“Are you okay, Victor?” asked Kiara. “You’ve been doing that a lot lately.”
“What? Yeah, I’m fine.” Victor smiled at her, and tried to ignore Ella as she ran a hand across his neck. “I’m just, uh, paranoid.”
Through his nanites, Victor could feel Ella’s touch, and smell her scent. All of his senses were connected to his nanites, which meant that she was as real to him as any physical woman could be, limited only by the fact that he was the only one who could see her, and an inescapable inability to manipulate objects in the world.
On paper, she doesn’t sound that bad. On paper.
“Alright, whatever.” Kiara rolled her eyes and stood up from where she sat. Victor tried to ignore Ella kissing his neck and pawing at his crotch. He bucked his shoulder and glared at her.
“Knock it off,” he mouthed. Ella could hear some of his thoughts, but not all of them, as Victor had learned early on. If he directed his attention toward her, it would be as though he was speaking out loud. Any intense emotions he felt, she’d also get an intuitive sense of. But the option to lock down his mind and prevent her from peering in, as far as he could tell, still existed.
“Do you want to head to Sammy’s Place?” asked Kiara. “Lucy and Kronenberg said they were planning on heading over during happy hour.”
“Yeah, sure,” said Victor. “A cold beer would feel really good right about now.”
Victor walked beside Kiara, and Ella walked beside him to his left. She’d eased off the physical advances after he’d told her to. In general, she listened to him, and their strange relationship managed an equilibrium of needs.
But that doesn’t always have to be the case. I can’t control her directly any more than she can control me.
The sun finished setting as they exited the park and stepped into the decaying outskirts of Undercliff City.
CHAPTER 2
Sammy’s Place was Victor’s tavern of choice, only a short walk from the small townhouse he shared with Kronenberg. Victor and Kiara walked down the stairs and into the establishment. The lights were dim, a pool table in the back and an HD monitor behind the bar were the only objects of real note. Most of the patrons were crowded in around the bar and tables.
“Not a bad turnout,” said Kiara.
“Yeah, it’s been like this lately,” said Victor. “It’s a shame. I liked it back when Sammy’s Place was our little secret.”
They elbowed their way up to the bar, and Victor spotted Lucy standing over one of the stools, and then Kronenberg immediately after. He was serving as a volunteer gofer, the blades of his drone body humming as he carried bottles of liquor and cold beer to Sammy and thirsty customers.
“Good timing, Victor.” Lucy grinned at him and leaned to the side so he could slip in next to her. She was wearing tight jeans and a low-cut black blouse, both of which served to remind him of her ample assets. It was rare for Victor to see her in casual clothing, and he used it as a pretense to check out her ample cleavage, and slender, sexy thighs.
“This place is booming tonight,” he said. “I see Kronenberg has decided to lend a hand, or uh, I guess leg?”
Kronenberg’s drone body looked a bit like the mechanized offspring of a bird and a spider. Still, he managed to be helpful enough, and Victor was a bit impressed by the fine motor control the drone exercised in the task.
“I think he has a thing for Sammy,” said Lucy. Victor chuckled, and then turned as the woman in question set a beer down in front of him with a nod of acknowledgment.
“How did training go today?” asked Lucy.
Victor leaned his head from side to side and flipped his hand palm side up.
“Good! Good! It was really… something.”
Lucy looked over Victor’s shoulder at Kiara, and he followed her gaze. She was waiting for her beer at the other end of the bar, and already being hit on by two men that Victor didn’t recognize as part of the regular crowd. She laughed at something one of them said, and then turned to meet Victor’s eye and wink at him.
“And you and Kiara managed to get along alright?” asked Lucy. She had a wary look in her eye, as though she was about to analyze Victor’s response and draw conclusions from it.
“Yeah, just fine,” he said. “She’s a bit further along with mastering the diamond aura than I am.”
“I didn’t intend for the two of you to be out there at the same time,” said Lucy. “After all that’s happened, it might be best if you give each other some space.”
Victor shrugged. It was always odd talking to Lucy about her sister, and vice versa. Their attitudes toward one another spanned the emotional gamut, and at times, he felt as though he could detect the faintest hint of sibling rivalry.
“Maybe,” said Victor. “She’s still torn up about what happened with Bruce.”
Lucy smiled slightly and took a sip of her beer.
“He’s doing better,” she said. “Still in the hospital, but more for mental recovery at this point than physical. The higher ups at Monteiro pulled some strings to keep charges from being filed against him for the mainframe incident.”
Victor didn’t say anything to that. He’d been shot twice by Bruce during that encounter, and still remembered exactly how it had felt. Recovering from those injuries had tested the limits of his bioenhanced body, which was another secret windfall that he’d inherited from an investigation.
It was something that he tried not to think too much about. He’d been used as a test subject, along with his friend Damien, in the experiments of an unhinged preacher. The entire episode was in the past, however, and as far as he could tell, the only long-term symptoms of the injection given were beneficial, at least for the moment.
Damien lost his mind. Is that going to happen to me eventually, too?
Ella poked her head up from behind the bar and poked Victor in the cheek, as though to answer his question. He shook his head, took a long sip of his beer, and turned back to Lucy.
“There they go again,” said Lucy, gesturing to a crowd of young patrons dancing on the center floor. “Just because Sammy occasional plays dance music does not mean this place is a club.”
Victor spotted Kiara in the center of the crowd with one of the men from before standing a little bit too close behind her. He frowned, feeling a strange surge of jealousy wave over his chest.
“You’re right,” said Victor. “But if you can’t beat them...”
He finished his beer and walked over to the makeshift dance floor. A short, slightly chubby young woman immediately move in to dance with him. Victor grinned and moved with her, shifting through the crowd until Kiara was within reach.
The man Victor had seen before was behind her with his hands on her hips, slowly sliding them up toward greener pastures. Victor suppressed a chuckle as he slowly focused his awareness, binding his azure aura to the man at a low level.
The effect served to dampen the man’s emotions, much in the same way that the scarlet aura could inflame them. The man looked as though he was suddenly bored, sick of dancing and ready to retire for the night. He took a step back from a slightly disappointed looking Kiara, and Victor immediately stepped in to fill the void.
“That wasn’t necessary, you know,” she said, her voice a shouted whisper against the music.
“Wasn’t it?” Victor put his hands on her waist and pulled her against him, letting her butt rub against his crotch. “He was harassing you, Kiara.”
“He was dancing with me.” Kiara moved with Victor, her body betraying her willingness to play. “And he wasn’t half bad at it.”
“Well, I guess I can thank him for getting you warmed up, then,” said Victor. He whispered the words into her ear, knowing the effect his hot breath would have against the sensitive nape of her neck.
A new song came on, and they slowed their movements down to match the rhythm. Victor let his hands slide down to Kiara’s hips, and slowly guided her into grinding against his rapidly hardening cock.
It’s
been like this for a while now. We’re both flirting with the line, teasing at crossing it again.
Kiara made a noise that sounded a bit like a moan and arched her back. Victor felt his hands sliding up across her stomach. She’d taken her windbreaker off and had a thin t-shirt on underneath, and his hands could feel the heat of her body through it easily.
The crowd was thick, and nobody had a clear enough view to see Victor cup Kiara’s breasts. This time she did moan, and he felt her buttocks squeeze together on either side of his cock. Victor rubbed himself against her and leaned in so that he could whisper into her ear, fully intent on moving their game into a private location.
And then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ella. She was standing on the edge of the dance floor, watching him through a small open section in the crowd. Victor recognized her expression, and the way she began to blink rapidly when he made eye contact. She didn’t say anything as she turned away from him and faded into empty space, but even if she had, Victor wouldn’t have been able to hear it.
God damn it!
Victor stepped back from Kiara and pushed his way through the crowd, feeling anger and remorse in equal parts. He walked out the front door of the bar and kept walking until he reached a nearby alleyway and stepped out of view.
“Ella,” he said. “Ella!”
“What do you want, Victor?” Ella appeared in front of him, wearing jeans and a pink blouse. She didn’t meet his eyes.
“I thought we’d come to an understanding,” he said. “Just because you’re in my head, and technically female, doesn’t mean that you can control me like this.”
“I’m not trying to-“
“Why did you appear in the bar, just then?” The question snapped out of Victor’s mouth with more bite than he’d intended. “You could have just as easily stayed in my head. Hell, you could have gone to sleep, and skipped the entire thing. You’ve done it before.”
“That would have been convenient for you, wouldn’t it?” Ella turned her lips up in a sardonic smile. “For me to skip over the entire thing, over you and Kiara and the stupid way you tease each other.”
“She’s my friend!” said Victor. “And yes, before you ask, I do care about her.”
“Do you care about me, Victor?” Ella stepped in close, standing only inches away from him. “Or am I just the unwanted voice in your head? Your imaginary friend?”
“Ella…” Victor shook his head. His heart throbbed in his chest, and he couldn’t decide if he wanted to pull her into his arms, or push her away.
“Victor?”
He flinched back visibly as Lucy’s voice came from the sidewalk behind him. Slowly, Victor turned around, trying to keep the surprise he felt from showing on his face.
“Are you okay?” asked Lucy. “Who were you talking to?”
Fuck. I need to remember to subvocalize words when I’m talking to Ella.
“I just was, uh…” Victor scratched his head and let out a deep exhale. “I think I’m going to call it a night.”
“It’s not even nine yet,” said Lucy. “What’s wrong?”
He didn’t answer her and avoided her eyes as he walked past her onto the street.
“You can talk to me, Victor,” said Lucy. “About anything. Don’t forget that.”
He still didn’t answer her.
CHAPTER 3
It only took Victor a couple of minutes to arrive back at his place. He unlocked the front door and headed inside, the floorboards of the old house creaking under his feet as he kicked his shoes off.
It was a small, two bedroom townhouse. There was a single common area, which Victor and Kronenberg used as a kitchen, dining room, and living room all in one. Victor walked through it into his room, shutting the door soundly behind him before turning and facing Ella.
“It’s not my fault, Victor. I never wanted to be stuck inside your head.”
She’d materialized wearing different clothes, a tiny black lingerie gown that showcased her soft, feminine curves. Ella had been gorgeous as a person, and her ethereal doppelganger’s beauty went beyond even that. She was the perfect woman, with large, supple breasts, medium length auburn hair, and hips that were ample and yet still proportional.
“I’m aware of that,” said Victor. “But I didn’t ask for this either. I have a life to live, Ella, and people in it that I care about.”
Ella was silent. She stared at him with an intensity that Victor couldn’t match. The stakes were different for the two of them, he suddenly realized.
To me, she’s just a ghost, an invisible, clingy old girlfriend. But I’m all she has. I’m the only one she can talk to, or interact with.
“You never ask me about what I remember,” said Ella.
“Do you want me to?” asked Victor.
“Only if you want to know.”
Victor sighed.
“Alright,” he said. “What do you remember?”
Ella walked over and sat down on his bed. The mattress didn’t dip, or make any noise, not until he took the spot next to her.
“I remember bits and pieces of my childhood,” she said, softly. “I’m not sure how much of it is from your memories of Ella, and how much of it the AI stitched together.”
Victor nodded. He’d figured as much, from the time he’d spent talking to her.
“What else?” he asked.
“I remember…” Ella chewed her lip, and then leaned forward slightly. “I remember… being controlled by your father. I remember the things he made me do, and the disgusting sensation of being manipulated with the onyx aura.”
“Ella…”
“And I remember dying, Victor,” she said, her voice cracking slightly.
Victor was silent for a moment. He reached his hand over and placed it on top of hers. It felt warm, soft, and substantial.
“Is that all?”
“I have a few snippets of being a part of Eternity,” said Ella. “I wouldn’t call them memories, more like… calculations.”
“That’s…” Victor tried to find the words for what he was feeling, and failed.
I always assumed that most of Eternity was in there, with her. I guess I shouldn’t have.
“I remember when you went into the facility, and the moment that Eternity recreated ‘me’ out of your memories,” she said. “I guess all of my personality, and what I remember, was set in place chronologically at that moment.”
“Ella,” said Victor. “You don’t have to-“
“And then I remember you taking me out of there,” she said. “Eternity implanted my digital specter into your nanites, but from my perspective… It was like you were saving me. Like you were a knight in shining armor, and you freed me from the dragon.”
Victor thought about that for a long moment. He looked up at Ella, and the room suddenly felt very hot.
“Well, usually after the knight rescues the princess, he gets to, well, you know…”
Ella giggled, sniffled, and then turned to look at him. Her expression shifted faster than any human’s could have, the sadness and fear disappearing and being replaced by something sultry and seductive.
“I’m a princess,” she said. “You’re just a lowly knight.”
“A lowly knight that deserves a reward for his efforts,” said Victor.
Ella slowly crossed her legs and folded her arms under her breasts, pushing them up in a way that enhanced her already ample cleavage.
“If you want something, sir knight,” she said. “You have to be willing to take it.”
Victor leaned in slowly. Ella didn’t stop him, and he hadn’t expected her to. He kissed her and felt a blast of pleasure explode from his lips into the rest of his body. His cock, still excited from Kiara’s teasing earlier in the night, expanded into hardness.
Ella’s kisses were passionate and aggressive. She bit his lip slightly as she slipped to the side, continuing to kiss and nibble his neck as Victor pulled her underneath him on the bed. Her body felt hot, soft, and real. It d
idn’t matter to him whether she was part of the physical world or not. The question seemed pointless and philosophical in comparison to his emotions, and the hormones fueling his desire.
Ella’s legs wrapped around his waist, pulling Victor’s crotch tight against her. He rushed to pull his shirt off, and fumbled through undoing the zipper and button of his jeans. Ella locked eyes with him and smiled, as though daring him to show her what he was capable of.
She knows exactly how to push my buttons.
Victor grabbed at her breasts, groping them harder than he would have with a real woman. Ella let out a squeal of pleasure and raked her fingernails across his back. Victor felt it, but knew that regardless of how hard she dug in, or how rough he was with her, nothing would leave a lasting mark on either of them.
He pulled his boxers down, letting his erection snap out and to attention. Ella pulled the top of her lingerie slip down, revealing her perfect breasts, sculpted by Victor’s desires rather than nature.
He leaned forward and kissed her. The head of his cock slid along the lips of her pussy, teasing her. Ella moved one of her legs up and down Victor’s back with remarkable ease and dexterity, as though trying to coax him forward. He didn’t push in, not right away, and Ella watched him expectantly.
Victor grinned, sliding his hips an inch closer and then pulling back. The result was to fuck Ella with only the tip. Her body shivered with urgent movements, and she pouted slightly.
“Maybe…” she whispered. “You want something else, from the princess?”
Ella reached her hand down and let a single finger touch his cock, as though she was testing the softness of a mattress. Pleasure exploded into Victor’s body, more than what should have been humanly possible. Stars filled his vision, and fell over on the bed, flat on his back.
Forbidden Magic: The Complete Collection Page 35