Hidden Faults (23 page)

I wanted it to last because Kir was beautiful. His cock was beautiful. It was such a perfect moment, I was afraid that when he came, I would never see another like it. But when he came, and his eyes flew open, his breath leaving him in a deep sigh, and his body leaning against mine so trustfully, it felt even more perfect. I wanted to see him come once for every blowjob I’d been forced to give in prison, and then a hundred times more. The sight might just eventually replace those memories completely, and I would be glad to have Kir’s ecstatic face in my mind instead.

We wiped our hands on the sheets since all the linen needed washing. I lifted the collar of my shirt and sniffed. I smelled stale and ill, and I wanted a shower.

“You want to join me?”

He hesitated. “Maybe next time? You ain’t had long to enjoy them on your own.”

I kissed him on the forehead. “When you’re ready, I want to know what happened to you. You know all my secrets.”

I swung out of bed, taking it slow. I felt a little dizzy but it cleared quickly. I was just fine.

“Can’t help that, I told you.”

“Kir, I’m not having a go at you.”

Kir smiled, but there was still hesitancy in his expression. “I know. Go get clean. I’ll sort out the bed. I bet you’re starving.”

I was, actually. All my senses were awake, properly, and I was hungry to fill them. If he’d given me the slightest hint he wanted it, I’d have thrown him to the bed and pleasured him again. But he was more sensible than me about being cautious, so I just collected my things and went to the shower room.

I won’t lock the door,
I told him as I undressed.
In case I faint.

I’ll keep an ear open. Not that I would want to rush in there and find you all naked or nothing.

I grinned at the empty air, and hoped there would be chances to find each other in a state of undress that didn’t need me to pass out.

My reflection told me I still looked frail, but inside, I hummed with energy. Oh, I had no stamina, and I’d have to take it easy for a day or two, but I no longer felt old and ill and clumsy. I looked at my fingertips, wondering when I would be able to rediscover the blasted talent that had landed me in this mess. I needed to talk to Kir more about this whole business. There had to be a reason I didn’t know about my powers for so long.

When I returned to the bedroom, I found he’d showered too, and stripped the bed. He smiled at me as I took his hand.

“Breakfast?” I asked, giving him a kiss.

“More like lunch, but yeah. I’m hungry.”

Word had got out. Dede knew of course, and waited for us in the living area. Jeyle and Hermi were sitting in the armchairs—actually she sat on his lap in one chair—and exclaimed at seeing us together.

“Well, you really are feeling better, Jodi,” Jeyle said.

“I feel great, thanks to Kir and Dede.” Dede waved at me and I grinned. “Thank you.”

Kir slipped away from me. “I’ll get us some food. You can chat, okay?”

I hovered near the armchairs, not sure if I should sit, or go over to the table since we were about to eat. I settled for perching on the arm of one of the long sofas. Dede came over for a closer look at me.

“No dizziness? Sexual function has returned, obviously.”

“Dede!” Kir protested from the kitchen. I matched his tone with my glare.

“Do I have any privacy at all in this place?”

“Nope,” she said cheerfully. “Besides, I’m a doctor. I ask nosy questions.”

“Restrain yourself, Arwe Dedeke. It’s not nice.” She just shrugged, grinning at me.

Jeyle seemed more reserved in her delight at seeing me up and about than Dede. “I’m glad you and Kir are getting along,” she said. “But can I, as his friend, just ask you to be a little careful with him, Jodi?”

Dede shook her head in apparent disgust. “Oh, Jeyle, they woke up and had sex. It’s not an exchange of vows.”

“Could we all please stop talking about my private life?” I said, exhaling in exasperation.

I got up and walked over into the kitchen where Kir was assembling a tray of food and plates. I leaned my chin on his shoulder. “They always like this?”

“No. I ain’t had a boyfriend here before. This is all pretty new to me.”

I put my arm around his waist, unsure how I felt about the term ‘boyfriend’ but not displeased by it. “That makes two of us. Please tell me you’re about to stop playing with that because I’m about to pass out from hunger.” My stomach obligingly made a rather rude growling noise as I spoke. “See? The beast is awake.”

“Here.” He handed me a piece of bread and butter. “Shove that in your mouth while I get the rest of it. You guys eating too?”

A chorus of assent answered him, so I had to grumble and wait, chewing on the delicious bread, while he brought out more plates and food. It was just the five of us. After I sat down, and a plate with something more substantial than bread—cold cooked meat, with a salad and sliced fruit as a side dish—was finally put in front of me, I asked, “Where’s everyone else?”

“They already had lunch,” Jeyle explained. “We’ve all got things to get on with, so except for dinner, we tend to go our own way during the day.”

She looked at Kir as he passed her a plate. Their intent expressions indicated they were talking in their heads. I tried not to look as bothered as I was by that.

Hermi was watching me. “Eat up, Jodi, and then we can answer some of your questions. I know you’ve got dozens. Kir’s been dying to take you on a tour of the place too.”

“Maybe someone can tell me about your group. Why are you all here now, and not in prison?”

Jeyle glanced at her lover, who nodded. “Okay, I’m the historian so I suppose that’s my job,” she said. “I don’t know what you remember of your school days—what you were told about the terrors. You probably heard that paranormals were involved in the attempted assassination of President Kalime, and the subsequent discovery of a network of Spiritists trying to hide paranormals from registration.” I nodded. “Most of what you heard was pure shit, especially the nonsense about our people working with Febkeinze terrorists within Pindone. A telekinetic did try to kill the president, but there’s evidence to suggest he was working for the military at the time.”

“That...no, I don’t believe that.”

She shrugged. “You’ve seen my powers, Jodi. If I wanted to kill someone, mercy forbid, I wouldn’t have to show my hand the way that assassin did. He was set up, I’m certain of it—to make a threat look real. What is definitely true is that the Spiritists were never involved in any terrorism. They
were
helping paranormals get out of the country after the clampdown started, but nothing more than that. Unfortunately the Marranite division in the government were successful in gaining their proscription. A lot of people hated us already. This was just an opportunity to get us completely under control. It wasn’t a coincidence that naksen’s development had been completed not long before all this.”

“Are you saying it was all a conspiracy?”

“Yes. It had two effects. It meant paranormals could be herded together and controlled without any substantial public protest, and the government of the day and their successors could use us as an overarching security threat to justify a more general clampdown on public freedoms. I can tell you that in my youth, our lives, our media, were never this tightly controlled. Paranormals played an important part in society and its protection, and though we were disliked and distrusted by a few, we integrated well. Never as well as in the Weadenal, or even Darsino, but well enough. With a few acts of a government with an agenda, we were suddenly criminalised, and our lives ruined. Children like Kir were taken from their families, and families like mine were torn asunder. Every person here has lost someone—children, spouses, lovers, family—loved ones who were either forced to keep away from them or chose to because of their own fear.”

I thought of my own family, and how easy it was to be cast out. “How did you get out? And who set up this place? That didn’t happen overnight.”

“No, it didn’t. The Weadenisis were outraged by the oppression of a group they have always held in great respect, which is why we don’t have diplomatic relations with that country. However, that didn’t mean they gave up on us—”

I held up my hands. “Hang on. Why would the Weadenisis—”

“That’s another long story,” she said with an apologetic smile. “Anyway, the Weadenisis began to work covertly, setting up cells and networks. They work slowly because they, uh...have had some experience at doing this before.” I frowned at her. “You’ll have to just accept some of this, Jodi. It’s all a bit complicated.”

“Okay. They got you out?”

“Yes. They’d had some success smuggling lesser paranormals out of the country, even breaking them out of secure compounds, but we major ones were a problem. The government finally made a fatal error though—they moved us to two major prisons, all together. Kir was in our group. Most of the younger ones were in the other. It was our group they managed to free. Unfortunately, the other attempt failed, and after that, the government dispersed talents like you among the general prison population, many to the underground detention centres, which made it impossible for telepaths to scan them. If Kir hadn’t found out where you were being kept, we would never been able to free you.”

I looked at Kir, intent on his food. “How did you find me?”

“
That girl, Ajeile,” he said. “I was keeping tabs on your parents, but they didn’t know where you were and didn’t try to find out. After she visited them, I kept tabs on
her
and that’s how I confirmed you were there.”

“She’s not a spy?”

“If she is, she don’t know it. Doesn’t know it.” And with that cryptic remark, he turned back to his food and refused to look at me again.

“We’ve had very little luck like that since the main break out,” Jeyle continued. “Some of our people are working for Noret—most would have refused as you did. We don’t know where the others are. It’s one of our main activities, trying to locate them. But every time we do something like we did in getting you out, it closes off one avenue of attack. The Marranites will now be much more difficult to infiltrate, even with Kir’s skills.”

“And the Weadenisis had this all set up for you?”

“Yes, more or less. They were using it as a base for several years, adding to the infrastructure, and handed it over when our group was freed. We’ve been working on it, adapting, expanding it, but the main structure was here before. It’s been a refuge for a long time. The Weadenisis operate similar ones in their country, because they are no more trustful of their government than ours.” She tapped my plate. “You should eat.”

I cut some meat and ate it dutifully, trying to take in all this new information. “I still don’t understand the Weadenisi connection. They just want to help because we’re paranormals?”

“It’s a religious belief of theirs. It’s not one I share, but it’s not unlike Spiritism in that they believe all paranormals are joined in a communion of spirits.”

“Talking to the dead.”

Hermi cleared his throat. “No, that’s not what Spiritism involves. Don’t believe the propaganda that told the world you were a terrorist, my dear boy.”

Hermi was an empath. Spiritists used to venerate them, or so I’d been told. “Are you a Spiritist priest? Or a god?”

Dede nearly choked, and Jeyle burst out laughing. “Hermi? A god? In bed maybe.”

“Okay, more than enough information,” I said, glaring at Jeyle, while Hermi grinned to himself. “So you’re all Spiritists? Is that the reason for the hair?”

Kir stopped smiling, and looked at his plate again. “No.”

“It might be easier to explain that later too,” Hermi said, patting my hand, but he looked at Kir as he spoke. “We want to hold a greeting circle later to welcome you. Will you come?”

“Hermi, I don’t believe in Spiritism.”

“
Good grief, my boy, who cares? A greeting circle is a group of friends who share a common bond. In this case, our talents, our situation, and our friendship. The spirits don’t care if you believe in them—they simply
are
. We don’t worship them or anything else.”

“I still...my mother’s a Child of Marra. I’m a little allergic to religious things just now.”

“And that I can understand. All I can say is that Spiritism isn’t a religion as you’d understand it. In any event, you should meet everyone, and the greeting circle is the most convenient place to do that.”

Kir still seemed unhappy. I put my arm around his waist. “What do you think?”

“Think you should do what you like. I don’t care.”

“Kir, don’t be unfriendly.” He glared at Jeyle for that comment.

“When do you want to do this? Is it just for me? I’m still a bit overwhelmed,” I said to Hermi.

“I know that better than you do,” he said, grinning at me. “We have a greeting circle every week or so. Tonight, tomorrow, doesn’t matter. If you want to attend, fine, if not, then later. We have...a somewhat more urgent matter you need to help us with though, to do with the block on your powers. Our friends from the Weadenal will be here in the next day or two and they will want to ask you about this matter.”