Caleb 7 – Moving Out

I woke, with Jules curled up against me, my arms around her and her butt pressed into my groin. I tried to disengage, but she complained sleepily, tightening her hold.

“I need to get up” I whispered gently in her ear, and she sighed, releasing me.

“What time is it?” she asked.

“Still early,” I said. “I run in the mornings. Will you be okay to stay here without me?”

“I’m going back to sleep,” she said, “unless you’re kicking me out?”

I laughed and kissed the top of her head. Then realized what I’d done.

“I’m so sorry,” I said hurriedly “I…”

“Caleb,” she said softly, “it’s fine. I liked that. It felt affectionate and right, and I loved sleeping and waking up in your arms.”

“Get some more sleep. I’ll be back in about an hour.”

I went into the bathroom to get dressed. When I emerged, she was asleep again, with a contented look on her face.

Once again, the twins met me at the gate, and we ran.

Amanda glanced across at me and I heard her question. “How was last night?”

“It was fine,” I responded, directing my thoughts to both. Then, when Mary looked confused, I realized that she hadn’t heard the question. I pushed the memory of the question out to her via our bond and her face cleared.

I gave them the memory of mine and Jules’ night, Josh coming back, and finally our conversation this morning. I felt feelings of love from the pair of them as they relived my description of what I loved about each of them.

Amanda grinned. “Josh’s face was a picture when he caught you in bed with another girl.”

I sent the echo of her comment over the bond for Mary’s benefit and saw Mary’s answering grin.

I guesstimated we ran about five miles, and I felt energized rather than tired when I got back to my room. Josh and Jules were both dressed, and they were talking quietly when I entered.

“I’m just going for a quick shower,” I said. “Then how about we go down for breakfast?”

Josh stood up. “Jules told me what you guys did yesterday. You all deserve medals.”

I looked at Jules, and she had tears in her eyes.

“Jules?” I said gently, “are you ok?”

She nodded. “It’s weird,” she began, “but when I was telling Josh what happened, it somehow became real. Up until then, it felt surreal, like a dream. I remember being up on the wall and looking down at the path below; I wondered if it would hurt much.

“I remember talking to you, and you convincing me not to jump, and then I slipped and was falling. In that instant, I really thought that I had just been given the ultimate cosmic ‘fuck you.’ That the universe had decided that I really wasn’t worth saving, and had taken matters into its own hands.

“Then I felt you catch me, felt your strength as you gripped me and pulled me back up, and felt your arms around me, and for the first time in forever, I felt safe.”

I sat beside her and put my arms around her again.

“I’m happy that we were there,” I said, “and I’m even happier that you are here, now, with us.”

I looked at Josh. “Please keep this to yourself,” I said. “Jules doesn’t need the attention just now. Obviously, that doesn’t include Louise, but other than her…”

He nodded. “Sure thing. You best go shower if you want breakfast.”

I did, and we walked down to the cafeteria, where we met up with Mary and Amanda.

I was approaching the table with my tray. Being a gentleman, I had let the girls go in front of me in the queue and so they were all seated by the time I made my selection. I was just about to dig into my breakfast when I found myself being enveloped in a hug, a pair of breasts pressing into my back. I turned my head coming face to face with Louise. She released me and then proceeded to hug Mary and Amanda, and then she moved to Jules.

“Can I give you a hug too?” she asked.

Jules nodded mutely and accepted the hug.

Louise sat down at the end of the table next to Jules.

“Josh told me,” she said, “and I am so proud of you, all of you.” She looked pointedly at Jules.

“You are so brave,” she said quietly. “Trusting a complete stranger and stepping down off that wall must have been the hardest thing to do.”

Jules nodded again, her eyes wet.

“Don’t worry,” she said, handing Jules a tissue, “I won’t tell anyone.”

Josh and Louise sat with us as we ate breakfast and then we all went our separate ways to go to class. Before we left, I asked Josh and Louise to meet us for lunch, as we had something to tell them.

My morning classes went quickly. I realized that, as Dianna had promised, now that my amulet was gone, my memory was much better, and I could understand things more clearly. I wondered how the amulet had affected my younger life. I’d done okay at school, but I wondered if I would have gotten better grades if my amulet had not been interfering with my brain. I made a mental note to ask Dianna about it.

Mary and Amanda were already seated at a table when I reached the cafeteria. They had grabbed a tray of food for me, so I didn’t have to queue. I supposed I could get used to that. I crouched between them, giving each a kiss on the cheek, then settled opposite them.

Amanda waved Jules over as soon as she spotted her entering the cafeteria. “I’m sorry,” Amanda said. “I would have got you a tray too, but I had no idea what you wanted.”

Jules smiled. “It’s fine, I’ll go grab something. I’ll be right back”

The queue wasn’t long, so Jules was back in less than five minutes. She settled into a chair next to me and began eating.

“How was your morning?” I asked her.

She scowled. “Okay, I guess.”

“That scowl says different,” I said. “What’s up?”

“Just some doofus in my class behaving like a child,” she replied.

“His name wouldn’t be Jasper by any chance, would it?” I asked.

Her eyes widened for a moment, but then I saw understanding on her face.

“Yesterday,” I said quietly, “when I asked you if someone had left you, you practically screamed his name.”

She nodded. “Only he thinks he has changed his mind. He keeps asking me to go out with him again. I did like him; we had fun, but then it became all about sex. I think he thinks he can change my mind.”

Mary leaned forward, “Did you tell him you were with someone else now?”

“Well, no,” said Jules.

“Then tell him,” said Amanda. “That should make him back off.”

“But, I thought that you guys…” she stuttered.

Mary reached across the table and grabbed her hand. “We,” she said emphatically, “are all with Caleb, and that includes you, until you decide otherwise.”

“And each other, of course,” Amanda chipped in.

At that moment, I saw Jules’s eyes flicker to the entrance of the cafeteria. I looked and saw a tall, lanky boy who had just entered. He seemed to be looking for someone.

“Is that him?” I asked, and she nodded.

He spotted Jules and was making his way over. I could see Jules thinking, and then she reached a decision. Jasper was about ten feet from our table when she leaned across, grabbed the front of my shirt and kissed me. It was no affectionate peck; it was a full lip lock, with plenty of tongue thrown in. I was surprised how good she was at it.

As startled as I was, I guessed immediately what she was up to and responded, bringing my hand up to the back of her head, but with no pressure there. It would look like I was holding her in the kiss, but she could back off at any time.

“What the fuck?” I heard Jasper exclaim. Jules broke the kiss and looked up.

“Oh,” she said, sounding surprised. “Hi Jasper, I didn’t see you there.”

“What the fuck are you doing?” he asked, “Who is this asshole?”

I stood and held out my hand. “Hi, I’m Caleb, you must be Jasper. Jules did mention you. She said you broke up.”

“We had a row,” he said, “but I wouldn’t call it breaking up.”

“So,” asked Jules, sounding perplexed “‘Get away from me you frigid little freak, I never want to see you again’ wasn’t breaking up?”

“Sounds like breaking up to me,” said Mary, and Amanda nodded.

“So,” he snarled, “less than a day later and you are shacking up with some dweeb?”

“Am I a dweeb?” I asked Jules.

“You don’t taste like a dweeb,” she answered with a grin,

I looked at Jasper. “It was nice meeting you.” the dismissal was obvious.

“Fine!” he huffed, “keep the whore.” He turned to stomp off and came face to face with Sue.

“In my experience,” Sue said in a very loud voice, “when a little boy like you, calls a pretty girl a whore, he is only doing it to hide his own inadequacies. And looking at you, I would guess that you have a very, very tiny penis.” She held her forefinger and thumb about an inch apart. “Am I right?”

“Get away from me you f…”

“Finish that sentence,” growled all six foot five of Gordon. “I dare you.”

Gordon didn’t have more than a couple of inches on Jasper, but he was much broader. I’d have put the weight advantage at forty or fifty pounds, and almost all of it was muscle.

Jasper gulped, glared at Jules and I, and slunk away.

Sue fronted up to me.

“And you,” she said. “What the hell is going on with you? First, I hear that you are banging a couple of red-hot twins, then I see you with your tongue down Little Miss Pretty’s throat.”

Jules went scarlet, but I interjected. “It’s a long, long story, Sue, and here is not the place. Can we catch up later?”

“Fine,” she said. “Your room, straight after class. You’ll need to be quick, because I have a date tonight. I can spare you half an hour, but it better be good.”

She and Gordon moved off.

Jules looked at me apologetically. “Caleb, I...”

“Jules, it was fine,” I said. “I figured it out almost immediately.”

“Besides,” said Amanda, grinning, “He didn’t seem to be putting up much of a struggle.”

Jules looked across at the twins.

“Don’t say it,” Mary said, “What’s needed is freely given, from any to all. That’s what it means to share.”

At that moment Josh and Louise came over.

“You wanted to talk?” asked Josh.

I sat back down and indicated the two empty chairs at the table. Josh and Louise occupied them.

“Josh,” I said, “I’m sorry, but I have to move out of the dorm room.”

Josh and Louise both looked shocked.

“Why?” he asked, “Was it…”

“It was nothing you did,” I assured him. “It’s just that since Mary, Amanda and I got together, we want to live together. So, we rented a house, just off campus, and we’ll be moving there.”

There were lots of questions regarding the house, which I couldn’t answer, and so I said that we would be going to look at it this evening and they could come along and see it with us.

I texted Dianna to ask for the details. She sent me the address and told me that there was a key safe with a combination lock attached to the wall just outside the main door. There were several more copies of keys in a drawer in the house. She also provided the combination for said key safe, and the code for the alarm.

We agreed we would go after my audience with Sue.

My afternoon was spent in the gym, wrestling. We were running try-outs for the team, and I had several bouts that afternoon, all of which I won convincingly. None of the new aspirants had much of an idea, although there were a couple that I thought would be pretty good with some work.

I showered and was back in my room in time for when Sue came calling.

“Okay, spill,” she said, dropping into my chair. “What’s the deal with all these women suddenly hanging around you?”

“Well,” I began, “you met Mary at my party, so you know her. What I didn’t know at the time was that Mary had a twin sister. I met her over the weekend and we kind of all hit it off sooo.”

“So now,” she interrupted, “you’re in a polyamorous relationship with twins. At least tell me that one of them took your V card?”

“They took mine,” I admitted, “and I took theirs.”

“Holy shit Caleb,” she exclaimed, “when you go, you go with a bang!!”

I grinned. “And what a bang it was.”

Sue laughed.

“So what’s the deal with Jules?” she asked. “She’s a nice kid. I hope you are not screwing with her.”

I raised my eyebrow.

“Sorry Caleb,” she said. “I was forgetting who I was talking to.”

There was a knock on the door, and when I opened it, Jules walked in. She sat on my bed next to me.

“I thought it better for Jules to explain,” I said. “It’s her story.”

“That guy at lunch,” Jules said, “I used to date. We broke up, but he decided he’d changed his mind. He kept pestering me. Caleb was kind enough to pretend to be my boyfriend so he would back off.”

Sue nodded. Then she looked at me. “So, you got Jules to tell me the story, so you wouldn’t have to lie to me?” She shook her head. “Damn Caleb, I thought we were friends.” She stood.

“Wait!” Jules said, “Please, it wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either.”

Sue looked at me, and then sat down again.

“Jasper really was an ex,” Jules began, “and he really was pestering me. It was a spur of the moment thing to kiss Caleb to show Jasper he was my boyfriend.”

“I saw the way you looked at each other,” Sue said. “There’s more there than friendship.”

Jules looked at me. “Tell her.”

I sighed. “Mary, Amanda and I were in the science block when I saw Jules walking up the stairs. For some reason I decided to follow her, and when we caught up with her, she was standing on the parapet of the roof, ready to jump.

“We talked to her, managed to talk her down, and now…”

“Damn Caleb!” Sue said, “She needs to be seen by a medical…”

“Already done,” I interrupted. “She was seen straight away by the university counsellor, and then by a doctor. The doctor released her into my care.” I looked down at Jules. “And I’m caring for her.”

“Do Mary and Amanda know,” Sue asked, “that you have fallen in love with your patient?”

Jules looked at Sue with shock on her face before turning back to me.

“They know,” I said, “and they love her too.”

“You love me?” Jules asked.

“Jules,” Sue said gently, “look at him. Look at the way he looks at you. It’s obvious. Even if I hadn’t seen the way he reacted when you kissed him, I would’ve known. That was the first time, right?”

Jules nodded. “I’m so sorry Caleb. I didn’t mean to lead you on.”

Sue looked puzzled. “What do you mean, lead him on?”

“I’m asexual,” Jules said. “I only kissed him to stop Jasper pestering me, I didn’t mean to make him…”

Sue laughed. “You didn’t make him fall in love with the kiss, dummy. He was already there before then. And if I know anything about Caleb, and I do, your sexuality won’t matter to him in the slightest. Besides, I think he’s probably got enough on his plate in that department.”

Jules looked up at me again, and I nodded.

“We already discussed this,” I said to her. “You do still need to tell us what you need, but there’s no rush for that. You decide when you are ready.”

Sue stood up. “Right. My pussy has a date with Gordon’s tongue so I’m going to love you and leave you.”

I stood up also. “I’m sorry I didn’t…”

She punched me in the shoulder. “Shush. Friends forgive.” She pulled me into a hug. “Look after them - all of them.”

She turned to Jules and pulled her into a hug too, whispering something in her ear, before leaving.

Jules turned to me, but before she could say anything the door opened and Josh entered, followed by Louise, Mary and Amanda. Mary and Amanda had already shared the memory of our discussion with Sue, and as they entered, they both went over and hugged Jules, who seemed on the verge of tears again.

“Right,” I said. “Who wants to go and look at our new home?”

We took Amanda’s car, so we four could all travel together. Louise followed with Josh in her car. I put the address into Amanda’s sat-nav and it took us less than ten minutes to get to the house.

It.Was.HUGE.

It was somewhere in the middle of a row of eight or nine single storey houses. They were each set in the middle of a plot of land with a large, paved area at the front and a double garage.

Amanda pulled her car onto the drive, and we all piled out. Josh and Louise pulled up just behind us.

“Fuck me,” said Josh as he got out of Louise’s car. “This must be costing you a fortune!”

I smiled at him and walked to the entrance door. I tapped in the combination to the keysafe and extricated the keys, then unlocked the door itself.

“Give me a sec to go and turn off the alarm,” I said.

The alarm panel was just inside the door, and simply holding up the keyfob was enough to disable it. I sighed with relief; I had had visions of struggling with that.

I pulled the entrance door open and invited everyone inside.

There were five bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, a living room, a kitchen/diner, a den and an office. There was also a utility room off the kitchen with a washer and dryer. Out back there was about one quarter acre of grass surrounded by a tall wooden fence without a gate. There was also a deck the width of the house, at one end of which was a hot tub.

The master bedroom was huge; the bed was a Wyoming king, which would have been large enough for everyone present to sleep in if we’d gotten cozy. It had an ensuite shower room with a huge shower that had multiple heads.

I texted Dianna.

_are we in the right place? house is a MANSION. how???

She sent back a smiley face emoji by itself, then followed up. It took a few moments for the giant text to come through.

_Confiscated from drug dealer. We used it occasionally for a safe house. It has been empty for about two years. There is a cleaning service comes in twice a week, but please don’t abuse the place. I’ll have to account for damage, and I WILL come looking for you if that happens.

_Can I offer Josh and Louise a room? I asked.

_Your house – up to you – but re-read my last. If you do, charge nominal rent, what they pay at the dorms. That will give you more income. Obviously do not charge Jules.

_Paperwork for house is in kitchen drawer. If anyone asks, it is your uncle’s house – he is staying in the Hamptons and letting you use it. There is a telephone number on paperwork for people to ring to confirm if required. Only use if LEOs are involved.

I read and re-read the texts in some disbelief before going into the kitchen and hunting out the paperwork mentioned. I went into the garage through the door off the kitchen and found it to be big enough for my truck and Amanda’s car. Mary didn’t have a car of her own, which was just as well. There was a workbench at the back, and I saw a couple of remote door openers sat on top.

I went out back onto the deck where everyone else had congregated. Mary and Amanda came over and hugged me.

“This place is awesome,” Amanda said, then looked around.

Jules was watching from a few feet away. Amanda held her arm out, and Jules came over and joined the hug.

“You never need an invitation,” Mary said to Jules as she snuggled in. “We are together now, ALL of us, unless and until you decide otherwise.”

“This is a beautiful place,” Josh said. “I’m seriously jealous.”

“Yeah,” Louise put in. “Let us know if you need help moving in.” She turned to Josh. “Come on, lets leave them to get acquainted with the house. I’m sure they have stuff to do.”

Josh and Louise left and the rest of us moved into the living room. It was getting dark outside, and a little chilly.

“Okay,” I said, “I guess we have some things to sort out.”

“Such as?” asked Mary.

“Sleeping arrangements, for one thing,” I said. “Who gets what room?”

“Well,” said Amanda, “since the house was technically provided to you...”

“By our grandmother,” Mary interrupted, faking a pout.

“Then you should get the master bedroom,” Amanda finished.

“That’s an awfully big bed for just me,” I said.

“Oh it wont be just you,” said Mary.

I grinned at her.

“Jules?” I asked. “What about you?”

“I can take one of the smaller rooms,” she said.

“Were you not listening outside?” asked Mary.

“What?” Jules asked puzzled.

“You can take whichever room you please,” I said, “But we were hoping that you would want to sleep with us. I really enjoyed cuddling with you last night and I would miss it if you weren’t there.”

“There’s no pressure,” I said. “Pick a room for yourself, but if it isn’t going to be with us, take the second bedroom. Then at least you have an ensuite.”

Jules shook her head. “I would like to share with you guys,” she said timidly. “If that is okay.”

“Of course it is,” said Mary. “As I said outside, we are all together.”

Jules shifted uncomfortably. All three of us stayed quiet, waiting for her to decide what to do or say next. Finally, she sighed.

“You asked me before what being asexual meant for me,” she said. “I guess if we’re all going to be sharing a bed, I should probably do the speech.”

“Well, if you have it on a little note card...” I offered.

She only startled for a split second, then rolled her eyes at me. Mary gave me a feather tap on my arm.

With yet another sigh, Jules psyched herself up. It was obvious she just wanted to get through it. “I have almost no sex drive,” she began, “no libido. Nor do I feel any sexual attraction to anyone, of any gender. Very occasionally, usually just after I finish my period, I get an itch that needs scratching. I masturbate maybe once or twice, and I’m good until the next time.”

All three of us nodded our understanding. I actually tried to de-sync mine from the twins’, just so Jules wouldn’t get thrown. It was clear she had more to say.

“I am attracted to some people,” she continued, “but it is not sexual. It is more about affection, family, and wanting to belong. I love holding and being held. It doesn’t ‘excite’ me in a sexual way, but it does give me a feeling of safety and security, and belonging.

“When I was in your bed last night, it was the first time in so long that I’d felt that. Even this morning, when your ‘autonomic nervous system’ was introducing itself to my butt, I still felt safe and loved. Normally that would scare me. When you kissed me on the head, it felt good. It showed me that you had affection for me. When I kissed you in the cafeteria, to me it felt much the same. It was pleasant contact, warm, comforting, and safe. I felt your hand on the back of my head lightly holding me, but I knew the instant I wanted to, I could break the kiss and you wouldn’t stop me. Even so, there was no sexual excitement with either kiss. My loins didn’t tingle, I didn’t get wet, my nipples didn’t get erect, none of that. It was just pleasant contact.

“But just because I don’t get sexually attracted to people doesn’t mean I am not attracted to some people. I guess in that way I’m like Caleb. I see something I like in someone, and it attracts me to them. Usually, it’s not a physical attribute. Unlike Caleb I’m not an ass girl.” She grinned at me before continuing. We all smiled back, happy she was comfortable enough to crack wise. “Occasionally, though, it does happen. With you girls, it was your eyes. The first time I saw you on the roof, I was captivated by them. Then, as I got to know you, I found other reasons I wanted to be around you.

“With Caleb, it is just him. He just makes me feel safe and loved. I’ll admit I am still a tiny bit frightened by his power, but he has never given me cause to fear him, and each time I have challenged him he has surpassed my expectations.

“I realize that if I share a bed with you guys, I’m going to see you having sex, and that’s fine. The sight of it doesn’t disgust me. As long as I am not scared I will get dragged into it, I will be happy for you guys. I’ll enjoy watching you guys enjoying yourselves, if that makes sense. If it creeps you out, then I can make myself scarce until you are done.”

She sat back and looked at us. I sensed a change in her. Now she had told us, it was like a burden had been lifted from her, and she seemed calmer and more confident.

“Thank you,” I said. “That can’t have been easy.”

“Okay,” said Mary. “Now you finally understand your place in our family. Welcome!” Mary got up, crossed to Jules, and hugged her, kissing her gently on the forehead.

Amanda followed suit, hugging Jules, and placing another tender kiss on her forehead.

Jules looked at me.

I smiled and crossed to her, hugging her, but when I leaned in to give her a kiss on her forehead, she tilted her face up and caught my kiss on her lips.

She smiled at my surprise. “Just because it doesn’t get my motor running doesn’t mean I don’t like the feeling itself, occasionally.”

We settled down, all on the couch now. Mary and Amanda were snuggled up on either side of me while Jules curled up contentedly in my lap, her head on my chest.

“Question,” I said. “Should we offer Josh and Louise a room here?”

“What did Grandmother say?” asked Mary.

“’Your house, your choice,’” I answered. “’Don’t trash the place, or it’s your ass.’ She did say we should charge them a nominal rent, something like they currently pay to stay in the dorms.”

“What’s Josh like to live with?” asked Amanda.

“Not too bad,” I said, “He keeps his side of the dorm tidy, and almost always picks up his laundry. Not sure how it would be otherwise. Since we eat at the cafeteria every day, not sure what he would be like in the kitchen.”

“What about Louise?” asked Mary.

“I never lived with her,” I said, “but every time I have been to her room it was clean and tidy, even when she didn’t know I was coming.”

“Would it be too much temptation,” asked Jules, “for them, and for you? If you have been sharing with them, would having them both living here mean you spend too much time playing?”

I thought about that. It was a real possibility. Also, there would be times when Josh was home alone with Jules or one of the twins, or Louise was home alone with me. Would we be risking damaging our relationship by pulling them in so close? Then there was the question of powers. Jules knew about our powers, but Josh and Louise did not. We hadn’t given ourselves away yet, but it had been less than a week. If they lived with us, there was certainly a greater danger of them discovering something they shouldn’t.

I voiced all these concerns to the room.

“Do you think they expect the offer?” asked Amanda. “I mean, we are all close. Given they know we have all the spare rooms, do you think they will be upset if we don’t offer for them to come live with us.?”

“Jules,” I said, “would Josh living here make you nervous? It’s one thing seeing him at PSU, or even in my room, but living in the same house, and if we were to play...”

She considered it. “I didn’t feel threatened by him when you went for your run. He got up, went into the bathroom, and got dressed, then left the room for a few minutes while I got out of bed. He was a gentleman. I don’t think I would like to be in the room if you and he were having sex. Not that I would mind seeing it, I just wouldn’t have the level of trust I have with you guys. Maybe that would build if he lived here.”

“It’s not a decision we need to make tonight,” I said. “Hell, we’re not even moved in yet. I’m in two minds about whether to stay here tonight or go back to the dorms. Do we all have everything we would need to stay overnight if we were going to?”

“If we go back to the dorms,” asked Amanda, “where will Jules sleep?”

“I have a whole double room to myself,” Jules said. “Caleb could stay with me in there.”

“Let’s do that,” said Mary, “but before we do, we should make a list of things we need to do. Tomorrow evening, we can start bringing stuff across. Caleb has his truck, and Amanda her car. We could probably get most of our stuff moved in the evening if we set to.”

Amanda nodded then looked at Jules. “How does that sound?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

I noted wryly that nobody had asked my opinion.

Amanda grinned at me. She pushed the memory of Dianna telling me that I would be ‘managed’ by the three women in my house through the bond. Mary laughed.

Jules looked from Mary to Amanda to me. “What?”

Amanda looked contrite.

“Sorry Jules,” she said. “Caleb was whining through our bond that nobody had asked his opinion about the plan. I sent him the memory of when Grandmother told him he would get bossed around by us three.”

Jules laughed, but then sighed.

I put my arms around her. “Jules, do you trust me?” I asked.

“With my life,” she said instantly. I was touched.

“Then relax, and look at me,” I said.

“Caleb,” asked Mary, “are you sure that’s wise?”

“You told her we were all together,” I replied. “If she is excluded, even in part, then she is not going to feel it.”

“But you could hurt her,” she argued. “At least talk to Grandmother before doing something like that.”

I sighed. “Mary’s right,” I said to Jules. “I think I have a way to include you in our bond, but I’m still new to my power. I need to ask Dianna before doing it, in case there may be something I don’t know about that could hurt you.”

Jules nodded. “Okay.”

We spent the next couple of hours looking around the house, checking out the kitchen for food and storage, and looking for things like towels and linen.

The house was fully stocked with everything except food. There was nothing at all in the refrigerator. It wasn’t even switched on.

We made lists of things to do, and shopping lists and by the time we were finished it was starting to get late. There were seven sets of keys in the kitchen drawer, each with its own fob to the alarm. I gave the girls one each, I already had mine from the key safe outside. Then I wondered if the cleaners used those when they came in to clean, so I put a set in there just in case.

I took one garage door opener for my truck and gave the other to Amanda for her car.

All that being done, we locked up the house and returned to the dorms.

I had no need to go back to my room since I had taken stuff with me to stay at the house if we had decided to do so, so we all went straight to the girls’ dorms.

“Why don’t we all stay in one room?” Amanda asked as we were walking up the stairs.

We all ended up in the twins’ room. The beds were never going to be big enough for all four of us, so we would have to sleep in pairs. The question was who would get to sleep with whom.

“Would it be okay if I slept with you tonight?” Amanda asked Jules.

Jules looked at me, and I shrugged. “It’s up to you. At least you know there will be no butt-poking from her.”

I was about to go into the bathroom to get changed for bed when Jules asked, “Did you need to use the bathroom, or were you just going to get changed?”

“The latter,” I said.

“Don’t do it on my account,” she said. “I’ve seen a cock before. It doesn’t do anything for me, but it doesn’t repel me either. Since we are going to be living and sleeping together, we should probably get used to seeing each other naked, don’t you think?”

“Sounds good,” said Amanda, immediately stripping off before putting on her teeshirt for bed. She didn’t wear panties. She looked at us expectantly.

“Come on,” she said. “Time’s a wasting and we have a lot to do tomorrow.”

Mary laughed and then followed Amanda’s example.

I was a little less blasé. I tried not to show my nervousness and stripped down to my boxers. I got a clean pair out, and swapped them over. It seemed stupid, but Jules had never seen me naked. Despite her sexuality, I still had the same anxieties as I guess most men have when they undress in front of a new partner for the first time.

When I looked up, there were three sets of eyes staring at me.

“What?” I said self-consciously.

“Nothing,” they all said, at the exact same instant.

Louise had been right. That wasn’t creepy in the slightest.

Amanda climbed into one of the beds and Jules climbed in beside her. They instantly rolled over onto their sides so that Amanda was behind Jules, her arm across her protectively. Jules snuggled back contentedly. Amanda smiled.

I climbed into the other bed, and Mary adopted a similar position with me: her back against my chest, her butt pushing into my groin - only Mary wasn’t just snuggling. She began to wriggle her ass, grinding it against me, which had predictable results.

I was rock hard within seconds, and I felt Mary reach around behind her and pull the front of my boxers down, releasing my erection, which she then took in hand. She squeezed it gently and began slowly to stroke. I groaned quietly.

Once she was satisfied that she had me as hard as I was going to get, she backed herself up, and, carefully lining me up with her pussy, slowly and inexorably pushed herself back into me, impaling herself on my cock. Her pussy was as incredible as I remembered: hot, vice-tight and incredibly wet. I got the sense that they had been planning this for some time.

I glanced across the room at the other bed, where Amanda and Jules lay, and saw that they were both watching us. Amanda was flushed with arousal; her bond to Mary was allowing her to experience what Mary was feeling. I was a little concerned about how Jules would react, but she was smiling gently, seeming completely unperturbed by what we were doing, and enjoying the closeness with Amanda.

My attention was drawn back to Mary who was starting to thrust back against me, her pussy walls massaging my cock, and creating amazing sensations as they moved against my glans. She was so wet that I could hear quiet slurping noises as she moved on me, and I could feel her juices leaking out of her.

I decided to take a more active role, and put my arm around Mary, pulling her back and thrusting deeper inside, making her moan. I reached around and pushed my hand down between her legs. After rubbing them across where we were joined to pick up her lubrication, I sought out her clit and began a gentle assault.

She jumped a little when I started to tease her like that, but soon began thrusting against my questing fingers, not only increasing the pressure on her clit, but also increasing the sensation she was experiencing from my cock being embedded inside her. Her breathing was becoming a little more ragged now, her thrusting becoming more urgent.

My eye caught movement in the other bed, and I saw Jules turn around and whisper something to Amanda. I knew that Amanda was feeling everything that Mary was feeling through the bond and I wondered if she had started to move against Jules and was making her uncomfortable. I was a little surprised to see them change positions, with Amanda moving to her back, and Jules taking position on her side, holding her.

Jules looked over and caught my eye.

“Don’t stop,” she said. “They’re almost there.”

At that point, Mary decided that she needed to be more aggressive. She slid off me and turned over onto her back, pulling me on top of her.

“Please, Caleb,” she whined, “fuck me.”

I entered her once more, still marvelling at the sensations her hot, tight tunnel created on my cock. I began stroking in and out of her, slowly at first, but building speed as she started to writhe beneath me. I leaned forward and claimed her mouth with mine, all the while grinding my hips, pushing deep inside her, to grind her clit against me when I was fully embedded. She brought her legs up and wrapped them around my hips, pulling me in tighter and allowing me to gain even more depth inside her.

I pulled her body tight to me, feeling her nipples rubbing against my chest. I ravaged her mouth with mine as I thrust into her, faster and faster. The bond was now fully engaging, allowing me not only to feel my side of the sensations, but also to feel what Mary was experiencing. Amanda was being bombarded with sensations from both of us and was twitching and moaning as Jules held her gently.

I could feel Mary’s orgasm approaching, and upped my pace even further, pounding her now, her juices being churned up into a white froth between us. She was getting close, so close, but my own orgasm was not to be denied, and I felt my balls tighten in readiness. I groaned as I came, spurt after spurt of thick creamy cum jetting inside her. The feeling of my cum pumping inside her added to the feelings she was getting from me of my orgasm. It triggered hers, and she screamed into my mouth as her pussy clenched tight around my still-spasming cock, and then pulsated, milking the remainder of my ejaculation deep into her womb.

I heard Amanda groan as her body twitched and writhed, riding out the sensations she had been fed over the bond, while Jules held her tenderly.

For a moment, I lay motionless, still deep inside Mary, gazing into those beautiful tawny eyes. It felt like she was gazing into my soul, and I felt an amazing feeling of belonging, and love. Mary smiled.

“Thank you, Caleb,” she said.

I kissed her gently. “Thank you.”

Amanda sighed, and I looked across at the other bed where the two girls were back in their original position, Amanda spooning Jules, her arms protectively around the smaller girl.

“Jules?” I said.

She smiled at me. “That was beautiful, thank you. Being included like that, without the pressure of being involved, was wonderful.”

I saw Amanda tighten her hold on Jules. Jules snuggled back into her contentedly. I briefly wondered about what had just happened, but then the familiar warmth of Mary’s mind enveloped me and eased me into sleep.

It was the beep of my phone that woke me - a text message.

_Your new instructor will meet you in the gym in half an hour. Don’t be late.

I groaned and looked at the time. It was five thirty in the fucking morning.

Gently, I tried to extricate myself from Mary, but failed miserably, her arms clamping over mine and pinned me in place.

“Just a few more minutes,” she groaned.

“You stay here,” I said. “I have to meet my new trainer.”

She turned to look at me.

“Who is it?” she asked.

“No idea,” I returned.

“Remember they are here to help.” she said. “They may well try to provoke you, so don’t react.”

I humphed. “They better not,” I said, grumpy from being woken up so early.

She smiled. “Then remember this.” She leaned up and kissed me.

I smiled as I clambered out of the bed and got dressed.

When I arrived at the gym, five minutes before six, there was nobody around. Wary of some kind of test, I decided I would shield my mind, and imagined once again the Star Trek starship, raising its shields. This time, however, I was going all out. I went for the Voyager multi-adaptive shielding that they had used in Seven of Nine’s rescue from the Borg. I raised them slowly to ensure they didn’t interfere with my bond. I would still need to figure out how to cloak around that, but other than that, I was content. I was as protected as I knew how to be.

I felt him before I saw him. There was that same coppery ‘smell’ that I had sensed when Harold Bleasdale had walked into Bob and Angela’s. There was no accompanying rotten meat smell, but all the same, the memory unnerved me. I double-checked my shield and surveyed my surroundings.

I stepped back and put my back against the gym wall. At least then, I hoped, he couldn’t sneak up behind me.

I felt my shield sparking as if it were under assault, a coruscation of energy playing over the surface. I tried to maintain my vigilance. Was this just some kind of distraction or was this a real attack? I tried to determine the source of the attacks on my shields, but it was diffuse, seeming to come from all directions. I had more luck with the ‘smell.’ That seemed to be coming from above me.

I launched myself sideways just as a body landed on the spot I had been standing. Rolling, I came to my feet, facing my attacker.

He stood about an inch taller than me, but was broader in chest and arms, looking like a gym rat. He had regained his feet and was standing in a relaxed pose, but I could tell by his stance he wasn’t finished yet.

“Not a bad start,” he said. “You have decent mental protection, good situational awareness, and you are reasonably fit. Dianne tells me you are a wrestler.”

“Good morning to you too,” I responded sarcastically. “Is it page one or two of the training manual that determines that trainers have to behave like cunts?”

He nodded. “She also said that you had a temper. You need to control that.”

“Believe me, I am,” I said. “Otherwise, you would be looking for a bag to carry your balls in.”

He grinned. “Gerald did walk funny for a day or two.”

He eased forward slightly, shifting his weight. I knew he was about to attack. My problem was that I didn’t have any idea what his martial art was, so I couldn’t predict how. If he was judo or another grappling art, I could maybe counter some of his moves. If his was a striking art - Karate, Kung-fu - I’d be toast before I could grapple him at all.

I decided that to launch an attack, he needed something to push off from. I glanced around, making sure there was nobody near, before using my telekinesis to lift him a foot off the ground.

He considered me from his new vantage point, nodding. “Good reasoning. If I’m not in contact with the ground, I can’t launch an attack. You are lucky that there is nobody around. You couldn’t use that in a crowded street.”

“I could do this,” I said, allowing him to return to the ground, but pressing down. His knees sagged as my power forced him downwards. I pressed harder, and harder still. He was tough, but I could see that his knees were about to give. As they buckled, I released the pressure and supported his weight, so he didn’t hit the floor. I didn’t want to hurt him, just make a point.

“Mercy?” he scoffed. “That’s a dangerous emotion.” He launched himself at me, but I had kind of expected that. I caught him mid-air and pushed him back until he was against the gym wall.

“Can we stop playing now,” I asked, “and start training? And FYI, it wasn’t mercy. I just didn’t want to have to explain to Dianna how I broke her trainer.

“Although,” I continued, getting a sudden sense, “I wouldn’t have to, since she is watching, aren’t you Dianna.”

The diffuse nature of the attack now made sense. It wasn’t a single attacker.

“Okay,” Dianna grumbled, stomping out from behind a nearby tree, “put him down.”

I released my hold on the trainer and he relaxed back into his ready stance.

“Thoughts?” she said to him as she approached.

“He was ready,” he said. “If he had not been expecting me, he would have been incapacitated before he knew I was there. He has good instincts and can read an opponent. Once his defenses are up, they are formidable. With time and patience, I could probably burrow through them but that is not certain. He is probably the most powerful user I have seen yet. He’s also an arrogant little prick.”

“No,” said Dianna. “No, he isn’t.” She sighed.

“Let me show you,” she said, “how he really is, and why he is currently so… grumpy.”

I sensed her power flare and saw his attention shift for a moment.

It is a strange thing, to have memories shared. When it is done, it’s like you lived them yourself, so you can assimilate that information almost instantaneously. I could watch an entire football game, then share it with you, and within a second, you would remember it as if you had seen it and knew everything necessary. So, a full game time, assimilated in less than a second.

“What a fuck up,” he said. “Do we know why his amulet failed?”

She shook her head. “It hasn’t been recovered, although we think he just overwhelmed it.”

He relaxed his stance and approached me and smiled.

“James Taylor,” he said holding his hand out. His stance was relaxed but I was still wary.

I shook his hand.

“Well,” he added, “at least my balls are still in the same bag I brought them in. That’s a start. Oh, and it’s neither.”

“Neither?” I asked.

“The training manual,” he said. “It’s neither page one, nor page two. It’s on the cover.”

I smiled. Suddenly I felt more presences closing in. That surprised me, that they were so close, and I hadn’t felt them earlier.

“Hi Uncle James,” Mary said as she, Amanda and Jules approached.

James hugged the twins.

“This is Jules,” Amanda said, “our girlfriend.”

Jules’s eyes widened at that introduction, but she smiled at James, and he returned it warmly.

Mary came and linked my arm, and Amanda and Jules joined us.

“You have a lot of power, Caleb,” James said, “and that gives you a lot of options. I have probably a tenth of your power, but I know I could beat you. Not in a face-to-face battle, but enemies rarely attack you face on. I can train you. We will have to spar, and I will have to test you as you learn. I can also teach you how to fight. Your wrestling is a good start, but it wouldn’t stand up in real combat, and I think you know that. Robbing me of my base was an excellent bit of tactical thinking. If I had had a weapon, though, it wouldn’t have stopped me using that.”

I nodded. “I have one stipulation,” I said.

He raised an eyebrow.

“Do not include my girls in any of your tests,” I said. “If I feel them to be in danger, my response will be extreme.”

He nodded. “That does make them your weakness.”

“It makes them an emotional weakness,” I said. “Dianna said that I could learn focus and discipline during these sessions. If you like, they’re just as much about training me as they are about saving anybody who really pisses me off from a fate worse than death.”

James raised an eyebrow. “Arrogance and wisdom,” he said. “Rare combo.”

“I guess you’ll probably want to start with a brilliant argument as to why I shouldn’t just Compel everyone who threatens me to stand down until I figure out what to do with them.”

James shrugged. “Not my department. That’s probably what you should have done to me right off. It completely neutralizes the threat and, in almost every situation, is extremely deniable. There is the chance, though, that they might not succumb to your power. Others have defenses too.

“Dianna,” he said, “Why don’t you take the girls to breakfast? Caleb and I have some training to do.”

James moved into the gym. After a quick kiss from all three girls, I followed.

“First,” he said, “you need to keep your shield up at all times - even when you sleep.”

+++++

“How was it?” Dianna asked when I joined them in the cafeteria an hour later.

“Interesting,” I said. “There is a lot to learn.”

“James is a good man,” she said. “Don’t let first impressions count against him.”

“To be honest,” I said, “I was expecting that. I decided to push back to see what would happen.”

“You seem to like pissing contests,” she remarked.

I busied myself with my breakfast. “So, what’s the deal with the mansion?” I asked nonchalantly.

For the briefest moment, I saw a flicker in her aura. “What do you mean?” she asked, “I already told you.”

I nodded. “It’s a setup,” I said, “but for who or what?”

She stared at me for a long moment.

“Your uncle John,” she said finally.

“Nope,” I said. “Not interested.”

“But you don’t know…” she began.

“No,” I interrupted, “I don’t. But I do know that you started the process without talking to me - to us - first. And you put my girls directly on the front line of whatever operation you are thinking of planning. So,” I fished the keys out of my pocket and dropped them on the table, “I’ll pass.”

She stood, visibly angry, and stamped her foot. “Damn you, Caleb! James was right. You can be an arrogant little prick!!”

“Fuck you, Dianna,” I hissed, bringing my face to within an inch of hers. “I didn’t ask for any of this. My whole life I have been lied to and kept in the dark, and now all of a sudden you are trying to turn me into some kind of secret weapon. This isn’t all about protecting me or keeping me from becoming corrupt. If anything, your actions are more likely to push me in that direction.

“You are just interested in how you can use this new resource that has suddenly fallen into your lap. I have power - quite a lot of it, too, as you all keep telling me - and all you care about is how best to control it. You don’t care about me. I wouldn’t be surprised if you’d engineered the bonding to your granddaughters in the first place. I’m certain that they didn’t know about it, but you did. How could you not expect what happened to happen?

“You were even part of the fucking ritual. You could have stopped it before the bonding was complete. So how do I trust a woman who is happy to sacrifice her own granddaughters into slavery to have my best interests at heart? You can keep your house, keep your FBI, and keep yourself the fuck away from me!”

I took out the FBI identification from my wallet and threw it on the table.

As I turned around there were two men standing behind me.

“Caleb Stott,” the first said, “you are under arrest. Turn around and put your hands behind your back.”

I glanced back at Dianna. “Really? You want to go to war?”

“Caleb please…” she began.

I turned back to the men. I imagined the first tasering the second, and then, while he was incapacitated, handcuffing him over the table and fucking him brutally up the arse. Simultaneously, I imagined Dianna having multiple bone-crushing orgasms over and over again until she lost consciousness.

Dianna screamed out in the first of the orgasms as the snap of the taser sounded in my ear.

I looked around for an exit. The front door was out; there would be people waiting, probably James. I raised my shields as hard as I could, wishing I could use the cloak.

I crossed to the kitchen and went toward the back door, looking to escape. As I got near the door, I ‘smelled’ James. He was waiting outside.

I imagined that James would suddenly lose all of his senses. I hoped I had enough power to beat his defenses, but it wasn’t like I had another choice. Just to muddy the mix, I decided to add in some orgasms for James too. Maybe that would keep his mind off me.

I peeked around the door, and saw James writhing on the floor, but there were three other men, weapons drawn. All three were suddenly fifty feet in the air. If they shot me, they would be killing themselves.

I ran out of the door and got into one of the cars that they had arrived in, As I drove off, I imagined that they would return to the ground, not exactly gently, but at least they would survive the fall.

I knew that the car would have a tracker in it, but I needed to get away from there quickly. I drove ten blocks and then bailed, imagining that a trucker who was stopped at traffic lights would open his passenger door and let me in, before driving away.

An hour later I was thirty miles away.

I had left the trucker after only fifteen minutes and ‘borrowed’ a motorcycle. I dumped my mobile phone, as I knew they could use it to track me. My biggest issue was the link I had with the twins. I needed to find a way to remove that, and yet not be incapacitated by the sense of loss that I knew would ensue.

I pulled over at the side of the road and examined the bond I had with the twins. I could feel them through it. They were looking for me, for what reason, I did not know. Were they dupes, as I had thought or were they skilful operatives who had played an innocent, horny man? I was becoming paranoid.

I braced myself and blocked the link.

Instantly the pain and loss hit me, and I fell to my knees, tears welling from my eyes as I felt my heart break.

“ENOUGH!”

I was on my knees in the gym, tears coursing down my face.

Arms wrapped around me. “Caleb, look at me.”

I looked into James’s face. Blurry through the tears.

“Breathe, Caleb,” he said, “It’s not real. It wasn’t real.”

I examined myself, and my mind. The bond with the girls was still in place; my heart was whole. I could feel waves of concern coming from the twins.

“It wasn’t real,” James said again, still holding me.

I slumped down to the floor, physically and emotionally exhausted.

“How can I tell?” I asked. “If someone can do that to me, How the hell can I tell what is and what isn’t real?”

“It’s interesting,” he said, “that even when you were under that much pressure, your response was non-lethal. I’m sure agent Sachs will be pissed about the buggering, but orgasms to incapacitate, that’s teen thinking for sure, but effective, nonetheless. Even the three agents outside got away lightly - I would guess nothing worse than a sprained ankle. The worst injury was inflicted on yourself and the girls when you blocked the bond.”

“So how can I tell?” I asked again. I was lying on my back on the gym floor. I didn’t trust myself to try and stand yet.

“It’s a construction,” he said, “but it is impossible to make it perfect. There will always be mistakes and little inconsistencies. You need to be alert for those.”

“I think that’s enough for today” he said. “I need to do some research, I love the idea of your cloak, and I am certain there is a way you can use it and still keep your bond intact. I need to watch some Star Trek.” He grinned.

“Before you go, I am going to share my memory of my first year of training in martial arts. It will give you the knowledge, but you will have to work on the moves physically. Most martial art is muscle memory. Normally it takes between one and three months to assimilate a year of learning. It’s much faster, but not instant. The more you practice, the faster it will be, at least an hour a day.”

“You didn’t really answer my question,” I said. “How do I know that I am not in an illusion right now?”

The experience had really shaken me. I remembered seeing movies like Inception and Crimson Sky, where the main character had not known whether he was in the real world or a dream, and they’d really messed with my head. Now I was living in one.

“Because you were prepared,” he said. “Look at your left wrist.”

I looked down at my wrist. There was nothing there. Turning my hand over, I saw I had written my name on the inside of my left wrist.

Suddenly the memory surfaced from the start of the training session.

“Caleb, I need you to write your name on the inside of your wrist. Once you have done that, you need to compel yourself to forget what you wrote but to remember that you wrote something. In an illusion, your mind will try and fill in the gap, but since you forgot what it was, your mind cannot supply that detail. The image will be blurry and indistinct. If you had looked at your wrist in the illusion you would have noted the inconsistency. That would have been enough to alert you to the fact that it wasn’t real. If you look at your wrist and you see your name written, clearly, then you are no longer in an illusion.”

“There are all kinds of ways to exploit that same hole: an inscription on a pocket watch, a photograph in a secret pocket, anything really. And of course, you can also do the Inception thing. It’s a solid idea. You figure something out, or better, more than one thing. The one commonality is that they all have to be private – the more private, the better. Writing on your body won’t do you much good if your enemies have access to it in the real world while you’re under; I guess you could say the same if they find your Inception totem on your person. Consider it your first test to come up with a few, knowing full well that once I know about them, you’ll have to come up with new ones. Next time, I’ll teach you how to exit illusions once you have detected them.”

He shared the memory of his training as promised, and we parted company.

I made my way to the cafeteria, where Dianna and the girls waited. After collecting my food, I joined them at the table. Mary and Amanda immediately put their arms around me.

“Are you okay?” asked Dianna.

“It was rough,” I said.

I ate in silence for a minute, then looked over at her.

“So, what’s the deal with the mansion?” I asked, nonchalantly.

Her aura was solid, and she regarded me steadily. “The house is exactly as I told you. It was a seizure from a drug dealer and used to be used as a safe house. It’s been empty for about two years.” She put her hand on mine. “It’s over for today, Caleb, I know it takes some time to trust that you are back in reality, but you are.”

I sighed with relief and then had a thought.

“Why am I spending so long at school?” I asked her.

“You need to get your degree,” she said.

“So why can I not just share the memory of a grade A student of all his classes, and then do the exams?”

She grinned. “I wondered how long it would take you to think of that. We can accelerate learning in that way, but it isn’t that simple. Your memory cannot assimilate that much information over that short a period of time. If you think that James gave you a year of martial arts training, that is training twice a week for a couple of hours - maybe two hundred hours, but a lot of that is repetitive practice. You could probably assimilate a month of schooling at a time, and although you would have the information available to you, you wouldn’t truly assimilate it for about a week.

“If you tried to take on more memories before you had properly assimilated the last ones, they would simply overwrite the previous ones and you would forget that information. Your brain needs time to move memories from short-term to long-term storage.

“There are certain things it works for,” she conceded. “We use it sometimes for undercover work, but I’m afraid you will have to sit through school in real-time.”

I finished my breakfast. I was bone tired, and my day hadn’t even started yet. We returned to my room in the dorms, where I showered and changed before heading to my classes for the day.