Aberrant: 200X - The Space Between Beats [Mature] [Complete]

[Edward Mansfield]

Edward drew in a slow, deep breath. Even for a man of his collected manner, the presentation - combined with Saori's flirtatious manner - were difficult to ignore, or suppress his reaction to. The three in front of him were painfully young in appearance, but that thought did little to discourage the paths his thoughts were taking. With but a flex of quantum muscle, he could will himself to be as young in appearance as they - or they as old as him, although if he suspected properly, the changeling might well have abilities in that department that far exceeded his own.

No, what was holding him back far more than age was uncertainty. Not necessarily in relation to age, even despite appearances - for time, and therefore age, was a fluid and relative thing. But because, for the first time in quite some time, Edward had encountered a situation in which he was unsure of how to handle himself. Out of instinct, he reached into his reserves, and came out with an old favorite - charm.

"Well, my dear, I suppose that would depend on the method in which you intend to measure, now wouldn't it? After all, you have had my plans presented to you for your evaluation, now haven't you? I suppose.. if we're being.. fair.. then I would receive the same due respect?"

His smile was magnetic, and his gaze lingered with an amused golden-brown liquidity. While he lacked the obvious, undeniable sex appeal the other three radiated, the man himself seemed to exude a certain presence, as if to dislike him, or not fall under the spell of his charismatic personality would take a degree of effort most would be unwilling to make. That to do so would be denying yourself some wonderful secret or thrilling encounter. And that, in and of itself, held it's own eroticism, that not even the three stunning nova sitting across from him could ignore.

[Tomas Saint-Etienne]

"Oh, we like to keep the evaluation mutual." Tomas said with a slow smile. He let Saori know that he agreed with her: he would work on this Utopian doctor for the satisfaction of the task, but there was no harm in playing a little with the reserved older man.

"Very mutual." He told Edward as he studied his eyes. The young Terat's mind was alive with erotic imagery: tangles of limbs and that deeper, older voice joining the sighs, moans and cries of the younger three. He wondered if those lovely brown eyes would seem so amused when surrounded by youthful passion and the delights the three could bring, and let his mind drift on that path.

For an instant, the other three novas at the table experienced a warming sense of heightened arousal, faint murmurs of pleasure and the feel of skin on skin and satin sheets coming to their sensory centres as though from far away, as Tomas idly shared a pale taste of his vision with them. The illusion was not full strength, but rather was a lingering caress that accentuated rather than masked reality, adding to the intoxication the small party was already working on one another.

[Edward Mansfield]

Edward arched a brow slightly at the beautiful young man, and his eyes flickered back to Saori. It slowly began to dawn on the three nova that although the man sitting across from them was exceptionally skilled at the verbal banter they so thoroughly enjoyed, he wasn't completely accustomed to their degree of subtlety and innuendo, nor did he seem quite used to dealing in such an... intimate manner. He cleared his throat slightly, and it was their first indication from the charismatic gentleman that he was unsure of how to proceed with the current situation.

"I do hope you'll forgive my bluntness... but if you wish something of me, you must make clear your request. I am a man who prefers to know exactly what I am agreeing to, my dear."

[z-Xiao Saori]

Saori stood in a fluid movement and circled the table. Edward watched her approach rather how a brave mouse might watch an approaching cat - sure that he'd be fine, but aware that there was danger. Leaning close, she murmured in his ear, "You'll come to our bed. There we'll strip you bare, and see what you are made of." She pulled back enough so that their eyes could meet without discomfort. "Is that clear enough, Edward?"

His name was sweet on her tongue, and her dark eyes flicked to Tomas. Surely that sensation was his doing...

[Edward Mansfield]

For a moment, Edward merely stared at her, liquid-brown eyes gazing at hers. Then he tilted his head in a slight nod.

"As crystal, my dear."

He drew in a deep breath, and let it out slowly as he considered the situation. It certainly wouldn't be the first time he had slept with someone in order to acquire something he'd desired, although in the past it had always been him doing the seducing, certainly not the other way around. And those encounters, for Edward, had held no more true intimacy than a handshake, despite what he had made the women he had been involved with had believed.

Think of the opportunity. You may never have a chance to experience something like this again, not in a never-ending lifetime. Can you really say no? Is there truly any reason to?

Edward picked the mojito he had been drinking, and took a small sip. His gaze moved from Saori, to Shae, and lastly, to Tomas. It was there that they lingered longest, for in Edward's many business dealings, none of them had been conducted with a man in the privacy of the bedroom. But the moment was too heavy with possibility, and Edward found he could not deny himself.. though if he were honest with himself, he wasn't sure if it was the possibilities that the future held that he couldn't find it in himself to deny.. or merely the price they demanded. He sat the drink down, and his gaze returned to Saori. Very quietly, he murmured his response.

"Very well.. I accept."

[z-Xiao Saori]

Saori's eyes drifted closed, and she leaned forward, her lips pursing. The kiss was feather-light, but it burned for a second, a sizzle of electricity that was immediately followed by pleasure. It was as if she caused him pleasure and pain both, at her whim.

Smiling, Saori straightened and turned back to her lovers. He will be fun, she declared silently, beaming.

[Tomas Saint-Etienne]

Tomas stood smoothly, and stepped around to Edward's other side, smiling across at Saori before gently taking the older man's hand. "Come with us, Edward." he said with gentle seductiveness. "Let us show you ourselves, stripped of all artifice. And we shall see you likewise."

Edward rose, his attention fixed on Tomas's scintillant gaze. The slender, pale hand in his should have felt cool to the touch, but it warmed him, sending flashes of heat up his arm and down his spine. As they walked towards the elevator, he was aware that the other two were following, their eyes as bright as those of the boy-man-incubus in front of him, who was gently tugging him forwards to enlightenment... or doom.

The elevator door pinged shut, and the Englishman found himself surrounded on all sides, hands smoothing his hair, bodies against his. Shae's arms went around his waist and she snuggled close to him, breathing in his scent. Saori leaned up on tip-toe and gave him that thrilling kiss again, this time on his earlobe, making him shiver a little as the green eyes of Tomas before him seemed to lay him bare. Those beautiful lips, more feminine than masculine, curved upwards in a knowing smile as the youth moved closer, leaning up himself, his arms sliding up over the lapels of Edward's jacket before slender fingers caressed his neck and their lips met in a kiss that flayed the dust of disappointment and cynicism from the older Terat's nerves, renewing them, making them pathways of sensual fulfillment that blazed like white fire in the dark recesses of his mind.

[Edward Mansfield]

Edward hadn't been sure entirely what to expect, and so he had tried to prepare himself mentally on the trip to the elevator for anything the three were going to throw at him. So therefore, he wasn't caught completely off guard at the onslaught of attention that was suddenly being lavished upon him as the elevator chimed it's way from one floor to the next.

What did take him off guard, at least for a moment, was the pleasure he was experiencing from it. For a few moments, he savored the feeling of the girls' touches, and his eyes met Tomas's for a moment as the young man gazed up at him with hypnotic beauty. It was the touch of Tomas's mouth against his own, however, that brought him out of his passive enjoyment with a start, and a shudder. At first the feel of the boy's lips, almost feminine, but not quite, was odd against his own, and his mind tried to reject it.

Perspectives, Edward..

With that light touch of self-criticism, the older Terat forced himself to move beyond his normal inclinations. He began to kiss the boy back, his mouth moving against his in a slow, patient manner that reminded Tomas more of a smoldering burn than an impatient blaze.

[z-Xiao Saori]

Seeing that Tomas had covering kissing, Saori went for something a bit more direct. Buttons loosened on his shirt before slim fingers slipped through, caressing his chest and stomach with sensual experience. For a child - and by America's standards, child she was - she was remarkably experienced, but then a lover of Tomas' would be.

Her touch was as soft as a butterfly's, but it left trails of electricity and pleasure alternately across his skin. Her fingers slipped lower and lower, pausing only to undo buttons - with one dexterous hand. The other hand was tangled gently in his short hair, holding his head for both herself and Tomas' attentions.

The door pinged open, but Tomas finished his kiss before casting a delighted, fae glance over one shoulder to see who might has seen. To the green-eyed godling's disappointment, there was no one there to see. Shae slipped her arm around Edward and began to lead him out of the elevator; Saori slipped an arm through his gaping shirt and guided him on the other side.

Tomas seemed content to watch as he walked backwards, almost dancing with his infinite grace. He spun the key in the lock and opened their door; once they were inside, Saori relinquished her position to Tomas while she shut the door. As her lovers began to guide their new toy, she followed after, stripping his coat off his shoulders and onto his arms, constricting his movements - and giving her lovers free reign on his body. In a sensual tangle of half-clothed bodies, they entered the bedroom.

[Edward Mansfield]

Edward allowed himself to be led out of the elevator, and inside their suite. His skin was still tingling from Saori's purposeful, lightning-charged caresses. His gaze lingered for a long moment on Tomas's fey movements, until the boy slipped to his side, moving a slightly stronger, though no less sensual of an arm around Edward's waist. He heard the door close behind them and felt Saori's delicate hands on his jacket as she pinned his arms behind his back.

Careful, Edward.. the most dangerous predators are often the most beautiful. If this is your test, then you'd better make sure you pass...

He managed to shrug one of his arms out of the jacket, and let it slip off the other arm onto the floor. The beautiful Asian beauty was still behind him, however, and Tomas had already gotten his first taste of Edward's intensity. So it was Shae that he turned to, leaning down and capturing her mouth with his own in his first active movement of seduction towards one of the three young paramours. In contrast to the trio's hurried sensuality, Edward himself - at least thus far - seemed to remain fairly composed. He kissed the changeling slowly, his mouth moving against hers in a thorough, patient manner that hinted at far more sophisticated experiences than her own.

[z017]

Her moan was a mixture of surprise and delight, the first voice in this moment of decadence that was likely to last the rest of the day and well into the night. Edward discovered that Shae was quick learner as she returned his kiss in kind, her hands gliding over the skin of his chest and up the the knot of his tie. It took her a moment to undo all the loops of the unfamiliar piece of clothing; once it was free of itself the silk whispered a cool breeze over his neck before drifting to the floor.

Smooth skillful hands flicked the remaining buttons of Edward's shirt open and divesting him of it with practiced ease once Tomas had rejoined them in the bedroom. Saori meanwhile pressed herself against his back, hands sliding over hips and stomach to tug at the clasp of his belt. The three of them moved in a perfect dance, never in each other's way and always teasing or caressing their would-be cohort with bursts of indulgent pleasure or light, exploratory stings of pain.

She shifted to the side as she continued to nip and tease at his lips, her hands exploring every inch of exposed flesh and dipping under the fabric of his pants as Saori slid the belt out and tossed it down with the tie. Tomas filled the gap and Edward was once again surrounded by the trio, pinned by flesh and hedonistic desire. Saori brushed her lips over nape of his neck as Tomas kissed and nipped at his shoulder. The demon prince slithered his hands along the older man's hips, stopping when he could feel the hems of both Saori and Shae's shirts. He slid them up slowly, teasing all three of them with featherlight caresses and the feel of each other's skin.

[Edward Mansfield]

Edward drew in a startled breath at the feel of the boy's touch on his skin, and they could feel a tremble go through him. The combination of touch and movement was almost overpowering, and Edward forced himself to breathe deeply for a moment. It had begun to occur to him that the only way not to be overwhelmed by the three of them would be to keep at least one of them on the receiving end of his own attentions. If nothing, it gave him something else to focus on, besides all those hands and bodies and lips moving against him...

The older man caught Shae's mouth briefly in another kiss as she nipped at his lips again, and then turned back to Tomas. It was obvious to them that Edward had never been with another man, but at the same time, he made it apparent that he was determined to overcome his self-imposed restrictions. He gazed at the young Marvel in front of him for a moment, then he reached up and lightly ran his hand up Tomas's chest, to his neck. His fingers moved into the hair at the nape of the other man's neck, and tightened slightly - just enough to tilt his head back. Then Edward leaned over him and began to move his mouth over the front of the young godling's throat, lips and tongue moving in that same infuriatingly patient manner against Tomas's translucent skin.

[Tomas Saint-Etienne]

Tomas murmured softly, the vibration apparent to Edward through the lips he had pressed to the young man's throat. Slender hands stroked Edward's chest, lightly tweaking the hair they encountered before trailing down and around, the fingertips tantalising the skin of the older man. Tomas shared a smile with Saori as he felt Edward lavish kisses and occasional grazes of his teeth along the moon-pale skin of his throat and collarbone. He let himself enjoy it for a moment longer before tangling his own hands in Edward's hair and lightly tugging him away, treating their new playmate to a slow smile of approval before giving him another deep, lingering, searing kiss.

As he felt his head spin and his breath catch fire in his belly, Edward was dimly aware of another hand slipping under the circle of his waistband, delicate fingertips slowly stroking what they found there before coiling around him with lazy, torturous slowness.

[z-Xiao Saori]

Saori grinned as Edward's breath caught. Stepping behind him, she began to run her hands down the older man's back. Her touch switched between bliss and electric snaps with ease. At the edge of his pants, her fingers slipped under and slipped them over his hips. The expensive cloth pooled around his feet as Saori extended those blissful, sharp touches down his hips and thighs.

She knelt slowly, as Shae focused on the back above her and Tomas worked his pleasures from the front. Her lips followed her hands, her teeth nipping at his upper legs and backside. Her hand slipped between his legs, gently caressing the soft spheres she found. When she felt his reaction, she smiled her coy smile and licked the inside of his thigh in a slow, languid movement.

[Edward Mansfield]

Edward couldn't help it, he let out a low groan of pleasure. The three couldn't help but notice that it wasn't without a hint of surprise, either. Edward had approached this as a challenge to be overcome, a trial of sorts. He had anticipated that perhaps they wanted to determine his worth as a lover, and that he would be called upon to show his skills in the art of intimacy. He had not been expecting.. this. Sex had always, from the very first night of his marriage, been a duty.. an obligation. At best, a release. He could still hear her words echo in his head, if he let himself..

"Oh, Edward, do get it over with, won't you? It's been a long day, and I'm tired.."

Not the words any man dreams of hearing on his wedding night, especially when he had worked so hard to try and please the woman he'd promised himself to, till death do they part. The lovers he had taken since his wife's death had been women trapped in marriages not unlike his own. Lonely, and without pleasure of any sort. Some small part of him had delighted in bringing those women pleasure, feeling them tremble and cry out underneath him in a way his wife never had. They were usually so exhausted with pleasure by the time he was done with him that they would - and did - do or say anything he asked of them.

Now, with these three young godlings surrounding him, doing things to him that no one had ever done before, that desire to bring pleasure surfaced again. His hand remained tangled in Tomas's hair, in a way steadying himself from the onslaught of sensation. His other hand, though, moved to Shae's shirt, and began to push it up slowly, his hand moving over her skin. His touch was light, but not enough to be considered merely teasing. His fingertips brushed softly over the silk of her bra, and he began to trace along the edges of the material. Then, much to his annoyance, it melted away under his fingertips, circling her body to twist into a bracelet that dangled from her other wrist, the one bare of decoration. He muttered slightly, his voice edged with just a touch of annoyance amidst the pleasure.

"Eufiber.."

His fingertips moved across the curve of her breast, and he flicked his thumb lightly across a rosy-colored nipple set against beautiful pale Irish skin. He gave it a soft pinch, bringing a small surge of pleasure and pain to the changeling. It felt almost chastising, for they could all sense his annoyance as Shae's clothes had disappeared under his touch. But it was brief, and he proceeded to caress her, fingers moving slowly and skillfully over her skin as the other two felt him shudder with pleasure under their touch.

[z017]

Her moan was unrepentant of his annoyance at her clothing, and it was beginning to dawn in the Englishman that this was a group that enjoyed their pain as easily as their pleasure. Mirroring Edward's desire to share, she slipped into his mind and pulled him into the web that kept the trio always only a thought away. Their thoughts and pleasures were a hum in his mind that occasionally spiked into a moment of gestalt when one or another of them would experience a peak of desire or pain. She stepped through his memories as a huntress, pulling out the most painful or intense and weaving them into each moment as Saori and Tomas explored his body and learned how he liked to be touched and stroked and kissed and bit and scratched. The lines between now and then, between old lovers pleased for the sake of duty or need and the lavish attention of these three that loved and hated for the sake of love and hate, blurred together in a hazy rush of sensation. The Marquis de Sade was an amateur compared with Tomas, Saori and their changeling apprentice.

She offered up her body to him without shame or shyness, every pleasure he brought her or she felt through the link of their minds written wantonly on her face. She twisted and turned as his hand explored so that he could touch or caress any part of her he wished in any way he wished. Edward had had many types of lovers in his life, from the cold disregard of his wife to the desperate needs of other men's wives, but he had never had someone so completely abandon themselves to his whims. He knew he could do whatever he wanted to her and not only would she let him and revel in it, her other lovers would as well, stopping him only at the point of murder. He felt her fingertips trace over the lines of his face, soothing and enticing at the same time, as her thoughts encouraged him to do as he pleased and as he pained and so free himself of the baggage of his life before becoming a member of the One Race.

[Tomas Saint-Etienne]

Tomas let himself join the medley of thoughts and emotions that swirled around Saori, Shae and himself, feeding the focus of their attentions to Edward. This was a form of glamor, and yet was nothing more than simple desire and lust made manifest as a form of atmospheric charge, seeking an outlet, any outlet through which it might be grounded. Deep green eyes met Edward's gaze as the beautiful young man leaned in and kissed his lips, then his chin, then the hollow of his throat, lingering on each, the heat of the kisses a strange counterpoint to the cool feel of Tomas's hands gliding over his chest.

He continued downwards, nuzzling and kissing at the deceptively solid muscle of Edward's chest, pink tongue flickering over the sensitive flesh there before trailing down yet further. The wavy mane of black hair tickled Edward's skin as it obscured Tomas' face, but the heated press of his lips continued down, ever down, across the taut stomach made tighter by desire as a slim hand worked rhythmically on pleasuring the older man.

[Edward Mansfield]

They could feel his previously unwavering control begin to falter, as the tempo of his breath became ragged and unsteady. His eyes watched Tomas as he moved down the older man's body, but as the sensations the three young lovers were causing became more intense, his eyes drifted shut and his head tilted back, as if he were gazing heavenward through lidded eyes.

Shae could still feel his arm wrapped around her, one hand moving across bare skin, fingers pressed firmly against her with a touch more hunger than before. His other hand reached down, his fingers tangling themselves in the smooth darkness of Tomas's hair, as if by holding on to something he could somehow control the intensity of desire that they were causing him.

[z-Xiao Saori]

Saori's warmth disappeared from behind him, but Edward couldn't spare the attention to see where she'd gone. After a long moment, she was back at his side, but there was no slide of silk against his skin, only silken skin. He looked down at her, unsurprised to see that she was naked, her bare body cloaked only by his own. He could feel what was hidden, as she slowly rubbed herself against him. Her fingers traced over his back and chest, leaving pain and pleasure at her whim in an invisible tattoo across his skin.

Soon her teeth were gently scoring his flesh as she writhed against him. Delight at this situation was written all over her face and her thoughts; she delighted in seducing older men, at stripping away their seasoned control and showing them that she was made of steel.

[Edward Mansfield]

His eyes locked with Saori's in a brief moment of challenge and amusement, his pupils dilated with desire but still clear and focused. Tomas could feel him thrumming under his ministrations, could tell the older Terat was enjoying every moment of it his attentions. But yet, he pulled him away slowly, forcing his face upward and meeting the young fae's glance with a hint of shared masculine amusement. His voice was a low rumble, full of need and confidence all mingling together.

"I'm flattered, Tomas.. but you see, I believe it was Miss Saori here who wished to see '..what I was made of.' Too much more of that, and I won't be able to oblige her, hm?"

He turned to her then, and their gazes met, steel against steel. Elegant hands with long fingers caught her wrists, and he pressed them behind her back, pulling her body against his in the process. His lips curved slightly, faintly mocking, as if he knew what she wanted to prove and had decided to make it difficult for her. His gaze was full of the wisdom and experience of an older man, yet youthful in a way that only those reckless fools young enough to know they have forever ahead of them could be. He held that gaze for only a moment, then lowered his mouth to hers, capturing her lips in a kiss that was firm and demanding, but that refused to succumb to her more youthful impatience.

[Tomas Saint-Etienne]

Tomas gave a faint, musical chuckle as he moved a little apart from Saori and Edward, reaching out idly to Shae and pulling her close. Xe's body was warm with arousal as it curled onto Tomas's lap. He gave the changeling a heated kiss, then turned so their faces were cheek to cheek, watching raptly as Saori enjoyed their new playmate. They half-lay, half sat spooned there beside the other two, and mischief fluttered dark wings in Tomas' thoughts, and his mind reached out to Shae's.

*Let us work on them together.* and he reached out with one slender hand, the other's fingers trailing down to slide over Shae's sex. With his free hand, he lightly brushed his nails over the side and underswell of Saori's firm breast, sparking sensations of icy pleasure and fiery pain throughout the girl's young flesh as Edward kissed her.

[z-Xiao Saori]

Saori moaned and pressed herself into Edward's body and Tomas' questing hand. She desired this man, wanted him, yet she sensed that this was different from when she'd pulled mens' control apart before. She'd never tested a nova before, and the realization that he was not as easy of a mark as other men his age wasn't a deterrent, but an aphrodisiac.

With her hands trapped behind her, there was only one option left to her. Edward paused his kiss, to assess her reaction. She gave him a heated smile and began to rub her body up and down against him. Normally, this would be no more than pleasant friction; she was short enough that he rubbed against her stomach but not more interesting places. But Saori was Tomas' student, and she had learned well. This was more than pleasant friction; it was purest pleasure - mixed with the occasional prickle of pain to focus his attention - anywhere her skin brushed his. Her smile became impish as she kissed him relentlessly, her lips methodically covering every inch of his skin.

[z017]

Shae murmured her appreciation of Tomas' attention even as she played a soft counterpart on Edward to Saori's mischief. She kept pace with her other paramours, always keeping their new playmate just short of enough stimulation to send them all tumbling into ecstasy. Edward could feel her presence in his mind, slipping and sifting through all of his memories as the three of them seduced him with the zeal and expertise of hedonistic godlings as she learned him more intimately than any lover ever had.

She shared this knowledge with her paramours, passing knowing and suggestions on to Saori with a decidedly wicked sense of humor. She'd enjoyed the strength and willpower he'd shown so far, so much more than any other bedfellow they'd ensnared before, but she still wanted to see him lost to moment with them. Completely free of the poise and control that was his armor and his mask in the outside world. For Shae, this bedroom and the embrace of her family was the safest place in the world where one could truly be themselves without regard to banal world beyond the walls of the Blackburn. She wanted to see Edward, and see if he was strong enough to see them in return.

[Edward Mansfield]

As Shae dug through Edward's mind and memories, she came to the unpleasant realization that there was little from his own experience that the older Terat knew for certain he enjoyed, with but a few exceptions - and some of those gleaned within this very evening. What they did discover is more than anything was that deep down Edward burned for the companionship of equals. Within his long life (and indeed, it was longer than his actual appearance indicated by many years) he had rarely met people he considered his match. There were those whom he had considered his betters - but those were distance memories of his youth. Most of his experiences were with people he knew to be less than himself, both before his eruption and most definitely afterward.

They could feel his deep-seated disappointment at the mentality and state of most novas in general.. here they were, this race of gods, this better version of what man could be, stuck in the shallow habits of their past humanity. They could feel the confusion that the pleasure they created in him caused him, the contradiction of it in his mind. For in Edward's experience, sensuality was another one of those weaknesses that the human race was unable to purge itself of, and one of its easiest weapons to wield. But here, with people that were his equals in potential - in some ways his lessors and in others his superiors, for what else was an equal really, other than someone with the same level of ability? - it felt like something more than just a tool or a vulnerability. It felt like some part of himself that they were showing him again, something essential that had been buried away like a forgotten treasure.

Edward was an analytical man, but the more attention the trio lavished upon him and the more of his defenses they stripped away, the more he let go of that side of himself, if only for this moment. He would deal with the consequences later, but buried in a cold shell of reserve and formality there lay a core of passion that Edward normally reserved only for his anger at the state of the true race, and at the treatment they had received not only from the lesser race but from their own kind, who kowtowed to humanity instead of asserting their rightful place as leaders. Somehow, the Trio had managed to tap into that inner fire, that hidden reserve of passion and desire, and in turn he focused it on them.

Edward guided Saori to the bed, and it took little time for the three young nova to pull him with her, so that they ended up a seductive tangle of arms and legs and bodies. Fingers and hands and skin and lips moved, and touched, and burned. Time bent to their will, and not just metaphorically, for Edward was more than willing to indulge in the whims and desires of his youthful lovers as they fed the knowledge of what they wanted to him. He sought not to dominate them, but neither were they able to dominate him, for he seemed able, somehow, to be able to keep his desires separate from their own in his mind. His hesitation at sharing a bed with Tomas seemed a thing now of the distant past, and he shared as many sensual embraces with the young darkling as he did with their two (currently) female companions. Indeed, it seemed only a reluctance for the experience to draw close to it's end that kept the normally controlled Englishman from submitting completely to the pleasure the four powerful beings were causing in each other.

[Tomas Saint-Etienne]

They lay together afterwards in a pleasant tangle of limbs. Shae's hands idly ran over Edward's back as he lay curled around Saori, whose arms were curved loosely around Tomas' neck as she gently kissed the green-eyed nova. They had started this as some kind of sensual hazing of one that sought their company, seeking the core of Edward to strip and lay bare. If, in the process, their playmate cracked under the pleasures and pains he found in their arms, Tomas would have known that Edward was not worthy to be one of them. A fellow Terat, a fellow nova, but not part of the circle he had formed with Saori and Shae.

But Edward did not break apart under the ministrations of the three. Instead, like Saori and Shae, he came through the tempering flames. Unlike them in their youth, Edward's sureness of identity held him together, his composure and doubtless his already-certain footfalls on the path of Teras guiding him through the fires. And so his eventual release of his sense of self, his surrender to the tidal waves of passion, pleasure and pain, was all the more gratifying to the Trio. His surrender was a conscious one, rather than a loss of control, and in return for that surrender they rewarded him with intimacy beyond the merely physical, inviting him into the near-gestalt of their emotions and thoughts.

And so now they lay together, hands touching in languid, unhurried movements as they bathed in the afterglow. Tomas looked at Edward's face with a strangely gentle smile on his lips. The older man had been so different from others he had seduced in the past. All that passion, locked away from years of neglect and coldness. Despite his age, despite his control, he had not been that different from Saori, or Shae, or even Tomas before his epiphany on joining the Teragen.

"You belong with us." the fae prince whispered as he stroked pale fingers down Edward's cheek. "And we with you."

[z017]

Shae snuggled in against the Englishman's strong back, her contentment and happiness with the evening flowing through the bond she shared with Tomas and Saori and still slipping over into the mind of their newest lover. She said nothing, but her nearness and her thoughts were a presence and warmth to all of them.

[z-Xiao Saori]

Saori twisted her upper body over at Tomas' words, looking to Edward's face. She could feel his emotions, but at this time of sharing, it seemed better to let him see the desire and joy in her expression. "You have always belonged with us," Saori confirmed to him, earnest as any child. "You only just found us." Her smile was the truest he'd seen from the youthful seducer. There was no coy flirtations; instead, she was warm and open, and completely sincere. She laced her fingers through his, and waited for him to acknowledge their bond.

[Edward Mansfield]

Edward gazed quietly at each of the young godlings, studying their faces as he absorbed their words and pondered his own emotions. He lifted Saori's hand to his lips, and kissed it briefly and tenderly - a gesture they would come to learn was one of his trademarks.

"I believe you're right, both of you. I feel at home. And that is something I haven't felt for a very, very long time."

And so he settled in amongst them, and at that moment the decadent trio became instead a quartet - full of dark thoughts and deadly ambitions - and now with a focus that their previous excess of youth and raw emotion had denied them. Adding Edward to the equation made them complete, and in doing so, made them infinitely more dangerous... at least to those who dared to disagree.