Chapter 19: Tranquil Dreams

Friday, August 18th, 2006, Arlington, Virginia

I silently slipped from the bed, careful not to wake my mother—she looked so peaceful and happy in her slumber—and tip-toed out of the bedroom. My mind was restless, and I couldn’t get back to sleep even though it was only 3:07 in the morning. I’d found myself needing less sleep recently, and I didn’t know if it was a side effect of one of the rings or simply caused by the build-up of stress and worry.

<Hey, Malachar. Do you think that you could help me with my sleep issue? Or is this a normal thing because of the magic? I’ve only been sleeping four to six hours a night for the past four days, but I’m sure that you’ve noticed.>

Hmm, I was wondering when you were going to bring it up. It could be, and it most likely is, but it could also be stress. I only slept four hours a night myself when I was alive. Many of the gifted need less sleep than the non-gifted, but that isn’t a hard and fast rule. Why a good friend of mine, back from my University days, slept at least eight hours a night, and he preferred ten! Personally, I think that the truly mighty ones tend to sleep less as a survival trait. The instinct to survive breeds the need for awareness, and of course, we are at our most vulnerable when unconscious.

<Shit. That doesn’t help my fatigue issues though, I’m feeling pretty drained these past few days. Is there anything that you can do to help mitigate that? I hate feeling dulled out during the day.>

Hmm, maybe. I guess I can tinker with your medulla and get your kidneys to produce more carnitine. They should help boost your energy levels until you get used to functioning on less sleep. If the issue is caused by your brain processing magical energies and your increased need for awareness as a self-defense mechanism, then it should balance itself out soon. If it is stress-related, well, it will still help, but I wouldn’t want to mess with your kidney function for too long to help combat it.

<Carnitine?>

It’s a vital chemical that helps transport long-chain fatty acids to your cells for energy consumption. Do they not teach you anything in your school systems here on Earth?

<Not in high school, well, nothing at that level anyway. I learned all about chicks, football, weight-lifting, and partying—although I did maintain my grades high enough to graduate. I mean, I could do the work and understand everything. I just wasn’t interested. I did well when I was young—but school was never for me.>

Never underestimate the value of a good education. Knowledge is power, son, and a truer axiom I’ve never heard. Oh, and eat more dairy, nuts, and avocados; that’ll help.

<Nuts and Dairy? Okay.> I mentally shrugged in agreeance. <I really think that we just need to get the hell out of Dodge. I’m getting anxious over the fact that we’ve been sitting in one place for too long.>

Yeah, same here. It’s like waiting for the other shoe to drop. I really do love the cool sayings that you guys have here on this planet.

I found myself in the massive kitchen. I guess I’d wandered in here without thought. I shrugged to myself; I could use a snack. I quickly made myself a sandwich and then went to go sit in the sunroom. My brain was whirling with everything—from speculation to the when, how, and where the next attack against us would come from, to how bloody long it was going to be before Angie gave in to her desires.

I was sitting eating my ham on rye, looking out into the moonlit backyard, when movement caught my eye. Someone was swimming, but I couldn’t make out who, just that they were female. My curiosity piqued, I wiped the crumbs from my hands, opened the sliding glass door, and started walking towards the pool. All of the patio lamps were off; the only light was coming from the bright moon and stars overhead and the soft fluorescent glow of the underwater pool lights.

It was a beautiful night out, warm but not crazy hot like the days had been lately. It even smelled nice; the heavy sweet scent of flowers wafted by lazily with the gentle breeze. In fact, as I looked around, I noticed a bunch of flowers next to the path that I didn’t recall seeing before. Their white petals seemed to reflect the moonlight. It was so peaceful out here at this godforsaken time, silent—as if even the insects had gone to sleep at this late hour. That was the one thing that I really loved about this property and what I would miss when we finally left. It felt like a real refuge from the hustle and bustle of the city but was still only minutes away.

I made sure to purposefully stomp my feet on the patio slabs so as not to scare whoever it was swimming. I approached the shallow grotto end of the peanut-shaped pool; the cool blue of the water looked inviting. Someone had turned the waterfall off, or maybe it was on a timer, which would make sense seeing as it was pretty loud. I still couldn’t tell who it was as they were currently swimming away from me, but I did get to admire a sexy, firm-looking ass, clad only in a black string bikini bottom. It had surfaced momentarily before continuing on just underneath the water towards the far end. I meandered alongside the pool, following the tantalizing view, and gave a wolf-whistle trying to alert whoever it was that they had an admirer.

Just as they paused and turned at the far wall, I caught a glimpse of a tattoo of some sort just above their asscheeks. A tramp stamp of some kind; I was intrigued. I’d always thought that they looked sexy on a woman if done right. They hadn’t heard me, and now they were heading back this way; I could see dark brown hair as it flowed down to just below whoever it was shoulders.

I stood and waited patiently for them to pause for breath, trying to guess who it was between Bernita, Eva, or Alejandra. They all had dark shoulder-length hair, and none of my girls had any ink above their asses. Although come to think of it, it could be Violet. She had a tattoo above her ass; I’d caught glimpses of it whenever she’d swum with us in her bikini.

They surfaced waist-deep in the shallow end, standing with their back to me, and wiped the water out of their face before pulling their hair back into a single wet strand. Petite and sexy, I felt compelled to wolf-whistle again, so I did.

They jumped up about two-feet in the air and spun to face me with a splash. I was happily surprised to see that it was indeed Violet; her red hair had turned dark from being wet.

“Holy fuck!” she yelped, startled. “You scared the shit outta me, you bastard!” she accused, sounding a bit angry and a bit amused at the same time.

“Sorry!” I hastily exclaimed, not wanting her mad at me on such a beautiful night. “I stomped my feet on the way over and whistled once before, but I guess you didn’t hear me,” I explained while ogling the way that her lightly tanned tits were bulging from her tiny bikini top. I didn’t see any tan lines, and the thought of her lying out here nude somewhere while soaking up the rays made me hard.

I doubt you’ll ever crack this particular nut, and I still think that pursuing her too vigorously is potentially dangerous, but damn do I wish that you could nail her up the ass! She’s smokin’ hot!

<Yeah, she is, and I’ll win her heart in the end. You just wait and see!>

Cum in her ass! Cum on her tits! Play with all of her naughty bits!

<I’d love to, you butt-loving freak.> I laughed.

You assfucker! Ass fucker! Ass! Fuck! Her!

<You’re certifiable, Dude.>

Sorry Tour—

<Yeah, Tourettes, if I hadn’t caught on to that by now, I’d be taking the short bus.>

“It’s okay,” she laughed, the musical sound carrying across the yard. “I just wasn’t expecting to see anyone else out here in the middle of the night. What’s up? Can’t sleep either?” she inquired as she waded over to the steps and then walked out of the pool.

I practically drooled as she sauntered over to where she’d laid a towel on a lounge chair. Her ass might as well have been bare for all that the string covered of it—God, how I wanted to fuck it. Now I could make out the tattoo that spread horizontally across the small of her back. It was a tribal design with intertwining blooming roses at either end. It suited her, and the way that it dipped down slightly in the middle like a Vee drew my eye to her asscrack even more so. I guess the only reason that I hadn’t gotten a good look at it before was because she’d been wearing bigger bikini bottoms around me, ones that went much higher around her waist. This one was definitely what they called a micro-bikini, and it left me salivating.

“Goddamn, you’re sexy. I especially like your tat,” I growled out as she bent over and started to wring out her hair with the towel. “And no, I can’t; I’ve been having trouble sleeping for a full night these past few days.”

She glanced over at me wryly and just continued to dry herself off. I could tell that she didn’t mind the attention as she kept twisting and turning, giving me the best angles to check her out with.

“Thanks, I only got it about six months ago from a guy that I grew up with back in Detroit. I’d always wanted one, and I love roses and Celtic-inspired designs,” she replied while still bent over, drying her hair. “And yeah, the same here. I’ve had trouble getting a full night’s sleep ever since we were all attacked—”

“I’m truly sorry about that, Violet. I wish that I—” I interrupted and got interrupted right back in return.

“It’s not your fault, and I don’t blame you,” she shrugged as she wrapped the towel around her waist and turned to face me.

“Yeah, but maybe if I hadn’t of started a conversation with you...” I trailed off.

“Well, you did, and besides, I was going to start one with you if you hadn’t anyway. I was bored out of my mind standing there listening to my ex droning on and on about the merits of different types of nine millimeters—God, I’m glad that I dumped his sorry ass! So don’t dwell on coulda, woulda, shoulda’s, what’s done is done as they say,” she said in a serious tone.

“Okay, well, to be honest, I’m glad you’re with us anyway—so I guess I don’t really regret talking to you. I just wish that I could help you sleep better like I can for the others,” I told her earnestly.

“That’s sweet, I wish you could too,” she said while shooting me a smile, “but at the same time, I’m VERY glad that your magic doesn’t work on me! No offense, but I’d much rather NOT be forced to join your harem—even if I understand now why you need one,” she said forcefully but kindly.

“Yeah, I can see how you’d feel that way,” I agreed while returning her smile, albeit ruefully. “You probably won’t believe me, but I’m actually glad that it doesn’t work on you.”

“What? Really? Why?” she asked, sounding skeptical. “Don’t you wish that you could have me under your spell?” she smirked knowingly.

I ignored her incredulous yet salacious look and turned to gaze out over the rest of the massive yet perfectly manicured yard with its winding white gravel pathways and vast gardens. I had yet to venture down to the wooded part of the property—I knew that it led to the river, and I had a sudden urge to go see it.

“Say, feel like talking a walk with me? Seeing as we can’t sleep and all?” I asked pleasantly.

“Okay,” she readily agreed. “Where to?”

“I haven’t seen the river yet, and I feel like checking it out. Apparently, Anal Bitch,” we both grinned hugely at that, “has a speed boat—perhaps we’ll take it out for a spin one day,” I shrugged as a warm breeze caressed my skin.

“Anal Bitch,” she chuckled under her breath, sounding angrily amused. “He’s lucky he’s still breathing ... If he did to me what he did to those ladies...”

“Yup, but they’re getting their revenge, and when they leave here, they’ll at least be reunited with their families and set for life—all at his expense. But if it was one of my girls...” I left the rest of the thought unsaid.

I waited for a second as she slipped on her runners and then led her towards one of the white gravel pathways that ambled off from our right. I was pretty sure that this one wandered through the hedge gardens and then turned towards the forest while following a small babbling brook.

“So, are you going to answer my question?” she inquired as she glanced sideways at me.

“What? About whether I really meant what I said about being glad that I can’t use my power on you?” when I saw her nod, I stopped and grabbed her hand, pulling her to face me. “Look into my eyes—so you know that I’m being honest. I’m deadly serious when I say that I am glad that you’re immune to my magic,” I told her while staring into her pretty face, her eyes searching mine for confirmation.

My breath caught in my throat as the moonlight chose that very moment to break out from behind a cloud; its luminescence lit Violet up in ethereal beauty. I wanted so badly to scoop her up into my arms and to kiss her.

“Huh! Okay, you’re telling the truth ... but why?” Violet asked, tilting her head at me inquisitively. “I figured that since you’re a guy and you’ve got this awesome power over people that you’d want to be able to use it on everyone. And honestly? I kinda thought that maybe it pissed you off that you couldn’t control me,” she stated a bit sheepishly.

“Hey! I may be a man, but not all men are pigs or control freaks, you know!” I admonished her with a frown. “Look, I won’t lie, I do get a perverse thrill from knowing that I can get people to do what I want, and yes, that includes getting laid—so maybe I’m not the worlds best guy, but I seriously try to follow my own warped code of ethics!”

“I know that,” she agreed while reaching out to squeeze my arm briefly. “I watch you, and I see how you are, Jake. A couple of things are on the line for me, but for the most part—I do think that you try to do stuff that’s at least on the right side of it. I know plenty of people would be behaving like monsters if they had the abilities that you have,” she pointed out, sounding both reassuring and confident. “You still haven’t answered my question, though—why are you glad that it doesn’t work on me? Even though you’re a decent dude, I know that if it did, you’d have me as part of your group of lovers faster than you could blink, and don’t bother trying to deny it,” she said with a libidinous smirk.

“Yeah, well, I still have some sort of conscience, I guess,” I replied as I ran a hand through my hair and looked away from her scrutiny. I was a bit uneasy with her praise; after all, I had raped a few chicks with my power already. I was definitely no saint!

“I know; I see it in most of the things you do. You’ve got a strong sense of justice, and you care about people,” she added as she squeezed my forearm again as if she could sense my discomfort.

I sighed, shook my head to clear it, and forced myself to focus solely on Violet. “I guess the biggest reason why I’m glad that you’re immune is because then it means that our relationship is real. I dunno if you can understand that?” I shrugged, feeling uncomfortable with sharing my feelings all of a sudden. I turned away from her continued scrutiny and admired the white flowers that were glowing in the moonlight. “It’s really nice out here tonight, don’t you think? With the full moon, everything has this cool unearthly glow to it, especially the flowers. They smell good too,” I commented, changing the subject.

“Funny that you should say that ‘cause they’re called Moonflowers,” she chuckled softly. “They only bloom at night. Here, turn this way and look over there,” she grabbed my arm and tugged me around to look at where she was pointing, “See those pinkish-yellow ones? Those are called Four O’clock flowers, and they only open their petals late in the day. I noticed them the night before, so I asked Bernita about them. She told me that the Smidts had had the garden designed in a specific way so that it made it pretty to walk around in after dark as well during the day. They have a bunch of night bloomers. Can you smell that sweet yummy scent that comes by every few seconds?”

“Yeah,” I nodded as I inhaled deep, “I was thinking about how good it smelled when I first came out.”

“What you’re smelling is night-blooming Jessamine or lady-of-the-nights as they’re sometimes called. See over there? On the other side of the pool, where those big hedges are? They have quite a few of them planted among the winding pathways there. Some of them are quite tall and blend in easily with the hedges. You don’t usually see them outside in this climate because they die easily if the temperature dips too low at night, but I guess when you’re mega-rich, you just pay for someone to plant more,” Violet shrugged with a grin.

“You certainly seem to know your flowers,” I commented as I took a renewed interest in the plants around me.

“Yeah, my Mom was a botanist before she died. I used to help her in the garden as a kid growing up,” she replied quietly, her voice growing sad for a moment. Before I could say anything, she turned around and started back down the path towards the forest once more, tugging me after her. “Come, now I want to see the river too.”

We walked side by side in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying the night and each other’s company. I refrained from talking, letting her dwell upon the memories of her deceased parents in peace; my own thoughts drifted to my father. Even though I was in love with my mother and was having a child with her, I still missed him fiercely. I could only hope that he would at least understand the why of what I did, even if he probably would disapprove.

It was only when we entered the woods that Violet spoke again, breaking the quiet of the night air.

“I’m glad that you came outside tonight, Jake. I’ve been wanting to talk with you alone,” she murmured as she glanced sideways at me.

“Oh?”

“Yeah,” she stated softly, “I’ve made up my mind about whether I’m going to stay with you or not when you leave Washington.”

“And?” I asked a bit too fast, failing to keep the anxiousness from my voice.

She laughed and reached out and took my hand. I didn’t know what I liked more, holding her hand, enjoying the feel of it, or hearing the musical lilt of her mirth as it echoed throughout the thick trees surrounding us.

“Don’t worry, Jake!” she said sweetly. “I’ve decided that it’s in my best interest to stick around with you guys for the foreseeable future,” she informed me, the amusement clear in her voice as she smiled up at me. “It seems prudent—I have no clue who might come after me if I venture off alone and there’s safety in numbers, or at least, so I’ve heard,” she chuckled again.

“Besides,” she shrugged cutely, “apparently I’ve got some hidden talent for magic whether I think so or not, so I might as well see where it leads. I’ve been reading one of the books that Daniella gave me,” she said, pausing briefly in disquiet as we both wondered if she was still alive, “White magic principles. I have to admit, it’s pretty interesting stuff,” she confessed as a pretty frown momentarily creased her face as if she was surprised by that fact.

By some unspoken tacit agreement, we both decided not to speak about Daniella’s situation out loud, we knew there was nothing that either of us could do, and it was too painful a subject to broach. At least it was on such a beautiful night anyway. It had already been a struggle for me trying to maintain a good mood these past few days without willfully bringing up depressing topics that were beyond anyone’s control to solve.

“Yeah? That’s cool. Maybe I’ll read it after you’re finished with it, if you don’t mind,” I replied with genuine interest.

I figured that I might as well learn as much as I could about any type of magic, and if the book was wrong, I felt confident that Malachar would be able to correct it, which could possibly benefit Violet too.

“Sure,” she agreed, “I’ll pass it to you when I’m done. This is a nice walk, isn’t it? I’ll need to come back and check it out and see what it looks like in the day. I knew the property was big, but it feels as if we’ve been walking through a state park or something.”

“Yeah, I know, right!” I agreed. “Anyway, I’m extremely happy that you’ve decided to stick around. I’d be worried sick about you if you left, you know.”

My heart was beating fast; it felt as if my sense of touch was magnified to the power of ten. I could feel where every inch of her skin pressed against mine, where our fingers entwined, and her palm touched me. I had no clue why I was falling so hard for her, but I was.

“Yeah, I know,” she said quietly. “You’re a good guy, Jake...” she trailed off.

“Besides, it wouldn’t be the same around here without you, little wolf,” I quipped.

“Yeah, I bet! You need someone to be able to turn you down once in a while! You know—to help keep your head screwed on straight! Can’t always get your way there, buddy!” she laughed again, this time at my expense, but I joined her because it was partly true.

Both of us quieted down, enjoying the shadowy forest and the beams of moonlight that were filtering down through the leaves above as we lazily made our way along the winding pathway. I marveled at how it illuminated everything around us within its silvery glow. We could hear the river ahead of us now; the sound of water lapping against rocks only added to the pleasantness our temporary submersion into nature was providing us.

“So ... I uh, I gotta ask ... Are you okay with my relationship with my family now, then?” I inquired nervously. “I just figure that since you decided to, uh, stay and all ... that perhaps ... Well, um, I guess ... I guess I just thought that—that that would be what ended up driving you away,” I blurted out with difficulty.

I held my breath waiting for her answer. For some reason, it mattered to me what she thought. I hadn’t even fully realized until that exact moment just how much her approval meant to me.

“Yeah,” she sighed. “Yeah, I guess that I’m okay with it. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I still think that it’s weird and unnatural ... but at the same time, well, I get it. If I didn’t know that you four were related, then you guys would just seem like any other super-duper-loving couple or couples to me. Or is it a foursome and a threesome? A fivesome? What the hell do you call three intersecting groups of lovers? Your relationships are bloody complicated!” she growled with mock sternness before breaking out into the musical laughter that I loved so much about her.

I could only smile over at her and shrug in acquiescence.

“Anyway,” she continued, “it took me a while to wrap my head around it, to make sense of your incestuous relationships. It also took me a while to deal with the whole spell-casting enemies that weren’t even human thing—ones that were apparently coming from strange worlds. And oh yeah, don’t forget to throw in the whole magical rings thing too!

“This whole quest you’re on to find the three missing rings of power plus the six-piece set called the Hydra ... It’s like I woke up one day and found myself in some J.R.R. Tolkien book or something,” she said with a sardonic laugh. “I mean, I think that anyone would need to get their head checked if it didn’t take more than a few days to wrap their brains around this shit!

“I’m still not completely sure that I’m not just certifiably insane. That all of this isn’t just some elaborate fantasy playing out inside of my own skull,” she exclaimed with a self-deprecating chuckle as she tapped her temple with her forefinger. “Jokes aside, even if you are boinking your Mom and sisters ... I’ve really come to care for you all. You guys have treated me more like family than I’ve felt in a long time, and I appreciate that.

“It’s been kinda nice hanging out with Abby, Maria, and Ang. I was never close with many girls my own age growing up. I’ve always been more of a tom-boy,” she shrugged, “and after my best friend was murdered ... Well, let’s just say that I’m very surprised yet super happy with the friendships that I’ve been forming. I’m still tom-boyish, but it’s different being in my twenties, and I’m glad to have some chickies around that I can relate to.”

“Yeah, I can see that, and you fit right in with them—now I just gotta figure out how to convince you guys that four against one is not fair odds!”

She grinned at me, slapped my shoulder, and then continued on with her train of thought.

“Your Mom is awesome, so is Sheila, and Heather and Stacy are adorable, but Billy takes the cake on that one! But like I said, the four of us are jellin’ somethin’ tight. Maria is very kind-hearted, especially for someone who is so wounded inside. Abby is a freakin’ rockstar! And Angie—well, Angie is a sweety but man, she hates you something fierce! She hides it from the rest of everyone as best she can, but since I’m not under your allure, I can see how she feels more clearly than the others can.

“Plus, Ang can’t lie to me whenever I ask questions. And from what I’ve gathered, it seems to be more than her just blaming you for the werewolf killing her family. She refuses to go into details, though. Well, maybe hate is too strong a word now, but she definitely has beef with you! I’m surprised that no one else sees more than just the surface of it, or did you make it that way?”

“Huh,” I grunted as I pondered her question. “Yeah, I can see why you’d wonder that, but I didn’t do anything specific. It could be a byproduct of my instructions though,” I shrugged.

“Probably best if they don’t see it. Those women all love you so much that they’d most likely turn against her if they thought that she disliked you in any way,” Violet supposed.

“No ... No, they can’t,” I said, causing Violet to look up at me perplexed. “I ordered them all to embrace her as family,” I explained. “She lost hers, and even if I haven’t exactly been a saint, I truly care for her, more and more each day in fact.”

“Ahh, that makes more sense then. What exactly happened between you two? Like I said, I’ve asked her, but she wouldn’t say. If it’s none of my business, tell me, but I’ve been dying to know,” she asked curiously.

“It’s a long story. I’d rather not get into it right now. I’ll tell you another time, I promise.”

“Okay, if you want—you don’t have to, but I love ferreting out secrets!” she confessed to me with a naughty grin.

“Well, after you found out that I’m in love with and fucking my own mother and sisters, I haven’t really got much left to hide,” I chuckled sardonically. “Besides, I feel like you’re the only one that I can talk to where I can be absolutely sure that what you say to me isn’t just because I warped your mind. I worry about that sometimes, you know. That I messed them up, fucked up their brains by using my power on them,” I sighed, voicing my feelings out loud for the first time. It was much different from explaining how I felt to a ghost that was living inside of my head.

“What do you mean? Do you think that your magic harmed or harms them somehow?”

I came to a sudden halt and stared down at my feet for a few moments before raising my head to look imploringly into her eyes. “I ... I fucked up Maria’s brain, badly in fact...”

“How so? She seems fine to me,” Violet interrupted.

“Thank God for that! You should have seen her before you met her; it was like watching an emotionless zombie, and while she might not have been suicidal, she definitely had no will to live. Did you know that she was my ex-girlfriend from before all this shit happened?”

“No,” she shook her head, seemingly captivated by my story. “No, I didn’t.”

“Yeah, we dated for eleven months...”

“What happened? You two definitely seem to love each other,” she asked, tilting her head at me inquisitively. “Besides, that girl worships the ground you walk on. It’s almost like your Saint Jake with her Christian mindset.”

“Uh, I dunno really, I ... I guess we must have had a big fight or something ... I vaguely remember a lot of yelling, but for the life of me, I can’t remember any details ... weird ... Anyway, we’d been broken up for a few months when all of this ring stuff started, and I needed to find my five, and they had to be women that had genuine feelings for me. I needed to surround myself with women that I could draw Eruxas from.”

“Your five?”

“Yeah, the five who will each be given one of the rings of the Hydra. Kelly, Abby, Heather, Sheila, and the last piece of the puzzle for that was Stacy.”

“Oh, yeah—you explained all that to me the other day, about how the Wizard guy in your head had created five different elemental rings and one master ring to control them or something. See! What did I just say about being in a freakin’ Tolkien novel?! And one ring to rule them all and in the darkness to bind them! Or something like that!” she quipped as she barked out a laugh. “So I understand all that, but why isn’t Maria going to be one of them then? If you went to collect her for that?” she asked, looking puzzled.