“Do not forget,” Tarsea said, “if he uses his mind control powers, half-truths are undetectable.” Koel had known this most of his life, his older sister was one after all. Koel knew it was Tarsea’s way of contributing support where it was definitely needed. He nodded, acknowledging the information as if he had never heard it before.
A second summons was broadcast through the communal channels. Koel did not like the public announcement of where JoAnna would be headed so soon after the attempt on her life. He noted when JoAnna returned with the herderite, Shirl had added the black crystal to the collection of stones she already wore around her neck. The last thing any of them wanted was Shirl generating an energy blast in the Troyk universe. It spoke volumes in regards to what the crystal telepath would do to protect her friend.”
“Let us go then,” Koel finally announced. “After the failed attack, Solfa has sent a squad of the Palace guards to accompany us. They are already outside, waiting for our departure.” Koel grabbed JoAnna’s hand and headed toward the front door. He squeezed it, signaling everything would be all right.
They headed toward The Palace, surrounded by their friends and two Palace Guard squads. Jeryl Jarlyn himself had dispatched the second group immediately after Solfa arranged for the first set. The streets were littered with spectators. It felt like the parade, which occurred each year to celebrate the Prime Ruler’s birthday. Koel kept looking behind him at Candy he had strategically placed behind his soul mate. The Warrior Woman of Troyk legend did not seem overly concerned, which provided Koel momentary relief. At least there was no immediate danger when Candy looked relaxed.
It felt like the trip to The Palace took longer than usual. They were totally exposed if anyone wanted to take another shot at JoAnna. Whoever had fired the first blast could easily strike at any moment. Even though they were to meet with Jeryl Jarlyn, The Palace at this point was a safe haven.
Solfa provided an update through the warrior channel. She had been unable to discover any more about the arrest, not even what the charges were. All she had been able to find out was the arrest warrant came from Jeryl Jarlyn, with no details. Nothing as of yet had been communicated through the communal pathways. All the chatter was still about JoAnna, with a larger number of negative comments being broadcast.
He was not the only one who let out a deep sigh of relief when they finally reached The Palace. It was almost as if they had stopped breathing as a collective. The group was able to accompany them all the way to the fourth floor, to Jeryl Jarlyn’s living quarters.
A small commotion occurred when Shirl and Candy demanded to be included in the audience with The Prime Ruler. They argued JoAnna was new to the Troyk universe and needed an advocate to look out for her interests. His soul mate joined the argument, while he leaned back and watched. He almost felt sorry for the two guards who were present to escort them the small distance to Jarlyn’s study.
Koel had never been on the fourth floor before and was surprised how many pieces of art populated the hallway. As the women continued to argue with the guard, Koel took in the variety of items on display from various parallel worlds. Jeryl Jarlyn’s gatherers brought back pieces from each world they visited. It was a moment’s relief from the stress he was under worrying about his sister.
When three additional guards arrived, Alexandra approached her friends and communicated through a communal pathway, the women needed to back down. Alex played her role perfectly. A native from the Troyk universe would naturally communicate telepathically. Whether they agreed with Alex or were surprised by her intervention, Candy and Shirl stepped back.
JoAnna and Koel were led to the end of the hallway. One of the guards knocked and then opened the door, he motioned for them to enter. The room was substantially darker than the hallway. It took a moment for Koel’s eyes to adjust. He placed his hand on the small of JoAnna’s back and guided her into the room.
Jeryl Jarlyn was behind a massive wooden desk and did not stand as they entered. “I know JoAnna does not like to communicate telepathically, so we will speak. Besides, there are certain subjects we do not wish to broadcast through the pathways.”
“Why has my sister been arrested?” Koel asked, he modulated his voice to strip his delivery of the hatred he felt. He wanted answers about his sister, but also needed to safeguard his soul mate. The sooner they talked about why they were here, the sooner he could come up with a strategy to make the best of the situation before him.
“Solfa speaks highly of you, Koel,” the Prime Ruler addressed him. “I was surprised when she started using you to review the logistics of Shirl’s off-world trips. Funny, I never realized how a commodity dealer could develop tactical skills. How Solfa discovered your gift is a topic for another evening.”
“What is it you wish, Jeryl?” JoAnna asked. Koel had never heard anyone refer to the Prime Ruler by his first name. Maybe some of the rumors related to JoAnna being his heir were not so outlandish. All of this still did not explain why his sister had been arrested.
“We have talked in the past about Troyk soul mates and the power a mated telepath can possess. You let it slip that Koel was your soul mate.” Jeryl Jarlyn picked up a key and dragged it across the desk until it sat in front of JoAnna. “It is time you had a place of your own and the privacy it accords. This is to a house not far from the Childers’s, allowing you to maintain your relationships with the young ladies residing there. I taught you all I can, it is time you go through the evolutionary change that will enhance your telepathic abilities.”
Koel could not believe his ears. The Prime Ruler was ordering them to have sex. Suddenly it made sense why the only member of his family in the Aster Province was being held by Jeryl Jarlyn.
“Why was Tarah Mardroft arrested?” JoAnna chimed in. She probably suspected the same thing Koel did, but wanted confirmation that was the case. It did surprise him she was asking after his sister, rather than reacting to Jarlyn ordering them to have sex.
“I cannot imagine why the two of you have not coupled,” Jarlyn replied. “However, I thought I would offer an incentive to one of you. Claim your soul mate and your sister will be released.”
“You son of a bitch!” JoAnna screamed. “What kind of freak orders people to have sex before they are ready? Do you realize the position you are placing Koel in?”
“I know the exact position, right on top of your lovely body.” Koel could not believe how crass the Prime Ruler was or the hostility he felt wash over JoAnna. He had never felt so much negative emotion coming from his soul mate.
JoAnna reached inside the pocket Koel had seen her place the herderite. He imagined she had it tightly in her grip. “You will release Tarah Mardroft immediately and allow our relationship to grow organically.”
Jeryl Jarlyn fell back in his chair, laughing. “You think you can use your mind control powers on me, little girl? I have the ability to force Koel to take you here, right in front of me.”
Koel leapt from his chair and was about to attack the Prime Ruler when JoAnna yelled at him to stop. For a brief second, Koel calculated the chance of him being able to kill the Prime Ruler with his bare hands before the guards stormed through the door. The odds were not in his favor, so he acquiesced to JoAnna’s cries.
“You have until tomorrow morning to start the change and we escalate your training. If you disappoint me, Tarah will nourish my friend Yorik in the Nightshade universe.” There was such venom in Jeryl Jarlyn’s voice, Koel believed he would send an innocent woman to a violent death at the hands of a vampire without batting an eye. The Prime Ruler had a number of his gatherers who were loyal to a fault and would follow Jarlyn’s order without questioning the moral aspects of what was being asked.
Koel had built an alliance with the vampire Drake. However, he had no hope of contacting Drake and soliciting his help before Tarah’s time was up. Shirl was able to travel to th
e Nightshade universe by creating her own portals, but they had to know where Drake could be found. Using Drake to save Tarah once she was delivered was not an option. They had no choice but to honor Jarlyn’s request.
“You know how I feel about you, Koel,” JoAnna communicated through their soul mate channel. “I wanted you from the first moment I saw you. It is no secret you have held back your lust for me because you were afraid of what you would create. You would not be taking me against my will.”
A drop of blood ran down from Jeryl Jarlyn’s left nostril. “Get out,” the Prime Ruler yelled after he realized he was bleeding. Koel had never seen an uninjured adult telepath bleed in that manner. It was even more of a surprise, since The Prime Ruler was one of the most powerful mind control telepaths in creation. What was going on with Jeryl Jarlyn? How could he have the first time with his soul mate be more about his sister’s life than what he hoped to one day share with JoAnna?
Chapter 13
JoAnna pulled out the black lace lingerie she had purchased the first time she had gone shopping with Candy and Alex. The three of them had laughed and cracked jokes, as they looked at the barely there seductive garments. She had envisioned her first time with Koel a million ways, but never shrouded in intrigue, as part of a blackmail scheme. Her stomach rolled, just thinking about their meeting with Jeryl Jarlyn.
They had exited the fourth floor of The Palace through the back way. Neither of them wanted to face their friends with what had transpired with the Prime Ruler. JoAnna could barely believe Jeryl Jarlyn could be so monstrous. Throughout their acquaintance, she had sensed what was behind his caring façade. Nevertheless, she hardly recognized the man she had been meeting with these past weeks. The nose bleed he had toward the end of his meeting was probably not the first he had suffered. He was not the man she had originally met.
The idea of having sex in the house Jeryl Jarlyn provided was offensive. It felt too much like she was prostituting herself or Koel, depending on the perspective of the real victim. For her own sanity, she decided they both needed to look beyond the circumstances of what drove them to finally come together.
She had vetoed going to Koel’s apartment, since they would end up eventually living there. Neither wanted the stain of their first time together to pollute their future home. They also could not have intercourse in the Childers’s residence. True lovemaking was performed in that home and JoAnna did not know if she could face her friends immediately after the deed was done. She cursed Jeryl Jarlyn for putting them in the untenable position they were in now.
They finally decided on the safe house Koel and his friends maintained, not too far from the mountain portal. Koel had been willing to explain why they had the residence, but JoAnna did not want to know. As it was, she had Koel explain to the others what had happened at their meeting with Jeryl Jarlyn. He used the closed channeled warrior link to communicate with them. JoAnna was relieved she did not share a closed channel with any of her friends. It would have been too humiliating having to explain what had occurred.
There was a light knock on the bedroom door. “Just a minute,” JoAnna yelled. Once again, she had forgotten she could have communicated telepathically to her soul mate, rather than screaming through the closed door. With all the pressure she was under, falling back into old habits was not a surprising result. JoAnna quickly put on the delicate black lace teddy and walked to the foot of the bed. She took a deep, cleansing breath and said, “Come in.”
Koel entered, shutting the door behind him with the back of his foot. She expected to see anger depicted in his face and was taken aback by his passionate gaze. For half a breath, they stood, drinking in each other’s beauty.
As she let out the air in her lungs, Koel was upon her. He placed his lips on hers, giving her a kiss similar to the one he planted on her in the crystal cave. That had been the last time he had kissed her. Regardless of what had brought them together tonight, JoAnna wanted a lifetime of these kisses. She had searched her whole life for something she could not conceptualize, but she knew at this moment, this man was her other half.
Koel embraced her, his fingers gathered the lace in his large, capable hands. She expected him to tear the lingerie from her body, instead he treated it with reverence, as if it was a part of her. Carefully, he lifted the material, only breaking the kiss long enough to pass the lace over her head. She figured he let the lingerie fall from his fingers to the floor. Within an instant, one of his hands was caressing her back, while the other fingered the waistline of the barely there panties she wore. When she had put them on, she had wondered why she had bothered. Now she knew. The way he touched her was so damn sexy, she could barely stand it.
“You are so much more than I expected,” Koel communicated telepathically. “I want to savor every second we are together. How I held off making you mine is a mystery to me.” JoAnna knew exactly why he had delayed making love to her and what was driving them together now. It was all irrelevant, she was taking Alex’s advice to only look forward.
Her soul mate tugged on her panties, bringing them past her hips. She stepped out of the last shred of clothing she had worn. Koel continued to explore her waist and lower back, as JoAnna grabbed the bottom of his shirt. It appeared Koel was just as anxious to remove his clothes as she was, since he stepped back and lifted the material off his incredible body. He made short work of pulling down his leggings, along with his undergarments.
Koel stood before her in all his magnificence. Any Renaissance artist would have fought over the opportunity to capture him in marble. JoAnna had seen the statue of David on many occasions, but that masterpiece paled against the man who stood before her. If she could, JoAnna would have frozen this moment in time. There were no disappointments at this point, only appreciation and longing between them.
As Koel moved, JoAnna matched his forward progress, by moving backwards until her calves brushed against the bed’s mattress. She stood paralyzed in place, as Koel took her into his arms. He returned his lips to hers, giving her another mind-numbing kiss.
“You taste of strawberries,” Koel communicated, “ripe and ready to harvest.” He shifted slightly and took one of her breasts in his hands.
JoAnna groaned into Koel’s mouth, in reaction to what he was doing to her nipple. Men had fumbled touching her in the past, this was something totally new. Sensations rocked her body, the likes of which she had never experienced. If he could do this to her with just his touch, what would happen when Koel entered her?
She was momentarily disappointed when Koel released his lips, until his mouth clasped around her other breast. This time there was nothing to muffle the moan that escaped her. Her legs gave out, which caused her to tumble backwards. Koel wrapped his free arm around her waist and followed her down to the bed. He released his claim to her breast, as he landed on top of her.
Once again, JoAnna was disappointed at the loss of his lips around a part of her anatomy. She did not care where he placed his mouth, as long as it was somewhere on her. He was an addictive drug she could not get enough of. “Do not worry, I am not done,” Koel shared through their soul mate link. JoAnna was not sure if her thoughts leaked through their channel or Koel had been able to sense how she was feeling. Either way, he was quick to correct her misconception of his intent. She pulled back her head and let out a cry, as he brought her breast deeper into his mouth. Never before had they been so sensitive. JoAnna nearly bucked him off when his tongue assaulted her hardened nipple.
Koel released his hold on her other breast and brought his hand down her torso, lightly exploring her body as he made his way down to her hips. His touch had a feather light quality, which drove her insane. The more he touched her, the more she wanted.
JoAnna held her breath as his talented fingers changed course and finally reached the tender folds between her legs. He was not going to torture her by taunting touches along her inner thigh, he we
nt right for the bull’s eye. She slightly spread her legs, providing him a silent invitation.
Koel abandoned her breast and slid up her slick body, realigning his face to be in front of hers. He brushed away the wet hair, which had started to encroach on her face. “You are perfect, JoAnna. We fit perfectly together. I never believed in soul mates until Tarsea and Alexandra came together. Even then, I did not think I would have someone created just for me. The Supreme Being brought us together and I should have had faith our joining would result in nothing but wondrous by-products. My words are clumsy, but I hope you understand what I am trying to tell you.” Rather than communicating telepathically, Koel had spoken the words to her.
JoAnna was so overcome with emotion, all she could do was nod. If her brain was close to overload, her body skyrocketed, as Koel entered her with a single finger. She was not sure how much more she could stand before she shattered into a million pieces.
Koel quickly entered her with a second finger, preparing her for his final penetration. It was not really necessary, she was slick and ready for him. He placed his forehead on hers, as he brought his engorged rod into her body. She had always dreaded this part in the past, never really prepared for the invasion her body had to withstand. With Koel, her body was prepared for him, like it had never before. This was the man she was meant to be with.
He massaged, tantalized, and frankly drove her crazy, as he entered and exited her body. As he sped up his pace, she matched his urgency with a fury of her own. If bodies were to spontaneously combust, she was getting damn close. Her breathing became erratic as she reached the cusp of her first orgasm. She did not know how much longer she could hold on. Without understanding why, she knew she had to climax at the same time as her soul mate.
The Mind Control Telepath Page 12