All characters are over eighteen. This series contains mind control and impregnation.
Please try to leave feedback in the comments section. Constructive criticism is invaluable for every author. I encourage everyone to vote and leave ideas for future stories as well. Finally, I would like to thank Sylvidoll and kenjisato for their time and help.
*****
Reality exploded back into existence for Ezere. The first thing that greeted him was the concerned face and reddish-brown hair of his wife, Mara. No matter how many times he'd used his powers in the pasy, she always worried about him.
It was one of the many reasons he loved her. Everyone else he'd shown his abilities to had reacted with fear or superstitious disgust before he removed their memories. She was the only one who accepted him for who he was. It felt like they'd been married for a lifetime rather than two years.
Together, they'd learned to exploit his powers of hypnosis and possession for their personal benefit. By concentrating, he could transfer his soul into another person, giving him access to their memories. Once he returned to his own body, they would remember nothing.
"It worked!" Ezere told her.
Mara's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "That's great, honey," she pulled him to envelop him in a hug. "I wish we could go celebrate, but I'm still sick. You wanna head out without me?"
"Oh, ha-ha, very funny," he said with an exaggerated laugh before planting a kiss on her temple. "You know I'd never leave without you."
Her hand intimately stroked the length of his arm. "You're sweet."
"You know me so well," he smiled, kissing her palm. "I'll make us some dinner."
"I can still cook, you know," Mara half-heartedly protested as she accepted the tray he brought. "I'm sick, not dying."
"Oh, please. Respect the business model, honey. You're the cheerful, outgoing, makes-lots-of-friends, smooth-talking head of this house. I'm the silent, straightfaced, body-possessing muscle."
The happily married couple's laughter was interrupted by a loud crash and the sound of glass breaking.
"What was that?"
"Brandon," he told her, holding up a baseball from their neighbor's son. "I'm going to have a word with that kid's mother."
"Don't bother, sweetie," Mara said ruefully. "I know Liz. She'll never accept it was his fault."
*****
Mara's prediction came true. When he tried calling Elizabeth, she insisted the ball must've come from somewhere else.
"Maybe it came from Michael's yard," she said. "He likes to play baseball too."
The fact that it would require almost miraculous physics went on deaf ears.
"Sorry, Ezere. I have to make dinner for Brandon and head out for an appointment. Tell Mara I'll visit when I get back."
Mara grimaced when he returned. "Told you."
"You did," he sighed. In Ezere's opinion, Liz was a good mother but she was away too often. "I covered the window and made a call to get it replaced. Should be ready in a day or two."
"Nice."
"Liz should be the one paying for it," he grumbled. "She's got more money than us."
"Hey, that gives me an idea!" Mara exclaimed. "Would you mind doing something for me?"
"Of course, sweetie," he said, crouching in front of her. "You know I'd do anything for you."
Her face grew into a smirk. "Why don't you try using your powers to transfer me to Liz? That way I can get some money for our window. Plus, it'll give me a few hours without feeling like crap."
Ezere hesitated. He'd never used his powers to transfer someone else into another body, and he was far from certain he could do it. But this was his wife; if he could give her a few hours of relief, then no harm done.
"Sure," he said, placing two fingers on her forehead.
The transfer of essence between two physical forms required creating a bridge between two points in time and space. Usually it required leaving an imprint, a tracker, upon his target before he could possess them. Liz could be exempt from that rule because she was so close, but it would still push his powers to the limit.
Sweating profusely, he peered through her eyes to make sure it was safe to take control. Seeing she was in no danger, he took a deep breath and tried to reach into his wife, to pull her into the bridge he had created.
Mara lay limp as her soul was ripped from her body and transferred into another. Once the process was complete, Ezere broke the connection, suddenly aware of how wet his shirt was. When he returned from changing, his wife's vital signs were stable, but other than that, she was completely lifeless. He suddenly understood why she was so concerned every time he used his power.
Supernatural abilities had run in Ezere's family for hundreds of years, but none had come anywhere close to his level. Its rules were finicky—not every member of the family was born with it—but for whatever reason, his powers were nothing short of prodigious.
Since he had nothing to do until Mara was done, Ezere decided to finish dinner and wait for her call. To his surprise, it came before he'd finished loading the dishes.
"Hello?"
"Hey, sweetie."
"Mara," he smirked. "Ready for me to take you back?"
"No. I want you to come over."
"Huh? Why?"
"I'll explain when you get here."
Slightly confused, Ezere began the brief jog over to Elizabeth's house. As a professional figure skater, Liz's career afforded her a more lavish lifestyle than he and Mara could afford. Despite that, Ezere knew Liz had been friends with his wife years before he'd met her.
Once he reached the porch, he rang the doorbell and waited. He didn't realize he was holding his breath for several seconds. Something in Mara's—or rather Elizabeth's—voice had told him his wife had something planned.
The moment the door opened, Ezere could tell it was her. He could clearly see Mara's soul gazing through Elizabeth's eyes. They shared that non-verbal exchange for several seconds before she spoke.
