Winter sighed heavily. “It’s part of my superpower. I can mostly just hear thoughts, but I can also exert some control over other people too.”
Now I was alarmed. “Shit,” I hissed.
“No, no, no. Not like mind control, or even like me putting thoughts in your head. Instead, I can keep people more emotionally stable. Like your claustrophobia thing earlier? That was me.”
My eyes widened in surprise, completely shocked that she was actually awake, and then a little annoyed to realize she was truly just ignoring me.
She quickly continued. “Or, if it’s something more serious, like if someone is depressed and about to jump off a bridge, or they’re pissed and about to go on a killing spree. Usually, they will still feel those emotions, but I can reign it in just enough to prevent them from taking action.”
“That kind of sounds like mind control,” I contradicted.
She shook her head. “It’s really not. It has to do with how the brain works. For example, the more escalated someone becomes, then the more their frontal cortex begins to shut down – the part of the brain that’s responsible for reasoning and higher thinking. And if someone gets really escalated, then they basically become all instincts and stop thinking rationally altogether. My superpower can keep that from happening though. My ability affects the limbic system, the part responsible for emotions, and keeps it stable while also keeping their frontal cortex up and running.”
I scratched the back of my head. “Okay, so what’s that mean, exactly?”
“It means it’s not mind control. If someone enjoys killing people, then I can’t stop that. All I’m doing is keeping people level-headed, so they don’t make rash decisions that they might only make because they are angry, depressed, traumatized, or whatever.”
“Huh.”
“So like your claustrophobia. If it flared up, you might freak out. But it didn’t flare up, you didn’t freak out. That’s not me controlling you, it’s just helping you remain stable. Same with the two upstairs. I’ve helped them keep it together. That’s all.”
“And what happens if you stop using your ability?”
She took another bite, chewed, swallowed, and then responded. “I mean, I’m not using it right now. And when they wake up, they might be okay, and if they aren’t then I could use my ability again, but usually a good night’s sleep helps it feel like there’s some distance between you and any trauma you’ve experienced, especially after I’ve used my ability on someone.”
“I wouldn’t know,” I admitted.
Surprisingly, she grinned at that, like she sincerely thought it was funny that I didn’t sleep. It was strange to see her smile after being so gloomy.
“And who exactly told you to do this?” I wondered. “Is this a CDS thing, or was your aunt involved?”
She looked away.
I waited.
And waited.
Just as I was about to speak up, she cut me off, her tone quiet. “Ms. Hendricks did ask me to help,” she admitted. “But that was because she thought the worst. She assumed everyone got blown up, and that only you would be left.” She finally looked at me, her pale green eyes almost appearing ashamed. “She wanted me to keep you stable, so you didn’t become an enemy.”
My eyes widened in surprise. “I wouldn’t become an enemy.”
“Not even if the two women upstairs were dead right now?”
I sat back in my seat as I thought about that. “I–”
She cut me off. “You don’t know,” she interjected, even though that was not what I was going to say. “You really don’t know, because you’re calm right now. Remember what I said? People sometimes make stupid decisions when they’re angry. So while you don’t think you would, you can’t truly know right now, because you’re calm. You’re level-headed. And because they aren’t dead,” she added.
I thought about that, knowing she was at least a little right. I then realized she didn’t fully answer my question. “So, are you here on behalf of the CDS or not?”
She hesitated. “Not.”
“Then your aunt?”
She shrugged, taking another bite, chewing, swallowing, and then responding. “In a way, you could say that.” She then glared at me. “Just let me do my thing, okay? Stop with all the questions and let me keep the two women upstairs stable, and keep everyone safe until they get this guy.”
Well, I couldn’t argue with that. Pressing for an exact answer wasn’t worth it if she might leave due to my probing. Because while safety might not be such an issue right now, keeping Heidi and Lexi emotionally stable might sincerely be a problem.
“And another thing,” she added. “If I tell you to kill someone, you do it. No questions asked.”
I gawked at her from the abrupt change in subject. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m saying, if I’m around, and I tell you to kill someone. Then do it. Because if you hesitate, it might be too late. Even if it’s a woman. If I tell you to kill, then kill.”
My eyes narrowed, as I examined her intense expression. “Can I really trust you?”
“Yes.”
There was no hesitation.
We held each other’s gaze for a long few seconds before she abruptly picked up her plate and held it out toward me.
“May I please have more?”
I looked at her in surprise, before nodding as I accepted it. Then, as I began popping the last two enchiladas on her plate, it finally occurred to me that she was about to have wolfed down six of these suckers, which was a lot of food. I mean, these bad boys were not some little dinky enchiladas you might get at a restaurant. These things were packed, and I was stuffed after eating just two.
“Do you eat more than most people?” I wondered, hoping she wouldn’t be offended.
“Yes.”
I glanced back at her. “Is this going to be enough?”
She just held my gaze. “Yes.”
“Promise you’re being honest?”
“Yes.”
I shook my head, focusing on the rotating food in the microwave, before delivering what was now her third plate of food. As I sat down, she went back to eat, shoveling several bites into her mouth and swallowing before she spoke up again.
“So, your two alpha females are finally getting it on, huh?”
I had to do a double-take, literally not comprehending what just came out of her mouth. “What?”
She rolled her eyes. “Obviously I overheard the conversation.”
I practically smacked my face with my hand, only to rest my forehead in my palm. “It’s not what you think. Or rather, what I was imagining is definitely not what they were doing.”
She shrugged. “Either way, it’s good to have solidarity in a situation like this.”
“Situation like what ?” I asked in confusion.
She gestured vaguely toward the rest of the house. “Like this. You’re the alpha male, and you’ve got four females, along with kids. Like a pride of lions. Last thing you want is the females fighting with each other. And it’s especially good if the alpha females get along real well.”
I gawked at her in shock, only to quickly correct her. “No, it’s not like a pride of lions. And I’ve only got two females, not four.”
Shit, that was a weird way of putting it. Why were we saying ‘females’ instead of women?
She shrugged again. “Could have fooled me. Every single one of them views you as–” She immediately stopped speaking, seeming frozen solid for a second.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” I asked seriously.
She thawed out and looked at me with a sympathetic expression. “Heidi is beginning to have a nightmare. Might want to wake her up before it gets any worse, because it’s already started off pretty bad.”
Well, shit.
Without hesitation, I got up and ran upstairs, just in time to discover Heidi trembling next to her sister, beginning to whimper, her face all scrunched up. Problem was, I wasn’t sure how to wake her up gently.
Normally if it was Lily, I’d just give her a lot of kisses, but I couldn’t exactly do that with Heidi. Thus, instead I got down on my knees and began to gently caress her face, whispering her name.
It took a handful of seconds, but she finally woke up, her eyes popping open in alarm. I had a lamp on in the loft, so she had enough light coming in through the doorway to register who I was. She immediately reached out for me and wrapped her arms around my neck, holding me as tight as she could, while breathing heavily.
I rubbed her back until she started pulling on my neck, prompting me – against my better judgment – to scoot next to her in bed and let her hold onto me while she fell back asleep.
Thankfully, it didn’t take too long, and I was able to keep it together during that time.
When I got back downstairs, I discovered that the kitchen was empty, the dishes were clean, and about half an enchilada had been put away in the fridge. I turned around and stepped into the living room to find Winter lying on the couch again, her back turned toward me.
“Just going to stare?” she asked in a monotone.
“Want a blanket?”
She paused. “Yeah.” Another pause. “Thanks.”
12: Awkward Discussions
Lily Dodson
April 14, 2735 – 12 Hours Later – Late Morning
Lily and Freya returned home with their daughters in the morning, just as promised. They then spent some time alone with Sam in order to debrief and talk about everything that happened in the last day, minus the decision the two women had made. They also discussed the woman named Winter Fowler, who had left earlier that morning, deliberating on the benefits of her keeping watch.
At this point in time, having a mind reader around, who could alert them to danger ahead of time, seemed like a good idea, assuming they could really trust her. However, it was something they would discuss in more detail when she returned.
But now that they were all caught up with each other, Sam was watching their children while Lily and Freya were alone with the sisters in Lexi’s room, in order to touch base with them, as well as eventually talk about an important subject.
Heidi was sitting on the bed against the wall, hugging her legs with her chin on her knees, while Lexi was sitting on the edge at the head of the bed, one leg up as she faced everyone. Lily was then sitting cross-legged at the foot of the bed, angled toward the two sisters, and Freya was leaning against the wall, with her arms crossed, her expression gentle and sympathetic.
For now, the four of them were just debriefing about everything that happened, just letting everyone get their thoughts and feelings out, but soon Freya would be the one to bring up a very different topic.
An awkward one.
Sam had no idea that Lily and Freya had come to a decision, since it was something they had chosen not to mention yet. And even now, they weren’t really planning on telling him unless they could all come to some sort of agreement for how it would work out.
For Lily, she just felt awkward because she knew that she and Freya were probably going to continue spending alone time together, even if it didn’t work out.
When Lily first discovered she could heal, she knew this might happen. In fact, this truly was the first thought that popped into her head after her initial shock. Freya was terrified of seriously injuring Lily, and the removal of that fear was going to have consequences. Likewise, Lily had been afraid of getting seriously hurt and having to go to the hospital.
Because, aside from the pain and scarring, how would she ever be able to explain away the type of injuries her friend might leave?
But now that barrier was gone.
Certainly, Freya still needed to be as careful as possible, since Lily could still die just like a normal regenerating super, but now a lot of serious injuries weren’t so serious anymore.
And now Freya could satisfy her bloodlust – her craving to bite into flesh, down to the bone – by biting Lily.
Nothing about the situation was a turn-on for Lily. And at no point was she ever really aroused, minus the brief moments when she wondered what Sam would think, but now her best friend could have one of her deepest cravings fulfilled.
Her need for Lily.
And Lily cared about Freya to the point that she couldn’t continue to deny her that any longer. Certainly, she still had limits, but this was something she could now offer, and she knew that she wasn’t going to refuse that offer ever again.
But it was still super awkward.
After a moment of everyone falling silent, Freya unexpectedly cleared her throat.
Both sisters looked up at her.
“So Lily and I talked last night, made some decisions, and now we’d like to talk to you both about it. Specifically, about Sam.”
Lily watched as the blood drained from both their faces.
“W-What about him?” Heidi asked.
Freya shrugged, her composure surprisingly nonchalant. “You both want him,” she pointed out.
Heidi and Lexi immediately glanced at each other before looking away, with Heidi tightening her arms around her knees, while Lexi readjusted on the bed.
Freya took a deep breath. “So the question is, if we decide to share, how is that going to work out?”
Suddenly, it was as if Freya was the most bizarre creature on the planet, with both sisters looking up at her in shock, then looking at Lily, and then finally looking at each other, only to look at Freya again. Of course, the first question out of Heidi’s mouth was, “Are you serious?”
Lily was the one who responded, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly.
“Yeah, Heidi. We’re serious.”
❖ ❖ ❖
Sam Archer
April 14, 2735 – Current Day – Late Morning
I held a sleeping Eden in my arms as I stood in the backyard while Rose ran around in the grass, chasing a bumblebee that was bouncing at her head one minute and trying to fly away the next. The little girl was dressed simply in a black t-shirt and jean shorts, her tan legs and feet completely exposed due to her insistence on not wearing shoes whenever she could get away with it.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t a ton of other stuff for Rose to play with at this time in the yard, but I intended to change that soon with some early birthday presents.
All four women were inside, sitting in Lexi’s room while they talked about something, I assumed just going over everything that happened and venting. I occasionally checked on them with my second-sight, but I had no idea what they were talking about from their expressions.
Most of the time they all looked somber, probably comforting each other after such a traumatic event.
As for Ms. Fowler, she was gone for the time being.
Winter woke up before the sun rose and left shortly later, saying that she had some business to take care of, and that the sisters seemed to be doing alright. When I asked how she knew they wouldn’t freak out when they woke up, she explained that they were stable all night in their dreams. But then, when I asked how she knew that , considering she had been asleep herself, she was hesitant to tell me.
Finally, she did, just as she was about to get into the black rental car.
“I can sort of latch onto people, okay? It’s no big deal.”
I scoffed. “If it’s no big deal, then please elaborate. Because that kind of sounds like a big deal.”
“It’s not,” she disagreed. “It just means I’ve created a temporary link that lets me hear your thoughts from further away, if I concentrate. And it also allows me to keep tabs on a person’s general emotional state, even when I’m asleep.”
“Wait, when you say ‘your,’ do you mean that generally ? Or are you speaking specifically about me?”
She shrugged. “Both.”
I covered my eyes with my hand in disbelief. “So you get to be privy to all my thoughts, even from a distance, and yet I’m invading your privacy by taking a peek at your fur – like, not even looking under your underwear – but just und
er your regular clothing.”
“Pretty much,” she agreed.
I dropped my hand to glare at her, only for her midnight lips to twitch as she tried to resist a smile.
She then sighed. “Look, I get it. Trust me, I’ve heard it all. No one likes it that I can hear their thoughts. But I can’t help it, and trust me when I say I don’t judge.” She paused. “Usually.”
I pretended to be angry. “Yeah, well maybe I can’t control my second-sight either.”
She frowned. “You can, if you don’t want a bloody nose.”
I smirked at that, enjoying the playful argument, only to change the subject. “So when will you be back? And how long are you planning on doing this?”
She shrugged, and then finally got in the car and pulled away without answering.
After that, Freya and Lily came home with our daughters a few hours later. Both Heidi and Lexi were awake by then, both seeming numb, just kind of going through the motions with a vacant look in their eyes. Lexi became a little more animated after a shower, but Heidi didn’t fully seem to come back to life until Rose was climbing into her lap.
Shockingly, that ended up making the biggest difference. Somehow, even despite what happened only yesterday, Rose managed to pull Heidi out of her traumatized state and back to her normal self within an hour.
I honestly wasn’t sure if it was due to simple distraction – just not thinking about it – or something else entirely. Winter did say her power could have an influence on emotional recovery, so maybe that played a part too.
In the meantime, I spent some alone time with Lily and Freya in the bedroom, just kind of debriefing on everything that happened. First, I let Freya read my mind, so she could have instant access to all the events, and then recounted them verbally to Lily. I was a little surprised they didn’t seem to have a problem with Winter, but me mentioning her basically resulted in Lily looking at Freya questioningly, and Freya saying she seemed alright.
Of course, after that, I wanted to know about their personal situation, since obviously this was a big deal to me. Unfortunately, they kept it really vague, with Lily’s cheeks turning bright red and her body heating up to the point that heat waves were coming off it.
The Powerful Pride of an Immortal (Immortal Supers Book 4) Page 19
