Chapter 14: Surging Symptoms

Whisper went straight to check-in. I stood just behind her as if I were her assistant or such and let her do all the talking. She got a room with a large bed. She smiled up at me and I swooned. The breath-taking look had me wondering what she was doing. Before I knew it, she had the key card for the room and was dragging me to the elevator.

"Sorry about that, but I put you down as my husband, Larry Dalton. That way, even if whoever is after you looked for your name, they won't get that lucky."

I nodded and swallowed trying to push my emotions back down. "Warn me next time. I thought I was in trouble when you smiled at me back there."

Her eyebrows rose. "In trouble? You thought I was actually coming on to you?"

I nodded. "Why did you get a room with only one bed if you weren't coming on to me?" She wasn't making any sense.

She waved a hand. "I'll sleep on the floor. It's cool."

"No, that's not right..."

She looked at me with a half smile. "Are we taking advantage of our perfect cover?"

I shook my head. "No, nothing like that, but you shouldn't have to sleep on the floor just because I'm there too. The bed should be more than big enough for us to share without anything happening."

That's when I got 'the look'. You know the one. She knew something was up or highly suspected it.

"I'm serious. No hanky-panky, nothing beyond the need to make things look right for the staff." She continued to look at me but there was more of a smile. "Besides, we have a few hours before either of us will need sleep. I need to call Michael and you probably want to check your computers..."

She nodded and adjusted her backpack on her shoulder.

We got to the room and did just what I suggested.

Michael answered when I called, "How did things go with the police?"

"Better than expected. The Detective in charge was Lady Arneson's brother."

"Oh, lucky as ever."

"Yes and no. He had some news of his own." I told Michael everything Detective Arneson and I had discussed. "Can you help find out if any of the other House Leaders are running into similar problems?"

"I can. As for Erica Arneson, she's there in New York. I can't say where precisely, but I met her a few months before I found you. She a good girl Ral, and not a Mind Magi. She can't defend herself at all. I imagine Lady Arneson is beside herself with worry."

"Then we need to find her and then somehow let Lady Arneson know her daughter is okay."

"I'm arranging things so I can return to New York as soon as possible, but it looks like the soonest I'll get there is tomorrow at around noon."

"Okay. I only hope that we have that much time. Also, Vikkor, or Victoria Lasarge might also be a kidnap victim too rather than an escapee."

"That would make sense given the way Lord Lasarge was acting when you talked to him earlier. I've never met her so I can't say where she is."

"That's okay, I've got help with her already."

"Whisper?"

"Yes."

"So, he's actually helping you in all of this?"

"Yes. We're pretty sure, because of everything he knows, the same person who attacked me is also doing the kidnapping and tried to hack his computer. Somehow it's all tied together but we don't know enough to say who or why." I stuck with Michael's assumption that Whisper was a 'he' because I knew Whisper would appreciate it. More than likely the young woman would disappear again as soon as everything settled down.

"How much can you trust him? Is he a Mind Magi?"

"I don't have a choice on the trust issue. He knows too much about me for me not to at least listen to his advice even if I don't follow all of it. He's also very secretive. I've sworn not to give away anything about him. He'll probably disappear again after this is all over anyway."

Michael was silent for a moment, and then said, "You remember what we talked about this morning before the meeting?"

We had talked about many things, but he had something specific in mind. "What exactly?"

"Your suggestion of what to do for my daughter. It sounds like it would be a good idea for your situation."

"I'll consider it, especially if things get too weird."

"Too weird?"

"Yeah. Whisper can be really spooky with what he knows."

"I'll just have to take your word for that then. In the mean time, I'll reach my contacts and call back as soon as I find out as much as I can." With that, he hung up.

I turned to Whisper who was pouring over her screen. She was seated at the table in the room we got. I sat in the other chair opposite her. "Any luck?"

"I've got some more info but it doesn't make sense."

"I'd ask what it was but you probably wouldn't tell me anyway," I mused.

She looked up at me, worried. "If I'm right, and I am hoping I'm not, whatever this scheme is, it'll reach completion tomorrow night by midnight."

"Other than not knowing what the scheme is, why does it being complete at midnight not make sense?"

"Because no scheme I've ever tracked has ever had such a defined time of completion. It's like my system found a countdown."

I leaned forward asking, "If it did, that countdown would have to be on a computer then, right? Why not track it down, trace it back to its source?"

She blinked and looked back at her screen. "If I try that not knowing the source, I could be traced. My laptop would be useless then."

"Not useless, but you wouldn't be able to get back onto the net with it."

"Hence, useless."

I didn't want to argue with her. We still needed each other until this was over. The problem was I was getting bored just sitting. I was also started to feel hungry. I went over to the phone and pulled out the menu the hotel provided for room service.

"I heard what you said to Michael. That's not entirely true you know. I'm not forcing you to trust me."

I looked up to find Whisper watching me. "I know, but I also know how you feel about trusting others. If you wanted him to know who you are, I'm sure you would have found him and told him personally."

"Thank you," she said softly.

I looked at the menu again. None of the items hit my hunger and that worried me. There was also the fact that I had just eaten a healthy meal not more than hour ago. I put the menu back, got up and started pacing.

Whisper looked up again. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know and that bothers me."

"What do you mean?"

I stopped and looked at her. "You say you know a lot about me. You know why my girls are bound to me, right?"

I wasn't sure if that embarrassed her or if she was looking for a tactful way of answering. Finally she said, "You drew them to you. They're enthralled by you and give over to whatever you want."

Her statement was nice and clinical, but I could hear the tone of her voice. The very subtle hint that she was curious about it.

"I started feeling the same way this morning. I want something. I can't put my finger on it though. I'm not hungry, especially having just had lunch. I don't drink or smoke."

She started typing on her computer and reading. "You ... you um ... You..."

I went over behind her and looked at the screen over her shoulder. She had me pulled up in Master PC. She pointed to a scale, my sexual appetite, and it was steadily climbing.

"It changes when you're ... in the mood." She looked up and I met her eyes.

I could feel my Charm reaching for her. I grabbed it and stepped away from her. "You need to leave."

She watched me. "Ral ... where would I go?"

"Anywhere. Go shopping or something. You need to get away from me before I lose all control."

"What's happening Ral? I know what your abilities are. I know you're holding back what you call your Charm, but you've not lost control like this in months. What's happening?"

I pressed myself against a wall and scooted along it to the corner, trying to get as far from Whisper as possible. "I don't know entirely. It happened this morning. Fortunately, Renée showed up and ... we took care of the problem. When I got back to my hotel room, even after the fight with Laura Stephens and your call, it happened again. Erin and Chloe were there. We took care of it then."

"And you're having another, what? Attack?"

I nodded. "I don't know what to do about it. I sent those three to the Airport so they could fly to safety. I wasn't worried about this then, I just wanted them safe."

Whisper watched me. I closed my eyes, trying to block out the sight of her alluring eyes. It didn't help. I could still see them floating there in the darkness behind my eyelids.

Clutching my stomach, I slid to the floor and balled up. I had to get control. I couldn't let this happen now, not with all of my girls so far away.

"Pick someone..."

I cracked my eyes open, looking in Whisper's direction. "What?"

"Pick one of your girls." She was still sitting at the table, poised to type on her laptop.

Whisper's hair reminded me of Tanya's, but Whisper didn't look anything like her otherwise. I didn't know what she was going to do, but I told her, "Tanya."

Whisper nodded, "Close your eyes and think of her."

I did that, not only to follow her suggestion but also to close out as much stimulation as possible. I thought about Tanya and my focus was on her body. She was average height with a fairly athletic body. All of my girls exercised regularly and Tanya helped to schedule trips to the campus gym for all of them. I didn't go because my abilities seemed to keep me in shape.

Tanya's blonde hair fell in waves just past her shoulders. Her skin had a natural light tan which left her with no tan lines. Her legs were long and lean, muscular without overdoing it. Her bottom was fun to watch, especially if I happened to be going by the gym while she was working out. Her blue eyes always sparkled when she was near me and her smile was infectious. Like most of my girls, she also had naturally large breasts. She hid them from the rest of the world, but when alone, she would wear things to enhance her shape and size.

I was completely into the visions I was having, so when I felt hands touch me I jumped. I knew I was still in the hotel room with Whisper and thought maybe she was checking on me or something, so I instantly tried to cram myself deeper into the corner. My eyes opened and Tanya was standing there. She was already fully nude and reaching for me. The look on her face was of concern. "What's wrong Ral? You asked for me?"

I shook my head but couldn't tear my eyes away from the buxom blonde. "How did you get here?"

"It doesn't matter. I'm here. You asked and I'm here."

Her voice, it was soft and ready. She was exactly what I needed, just what I wanted. I pulled her to me and pressed my lips to hers. She opened up to me. Where she was gentle and easy, I was burning with desire and held onto her like she was a lifeline and I was drowning.