Chapter 12: A New Way of Thinking

Michael straightened up in his seat as did I. For another moment we both looked at each other. After seeing his memories, I felt like I had known him for quite some time. Not years, but certainly considerably more than a day.

I wanted to apologize for my previous behavior, but we both knew it had been reasonable. After the scare with Dr. Livingston and how Michael initially approached me, I had many reasons to be paranoid.

"So, what do we do now?" I asked.

He smiled that knowing grin, but said, "I have no idea. You have more abilities than anyone I know other than a House Lord or Lady."

"Do you think there is anyone else who might be interested in helping? I mean, the First Law was based on such an old prophecy, why keep it if they don't even know what it's for?"

Michael shrugged. "I've brought that same topic up in conversation. No one thinks it's necessary to change it."

"Then I guess we need to find out what the prophecy itself was."

Michael nodded and stood up. "I've got a few leads on other Mind Magi who might have more information for us. It's just a matter of finding the right Mind Magi." He grabbed his coat and scarf. I stood too, as did Chloe and Yvonne.

Michael looked at my girls for a moment and then back at me. "You know, just your bonds alone make you unique. I've never known anyone who could manipulate their Schiavi like you do."

I shook my head. "I don't manipulate them. I'm honest with them." I looked at Chloe and Yvonne. Chloe had a look of incredulity and Yvonne questioning.

Michael chuckled. "Looks like you need more honesty then."

Chloe spoke for herself. "Master needs no more honesty with us. Only himself. We know that he manipulates us, but we're perfectly happy with it."

Yvonne seemed to think this over and then nodded. "Da, more honesty with himself is true. Though not everyone approves of further manipulations." She looked steadily at Michael. "We are happy to be with him, though we know it is his bonds that make us feel this way. None of us would leave him or allow him to break his bonds with us."

Michael chuckled again. "Oh, this is good. Ral, I'm not sure if you're in trouble or not. Looks to me like you've gotten in a little over your head with just these two. If your other Schiavi are anything like them..." he shook his head.

Considering I had only shared how the bonds affected those tied to me, but not who or how many I was bound to, I kept further comments to myself. Michael was my friend. He would help in any way he could, but if someone found out what he was really up to, they could use what he knew against me.

There was one other thing before I let him leave. "Michael, do you have any idea why I was left with the Settons rather than a relative?"

He looked back at me. "Your relatives wouldn't have been able to hide you. Since the Settons didn't know about us, nor did we know them, it was a better hiding place for you. I didn't even know about the Settons, else I would have found you a long time ago."

"But shouldn't my parents have known the Settons in order to trust me with them?"

He shrugged. "Maybe you should ask your adopted parents. You know a lot more than you did before. Your adoption is something I can't help with any more than your girls can."

"Do you know which agency they went through for my adoption? I haven't seen the papers on it."

"Again, if you had been adopted through an agency, the Mind Magi would have found you. I think you were given directly to the Settons and it was arranged for you to be adopted by them should something happen to your parents."

"That makes it sound like my parents were expecting something."

Michael nodded. "Think about it, Ral. Your parents broke the First Law. They were going to be Banished and would have no way to defend you."

"Did they purposefully go to the South Pacific looking to die?"

He shook his head quickly. "No. They weren't the kind to give up. Something happened in that hurricane. And I'll bet my lucky scarf that other Mind Magi had something to do with it."

I nodded. It made sense. The Mind Magi wanted to find me and end my existence to stop this prophecy from happening. My parents, for whatever reason, resolved to follow through with keeping me safe instead of helping things remain as they were. Did they really want the world to come to an end? Or did that prophecy speak of someone else? I couldn't believe the former. "Find that prophecy, it's the key to all of this."

Michael nodded and shook my hand before leaving.

{hr}

The girls and I watched Michael walk down to his car. I noticed the heavier falling snow and realized that the blizzard we had heard about on the radio the night before was here. Our plans to go into town were cancelled, especially by foot.

For a moment, while I watched Michael, I felt uneasy. I felt like someone was watching me. Chloe and Yvonne were still there on either side of me, but like me, they had watched Michael leave. Besides, my links to them were wide open. If it had been either of them looking, or watching me, I would have known.

I looked out and around. The trees that made a wall between the house and town were coated white with the falling snow. The field across the street was also quickly turning white. In the other direction, more trees turning white. If there was anyone around, I would have seen them. Then the feeling died away as Michael drove off. Maybe it was something about him. Shaking off the feeling, I stepped back inside and closed the door.

The house had central heating which was doing its job, but I wanted to busy myself with something. The girls made a quick lunch while I used the wood next to the fireplace and I started a fire. Once its merrily crackling warmth was going, the three of us sat in front of it eating. I told them most of what I had learned from Michael. I would have shared the memories with them, but as heavily as it filled my head I didn't think either of them would be ready for it. These, after all, were things I wanted to know. I did share some things with them, like the information on the Houses and some of the faces I got from Michael. That way if they ran into someone and recognized them, they could warn me. When finished, they took the dishes back to the kitchen and I sat back on the couch. Both girls returned and cuddled up to me.

"Ral," Yvonne said, "if The Mind Magi use normal humans to ... what was it called? Energize their powers? And they are as close to their Schiavi as Michael says, then do you think you could well and truly accept our bonds?"

I knew Yvonne was talking about the bonds I had with all of my girls rather than just the one she and I shared. That didn't cause my hesitation though. She was right. None of the other Mind Magi had a moral issue with bonding to someone. However, what Michael said came up again. "Michael said my bond with you is unique, to his knowledge. I have manipulated you into wanting to stay with me."

Chloe shook her head. "I don't care. You're not letting me go." It was the most selfish thing she had said in quite some time. I knew some had been clingy before I bound to them, but the bonds seemed to amplify the others' need to hold onto me.

Wait, Michael's memories said that the bond increased the desire for the Schiavi to want to be with the Mind Magi they were bound to. "What if ... What if I tried to bind with someone who didn't want to be with me?" I asked myself. Of course the girls were right there and could hear me. I looked at one and then the other. "All of you met me under the influence of my Charm. You already wanted to be with me sexually, and during our first interlude I bound you to me. Not only did I manipulate you to want to be with me but I strengthened that bond so that even when my Charm wore off the desire to be with me remained."

"Ral, it doesn't sound all that different than other Mind Magi. Wouldn't they bind with someone who wanted to be with them in the first place?" Yvonne asked.

"Yes, but I'm different in that, while you're being Charmed by me, you're forced to want to be with me. I'm sure most Mind Magi, like Michael, would have to find their Schiavi the old fashioned way: by normal seduction and dating and emotions. Using trial and error, just like finding a wife or a friend they can really trust and count on. I've had it easy because my other powers draw anyone to me. Anyone whom I'm already attracted to."

"What's wrong with that?" asked Chloe.

"Don't you see? None of you would have dated me under normal circumstances, let alone dropped your panties for me like you did, if not for my Charm!"

Chloe, apparently feeling my depression coming on, snuggled up tighter against me, pressing her soft breasts into my arm. "I would have dated you. I certainly would have been happy to fuck you the first time we met even if not for your Charm." She pressed her cheek against my shoulder and tried to worm her well-contained boobs around my arm.

I knew she would probably date me even without my powers, but, "Chloe, I wouldn't have had the stamina to keep up with you, my paramour. You have an appetite that would scare most people. Either I would have run for the hills or you would have dumped me for not being able to keep up.

Yvonne pulled my face around and kissed me. I wasn't the deep, probing kiss that usually got my engines revving, but it was still nice. "Ral, you have to stop this," she said softly. "Right now, there are how many Mind Magi out there looking for you? You cannot hope to survive if you begin to worry about such petty details. You have more in this room than anyone else can claim. Back in Texas, there are even more. To question our decisions to stay with you, manipulated by your powers or not, is to question us. Our one rule is to not do anything that we do not wish to do. If you did not wish to be our protector, our lover, our friend, you would not have. You would have set us free months ago. Instead you have chosen to take care of us, all of us, in all the ways that matter to us. So, please, no more thoughts on this. You are so special, in so many ways, you don't need to worry about why we are with you. Please, just accept it. We have."

Yvonne was right. I was worrying about details that really held no relevance to the issues at hand. No one cared how many women were bound to me, none of them cared. I was the only one who seemed bothered by it and I knew it wouldn't just go away, those feelings of guilt. I could suppress them and most likely learn to live with them, but I would never lose them.

Yvonne was right about something else too. The Mind Magi were looking for me, and not exactly to invite me among them, that much was certain. I needed ways to defend myself, and from Michael's comments and memories it sounded like I needed to be more confident with my powers. I would have to try to discover any other powers that lie dormant within me too. I wouldn't just lie down and die for the Mind Magi because right here, I had two outstanding reasons to go on living. Back in Texas there were eleven more and in Florida, one last one.

I pulled Yvonne in for a kiss, soft and sensual. I wanted to thank her for her insight and even reward Chloe for attempting to cheer me up.

"You two wouldn't mind being my guinea pigs for a bit would you?"

Yvonne was still reeling from the kiss but Chloe spoke up immediately. "Absolutely! What do you want to do, make my boobs bigger?"

I grinned. "I might work on body manipulation, but I have a pretty good handle on that ability. Besides," I added as I squeezed one of her proffered tits, "Your boobs are very much perfect for you already."

Chloe pouted a bit, but I leaned in and kissed her too, sucking on that protruding lower lip. She melted into my embrace, ready to give over to whatever I wanted.

"What do you have in mind darling?" Yvonne asked, almost purring in my ear.

I hugged both of them closer, getting excited with them pressed to me. "I want to try a few things, see if I can do anything new."

"Why new? You already have a wide range of abilities," Yvonne said.

"My abilities seem more attuned to sex, except my speed and strength."

"You can command at a touch," Chloe said. Yvonne hadn't been present when Vikkor had invaded the apartment I had before school started, but she got the memories from me after everyone had settled from the event.

"At touch," I said pointedly, "but if I am tied up and can't touch someone, I might not be able to send commands like that."

"I don't know Ral, getting us to do something doesn't require your abilities," Yvonne said.

"But getting you to do something you wouldn't normally want to do might." Her eyes widened at my words. "I'm not going to make you do anything dangerous, obviously, but little things like picking up a book or something. Something you might not normally do and would ask yourself why you did it in the first place."

Yvonne tried to relax. Just the idea of someone being able to control another like that gave her the chills. To a degree it did me too, but I knew it was something I might need. I didn't want to fight anyone but with the Mind Magi believing that I would have to be destroyed to stop the fulfillment of this prophecy...

"Is there anything else?" Yvonne asked.

"There are a few things. Like possibly reading minds. I can feel your emotions because you're bound to me. I'm sure if I practice, that telepathic connection we made yesterday could become more consistent. I want to see if I can extend that ability to those not bound to me."

"Keep it simple then. Start with just their emotions, like ours. Then work up to it."

I nodded. "Okay. I also need some other ability in case I'm in a situation that doesn't involve another person."

"Then again try pushing the envelope on one of your existing abilities. Like your ability to manipulate flesh. Work on manipulating inanimate objects," Chloe suggested.

I knew Chloe was smart, but give the girl a prize! I gave her a kiss. "Good thinking."

"Ral, what about your own body? What if you were able to change your appearance like Renée can?" That reminded me that Renée was unique with her abilities too. Was she truly a child of the program or something else? Mind Magi binding didn't apply the House Lord or Lady's mark to the other Mind Magi. So why did she carry my mark like the rest of the girls, yet have her own innate abilities? It was a question that would have to wait.

I nodded my head to Yvonne. "I can change how others look. If I could change my appearance it might help me hide more efficiently." I gave Yvonne another kiss, but she held me to her and I could feel her heating up.

As our kiss broke, she said, "We will help you in any way we can."

I nodded and pulled her in for another kiss. With our links wide open I could feel their emotions, but I was still curious about the more direct mind link that I had established with all of my girls before leaving home. Could I hear their thoughts again? Could they hear mine? I needed to stop questioning myself and just try.

Continuing to kiss Yvonne and feeling Chloe open up and latch onto my neck like a big horny leech, I thought "Chloe, pull your top up. Pull up your top and let your big breasts out to the cool air. I want to see your hard nipples." The house wasn't that cool, but to her chest it would feel like it. If she heard me.

I felt her kisses slow down the instant I made the mental command. I could feel her excitement grow but there was confusion too. She knew I was kissing Yvonne and there was no way I could speak with the Russian's tongue so far in my mouth.

I thought the command again and Chloe pulled back completely. I could feel her elation and there was no more confusion. She started to pull her top off completely. Her thoughts jumped out at me, "Yes! Let's get naked... "

I mentally told her, "No! Only pull it up. I want your breasts framed by your top and bra."

Chloe apparently heard me and realized that I had probably heard her thoughts. My orders excited her even more, and I reached down her back and pushed up her shirt a bit so I could feel her soft skin directly.

Chloe did as I told her. She pulled her top up and then took her time pulling each breast from the cups of her bra, leaving the bra to help outline her shape. Next she got up on her knees. I dropped my hand down over her shapely bottom and pushed my fingers between her legs. I wasn't touching her skin anymore, but I could feel the heat of her sex through the leggings she wore. She leaned against me again, putting her breasts level with my face.

Yvonne noticed and pulled back from our kiss. Eager to get in on the same action, she got up on her knees too as I turned to face the hard nubs waiting for my attention. I may not have liked the idea of absolute control over my girls that I had, but there were moments that I certainly appreciated the possibilities. Now that I was working on the mental communication between me and my girls, why not take advantage of the empty house too?

Chloe moaned delightfully as I pressed my face into her soft cleavage. She didn't try to direct me in any way, allowing me to just take her in whatever way I wanted. It was the way I always believed she thought, but with the link between us starting to take on a new aspect, I could finally hear what she was really thinking.

"Oh, he feels so good. He's so soft, so gentle. I wish he'd just suck on my tits. Just nibble on my nipples and try to drink me down with his wonderful lips and tongue."

I knew she had sensitive breasts. I also knew she would never actually ask me to do what she wanted. She seemed to enjoy the anticipation as much as the act because she was patient. Oh, so very patient. Slowly I kissed and licked my way toward her left nipple, her soft skin warm against my face. Her thoughts of what she wanted to suck on making me throb.

Behind me, Yvonne had mimicked Chloe, pulling up the tank top she wore and lifting each of her heavy tits from their confines of her special order bra. When my ability to manipulate flesh had first manifested, Yvonne had been an unintended subject for changes I wanted her to have. At the time, she had thought the new figure I had given her had always been hers, and that change scared me more than anything. She finally understood that I had modified her memory too because none of her clothes would fit her properly any more. However, I never heard her complain about the change to her memory, nor had any of the others raised any words of concern over it either. I was certain the bonds, that made them want to stay with me, made them accept what had happened too, but with everything going on at the time, I forgot about it until now.

Unlike Chloe, who waited for me to make all the moves, Yvonne would pull me to her for attention. I was sitting with my shoulders turned to Chloe, so Yvonne was at my back. I still had a hand on my Russian's thigh but she wanted me to give her exposure some of the wet loving Chloe was receiving. I distinctly heard, "Now you have four tits to suck on," but wasn't sure if Yvonne said it or thought it. Then she pulled my shoulder until I was sitting back on the couch again. Both women looked down at me. Both with large, round breasts out, hard puckered nipples pointing at my face and grins that told me they were enjoying this.

"Chloe, if you can hear me, reach over and tweak Yvonne's nipple."

Chloe smiled. I could feel her further excitement and heard, "Okay, maybe we can finish what we started this morning... " as she followed my mental instructions.

Yvonne returned the gesture but not because I told her too.

"Yvonne, if you can hear me, pull Chloe to you for a deep kiss."

She smiled and did just that. Both of the girls closed the gap once Chloe understood what Yvonne wanted. I watched closely as their mouths opened and their tongues met before their lips did. Neither held back as they worked their jaws and tongues, feeling, tasting and enjoying the show they knew they were putting on for me. It wasn't like it wasn't turning them on either.