by Dawn Jansen
“You have two seconds to get your hands off of him and beat it,” Paul commands, his voice booming like thunder.
The Arm and Vector stare at each other for two seconds before letting go of Tristan and running toward the exit. Damion shoves Melody away and the three of them book it, leaving MacCready, who I’m not sure is dead or unconscious, on his own with us.
“Paul!” I effuse, wrapping my arms around him. He pulls me in close with his one arm. “How did you know we were down here?”
“I don’t know,” he says, wiping away one of my tears of relief and happiness that’s rolled down my cheek. “Ever since this afternoon, I’ve felt different. I could hear you calling just now... I knew I had to come.”
Despite everything that’s just happened, I’m overcome by an inexplicable happiness. It was so difficult to see Paul acting like a walking zombie these past few weeks, so dull and dejected. Even though he was afraid, our interaction in the library must have awoken something inside of him—something that’s allowed him to tap into his power again. I can feel it now too; we’re connected, bonded. I get up on my tiptoes and plant a deep kiss on Paul’s lips. He pulls me closer into his body and returns my kiss.
“Ahem,” Tristan clears his throat, getting our attention. “Now may not be the best time for that. This place is gonna be swarming with guards any minute, and I can only take Mazzy into the shadow realm with me. You guys better get a move on,” he says to Paul and Tristan.
“He’s right,” Paul says. “Go with Tristan,” he says to me.
Tristan holds out his hand. I run over and take it.
“What about them?” Damion says, nodding to MacCready and Gate. Gate hasn’t moved since he got hit by the pillar, and the large pool of blood under him now is thick and dark.
“Fuck,” Tristan says, looking at Gate and shaking his head. I know the two of them were pretty close.
“Leave them,” Paul says decisively. “It’ll look like they had a fight. If MacCready ever wakes up, it’ll be on him to explain what happened.”
“We better jet,” says Damion.
Paul nods, but then he looks at me. He seems somewhat reluctant to leave.
“I’ll be fine,” I say, giving him a reassuring smile.
He returns my smile and then heads to the exit with Damion.
“Hey, Paul,” says Tristan.
Paul turns around. I can see now why the other students idolized him so much before the incident. He’s standing there like a statue of a Greek god, waiting for Tristan to speak.
“Good to have you back,” Tristan says.
With that, Paul nods and joins Damion in getting the hell out of here.
I take Tristan’s other hand. He’s beat up pretty bad, with a busted lip and a black eye that’s already starting to form, but I doubt I look much better.
We look into each other’s eyes, and what amazes me is that neither of us need to say anything. I know exactly what he’s feeling—the relief, the fear, the excitement, the grief—and I know he can feel my emotions too. I realize that I’ve never had this type of bond with somebody before in my life. It feels like a comforting glow that warms my soul.
Tristan gives my hands a squeeze. “Shall we?”
Chapter 16
Mazzy
I’m at my third evaluation with the Architect since I started at the Academy.
She looks like she just got through a four-night bender, but I imagine it’s the result of a marathon session of research and tinkering, not partying and booze. Such is life as one of the smartest engineers in the world.
“Mazzy Martins,” she says idly, flipping through a stack of papers on her predictably messy desk. “You’ve had quite the few weeks at the Academy, haven’t you?”
“Mhmm,” I reply. I’ve grown a ton since I came here, but I still haven’t changed my habit of being reticent around authority figures—especially ones that can decide your fate with the snap of a finger.
“Your name was brought up a lot during the investigation about what happened inside Epsilon, but Mr. Ward cleared you...”
It’s true. MacCready fell into a coma as a result of the wicked punch Paul gave him, but—as luck would have it—during the few times he came out of his coma, my name was the only thing he would say before slipping back into unconsciousness. I guess it makes sense, since I was the last thing he saw before Paul absolutely rocked him. Fortunately for me, however, Mr. Ward really wants to get into my pants, so when they had him psychically analyze my mind as part of the investigation, he lied and told them I had nothing to do with the incident.
“Well, whether or not that’s true,” the Architect says, throwing the papers to the side, “it’s not important. A little competition between students is a good thing.”
I give a nervous chuckle, unsure of what to say. Part of me is pretty sure the Academy knows what happened. After all, they keep constant tabs on us, even going so far as to know who we’re sleeping with.
“Let’s see,” she continues, opening up another folder. “You’ve done well with your interpersonal relationships. Tristan Silva and...” she flips to another page, “Paul Novak.”
I don’t think I’ll ever get over how weird it is that they treat our relationships like some kind of benchmark to be judged by here.
“And yet there’s still the issue with your amnesia that Mr. Ward was unable to resolve.”
I’m surprised she doesn’t know about me and Damion, given how closely they watch us, but I’m not about to tell her. It’s rare I get to keep a secret from the all-seeing sunglasses of the Architect.
“Ah, yes,” she says, moving her attention over to her computer. “Your studies are going to change a bit from now on—we’ve figured out where you’ll be placed in the EMP Regiment after you graduate.”
“Really?” I ask, perking up in my chair. This is something I’ve wondered about for a while. After you graduate, they place you within a certain branch of the EMP Regiment based on your power and aptitudes. Some EMPs get placed in non-combat positions, where they perform espionage and gather intel, while others are more active in the military, where they take on any number of roles.
“Yes,” the Architect says. “In light of your powers, as well as your performance in certain classes, we’ve decided to place you in the Phoenix Program.”
“Which is...?”
“Targeted eliminations.”
“Whoa. Like, assassinations?”
“The government prefers the term ‘targeted eliminations’ in a military context, but yes, Ms. Martins, the Phoenix Program is in charge of assassinations all around the world. It’s a highly sought-after position.”
She says that as though I should be proud, but I’m actually horrified. Despite all the shit I’ve been through, Gate was the only person I’ve ever seen die in real life, and it was gruesome and terrible. Tristan and Paul have had to comfort me often because of it, and I’m just now only starting to believe that it wasn’t my fault. So, the government wants me to become a full-time killer now?
“That means your training simulations in Test Chamber Delta will become more intense. And you’re not far off from the Test now.”
“When will I take it?” I ask.
“When you’re ready. And you should have a good idea of who you’ll be taking the Test with, so prepare accordingly. Now then, Mr. Martins,” she says, moving a bunch of papers to the other side of her desk, “if there isn’t anything else, I have some work I need to get to.”
━━━━━ ▣ ━━━━━
“Phoenix Program? Nice, Mazzy. That’s like top of the food chain in the EMPs,” Paul says. It’s a quiet September evening and we’re at the lake where Tristan first took me into the shadow realm. Paul and I are the only ones here though now, floating on a little canoe that’s usually resting on the southern bank.
“‘Nice’? How could you say that?” I ask. I’m resting on Paul’s lap with his strong arm wrapped around me. Aside from the occasional ripple in
the water, the only other sounds are a few frogs and crickets. “They’re killers, Paul. Do you know how many shady assassinations the government orchestrates all around the world? I don’t want that blood on my hands.”
“Well, yeah, but... I’m probably gonna be assigned to Phoenix Program too. So at least we’ll be together.”
I can’t help but smile. “I never would have thought I’d hear you talking about your future so optimistically, Paul.”
“That makes two of us,” he says with a sigh, and though I’m looking up at the stars, I can hear the smile in his voice. “Everything’s changed since meeting you, Mazzy. I tried resisting it at first, tried running from you, but that was impossible.”
I curl up into his lap and accidentally bump into his little friend, who’s already standing at attention in Paul’s pants. Ever since Paul saved me that night, we’ve taken our relationship to the next level. Unfortunately, my unresolved condition means we still can’t have sex, but we have gotten very intimate. And while Tristan is definitely a stud, Paul is on a whole other level. It makes sense, given that his power makes him physically enhanced in every way possible, but sometimes I find it hard to keep pace with him. Still, I love how sexy he makes me feel in that way.
“Besides,” Paul adds, “There’s no doubt Tristan will be put in Phoenix Program too.”
Whoa. That’s the first time either Paul or Tristan has brought the other one up around me. I sit up and look back at Paul, tilting my head.
“Come on,” Paul chuckles. “I know you don’t need protecting, but it puts me at ease knowing there’s somebody else who has your back. And...”
Paul trails off. He seems unable to find the right words. “And...?” I say, urging him to finish his thought.
“And I know he loves you too,” Paul finally says. “I get jealous, but it’s true. And I don’t want to take that away from you.”
I’m shocked and happy that Paul is willing to sacrifice so much for me. I have to be honest, I didn’t know how I’d adapt to the whole multiple partners thing at first, but it’s really starting to grow on me. Not for selfish reasons—although it is a bonus having two amazing lovers at my call—but because it seems to strengthen all of our relationships so much. I feel that both of them love me so much that neither is willing to give me up for the other, and at the same time they respect my needs and my autonomy.
I give Paul a big hug, our little canoe rocking happily as we embrace.
“You’re amazing, Paul,” I tell him, looking into his eyes. “I thought you hated me at first, and now look at where we are.”
Paul chuckles again. I love that even though he’s so strong, he still has that polite, Midwestern bashfulness. “I never hated you, Mazzy,” he says, stroking my hair. “You were the first person to make me smile since I failed the Test. I knew right away there was something different about you, and that was... scary.”
“Well, I’m glad you came around. I’m used to guys hitting on me, not running away. And what was it that made you change your mind?” I say in a sexy voice, running my fingers gently over his rock-hard arousal.
“It wasn’t just that,” Paul says.
“Oh?” I say, giving it a nice, firm squeeze. I give Paul my best innocent doe eyes. “It didn’t hurt though, did it?”
There’s nothing but lust in Paul’s eyes now. Like I said, he has the strength of ten men, and the libido to match. I wouldn’t tease him this much if I didn’t plan on following through though.
I lean in for a kiss as I unbuckle Paul’s belt. I’ve never done it in a boat before, but I feel closer to Paul now than I ever have before. Some of it has to do with the fact that he acknowledged Tristan for the first time just now, and some of it has to do with the fact that we’ll be placing our lives in each other’s hands when we take the Test together soon. But I don’t want to analyze anything right now; I just want to feel connected to my lover.
It’s starting to get a little chilly, but Paul’s meaty shaft is hot to the touch when I wrap one of my hands around it. It throbs impatiently in response as Paul grunts through our kiss. There’s moistness already spreading to my outer lips, and Paul’s fingers seem drawn their almost instinctively. Luckily, I’ve worn a skirt, so it’s easy for Paul to slip his hand into my panties and begin feeling my wetness.
I’m now using two hands to pump Paul’s stiff cock that unbelievably seems to be growing even larger and harder than it already is as he slides one of his strong fingers into my pussy. It feels so good that I almost become worried that my dark core will be awakened from the excitement, but for now I feel nothing but love and pleasure, and I let Paul move his finger in deeper to rub against my G-spot in steady, rhythmic strokes.
I mimic his rhythm as I work his cock, and when I finally detach my lips from his and place them over the head of Paul’s dick, I’m delighted to find there’s already precum leaking out and spilling onto his glans. I greedily lap it up, making it obvious so Paul knows that I’m tasting him.
I had wanted to go slow and tease him a bit more, but the intensity with which Paul is massaging my G-spot has got me too worked up, and I impatiently engulf Paul in my mouth, taking his pulsing prick as far down into my mouth as it can go on the first try. We’re so intimately connected that Paul ramps up the rhythm of his massage at the same time, and within seconds I’m sucking him off furiously, the lake now full of agitated waves as our canoe rocks back and forth. My mouth aches from trying to accommodate Paul’s considerable girth, but still I try to take him as far into my mouth as possible, stopping just before his head taps at my tonsils.
Even though I’m contracting tightly from the pre-orgasmic twitches, my pussy is slick with its own juice, so Paul’s second finger slips in easily. Now he’s using two fingers to please me, and as I squeeze my lips around Paul’s veiny shaft, trying to mimic how he’d feel inside my hungry pussy, his twitching cock tells me that he’s about to blow too.
My moans are muffled into his dick, but Paul’s cries of pleasure ring out shamelessly over the lake as he shoots off into my mouth, my tongue and teeth and gums covered in Paul’s love serum. Knowing I’ve made him come brings me over the edge. My whole body shakes as Paul massages my orgasm out of me. That pulsing sensation radiates out from between my legs, shuddering through me in waves that send my power coursing through every centimeter of my body, eventually pooling into my heart as I finally relax into Paul’s embrace.
Paul’s cock is still out, only semi-hard now after unloading into my mouth, and I stroke it gently as post-orgasmic bliss comes over me. Our canoe is finally calm again. The two of us gaze up at the stars, and it almost feels like we’re floating weightless through the milky way.
“I’d say we’re doing pretty good for a couple that’s not allowed to have sex,” I finally say after I feel like I can form logical sentences again.
“We’ll be able to soon,” Paul says reassuringly, giving my hand a squeeze. “We’ll figure out what happened to you, Mazzy. I know we will.”
“I hope so,” I say. “I hate never knowing when that darkness is going to rise up again... It feels like there’s a stranger inside me.”
Every time I get intimate with Paul or Tristan, it’s like playing Russian roulette. Sometimes, like tonight, we’re able to get pretty far without that evil part of me lashing out, but other times it threatens to take over just from a single kiss.
I just want to be normal again—well, as normal as a super-powered nineteen-year-old with two boyfriends can be.
Chapter 17
Damion
I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to living life according to a schedule like they have us do here. Back in LA—where I used to live outside the law for years before I got sent to the Academy—my days were spent either lounging on the beach or racing in fast cars, but now they’ve got me lugging this backpack around from class to class like some kind of tool.
I’ve just finished firearms training, a class which I find pretty useless given my sk
illset and what I’ll most likely be doing when I graduate. Throughout all my years on the streets, I never once had to use a gun because once I started running with the people that did carry firearms, I was already proficient enough in my powers to never have to need them. In fact, once I learned to use my powers, even hand-to-hand brawling became a thing of the past.
That’s why I was a little rusty last week when we got into that huge fight down in the basement of the Academy. I’m still a little ticked off that Melody got the best of me during that encounter. I’d never felt something as terribly painful as when she used her power to redirect all nearby sounds directly into my eardrums, and my left ear still has some tinnitus because of that little move. At least the scar Mazzy gave me makes me look badass; this ringing in my ears is just annoying.
Speaking of Mazzy, she’s the only person that makes firearms training bearable. There’s no denying that girl’s gotten into my head—literally. Ever since I used my power to help her look into her past, it feels like a part of her has been embedded inside me. I only even tried to help her because I thought I’d be able to score with her that way. I mean, that was my go-to move back in LA—using the emotional high my powers bring to seduce any broad I wanted—but I never expected it to turn on me like this.
Now anytime she’s nearby, that scar on my face starts to ache with a dull throb. I can’t stop thinking about what I saw and experienced in her memories either. I’ve used my power on lots of people before—some of them very fucked up—but I’d never felt the kind of pain, anger, and sadness that I felt through Mazzy’s memories. Most frightening of all though was the reaction it brought out in me. I’ve never had the desire to want to protect somebody else before, but it was there when I sat with eight-year-old Mazzy in that cold, metal cell, and it hasn’t gone away since.
That desire is what motivated me to accompany her to Epsilon even though I knew it would be dangerous. And if it wasn’t for Paul, it might have even turned out to be a fatal expedition. Needless to say, my time at the Academy has been a pretty humbling experience in more ways than one, but it’s also lit a fire under me that hasn’t been lit in a long time. I realize now that I’d been living life on easy mode back in LA as the only empowered one among any of the people I interacted with. And meeting Mazzy has shown me that maybe there are more things in life than just a fat bank account and luxury cars worth fighting for.
