Tangled Minds (Society of Exalted Minds Book 1)

by A. M. Mahler

  The pain was stunning, and we both gasped—probably for different reasons. Jagger stroked my hair with the palms of his hands and thumbed my tears away.

  “Why did you do that? You were supposed to go slow. I’m so sorry!”

  “There’s nothing for you to be sorry about, and the pain is gone now. I healed myself already, and now I just feel you. And you feel ... I can’t even describe it. It’s like a fulfillment. I feel more whole than I ever have before.”

  He pulsed inside of me, and I realized this was the closest I could get to having his heartbeat in my own body.

  “I love you so much,” he whispered. “You’re mine, Livvy. And I am never going to let anything bad happen to you.”

  I was counting on it.

  Jagger

  When Olivia started to move, my eyes crossed. This wasn’t like the other two times I’d done this. I tapped into what she wanted and gave it to her. It made the whole experience nothing short of amazing. We were in sync right from the start. Once I was inside of her—and there was nothing in the world like that feeling—all our awkwardness went away, and we moved in tandem. Kissing and stroking as our hips rolled together. Need was coiling inside me. My vision turned hazy as I reached and reached and reached for something just out of my grasp.

  I was completely buried in her—mind, body, and soul. It wasn’t something I could ever share with somebody else. I’m going to turn us over, okay? She nodded against my neck, and in the most unsmooth move known to man, I managed to get her onto her back.

  She laughed as we adjusted our position to get more comfortable. “We’ll get better, right?”

  I kissed her as I entered her again, and sweet Jesus, this position made me shiver. When she gasped and threw her head back, I exploded from the inside out. I saw fireworks behind my eyes and felt lightning shoot through my blood. I knew the feeling, but the intensity was on a whole different level than the other two times. My entire body trembled. Being with Olivia strengthened everything.

  “Holy crap! What is this?” Her eyes fluttered closed as her body bowed up to mine and a single tear trailed out of her eye and down toward her ear.

  Right this second, she was, in a word, magnificent. I hadn’t lived long, but I was pretty certain this moment would be forever seared in my brain as the most beautiful.

  I believe that is what’s called an orgasm, Supergirl. You look incredible right now.

  Panting, I fell to her side. “Wanna know what’s gross?” I said quietly, as my breathing slowed, and my body recovered from the all-consuming feeling of an orgasm with Olivia.

  Turning to me, she ran the tip of her finger down my cheek. “What?”

  “This condom.”

  Chuckling, she turned and looked up at the ceiling. “I guess if we didn’t use one, that grossness would be inside me.”

  “Something to look forward to one day.”

  “Ooh, can’t wait.”

  “Willow saw what was going to happen and decided to wait it out at the beach.” Miles popped into our heads. Olivia flinched. Him being there after what we’d just shared was jarring, to say the least. “I wasn’t prying or anything, but she’s waiting for the all clear to return. I wanted you to know that I’m out here with her.”

  “That’s kind of mortifying.” Olivia said, a smile on her face. She was radiant, laying there on the bed covered in a sheen of sweat. I guess this was what post-coital bliss looked like. I’d thought that was a myth, but damned if she didn’t shine.

  Kissing her one last time, I popped off the bed and ducked into the bathroom to clean up. When I returned, Olivia was, unfortunately, dressed. Her skin was still flushed, and her hair looked hot as hell tangled up around her face. I pulled on flannel pants and a t-shirt and sent the all clear signal to Miles. Sliding onto the bed, I gathered Olivia up in my arms as she covered us with the blankets. I thought we would be different somehow after the first time we had sex, but we were still the same, and that was perfect.

  “How do you feel?” I asked softly.

  Hugging closer against me, she said, “Amazing. And tired. That was a lot of exercise.”

  “The fun kind though, right?” I asked.

  “Better than dodge ball.”

  Laughing, I pressed a kiss to her forehead. I felt like there should have been candles and flowers or something, but it wasn’t planned. I’d have to remember that for next time.

  “What do you think of Miles?” I asked suddenly. It was a surprising change of topic and it showed on Olivia’s face.

  “I think he’s okay, so far,” she said. “Like you said, I don’t get that he’s a danger to us in anyway. It’s just all so strange, you know? I’m starting to feel like we’re somehow being manipulated to accomplish something for somebody else. I just don’t understand how that’s possible.”

  “We’ve seen no evidence of this danger we’re supposed to be in. We definitely shouldn’t relax our guard, but everything was so desperate when we first started out and now ... nothing. That alone makes me uneasy.” I tightened my arms around her, searching for the comfort and security she brought me. I had the defensive power, but she had the experience. I only ever had her, whereas she had the knowledge of her grandfather and whomever his resources were.

  “I didn’t really think about it until Miles made his superheroes comment,” she went on. “But that struck me. I mean, here we are with all of these different talents. Maybe we’re supposed to band together with others on our own.”

  With the discovery of Miles, that theory started to make more sense than any other one we’d had before. “But then somehow Jeremiah knew of the others. I think he kept us sheltered, but he must have been in contact with them. He mentioned a colony in Maine where others live. Maybe that’s where we’ll end up.” I began to run my fingers gently over the skin of her upper arm.

  She picked her head up from my chest and laid it down on the pillow facing me. “And we pick up these others on the way? And then what do we do? Fight crime?”

  I laughed as the RV door opened. “Are you two dressed?” Willow demanded.

  “Yes,” we chorused back.

  Willow pushed back our privacy curtain. Miles stood behind her. Olivia yelped and hid her face in my shoulder.

  “Willow’s got news,” Miles said, waving a hand to my sister.

  “There’s a hurricane headed for the Outer Banks. It’s going to increase in strength. It’ll be here in a few days and the island will be evacuated.”

  Olivia groaned and covered her head with blankets. I ran a hand down my face.

  “Of course, there is,” I said, sitting up. “I thought we were supposed to be here for a few weeks.” I looked up at my sister, who leaned against the closet and crossed her arms.

  “I don’t control the weather,” she shrugged.

  I looked to Miles then back at Willow. “Is it a real hurricane or something Miles creates for some reason?” Miles arched a brow at me but said nothing. Slowly, Olivia pulled the quilt down and looked to Miles, our very own Zeus. He held his hands palms out in defense.

  “I don’t see futures,” he said. “Maybe it is something I create for some reason. It would make more sense to just turn on the television and look at the news. If there’s not one forecasted then something else is going to happen in a few days. But if I have to create a hurricane, because of that then we can assume it’s not going to be good and should bug out anyway.”

  Guess Miles was officially on our team.

  Willow looked back to Olivia and I. “I agree.”

  I leaned back on an elbow. “We just got here. This is literally our first night here. A lot has happened.” And I wasn’t just talking about the discovery of Miles.

  Olivia reached out and ran her hand down my forearm. “Let’s be cautious. If it is a hurricane, an island is a pretty stupid place to be if we don’t have to be here. And if we’re going to be evacuated, let’s just get ahead of it. Maybe we can head up to Virginia or Maryland tomorrow and find
someplace to stay there for a little bit. Pennsylvania is next, right?”

  I looked up to Willow. She was the one researching these addresses we were going to. My sister shrugged. “I guess we’ll have to see where they fall on a map. New York is a pretty tall state, but I think the southern border of Pennsylvania will come first, depending on where these addresses are.”

  I waved a hand and fell back next to Olivia, but she sat up instead of burrowing down to me like I thought she would. “Miles, why don’t you stay with us tonight? The couch drops out into a bed. We have sleeping bags. I’m sure you would appreciate the air conditioning.”

  Miles arched a brow. “And you can have me close and keep an eye on me, right?”

  Olivia’s head jerked back in surprise then she tipped it to the right. “Go sleep out in the North Carolina soup, if you prefer. I just thought there was safety in numbers. I understand if you don’t trust us yet, but seeing as you can read the minds of two of us, you might see the offer was genuine.”

  My eyes widened as I watched Livvy sear Miles. She didn’t like confrontations—never had. She liked to blend in and stay quiet. This was a little out of character for her, but then again, these weren’t normal circumstances either. Sitting up, I put my arm around her—a signal to Miles that he’d better watch his next steps.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “You’re right. I don’t trust you yet, and I assume that you don’t trust me either. I do my best to block people’s thoughts when I get to know them.” He paused and looked to Willow. “Except with her. I got adopted by a cat here. I may want to bring him with me if it looks like he’s cool with it. Is anyone allergic?”

  “I would love a pet!” Willow piped up. Neither Olivia nor Willow and I had a pet, though Olivia once had a dog she really loved. I guess a cat would be okay. When we eventually settled somewhere, I did want to get a dog—but a bad ass one like a German Shepherd or a Malinois. Olivia would probably want a Corgi or some little shit.

  “All right.” Miles nodded. “It will only take a few minutes for me to toss all my gear in my Jeep. I’ll drive around. The couch sounds great.”

  “What’s the cat’s name?” Willow asked, as Miles stepped back into the kitchen area of the RV and out of mine and Olivia’s sight.

  “I’ve been calling him Pirate. Blackbeard’s final stand happened here a few centuries ago.”

  No more words were said as Miles left the RV. Willow turned back to us. “Jagger, get out of that bed and come help me get all the laundry. I guess the sheets and blankets will get done at the next stop. You two are gross.”

  Olivia

  In a little town in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania sat a wooded campground that our Pennsylvania license plates were registered to. It was easy to get a campsite with no one else around us, as the campground prided themselves on private sites. Sure, people passed us driving down the gravel road that meandered through the woods—we weren’t in one of the last sites on the road, unfortunately—but nobody seemed to pay attention to us. We decided to park the Jeep along the front of the site along the road. That way, it would be easy to get out when we wanted to and block a lot of the view into our site. We stopped in Delaware to buy what we needed to tow Miles’ car. It was old, so we weren’t sure how it would handle long miles, but at least we could make sure we went easy on the car. Miles still slept in the back of his Jeep, and the cat seemed perfectly at ease under the RV or the Jeep. He never ventured far from us.

  We booked a two-week stay. Willow didn’t see anything coming, so we took a chance. We still had nothing on who might be looking for us. In North Carolina, Willow had a vision about Miles on the very first day there. Then we went ahead and found him, but it all fell into place a little too easy. I doubted that would be the case in Pennsylvania and New York.

  Our faces no longer appeared on the national news. Willow continued to scour the Alpine Valley local news where conspiracy theories ran rampant. The most popular one being that we were trafficked to Mexico by a disgruntled client of Jagger’s father. No one talked about Jagger kidnapping us. Preston DeWinter shot down any idea that we ran away willingly. He told every news media that would listen that his children were happy in their family life and would never have left their parents on their own volition. Technically speaking, Jagger and I didn’t leave willingly. We left because Jeremiah told us we had to go. Willow, however, came entirely on her own.

  There was no mention of my grandfather’s death, and that was what concerned me the most. Wouldn’t that have been a story? Jeremiah Miller died, and his granddaughter was nowhere to be found. Of course, I didn’t want to invite trouble, but I just found it odd. I was listed as missing along with Jagger and Willow, but my grandfather’s death was never mentioned in the news. I was beginning to feel like a puppet on a string.

  The mountains of Pennsylvania were a significantly more pleasant place to be in the summer than North Carolina. The towering trees provided a natural canopy from the sun, and we were surrounded by lush forest. The campground sat on a large reservoir and had a decent sized marina. It was tempting to try to become part of the culture here and go out on the lake to participate in the various activities for the campers, but I had to remind myself we weren’t on vacation. We were on the run, but we still didn’t have a clue from whom and why.

  Miles couldn’t believe the transformations we could make to our faces with makeup. He opted not to go incognito since no one was looking for him, and the campsite reservation was under his name. This took a little bit of the pressure off. Sunglasses and baseball hats didn’t look strange in the camp market as that’s how everyone dressed, so that’s what we went with.

  That, and all the heavy cosmetics were making my skin breakout leaving it looking like a pepperoni pizza and a dermatologist wasn’t really an option right now. We found everything I needed to treat the unsightly acne at our last Walmart stop. Miles also bought an air mattress with sheets and blankets for the back of his car. He kept everything he needed self-contained in his Jeep, and even used the campground’s bathhouse nearby for his personal needs. Despite our similar abilities and the fact that we had been traveling together for five days now, Miles didn’t feel like he belonged yet. I couldn’t blame him. We’d known each other for less than twenty-four hours when we hit the road with him in tow.

  However, he and Willow spent hours talking. Miles was fascinated by the fact he couldn’t read Willow, but we could. Those two were crushing on each other, and it was making Jagger uncomfortable. Since Miles hadn’t tried anything physical with Willow, Jagger was keeping his opinions to himself—as much as one could amongst other telepaths. Willow had turned seventeen. That made things a little better since Miles was only recently eighteen. For the time being, Miles was content to spend time just getting to know Willow. She on the other hand believed herself to be desperately in love.

  I wondered if she saw something in their future that she hadn’t shared with the rest of us. I got my answer one afternoon as the two of us were walking the trails together, exploring our little temporary home. It was nice in this area—certainly more comfortable than the heat and humidity of the south. I was a northern girl. If I ever attempted life as a sweet magnolia, I’d wilt and brown at my edges. Those girls were made of tougher stock than I was.

  The woods were thick, and the tree canopy nearly covered the sky. We saw various deer, birds, squirrels, and evidence of other forest inhabitants along the trail. There were signs posted all over the campground that we were in bear country. So far, we had thankfully only seen them at a distance. They were beautiful, quiet creatures. Willow bought a pair of binoculars on our way here. I enjoyed using them to get an up-close view, but otherwise stayed very far away.

  “What was it like?” Willow asked, as we walked along the trail heading back to our campsite. I was on point and Willow just a few feet behind me.

  “What was what like?” I replied. True, I could have just dipped into her mind to figure out what she was talking abou
t, but I gave her as much privacy as I could. It just wasn’t right to read her thoughts since we were living together. Also, there was the fact that when you did take a cruise around someone’s mind, you didn’t always like what you found.

  “Sex.”

  She must have seen that I was going to stumble in reaction to her answer because as I started to fall forward, she grabbed my sweatshirt from behind and kept me upright.

  “You want to know what sex is like with your brother?” I choked out, turning on the path to face her. I imagined my face looked as astonished as hers did disgusted.

  “No! I’m going to pretend it wasn’t with my brother. I mean, did it hurt? Was it awkward? Did you like it?”

  When we started walking again, it was side by side. “Are you thinking about having sex with Miles? I mean, you two only just met.”

  “I know I’m going to have sex with Miles one day,” she said. “Not that I’ve told him that. But I don’t think it’s going to be for a while yet. I’m just curious. Girls at school talked ... but I trust you. It’s like we’re sisters now.”

  I was touched by what she said and kept my face looking forward so she couldn’t see the tears forming in my eyes at her comment. My grandfather had been my only family after my parents died and the thought of a sister felt nice.

  “It did hurt,” I admitted. “But I can also heal myself pretty quick, so it didn’t hurt for long. And it felt ... well, I never felt anything like it. I don’t even know what to compare it to or how to describe it. I think it helped a lot that Jagger and I love each other ... and can communicate the way we do, you know? And yeah, there were times I wanted to die of embarrassment, but it wasn’t like he was Mr. Smooth and so experienced either. We just laughed at ourselves. You and Miles are getting kind of close, huh?”

  She shrugged, looking ahead. It seemed we were both more comfortable having this conversation without making eye contact. “It seems like it. He’s careful not to touch me, so I’m sure Jagger is slinging nasty thoughts at him.”