Page 82 of Soul Sucker

“Anyway, what can I do for you? I’m sure you didn’t call to talk about my kids.” Mari paused. “By the way, I heard about Laney. What a terrible thing to have happened. Is that why you called?”

Ella swallowed hard. “No, I’m just about dealing with that. I miss her terribly though.”

“I’m so sorry, hon, and you have no one to talk to about empath stuff. No wonder you called me. I’m so glad you did.”

“You’re way too nice. I don’t deserve it. I’m a terrible friend.”

“We empaths have to stick together. You’re at the potential end of your career. Itotallyunderstand how draining it becomes when you’re close to twenty-seven. It’s not quite so busy out here. I don’t think the Otherworld creatures like all this rain. So, what’s up?”

“I’m less than two weeks away from my birthday.”

“Have you changed your mind and decided to take an OCOS mate?”

“Well, put it this way, due to unforeseen circumstances my OCOS mate and I happened to already know each other. We accidentally pre-empted the prescribed date for us to contact each other through OCOS, and we hooked up.”

“You’ve already mated? That’s awesome!”

“Are you sure about that? It seems a bit weird.”

“In what way?”

Ella lowered her voice. “The sex.”

“You mean the fact that you can’t keep your hands off each other?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, that’s quite normal.”

“Are you sure?”

“Didn’t you get the information pack from OCOS?”

“As I said, we didn’t actuallymeanto hook up yet. Technically, I haven’t even agreed to meet him.”

“That’s kind of funny.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Oh, hon, it is. If it’s too much sex for you, it’s definitely funny.”

“I didn’t say it was too much. I just said it was surprising, seeing as we hadn’t exactly hit it off before.”

Mari managed to stop laughing. “Listen, it’s a gift. Take it and run with it. Sharing your mind with another person can be a pain in the ass sometimes, but there are compensations.”

“Like great sex.”

“Exactly, and not going mad. That’s another good thing. Basically, the sexual act helps you learn to trust your mate and open your mind to him. As you share your thoughts and feelings you gain power and stability from each other.”

“I suppose so.” Ella sighed. “I still don’t understand why anyone would agree to mate an empath.”

“Don’t be dumb, Ella. Stupendous sex, increased magical powers and the opportunity to legally reside in two different worlds? Most men would jump at the chance.”

Not Morosov. He seemed as shaken by the consequences of their actions as she was, and from what she could tell, he already had all the advantages Mari had just listed.

“What happens if we just want to keep it casual?” Ella asked.

“What do you mean?”

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