Balancer's Soul

by H. Lee Morgan, Jr

Man and Woman

  “Good, let’s finally become one!” rang over and over in his head. Sarah stood up from her chair and her hair billowed out as she rounded the table to take his hand. Connor couldn’t believe how red her complexion had become. She took him as far as the bathroom and pointed at their bedroom. “I need to prepare myself. Wait in there for me.”

  She walked in and shut the bathroom door quickly.

  Connor followed her order and walked in the bedroom. His heart started racing in anticipation and anxiety because he began to fully grasp the situation and wondering just exactly what needed to be done to become a Balancer because it was simple to deduce that there’s more to it than simply becoming one body. As he entered the room he heard the shower start. Taking off all of his clothes, and putting them in the hamper, he glimpsed at himself and felt a moment of hesitation. He wasn’t a small man in any aspect, but Sarah might have complications linking herself with him and hoped she’d be alright. All that he wore now was the armlet and it help ease the thoughts of hurting her. She knew what she had to do and his attributes must have been accepted if she wanted to go through with this. She had seen him fully in the shower once before. Connor lifted the bed sheet and slid between them. As he heard the shower running, his mind raced.

  “I can’t believe my day. Waking up with a beautiful woman, having a little bit of fun expressing myself, making everyone gasp at I revealed my chest to everyone and throwing all of my enemies in the mud. That was the most fun I’ve had in my entire schooling career. Now I am home waiting to wait for my one purpose for living. I wonder what the full ritual consists of, but I hope that I don’t hurt her... What’s going to happen when we become mates? What will we be capable of?” On and on his mind went until the shower eventually stopped running.

  Ten minutes later Sarah entered their room wearing a light green bath robe. She walked slowly around the bed and her face remained flushed not only from the hot shower, but also from her shy nature and what she committed herself to doing. She slid between the sheets and then took off her robe. All Connor could be capable of viewing was her slightly moist hair as she scuttled under the sheets. She slid closer until both of their naked bodies touched.

  She felt so soft and warm from the shower that he almost lost track of who he was. Sarah looked up at him with her long, damp hair trailing behind on the bed. “Connor, I love you. Are you ready to become one with me?”

  He looked down at her and said from the core of his very being “Sarah, I love you as well. Yes I am ready. Is there something I need to do?”

  “No, I have to do this. Just try and stay relaxed.” “Yeah like I can relax now!”

  Sarah pushed herself off the bed to sit up. The cover’s slid down and for the second time he viewed her delicate perfection, only this time outside the shower and he was capable of using all his faculties and didn’t feel drained. Now that Connor wasn’t almost incapacitated from utter exhaustion, she looked even more exquisite than she looked before in his hazy memory. She then pushed the sheet off his chest and she stared into his longing eyes for a moment.

  Sarah then propped herself on her knees and straddled his middle. Her long, thick hair draped over her shoulders, covering her beaded breasts. She then smiled in complete happiness and arousal before she leaned down and kissed him tenderly. Connor’s body reacted to it and as she removed her lips from his, the look in her eyes said it was time. She lifted herself up and tried to ease herself down, finding it difficult to become one. With a little coaxing she found a way, wincing from the pleasure-pain as their bodies finally connected into one being. She let out a moan of pain and she accidently scratched his ribs simultaneously. A slight mist of tears filled her eyes, but she didn’t stop. This is what they both wanted.

  As she made love to him, Connor began to notice that her fair skin started to have a faint glow. “Wait she’s glowing…?” And yes the longer they were connected together her body continued to glow brighter and brighter. Over the next few minutes a crackling and hissing sound continued getting louder in the room. It reminded him of electricity crackling the air, zapping to release the energy and then came the smell of ionized air that saturated the room. He knew the smell of ozone. Her body kept becoming brighter and her hands started to glow even more brilliant than the rest of her body. It was almost like suddenly staring directly at a 250watt light bulb after your eyes had been adjusted to the darkest of nights. Her body shook with tremors of pleasure as she came closer to achieving what she needed to do.

  What she did next he will never forget for the rest of his life.

  “Connor, this is the contract ceremony of the Balancers. This contract is known as Balancer’s Soul.” She said in a breathless voice of exhausted passion and need as her chest heaved from the exercise and the sensations they shared. She then closed her glowing bright eyes, slowly.

  Sarah’s right hand moved to rest over her exposed left breast, directly over her heart. With the bright and glowing hand, she pushed in slowly. Her hand literally went into and through her breast like nothing solid occupied the space to halt her palm’s advance. The palm of her hand completely immersed itself in her chest. Her body had somehow became almost intangible, but he could still feel that they were connected and somehow separate. It looked like she was digging for something within herself, around the area of her heart. Her arm flexed moments later and she pulled something out.

  It was glowing the same color as her eyes. An almost translucent and iridescent orb with of pulsing rays of emerald green light rested in her delicate right hand. It spiraled and rotated in her hand like it had a life of its own. It was, without a doubt her life-force. It was the size of a baseball and she held it with both reverence and joy. Her eyes gazed upon the orb longingly, like she has always wanted to see it. Connor felt the heat that radiated from it upon his very skin. It felt like a warm sun in the spring time. He could feel the love and purity of her spirit coming from the object that she pulled from within.

  Sarah looked down at him with glowing eyes that said ‘It’s your turn.’

  She rested her glowing and empty left hand upon his chest, over his own heart. Connor felt the energy in the palm of her hand soaking through his skin and into his body, wanting access. He didn’t move, knowing that whatever she was doing was important and could not be altered. “I trust you.” Not a moment later after that thought, Connor felt her hand push through her chest. There wasn’t any sense of pain, but it was not a comfortable feeling either. A strange pressure weighed heavily in the chest cavity from the added mass of her hand. Connor felt her finger’s moving inside his chest until she wrapped her fingers around something inside of his. She found what she was searching for. Something that he never knew existed in the first place, but there nonetheless. She had a firm grip on it and pulled it gently out of his chest.

  As Connor looked down he saw another orb of pulsating energy, his. The only difference were in the colors. Blue and brown lights mixed together as it swirled. The orb’s color was a pulsating and warm hazel.

  Sarah held each of the glowing orbs in her hands and looked at them with a loving, tender smile. She held both of her hands straight out in front of her and she slowly merged the individual orbs together. As they touched, electricity and plasma struck between and out of the two orbs. One strike of the horde of electrical arcs went through his sternum and the weird thing was, it didn’t hurt at all. There wasn’t a mark from the strike, no pain, nothing… As Sarah pushed the orbs into one, her body stopped glowing instantly. It was like turning off a light switch. The only light that still shone in the room emanated from the now much larger single orb that looked to be slowly fading away. It shone with a mix of green and hazel colors and it had grown into the size of a basketball. As it rotated above his body it looked to be dissipating and disappearing, but he noticed tiny particles flowing into both Sarah’s and his own body. The massive orb began dissolving and covering and encasing their entire bodies until Connor could feel more energy flowi
ng into himself, and he was sure that Sarah felt it too. As the last of the orb disappeared the encasing cocoon of energy had saturated into their bodies.

  Sarah still sat on top and linked as she breathlessly said “Connor, we are now true mates.” She looked exhausted from the intense experience and she most undoubtedly was. She started to fall backwards from where she sat and he caught her before she fell. Connor turned and laid her next to him and through half opened eyes she asked “Connor, I am tired. Could you please bring me some food?”

  “Of course… With whatever you did, it sure looked like it took its toll.” he kissed her cheek and ran into the kitchen feeling nearly weightless. Connor had an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach that she wanted something with sugar. “How in the world do I know that she needs sugar? Wait…”

  Connor closed his eyes and focused on that strange sensation in the pit of his stomach and could feel exactly where she stayed and how far away she was. “So this must be the feeling of knowing where your mate is at all times.” Connor wasn’t too hungry since she did all the work and grabbed a bottle of soda from the fridge and some cereal for her.

  He ran back in the room and saw Sarah try and sit up. “Princess, let me help you do that.” Her legs were and muscles were exhausted. He slipped back into bed and handed her the two items. Connor was able to sit her up between his legs and laid her back against his chest. She started with the soft drink first and almost drank the entire bottle before she took a breath. He had to stop her from eating the cereal just yet. “Sarah, let your stomach settle first or you will not be able to keep anything down. I don’t want you to get sick.” Then she softly burped from the excess carbonation.

  “What did you have planned while we wait?” She leaned her head back onto his chest. “Ravishing me this time?” She sounded a little livelier after drinking so much. She sighed in blissful contentment as she crossed her ankles on the bed. He then caught her smile as she gazed at her silver anklet.

  “For one thing, what were those orbs?” Connor asked quietly in her ear.

  She giggled playfully. “They weren’t orbs, silly, those were actually the physical representation of our souls! I had to collect our essence into the spheres before I could extract them. Our hearts are the only place to gather and sustain the energy until I was able to pull out both of our souls…”

  “Our Souls?” he sounded even more confused because he truly was.

  “Yes, our souls.” She snuggled into his chest a little more. “Being a female Balancer I only had, in the simplest terms, half of a soul. You have heard of the saying ‘Searching for your other half.’ Haven’t you?”

  “Of course I have.” And she continues saying calmly “Well it is a saying that originated from an unmated Balancer searching for their partner, like I was.” She looked up at him and smiled brightly. “Having a half soul is like you growing up without the use your right arm. You can survive, but you still feel like you’re missing something important. Now I can use the once dead limb.

  “I took my soul and your soul and put them together. Now we are in the truest sense Soul Mates. And we will be that way forever.”

  Another question came out of nowhere, but he was the one to ask. “What about the colors? They were the same color as our…”

  “Eyes.” She interrupted his rambling. “Ever heard the expression; The eyes are the gateway to the soul?” She pointed to her exposed chest. “That also came from Balancers as well. Our souls are always the exact same color as our eyes.” She looked at the cereal box hungrily. “May I eat now?” She pleaded and Connor gave in.

  “Yes, but eat slowly.” He cautioned and she took the advice and ate. As she ate Connor wondered what was going through her mind and suddenly a weird sensation on his forehead gave a gentle tug. It felt like his mind began reaching outside his skull as if it weren’t there blocking the way anymore. “… so very amazing. I thought I wouldn’t be able to make him fit, but I did! Damn it still hurts, but felt so good. Now we are together, forever… Mother didn’t tell me how much energy was to be expended, but at least I didn’t get a headache…”

  “I’m glad.”

  “You’re glad about what? Finally being together with me?” She giggled innocently and she rubbed his thigh.

  “No silly. That you didn’t get a headache.” And she went completely rigid.

  “What did you say?” She turned slowly with shocked eyes. She soon had the covers wrapped around her torso and a handful of cereal clutched in one hand.

  “You were the one who said that ‘at least I didn’t get a headache.’.” Connor looked at her confused. “You were the one to say it.”

  Her eyes went wide as she said seriously “No I didn’t. I thought it.” Her face began to turn white.

  “Really? Try thinking some more.” He closed his eyes and had the same sensation on his forehead. “There is no way he could hear my thoughts. It’s not possible for mates to read each other’s mind!” he opened his eyes to say “Well it is possible, in our case.” Connor tilted his head curiously and asked playfully “Princess, see if you’re able to read my mind now?”

  This was so strange for the both of them.

  She looked at him like he’d lost his mind, which he might have. She closed her eyes and Connor felt her reaching for his mind, but it was no longer uncomfortable. Something had changed somewhere deep within him, but he felt physically fine if not better. “Sarah? Can you hear me? If you can, I love you with all that I am!”

  Her eyes shot open and he knew that she heard his thoughts. “I love you with all that I am too.” Her eyes started to water almost happily. He wondered if she had always wanted to be in his mind. “How is this possible?” She asked.

  “I have no idea!” he became excited from these new, manifesting gifts. “Let’s test it out real quick. Let’s have a mental conversation together.” Connor smiled and she did as well, but her eyes looked a little unsure. Sarah eventually closed her eyes as he did.

  “Connor, are you there?” Sarah started their first mental conversation.

  “Yes.” He opened his eyes yet hers remained closed. “How do you feel?”

  “I do not have any idea how this is possible. This is supposed to be unattainable for mates. We are doing the impossible! I’ve never heard of mates ever being able to speak in this manner.”

  “You seem very afraid.” Connor could feel her fear in the pit of his gut.

  “I’m just so…confused, you could say. Connor, putting aside that we can communicate telepathically, you shouldn’t be able to read another’s mind yet!”

  “Why not? After you fused our souls together, I became a male Balancer, right?” She finally opened her emerald eyes, slowly.

  “Connor, that’s exactly my point. You have only recently become a male Balancer. It’s only been a handful of minutes.” She started speaking aloud and she shook her head. “It takes at least a year for your body to evolve completely. Do you remember when you asked about the differences between Balancers and humans? I told you that it will take a year for your mind to grow.”

  “Of course I remember. And during the course of the year I will slowly lose all of my hair from the neck down.” She smacked his arm because he was playing around and not taking her words seriously.

  All of these new experiences were so exciting that it made him uninhibited.

  “I’m serious, Connor!” And she now looked it too. Connor told her to go on and she did. “Connor, do you feel like anything has changed within you?” Her eyes showed love yet her expression revealed total confusion.

  “Only a few things.” And that was the truth.

  “Explain then to me as clearly as you can.”

  Taking a deep breath he began to tell her of his changes. “When I left you to get some food I had this new feeling in the pit of my stomach. When I focused on it, I knew exactly where you were, knew that you craved sugar and I even felt your exhaustion as if it were my own.” Her expressions went from confusion to as
tonishment to something in between.

  “Connor, that feeling is known as The Bond. You shouldn’t completely feel that for several more years.”

  “I have a question. Why and how did I know you craved sugar?” He skipped to another subject and it confused her for a few moments.

  “We need fuel to use utilize our abilities. We can never overeat, being a Balancer and all. Our bodies absorb almost all of our food and turn it into straight energy for our abilities. At least you will never get fat, no matter how much you can possibly consume.”

  “That’s a handy ability to have.” He came back to her last statement with another question. “If I can feel the Bond, can you feel the bond to me? Within yourself I mean…”

  “I don’t really know.” She looked lost in her thoughts.

  “Maybe I can help.” And she asked “How?” Connor walked to his dresser and put on a pair of shorts. He turned around to see her standing a few feet behind him, covering her nakedness by the brown bed sheet. He taped his temple. “Sarah, are you listening to me in here?”

  “Yes, what are you up to?” Her green eyes searched his.

  “Close your eyes and focus on the center of your stomach. It feels like a rope tugging at your gut. I am going to go hide, when I say “Now!” I want you to follow that pull in your stomach and search me out.” She nodded and walked over to her dresser to put on a t-shirt and shorts. Connor snuck out silently while her back was turned. He left the inside of the house and heard her quiet and dazed thoughts as she put on some clothes. The outside of their property had sunk and completely immersed itself in darkness. Apparently their ritual had taken over six blissful hours to complete. He found an ideal location and hid on the other side of the stream, being completely hidden by the rotating waterwheel. Another bonus was that the sounds of the waterwheel covered any sounds he might make. “Now!” Connor knew that she heard because he could now tell she started moving thanks to the bond that connected them. She ran outside the front door and walked around the water wheel.

  “Found you, my knight.” Connor stood up and gave her a hug. She looked up at him to ask “Connor, what if I did something wrong when we…? How are we so different from any Balancer couple I’ve ever met? What are we going to do?”

  “Sarah, relax. I haven’t any ideas because I am still so new to all of this. But there are some things I would like to test.”

  “What do you have in mind my mate?” She finally started calming down.

  “First let’s go back inside the house.” They came back inside and sat at the dinner table, looking at each other. He asked “First things first. How do you speak into another’s mind?”

  “You mean pushing your thoughts out so that another person can hear you?” He nodded. “The way I do it is by focusing my eyes into theirs. I then think about listening to what they are thinking. It’s more difficult to push your thoughts into another unlike listening, but now that we’ve mated it feels effortless…”

  Connor looked into his mate’s eyes and felt his mind enter hers. His mind now felt like he was floating on the surface of a massive lake. He was both physically inside his mind yet strangely corporeal outside. Then when he touched her loving mind it felt as natural as breathing. “Sarah, can you hear me?”

  “Yes!” She smiled weakly, but she wasn’t as worried as she has been.

  “Can you feel me in your mind? Like how I had that ability before…” Her eyes shut as she caught his train of thought.

  “This is very odd. I have never felt anyone in my mind before… this sensation is peculiar… Why am I able to feel this now?”

  “I think that when we became one, some of me went into you.”

  “I think that you are right. I have a question? How were you able to keep any secrets in your head when my parents went probing?”

  “I pictured your eyes in my mind. If I did that then maybe if you focus on something, I won’t be able to read your mind. Try my method yourself.” She opened her eyes and he still watched her. Connor felt something change in her mind, a deep shift. Her thoughts became a buzzing sound like a swarm of mosquitoes by your ear. All he was able to see in her mind was a black X.

  “Did you hear what I said?” He shook his head and she said “I said that I have never felt so happy and exhilarated in my life… Whatever happens I am glad we chose each other.”

  “I will never let anything happen.” Connor vowed, stood up and walked around the table. He slipped his hands under her legs and picked her up. She went willingly by wrapping her arms around his neck, staring at him like in a euphoric dream. He walked her into their room and gently sat her on the bed.

  “What are we doing back in here?” She had a twinkle of mischief dancing in her eyes.

  “We are not doing that again tonight. You need to get some rest after this ordeal, we both do. I read your mind and I know you’re sore. Plus I’m not convinced you’re able to physically able to undertake another session. First, I will make us some dinner.” She reached over and pulled down his head and his lips were met by her passionate kiss.

  When Connor returned with dinner, Sarah sat on the bed with her legs crossed. “I have an idea. We need to visit my parents early tomorrow morning.”

  He sat the food in front of her. Pushing out with his mind he said “I agree, maybe they might know something about what’s caused our differences from the rest of our kind.”

  She laughed “You are right. It is our kind now isn’t it? Maybe they might be able to help our predicament. Put our minds at ease.”

  Early the next morning they left the house just as the first rays of the sun warmed the sky. As they passed into the forest Sarah said “Connor, I feel really different today.”

  What seemed strange was that she wasn’t the only one.

  “As do I.” It was the truth. Connor felt not only a new inner strength, but also felt lighter than normal. “I feel good. Like I can run faster than ever before.”

  “Give it a try.” She edged him on. Sarah crouched down into a racing position. She looked up at him and mentally shouted “GO!” She took off at an unbelievable pace. She was like a drag racer dropping his foot hard on the accelerator.

  Connor started to run after her when he suddenly noticed everything in his field of vision in a new light. He knew his legs were pumping far faster than should be humanly possible, but this speed alone was nothing compared to the new experience of perception. The shocking thing about the run came from the scenery. Connor unbelievingly saw everything like it was all captured on slow motion cameras. He effortlessly missed every branch, leaf, rock and twig without so much as trying, during the exciting run. Looking around as he ran, he noticed that everything didn’t actually slow down. It was his mind and body that sped up to a new state. He felt unbound. Free. Connor caught Sarah’s arm just before she broke the tree line of her parent’s property.

  Not feeling any fatigue whatsoever from the exercise he calmly told her “Sarah, we have something new to add to our list of oddities.”

  “Like?” he released her arm as she smiled.

  “Did you notice how fast we just ran?” He shifted his weight to the left foot.

  “Not really why? I just felt like running. It was positively exhilarating.”

  “We just ran a fifteen minute walk from our home to here in sixty five seconds.” He lean down and thought in her mind “Not only that, but as I ran faster everything slowed down dramatically. I think that my mind has gotten much faster and was able to process more detailed information.”

  As he heard her contemplating back to her superhuman run, she looked back up into his guarded eyes. “I agree. It’s like we are both evolving so to speak.”

  They walked slowly with their hands entwined up to Jack’s home.

  They knocked on the door together.

  A few minutes later Jillian opened the door wearing a blood red silk robe. “What are you two doing here so early?” She yawned and rubbed the back of her neck. Her eyes shifted to Sara
h while twinkling provocatively. “Did you two go through with the ritual?”

  “Yes Mother, b…” Jillian suddenly opened her arms and hugged the two of them at the same time.

  “Finally my daughter is whole and I have a new son-in-law to annoy! Welcome to the family, Connor.” She now sounded fully awake and filled with cheer.

  When she let go and looked at the two of them Connor changed her happiness into shock. “Jillian, listen to me. Something is different about the two of us after the contract was completed last night.”

  Her eyes went wide and her voice shook in disbelief after realizing his lips didn’t move. “Yyy… you shouldn’t be able to do that yet!” She looked down to Sarah. “Did something go wrong?”

  “Not that I knew of.” Sarah replied while looking shyly at the ground.

  “Jillian, that isn’t the only thing, we need you to wake up Jack. We need to speak to the two of you.” She nodded and ran back in the house quickly.

  Sarah and Connor walked inside and sat down on the sofa together. Connor heard Jillian in their room. “Jack, you need to wake up; like right this instant. Jack! Wake up!” he then heard him say “What’s the problem?” She said in her shaky voice “Sarah and Connor went through with the ritual and something is very different with them.” Connor heard Jack land on the floor with a heavy thud. He must have jumped out of the bed. Then he heard them walk quickly down the hallway with a seriousness in the walk.

  As Jack rounded the corner, he stood shirtless and reveled that his muscles were more developed than Connor previously knew. This man was indeed a powerful force to look upon. All he wore were blue shorts, but everything about him screamed Viking. He sounded worried when he asked “What is the problem?”

  Connor looked at his new mate and said telepathically “I think first I should show him my speed and prove that this isn’t a hoax.”

  “I think we should both do it together.” Jillian now stood beside Jack eyeing the two of them suspiciously.

  Sarah and Connor used their newfound speed to stand up and run to them. Connor stopped one inch from into Jack and Sarah did the same to her mother. Both of their eyes went wide. They stepped back involuntarily, recoiling from their simple demonstration. Jack addressed the two of them, but looked at Connor “How could you two move so fast? It has only been one day.”

  Connor entered his mind and said “That isn’t the only things that is weird about us. We were hoping that you might know what makes the two of us different.”

  “I’m not sure I follow, what else is different with the two of you.” Jack thought back. Surprisingly Connor knew the touch came from his father-in-law’s mind, but it no longer hurt to have him inside his head. It was like feeling a subtle breeze rather than a jackhammer.

  Sarah cut in on their conversation. “Father, not only are we fast and can read minds now, but we both feel a bond to each other. The biggest concern we have is that we can talk to each other with our minds even though we are mated.”

  Both Jillian and Jacks jaw dropped. After a minute of mental silence Jillian asked Connor telepathically “The two of you can actually read each other’s minds?”

  “Yes Jillian, watch.” he look down to Sarah’s achingly mesmerizing green eyes. “Sarah? How about we let them show them how we used our bond yesterday?”

  “What do you have in mind?”

  He looked back at her parents reeling in utter disbelief because he could feel them listening in on their personal conversation simultaneously. “How about this, since you two know that your bond works, you can split up and shadow us. Jillian you and Sarah leave right now and run as fast as you can and stop in twenty minutes. I will find you by using my bond to Sarah only. To make it more difficult do your best to hide your trail. After twenty minutes, I will follow and Jack will shadow me to know that I’m not cheating by following your trail. Also we will not talk to each other in any way.” He looked down at Sarah. “The sooner we figure these things out the sooner we can know why we are different.”

  Sarah nodded, walked up to her still frozen mother and pulled her into a run out the door; red robe and all. Connor knew Sarah was running away because he could feel the pull in his gut that she’s connected to.

  Connor turned to the last person in the room to say “Jack, get something to eat. You’re beginning to look a little sick.” He made himself a small breakfast of toast and coffee.

  They waited in silence for nineteen minutes.

  Connor had another idea and pulled a towel that came from their bathroom and held it out to Jack. “Will you please blindfold my eyes so that you know that I’m not tracking them by following a trail?” After the blindfold had been secured over his eyes Connor started walking. He clearly remembered the layout of Jack’s house so he walked casually out the front door without stubbing a toe. Focusing on that feeling inside that proved that their bond lived Connor felt the exact direction she waited at and her mood. She wasn’t scared anymore, Sarah actually felt jubilant.

  “Jack, before we go; will you warn me if I might run headfirst into a tree?” He smiled out in the darkness of the towel.

  “I will tell you if you do.” Jack’s voice became guarded and Connor knew he was standing behind, about four yards away and still reading his mind.

  Connor took off in her direction as fast as he could with his newfound speed, but slowed down to stay safe. Jack’s footfalls were close by, only two yards behind, but it gave away his position. It proved that he has inhuman speed as well. Connor put his mind back on the task at hand.

  Soon he knew Sarah stood just three hundred feet ahead. Connor stopped sprinting and started walking. He heard Jack slow and start walking beside him. “Connor, I honestly haven’t a single clue as to what’s going on between the two of you, but there is a test that I need to give you and Sarah anyways. Hopefully it will shed some light on this predicament.”

  “I’m up for anything.” Then they heard Jillian’s voice.

  “Jack, how did it go on your end?” She sounded hopeful. Connor felt him take off the blindfold and it took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the morning sunlight. “He didn’t cheat at all. He ran here completely blindfolded while I scanned his mind for any falsehoods.”

  She let out a relieved sigh. “It was the same with Sarah. I monitored her mind and she didn’t even attempt to contact him the first time.”

  “Welcome back. Did you have any trouble finding your mate?” Sarah stepped around a tree, smiling directly at him.

  “It wasn’t too bad. I only had to be told sixteen times ‘Tree!’” and Sarah laughed.

  She walked up to her father “Only sixteen? Father why didn’t you let him run into at least one?” she was being playful this morning. He’s never seen her interact with anyone like she currently did now. Connor smiled, knowing she had finally peeked out of her shell for the first time and this is the result.

  “I wanted to, but you would have been angry if he was injured.” Jack stated with a smile.

  “Only just a little bit.” She held up her index finger and thumb to illustrate the extent. It wasn’t much.

  Everyone started laughing for no reason. Jillian looked at him “Connor, will you tell us about the lifelong contract you two preformed? What happened exactly?” He told Jillian almost everything about yesterday. “She glowed… She reached into both of our chests… was green and mine was a hazel color… she put them together… Electricity shot through me… Being encased while the one big orb dissolved…” and so on.

  “Well Sarah, I knew that you would do everything right!” She sounded smug and pat Sarah’s back as we walked back to their house. “I have an idea about the situation, but nothing like this has happened in our histories, as far as I know.”

  “What’s your theory, My Love?” Jack asked and they all listened.

  “Sarah did everything exactly right, She romped him on top so she had room to move freely, just like I did to you seven centuries ago. While we waited, she showed me mental
ly every aspect of her first romp. From Connor’s words, she didn’t imagine any of what I saw. But we never thought to take into consideration our new son-in-law.” And everyone stopped to look at him.

  “That makes sense.” Jack tilted his head.

  “What did I do wrong?” Connor sounded worried, but only for Sarah’s sake. The last thing he ever wanted was to place Sarah in an unfavorable predicament.

  “Nothing you did was wrong, Child. You let her take the lead in your first mating.” Jillian started. “We simply forgot to factor in how strong you were before even becoming a Balancer. Your talents were well beyond most others your age, even for a human. Also how strong and guarded your mind was as well.”

  “Mother, what does that have to do with us?” Sarah pleaded for an answer.

  “Everything.” She looked back at Connor. “Our abilities work with three things. (A) Physical strength. (B) Mental strength and knowledge. (C) Instinct.” She took a deep breath. “Connor, your body was already extremely powerful. When you fused your souls into one, the power didn’t need to strengthen your core. It had no use to build your frame anymore so it increased your energy reserves. And it made your bonds come into being, far sooner than usual.

  “Your mind was very developed as it was. It took a lot of power to block your thoughts from us, especially just as a human. The energy didn’t need to develop your brain much so it made you have the ability to read minds and think faster so much earlier. Yet I haven’t a clue as to why you two can read each other’s mind so don’t ask me that. That much I envy.

  “The energy given off from the soul’s fusion first enhances your body, then your mind, and finally the instinct. When we use our abilities, they are governed by all three working together in unison. Being an outdoorsman your instinct was honed to a fine point, like a predator. Humans have very little instinct these days, but you, Connor, are a natural.

  “Humans used to call us witches, wizards, demons, conjurers, devils and so on. The books have it wrong though, there are no words, spells or sayings that allow us to do the things we can do. Not even emotions affects how our powers work.” She looked at Jack for a second opinion. He nodded in agreement.

  “Well what about me? How am I so much faster and stronger now?” Sarah asked her mother calmly.

  “That might be easier to explain. It’s because your mate is so strong himself.” Jillian looked at him again with warm eyes. “You’re a Balancer. Strength is shared. I do not believe there is anything to worry about.” She turned to Jack. “I believe we should do those tests on them.”

  “What kind of tests?” Connor asked Jack.

  As they continued walking back he said “We need to do an affinity test!”