Chapter Eight
Astra
Three Months Later
For three months, I’ve been hard at work learning how to control my abilities.
I have yet to admit that I can hear everyone’s thoughts.
New things have appeared behind it, like understanding what someone’s emotions are and being able to predict their intentions.
I’m learning how to control these things so I can choose when I hear someone’s thoughts or emotions.
It is overwhelming to hear everyone’s thoughts and emotions, and know what they will do in the next ten seconds, so learning how to choose when I hear these things is helpful.
Especially considering Ren is constantly thinking about me.
The one ability that I have that I do not understand is that I know what Zev and Ren are doing all of the time.
It doesn’t work with anyone else, but I assume it’s because I spend most of my time with them.
The downside of this is the fact that Ren gets himself off every single night thinking about me.
It fucks with my head when it coincides with when I’m having sex with Zev.
I know eventually I will have to tell everyone that I’ve been lying about my abilities, but I think I have everything under control.
I’m good at separating internal thoughts from when they are actually talking to me.
At first, I was getting confused. They always thought to themselves that I was scared of Ren, but I’m definitely not scared of him.
Life has been phenomenal living on the island.
We know that the Ossara government is still looking for me.
I am sure they have their assumptions about where I went, but no one has shown up.
I can’t help but want to save the world.
I wish everyone could live like this. I thought about it for weeks, and I want to make a difference.
We have these abilities, and they already have the plan to free the people of Ossara, so why not go further than that?
I’m aware that there are other countries, but I don’t know to what degree they are being manipulated.
I’m sitting on the couch between Zev and Ren, reading, when I suddenly decide that I want to say something. “I want to change things,” I say.
“Things?” Zev asks, raising an eyebrow.
“I want everyone to live the way we do. I want people to be free to marry who they want, eat real food, and just live. I want people to be as happy as I am,” I say. “The whole world is oppressed, but we have the ability to make a difference.”
“Baby, it’s just Ossara,” Zev says. “Every country has its own governmental setup, but none of them is like where you came from.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“Ossara is the only country that decides who gets married. They are the only ones who do not eat real food. Every other country is free, just like this island. After the Great War, the population significantly decreased, but we have repopulated to a comfortable level. There are different cultures, foods, and the environment as a whole. Because of our abilities, we live quite differently from everyone else, but the others are still just as happy.”
“Take Balavix, for example,” Ren says. “They are three times larger than Ossara. They have complete freedom within reason. They’ve basic laws against murder and hurting children, but people are free to live and love how they choose. No one steals their children.”
“How about this?” Zev says. “I am supposed to be meeting with their leader soon. Why don’t we fly out early and you join us?”
“Really?” I ask happily.
“Really,” he smiles. “They know who you are and where you came from, so I know they would absolutely love to meet you.”
“When? You weren’t supposed to go until next week,” I ask.
“Tomorrow,” he says. “Well… really, we could leave tonight and land in the morning. We can sleep on the plane.”
“Uhm,” Ren says. “There is one bed.”
“It’s okay, I don’t bite,” I joke.
“Do not let her lie to you. She does, too,” Zev laughs.
“Well, I won’t bite him,” I laugh.
“Give it time,” he says. “You’re a tiny and feral little lady.”
“I feel slightly offended,” I laugh.
“Ren… Is that okay?” Zev asks seriously.
“Yeah,” he says. “Yeah, it’s okay.”
I focus on Ren’s thoughts, and he is struggling.
“If I sleep next to her, I’m going to fuck her.
I have kept my distance, but I’ll break so fucking fast the moment Zev is asleep.
Maybe I could just stay here… No, because I don’t want them to go alone.
What if something happens to her and I’m not there?
I just need to relax and fall asleep before them,” he thinks to himself.
“Alright. Go get packed and meet us at the airstrip,” Zev says. “Astra, I assume no pants or purple?”
“Please,” I smile.
“You keep reading. I’ll pack for us,” he says as he leans down and kisses me. When he leaves the room, Ren is looking at me.
“What?” I ask. “Afraid to be too close to me?”
“Yeah,” he says honestly. Something about the way he is looking at me just draws me in. I find myself leaning into him slightly, making his breath hitch momentarily when I lay my hand on his thigh.
“You’ve done well so far,” I say with a sweet smile. Realizing I just outed myself, I jump up and find Zev. I don’t know why I said that. Saying that means he knows I have heard all his thoughts. He is a smart man. All I can do is just play dumb and hope he didn’t catch on.
I am in awe when we get to the airstrip. I’ve never seen a plane before, but I know how they work. I am so excited to fly, even though I have no idea where we are going. On the way over here, Zev showed me a map of the world so I could see where we were going.
When we get on the plane, Ren is already here.
I am making a point to not listen to his thoughts, even though I really want to.
I want to know if he understands, but I need to stop.
I need to open up to Zev and tell him, but I am terrified that he will get angry with me.
I’ve never thought he’d hit me before, but my brain has me convinced this will be the thing that triggers it.
“Hey,” Zev says to Ren. Ren simply nods and goes back to reading the book in his hand as he sits on the couch.
I cannot hear Zev’s thoughts suddenly, which makes me start to panic.
What if Ren told Zev? They are brothers, so they would choose each other over me.
Ren seems mad, but now I’m too scared to hear his thoughts.
I’m about to be locked in this plane with them, and I’m scared.
I’ve never found myself scared of either of them, so it’s overwhelming.
Without a word, I rush to find my way to the bedroom in the back of the plane.
I’m tired and on the verge of crying, so I am just going to sleep.
I am able to get changed and lie down before anyone comes in here.
I stay curled up in the center of the bed with my face buried in the covers.
I hear the door open, but I refuse to listen to their thoughts to see who it is.
“I’m here when you are ready to talk,” Zev says softly before kissing my shoulder. I inadvertently flinch, and he pulls away. I can sense that he is confused, but I can’t dampen the fear and guilt that is rushing through me right now. Zev leaves the room, and the tears start to fall.
I don’t cry often, but it’s flooding out of me so fast that I can’t stop it. Eventually, my eyes are puffy and sore. By the time I calm down, I slip into my dreams.
I wake to sounds that are not audible, but I can’t block them out. I sit up and see that Zev is asleep beside me. I slowly get out of bed, even though I don’t want to do this. I don’t know why I am seeking out this sound. I know what it is. I’ve listened to it every night for three months.
I sneak out of the room and stay in the small hallway so I am not in Ren’s line of sight.
I finally let myself hear him, and detailed visions of him fucking me take over my brain.
His moans are so real, and mine are realistic.
I can almost feel the way he is touching me in his mind as he strokes his cock.
He is desperate to come, and my brain starts to take on that need.
I get so lost in what he is doing to himself that I let my hand slip under the large shirt and into my panties.
I do what Zev showed me and start gently rubbing my clit.
Pleasure pulsates through me, and I quicken my movements.
I want to come with him, just like I do with Zev.
I am so stuck in this moment that I cannot pull myself out of it when I hear movement behind me.
Right as I am about to stop myself, Zev covers my mouth and pulls me back against my chest. I immediately start to cry, but he won’t let me pull away.
I pull at his hand, but he ignores my efforts and dips his hand down low and starts rubbing my clit.
“Come with him, Sweet Flower,” Zev whispers in my ear. “Watch him come for you. It’s you on his cock in his mind, isn’t it?”
I nod my head, trying to keep my sobs from breaking free.
I can’t take my eyes off Ren. He doesn’t know we are here yet.
He is moaning my name in his head, and it’s doing something to my brain.
He groans deeply, and a moan slips out of me.
I know he heard me, because fear immediately slips into his mind.
He is too close to stop himself, and my orgasm pours out of me at the same time his does.
As soon as Zev releases me, I move away from him and Ren as quickly as I can. I end up curling myself into a ball on the couch at the front of the plane. Sobs rack my body, and I can’t make them stop. My eyes are squeezed shut, so when one of them touches my arm, I spiral.
“Don’t! Please don’t! I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.
Please don’t hurt me,” I beg, almost screaming through my tears as I try to run again.
Zev wraps his arms around me and hugs me against his chest. Humans are mostly water, so I focus on heating his body enough that he will let go of me.
When he does, I sprint to the back bedroom and lock myself inside.
I don’t know what to do, so I sit in a corner with my knees pulled to my chest.
“Astra,” Zev says softly, kneeling in front of me. “Baby, I need you to listen to me, okay?”
“Please don’t hurt me. I’m sorry, Zev. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… I don’t know why…”
I am suddenly scooped up, but the moment I start to heat him up again, my mind empties of thought, and I nearly zone out completely. He sits me on the bed, and I can’t move, think, or even speak. He’s never used his abilities on me before, but the panic cannot find its way in.
“Ren, sit down,” Zev says.
“Zev, I…”
“Sit, or I’ll make you,” Zev says firmly. Ren sighs and sits beside me, and Zev kneels and takes my hands into his. “Astra, I need you to listen. I know you are panicking, and I know this isn’t helping by using my abilities on you, but I need you to listen, okay?”
“Okay,” I whisper. At least I can talk now.
“Astra, I’ve known since the day you got your abilities what was happening.
You told me,” he says. “You asked me why you couldn’t hear my thoughts.
I knew right then that you were able to read minds.
That is also why your thoughts are so distant now.
When Ren was consistently blocking his, I knew what you had seen in his mind.
I see it on his face every time he is close to you.
I recognize the urge he is fighting every second of every day.
I’m not mad at you, okay? I’m not going to hurt you; I would never hurt you. ”
“You knew?” Ren asks.
“Yes, and you have incredible self-control, by the way. I didn’t even make it two days on the island before fucking her in her sleep,” Zev says.
“Marta, Mom, and Dad all saw it too. We all saw you were fighting it for her sake because she doesn’t understand, but I do.
Okay? I’m not mad at you. I admire that you found other ways to keep control of yourself while giving her time to figure it out.
Although if you had come to me, I could have helped you explain it to her or at least been able to help lead her toward that understanding. ”
“I was just afraid of upsetting you,” he says. “I know two people can instinctively connect to one person, but I didn’t know if that would be reciprocated.”
“I think it’s safe to say it goes both ways,” Zev chuckles. “Astra, can I let go of this hold, or are you going to try and boil me again?”
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I won’t.”
When I can move again, I stand and try to back up, but it’s Ren who grabs me. It happens so fast that I can’t stop how quickly I melt when he kisses me. “Please stop running,” Ren says softly. “You are safe, okay?”
“I’m so confused,” I admit. Ren takes my face between his hands and makes me look at him. The feeling washes over me so fast that it stuns me for a moment.
I love Zev.
I love Ren.
“There she is,” Zev says sweetly. “She understands.”
“Astra,” Ren starts to say.
“I love you,” I blurt out. “I love you. I love Zev.”
“We love you too,” Ren says with a smile. He is significantly more relaxed now.
“Now that that’s out of the way,” Zev says. “Will you two fuck and make this connection so she can stop sneaking around to see you jerk off?”
“It’s not up to me,” Ren says, looking at me. I can see the fantasies playing through his mind, so I share mine with him. We stand facing one another, sharing thoughts. He’s giving me time to accept this before he moves.
“ Please fuck me,” I think to Ren. “ I want it hard and unforgiving, just like in your thoughts while you come .”
Ren’s smile turns into a grin, and Zev laughs when he pushes me on the bed and rips my panties off. I move up to my knees on the edge of the bed with my chest on the bed. Ren grabs a tight hold of my hips and slams into me, making me scream out as he instantly finds a violent pace.
Ren grabs a fistful of my hair and pulls my head back, only for Zev to suddenly be in front of me. He grabs me by the face and joins his brother in fucking me to tears.
Zev is fucking my throat hard and fast as Ren pounds into me, making my belly hurt. Three months of pent-up sexual frustration is being put behind every thrust, and I fucking love it. I love every moment of their brutality. Just one more reason why I’ll always choose this savage love.