When I wake, my first thought is 'Thirsty'. My mouth feels as dry as the Sahara, and tastes just as salty. My stomach rumbles and I think 'Food'.
I stretch my arms and legs, trying to recall fragments of a dream. There was a fire... it was big, I was afraid of it, and then suddenly 'Bathroom!' sounds off in my head, bringing me back to reality. That is the most urgent command from my brain so far.
I throw the blanket off of me, and slide out to the edge of the bed, noticing that I am alone. I can't get to the bathroom fast enough, mincing my steps to keep from pissing on the floor.
Finally I reach the toilet, and sigh with relief as I release a torrent into the bowl. It occurs to me while I am wiping, I fell asleep after sex. Tex's cum has been left inside of me this whole time!
"Oh, dear" I say to myself in the mirror.
I'll have to take Plan B when we get back home to Norway. It shouldn't be too much trouble, but I wish Tex had used a condom. Then I remember the Ritual, which had also been conducted 'raw' so to speak. Hmmm, yeah... Plan B it is!
'This child will be mine'...
My eyes widen as that fragment of memory pops up. I don't think I misheard what Tex whispered in my ear while the portal was open, though my senses were overloaded at the time. My hand drops to my lower abdomen, presses against it cautiously. My alarmed face looks back at me in the mirror. Lars better not have dragged me into some Handmaid's Tale bullshit!
I can't hold my own stare, so I look away to the shower. That seems like a good idea! I run the water hot, and let it wash away all my worries, and all the stickiness and sweat of Tex's energy. I feel more like myself when my body is clean. If there comes a problem, I will handle it.
I find some fluffy white towels and a fluffy white bathrobe left out in the bathroom, and make use of them. Then I head out of the room to look for Lars, padding softly across the hardwood floors in bare feet.
As soon as I open the door to leave the bedroom I am walloped by the smell of fresh coffee. I groan, almost sobbing. I want that! I follow my nose to the direction of the kitchen and find Lars seated at the dining table, wearing a white bathrobe similar to mine, reading a sheet of paper, holding a coffee mug to his lips.
A jovial whistle in the kitchen alerts me to the presence of Tex, who comes out holding two plates filled with hot food. He pauses in surprise when he sees me standing there.
"Looks like our narcoleptic beauty has returned to the land of the living" Tex teases.
He sets the plates down at the dining table next to Lars and himself. My stomach gives an audible growl, impatient at being ignored for so long, and Tex chuckles.
"Come into the kitchen, make yourself a plate" he offers.
I follow him in, and he points out where the dishware and cutlery are stored. The countertop is loaded with food! Eggs, fresh berries, yogurt, cheese of different types, sliced deli meats, croissants, a large tart of some kind. A veritable feast of a brunch!
"Wow! This is amazing!" I say to Tex in awe.
"Awww, shucks" he returns playfully. "Eat up, little girl!" He then commands, slapping my ass.
He goes back to Lars at the dining table, and I immediately grab a mug to pour myself some coffee from the percolator. I sample the first sip black, to judge its flavor, and it's really good! Not too acidic. I'll just add a little bit of sugar and it should be fine.
I take my coffee and plate back to the table, taking the seat across from Lars. He is eating the food without looking at it, engrossed in reading the stack of papers in front of him. A little frown creases at his forehead.
"What's all that?" I ask, before taking a bite of a croissant.
"The legal papers discussing your obligations, and privileges, as full members of Nordlys" Tex answers calmly.
"Obligations?" I query.
"Yes, of course. You don't think we go around fucking just anyone, do you?" Tex replies.
My look of confusion makes him smile. He pours some water into a glass from a clear carafe on the table, and hands it to me.
"You should always start your day with a glass of water" he informs me.
I freeze a little when he talks to me like that, it's hard to explain exactly why. It feels like... that was an order, couched in polite language. On the surface it might look like I could just say no, but if I do, I don't know what will happen next.
There are consequences for disobeying me...
I swallow involuntarily as I recall what he said to me before. I take the glass from his hand, watching him out of the corner of my eye as I drink the water, sort of like how you don't want to lose sight of a spider.
"Good Girl" Tex's voice caresses me, and a shiver runs down my back, culminating in a moist tensing of my nether regions.
I'm not going to lie, Tex is hot.
My gaze flicks over to Lars almost guiltily, though why I should feel guilt is beyond me. Lars practically served me up on a platter for his bro to fuck. It's not my fault if Tex is better at it than he is.
I recall the look of intense bliss on Lars' face when Tex was sucking his cock. I suppose Tex is better at fucking than I am too. A sigh escapes me at that thought.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Tex quips.
I look up from my coffee in alarm, my mind searching frantically for something to say, but coming up blank.
"Come now, you can tell me anything. You're my family now, both of you" Tex informs me.
That hit me out of left field! I can feel my face scrunch up from the level of confusion I experience.
"Family?" I retort skeptically.
Tex's large hand covers mine, pulling it away from my coffee mug to hold it. He stares into my face with all seriousness while he speaks to me.
"Yes" he states. "You are part of Nordlys now, and we take care of each other, much like a family. You and Lars are part of my family, and I am part of the Overlord's family, so by default you are also part of the Overlord's family. Everyone here is that way, related to the Overlord, and related to each other, though we do not share DNA. 'The Blood of the Covenant is thicker than the water of the womb'."
I am stunned. 'Family' is such a loaded word for me, but he's not talking about the relationships we are forced to have by accident of birth. He's talking about grown adults pledging themselves to each other, to grow a 'found family'. He's talking about life long commitment.
"Is this a cult?" I blurt out in shock.
Tex looks like he wants to laugh, but holds it in. He shakes his head no. "Cults are religious in nature, aren't they?" Tex asks.
"But... the Ritual, the Portal... the Lights!..." I stutter to a halt.
"Magic is not the same as religion. Religious leaders hoard magic for themselves, suck it out of their followers. That's not what we do here. All of our magic is for the good of the Collective. All of our Rituals give freely to us as individuals. No one is left unsatisfied. No one is left to struggle alone" he puts a special emphasis on that last word with a pointed look at me.
How much does he know about me? Did Lars tell him about my family? That I am an orphan for all intents and purposes, except my parents are still alive. They are just so toxic and narcissistic, I basically raised myself.
"So you DID see the Portal" I iterate "and the lights?"
"Not everyone can see them. It takes a special gift" Tex answers, with a quick glance at Lars who appears to be tuning us out with his reading.
".... And that's why you want me to get pregnant" I hypothesize. "Because I have this gift."
Lars looks up from his papers, alert at hearing the word 'pregnant'.
"The Rite of Initiation must always be conducted without condoms" Tex explains.
"And this morning?" I prompt.
"Well... if you conceived during the Ritual, it ain't hurtin nothin" Tex points out to me.
"Even if I have conceived, I can still take a Plan B" I point out to him.
Tex's eyes flash briefly, a gleam of color that is not usually seen in human eyes, more like when nocturnal animals have a bright light shined at them.
My heart starts beating very fast, my mouth runs dry.
"Please don't" Tex says softly, staring intently at my face.
It takes me a moment to gather up the nerve to speak again, swallowing first.
"It's MY body" I state as strongly as possible in these circumstances.
My emotional state is hard to register, sort of halfway between running for my life in fear, and sinking to the floor in submission, with a dose of rebellion thrown in, because DAMMIT, it's MY body!
"Yes. It's your body" Tex maintains that soft voice. "You're the boss. You call the shots."
Why don't I feel like I am the one in control, then? Is this gaslighting?
"I'm not ready to be a mom" I tell him plaintively.
"We will all help you" Tex says soothingly. "If you did conceive at the Ritual, which you might not have, and if you do carry the child to term, which may not be possible, everything you can possibly need will be provided for you. The child will be well cared for, for their whole life."
That's quite a promise! But I don't get the impression that Tex is lying. I think he means exactly what he says.
"I'll think about it" I offer.
I hadn't put any thought into parenthood yet, thinking I wasn't ready, but maybe, with an offer like that, I should consider it.
Tex closes his eyes briefly with a soft sigh of relief, and then opens them again. "Thank you" he says, with gratitude that seems heartfelt.
It feels awkward for him to be so grateful, but then again, he IS asking a lot.
My stomach rumbles again, reminding me to get to work eating this food on my plate, and Tex releases my hand with a warm smile.
"Go ahead and eat!" He exhorts me.
I tuck in, just as Lars bangs the last piece of paper down onto the table.
"Every month?" He asks incredulous.
"Ah, you're referring to the medical requirements. Yes, every month, I'm afraid it's a necessity" Tex answers.
"It was so much paperwork" he complains.
The words 'medical' and 'paperwork' click together in my mind.
"You said that was for your job!" I interject indignantly, my mouth full of eggs.
Earlier that month he had told me I needed to go the doctor and get a full health exam, and bring back my test results clearing me of having any STDs, or anything wrong with me. He had said his job was re-doing their documentation for the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme, and since we were partners, they wanted spousal info, because his health is affected by mine. I can't believe I bought that lie! I could tell he was holding something back, but I guess I thought he was considering asking me to marry him.
"I didn't want to spoil the surprise" Lars responds sheepishly.
"You know, something this big, really should NOT have been a surprise!" I complain.
"I knew you would love to join a Swinger Club tho!" Lars defends himself. "And Tex said this one was the BEST in the world! Nothing but the Best for my Baby! This one will take care of you, if anything should happen to me. You know how I worry" he gives me his great big puppy dog eyes.
"Bah!" I exclaim, rolling my eyes at him, and shoving a fork full of food into my mouth.
"If you'd like, you can join the medical practice we use here. They know what tests we need run, and do it as a matter of course. No paperwork from you would be needed in that case" Tex offers Lars.
"Everyone in Nordlys uses the same doctor?" I ask feeling a bit alarmed. That screams cult red flag to me!
"Oh, no, just my partner and myself" Tex chuckles.
I look around curiously, I hadn't seen anyone else here.
"Oh she's... in a bit of a tangle right now. Would you like to go see?" Tex raises his eyebrows enticingly.
I shrug. "I'd like to meet her, if that's okay" I respond.
"Come!" Tex says, getting up from his chair and waving me on.
On the other side of the kitchen is a whole nother wing of the apartment, Tex leads us down a hallway and opens the door to a bedroom, dominated by a massive double King sized bed.
Tangled up on the sheets there are many people, the Overlord at the center of the headboard, Britt straddled over him, laying down over his chest. Behind her is the man with the mustache who had kindly told me to close my eyes. He is slowly rocking his hips against her ass, one hand gripping her on the side. His movement pushes her up and down to ride the Overlord's shaft, while his balls bounce up against the Overlord's with a little slapping sound.
On the Overlord's right side, Bree is kissing him, and she alternates to kiss Brit as well, her large breasts rubbing up against the Overlord's arm. Beneath her is the man from the vape shop, she is sitting on his face, her hips undulating slowly. Riding his cock is Queenie, her blond hair loose over her bouncing breasts.
On the Overlord's left side is a fresh faced youth I hadn't noticed before, with a mop of brown hair. Cressida is on all fours in front of him, and he is drilling into their rear, while the mustache man's other hand tugs rhythmically at Cressida's hard phallus from underneath, leaning over to kiss the young man occasionally. Overlapping moans, groans, and sighs fill the air.
Lars exhales loudly behind me, and everyone looks up from what they were doing. Layla pokes her head out of the bathroom.
"Layla, come meet our little Mary" Tex says.
She comes over to us, fully nude like everyone else there in the room, and gives me a firm but brief handshake. My eyes are drawn to the piercings in her nipples.
"It's a pleasure to meet, formally" she states with a hint of her Danish accent.
"Pleasure to meet you" I respond.
She then holds her hand out to Lars, and she seems much more flirtatious with him, looking him and down.
"Stahri, join us!" Brit calls from the bed, wiggling her ass against the mustache man.
"In a moment, I'm wrapping up formalities with the Initiates" Tex answers.
Then he looks at me with humor in his eyes. "You didn't think my name was really 'Tex', did you?" he jokes.
I shake my head, smiling.
"We can all join them, once we get those papers signed" Tex hints.