The Embers Of My Heart Read Online Free
Author: Christopher Nelson
Everything about her, I judged against another girl. It was completely unfair to her. I tried not to let it get to me. I tried not to let my expressions tell her anything but how I felt in the moment. I tried to be hers and only hers.
We fell asleep in her bed, her naked body curled up against mine. I wanted to leave but it was simply too comfortable to get up and go. Kaitlyn wouldn't care if I spent the night here. I let that comforting reassurance run through my mind as I fell asleep.
I dreamed. Seductive red-haired phantoms touched me, but every time I focused on them, they had Nikki's face. When one actually bit me, I jolted awake. Next to me, Nikki grunted, but didn't wake up. My heart hammered against my ribs and my head pulsed and throbbed. It felt similar to the time before my powers had fully awakened and that terrified me. The psionic power trapped in my head was trying to get out and it didn't care how much it hurt me in the process. I leaned up and looked across the room. The clock read well past midnight, but Kaitlyn wasn't back. She had probably gone home with someone. Maybe Andreas if he was lucky. No. Andreas was never that lucky.
I settled my head back on the pillow, closed my eyes, and tapped my power. Instead of the steady flow, only a trickle sputtered to life, barely enough to call up my Sight. I tried a couple of mental exercises to loosen up my power. Nothing happened except my headache creeping to a different part of my skull. I tried to coax a little more power out. The headache intensified for a long moment, but then my power reacted. A burst of power rang my skull before settling into a more normal rush. Nikki grunted again.
The headache subsided and I decided to reach out to Absynthe. She might know why my head was aching. I pushed my mind outwards to find her. It took longer than I expected, and establishing a solid telepresence link with her took me four attempts. By the time her telepresence manifested, I was sweating. "Why, Kevin," she said. "This is a pleasant surprise. What's on your mind so late at night?"
"I didn't wake you, did I?" I asked.
"Of course not," she said. "Besides, I always have time for my student. One of the university's top talents."
Her mental realm was a classically furnished room, accented with dark wood that resembled cherry or walnut, but there was something darker running through the grain. Her favorite colors were red and black and they were in ample display. Absynthe lounged on a simple leather couch, her black hair pulled back and flowing down her shoulders. I cleared my throat. "I'm having some problems."
Her dark eyes looked down pointedly, then back up to my face. "Oh?"
"Not that sort of problem!"
She chuckled and crossed her legs. "Of course not. You're oozing sexuality. Just got lucky, did you?"
My cheeks burned. "I'd say it's none of your business, but it's too late for that. It's nothing physical, nothing with Nikki, nothing like that. I'm having trouble controlling my powers."
"How so?"
"It seems like my power is slippery lately. That's the best way I can describe it. It's hard to get started, and even after I have it flowing, it's hard to keep under control. It sputters or surges when I'm not expecting it."
Absynthe sniffed. "Sounds like you're out of practice."
"It's not that," I said. "When I was trying to make the link with you, it took me four tries. I know my telepathic and metasensory powers aren't the best, but you know I have those basics down. Plus, trying to pull my power up was giving me some headaches that reminded me of the time before I was awakened."
She sat upright and leaned toward me. I tried to ignore the cleavage she was putting on display. My mind was definitely still on sex. "Sounds like a mild mental fracture," she said. "Have you had anything strange happen lately?"
"Absynthe, everything in my life seems strange these days."
"Funny, but I'm serious. Have you had any unexplained restlessness or inordinate stress? Did
We fell asleep in her bed, her naked body curled up against mine. I wanted to leave but it was simply too comfortable to get up and go. Kaitlyn wouldn't care if I spent the night here. I let that comforting reassurance run through my mind as I fell asleep.
I dreamed. Seductive red-haired phantoms touched me, but every time I focused on them, they had Nikki's face. When one actually bit me, I jolted awake. Next to me, Nikki grunted, but didn't wake up. My heart hammered against my ribs and my head pulsed and throbbed. It felt similar to the time before my powers had fully awakened and that terrified me. The psionic power trapped in my head was trying to get out and it didn't care how much it hurt me in the process. I leaned up and looked across the room. The clock read well past midnight, but Kaitlyn wasn't back. She had probably gone home with someone. Maybe Andreas if he was lucky. No. Andreas was never that lucky.
I settled my head back on the pillow, closed my eyes, and tapped my power. Instead of the steady flow, only a trickle sputtered to life, barely enough to call up my Sight. I tried a couple of mental exercises to loosen up my power. Nothing happened except my headache creeping to a different part of my skull. I tried to coax a little more power out. The headache intensified for a long moment, but then my power reacted. A burst of power rang my skull before settling into a more normal rush. Nikki grunted again.
The headache subsided and I decided to reach out to Absynthe. She might know why my head was aching. I pushed my mind outwards to find her. It took longer than I expected, and establishing a solid telepresence link with her took me four attempts. By the time her telepresence manifested, I was sweating. "Why, Kevin," she said. "This is a pleasant surprise. What's on your mind so late at night?"
"I didn't wake you, did I?" I asked.
"Of course not," she said. "Besides, I always have time for my student. One of the university's top talents."
Her mental realm was a classically furnished room, accented with dark wood that resembled cherry or walnut, but there was something darker running through the grain. Her favorite colors were red and black and they were in ample display. Absynthe lounged on a simple leather couch, her black hair pulled back and flowing down her shoulders. I cleared my throat. "I'm having some problems."
Her dark eyes looked down pointedly, then back up to my face. "Oh?"
"Not that sort of problem!"
She chuckled and crossed her legs. "Of course not. You're oozing sexuality. Just got lucky, did you?"
My cheeks burned. "I'd say it's none of your business, but it's too late for that. It's nothing physical, nothing with Nikki, nothing like that. I'm having trouble controlling my powers."
"How so?"
"It seems like my power is slippery lately. That's the best way I can describe it. It's hard to get started, and even after I have it flowing, it's hard to keep under control. It sputters or surges when I'm not expecting it."
Absynthe sniffed. "Sounds like you're out of practice."
"It's not that," I said. "When I was trying to make the link with you, it took me four tries. I know my telepathic and metasensory powers aren't the best, but you know I have those basics down. Plus, trying to pull my power up was giving me some headaches that reminded me of the time before I was awakened."
She sat upright and leaned toward me. I tried to ignore the cleavage she was putting on display. My mind was definitely still on sex. "Sounds like a mild mental fracture," she said. "Have you had anything strange happen lately?"
"Absynthe, everything in my life seems strange these days."
"Funny, but I'm serious. Have you had any unexplained restlessness or inordinate stress? Did
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