The Telepathic Clans (The Telepathic Clans Saga, Books 1 and 2)

by Kingsolver, BR

  “Let me think about it. Maybe we can figure out a way to get into his mind and figure out what he’s up to.” Collin hung up the phone and looked at the two Protectors sitting in his office.

  “Send me,” Rebecca said, pushing her hair back from her face. “I’d love to do a succubus run.”

  Collin looked at Kallen, who shrugged.

  “What do you mean, ‘send me’?” Collin asked.

  “I can play a succubus. I mean, how hard can it be? Dress up, look good, seduce someone, plunder their mind. Does it have to be a succubus?”

  “And you think you’d be okay screwing a guy and plundering his mind? No moral hang ups?”

  Rebecca swept her gaze between the two men. “It’s not as though I’m a stranger to the male penis,” both men nodded in agreement. “You know I want to be an operative, not just a Protector,” both men nodded again. “And all modesty aside, I’m not bad looking,” both men again had to agree. “So, dress me up, aim me in his direction, and if I can’t seduce him and figure out what he’s doing, what have you lost? If he’s stationed at their embassy then he’ll still be there when Siobhan gets back.”

  Collin looked at Kallen. “Hell, Collin, she’s right, what have we to lose? I’ll take a couple of the boyos, shadow her, make sure she doesn’t cock it up too bad, and maybe she’ll do okay. We can have Cindy prep her.”

  “Thanks for the rousing vote of confidence,” Rebecca said, punching him in the shoulder. He gave her a lazy smile.

  Collin studied the two of them. “No bullshit, Kallen. She’s that good?”

  Surprised, Rebecca looked from one man to the other.

  “Aye, she’s not bad. She may even reach acceptable, in twenty or thirty years, but I think she can handle this one, under close supervision of course. Call it a training run.”

  Collin shook his head. “Okay, do it.” Turning to Rebecca, he leaned forward and made sure he caught her eyes, “I’ll give the go ahead on this, but you listen to me very carefully. You do what people tell you. Kallen and Cindy are in charge, they call the shots. Either of them gets queasy and wants to pull the plug, no arguments, understand me? No freelancing, Rebecca. No creativity, no bright ideas. We choreograph this, and you follow the script exactly, or you’ll be pulling guard duty at the gate for the next year.”

  He leaned back in his chair, looking her over. “Show us you can do this right. Okay?”

  She nodded. “Understood. Follow the script, follow orders, no bright ideas, no freelancing, and I’ll get another chance when one comes up.” Collin nodded. “I screw up, and it’s gate duty.” Collin nodded again. She broke into a bright smile. “Thanks, boss.”

  She stood, leaning across his desk to give him a kiss, “For luck.” Turning to Kallen, “Okay, start telling me what to do.”

  Collin called Cindy back. “Do you think you can prep Rebecca for the job?”

  Cindy was quiet, then asked, “Does she have Charisma, Empathy Projection and Energy Transfer?”

  “All of those. And you said you suspected the guy had a construct? She’s a construct artist.”

  “Yeah, for this guy I can pass her off as a succubus, she’s good looking enough. How does she feel about it? Does she have a predatory attitude toward men?”

  “She certainly does.”

  “Okay I’ll have to dress her, so I hope your clothes budget is in good shape.”

  “Why did I know that was coming?”

  “Because you’re a perceptive young man. Kiss, kiss.”

  Cindy took Rebecca out shopping for lingerie and a couple of sexy dresses and shoes. Then to a salon for her hair and nails, and finally to Cindy’s apartment to do her makeup. Looking at herself in the mirror, Rebecca was amazed.

  “God,” she breathed, “I’m sexy. Wow, I look really good.”

  Cindy smiled. “And we didn’t even have to do major surgery, did we? You’re a very pretty young lady, Rebecca. If you just pay some attention to your appearance, and especially take better care of your hair, you have the natural assets.

  “Tonight I’m going to teach you to be a succubus, at least good enough to fool someone who’s never encountered the real thing. You know most of the succubus Talents are extensions or variations on other Gifts, right? Glamour is a specialized form of Charisma, Influence is a very subtle form of Empathy Projection.”

  With a sly grin, Cindy said, “You know that draining a man during sex is simply a perversion, started by succubi simply to piss off the Pope, right?” Startled, it took Rebecca a moment to understand it was a joke, then she snorted out a laugh.

  Cindy chuckled. “The one thing you can’t fake is the physical part, the pheromones and the physiological differences.” She seemed to drift off, lost in thought.

  “Ah, but maybe you can fake the pheromones, or at least simulate the same effect. We shall see.” Cindy gave her a wicked grin, “I have an idea. I’ve never tried it before, but there might be a way to simulate the effect of a succubus’ pheromones. It’s going to rely on Empathic Projection and how well you can project lust. How horny are you?”

  Rebecca made an annoyed face, “I’m always horny.”

  “Yes, but …”

  “No, I don’t mean that as a throw-away line, I’m always horny.”

  “When was the last time you got laid?”

  “This morning.”

  “And before that?”

  “Last night.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know you had a boyfriend.”

  “I don’t,” Rebecca blushed. “It wasn’t the same guy.”

  “Honey, I don’t mean to pry, but ...”

  Rebecca blushed, looking down at her feet. “I have a, a problem, I guess you’d call it. When I say I’m always horny, I’m not exaggerating, and if I go too long, it gets really uncomfortable. After a while, I don’t care who it is, as long as he has a dick. I, I guess you’d call me a major slut. I not only can’t say no, I actively hunt it.”

  “And when you’re working, when you’re in West Virginia?”

  Still blushing furiously, “The other Protectors are kind, and I can almost always find someone to accommodate me.”

  “Accommodate you?” Cindy’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. Shame rolled off the other woman so strongly that Cindy almost dropped the subject, but something made her press on. “Rebecca, you’ve never told anyone this before, have you?”

  Looking down at her hands, clasped together so hard that her knuckles were white, in a small, quiet voice, Rebecca said, “I tried counseling when I was in college, but it didn’t help. No, I don’t talk about it, but it’s kind of hard to keep it a secret when you’ve done every Protector and stable hand in the valley. Men tend to treat me kindly, at least if they want to get laid again, but I’ve learned women can be very cruel.” Her eyes were like a puppy’s who’d been kicked and didn’t understand why.

  A memory came to Cindy of someone else with the same problem. “Has Callie done your genetic analysis?” Rebecca nodded. “Are you a carrier of the succubus gene?”

  “Yes, why? What does that have to do with anything?”

  Cindy took a deep breath. “I don’t know if it has anything to do with it, but both of my parents had a similar problem. They had sex four or five times a day, but still couldn’t stay out of other people’s beds. And of course they both carried the gene and passed it on to me. Maybe, when this is over, we should investigate that.”

  She touched the younger woman’s face. “Rebecca, I’m sorry I pried, I didn’t mean to embarrass you. And believe me, I have no intention of telling anyone else, or passing any judgments on you.” A soft smile crossed her face. “A succubus is the last person to judge someone for having a lot of sex.”

  Kallen, sitting in the living room, called, “Are you going to play dress-up forever?”

  “No, I’m taking our new operative out to dinner and teach her the fine art of seducing a man,” Cindy told him.

  “I think she’s got the last part down,�
�� he responded dryly.

  Cindy answered with a disdainful snort. “She may do okay for an amateur, but international intrigue and politics in Washington is the big leagues. When you target someone you don’t miss, or why bother in the first place? Standard seduction methods leave too much to chance.

  “But you’ll get a chance to watch. I reserved a table for you and your men.” She winked at Rebecca, “We’ll use them for practice.”

  First, I want to brief you on your target. Kallen, would you care to join us?

  I’ve been breathlessly waiting.

  The target is a telepath, but not a very strong one. As far as I can tell it’s his only Gift, no Charisma at all. He’s German, works at the embassy as a mid-level trade representative.

  Cindy’s words were accompanied by her memories and impressions projected telepathically. They showed a short man with a bad comb-over, a bit overweight, outward appearance in his late forties, early fifties.

  He strikes me as a wilder, because his shields leak like crazy, but he also reeks of being on a mission, of being sent by someone and very eager to please that someone. What bothers me is he made it all the way inside the Majority Leader of the Senate’s office and he was much more interested in me than the Senator. I just have to wonder if he’s carrying a construct because no one would send someone that incompetent on an operation. In any case, he strikes me as bait, and if that’s the case, I’m not biting. The more I think about it, the better it sounds to send a Protector team in instead of a succubus.

  Tomorrow, he has a meeting with one of the Senator’s aides. I’m going to bring you in on a visitor’s badge, tell people you’re my cousin, and make sure you meet him. At that point, you need to get asked out for dinner at a hotel where I’ve reserved a room for you, and a room next door for the rest of the team.

  Cindy took them to the restaurant of one of the fanciest hotels in downtown Washington. She and Rebecca sat together and Kallen and his men sat at another table close by.

  And now, to make sure you play tomorrow correctly, we’re going to do a little seduction tonight.

  Scan the room. You’re looking for someone who’s alone tonight, staying at this hotel, feeling a little lonely and not opposed to a hookup. It wouldn’t hurt if you find him attractive, but that’s the last criteria to worry about.

  Rebecca did as she was told, first eliminating all the men with women, then those not staying at the hotel. There were a dozen candidates left, and she pointed them out to Cindy.

  Very good, but your criteria were faulty. I didn’t say alone right now, I said alone tonight. There are three more candidates that you’ve missed, men dining with women who are leaving after dinner. Rebecca rescanned the room and discovered Cindy was right. One of those men met every criterion.

  Okay, so you’ve isolated your target? I want you to put on a glamour using Charisma. Come in to my mind, and I’ll show you. Rebecca watched the process Cindy used to project an aura of beauty, grace, and sexuality using her Charisma Gift. Through her own eyes, she saw the redheaded woman take on those qualities, almost like a succubus’ glamour but subtly different. Now you try.

  Rebecca tried to copy the projection Cindy had done, and with a few corrections along the way, Cindy declared herself satisfied. A glance at the table with Kallen and his team showed they were taking notice of something at her and Cindy’s table, and seemed to find that something both interesting and enjoyable.

  Next, using Empathic Projection, very, very subtly, I want you to extend a very narrow projection toward him, just suggesting he should notice you. If you do it correctly, we won’t see his head whip around, but his eyes will sort of wander your way. Then gradually increase it a bit, and gradually increase the glamour a little bit. Then play the normal eye-contact coy-come-hither games I’m sure you know how to play.

  Very shortly, the man, halfway across the room, was having trouble keeping his focus on the conversation with his dinner companion. There was an absolutely ravishing brunette watching him, and he certainly enjoyed watching her. Rebecca, reading his mind, watched him watch her.

  It’s working. Rebecca sent to Cindy. Wow, this is really neat.

  You’re a very apt student. It helps that you like men and want them to like you. Now just play him while we have dinner.

  When they had finished their dinner and the waitress brought dessert, coffee and liqueurs, the woman her target was eating with gathered herself and left. He lingered with his coffee and brandy.

  You’re going to the restroom, but not by the direct route. You’ll turn up the Charisma a bit more, walking toward him then past him, and take the same route back. I want you to think very hard about how horny you are, about the most delicious penis you’ve ever encountered, and bundle that all up in a single, strong empathic burst. Do you think you can do that?

  Rebecca was silent while she considered this, then nodded. Yes. I’ve worked myself up to the point I’m so wet my own pheromones will probably do the trick.

  Try it on Kallen first.

  At the next table, Kallen suddenly sat straighter in his chair, eyes widening. What the bloody hell was that?

  What did you think it was? Cindy inquired.

  An invitation to lay her on the bloody table.

  Cindy smiled. “I think you’ve got it.”

  Rebecca rose from the table and made her way to the ladies’ room as Cindy directed. She increased power into the Charisma she was wearing, and her target watched her walk toward him as if mesmerized. As she passed his table, she gave him a burst of pure lust and read in his mind that it had its intended effect. When she returned a few minutes later and gave him another burst, he came part way out of his chair toward her. She smiled at him, and slowed, allowing him to say hello and start a conversation.

  Cindy paid the bill and came over to Rebecca, handing her purse to her and whispering in her ear, “I’ll meet you in the bar when you’re finished.” She walked out of the dining room, stopping to speak to a man who was obviously awaiting her.

  Rebecca and her target moved into the bar, ordered drinks, and fifteen minutes later went up to his room.

  Cindy took Rebecca back to her apartment that night and put her in the spare bedroom. In the morning she supervised her getting dressed, did her hair and makeup, and took her up to Capitol Hill.

  When the target showed for his meeting, Rebecca stood by as he was escorted to the conference room, her newly learned skills ensuring he took notice of her. When he emerged half an hour later, those same skills employed in the hall outside the Majority Leader’s office got her an invitation to dinner.

  After dinner she took him up to the room Cindy had reserved. As Cindy had predicted, he was quite flattered by her interest in him. Rebecca could read his determination to show this beautiful woman, who towered over him by at least six inches in her heels, what a great lover he was. He believed she was a succubus. The unsettling thing Rebecca picked up through his leaky shields was his belief that he would be rewarded for seducing her.

  She didn’t waste any time once she got him into the room, giving him a constant projection of lust. As instructed, she drained him and then circumvented his shields. He wasn’t wearing a construct and he really was as unintelligent as he seemed.

  Cindy was correct in that he was a wilder, recently recruited by a German Clan. His position in the German Foreign Service had brought him to the attention of the Clan chief, and he was eager to make a good impression on his bosses. But she didn’t learn much useful except for the name and face of his immediate operative control. He had no idea why he was doing this.

  As she was leaving the room a man stepped out of the elevator – the man she had just seen in her target’s mind. He walked toward her, blocking her from moving past him.

  “Did you have fun, my pretty succubus?” he said in a German accent, moving too close and looming over her. The smirk on his face and his demeanor were meant to intimidate, and it worked.

  “I’m not sure w
hat you mean,” Rebecca replied. “I think you must have me confused with someone else.” With the extra energy she had from the man she had just drained, she prepared to trigger neural disruption. All he had to do was touch her.

  “Oh, I think you know exactly what I mean, Miss O’Conner.”

  “The lady’s name is not O’Conner, and I suggest you let her pass,” Kallen said from behind him.

  The German stiffened, and looking in his eyes, Rebecca knew he was weighing his options. Then he stepped aside, “I’m terribly sorry, I guess I was mistaken.” She moved past him and Kallen followed her into the elevator.

  ~~~

  Chapter 1-7

  Innocence does not protect you from the evil designs of others. - Fredrick Lenz

  Collin called Brenna from New York on Thursday night and they talked for about an hour. On Saturday he picked her up and they went to dinner in Bethesda, then to the concert. When he dropped her off, she gave him a kiss that curled his toes and curled hers, too.

  The kiss turned into more than she was ready for, and she had to admit afterward it was at least half her fault. He had her pressed against her door, kissing her, kissing her throat, running his hands over her body. She let her hands slide to his butt and pulled him to her. “Oh, God, Collin, you feel so good,” she moaned.

  He cupped her breast, and pressed his leg between hers. The sweet smell of her filled his mind. She didn’t wear perfume, but the scent of her arousal was like blooming flowers. He had only known two other women who smelled that way.

  “Collin, Collin, we need to stop. Please Collin. Collin?” He leaned back away from her. “I’m sorry, but, we need to stop. We can’t do this.”

  “And why not?”

  “The major reason is I’m a bloody mess. Literally.” She put her hands on his shoulders and pushed him away, but not too forcefully.

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah, oh. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have started something I wasn’t prepared to finish.” She looked down, trying to figure out what she wanted to say. What could she say? She wanted him, she’d been playing hard to get, and her own emotions and hormones were laughing at her feeble attempt.