Chapter 13

Erica and I finished getting dressed. I felt a little better about her mindset regarding the craziness of the situation, but I was still worried about what the future held for all of us. I knew the bond heightened our emotional and physical attraction to each other, but I hadn't considered how strong that bond was or how deep the emotions really ran. Nothing was going to be the same for me, ever, and the sooner I came to grips with that, the better I would be able to handle the bizarre new life confronting me.

Jordan and Danielle didn't say anything as we all trooped out of the office. Erica walked next to me, bumping me with her shoulder. I hugged her one armed and slipped my hand into the back pocket of her pants. She moaned softly and squeezed my butt in return.

The store wasn't as busy as before, but customers were milling about. I also noticed the looks we got from her fellow employees. One of the guys looked a little upset, either because Erica had been gone for so long or because of the kiss she gave me.

Jordan and Danielle returned to the video cameras. Erica followed them and answered their questions. I went back to the software section and found the same video editing suite Erica had shown me in the office. I knew that I wouldn't be able to use it without remembering her idea of a demonstration video. With the box in hand, I found the girls and asked Erica, "Hey, that video on the camera of us. Is it still on the computer in the office?"

She shook her head and fished a memory card out of her pocket with a smile. "I was going to take it home to put it on my computer."

I nodded and glanced at the other two. "Do you think I can get a copy?"

She smiled. "I think that can be arranged." She looked at the box of one of the cameras Jordan was holding and then pulled two memory cards off a wall display and handed them to her. Jordan smiled and glanced my way. Danielle fought to not grin so much.

I shook my head. "You two were already willing to do things in front of the camera. Don't snicker so much."

Erica ignored my comment. "What kind of computer do you have?"

I frowned and glanced at the other two. They shook their heads. "We don't."

"Oh," Erica said, "Well then, let me show you our selection of desktops and laptops."

We spent another half hour talking about specs and the best possible options. Finally it came down to either a laptop or a desktop, both of which would be good for video editing. Both had their perks and shortcomings. Danielle was all for the laptop because of its portability, but Jordan favored the desktop because we could get a larger monitor. I decided. "I'll take one of each." I glanced at the other two, and they grinned at me. Erica smiled too. When we were done ringing everything up, she told me what her commission was.

Outside, once we got everything loaded into the trunk of Jordan's car, Jordan and Danielle climbed inside to give me and Erica a moment alone. Erica plastered herself to me, rubbing as much of me with as much of her as she could while kissing me more deeply than I remembered her kissing Larry. I wrapped her up and held her tight. It felt good to kiss and hold her. Good in a way I not only couldn't argue with but had absolutely no desire to. Part of me still worried about how the bond affected my women, but another part, a growing part, was glad she was mine.

Erica pulled from me with a big smile, her fingers lingered on my chest until she couldn't reach me anymore as she stepped back. "I'll see you in class tomorrow." I nodded and she went back inside with a skip in her step.

I got in the car and both of the girls were silently grinning. I took a deep breath and let it out. "Okay, yes, I had fun and I've got another Fonte."

Danielle leaned forward in the backseat and put her face between us over the console. "Did you suggest anal or did she?"

I felt my face grow hot. "I've told you, if you want to know something personal like that, then ask her."

Jordan grinned. "Oh, we will. We just wanted to know this one bit from you."

I looked at them. "I didn't suggest it."

Danielle nodded and sat back. Jordan looked me over and then glanced at the store. "I didn't think someone so small could take you completely in her ass."

I looked out at the store too. "To tell the truth, I thought I was going to hurt her."

"And her memory?" Jordan asked.

I shook my head. "You haven't asked about the other memories I've gotten. Why her?"

"We're curious," Danielle said. "I've never considered trying anal."

I looked at Jordan. She smiled. "I've tried it. It was okay."

I looked at the store again. "Well, for her it's ... I'd say it's better than normal sex."

Both of the girls were quiet. I didn't know if they wanted to know anything else, or if what I had already told them was more information than Erica would want them to know. Jordan started the car and asked, "So, what's the status of the bed deliveries?"

"Oh, they'll deliver tonight," Danielle said. I could hear her smile in her voice. "The delivery guys were really sweet, and they've been slow, so it isn't a problem. I told them to wait a couple of hours though. Since none of us have had dinner yet, we should go eat and then head to the apartments to meet them."

The sun wasn't down yet. Even though it was the middle of September, full dark didn't hit until almost eight o'clock. The sky was getting dark, and traffic was heavy. Before we pulled out of the parking lot, we talked about what to eat. None of us could agree. I wanted pizza, Jordan a burger, and Danielle a taco salad. Jordan suggested the Mall's food court, so we could each have what we wanted. We all agreed on that.

The mall was much busier than the day before. Of course, it had been earlier in the day with kids in school and most of the patrons at work. At the food court, we split up to find a free table. The plan was whoever found one first would wave to the others and hold the table. When one of the others got back with food, the finder could go get theirs. I was the lucky finder. I sat there waiting and dreaded the idea of turning away other groups so we could use the table.

While I waited, I noticed a lot of people looking at me. I dismissed it. They probably thought I was being rude because I kept the table to myself. However, I noticed that the looks weren't glares. There were looks that I thought were familiar, but being on faces I didn't know, I couldn't make the connections.

A young woman bumped my table with her hip. She wore a short denim skirt that was frayed along the bottom edge. She had cut it to make it shorter, and that showed off more of her legs. She also wore a very tight top that hugged her breasts very nicely and left her midriff bare. Her abs were very tight, almost cut, and her waist was so small I could have probably wrapped my hands around her.

I looked up and met her smile. The expression on her face fed me no doubts about what was on her mind.

She bent over at the waist, keeping her legs straight, her butt in the air, and leaned on her elbows on the table. "Hey you big panda, are you eating all alone?" She licked her lips suggestively and I remembered that I was still wearing my Fetish. Crap.

Getting involved with someone there in the mall would probably be the worst mistake I could make. I had to send her away without making a scene and came up with an easy answer. "I'm waiting for my girlfriend," I said while easing back in my seat and showing her no sign of interest.

She pouted, which made her look younger than before. Of course, I might have been mistaken. She was oriental and I had trouble guessing her age. She wiggled her hips, which I couldn't help but notice, and said, "She's not here now. I'd be happy to join you."

I nodded. "Thank you for the offer, but I'm holding the table while she gets our food."

The girl frowned and stood up. "You really don't know what you're missing."

I smiled politely. "You may be right, but I don't need her taking my head off either. She can be very jealous."

The girl rolled her eyes, turned and left.

I quickly pulled off my Fetish and shoved it in my pants pocket.

"I would keep that handy if I were you."

I looked up. A woman was sitting at my table. She had pale blonde hair that barely reached her neck in short, soft waves. Her eyes were piercing blue, and her lips were soft pink. She wore a white blouse that hugged her ample breasts and though it was cut low in front, the top two buttons were undone, showing off just how much cleavage she had. Her skin was pale and made her appear delicate.

I glanced around. No one else was looking our way. "I'm sorry," I said to her, "I'm saving the table for my friends."

She shook her head with a smile. "I won't be here long."

I blinked at her, confused. I thought she might just be sitting while waiting for someone else, but she studied me in return. "Who are you?" I asked.

She smiled a knowing smile. "You don't need to know me to understand my advice." Her expression seemed honest, but I had been deceived by similar expressions before. I remembered another blonde in high school who had looked at me with the same honest eyes, but Lisa never did anything to stave off her father's wrath or to defend me in class from Ms. Langston.

"What do you know about it?" I asked. There was always the possibility that this was another Magus. I didn't know how to tell though. Jordan and I had never talked about my innate ability to see the mark of another Magus, so I didn't know how to use it.

She shrugged and looked around. "More than you do." She looked at me. "I've never seen an amber mark before. What House are you from?"

I frowned. "House? What are you talking about?"

She tilted her head to the side. "You really don't know, do you?" She leaned forward. "Six will not be enough. Your power is too potent. I'd aim for ten, just to be safe."

I sat back. She couldn't be talking about my Fonti, could she? I looked her over again, trying to make myself see her mark, but I didn't see anything different. I shook my head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

She sat back and smiled. "I know, I know. We're not supposed to discuss things like that in public, but I didn't think you would have wanted me showing up at your apartment unannounced."

I frowned harder. She couldn't know where I lived. It had to be an educated guess. "Who are you?" I asked again.

She leaned forward again, framing her breasts with her arms. "That's not important. What is important is that you find enough Fonti, and quickly. Then you have to figure out where all of those missing women went."

Okay, that came out of left field. "What missing women? The ones on the news?"

She nodded vigorously. "You have to find them. You're the only one free to look."

I stared at her. "The police are already..."

She shook her head. "The police are lost. It's not a mundane issue. You have to find them. Only one of us can do it and you're the only one free."

I was confused, to say the least. "Free from what?"

She shook her head again. "Can't discuss it. Find more Fonti. Then find the missing women."

A tray landed on the table, making me jump. Danielle sat down next to me saying, "Male chauvinists..."

I looked at her for a second and then back to the blonde.

She wasn't there.

I stood up and looked around. I didn't think I would have trouble spotting her even among the crowds, but I couldn't. She was gone.

Danielle opened the salad she got and stabbed it viciously with her plastic fork. I only saw her that mad when she talked to Roger, or her divorce lawyer called with more bad news. She wasn't contesting anything Roger wanted. He had taken the house, all of the cars, even the stocks that were in her name. She just wanted the whole thing over with, but Roger was dragging it all out. However, I seriously doubted Roger had anything to do with her current mood.

I looked around the food court again for the blonde woman I had been talking to. I didn't see her anywhere, so I sat down and asked, "What happened?"

She looked at me, opened her mouth with her teeth showing, and then seemed to snap out of her mood. She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Seth. Some asshole wouldn't leave me alone."

I looked around again. "Who?"

She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I took care of it."

Jordan walked up with her food and sat down. She looked like she could eat hot nails. She turned that ferocious gaze on me and said, "If you ever ask for something and I say no, I mean no."

I frowned and nodded but didn't say anything.

She pointed at me with a tense finger. "Don't patronize me."

I glanced at Danielle, who was lost in her own thoughts, and said, "I'm not patronizing you, Jordan. I'm agreeing with you."

Jordan nodded and then looked at the table in front of me. "Aren't you going to eat?"

There was still a little anger in her voice. I thought I should go get my food and let her calm down. I left and found a booth that sold slices of pizza. While I made my selections and paid for them, I tried to think of a time when either of the girls had a run in with guys who were a little too aggressive. I couldn't. Every time I had seen either of them deal with guys who had been a little too forward, they both maintained their calm and put the guys in their places – usually pointing at me as the significant other they weren't going to leave. Of course, there was the possibility that they'd had problems with guys when I wasn't around. If that was the case, they never mentioned it. So, if this wasn't the way they usually reacted to unwanted attention, what was causing it?

I returned to the table and both of them were already finished eating. Jordan immediately said, "I'm sorry, Seth. I didn't mean to bite your head off. I was just so ... angry."

I nodded. "Apology accepted. Do you know what happened?" She nodded and I interrupted. "Not what the guys said or did, but why you got so angry?"

They both sipped their drinks while thinking. I ate some of my pizza. Danielle said, "I don't know why I got so upset. This guy offered to help me with my tray, and I knew he wanted more than that. Like Jordan said, I just got so angry, I couldn't see straight."

Jordan nodded. "Yeah, me too. It was like my anger boiled over and I couldn't think rationally."

I remembered how the blonde who had visited me appeared and disappeared so quickly. I also wondered if she had a hand in the way the girls had acted. "Could Magic do that?" I asked.

Jordan looked up and nodded. "Yeah, it's one of the basic principles behind the spell I used on Milena, to cause a particular emotion to flare up."

"So, any Magus could make it happen?" I asked.

She nodded. "Why, what happened to you?"

I shook my head. "I didn't get angry, but I had a visitor."

The girls shared a look and I told them what happened. Neither of them interrupted me, but when I finished they both had questions. "What did she mean, six wasn't enough?" Danielle asked. "She said you were the only one free?" Jordan asked.