Phantom Touch

Wow, thanks for your continued encouragement! It means a lot and made me really want to finish the story properly.

So here it is, the final installment which hopefully should answer all the important questions while leaving the rest to your fertile imaginations.

With sincere thanks,

JillieB

Chapter 3

"How did you know?"

The old man looked up from his papers to find Collin standing in front of his desk, the pale gray mist of a recently-completed shimmer dissipating from his body.

"Ah, Collin. I was wondering when you'd get back." The old one's pleasure at the younger man's return faded as he noted Collin's agitated, almost belligerent stance. He leaned back in his seat with a sigh. "I take it you encountered some difficulty?"

"I failed," Collin said flatly before repeating his question. "How did you know I would have trouble with this assignment?"

The old man's initial look of surprise quickly became one of concern. "I suspected this assignment would be uncomfortable, but I did not expect you to fail. What happened?"

A faint look of embarrassment crossed Collin's face before he could prevent it. "I was... distracted and got pulled in," he admitted reluctantly.

The old man's eyes widened in surprise before ill-concealed amusement wreathed his face. "When I said the assignment would help you remember what it's like to be human, I did not mean for you to take me so literally," he said drily.

Collin flushed, but he squashed his discomfort, determined to get some answers. "What's so different about this assignment that you expected it to make me uncomfortable? Is the subject special in some way? Is that why she's my fifth-year?"

His mentor's face became inscrutable, but he readily replied. "She is special to you, yes."

The younger man absorbed that thought for a moment, then asked tentatively, "Is -- is she meant to be with me?" He could not quite hide the hope that crept into his voice.

His mentor let out a short bark of laughter, then shook his head. "It may feel that way right now but that's just a side effect of your little mishap tonight. Once the feelings dissipate completely you'll realize that yourself."

Collin tried to ignore the sharp stab of disappointment, but he accepted the old man's words without question. After five years, he had no reason to doubt his mentor's honesty. "So in what way is she special?" he asked, barely keeping the impatience from his tone.

His mentor's eyes met his, and Collin felt a moment of uncertainty as the old man gazed at him with a look full of compassion. A few awkward seconds passed before his mentor finally broke the silence. "You'll understand when you finish the assignment, Collin."

Collin opened his mouth to demand a better answer, but stopped when the old man held up a hand. "It's important that you figure this out on your own, Collin. That is all I'm prepared to say tonight. It's time you got some rest."

The old man turned his attention back to his papers, clearly dismissing him. Frustrated but left with no choice, Collin shimmered out of the room.

---

The following evening

He found her sitting at the dressing table with her face buried in both hands, her shoulders drooping with weariness.

He had shimmered into her bedroom even though her lights were still on, hoping to learn more about her while she was still awake. He knew it was important that he discover what it was about her that was special to him.

His mental cloak on her thoughts prevented her from sensing his presence even as he moved closer. He held his breath expectantly, hoping she would raise her head so he could get his first good look at her face.

As he circled her from behind, he caught a faint flash of light from one of her hands. Intrigued, he stepped closer until he was standing behind her, gazing intently at her reflection in the dresser mirror. A nameless dread settled over him as his attention was caught once more by the diamond ring that sparkled on one of her fingers.

There was something painfully familiar about the way this ring sparkled; it reminded him of something he knew but had refused to think about for too many years; something he had been unwilling to face until now. He froze, unable to suppress the long-buried memory as it battled its way to the surface.

He felt a moment of disorientation as the walls of the room seemed to spin around him, whirling wildly until they faded from view. He found himself standing on a dark stretch of highway. A few yards ahead, a dark-haired girl sobbed as she ran toward the gurney that was being loaded into a waiting ambulance. A bloody sheet covered the figure lying on it.

"No! No, please don't give up on him! Don't let him die!" Her cries became more frantic when one of the paramedics intercepted her before she could reach the gurney. "Please, you have to help him! He can't be dead! He can't be..."

The paramedic murmured words of comfort as he restrained her; her own injuries made her attempts to shake him off ineffective.

"Don't forget her, Collin."

He started in surprise and turned to look at the old man who had spoken from behind him. It was the man he'd met on this dark highway five years ago. The man he now called his mentor.

Confused, he turned back to the scene ahead and saw the gruesome remnants of a two-vehicle accident just beyond a second ambulance. He realized with horror that one of the vehicles was his own car; it was so badly mangled that he had almost failed to recognize it.

In a daze, he watched as the paramedics pulled another body from the wreckage, placed it on a second gurney, and covered it with a sheet that quickly became soaked in blood. "Should never have gotten behind the wheel," muttered a paramedic. "I can still smell the alcohol on him."

The old man stepped forward and held out an arm. "Come, Collin," he said firmly. "It's time we left."

Still dazed, Collin reflexively grasped the old man's outstretched arm, his mind responding automatically to the hint of compassion he could hear in the other man's voice.

He took one last look at the sobbing girl who was now kneeling on the ground with the paramedic crouched beside her. Her face was buried in her hands as she rocked back and forth, wailing in grief. A diamond ring on her finger flashed in time with the strobe lights blinking on top of the emergency vehicles.

The now familiar gray mist of a shimmer closed around him, mercifully hiding the heartbroken girl from his view as the old man took him away. When the mist finally cleared, he found himself back in her bedroom, guilt shuddering through him as he stood behind the girl once more. He could see her face clearly in the mirror now, her features lined with sadness as she stared absently at the ring on her finger, lost in thought.

"I miss you so much," she whispered finally. She sighed and shook her head as if trying to shake off a painful memory before pulling the ring off her finger and returning it to a small, velvet-lined box that was sitting open on the table. She snapped the box closed, then tucked it carefully into one of the dresser drawers.

Collin barely had time to step back when she switched off the dresser lights and got up to make her way tiredly across the room. Guilt twisted like a sharp knife in his gut as he watched her climb despondently into bed before reaching up to free her hair from the back of her nightshirt. The room plunged into semi-darkness as she switched off the bedside lamp.

Collin drew in a deep calming breath as he moved quietly into a shadowy corner of the room. He leaned against the wall, his guilt-laden memories his only companion as he watched and waited for sleep to claim her.

He understood now what he needed to do.

---

She stirred and smiled as she felt him slip into bed and settle down behind her. His warm breath whispered over her bare shoulder just before he kissed her there, nuzzling her skin gently in greeting.

She sighed softly in contentment as he moved the hair at her nape to lick and nibble at the sensitive skin he found at the back of her neck, his playful nips drawing a soft giggle from her.

A warm hand settled on the curve of her shoulder then began a slow caress down her arm. His fingertips lovingly traced her soft skin, following the limb until he reached the back of her hand and entwined his fingers with hers.

She didn't resist when he moved her hand until it rested just above her head on the pillow, his slow, deliberate movement bringing his warm chest in contact with her bare back. She shivered in delight as the heat of his body and the brush of bare skin stirred a little flutter of excitement in the pit of her stomach.

He slid a muscular leg between her calves and pushed gently against the back of one knee to slowly ease her leg forward, parting her thighs. Her breath caught as his cock brushed against the bare cheeks of her ass even as he began to rub his leg lazily against her calf.

He released her hand to trace a path down the warm valley between her breasts, pausing there as she held her breath expectantly. She could almost imagine the teasing smile on his face as he placed his stubble-lined cheek beside hers, then began rubbing lightly at the undersides of her bare breasts.

She tried to turn, wanting to touch him, but his hand moved to her hip and squeezed gently, a silent entreaty to remain in place. When she complied, he slid his hand down one buttock to push at the back of her thigh, opening her further. He moved slightly before she felt the heat of his engorged cock coming to rest on her inner thigh, very near but not quite touching the lips of her now aching pussy.

She closed her eyes, waiting breathlessly for that first tantalizing brush of hard flesh on her increasingly damp cleft, but it did not come. His attention had shifted back to her breasts; his fingers began to trace the curve of one lush mound, moving slowly in ever smaller circles toward her nipple. Even now, the little bud was beginning to tighten in need, eagerly awaiting his touch.

She moaned in appreciation when he finally brushed a finger over the turgid peak; wantonly she arched her back as he slowly plucked at her nipple in a repeat of last night's performance. When the tip had hardened into an aching bud, he slipped his hand to her other breast, patiently giving it the same loving attention.

She shifted restlessly in his arms, finally giving into the temptation to push her aching cunt against him just as he rocked forward to brush his cock against her swollen pussy. They groaned in unison at the first searing contact.

She let out a soft cry when he unexpectedly pinched one nipple and rolled it firmly between his fingers before plucking more urgently at the aching tip. His hips began to rock against her in a slow steady rhythm, the repeated brush of his hard flesh against her cunt exciting her unbearably even as her seeping juices liberally coated his cock.

They rocked together slowly, locked in a passionate dance that soon had them both breathless but still yearning for more. His hand moved to grip her hip tightly as he urged her into a faster rhythm, drawing strangled moans from her as the pleasurable friction on her pussy spiralled through her body.

Abruptly, he stopped rubbing against her to pull unexpectedly at her shoulder, turning her onto her back even as he moved to give her more room on the bed. He supported his weight on one elbow as he bent his head, his lips closing on hers in a hungry, passion-filled kiss. She clung to his shoulders and opened her mouth, eagerly welcoming his tongue as it slipped inside to tangle urgently with hers.

She shivered in excitement as his hand traveled down her belly to slip unerringly between her parted thighs. Her hips bucked instinctively as he plunged a finger deep into her wet, welcoming warmth, drawing a cry that even his kiss could not completely contain.

The walls of her pussy clenched hotly around his finger, drawing an appreciative moan from him. He rewarded her enthusiastic response by inserting a second finger that became drenched almost immediately in her juices. He wriggled his fingers inside her, tormented the sensitive walls of her slick passage for long minutes, before he began to move his fingers in and out in a sawing motion. She drew her knees up and bucked wildly against his hand as he added a third finger, stimulating her even more.

He lifted his head, leaving her kiss-ravaged lips even as his fingers continued fucking her. She opened her eyes in time to see his gaze move down to her breasts, finding the rosy nipples puckered in invitation. She reached up to wrap her arms around his head as his warm mouth latched onto a breast, the urgent sucking pressure exciting her even further. His tongue lapped at her nipple in tandem with the movement of his deliciously wicked fingers.

He drew a moan of protest from her when he unexpectedly lifted his head and stopped all movement at her pussy. His eyes gleamed with mischievous intent as their gazes locked, and he moved the fingers inside her wet passage slowly but firmly upwards, pushing against the walls of her passage until he was rubbing her clit directly for the first time.

Her hips arched upwards and her hands reached out to grip the sheets tightly when he began to pinch the delicate nub. He kept at it for a few minutes, touching no other part of her body other than her clit, until she was almost begging him to end the delicious torment.

She felt him move down her body and tensed in anticipation when he lifted one of her legs and settled it over his shoulder as he positioned himself between her parted thighs.

His mouth latched directly onto her clit, drawing a sharp cry from her. He sucked greedily on the swollen nub, shaking his head against her clit even as his fingers resumed fucking her, cleaving mercilessly through her damp passage.

The combined stimulation proved to be her undoing, and waves of orgasmic pleasure finally consumed her, causing her to thrash uncontrollably as she screamed in ecstasy. Somehow he managed to keep his mouth on her clit as she rode through her climax, drawing out the delicious sensations, his grip on one leg barely keeping her in place.

He released her clit and began to lick the sensitive nub in slow, soothing strokes, waiting until the final tremors of her orgasm faded. He gave her dripping pussy one last lick before moved back up the bed to cradle her in his arms, shushing her weak protests about his own unsatisfied need.

He settled back in bed, murmuring loving words of appreciation as he repeatedly stroked her hair and urged her to rest.

Too sated and exhausted to argue, she closed her eyes and snuggled against him, sighing deeply in contentment. She could still feel his hand stroking her hair as she drifted off to sleep.

---

Collin stood beside the bed, watching the girl as she slept deeply, completely relaxed for the first time that evening.

He closed his eyes, concentrating carefully as he slipped into her now pliant mind and searched for the five-year old memory of the accident that had claimed her first love, the accident that he now knew he had caused.

He felt another stab of guilt as he located the memory and entered it; he couldn't help but notice how sharp the image was, a silent testimony to the fact that she relived this moment often.

He took a preparatory breath, then braced himself as he drew in all the pain that she carried with this memory, absorbing every last bit of anguish into himself until all that was left was a dull ache. He watched with satisfaction as her memory of that fateful night became less sharp, the bright colors of the strobe lights turning dull as the image became hazy.

He slipped out of her mind, then bent over her sleeping figure to speak the words required to apply the imprint. His heart ached with her sorrow as he reached out and tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear, physically touching the sleeping girl for the first time that night.

He murmured the final words that sealed the imprint, then leaned forward to kiss her lightly on the cheek. "I'm so sorry," he whispered.

She smiled in her sleep, as if she had heard his words and wanted him to know she accepted his apology.

Collin straightened from the bed, then allowed himself one final look at her. He'd completed the task, had absorbed the festering wound that had kept her from moving on and finding love again.

He could have released the anguish right away, but he decided to hold on to it a while longer because it blunted the sharpness of his own guilt.

He closed his eyes then shimmered out of the room.

The End