The Telepathic Clans Omnibus
Page 32
~~~
Callie checked her database and talked to Elsie, then called Caylin O’Byrne in Ireland. Afterward, she met with Brenna again. The gaps in their knowledge compared to what Callie was told by the older women were astounding. Brenna went to see Collin.
“Honey, I need you to tell me about your woman problem, and be honest with me.” She walked around his desk, took his face in both hands and kissed him soundly enough to curl his toes. “Collin, I’m not trying to trap you. I’ve been in your mind enough that if I wanted to poke around and make your sexual habits an issue, I’d have done so already. But I need to know about your love life, in a general way, and about your mother.”
“My mother?”
Brenna nodded, sitting back on his desk. “And if you’re willing to be honest with me, I’ll screw your ears off before I leave. Deal?”
He grinned, “You really don’t play fair, do you?” He took a deep breath, “Ok, ever since puberty, I’m horny all the time. I don’t mean in the way most boys are horny, but in an obsessive way. I think about it all the time, and it’s only gotten worse as I get older. If I don’t get it at least once a day, preferably more than once, I get so distracted, so antsy, that I have to go looking for it. And if it’s long enough between times, then I don’t care who I screw, which can cause problems if it’s someone I don’t like and don’t want to see again. Enough?”
“Do you ever feel as though you’re energized afterward?”
“Always. It’s like drinking a pot of espresso. My mind is clear and focused.”
“Do your partners feel tired?”
His brow furrowed in thought. “Now that you mention it, yes. Most women anyway.”
“But not succubi, or Rosie or Rebecca.”
“Yeah, how’d you know?”
She nodded, “And your mother?”
He took another deep breath, “My mother is the same way only she has a couple of regulars, men she’s been seeing for decades. She seems to need it about once a day. That and my father’s drinking were the two issues I remember growing up. She would call him a drunk, and he’d call her a slut.”
He grew very quiet then looked at her, “May I inquire as to the reason for these questions?”
“We think you’re an incubus, that the uncontrollable urges you experience are genetic in origin. We’re trying to make sense of something Elsie told me today. She’s a carrier for the succubus gene, as are you, Rebecca, and your mom. Cindy’s parents are, too. So was my dad. All of a sudden, a lot of things started to come together. Cindy was the one who really identified the issue, but as soon as she voiced her suspicions I could see it, too.”
“I’m an incubus?” he said, a smile slowly growing on his face. He started laughing.
“Your succubus girlfriend isn’t complaining,” Brenna said. “I’m rather in favor of having an insatiable lover.” She started unbuttoning his pants.
~~~
Brenna went to see Rebecca next. “We need to talk. I need you to tell me about this deep, dark, secret you seem afraid to discuss with me, but every Protector in the valley knows about.”
She explained what they had discovered. When she finished, Rebecca was silent for a long time then turned her face to Brenna, eyes full of pain. “Are you trying to tell me that all the pain I’ve endured, all the ridicule, the shame, the pregnancy scares, are because I have a damn gene that makes me act this way? You get two of them, and everyone thinks you’re wonderful, but I only get one and my life is a train wreck? God damn it! Some son of a bitch can’t keep it in his pants, knocks my mother up, and I pay the price my whole damn life?
“Go away, Brenna. I’ve been alone my whole life. Just go away. You don’t want to be around someone like me.”
Brenna felt the pain roll off her friend like an ill wind. “I’m not going away. You’re the one who set the rules. Remember? I’m here, and I’ll always be here.”
“Damn you, damn you to hell.” Rebecca stepped toward Brenna with her fist raised. Brenna simply stood with her hands by her side, pity in her eyes.
“I told you to get out. Leave me the hell alone.”
Brenna didn’t move.
“Oh God, oh Jesus, why me? Why don’t you leave? Please leave. Please?” Brenna still didn’t move.
Rebecca broke, sobbing. Brenna enfolded her in a hug, feeling Rebecca’s tears soak her shoulder. She cried until she didn’t have any more tears to shed, misery in every line of her face. “So, now I know what the problem is, what the hell do I do about it?”
“The same thing you told me to do when I discovered I’m a succubus. You can’t change it, you can’t deny it, all you can do is decide how you want to face it. It’s not your fault. Everyone who knows you well respects you. Are you listening?”
Rebecca stared at her, incomprehension plain in her face. “You don’t care? You’re not ashamed of me? How can you respect me?”
Tears rolled down Brenna’s cheeks. “Good God, Rebecca, I’m a succubus. I’m a fucking genetic whore. Built for pleasure. A natural predator. We’re made for each other. The whore and the slut. God help anyone who messes with you, because I’ll make them sorry there isn’t a hell they can escape to.”
~~~
After a discussion with Collin, Brenna went out to fulfill Elsie’s expectations. He gave her a list of Protectors scheduled to be off duty. Rebecca went through the list and made recommendations. She went to their barracks on a mission to add a little cheer to a few Protectors’ day.
Brenna met with Elsie and Cindy the next morning and Elsie used the energy she had collected. It was obvious how much Cindy benefited from the healing session and Elsie directed her to be prepared for a similar session each day.
When Siobhan came in for Thanksgiving and found out what Elsie had directed Brenna to do, she volunteered to bear some of the burden. “After all, it’s not like I’m going to be celibate while I’m here. If I can contribute, then of course I’m willing to help.”
Cindy lost no time in telling Siobhan about Brenna’s fantastic assertion. Rebecca brought her the old book from the library, and Brenna once again tried to explain what she’d done, how she had found the switch and how it worked, but Siobhan just shook her head. There wasn’t anything to show. Brenna had already established that the switch was only there when a man’s energy triggered her Glow.
The next day, Siobhan told Cindy and Brenna, “I’ve been reading that book, The Succubus Gift, and it’s very informative, very thorough and accurate. I tend to agree with your mother’s notes. I think it was written by a nun who was a succubus and possibly a healer. I found a couple of passages that suggest a succubus doesn’t have to drain her lover. There’s reference to a technique that can be used to circumvent it, but there’s no details. The author is so condemnatory. She says succubi only use the technique with a man they love, then goes on to say that since succubi are incapable of love, it’s rarely if ever used and therefore she’s not going to waste any time describing it. The fucking bitch!”
~~~
Thanksgiving was traditionally a family occasion. Some non-family members of the Clan were usually included, such as Siobhan, personal friends, and some top-level executives that were very close. Brenna, who had been without family for so long, was stunned that the table was set for sixty people. It was the first occasion that she and her friends had to wear their new dresses from Alice’s shop, and she knew the other two young women felt as wonderful as she did.
Seamus’ younger children Jill and William, Callie’s half-sister and half-brother, had flown in, as had Brenna’s other grandparents.
William Wallace was forty-five and regional manager of the Clan office in South Africa. She soon discovered his primary interests were sailing and fishing, and he was very keen to talk about them.
Jill McConaghy, forty years old, was Seamus’ youngest child. Slender and pretty with shining brown hair and sparkling blue eyes, Jill was lively and vivacious, quick to laugh and an interesting conversationa
list. She served as regional manager of their Hong Kong office, overseeing all of their Asian interests. Brenna knew she and Callie were very fond of each other and soon understood why.
On the other hand, her distant cousin Rodric, sitting on one side of her, was a boor and a letch. He made numerous references to her being a succubus. She smiled, answering some of his comments politely and ignoring the rest. During one such exchange, she received a spear thread from her grandmother, Don’t you think it would be easier to just agree to meet him after dinner and kill him? I’m sure it would take days before anyone realized he wasn’t breathing, the difference between that and his normal demeanor being so slight.
Brenna choked on her food, causing concern in the men sitting beside her. When she finally got herself under control, she shot a look at her grandmother, who smiled sweetly back at her.
Her grandparents expressed their desire for her to visit them and she managed to catch Callie’s attention.
“I’d love to come, but there are security difficulties in my traveling with the troubles we’ve been having lately.”
“Caylin,” Callie intervened, “If you’re amenable to a late spring visit, I think we can work out the security and logistics. I know Brenna wants to go, and is very curious to see where her mother grew up.” On a spear thread, she told Brenna, You really don’t want to visit Ireland until late spring. It’s a cold, miserable place in the winter.
Brenna glanced out the window, where it had started snowing. Completely unlike warm, sunny West Virginia?
You’ll notice your grandparents are here for a three month visit.
Yeah, but they’re going to Florida in January.
After dinner both William and Jill asked her if they could meet with her the next day. She chatted with Jill for some time, fascinated by her tales of Asia. “I’m dying to meet your friends,” Jill told her. “Callie seems especially taken with that wilder Protector you’ve adopted and the new succubus is darling. Would you mind introducing me?”
Brenna’s cousin Jared stepped forward. “I’d appreciate an introduction to her also. Darling isn’t exactly the word I’d use, but I suppose ‘hot’ would be uncouth, wouldn’t it?”
She led them to where Rebecca was talking with the tall, redheaded older man she was sitting beside at dinner and Irina was attempting to be polite to Rodric. She introduced everyone. Irina and Jared made an instant connection. The man Rebecca was with turned out to be Kallen’s older half-brother Sean, head of her grandparents’ security team. He and Rebecca were discussing their possible trip to Ireland.
Gazing around the room, half listening to Rebecca wheedle an introduction to Sean’s tall, redheaded son and Jill and Irina chatting in Russian, Brenna suddenly realized she felt at home here. She drifted off from the group and sidled up to Collin, putting her arm through his and leaning against him.
When she and Collin got back to their room, she was surprised to find Irina standing outside her door. With a glance at Collin, Irina pulled Brenna aside, “Can you show me that trick? You know, the one that keeps you from draining a guy?”
“I’ve tried to show Cindy and Siobhan, and haven’t had any success.”
“I know, you told me. What I mean is can you show me? You know, let me see how you do it.”
Brenna shot a glance at Collin, “You mean, show you, like let you watch me do it?”
Irina colored slightly and nodded her head. “Yeah, that’s what I mean.”
Brenna thought for a moment, looking at Irina’s pleading eyes. Collin, would you mind having this voyeur watch us make love? She wants to see how I do the energy feedback trick, and I’ve had zero luck trying to explain it to any of them.
He looked startled, then thoughtful. Hell, I’m not bashful. It’s up to you.
She told Irina she would send her a thread, and looking happy Irina retreated to her room on the second floor. Brenna chuckled at Irina’s impatience. It seemed the young succubus had arranged to visit Jared later and didn’t want to keep him waiting too long.
~~~
Collin began with the lightest of touches, his fingers stroking her face, her neck, her hair. A delicate shudder rippled through her body, and heat began to grow between her legs. Lifting her hair away from her neck, he reached behind and unhooked the clasp of her halter top, pulling the straps apart and releasing them. They fell, leaving her uncovered to the waist.
His hands brushed lightly over her breasts, down over her stomach, then slid the dress down over her hips and thighs. Stroking her inner thighs, he brought his hands back up, lightly touching her shaved mons with his fingertips.
“God, I love your hands,” she purred.
Smiling, his lips moved to her neck while his hands cupped the curves of her breasts. She slid her hands under his shirt, loving the feel of his warm skin and taut muscles. Tipping her head back, she reveled in the sensations he aroused as he tasted her. His kisses increased their intensity. When he sucked her nipple into his mouth she moaned, pushing against him.
Managing to pull his shirt off, her hands moved to his pants. The pants fell to the floor and he pulled her down to the bed, continuing to kiss her breasts. She ran her fingers through his hair while his mouth sucked and teased.
She gasped as his fingers slipped between her folds, stroking her with feather light touches. He groaned, penetrating her with his fingers, tickling the spot she loved, hearing her whimper, his fingers pleasuring her with a constant rhythm, matching his hot kisses to her breasts and neck.
Reaching for his erection, she touched the tip and he shuddered. Thick, long, and hard, he was ready to fill her aching need. Spreading her legs further apart, she gave him a burst of pheromones, causing his nostrils to flare. With a smile, he removed his fingers, bringing them to her mouth where she sucked her essence off.
Desire enveloped them, pushing them to find the pleasure their bodies sought. He positioned himself at her entrance, and pushed into her in one long thrust.
Brenna purred with approval, feeling him stretch and fill her. Locking her eyes with his, loving the determination written on his face, she returned his eagerness and desire with her own. Lost in the moment, she almost forgot to send a spear to Irina.
“Harder. I want it harder,” she panted.
He increased his speed and force, rising to his knees and putting his hands under her thighs, pulling her up and toward him, driving deeper into her. She cried out, urging him on. Her cries escalated to small whimpering screams and he thrust into her harder and harder, her hips rising to meet him. She could feel his energy grow as the big moment neared, then he spasmed and so did she, his energy pouring into her, taking her over the edge and feeding her orgasm. She writhed underneath him, basking in the Glow, their bodies joined, sharing their orgasm. Through the fog, she flipped the switch, returning his energy back into him. Through their link, she heard Irina gasp as she saw and understood the process.
Irina had stayed in the background, but both were aware of her presence. It was very different to have someone else in their minds, experiencing all that they created together.
Collin exhaled, laying back on the bed. Brenna felt Irina’s exultation.
Thank you both so much
“Collin, honey, I hope we didn’t completely exhaust your exhibitionistic urges, because I have a feeling we’re going to be asked to perform again.” She cuddled up to him. “You did a very good thing tonight. I don’t think you can totally appreciate what this means to us. It makes a real relationship possible, something I was told I’d never have.” She twisted so she could kiss him. “I love you, Collin Doyle.” Her hand traveled down his torso. “Want to practice making babies again?”
~~~
Brenna’s meeting with William demanded all the focusing skills she’d developed from sitting through six years of boring classes. Although he asked her a few pertinent questions, he was happiest whe
n talking about his boats. He came away from the meeting seeming pleased that she shared his interests.
Getting together with Jill was an entirely different kettle of fish. Seamus’ youngest was no fool and she was extremely interested in Brenna’s plans for her inheritance and especially what she planned to do with O’Donnell Development. She was also interested in Brenna’s research into the brain and listened raptly to her theories about the Telepathic Gifts.
~~~
Brenna and Jill went riding for a couple of hours, cold though it was. Rory, the stable master and her grandfather’s oldest friend, met them when they came back into the stables. “Brenna,” he said very seriously, “I haven’t seen my grandson since that friend of yours’ disappeared with him last night.”
“Rory, the last I heard she had him chained to the bed and was turning him into a sex slave. Why, do you really want him back?”
He roared with laughter. “Brenna, Miss Jill, it’s good to see the two of you together. Does an old man’s heart good to see the best of the new generation getting on with each other.”
“Which old man would that be?” Jill asked, looking around as though she might spot him. “Rory, I keep telling you, hanging around with old people will make you feel old. Spend more time with Helen.”
He chuckled, “Damn, if I don’t miss having you around.”
His demeanor suddenly turned serious. “You girls going to take over this place and run it?” He reached out and put his hands on their shoulders. “Don’t you let anyone say you can’t. Listen to Callie. Seamus will back you. Just bulldoze over all of them, you hear? You’re the two best things happened to this Clan since Seamus was born. He knows it, and Callie knows it.”
He stepped back, looking sheepish, and mumbled, “Sorry, forgot my place. Hope you enjoyed your ride.” Turning, he walked away, his face blushing red. Brenna turned to Jill, seeing a mirror of her own astonishment in her face.