Gary was suitably impressed with the presentation of Pauline. After she had finished sucking him off, he begged Jake to let him borrow her for the night, but Jake didn't think it appropriate and refused, much to Pauline's obvious relief. "Remember, Gary, she is my creature, and thus I am responsible for her well-being. It would behoove you not to think of her as a slave, but as my servant, and everyone knows a servant can't have two masters. Power implies responsibility. Always." Gary was naturally disappointed, but didn't argue. They both knew who would win that disagreement.
Another conflict was in the works, however. Jim Bacareau, apparently, was indeed the jealous type, and made no effort to hide his hostility towards Jake. Three days after he had dominated Pauline, Jake walked into a human wall that stepped into his path on his way to his car after school.
Naturally, the whole varsity football team had shown up to watch, and this had attracted the attention of nearly everyone else in the area. Jake almost felt sorry for the giant Neanderthal. Almost. Still, Jake played it cool.
"Sorry for bumping into you there, Jim. I must not have seen you." Jake pretended not to see the crowd of people circling them. "Are you all right?" Jim was not appreciative of Jake's light mood. "Apparently someone's got to teach you that our girls are off limits, Bourque. I volunteered to do it." With an evil grin he advanced upon the significantly smaller Jake.
Jake laughed lightly as he tossed his bag off to one side and started circling the football player. He had absolutely no fear of this guy-- after all, he was only human-- but he also wanted it known how pathetically easy it was for Jake to kick this moron's ass. Jake found, to his bemusement, that he was actually looking forward to hurting this guy. He waited for Jim to make the first move.
He didn't have to wait long. Quickly Jim rushed in, attempting to pick Jake up and toss him to the ground. Jake simply held on as his feet lifted off the ground, and when Jim tried to toss him, he just grabbed hold of the giant's chest in a bear hug and squeezed. Jim let out a grunt of surprise as he tried to pry Jake off, and then started to panic when he realized he couldn't breathe. After a few seconds he realized he was fighting a losing battle and changed tactics, belly-flopping to the ground on top of Jake, using his considerable mass to his advantage. But Jake was ready for that, too.
Right before Jake landed, he brought his feet up between them, and as his back made contact with the ground he heaved and launched Jim through the air. With a quick little backflip he was on his feet again, ready to continue-- but poor Jim wasn't.
Jim was lying down about thirty feet away, his legs at an odd angle. From one look, anyone could tell his back was broken. His football buddies were rushing over to help him. Jake sighed. If they touched him at this point, they could kill him. This was a direct result of his getting cocky. He had wanted to do something like this. Power implies responsibility. Jake sighed again, dusted himself off, and walked over to Jim's groaning form.
"Back off, everybody. Back off!" He put his will into the order, making people more inclined to listen to him, and they backed off, staring at Jake with a mixture of fear, hatred, and awe. Jake knelt down by Jim, extending his awareness throughout the giant man, trying to get a feel for the extent of his injuries. After just a cursory examination, he winced. Jim's spinal cord was severed just above the hips, he had two broken ribs, and a third one cracked, massive internal injuries... he had maybe ten minutes left to live if Jake didn't do something quickly.
Reaching out again, he started knitting together torn blood vessels to stop the bleeding. It took several tries to figure out exactly what would work best, but once he did, the process seemed to go fairly quickly. Indeed, he could feel the tissue fusing as the process actually accelerated. Within moments, all internal bleeding had stopped, and as he withdrew his consciousness, he realized in shock that Jim's body was actually continuing to heal itself without Jake's prompting! It seemed that the body had learned a better way to heal itself and was not likely to forget it. That gave him many ideas for the future, but for right now, he had other problems.
"Hold on, Jim, this is going to hurt a whole hell of a lot," he muttered to the semi-conscious man as he grabbed Jim's legs and, after making sure he had a good angle, yanked hard, straightening the spinal column. Jim let out a strangled scream and passed out again, as the crowd surrounding them surged forward, muttering angrily. Jake had to take his mind off Jim and force the people back once again, then set new healing commands on his spinal column, making sure the nerves connected properly to each other. Now that the big injuries were out of the way, Jake watched in curiosity as the healing instructions he had given the spinal cord rapidly spread throughout the whole nervous system, correcting minor flaws as it went. It was amazing. He wondered if anyone's body would do the same thing. One thing was sure-- if Jim's body could retain the knowledge of how to heal like that, there would be no football injury keeping him out of more than a single game this side of death-- and even that might be healed to a limited extent. Just one more thing to take care of...
Quickly Jake finished healing his ribs, and, since he had the time, he made sure that this kind of thing would not happen again. Besides Pauline, Jim was now his most loyal supporter, but he would hide that fact from the world. Jake thought it prudent to have a mole amongst potential troublemakers-- and a secret ally was the best defense against a secret enemy. Taking a deep breath, Jake stood up shakily, in time to see an ambulance pull up a few hundred feet away. Jim moaned and slowly started coming to. Deciding that everything was well taken care of here, he made sure nobody noticed his departure and went home.
About once a week Jake's parents made a point of getting home early so that they could have a sit-down dinner with their children and "act like a normal family" was how they put it. Truth to tell, these dinners actually were quite pleasant little family get-togethers and Jake looked forward to them.
Everyone was civil, and they got caught up on what was going on with everyone else. For whatever reason, they had not had a family dinner since things started going strange for Jake, but tonight they would.
Around 5:00, dinner was ready, and everyone sat down to enjoy the pot roast that Jake's mom and sisters had made. (It was Jake's and his dad's job to set the table and clean up afterwards.) Quickly after settling in they started passing around the food, as Genny started telling their dad about her latest fancy at school-- apparently, she was trying out for cheerleading. Jake watched his mom and dad as they listened attentively to their daughter. Something was bothering him about them.
On impulse he stretched out a probe to gently peek around inside his dad's mind-- and almost immediately yanked it back before his dad felt it. His dad's mind was something similar to his! He could feel controls and shields and neural defense nets spinning in a complex pattern around his thoughts. It was a trap for the unwary psion. Quickly he checked his mother, and sure enough, she possessed the same abilities as dad did. Further gentle probing revealed that neither of them were nearly as strong as Jake-- with a little experimenting, he found he could read them almost as easily as anyone else, and most likely force his will upon them as necessary-- but he hoped that would never be necessary. Still, this is where he could get some information on what was going on. His mind was racing so far ahead that he almost didn't hear his father ask him, "So, Jake, we've heard from everyone else. What's been going on with you?"
Jake looked directly at his father. Hmmm. What to say, what to say? He decided to stick with the bald truth. "Well, dad, today I experimented with psionic healing of nerve damage. I almost killed this guy at school by throwing him halfway across the quad and breaking him virtually in two, and then had him patched up before the ambulance arrived. I guess I'm pretty proud of that." There, he thought. Let's see what he makes of that. His parents' reaction was all that he hoped it would be. His mother's eyes widened and his father started choking on his sip of wine. Courtney was obviously shocked he had said anything about his burgeoning powers and the twins were not impressed with his "joke". In fact, Mickey started her self-important "lecture" about not taking things seriously enough before their dad spoke again.
"Mickey, hush. Jake's said more than you think." He turned his attention fully upon Jake. "Do you mean to tell me that your powers have woken without prompting? And that, within the last month, you've already begun to master them?" The incredulity in his voice was unmistakable, and the confused stares of the twins were rapidly turning into alarm-- most likely because it seemed that the whole family had taken leave of their senses.
Jake shrugged. "'Master' is a pretty strong term, Dad. I've certainly gotten beyond the first stages, though. I've begun experimenting with mind control, weather, healing, and physical conditioning. My probes are becoming more subtle, as you obviously can't feel them. There's a lot going on that I don't understand, however, and I thought maybe you could fill me in."
Jake's parents sat staring at him for a long time. Finally, his mother spoke. "Jake, dear, it's not so simple as that. What you've described as being able to do, well, only the most powerful among us have been able to perform like that, and it took years of formal training, study, experimenting... nobody has been able to do what you've described since, well, since Ykir."
Ykir! Jake knew that name! But from where? "Well, you can tell me about who-- or what-- we are. What we do, how many people are like us, what I can expect, that sort of thing, can't you?"
His father looked troubled. "Yes, Jake, we can, but it's for initiates' ears only. And while you certainly seem to have the power, technically you're still not an initiate, and both your mother and I could get into serious trouble. Just this conversation breaks strictures stronger than you could imagine, strictures that are heavily enforced." He looked glumly at his three daughters. "As it is, it's going to take all night to make the girls forget about this conversation."
Jake shook his head. All night? He could do it in moments. To Genny and Mickey at least; he didn't worry about Courtney wagging her tongue. "I'll take care of it, dad," he said as Genny and Mickey suddenly realized they were being talked about. Both of them looked at the other and bolted out of their chairs, running for the door.
Neither of them even got close before Jake had them. Within seconds, two blonde girls with blank faces were quietly sitting back down at the table. His parents were staring a little wild-eyed at him. Apparently, this was way out of their league. His dad recovered first. "Uh, don't forget about Courtney." He said, casting an apologetic look at his eldest daughter. "Courtney is not a threat, Dad. I trust her implicitly." She gave him a small smile at that. "Besides, I don't think you'd find her mind as pliable as most other people. I like her the way she is, and that is the way she shall stay."
Jake's dad looked uncomfortably at him. "You may be right, but the Council is not going to like this." That had the definite ring of authority to it. "Council, huh? I think perhaps I should go visit this Council. Maybe things'll straightened out easier than you realize." If the people on the Council's powers were in any way comparable to his parents', he would have an easy time with them; if not, he would still be a force to be reckoned with. From the vaguely sick look on his parent's faces, they did not relish the idea, but would help him meet these people.
"It'll take a couple of days to organize, but we'll see what we can do, Jake." Jake could accept that, and that was more or less the end of dinner. His father didn't have much to say as they picked up the dishes and silverware, and cleaned up the dining room and kitchen. Jake had the feeling that he had been unnerved by the abilities his only son had displayed. Jake felt sort of guilty about that, but it was, for all intents and purposes, unavoidable.
Later that night, Jake once again was laying in bed, unable to sleep. Ever since the beginning of his new life, all he needed was about an hour of sleep a night-- even then, he just did it to pass some time on the way to morning. In the last week, he'd decided to use this time more constructively by practicing with his powers. He went over in his mind how he had healed Jim Bacareau earlier that day, and, using that as inspiration, devised what he thought should work rather well as an auto-heal program, in the event of severe physical trauma. After double-checking the whole sequence for possible problems, he applied it to himself and, following a few moments' wait for the "program" to sink in, he took his pocketknife and deliberately slashed his palm wide open. Fascinated, he watched as the wound closed itself and healed in a manner of seconds. A few seconds after that, there was no sign there had even been a cut except for the blood still pooled in his hand.
Jake chuckled to himself. Now, even if he was unconscious, he would still be healing himself. He figured he could easily survive multiple gunshot wounds, falls from large heights, car accidents, and all sorts of other freak accidents. That should help out in a pinch.
Jake got up and went to the bathroom to wash his hand off. As he let the cool water run, he felt a strange surge in the direction of his parent's bedroom. At first, he thought they must be using their powers to contact the Council and set up a meeting, but then he remembered that all they had had to do was make a telephone call to the local "Guild Chapterhouse". Curious, he extended a soft probe towards them.
The probe ran into something... dark. Whatever it was, it reacted instantly, launching a spike of energy at him, following his tendril of thought all the way back to the source. Wincing in pain, he quickly pulled it back, embarrassed that he had come up against a ward, perhaps interrupting something private, and then suddenly realized something-- that bolt had not come from his parents. It was far too powerful. What was going on here?
His speculation was abruptly cut off with a shriek of terror from their room. His mother! Without hesitation he launched into motion. Running out of the bathroom, he burst into the hall and, bracing himself, ran full tilt into his parents' bedroom door. The heavy oak shattered like thin glass, and his eyes took in a scene right out of a horror novel.
Blood was spattered across the walls and ceiling. The bed and floor were covered with it, and in the center of the room was the most demonic looking monster Jake could have ever imagined. It was big and black. It was scaly and slimy. It had tentacles. Most of all it had a mouth that took up half of its body size, with rows upon rows of huge, sharp, bloodstained teeth and two little glowing eyes that immediately fixed upon this intruder.
Jake was in utter shock. A quick glance saw his mother huddled in a corner, whimpering and covered in gore. He saw no sign of his father-- with the exception of the mess all over the place. But he had no time for making sense of this carnage, as the monster's tentacles whipped around him, the sharp tips biting into his flesh. Immediately Jake rallied his mental defenses as his powerful body flexed against these unnatural bonds, and attacked with the full force of his will.
The creature screamed in agony and flinched back as it felt the might of his attack, and its tentacles loosened. Jake ripped them apart and kept up his assault. The demon-thing seemed to erect some kind of shield between the two of them, but it was obvious to Jake the shield was a desperation attempt and couldn't last too long against this kind of assault. Jake was furious. His rage was funneled into a disruptive lattice of energy that ripped away layer after layer of this thing's shield. Then he changed tactics. He focused his attack on one part of the shield and started to bore through. As soon as he began, Jake knew this was the proper way to do it; he would get through in seconds.
Apparently the demon realized this too. With a scream of frustrated wrath, it backed up, and once again Jake felt that strange surge as the monster vanished in a black ripple, like a pebble dropped into a dark pool. The room was suddenly silent except for his mother, still cowering in the corner and making a strange mewling sound that would have sent shivers down Jake's spine if he was not currently filled with rage at the hellspawn's escape from vengeance. Courtney and the twins came crashing through the remains of the door, gaping wide-eyed at the bloody scene. Genny promptly fainted, and Mickey started to vomit. Courtney ran over to Jake, looking with concern over him at their mother, and staring in awe as she saw his cuts and abrasions heal themselves before her eyes. Jake just stood there, shaking in his fury. He would find that demon-thing, and anyone else who was responsible for his father's murder, and would make them wish for death.
Eventually Jake became aware of Courtney calling to him, bringing him down out of his rage. "Jake, Jake, we need to do something about the twins and mom. C'mon, Jake I need you. Jake?" Courtney was obviously scared shitless something was wrong with him. Gradually Jake shifted his attention upon her.
"The twins. Right." With a lash of mental energy, he stunned them into compliance. Then, with a quick few commands, he made them believe a prowler had come in and shot Dad. He sent Genny to call the police and had Mickey wait downstairs and drink some warm milk and watch TV until the police came.
Then he turned his attention upon his mother. At first he thought she was just terrified into incoherence, but a probe found something much more disturbing; her memories were intact, but her entire personality was destroyed. All that she was no longer existed. In a way, this was even more horrible than his father's death. It was like she'd been lobotomized.
Desperately, Jake searched around her mind for something he could work with, some shred of her former self, but it was all gone. Jake was numb in horror. What had that thing done to her? And there was no time-- the police would be there within minutes.
Drudging up all his memories of his mother, he simulated a personality that he decided should hold out for the company of strangers, and then took her by the hand and brought her downstairs to the couch to wait for the police. The police needed quite a lot of... influence... before they could accept that Jake's dad had been killed by a prowler, and more leaning on to make them believe that nobody had seen anything, but eventually they left convinced. Jake sent his mother up to the guest bedroom, and the twins to their beds, and then just sat on the couch with Courtney, still feeling numb.
Courtney gently stroked his shoulder as he stared into space. How could this happen? Just a few hours ago this was an idyllic home, with a warm, caring family. Now it was ripped apart by some creature straight out of hell. Ironic that just this evening Jake had thought things were going better and better. The longer Jake sat silently, the more agitated Courtney became. "C'mon, Jake. You need to relax a little. For me? Please? My Lord? Let your concubine relax you." With that she started gently pulling his sweatshirt over his head. Jake didn't resist, but didn't help, either. He didn't want to be interested in sex right then. He wanted to feel miserable. Courtney was giving him as little choice in the matter as she could, though. She started laying light kisses along his shoulders, gently stroking his back with her fingernails. Pausing for a moment, she pulled her nightshirt over her head and then pressed her tits into Jake's face.
Jake couldn't help it. He started responding, licking and sucking on her nipples. Dammit, he thought. This isn't right! My father's been ripped apart and eaten, my mother belongs in a sanitarium, and here I am on the living room couch fucking my sister!
But Courtney knew what she was doing-- getting his mind off the guilt he was feeling for not stopping the demon earlier. Deftly she continued her trail of kisses down across his nipples and towards his belly. By the time she got down to his crotch, he was more than willing to let her take off his sweatpants-- just like that first night, well over a month ago.
Slowly, gently, she shimmied the pants down to his knees, and then pulled them the rest of the way off. Then, as tantalizingly as she could, she began licking his toes, then his ankles, then his calves, then his knees, all the way up to the base of his cock which was standing at full attention, waiting for her hot mouth's ministrations. After a few more moment's teasing, she finally lowered her lips upon his pulsing member.
Jake shuddered in pleasure. Courtney was an expert at distracting him. As her tongue flicked around the head of his cock, making him gasp, he felt the pain of loss distance itself. Relief felt almost as good as her mouth. For a few minutes, Jake just enjoyed the sensation of her blowjob, but then stopped her. She looked up at him with a perfect love in her eyes.
Jake took her hand and led her into his room. She had never spent the night with him in there, simply because their parents would never understand. Now, at least, that was something he didn't have to worry about-- a silver lining in this otherwise dark and rumbling thunderhead. As he closed the door and turned to face her, he started stroking her shapely ass as he nuzzled her throat. Courtney sighed in pleasure as she rubbed against him, pressing her large tits into him and rubbing his back.
Jake gently guided her to his bed and laid her down, running his hands all over her willing body, kissing her nipples, working down to her mound of Venus. He had never gone down on a girl, but if anyone deserved the pleasure, it was Courtney. He had seen enough pornos to know what to do, and he found the whole experience rather romantic, even though he decided he didn't much care for the taste.
Courtney, however, obviously found it electrifying. She had gone from moaning to short, stolen gasps of breath, to writhing uncontrollably as Jake found what she liked and didn't, and in short order she was shuddering spasmodically as an orgasm ripped through her.
"Oh, Jake, that was incredible. My Lord, my love, fuck me, oh fuck me please! I want you inside me so badly, I ache! Come on, Jake! Please? Don't tease me any more!" she cooed as Jake licked at her inner thighs. Turnabout's fair play, he thought. Still, enough was enough-- he was too horny now to keep resisting her ardor.
Positioning himself at her entrance, he slowly pushed in. A low, steady moan escaped Courtney's lips, as she wrapped her arms and legs around him in a vice, crushing herself to him, mashing her breasts against his body, trying to get as much of him into her as she could. She knew Jake liked that, and she loved exciting him. Jake wrapped his arms around her and likewise pulled her even more towards him as he kissed the base of her neck. He felt her nibble on his ear, which he was surprised to find highly erotic.
They lay there, tightly clasping each other for quite a while before they loosened up enough to get a rhythm going, but soon he was slamming into with incredible speed. Courtney had quickly given up trying to keep pace with him and had instead gone into a long, growing crescendo of ecstasy as he plowed her hole with a ferocity that shocked him. Most likely she'd be bruised in the morning, but she was sure loving it right then.
All too soon he was shooting his load into his willing sister as she screamed for more, erupting yet again into one of her mind-shattering orgasms. As he started to withdraw from her, she protested.
"Oh, Jake, stay inside me. I love the way you fill me, and there's no one now to hide from. Let me fall asleep with you inside me. Please?" She pleaded in her little girl voice that Jake had always found difficult to resist.
Besides, she was right, and it certainly felt good, a constant reminder of their intimacy. Jake shifted his position a little so they could both fall asleep relatively comfortably, and settled down. Jake knew it would be a while for him to fall asleep, but at least he didn't feel as bad about the way things were as he had.
Tomorrow was another day, and it would be the beginning of a search to find that creature and whoever sent it-- and then they would pay. They would pay dearly.