouldn’t ask her to share my burden unless she—the real her, that is—was willing to do so. She was fully aware of all that I had done to her, but I had changed her inner being that first night, making her amenable to my desires.
Looking deep into her eyes, I explained to her what I was going to do. She began breathing hard, and tried to interrupt me. But I knew that she was just responding as I had programmed her to. Diving into her mind, I first revealed to her everything I had learned about Jess, and how it had made me feel about my own actions. Closing my eyes to help me concentrate, I caused Cindy to fall into a deep, restful sleep. Then, very carefully, I restored her inner self to its original state. She would remember everything that had happened over the past month, but she would relate to it through her old, unadjusted personality.
Afterward, with Ash’s guidance, I discovered that there was a shadow, or darkness, that encompassed my memory of Rambo’s death. Now that I was aware of it, I could easily distinguish it from outside the memory, but it remained invisible from within. While Cindy slept, I shared the experience of Rambo’s death with Ashley and Jess by copying the memory and implanting it in their own minds. When it was done I felt no different than before, but the shadow that covered the memory was much lighter.
I found it difficult to go back to sleep after that, not because of the dream, but rather because I was nervous about how Cindy would react when she awoke. After tossing and turning in bed for several hours I finally got up at around 6 am, and went for a walk. The crisp morning air felt refreshing, and the exertion caused my breath to steam and float around me I walked.
When I returned to the cabin Cindy was awake and leaning against the wall in a dark corner of her bed. Her legs were tucked up tightly against her chest, and her arms were wrapped around her knees. I couldn’t see very well in the low light, but I was fairly certain that there were lines of tears running down her cheeks.
Swallowing around a lump in my throat, I cautiously approached her and sat on the edge of the bed. She looked up at me and sniffled slightly as she wiped a hand across her cheeks. Neither of us said anything for several minutes. I just didn’t know what to say. Finally, realizing that there was no acceptable excuse for my conduct, I spoke in a voice that shook with emotion, “Cindy… I’m so sorry. I know that what I did to you was… wrong. I… I don’t have a right to ask for your forgiveness. But I want you to know that I am terribly sorry.”
Looking down at my hands I waited, hoping that she would say something.
Cindy took a deep, shuttering breath, and then crawled across the bed and hugged me. “You big idiot.” She whispered affectionately. “I’m crying because of what you showed me about Jess.”
“Uh… oh!” I stammered. “You mean, you aren’t mad at me?”
“No.” Cindy said quietly. “The past month has been the best time of my life. The changes you made in me allowed me to experience something that fear would have never let me consider before. I’ve seen how much you love me. And in Jess I have a closer friend than I could have ever imagined possible. If anything, I love you more than ever, because you care for me enough to risk losing me. I’m still not sure about Ashley though. Let’s give that some time.”
Relief rushed through me, making me feel weak with released tension. I turned and picked Cindy up. In spite of having been married for years I still admired her beauty. My hands nearly completely encircled her waist as I lifted her and set her down on my knees. “I don’t deserve you.” I stated.
“And don’t you ever forget it!” she said, smiling and kissing me full on the lips.
My emotions were having a hard time keeping up with my body. We kissed long and passionately, and my cock stiffened and pushed against Cindy’s leg through my jeans. My eager left hand slid up her body and under the hoodie she slept in. Her warm skin felt wonderful, but she shivered and squirmed as my icy hands slithered over her hard stomach and then explored her unbound breasts. They were smooth and firm, and her nipples were already hard and erect. I wasn’t sure if that was because of my cold hands, or not.
I lifted her hoodie over her head and leaned over to suck on her nipples. They were amazing. Like hard little cherries between my tongue and teeth. Cindy breathed in quickly and threw back her head as I teased and tickled her nipples with my tongue. I allowed my left hand to drift slowly under the elastic of her sweat pants and through her well-trimmed pussy hair, inching ever closer to her vagina. Finally I teased her cunt, touching her ever so lightly, stroking it as softly as a feather, and all the while continuing to suck her nipples. She shivered and gasped out loud, then looked around quickly to see if the other two women had noticed. It seemed that the removal of my commands had returned her to her former shy nature. I grinned conspiratorially around her nipple. This was going to be fun. My goal now was to make her wake the other women.
I continued to circle her pussy softly with the pad of my finger. She breathed heavily and thrust her hips forward slightly in an attempt to make a firmer contact. She was quite wet already, so I circle two more times, and then suddenly thrust my middle finger deep inside her, quickly, and repeatedly. She bucked forward and then arched her back, biting her lower lip and then moaning through clenched teeth. I looked towards Jess and Ashley. They stirred a little, but continued to sleep. I would have to try harder.
Picking Cindy up, I laid her on the bed with her knees bent and hanging over the end. Then I pulled her sweat pants down and crouched between her open legs. Gently kissing the inside of her thighs with light, butterfly kisses, I worked my way up to her groin. She was shivering and whimpering, but still managed to keep relatively quiet. When I reached her pussy I softly breathed warm air on it and, reaching out with my tongue, lightly ran it across her lips. She moaned again, quietly, and her hands began to pinch and massage her own breasts and nipples. I wrapped my arms around her legs and sucked tightly onto her vagina, running my tongue firmly over her swollen pussy. She groaned long and loud now, one hand dropping down to grab hold of my hair. She kept her pubic hair shortly trimmed, which I like, but now it was tickling my nose as I breathed. I began thrusting my tongue in and out of her, licking, sucking and stroking. Her moans and groans seemed to join together into one long cry of pleasure. I knew her orgasm was close when she began to thrust her hips, pull my hair, and arch her back upwards. Then she sucked in a great breath and gasped loudly, letting out a high pitch wail. The sound continued for nearly fifteen seconds as she came. Then she fell back on the bed, breathing hard.
Turning to look behind me I saw that both Jess and Ashley were sitting up in their beds now, watching our performance. When Cindy saw them she blushed, and then covering her mouth, began to giggle.
“So, does this mean that you’ve forgiven him?” asked Ashley. And we all broke into peals of laughter.
When we managed to stop laughing Cindy said, “Come here girls, I need your help with my husband.” And they all began laughing again.
Cindy rubbed my crotch inquisitively and then unbuckled my belt and pulled my pants to the floor. The other two women quickly stripped out of their pajamas and stepped over to assist.
My cock had gone semi flaccid during our brief break, but now it again responded quickly, lengthening and thickening as it hardened. Cindy grabbed it in both hands and stuffed it into her mouth. I sat down on the edge of the nearest bed with my legs spread wide. The other two women knelt down on either side of Cindy, who was leaning over at the waist, but remained standing. Ashley and Jess each sucked one of my balls into their mouths. With my arms angled out behind me, propping me up, I looked down at the three gorgeous women who were looking up at me from between my legs. This was the kind of thing that I had hardly even dared fantasize about mere months ago. I wanted Jess and Ashley to cum as well, but I didn’t want them to stop what they were doing. So I linked our minds together and caused my arousal to echo in their own libidos. Then I focused my attention on the wonderful treatment that my cock was receiving.
Cindy’s breasts bounced and shook as she slid her mouth up and down my dick as quickly as she could. She had one hand wrapped tightly around my shaft, assisting her mouth. Jess and Ashley were both massaging my testicles in their mouths with their tongues. It felt warm and soft, and oh so good. I sat up straighter and, reaching out felt both of Cindy’s breasts as they hung and swayed under her. Then I stretched down and fondled one of each of Jess and Ashley’s tits. Their soft flesh, contrasted with their rock hard nipples, was enough to send me over the edge. The end of my dick seemed to swell and then burst inside Cindy’s mouth. Clenching my teeth, I gave a long growl as my sperm flew into her. She received it all, catching it inside her mouth. Her hand continued to milk my shaft, encouraging it not to hold anything back. At that same moment, all three women sucked in air and released muffled gasps of pleasure around my cock and testicles, as my orgasm caused them to cum as well. After half a minute the gasps settled into whimpers and faded away. The women release my cock and looked up at me. Cindy opened her mouth with her head tilted back, and showed me a pool of cum that covered her tongue. Then she stood above Jess and Ashley and allowed some of it to dribble into their waiting mouths. My dick jumped as I watched the three gorgeous, naked women, sharing my sperm. When they each had an equal amount they turned to face me, and swallowed in unison.
During the lazy, directionless days, that followed, I was able to review our situation. There were three things that I felt we needed to focus on. First, our cash was running dangerously low. Second, I wanted to begin researching other stones. If hematite and quartz affected telepathy, I was convinced that there had to be gems that would enhance the other talents as well. Finally, we had to begin developing a plan of action for dealing with the Counsel. I was beginning to tire of constantly tucking my tail and running. Allowing my thoughts to dwell on these three matters kept me from having to think about what to do with Jess.
The nightmares eased immediately, becoming simple bad dreams that the four of us shared for the next several weeks. But sharing the burden had robbed the ‘soul shard’ of its power, and it quickly faded away.
Ashley came up with an answer to our financial problem. The morning that we had left Dave’s house we had seen a news special about the filthy rich cartels in Mexico. Since they couldn’t use banks these groups just stashed millions of dollars away in the walls of their safe houses. She wondered why we didn’t just find one of those houses and take the cash for ourselves. Cindy and Jess, feeling that this idea was too dangerous, didn’t like it at all. But it was just the kind of thing that Ashley would think of. The more I pondered it, the more I liked the idea.
At the end of our fourth day of travel we stopped in a small town. Asking around, we were directed to a “Beads N’ Things” store. They had a wide variety of semiprecious stones. Of course, there was the expected hematite jewelry as well. We grabbed a handful of each kind of stone, and wrote their names on the plastic bags we put them in.
Over the next six days we experimented with the stones as we randomly hitched rides around the southwest. On our second day of experimentation we made an interesting discovery. Each of us seemed to be attracted to a specific kind of gemstone. Even when blindfolded we would repeatedly pick the same type of stone from among a mixed pile. Ashley and I preferred the clear quartz stones. Cindy and Jess consistently chose agate stones; the color or type of agate didn’t seem to matter. Jess, however, confused us by occasionally picking a galena gemstone as well. She was still unaware that her ability had been awakened, but the rest of us knew that she was an empath. So I concluded that just as quartz stones could enhance telepathic ability, so agate must somehow increase empathic ability. I was confused, though, about the galena gemstone, and wondered if it had something to do with the latent ability of her unborn child.
This discovery focused our research considerably. I decided to put the rest of the stones away and focus on just the agate and galena. Although the women were attracted to these stones, there didn’t seem to be any measurable effect on their abilities. It seemed likely that they needed to activate or bind the stones to them in some way.
After this initial discovery, however, our progress seemed to stall. We tried using blood and many other things but nothing seemed to work. I grew frustrated with the mystery, and decided to take a break from the research to work on our financial problems for a while. We caught a ride in an RV that was headed to Arizona. I was going to cross into Mexico, but I didn’t feel comfortable taking the women with me. One gringo would draw a lot less attention than a gringo accompanied by three beautiful gringas would. The more I thought about this, the more convinced I became. However, I knew that the ladies would not agree to this willingly.
The morning after we arrived in Tucson I laid out my plan. They didn’t like it at all, but I told them that my mind was made up. Three or four days would probably be enough time, but Ash and I could stay in touch telepathically just in case. It was too risky for them to wait in one place for me, so they were going to continue traveling around Arizona and New Mexico for the next several days.
Cindy and Jess looked skeptical as I began to share my thoughts. So I decided to sweeten the deal, “Most of the violence in Mexico is up near the border. So I would like to head way down south and rent a big house on a beach somewhere.” At that the women perked up.
“But first we need to deal with the money problem.” I said firmly.
The next morning I kissed each one goodbye and sent them on their way. Then I turned to the task of getting into Mexico.