Chapter 6

Milena and I left the Doctor’s office and stopped at a small restaurant to eat. I hadn’t eaten since before the wedding and Milena hadn’t eaten all day. When I asked her why, she said, “I was worried about how our visit with the Doctor would go.”

Again, I asked, “Why?”

“Well, she and I talked about you during my last visit,” she said and I nodded “And she confessed that she found you attractive.”

I thought I saw where this was going. “So, knowing about my heritage, you thought I wouldn’t mind if the doctor wanted to have sex with me.” She nodded and I asked, “What if I did?”

She smiled at me. “But you didn’t.”

“Is this a matter of the fact that I’m male, of my heritage, or simply the ends justifying the means?” I asked.

She frowned. “I don’t understand. Didn’t you enjoy what happened?”

I thought about it and said, “Yes, I did. I wouldn’t have let her do anything like that if I didn’t. However...”

“No, no ‘however’,” she said, interrupting me. “You enjoyed it, and that’s all that matters.”

I shook my head. “No, there’s still the matter of respect. I don’t simply let every man who ogles you take you like that, do I?”

She looked at me again, frowning. “No. No one has ogled me anyway.”

I glanced at her. “Wrong. I’ve seen plenty of men look at you, especially the ones in your office, applying for an apartment.”

“You’re never in my office when I’m working with a prospective resident,” she said.

“Of those prospective residents, how many were men?” I asked.

“A majority,” she said.

“Single men?” I asked.

“Most of them,” she said.

“Any of them mention a girlfriend?” I asked.

“No, and I don’t ask about that,” she said.

I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter. You have a figure that’s difficult to conceal, and there are plenty of men out there who like a woman with a figure. I’ll lay odds that most of those single, no-girlfriend-having men that applied for an apartment were turned down for one reason or another, like they’re thinking about spontaneously moving and breaking their contract with their current residence.”

She frowned. “Yeah, a lot of them are in the middle of contracts.” She looked at me. “How did you know?”

I shook my head with a small smile. “They’re not really interested in getting an apartment. They’re there to see if they can get into your panties.”

She blinked at me in horror. “You’re not serious.”

It was difficult for me to believe that Milena, so much older than I, was that guileless, but then I never believed that any woman would find me attractive either, not before Jordan. “Milena, you’re beautiful and sexy, you’re intelligent, hold down a solid job, and are a good cook. Any man would love to have you in their bed and their life. Why can’t you understand that?”

She shook her head and I could almost see what she was thinking. If I hadn’t seen her memories when our bond was forged, I would have been frustrated by now trying to convince her of what I said. Of course there was the reversal of what I suggested. “If I’m so beautiful and sexy, so intelligent, holding down a solid job, and a good cook, why are you suggesting I find someone else?”

I shook my head. “I never said that. I’m trying to point out that I’m not the only one who’s interested. I don’t know the names of the others, but I’m not alone in this.”

She looked at me again. “But I haven’t been with anyone else.”

I nodded. “I know, and while that makes me happy, I also worry about you because you deserve more. You deserve to be with someone who can devote themselves to you completely, not have to schedule time to be together.”

She reached over and gripped my hand. “I enjoy the time we have together, and I enjoy the quiet time I have when you’re not there.”

I half-grinned. “Are you saying that I’m too loud?”

She smiled too. “No. I’m just too used to being alone. If I found someone who devoted all their time to me, I would probably throw them out just to have some peace and quiet.”

I felt a little better about that at least, but... “Well, about the doctor...”

“I understand,” she said. “No more sex dates without your say so.”

I nodded. “Thank you. That would be appreciated.” Then I realized there was something else neither one of us mentioned. “So, what did you think?” I asked.

“Think about what?” she asked in return.

I chuckled. “The doctor’s suggestions?”

“Oh,” she said, looking into my eyes with a small smile that was warm, friendly, and way too sexy to mean anything else. “I think those were very good ideas. It’s too bad we don’t have another night together for a week to come.”

I smiled and took her hand. “You know what my days are like. Any number of things could happen.”

The warmth in her smile faded a little. “Like your sister might show up to stay a few days.”

And the moment was gone. I pulled back a little and said, “And there’s more.”

Her smile vanished altogether as I told her about the Sheriff almost arresting me. “Are you going to look into the problem?” Milena asked. “I mean, if you really can help, shouldn’t you?”

I sighed. Again, I was faced with that question. Again, I really didn’t know what to do.

After we ate, Milena drove me over to Vanessa’s condo where I left my car. Before getting out of Milena’s car, I turned to her, kissed her softly, and said, “I hope I didn’t upset you tonight. I thought you should know what’s going on.”

She kissed me back. “You do what you feel is right, my young stud, and I’ll be waiting for our time together again.”

“So, no pressure?” I joked.

She gave me one of her rare, dazzling smiles. “Not until we’re together again and you’re causing all kinds of wonderful pressure deep inside me.”

I kissed her again, deeper than before, and then climbed out. She kept her headlights on my car until I had it unlocked and opened the driver’s door. I watched her drive away and sat there thinking about what I was going to do. Would I help the Sheriff, taking the chance that either I might hurt my girls by actively using magic, or would I do nothing, like I had been, and chance that someone would hurt one of my girls in an effort to force me to do something? Neither option sounded like a good one.

“Nice car,” said someone.

I looked up to find Sheriff Dalton standing a few feet away. I looked around, but the black Suburban was nowhere to be seen. “How did you get here?”

“It’s called a taxi,” she said with a wave. “Mind if I ride with you?”

I shrugged. “There’s a ceremony being held at the school that I’m going to attend.”

She walked around to the other side. “You can still go. I’m not going anywhere specific.” She climbed in. “I just wanted to talk to you.”

I stared at her for a moment, trying to decide whether this was a good idea or not.

She looked at me. “What? Do I have something in my hair?”

“No,” I said with a shake of my head. Then I closed my door and started my car.

Yeah, my car. As in I really did use my paycheck from Sammi for modeling as a down payment. At first, I considered doing what I did in high school. That is, finding a used car that needed work, only I wouldn’t be setting it up to sell. However, Jordan pointed out that between school, work, and taking care of my personal needs, I wouldn’t have much time left to work on a car. I agreed and did some browsing online.

Cassandra and Milena found out about my car search and took me to a few different dealerships. We finally found a car that I liked, and didn’t cost too much. On top of that, the salesman took a particular liking to Cassandra. No, we didn’t need that last detail, but he was more agreeable when he found out what kind of work I did. In the end, I drove home a red ΚΙΛ Forte. All of the standards alone made me forget to ask what extras I could have.

So, for a few minutes, I drove along in silence. Sheriff Dalton wanted to talk about something, but she wasn’t saying much. In fact, she didn’t say anything until we reached the campus.

“Have you given any thought to my request?” she asked.

I nodded. “I’ve thought about it but I haven’t come to a decision.”

“Normally, I wouldn’t ask for help like this,” she said. “But it’s like I’ve left Austin and forgotten some of my equipment.”

I glanced over at her. “I hadn’t thought of it like that.”

She looked at me. “Then you really don’t understand.” She looked around the car. “Which means we’re not secured here.”

I nodded. “Correct. I haven’t learned how to do that.”

“How can you have so many sexy friends and not know more about your abilities?” she asked.

I smiled because she was using the same word for Magic my girls and I used. Her question however, made me take a deep breath and sigh. “As I told you before, I only found out about this a couple of months ago.”

She nodded, “Have you tried talking to your parents?”

I shook my head. “I haven’t called home since I got here.”

She frowned. “Why ... Nevermind.”

I glanced at her. “Then you have some idea of what it’s like when you don’t do what you should have when you should have.”

“I’ve heard stories,” she said. “But I was twelve when I went through it.”

I didn’t know what to say about that, but I wasn’t going to pry into someone’s personal life. Jordan was embarrassed telling me what happened to her during her Initiation, so I thought Dalton would feel the same way.

She looked at me. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

I glanced her way and shrugged my shoulders. “I suppose.”

She shook her head. “No, not suppose. Yes or no.”

I looked at her then. “Yes, you may ask. No, I don’t promise in advance to answer.”

She nodded. “What’s keeping you from learning about your abilities? Anyone else would want to learn everything they could.”

I felt like we were going over the same things we discussed earlier in her Suburban, only I had the option of stopping and kicking her out. The question didn’t seem that personal at first, but when I thought about the answer, I wasn’t sure I wanted to say anything.

“Sorry,” she said, after waiting a few minutes. “Obviously that was too personal.”

I shook my head. “No, I just don’t know if I can explain.”

“Just talk,” she said. “I’m sure I’ll get the gist.”

“About a month ago,” I said. “I only had three... friends. One of them got sick. Jordan said it was the first symptom.” I pulled into the parking lot for the School of Architecture building, found a slot and parked, but I left the engine running so the heater would keep us warm. “Jordan had to work pretty hard to convince me to find more friends. For every alternative suggestion I had, she knew what the results would be. Finally, I relented and did what I had to. I also swore that I wouldn’t use my abilities so I wouldn’t put them in that kind of danger again.”

Dalton studied my face for a moment and then said, “So, you believe that using your abilities will make you need them more, or something like that, right?”

“I don’t want to take the chance,” I said.

She leaned forward. “What if I could prove to you that isn’t the case?”

I frowned. “Prove it how?”

“Do you have a cell phone?” she asked and I nodded. “Does it have web access?” Again I nodded. “When you use the phone to call someone or send a text, it doesn’t use much more power than while sitting dormant. However, when you access the web, it uses more power, draining the battery faster.”

“Okay, but what...?” I asked.

She held up a hand. “Does the speed at which you drain the battery affect how quickly it recharges when you plug it into the wall?”

I frowned and shook my head.

“This is the same way,” she said. “Right now, you’re using almost nothing at all and you’re keeping it filled to the top. If you actively use your abilities, you’ll drain more but you won’t recharge any faster than now.”

I shook my head. “That doesn’t mean...”

She sighed. “It means you’re not going to hurt your girls. I know a couple of others who have more friends than you and they use their abilities all the time. From what I’ve observed, you have sex more often than they do.”

Suddenly I felt somehow violated. “You don’t take notes about that kind of thing, do you?”

“Only when I learn something useful,” she said with a smile. “But frequency doesn’t help me any.”

I considered that and realized she was sitting here with me. “Shouldn’t you be out looking to take care of yourself?”

“While I’m here and can’t use my abilities, I don’t need to as often,” she said. “However, I hope to change that.”

There was only one way I knew to do that, and said, “By solving the big problem.”

She nodded. “That has to happen regardless.” Then she scooted closer to the console between us. “What I have in mind could free me up from needing you to help at all.”

There was a familiar look in her eyes that told me what she had in mind. I knew from the last time I had done that, the results had been disastrous. “You should re-think that thought.”

She smiled sweetly. “If you’re concerned, don’t be. I’m strong enough to control the flow.”

I backed up against the door. “Hang on a second,” I said. “How do I know you won’t take my abilities away from me?”

She smiled. “I’m not allowed to do that. If anything, I would handcuff you again and drag you back to Austin.” She looked me over. “Unless you want me to handcuff you?”

I shook my head. “No, not really. But how do I know I can trust you?”

She eased back a little and her smile faded away. “You don’t. Not really. I understand why you don’t trust me. Most others don’t. They think we abuse the power we’re given to do whatever we want, to enforce the law with little regard of the consequences.” She sat back again. “The truth is I believe it myself.”

I relaxed a little. “If you believe that, then why become a sheriff?”

“I come from a long line of law enforcement,” she said. “My dad was proud the day I became a Texas Ranger, and just as proud when I was commissioned as a Sheriff.” She looked out the window, but not really seeing the night sky or the buildings in front of us. “I’ve seen what corruption in the judicial system can cause. It’s no different with our system.”

“If there’s corruption in our system,” I said, “then you’re not going to be able to make much of a difference alone.”

She shook her head. “I’m not alone, but we don’t know how far the problem goes. Besides, right here, right now, that issue isn’t my task at hand.”

I nodded. “The big problem.” She leaned my way again and I said, “But nothing you said helps me accept your claims at face value. I don’t know you that well.”

She smiled. “But you are getting to know me, and you can use your abilities.”

I frowned. “Are you suggesting I do something?”

She nodded and reached for my hand.

I didn’t believe she would do anything to hurt me, not right now at least, so I let her.

She got up on her knees and pulled my hand down between her legs. I was curious about what she had in mind but didn’t say anything or try to stop her. She pulled up the front of her skirt and pressed my hand to her crotch. She said, very softly, “My mark is right there. It hovers above my pussy. Focus on it. Think about what you want to know about me.”

At first, I didn’t notice anything, other than that she was very warm down there. I was about to ask what was supposed to happen when I felt a slight tingle in my fingers and my mind was filled with the idea that I could find out her intent directly. She couldn’t lie to me when I did this, but it would be like reading something in old English. It would only give me a vague idea of what it was telling me. One thing was clear: she didn’t mean any harm.

I opened my eyes and pulled my hand away. I don’t know how long I was touching her like that because she wasn’t holding my hand in place anymore.

She reached over and ran a hand up my thigh. “Everything is cyclic. I don’t need to take anything to test my theory. I only need you to be willing. If I do need to take some your abilities, I can return it just as easily.” Then she groped me and pouted. “Aw, am I not busty enough? I saw the woman who dropped you off. She had enough in the breast department to share with four other women.”

I frowned at her. “Does the direct approach really work for you?”

Her expression reflected her curiosity. “I’ve only met a handful of guys it didn’t work on, and all of them turned out to be gay.” She rubbed me through my jeans. “I’ve watched you for over a week and haven’t seen you spend any time with any other men. Either you’re in strong denial, or you’re hiding something.”

“As a Sheriff, I’m sure you’ve encountered other instances where fear was employed,” I said. “Have you ever found anyone who was suffering from fear also aroused?”

She smiled what I would call a Cheshire Cat smile. “Actually, I have.” Then she moved closer. “But I don’t think you’re afraid of me. I think you don’t like the idea of sharing what you have.”

“No, I’m afraid of reprisals,” I said.

“Oh, I’m not going to punish you if this doesn’t work,” she said.

I shook my head. “And what if I told you someone already attempted this and it didn’t work?”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Really? Who?” She studied my face and guessed. “Jordan?”

I nodded. Regardless of what I said about Jordan or left out, I honestly didn’t want to know if this would work, because if word got out that it did, I would probably be visited by other Magi in the area, all wanting to tap my power. One or more of those Magi would probably decide that taking all of my power would be the best course of action and though I wasn’t keen on using my power, I wasn’t ready to let it go either.