The Link Pt. 02: The Hunted

Teegan hugged me tighter, her hips grinding into me in an odd staccato way. When she started calling my name, I lost control and heaven erupted. Something in Teegan broke away, her body tensed and her mind exploded into mine. We mixed into one as her pleasure and mine became ours. I saw her memories, things that made me smile and others I wish I could have prevented. Her fear of the bond, the thoughts that it would it would prevent her from real love, faded as the link glued us tightly in perfect bliss. No secrets, no apprehensions, no doubts. Pure love was all I knew, and it lived in her heart. I was nothing without her and the universe with her. She was my life.

We laid in each other's arms, shocked at what we had shared. Teegan's eyes were searching mine, her bond searching my soul more deeply than it ever had before. We were now intricately linked, our thoughts merging, flowing between minds as if they had always needed the other's confirmation. I would prefer death to losing the beauty I now knew.

"I love you," I said, then realized my lips didn't move. The smile that appeared on her face informed me that speech was unnecessary.

"And I you," Teegan thought. It was so wonderfully natural as if it were meant to be. Her thoughts were in my mind, and they didn't jumble with my own. It was if I suddenly grew another arm while I was playing the violin. I could turn the sheet music and never miss a beat.

I rolled off to the side, relieving Teegan of my weight. She cuddled into me, not wanting to let me out of her arms. I had to concur; she felt awfully good in mine.

"That was intense," I said out loud. It was obvious, but I felt the words were necessary.

"I'd like to do that again," Teegan said. There was both truth and humor following her words. I could feel, almost see, how happy she was. It mirrored my elation.

"I think I'll need a few minutes," I said, laughter following my statement. It was sheer joy to feel, as well as hear, her laughter join mine. We were in complete sync, gears tightly keyed together and unable to operate without the other.

"We are one," Teegan surmised.

"Yes," I said, then kissed my everything.

Chapter 26 - Teegan

Leaving the car was an enjoyable exercise. There was always one more touch, one more kiss, and a lot more shared laughter. Caleb lengthened it all by insisting on opening my door. I waited, knowing it meant even more kisses. I didn't care who saw. The rest of the world wasn't as important as it was a few days ago.

Caleb waited until I was on the porch. I could feel him watching my rear, so I gave it a bit more movement than it normally had. His appreciation was well worth the effort. I entered the house with a smile on my lips.

"Long day?" Mom asked. She was in the family room, sitting where she could watch the front door. There was indifference in her face, but I knew that meant less than happy. It was then that I remembered I had walled off the world or the parts that weren't named Caleb. I dropped blocks, and my family flooded back in. Mom smiled.

"Sorry," I said, unable to lesson my smile, "I needed some privacy."

"And why would you need that?" Mom asked. My smile grew, and Mom's eyes widened. I was thinking of lying or ignoring the question, but my happiness was flowing through the link. I knew she could feel it.

"My bond with Caleb kind of changed," I replied. Remembering him naked and sweating over me made my face flush. I could feel him experiencing my thoughts, triggering his thoughts of our encounter. We ran out of condoms before we were through. I almost laughed, remembering trying to fit one of the smaller ones on him. It was if I was strangling a mouse.

"What do you mean changed?" Mom said, scooting her legs over to give me room on the couch. She guessed what had happened and wanted to talk about it. She didn't know the half of it.

"He knows I'm talking with you," I said. Caleb smiled through the bond, sending me virtual kisses that were almost as good as the real ones. I was addicted.

"Of course, he just dropped you off didn't he?"

"No, I mean he knows the words I'm saying," I said, "Just like I know he's driving down Goshen road right now."

"He knows what I'm saying?" Mom asked. I nodded, and I watched her surprise grow. It was so natural to me, yet Mom was adjusting her next words as if he was standing next to me. "Is that a good thing?"

"Very good," I answered and stifled a laugh as Caleb agreed, reminding me of some of our more intimate moments. He was like a kid in a candy store, and I was his chocolate. Caleb sent me an image of a Reese's, which did make me laugh. Mom was considering my sanity. "We've joined completely." I said, trying to cover my ill-timed chuckle.

"Physically?"

"Yes," I said, "and so much more." Mom pursed her lips. I knew she wanted to talk, but feared it extending to Caleb. Our closeness as a family had just taken a hit.

"Can you shut it off?" Mom asked. I almost questioned why she would want me to do that. It seemed senseless. Caleb was concerned about my relationship with my mother, not wanting to be the cause of any growing rift. In his thoughts, we should give our family some time to get used to it. He asked me to try, but not to stay away long if it worked.

Stopping the flow between Caleb and I was like pushing my finger into a running faucet. The music flowed around it, streaming faster at the edges the harder I forced it to shut. Eventually, my block sealed as more of it grew to fill the gap. With it went my smile.

"Yes," I replied. It was almost painful like I'd lost an arm or something. "It's hard to do, worse than Daddy."

"He's gone now?"

"I love him," I said as if that answered everything. My eyes found the floor, wondering if the bond had fused us together, beyond what nature intended. Was my mind my own anymore? Did I care?

"I like Caleb," Mom said, "and so does your father. I just fear you're moving too fast." My eyes began to fill. Half of me was missing, lopped away like my hopes for the future.

"It's too late," I said as a tear ran lonely down my cheek. "There is no slow anymore. The bond has seen to that." My mind was in full withdrawal from a most powerful drug. I looked up, and Mom gasped. She moved quickly to me.

"Let him come back," Mom said in full panic. Her hand forcibly tilted my head back and her other wiped at my upper lip. The hand came back coated in blood. I released the block I had been so strongly holding. Caleb flooded into me, relieving the horrible pressure, allowing the blessed drug to take hold of me again. I took a deep elated breath. I was nothing; we were everything.

"What's happened to you, my baby?" Mom blubbered, her tears flowing like something was still wrong. I smiled to ease her fears as she wiped more blood away from my face with her hand.

"I can't hold him out for long," I admitted. "And I never want to again." Caleb's relief was as strong as mine. He had pulled off to the side of the road when he almost lost control of the vehicle during our brief parting. All I could think of was that he could have died. "I'm so much stronger," I added then corrected, "We are so much stronger." We were barely infants without the link.

"I'll get a towel," Mom said, making sure I leaned back on the couch. There was no effort in holding the link with Caleb. It was an effortless joy. Breaking the link took everything I had. It would probably kill me to hold him out for an extended period of time. It didn't matter. I wasn't jumping off that cliff ever again. Caleb wrapped his soul around me and pulled me tight. Security was a blanket tucked in with love.

Mom returned with a wet towel. Her mascara was smeared where she had wiped her eyes. Caleb expressed his concern through our bond. Not how it affected us, but how it was going to affect the ones we loved. They couldn't possibly understand that our link was no longer an option. Mom began dabbing my face carefully, slowly changing the towel from white to red. I must have broken every blood vessel in my nose.

"I'm frightened," Mom admitted.

"My mind isn't meant to work alone," I said, my smile growing. Caleb thoughts were mixing with mine so clearly, things that were hard to understand were tossed back and forth instantly, quantified, verified, and conclusions were drawn. "I am meant to share, and now I found out who I want to share it all with. It's so beautifully clear." Mom would never fully understand.

"Are we losing you?"

"No," I said, laughing with Caleb, "though you're gaining Caleb." I opened something deep, and music flowed gently between Caleb and my mom. I watched her eyes widen as a little of what Caleb and I had became more apparent.

"There's so much love," Mom said, her smile growing as the drug pointed out the obvious. It was silly, but I closed what I greedily didn't want to share. I could feel Caleb snicker at my desire to have him to myself. An image of my butt being spanked softly made me blush.

"Be it good or bad," I said, "we're stuck with each other. The link is pulling us like a magnet and neither of has the desire to fight it." I smiled at my Mom, "It was such a lovely afternoon."

"You've grown up too fast," Mom said, her tears now for something lost. She caressed my hair with a weak smile. "I'm going to miss the girl."

"I love you, Mom," I whispered. Caleb's smile was infinitely larger than Mom's.

Chapter 27 - Anthony

"It's been verified, Mr. Sabbatini," I said proudly. Sabbatini looked near death, but his smile broke through with its yellowed teeth. I wondered how much longer he could hold out before he joined God's side.

"Thank the Lord," Sabbatini said, his words coming slowly and purposely, timed with struggling exhales. "I thought I would fail God."

"No, Sir," I said with conviction. "One of our operatives saw her meeting with Dr. Gunderson." I smiled at the revelation. "He didn't know it at the time, but he snapped some pictures, and now we're 100% sure."

"What of its army?" Sabbatini asked, struggling to rise more upright in his bed. I quickly helped him forward and fluffed the pillows so he could look more directly at me.

"Seems it has a boyfriend," I informed him. "Not really an army, just someone who it has fooled into protecting it. From what we can ascertain, he's self-taught in self-defense. Nothing we need to be overly concerned about."

"Do not underestimate its power," Sabbatini instructed, "What seems feeble at first, can be stronger than you ever imagine. It will manipulate, use guile to collect people to its cause. The sexless thing chose a female form to weaken our resolve. Don't doubt that it would use that unholy thing between its legs to trick weak minds to its cause." Sabbatini laughed, and it was painful to hear. Flem and weak lungs ruined the sound. "I would bet it has collected many young men willing to sacrifice themselves for a moment's pleasure."

"Sex is the devil's playground," I confirmed, nodding my head.

"Has the end been decided?" Sabbatini asked, then dealt with a bout of coughing. I waited until it ended so that he would clearly know my commitment to the cause.

"We know where it will be on Saturday," I said, "Picking up a dress will bring it back to a parking lot with a clear line of fire. I am told it will be quick and final."

"Is the shooter good?"

"The best," I said, not happy that shooter seemed pleased the target was in the form of a young girl. God moved in mysterious ways, but it was an uncomfortable way. "The connection you gave me secured a man of singular talent. Trained by the best until he became the best. I'm told he had sixteen recorded kills in Iraq at over 500 meters."

"Ahhh," Sabbatini sighed, "God has prepared him well. So it all ends on Saturday."

"Yes."

"Then, thanks to your diligence, the world will be rid of the vile curse," Sabbatini said. "Someday, hopefully, many days from now, you will join me in heaven, the pride of angels, a singular soul chosen by God's hand." I beamed at the praise, feeling something that can only be described as God's light coursing through my veins.

"Saturday will truly be a magnificent victory," I said. We traded smiles, his yellow for my white one. My father died before I could ever know him, but if I had, I would wish he was exactly like Nicholas Sabbatini.

Chapter 28 - Teegan

The best week of my life was nearing an end. There were a few moments, parents overly concerned with the speed in which things were happening, that created some choppy waters, but my time with Caleb was irreplaceable. The impending resumption of school on Monday was not a pleasant thought. I didn't want to share Caleb, and I knew he didn't want to share me.

"So," Zane asked, "you two share, like everything?" He was in the backseat as we headed to the mall to pick up our prom clothes. I wasn't excited about bringing him along, but Caleb thought it was necessary so that we didn't completely shut out the rest of the world. He also liked Zane, which was a good thing. It didn't really matter since Zane would lose himself with his friends as soon as we landed.

"Yes," I replied as Caleb nodded.

"Isn't that kind of weird?" Zane asked, "I mean you can't always control the things that come into your head." I smiled, remembering the blonde woman at the store that Caleb fleetingly thought was cute. Caleb rolled his eyes at the memory as he drove. I enjoyed teasing him with it.

"You can tell what's real and what's behind the scenes," I said. "The strange stuff just flitters away, forgotten quickly, like it is in your own mind."

"I wouldn't want that," Zane informed us. "Just the thought of someone in my brain is scary."

"It not much different than the feelings," Caleb added. "Just a lot stronger."

"The feelings seem normal," Zane said. "Maybe because I never knew anything different. I guess other people would find that weird as well."

"Weirdness comes with being in the family," I joked. Zane laughed. It was comforting to feel both Mom and Dad's joy at his happiness. Caleb reached over and lightly patted my thigh, an unnecessary but wonderfully welcome agreement. Touching was a reinforcement of our feelings. I covered his hand with mine before he reluctantly pulled it back to the steering wheel.

The conversation shifted to more mundane topics. School and how Mason never returned. Though the powers never spoke, it was understood that he wasn't welcome back at school. The reality of his transgression was unprovable but understood by most. The fact that an orchestra nerd kicked his ass made sure he didn't fight the quasi-expulsion. It was said that he went to live with his father in Alabama, though no one seemed to know for sure. I found I didn't care about his fate since it no longer affected ours.

"Two hours," I reminded Zane as we pulled into the parking lot of the mall.

"I'll call you in two," Zane agreed. I was about to demand he meet us in two when Caleb's comforting thoughts washed the argument out of me. We could find plenty to do together while Zane ran around with his friends. I smiled at being handled in such a loving way. He was right of course, there was no need to stress the point with Zane, it was Saturday after all.

We left the car hand-in-hand, a couple tied more closely together than any in history. Zane took off ahead of us, almost at a run, to catch up with his friends. It was a leisurely walk as I marveled at Caleb's thoughts about our hands. He was running through how the comfort level had changed the past few weeks. It was only a few weeks ago when he was self-conscious about how to hold a hand that he didn't want to let go of, and now it was so natural. The fact that he still didn't want to let go made me smile.

"You know we could catch a movie and let Zane have some fun," Caleb said.

"We could," I agreed, "He's my younger brother, and sometimes I feel like I need to control things."

"Don't want him to put one over on you," Caleb said, nodding slightly. "I say we let him think he's getting away with it then he'll owe you one." That earned Caleb a quick kiss on the cheek. No one could ever understand me as he could. It was stupid but important that I felt I was getting the upper hand with Zane. I didn't want to feel like a doormat.

"You know me," I said with a chuckle.

"That's a given," Caleb said, pulling me closer. Our love mingled where no one could see, deep inside our minds.

*****

"Okay, that was the worst movie I've ever seen," I commented when we exited the theater. Caleb laughed, knowing full well my opinion before I voiced it.

"Was it the horrible acting or the redundant musical score that put the nail in the coffin?" Caleb asked.

"I think it started with the script," I said, enjoying the humor that we shared. Even a bad experience was good when we were together. "It was all downhill from the first word."

"I thought the popcorn was pretty good," Caleb injected. "Then there was that kissing part. It was well executed." I couldn't help but laugh. There were only about ten people in the theater, which we should have taken as a sign. We sat in the back and ended up doing a little necking. It was amazing how easy it had all become. He would think of my lips, and I would turn, offering them willingly. No cumbersome miscues or bumping noses.

We had given Zane an extra two hours, which pleased him immensely. I received a text with the words, 'I owe you,' as forecast by Caleb. We walked back to the mall proper, across the parking lot, talking about the future. It was no longer his or mine; it was ours.

"We have to find a place where you can study music," I said. There was nothing earth shattering that held my interest, so it made sense that we follow his dream until mine made itself known. I saw MIT and capitulation in his mind.

"It's different now," Caleb said. "We need security, not struggling day-to-day trying to pay for college." I was about to chastise him when images of a wedding and nameless children sailed through our minds. Instead, I smiled and started almost dancing in the parking lot, pulling him around as if we were the only people in the world.

"Family can come later," I said, sending images of him on the stage with screaming fans. I was so happy he was thinking of a future that had me permanently placed in it. "You'll be a wonderful father when the time is right," I added.

"Truck!" Caleb shouted. I could almost see the small panel truck through his eyes. At first, I moved the wrong way, not thinking that his eyes were looking the other way. Caleb pulled me to his right as the truck rumbled past, never slowing. "I guess we need to survive the parking lot before we plan the future," he said, holding me close. It wasn't that close of a call, but his heart was racing. I wrapped my arm around his waist, and we walked with more attention until we were safely past the curb.

"So," I said, now that the excitement had passed, "is Northwestern the best choice?" Caleb smiled and pulled me close.

"Not sure we could afford it," Caleb said. Money was always the realm of my parents. I had some from summer jobs, but it wasn't the thousands that we would require.

"I could always work," I offered. "Add some student loans and we should be able to make it through." Caleb held the door for me as we entered the mall. I pointed to the right. Zane was supposed to meet us at Gamestop.

"What about your dreams?" Caleb asked. "I'm sure working a low paying job wasn't part of them."

"You're my dream," I said. It was the truth. I had no idea why I was on the planet and certainly had no desires that could compete with his music. "Besides, wouldn't you get at least a partial scholarship?"