Bloodlines Ch.06

'Now remember, you need to wear it every day,' Erica said as she followed Ginny to the door an hour later. 'Once you can put it in and take it out easily, switch to the bigger one. If you do that for a few days, I'm sure you'll be ready for Master's cock in no time.'

Ginny actually blushed slightly and looked at Garth almost shyly before kissing Erica and leaving.

'Hook, line and sinker,' Erica grinned as she sauntered back to the bed. 'She'll be ready for that delicious cock of yours in no time, Master.' Garth just grinned and drew her in for a kiss.

Friday mid-morning, Garth walked into Richard's office foyer, excited to see what he was going to be doing that day. Richard exited the elevator to his apartment a few minutes later, smiling and waving him over to his office.

'So, young master Schieler, I gathered you had a nice relaxing time yesterday?'

'It certainly was nice,' Garth answered with a grin. Richard chuckled at the omission, his meaning obvious to them both.

'Ah, the fabled stamina of the young,' Richard winked, 'I thought I saw Ginny walk a little funny when she came back yesterday, and this morning there were some strange noises from her room. I suppose you have some idea why that might be?'

Garth just grinned and shrugged. 'I think yesterday was full of new experiences for her, but I should leave it to her to expand upon that.' Richard just laughed and shook his head as he sat down in his chair.

'So, on to business, I guess. I have good news, and bad, I'm afraid.'

Garth sat up straight, a tiny trickle of fear worming into his mind as he thought back to any possible infractions he might have made.

Richard noticed his alarm and made a soothing gesture, 'relax, it's nothing like that. Simply put, the bad news is I won't be teaching you anymore.'

Garth frowned at that but kept otherwise quiet.

'You see,' Richard continued, 'I talked your accomplishments over with some of my fellow practitioners, and we agreed that what you need now is simply time and experience. You should not have to be stuck with me or some other dusty old crone doing rote work. You need to spread your wings a little, so to speak. Live and learn, as they say.'

Garth brightened a little at his words, their meaning sinking in as he considered the implications.

'We have spoken to some council members,' Richard said with a wink, 'and they have decided to loosen a little on your strictures. You will still be watched from time to time, as all new members are, but not as closely as before. You will have more freedom in how you choose to use your powers.'

Garth grinned and felt is if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

'But be aware,' Richard cautioned, 'they have in no way forgotten what you did, simply acknowledged that you have been behaving as you should. You have been given a chance, but I should not have to tell you that any infractions will be punished severely.' He looked at Garth to impress the gravity of his words, apparently satisfied with what he saw in Garth.

'Now, the council has given you until their next meeting to spend as you see fit, before you must answer their summons. That gives you just over four weeks to yourself.' Richard handed him a sheet with names and addresses before continuing. 'On that list you will find a number of distinguished neuropaths you may approach with any questions. As you can see, they can be found all over them country, and should you be in any of their areas, a courtesy call is considered a polite necessity. A number of them are specialists at one aspect or another, though you are free to choose if you would like to request instruction. For now, I would suggest you simply enjoy your free time and travel, make friends and try not to make enemies.' That last he said with a crooked smile to show it was said jokingly.

Garth was a little stunned at first, sure he would be kept on a tight leash for much longer. Second he started going through all the things he still felt he was struggling with when it came to his powers, something he said to Richard.

'Easy, my boy. You have all the basics down, and some of these things cannot be rushed. Your mind needs time to adapt and evolve, get used to the power. Only time will do that. Time and practice. Hence the slackening of your restrictions, a little. You have the potential to become a great neuropath, perhaps one of the best there ever was, if your progress thus far holds true. But, some things should not, and indeed cannot, be rushed.'

This mollified Garth a little, though he still harbored some doubts as to whether he should be trusted with this. Thinking about it, he conceded that just the fact that he was afraid of fucking up was a good indicator he was less likely to.

Richard leaned forward and placed his hand over Garth's in a fatherly way, breaking him from his reverie.

'You will do well, just trust yourself and don't overthink it. Just be a decent person and have fun exploring your powers. You'll be fine. Now, I would normally celebrate this with a drink, but I have an important meeting in a while and I need to keep my head clear. I suggest you go back and celebrate before figuring out what you want to do with your freedom. And you will always be welcome back here if you find yourself in the area, in fact I will be offended if you do not stop by and say hello.'

With that obvious dismissal, Garth stood and shook hands with Richard, thanking him over and over for his lessons, promising to stop by if he was in the area.

On his way out, Garth felt a strange dichotomy of feelings; relieved at having his freedom back, mostly, and stressed at the prospect of being on his own. A sliver of doubt that he would mess up kept creeping into his thoughts. What if he ended up ruining his own future because of a lapse in judgment, or broke some rule he was not aware of. On some level, he felt a certain resentment towards the organization for not helping him adjust, but then again, he supposed this was their way; to throw new acolytes into the deep and see who learned to swim on their own. How many young men in his same situation had not made it? Was he just another number, another notch on some list of failed initiates somewhere? His thoughts kept circling back to this to the effect of producing nothing at all, unless he counted the dull throbbing in his temples.

Shaking his head to clear it, Garth decided the decisions could wait for later. Today was supposed to be a victory of a kind, his tether slackened, if not cut, and freedom to explore both his powers and his potential futures. With a smile, he turned back towards the hotel to deliver the good news to Erica.

Jack Spiel tucked his notepad away and nodded to himself. It seemed his intel was good, and Garth Schieler was now somewhat freer than before, with the watchdogs called back. It was almost time to approach him, they had to know if he was amenable.

Jack scratched absentmindedly at the uneven scar on his wrist, where his tattoo had marked him once. Once he had been convinced the Organization was a corrupt, conservative collection of old men engaged in a proverbial circle-jerk, he had gone underground with a collection of like-minded. Their shared goal now was to throw off the shackles of tradition, to be free to make their own decisions. If some people had to be persuaded along the path to that, well, you had to break some eggs to make an omelet. All Jack needed now was to get Scieler alone and somewhere a bit more secluded, but he was confident an opportunity would present itself now that he was free to go about his day.

Garth walked on, oblivious of his watcher, instead deciding what to do with his free time, and most importantly, where to go eat with Erica to celebrate. He still had the whole day to decide, and he figured Erica, who knew the city better would have some ideas.

After a lengthy discussion, interrupted by, other activities, they decided on an up-scale restaurant on the hill overlooking the city. Garth spent the entire time just enjoying Erica's company, not wanting to think too hard on what to do next. Questions like that could wait for tomorrow.

Garth put his hand around Erica's shoulder and pulled her tight as they walked slowly from the restaurant. His belly was pleasantly full of good food and wine, and his mind was relaxed. Erica leaned in to his grip, stumbling a little with the awkwardness of walking like that, but obviously enjoying the closeness more. None of them felt the need to speak, the noise and bustle of the street around them sufficient.

The walk back to the hotel was not long, though eager to cut it a bit shorter, Garth indicated they should cut between a couple of office buildings. The alley seemed a bit dark and foreboding, but he had not seen anything to indicate this neighborhood could be dangerous though, and his need to relieve Erica of all clothes spurred him on. About halfway through, the alley opened up a little into a small courtyard with waste bins and a delivery door of some kind. Just as they walked into the open space, a shadowed form stepped into the alley leading out from the courtyard. A scuffle of boots behind them announced someone blocking of their retreat as well. Garth felt a certain dread, though not too much, yet. It was probably just some drunks or beggars. At least he hoped it was.

Erica stiffened in his arms, a spike of Fear rising in her, a sure sign she was less certain of the coincidence.

'And what brings two young lovebirds into my domain?' The figure ahead of them spoke in a gravelly voice, though no hint of a slur betrayed any drunkenness.

'What do you mean,' Garth began, but the man cut him off with a sharp gesture.

'MY domain, as in you're not welcome. But now that you have intruded, you'll have to make amends. A tax is in order, for the transgression.'

'A tax,' the man behind them lisped, his voice much closer now.

Garth pulled Erica into the courtyard and pushed her behind him to get her towards the wall. She stayed there, clutching his shoulders and hiding behind him as the two men drew nearer in front of them.

'And what, exactly, do you mean by a tax,' Garth growled in what he hoped was a menacing tone. Keeping track of their emotions, he noticed Erica was rapidly progressing towards pure panic, with Fear and Terror dominating her entire being. The two men, however, seemed eerily calm, exuding Confidence and not a small amount of Arousal. Just as the man who had come up behind them leered at Erica, understanding bloomed in his mind. They meant to rape her, and possibly him. A low growl started in his throat as he considered his options.

'It's lonely in my domain, spacious as it might be,' the first speaker said with an expansive gesture to encompass the courtyard. 'I'd think it only fair you pay your tax by keeping us company. Your young lady love will do nicely, for a time at least. Now you be a good lad and stand quietly over there, and this will be over in no time. We promise not to hurt her, at least not permanently.'

'Probably,' the lisping man said with a wicked grin as he stepped forward as if to grab Erica's arm where it clung to Garth.

Without conscious thought, Garth reached out with his power, fueled by Erica's emotions, he latched onto both the men's emotions, about where he would expect to find a similar Fear and Terror. Knotting his hands into fists until his knuckles creaked, he stepped forward and put his fists up. If that motion was enough to cause a tiny spark of emotion, or if he simply generated the emotion with his power, he would never really know. The important part was that he suddenly had an emotion to influence, a lever to pull. With a roar, he flared his power and pulled their Fear and Terror up until he thought something would break, and perhaps it did. The man with the lisp simply shuddered and crumpled down in a heap, while the other man screamed while clutching his head. Garth could see a trail of moisture running down his leg as he apparently wet himself before he turned and ran away, still screaming.

Garth stumbled as his vision darkened around the edges, a sudden pain in his knees telling him he had hit the ground. He would have fallen over if not for Erica, holding his shoulders and steadying him.

'What did you do,' she asked, a trace of panic still tinging her voice.

'Mm, not shure,' Garth mumbled, his voice oddly slurred in his ears. His mind felt fuzzy, as if on the edge of passing out, though other parts of it felt clear and serene. Maybe he had broken something? Whatever he did, it had gotten the men away before they could harm Erica, and that was the important part. Gathering his wits, he managed to get his feet under him, though he was unsure if he could walk unaided.

'Let's get out of here,' he said slowly, his voice firmer now, if still a trifle unsteady.

They shambled out of the alley, Garth leaning heavily on her shoulder, though he soon felt better. By the time they drew near the hotel, he was walking on his own, but his mind still felt padded in cotton, a rosy haze blurring his vision along the edges.

Erica guided him into the elevator and into their room, her worried glances keeping a close watch as if he should fall over again any minute. Once inside the room, Garth fell onto the bed in a daze, clothes still on. He was only dimly aware of Erica undressing him with the care of a long-time nurse before she undressed and crept up beside him. She wriggled into his arms, her lips brushing his as she clung to him.

'I was so scared,' she cried softly as she trembled in his arms. 'First because of those men, but then when you fell over...' She could not continue, sobbing into his chest.

Garth stroked her back and kissed her hair, 'Sssh, it'll be all right. I stopped them, and I just need rest.'

'You did,' she said in a low voice, 'you stopped them. You saved me.' Her head came up to kiss him, her body suddenly searing hot in his grip as she clung to him tighter. The kisses grew more and more frantic as tears trickled down her cheeks, her motions more and more frantic as if she needed his comfort.

Garth could feel his body responding to her need. With their bodies pressed together like this, his growing erection had no place to go but between her thighs, his shaft grinding itself between her lips. Oddly, the hard nub of the piercing stood out in his mind, clear and sharp as he slowly rocked back and forth along her slit. Her nipples almost scratched his chest as she kissed him with a frantic need.

'Make love to me,' she whispered in his ear as she guided his cock inside her swollen pussy with one hand. And Garth did, slowly at first, then faster and faster as their need grew with their desire. His mind felt like he was soaring on some cloud, all light and hazy as they coupled like they had never done before, a new layer of sensation he had never experienced before.

His orgasm grew slowly, like a tidal wave, rising and rising until he thought he would burst from the pressure. A low groan, starting deep in her throat, signaled Erica's orgasm just before his mind went white and he filled her with his cum. They both collapsed like a rubber band cut at full tension, their need released in the same instant.

Just before his mind blacked out and sleep overtook him, he kissed Erica softly.

'I love you,' he said, and was asleep before he could feel her body stiffen in his arms.

The next morning, she was gone.

The end of Chapter 6.