Chapter 21

Mom grimaced as she stood. "I'll get it."

I rocketed out of my seat toward the door. "I'LL get it. You be polite."

Dad put his hand on Mom's arm. "Sit down honey."

Mom dropped on the couch and crossed her arms. "Fine!"

I opened the door. Kim looked up to me with wide eyes and her chin trembled as she started to speak. I did an about face and went back to my seat without making a comment.

She skittered through the door like a nervous mouse, her hand clutched at the base of her throat. Her eyes darted around the room. She gasped when she saw my parents.

Mom's face was hard as she stared at Kim. Kim shrank back from the stare and looked at me.

I pointed to the floor at my feet. "Here."

Kim lit up and stood ramrod straight, with her shoulders back and breasts pushed forward. She lifted her chin and strutted toward me with a gentle sway of her hips. Kim stopped when she reached me, placed her hands on her thighs and bowed to me. Turning toward my parents, Kim knelt Japanese style by my feet.

"OH HELL NO!" Mom launched herself at Kim. I stood and moved between them. Mom hit me like a ton of bricks, with her fists and knees flying. I grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into me, hanging on for dear life.

"KID!"

Her knee connected. I gasped, but held firm. Her fists beat like hail on my chest. I tightened my grip and put my mouth to her ear. "I won't hurt you. Hit me all you want," Dad moved toward us. I waved him off as I continued to whisper to my mom. "I love you ... I love you."

Mom started crying and huddled into me resting her forehead on my chest. One of her fists beat against me in a slow rhythm. "Shhh ... I love you."

She stopped hitting and looked at me. Tears streamed from her bloodshot eyes. Snot dripped from her chin. "It's not right. You're just a baby! I can't let this happen. Move ... please..." Her eyes pleaded with me.

I caressed her cheek and kissed her. "I can't."

"Baby, move."

"I know that you don't understand and you're angry," I pulled her head to my chest and rocked her. "It's OK ... Will you sit down for me? I promise, I'll explain."

"I don't want an explanation," Mom tried to push away from me. "I want to kick her ass!"

I pulled her closer. "I can't let you. I have responsibility for her. Please stop Mom, ... Please ... sit down."

Mom stiffened and then sagged against me. We stood there for a few moments. "I'll stop for now. Make her get up."

"Her proper place is at my feet."

TreFual waved his hands at me "Ki-"

Something hard slammed into my jaw. Brilliant lights exploded in my face. My head rocked back. I staggered, nearly falling over Kim. Mom had struck me with a right hook!

"No woman belongs at a man's feet!"

I shook my head to clear it."Wow, all righty then. Kim, sit in the love seat please."

"Yes Master." Kim said as she stood. Mom stiffened in my arms.

"Let it go." I whispered to her.

My knees wobbled. I checked my jaw with one hand, moving it side to side. Damn, that woman hits hard. I put my arm around Mom again.

"May I sit down now?"

I dropped my arms. Mom stomped to the couch and sat down. Dad tried to put his arm around her, but she shook it off with a violent movement of her shoulders. She glared at Kim and then looked straight at me. "I'm listening. It had better be good."

I sat next to Kim and glanced at TreFual. He scratched his chin and squinted toward the ceiling. "Oh shit, this is a hard one ... Say to them that you each discovered needs that the other provides. It's horseshit. But?" He looked at me and shrugged.

I looked at my parents. "It's like this. I discovered a need for responsibility. A craving for it."

Dad chewed his lip for a moment and then glanced at Kim. "Responsibility or power? It has to be pretty heady to have a beautiful woman at your beck and call."

"Both. Before this happened, I adopted a lot more responsibility. The work at the food bank. Taking care of Mrs. Compton's chores."

Mom flung her hand toward Kim. "None of that explains this!"

"I'm getting there. When Kim and I first had sex tonight-"

Dad held a finger up "Hold on. Are you saying tonight is the first time you two were together?"

"Tonight was the first time I've ever had sex with anyone,"(I was Tony when I had Stacy so it doesn't count.)

"I discovered that it wasn't enough for me to be in her." I grabbed a handful of Kim's hair and gazed into her eyes. Her face softened. She laid her cheek against my wrist and smiled. From the corner of my eye, I could see Mom's face turning red as her hands clenched. I didn't care. My spirit sang. "I found a treasure. One that needed to be conquered." I gently shook Kim's head. "I took it."

Mom gasped, "Look at his expression.It's ... majestic." She turned to Dad. "Do you see it?"

Dad eyebrows were knit together. "How?"

TreFual waved his hand in front of my face. "Back it off kid, that's too much."

I released Kim and looked at my parents. "Mom, last year I read one of your romance novels. It talked about things like this."

"Hmmff ... That's fiction."

"It's real for some people. Kim is mine. I will not give her up."

Dad asked. "What about Randi?"

"I'm going to marry her. I haven't thought that far ahead yet. She's just going to have to deal with it. Kim is in my life forever."

Dad shook his head. "I don't know about that. We haven't decided yet."

My shoulders tensed, a cold wave went through me. My eyes narrowed as my nostrils flared. Mom pushed back into the couch, her eyes wide. Dad paled. My voice was low and even when I spoke. "I will allow nothing to separate us."

TreFual's hand glowed a brilliant red as electric bolts jumped between his finger tips. "Last warning, Kid."

Kim wrapped her hand around mine. She whispered,"I'm here my Lord. I'm not going anywhere."

Peace encroached upon my anger at her touch. The tension in my body shuddered and collapsed. An ephemeral tendril of a word drifted like smoke through my mind. A word that came from deep within me. Unable to capture it. I glanced at TreFual who smiled at me.

"Aufskiva. It means bonded servant. She is your Aufskiva."

Mom and Dad looked at one another. Dad turned toward Kim. "Mrs. Chang-"

"Call me Kim, please."

"Kim, surely you understand, as a parent, what we're going through?"

Kim looked up for a moment. "I was not expecting this kind of thing. John saved my only child's life.I invited him over with the intention of sleeping with him as a way of thanking him."

Mom snorted and said. "That's a hell of a reward."

Kim looked down and blushed a deep red. She waited a moment before continuing. "I had no thought of causing this trouble in your family. I ask your forgiveness. This other was unexpected and is undoable."

Mom sat up. "What do you mean undoable?"

"We are bonded. I could no sooner leave him than I could kill my daughter."

"If you go to prison. You'll be separated."

Kim eyes hardened. "If I were put in prison, I would do anything to return to my master's side."

"HE'S NOT YOUR MASTER!"

Kim sat up, her bearing proud and regal. "He IS my master. He would kill anyone to regain me. I know this."

Mom jerked as if she'd been slapped. She looked at me. "John tell-"

"She's telling the truth.I am exactly that committed to keeping her."

"Kid, you're walking a very thin line."

Dad threw up his hands. "It's obvious, that this is going nowhere tonight. My wife and I need to discuss this among ourselves, so this is what's going to happen. John, I insist that you stay around the house this weekend. You may have 15 minutes a day phone privileges with Kim.

My face started burning. I opened my mouth to tell him to fuck off when TreFual put his glowing hand on my chest. It's power pulsed on my skin. "Kid, I order you to agree. If you do not, I'll kill you right here."

I glared at him and turned to my dad. "Done ... for this weekend." TreFual moved his hand and nodded.