Succubus Ascendant: An Urban Fantasy (The Telepathic Clans Saga Book 4) (34 page)

Irina, Rhiannon, Jill and Galina had teleported in from Russia. Morrighan and Michael from O’Byrne were there, and Seamus and Callie had come in from the States, bringing Cindy and baby Samantha. Along with Collin, Rebecca, and Carlos, they had met for two days already. Today, the group rode horses into the hills west of Dunany for a picnic.

“It’s incredible to consider that we’re talking about mapping a path for the next two hundred years,” Brenna said. “A few years ago, I couldn’t conceive of thinking that far ahead.”

“Realizing that you’ll live that long sort of changes your perspective, doesn’t it?” Collin said with a grin.

“Yes. Realizing that you have this kind of responsibility does, too.”

She looked back at her friends and her fellow Clan Chiefs, a few yards away, sitting on blankets or on some of the large rocks that dotted the hillside. Eating, drinking wine, chatting and laughing, they appeared to be a group of mostly young people out for a lark.

“Hey, you two,” Rhiannon called. “Are you being anti-social? No going off on your own to play kissy-face when the rest of us are flying solo. I already had to tell Rebecca and Carlos to be more discreet about their public displays of affection.”

Brenna turned with a smile and responded, “Rhi, you are turning into such a sour old lady. You need to get laid more.”

Pulling Collin with her, she began walking the few yards back to the gathering. “How’s that handsome man from O’Neill doing? Have you finally succumbed to his charms?”

Jill and Irina laughed. “She keeps insisting that they’re just friends,” Irina said. “It’s an interesting relationship. He follows her around with big cow eyes, and she abuses him. Eventually, they get in a fight, he loses, then mopes around while she abuses him some more. Then when his back is turned, she stares at his ass and licks her lips. I think she gets some kind of perverted pleasure out of self-denial.”

Rhiannon blushed scarlet. “That’s not true,” she protested. “He really is the most infuriating man I’ve ever met. Why would I want to get involved with him? All we ever do is fight.”

“That’s a good start,” Morrighan said with a grin. “Making up can be so much fun. And if you fight a lot, that’s a whole lot of opportunities to make up.”

“My intelligence sources have included some pretty juicy gossip in some of their reports,” Collin said. “Since Brenna has said our intelligence should be shared among all of our allied Clan Chiefs, would you like to hear the latest?”

The following silence, with every eye turned expectantly toward him, caused his grin to grow.

“I had a report out of Helsinki that a certain red-headed operative held extensive consultations with the O’Neill regional director at his home there. The consultations are reported to have taken almost three days, during which neither of them left the premises.” He shrugged. “Not particularly noteworthy, except that he lives in a one-bedroom flat.”

“You son of a bitch!” Rhiannon cried. “That’s not fair!”

The group greeted this with gales of laughter.

“I also heard a rumor,” he said, “that the Clan Chief in St. Petersburg was keeping company with an O’Donnell Protector, and that the relationship wasn’t entirely professional. Galina, please, dispel that rumor. I would hate to think that the Russian ice queen was melting.”

Galina turned a beaming smile on him. “I can neither confirm nor deny such a report. Russian inscrutability prevents me from commenting on unfounded rumors.”

When everyone again laughed, Galina simply winked at them.

“I’ve also heard that the Moscow Clan Chief is being particularly selfish with her favors,” Rebecca said. “It truly is a scandal when a succubus starts acting monogamously. I’m sure it’s simply slanderous gossip, but I fear her reputation is in serious jeopardy.”

Laughing gaily, Irina said, “Sometimes a pretty boy can turn my head for a month or two. Give it some time. If I bring him to the Solstice Ball, then you can tease me.”

“As long as we’re sharing salacious rumors,” Rhiannon said. “During my side trip to O’Byrne earlier this week, I stumbled across evidence of a succubus deliberately planning a pregnancy that will produce an s-gene carrier. In fact, the evidence is fairly strong that she’s already pregnant.”

Everyone turned to look at Morrighan. Her daughter had recently turned two. She had never revealed the father of her baby succubus, but Rhiannon and Rebecca were fairly sure she was in love with the team leader of her security team.

“Guilty as charged,” she said with a smile. “Peter and I are going to have a baby, a boy. I’m about two months along.”

“Is Peter a carrier?” Collin asked.

“Is that an attempt to identify Seana’s father?” Morrighan asked in return. “For the last time, I’m standing by my story that I was visited in my dreams by an incubus. The dastardly creature impregnated me and abandoned me, a poor, despoiled woman, left alone in the world to raise her wee bairne by herself. Fortunately for me, Peter has taken great pity on me, and vowed to raise the little bastard as if she were his own.” Batting her eyelashes, she grinned at Collin as if daring him to dispute her. “However, with my Lady Brenna’s vow that a child’s legitimacy shall be decided only by her matrilineal inheritance, I guess she’s not a bastard after all, is she?”

“Nor you, or Rhiannon, or Rebecca,” Brenna said. “Goddess, what a load of patriarchal crap. Half the damned so-called legitimate children probably couldn’t pass a paternity test. At least we can prove whether a baby came out of a woman’s womb.”

That evening after dinner, the group sat in the living room of the cottage, some sipping cordials, and others coffee or tea. Seamus cleared his throat, and everyone turned to him.

“As much as I’m enjoying the pleasant company, there is something about this get-together that bothers me,” he said. “It seems as though there’s an undercurrent, an understanding or agreement that I haven’t been informed of.”

“I’m not sure what you mean,” Brenna said. “I called the meeting to discuss our plans for the future. How we should set goals and coordinate our efforts going forward. There has been a lot of change over the past year.”

“Yes,” Seamus said, “but in my experience, and looking back through my inherited memories, there are aspects of this meeting that are unprecedented. Corwin and Fergus and I were always fairly good friends, but we never got together for a meeting like this without a small army of advisors hanging off our coattails. Here we have the leaders of five Clans, six if we include Carlos as heir to Vargas, and none of the Clan councils know about it.”

Several people shifted uncomfortably in their seats, and numerous glances were exchanged.

“I think I can explain,” Irina said. “I may be Gorbachev Clan Chief, but I swore fealty to O’Donnell years ago, and I have no intention of renouncing that fealty.”

Seamus eyebrows rose in surprise.

“Brenna will be uniting the Irish Clans,” Irina continued. “Galina and I have signed a pact, and it’s a lot more than simply a contract, to unite our two Clans. In practice, if not yet formally, she plans to also swear fealty to O’Donnell.”

Now Seamus sat up straight in his chair. Carefully setting his coffee on the table, he looked at Galina. “Is this true?”

She nodded. “Yes. I have to consolidate my control, and then Irina and I must successfully merge our Clans. But once that is done, I shall formally follow her lead and swear to O’Donnell. I don’t know how long that will take, possibly decades. But the world is a far more dangerous place than it’s ever been. The Clans can’t continue to pretend we’re still in a fragmented feudal world. For all of our survival, we must unite. And there is only one person all of us feel has the strength to lead us.”

“Yes, there is only one logical person who can unite us and hold us together,” Carlos quietly said. “I have discussed some of these issues with Michel de la Tour. We are friends, and since I moved to Paris, our friendship has strengthened. We have a lot in common. We had dinner with Karl Lindstrom one evening, and he seems to be thinking along the same lines.”

“We don’t agree with CBW’s philosophy,” Rebecca said, “but we can’t deny that humans are dangerous. Without guidance, they could destroy themselves, and take us down with them. They’re destroying the environment and continuing a state of constant warfare among themselves. You would think they would have gained some wisdom, but with all their technological advances and modern communication capabilities, they steadfastly continue to ignore the lessons of history.”

Brenna said, “We can’t continue to keep a hands-off stance toward human affairs. In two countries, we have the ability to influence the path of governments far more than we have in the past.” She motioned toward Morrighan. “She would make a fine Irish President. Galina and Irina can move toward taking over the Russian government within the next two decades. Vargas has almost full control of Ecuador. Some of the lessons they’ve learned should help us.”

Smiling at Cindy, Brenna continued, “We've decided that Cindy, Maggie, and Karen need to map out how to create a stronger presence in determining the direction of the U.S. government. Those fools in Washington may be the most dangerous madmen on the planet. We have the capabilities to covertly steer what humans do. We don’t have to enslave them, or try to rule them, in order to establish some degree of rational thought among them. It’s not a matter of power, but of survival.”

“But we have to ensure we have an organized, coherent plan of action,” Rhiannon said. “We have to agree on our goals and our methods. We have to have a firm understanding, not just a vague idea, of what we’re doing and how we’re doing it. That means everyone needs to agree as to who is in charge. And we need to agree as to the breadth and scope of her mandate, as well as its limits. We’ve been talking in generalities for a while. This meeting is to get everyone in the same room so that we all have our say, and everyone hears the same things.”

She smiled fondly at Brenna. “Something I have come to understand, quite forcefully, is just how strong of a tendency toward being a tyrant she has. All of you know how headstrong she is, how stubborn. But at most, you can only read her mind, and see how her personality manifests. To truly understand another person’s personality, to understand how they feel and see the world, you have to share their mind. And just as only she truly knows both the fragile, whimpering insecurity, and the overwhelming, indestructible arrogance—those are her words, not mine—that are the foundation of Rhiannon, only I know how much of a tyrannical, self-righteous bitch she really is. Just as only I know exactly how deeply the need to nurture and comfort and protect guides everything she does.”

Standing, Rhiannon walked over to Brenna and sat on the arm of her chair. Throwing her arm around her cousin, she said, “But she’s 
our
 self-righteous, tyrannical bitch, and we love her.”

“So, you’re planning on taking over the world, turning it into a matriarchy, and making Brenna queen?” Seamus said.

“That’s a fairly good summation,” Jill said.

“Any objections, Father?” Callie asked.

“Hell no,” he said. “Count me in. Brenna, where’s your Middleton’s? You’ve been pinching my booze for years. Now that you have your own house, it’s my turn.”

###

If you enjoyed
Succubus Ascendant
, we hope you’ll take a few moments to leave a brief review on the site where you purchased your copy to share your experience with other readers. Potential readers depend on comments from people like you to help guide their purchasing decisions. Thank you for your time!

This is the final book in the story of Brenna and Rebecca O’Donnell. There may be other books set in this world, but none are planned at the current time.

Also look for
Broken Dolls,
a paranormal mystery/thriller with RB Kendrick, Private Investigator, set in the world of the Telepathic Clans.

~~~

The Telepathic Gifts

(* Rare Gift)

(# Part of Succubus Complex)

Gift: Telepathy

Common label: Telepathy

Read minds, project thoughts into the minds of others, shield their thoughts from others - telepaths have additional awareness and ability to understand their own minds and bodies and the minds and bodies of others. Telepaths can, for example, detect and eliminate pathogens, poisons, and other foreign substances in their own bodies. An example is the ability to detoxify alcohol. Telepaths mature and age very slowly. Average physical maturity occurs in the early 20s, but mental development isn't complete until the mid-30s. Complete development and command of their Talents is not complete until then. Natural life expectancy is 160 - 220 years. Mental acuity and Talent don't begin to decline until the person is in their last 10 - 15 years of life.

~~~

Gift: Charisma #

Common label: Charisma

Influence others, project an impression of a person so that others’ perceptions of the person are enhanced. A very short-range projection, i.e. "wrapping" oneself in Charisma, can simulate the Succubus talent of Glamour. Part of the Succubus complex.

~~~

Gift: Empathy #             

Common label: Empathy             

Feel the emotions of others. The person with the Talent can feel other people’s anger, joy, fear, hope, anxiety, etc.

~~~

Gift: Bernard #             

Common Label: Empathic Projection             

Project emotions into the minds of others. Change the way people feel and manipulate their emotions.

~~~

GIFT: O'Donnell *             

COMMON LABEL: Domination (Strong dominance)

Ability to penetrate or destroy another telepath's shields and take control of their mind. This is a rare and extremely powerful talent. It cannot be blocked.

~~~

GIFT: O'Neill *             

COMMON LABEL: Super shielding             

A complex talent that provides the telepath with stronger, deeper shields, with 17 shield levels in the mind rather than the normal 9. Shields can be extended to others, even without physical contact. Shields can be projected onto others without their permission, blocking them from using their talents. Shields can be so strong that the telepath can mask their telepathy from other telepaths, and can even become invisible to others - telepaths and norms. A defense against any mental attack except the talent of Domination. The only complete defense against Neural Disruption.

~~~

GIFT: De la Tour *             

COMMON LABEL: Telekinesis             

Manipulation of physical objects, including animate objects.

~~~

GIFT: Murphy *             

COMMON LABEL: Teleportation

Instantaneous relocation of an object or person. Usually only the person with the talent is relocated, but some talents can take another person or object with them, and some can relocate other objects or persons.

~~~

GIFT: Kilpatrick             

COMMON LABEL: Power Shielding/Shield Projection             

Stronger than normal shielding with the ability to extend their shields to others with whom they have physical contact (the attributes of this Gift are part of those in the O’Neill Gift). May deflect or diminish an attack by Neural Disruption.

~~~

GIFT: Christopoulos

COMMON LABEL: Aerokinesis/Air Shielding             

Manipulation of air molecules - an air shield will harden air into a transparent, solid shield that will block a physical object, such as a bullet or car. This is the only talent that can block attacks of Electrokinesis, Ogonekinesis, Pyrokinesis, and Cryokinesis. Diminishes and deflects Neural Disruption.

~~~

GIFT: O’Byrne             

COMMON LABEL: Dominance (weak domination)             

Ability to penetrate another telepath's shields and take control of their mind. This Gift is not as strong nor does it have the range and power of the O'Donnell Gift, and cannot penetrate the shields of one with the O’Neill Gift (the attributes of this Gift are part of those in the O'Donnell Gift).

~~~

GIFT: Lindstrom             

COMMON LABEL: Construction              

Construction of mental constructs inside the mind of a person that create a strong illusion that the person is a different person, masking the underlying real personality, memories, etc. The person carrying the construct may or may not be aware of the overlying construct. Compulsions and other kinds of control can be built in if desired.

~~~

GIFT: Shamun             

COMMON LABEL: Precognition/Clairvoyance             

Awareness of an event prior to it happening - may range from a "feeling" to clear "visions" of the event - may occur immediately prior to the event, days to weeks prior, or in some it manifests as visions of far-future events.

~~~

GIFT: Lubomudrov             

COMMON LABEL: Postcognition/Psychometry             

Perceive information about events that have already occurred. Psychometry: is another form of postcognition. It enables a person to envision information about events that have already occurred by being in close contact with the area or object where the event took place.

~~~

GIFT: de Filippo             

COMMON LABEL: Magnetokinesis             

Manipulation of magnetic fields. An adept can erase a computer hard drive by removing it’s magnetic charge or cause complex machinery, such as a car engine, a pistol or a lock, to freeze by magnetizing the parts so they can’t move. By putting a super magnetic charge on a piece of metal could cause it to attract other objects.

~~~

GIFT: Sivakumar             

COMMON LABEL: Pyrokinesis             

Manipulation of fire, including starting fires, shielding from fire, and hurling fire.

~~~

GIFT: van Serooskerken

COMMON LABEL: Cryokinesis             

Can manipulate the temperature of an object or person to immediately drop to -20C. When applied to a person can put them into immediate hypothermic shock. Can condense moisture from the air or other source into ice. Can thaw frozen objects within seconds. A person with the Gift can regulate the temperature of their immediate environment (several inches) to allow them to be cool in hot weather or warm in cold weather.

~~~

GIFT: Hakizimana             

COMMON LABEL: Healing/Biokinesis             

Healing and manipulation of a body to cure injury or disease. The method used is similar to micro-telekinesis, moving pieces of broken bones or sealing blood vessels, then using energy infusion to accelerate the bodies own healing mechanisms.

~~~

GIFT: Jalair             

COMMON LABEL: Animal Telepathy             

Telepathic communication with animals - this is more of an empathy-influence communication. An adept can usually feel the “thoughts” of primitive creatures, such as reptiles, fish or insects, but can truly communicate only with mammals.

~~~

GIFT: Krasevec

COMMON LABEL: Distance Communication

Telepathic communication over long distances - often hundreds of miles. This can’t be blocked by physical means but strong electro-magnetic fields may interfere.

~~~

GIFT: Soul Reading or Truth Saying

The ability to see auras, essentially reflections of people's souls. Part of this Gift enables the adept to see what Gifts a telepath has. This is a late developing Gift, and as the telepath matures, evolves into the ability to determine if someone is telling the truth.

~~~

GIFT: Matter Merge

The ability of a person to change the speed with which the molecules in his/her body resonate to match that of a different form of matter. By matching resonance with a solid object, the telepath can move through the object.

~~~

GIFT: Soul Thief

Ability to take a soul from a person's body and implant it in another body. The adept can also use another telepath's Gifts and use any of the normal Talents that a telepath can use on themselves on others, such as pathogen scans.

~~~

GIFT: Rivera #             

COMMON LABEL: Neural Disruption             

Neural energy from the wielder is projected into the neural network of a victim, disrupting their neural network. Depending on the strength of the projection, can be used to shock/stun a victim, or can burn out the neural synapses, causing permanent damage. At its most extreme completely burns out the mind of the victim. A weak talent must be in physical contact with the victim. A strong talent can strike several victims at once, and at a considerable distance. This type of attack cannot be blocked by mental shields except by one having the Super Shielding talent. It can be deflected or diminished by one with the Power Shielding talent. Without strong focus and direction, everyone in the vicinity of the wielder is at risk.

~~~

GIFT: Simsek #             

COMMON LABEL: Electrokinesis             

Channeling of electrical energy. The wielder can drain electrical circuits, store the electricity in their own neural network temporarily, and discharge the energy into another object or the air. Care must be taken by the wielder as too much electricity, such as trying to channel a lightning strike, may overload the wielder's own neural circuits. As a weapon, the channeler may be able to discharge the energy for a considerable range, both distance and breadth. Without strong focus and direction, everyone in the vicinity of the wielder is at risk. As a weapon cannot be blocked by mental shields.

~~~

GIFT: Petrescu #             

COMMON LABEL: Orgonekinesis (life energy)             

Projection of life energy into another person or animal. A person possessing the Talent always also possesses Energy Draining. Depending on the strength used by the wielder, this can be used to restore a person's life energy after being drained or wounded, or as a weapon. This type of attack cannot be blocked by mental shields except by one having the Super Shielding talent. It can be deflected or diminished by one with the Power Shielding talent.

~~~

GIFT: Farooqui #

COMMON LABEL: Energy Draining (human or animal)             

Drain a person's life energy from them. Similar to the drain a Succubus effects during sex. A weak talent must be in contact with a victim. A strong talent can drain several victims at once at a considerable distance. This type of attack cannot be blocked by mental shields except by one having the Super Shielding talent. It can be deflected or diminished by one with the Power Shielding talent.

~~~

GIFT: Kashani #             

COMMON LABEL: Druid or Succubus             

Found only in women (X-linked trait). The Druid Gift includes both mental Talents and physiological attributes. The genitalia have several internal and external differences from normal female genitalia. Specialized glands in the groin, breasts, underarms, and throat contain strong sexual pheromone attractants and the release of these chemicals as an invisible aerosol is under the wielder's control. Spectacular physical beauty is also considered part of the manifestation of this Gift. Other attributes include specialized modifications of Charisma (Glamour or the Glam), Empathic Projection (Influence) and Energy Draining (the Drain).

When a Druid has sex with a man, his climax causes an automatic reaction in the Druid, she drains his life energy by about 75%, which puts him into an immediate stupor until his energy levels can recharge. This cannot be blocked by mental shielding. Evidence exists that this is at least partially enhanced by a reaction to chemicals in the man's semen, as wearing a condom cuts the energy drain to about 60%.

Notes on Kashani (Druid) Gift: Limited evidence indicates that certain other Talents are strongly tied to the Succubus gene, indicating an interrelated gene complex - full Neural disruption, Empathic Projection, Electrokinesis, Orgonekinesis, and Energy Draining have been found in all Druids tested. It also has been found that carriers of the S-gene, both men and women, manifest the same Gift/Talent complex as full Succubi, with the exception of the Succubus Gift.