Chapter 26: My Mind To Your Mind

I had never ridden in a car with Sally driving, not even in high school. She shocked me with how she maneuvered in and out of traffic. It wasn't dangerous, but she seemed to take chances I wouldn't have. Maybe her mind set could take what I had to tell her if her driving was a true testament to what her way of thinking was like. Then again, I might just be in more trouble than I expected.

"Now, tell me," she said never taking her eyes off the road.

"You would refer to me as a Mind Magi. It's not a club but a massive secret society that has been around for thousands of years."

"How did you find out about them?"

"They found me."

"But ... how... ?"

"I know, you have a lot of questions. I'll try to answer them all." I looked behind us to make sure we had lost the Dragons. We weren't just blocks away but two turns already. I was delaying.

"Tell me Ral, please."

"I was born with my gifts, but they didn't manifest until I ... Until I had sex for the first time." I blurted it out, not sure how else to say it.

Sally was quiet. Whether taking this in or simply waiting for me to continue I wasn't sure. "When?"

"After I arrived at college."

She glanced at me. I could feel the pain of her remembering our break up. Just like I was. "Ral, I'm..."

"Don't apologize. You don't have to. I understand."

She nodded and continued focusing on driving. "Where should we go?"

I had a couple of ideas on that, but Renée, Erin, Chloe and Charlotte hadn't contacted me yet. "Anywhere you believe is safe."

"Safe? What kind of safe?"

"Do you have an apartment?"

"No, I live in the college dorms."

I had thought she might have lived with her parents, which could have complicated things further. I wasn't sure how her father might be involved in current Mind Magi events. He might call the Dragons to let them know where I was or simply shy away. However, since she had a place mostly of her own, we could hide there for a while. "That'll work."

She nodded and we continued across town.

Fifteen minutes later we were parked in the parking lot of her dorm. I had her park among several other cars even though she favored a distant corner.

Sally looked at me. She had toned down her makeup before we left the store and I was looking at what I truly remembered from high school. I had told her more about my abilities and some of the things that had happened since they had developed. Of course I had omitted certain details, such as all the sex I'd had and the fact that I was living with all the women bound to me. Of course, those omissions were obvious and led us around to those very points.

"Ral, I know that you know that I'm not blind. You're not telling me everything and I'm starting to worry about what you're not telling me."

I took a deep breath and let it out slow. Sally could be patient but when she really wanted to know something, nothing would stop her. "All Mind Magi have to bind to normal people. This bond is completely mystical and is what powers the Mind Magi's abilities. To a degree it also alters the ability in function."

"So, you're bound to someone?"

I nodded. "Anyone I'm bound to will have a duplicate of my mark."

Sally looked at my chest. "I was wondering what I was seeing..."

I ran my hand through my mark. "It appeared only days after my first abilities manifested." It was my turn to look at her chest, but I made it extremely obvious.

Sally looked down. "You're ... bound to me?"

"We're bound to each other. Other Mind Magi would say that you're bound to me rather."

"Why?"

"Because I'm the one with the power and you're my... Schiavi."

Sally looked up at that. "I am no one's slave."

I chuckled. I should have known she would know the word. "I would never say you are, however, the society uses that term as the title of those who are bound to Mind Magi."

She rolled her eyes. "Figures."

I reached out and took her hand. "Hun, I do not think of you that way. Not in the slightest." The contact was enough for both of us. The tension we felt due to the attack earlier melted away.

"Why do I feel so ... good when you hold my hand?"

"It's a feature of the bond. A Mind Magi usually bonds with someone they love. A relative, their spouse, even a close friend. The bond strengthens what they feel for each other."

Sally enjoyed feeling my hand touching hers. Her thoughts continued however and she was smart. "Ral, I didn't have this mark before we saw each other at the store. If you've been using your abilities and had to have them powered by being bound to normal people ... who else are you bound to?"

My increasing joy with touching Sally sank. I sat back and withdrew my hand. Now was the moment. It was all or nothing. "Sally, I'm something of a novelty among even the Mind Magi." I swallowed hard and tried to make it as simple and honest as possible. "Most Mind Magi only have to be bound to one or two people. I don't know how many I can bind to max."

"How many are you bound to?"

"Including you, eighteen." Of course, I was still omitting a certain detail. I also could not look at her. I felt guilty, as if I had been doing something wrong all along, something I shouldn't have, and I knew why I felt that way: I didn't want to lose Sally.

"Ral," Sally said, "Ral, look at me, please."

I looked up and swallowed hard.

Her brows creased, "What's wrong? Why are you so ... sad?"

I looked away again, trying to gain control of myself. "I have two more details to tell you about. I'm not sure how you'll take it."

This time she reached for me. I let her take my hand, not only because it felt good but because I knew the instant she touched me I wouldn't hold back.