Empathic Echoes

Author's Note: This is the second chapter of an erotic re-imagining of a novel I have been trying to write for a few years. If you haven't read the first chapter, I recommend that you read it first (you can find it in my author profile) to understand the full context. I have at least two more chapters planned for a current total of four, but I will have to see where the story takes me to know for sure. And special thanks to Fidget for helping me proofread this chapter!

Disclaimer: This story contains graphic depictions of non-consensual sex, and is intended to be read only by adults of legal age in legal contexts. All characters depicted are over 18, and all events and people described are entirely fictional. Copyright 2021, Quiver. All rights reserved.

Empathic Echoes

by Quiver

Chapter 2: Surround Sound

Sienna and Jasper had spent the last two weeks together, holed up in his warehouse basement. Luckily, Sienna had been right about there being a bathroom down there. In fact, there was basically an industrial sprinkler that Jasper had turned into a relatively functional shower, complete with shampoo, soap, and even a razor.

Sienna was starting to feel more comfortable here. It helped that she had sent Jasper to grab a few things from her apartment. And with so few personal connections, and the freelance nature of her writing job, it was easy to slip away for a few weeks without anyone really noticing. It was so nice to feel safe from bombardment by the emotional states of passersby. Down in Jasper's abandoned basement, she was free to explore her own feelings again, without threat of becoming overwhelmed.

Jasper had helped her reignite the flame inside her. After the incident in the woods so many years ago, Sienna had reflexively shut herself off from the emotions of others, had created impenetrable walls of mental barriers and sealed herself away inside her own mind. She had been a husk of a person, unable to experience much of anything. Until Jasper came along.

He was so powerful, so vivid. He had pushed past her defenses so completely. It had frightened her. It brought up painful memories. But through that fear and swirling pain, Sienna had finally been able to remember what it was like to live. She never wanted to go back to that empty place, dull and cut off from everything around her. Sienna could almost taste the air around her now, it was so teeming with energy. Jasper's energy.

They had been going nearly non-stop, feeding off of one another's emotions and letting them build and build until Sienna thought she would burst. It hadn't all been sexual, though much of it was. Sometimes they would just stare into each others' eyes and watch as one feeling fueled the next.

Sienna lost track of how many times they had connected, lost track of whose mind had sparked each flame. She was content, happy to stay down here forever. Especially since the idea of leaving filled her with such dread. She tried not to think on it, but Jasper was quick to take note of her budding fear as the thought of leaving the warehouse needled into Sienna's mind. He walked over to her, approaching from behind.

She felt his hands brush pass between her arms and her waist and clasp together in front of her stomach. "What prompted that little treat?" he asked in a low whisper in her ear. The feeling of his breath on the back of her neck made Sienna's knees go weak as Jasper coaxed and prodded the fear within her mind.

"Nothing," Sienna replied. A spark of anger sliced through her.

"Don't lie to me," Jasper said coolly. "You know I can tell when you're lying."

Sienna shivered as the anger twisted into excitement. "It wasn't really a lie," she said carefully. "I just couldn't find the words."

"You can tell me anything, you know that," Jasper said, his hands now roaming over her hips as he twisted the excitement within her. "Now, what has my girl so afraid?"

"I was just thinking about how nice it is here. How I never want to leave. It's so wonderful, Jasper," Sienna began. "I want to stay here where it's safe." She turned in his arms to face him, looking up at him longingly as her own trepidation started to seep into her thoughts again.

"You're afraid you'll be overwhelmed if you get around other people," Jasper finished for her.

Sienna nodded, turning to place her cheek on Jasper's chest.

"You need to face your fear, Sienna," Jasper said quietly. Sienna's panic response activated again, and she felt Jasper's growing erection twitch against her hip as he played inside her mind. Her neck flushed as she felt his arousal as her own.

Brushing her hair gently, Jasper continued, "I'll help you. We can start slow. We can even stay in the warehouse at first. I can feel farther than you can on your own, but if you reach out for me I think you'll be able follow me. Maybe with me there to help amplify it you'll be able to feel some other people too." Jasper was clearly growing excited at the prospect of exploring outside minds again.

"It could even be fun," he continued, squeezing Sienna to press his erection harder against her.

Feeling Jasper's excitement mingled with her own cautious fears, Sienna thought about it. She could stay here, safe in the warehouse with only Jasper near her. And he could be her guide. Let her dip her toes into the water again, and maybe she'd actually be able to survive in the world again someday. Her excitement bubbling up, she looked up at Jasper again, and they both knew she was ready.

"Tomorrow night," Jasper said. "We'll get started."

It was a night for both of them. They had both learned to somewhat maneuver through their constant storm of emotions, not quite as susceptible to each and every spike. But tonight was a new level of patience.

Despite his obvious and quite visible arousal, Jasper refused to indulge in any sexual activity that night. Sienna, privy to the deep smoldering excitement within him, could barely contain herself. But Jasper was getting off on the withholding, and the waiting. Despite the raging she could feel within him, he seemed content to sit in his office chair smoking a cigarette letting his imagination run wild. There would be nothing she could do to sway him. He was too fixated on tomorrow.

Sienna laid down on the bed, itching with the desire for release. She and Jasper had become much more familiar over the past few weeks, and Sienna had also become a lot more comfortable with her own body. Before Jasper, she rarely touched herself, and nearly never brought herself to orgasm. The idea of sexual arousal was so clouded with painful memories that she generally avoided it. But with Jasper, it was a whole new world. She still wasn't ready for penetrative sex, but they had found so many ways to explore each other it hardly seemed important. They would spend whole days watching each other. More often than not, Jasper wouldn't even touch himself, completely focused on feeding and molding Sienna's desire.

Tonight, Sienna was getting overwhelmed by the palpitations of aching need emanating from Jasper. She needed release. She needed to cum. She wanted desperately to feel his tongue working between her legs. She squirmed beneath the covers, desperate to be touched. Her hands started to glide across her stomach as she teased herself, running her fingers everywhere but where she wanted them.

Sienna felt Jasper's interest pique as her fingers danced across her skin. With his attention now firmly on her, Sienna couldn't stand it any longer. She slid her hand beneath the fabric of her underwear and dipped her middle finger into the slick wetness between her thighs, a tiny moan escaping from her as her finger slid gently through her folds and made contact with her clit.

At Sienna's spike of pleasure, Jasper's attention quickly turned to anger, flashing through Sienna as she touched herself. She sat up and glared at him, suddenly infuriated. Jasper curled his lip at her as he fueled her, clearly enjoying the fact that he could so swiftly and so completely infect her mood.

"You're not going to cum tonight, Sienna," Jasper said evenly. His excitement flared again.

Sienna, breathless, could barely handle the rapidly changing emotions swirling through her. It was exhilarating, not knowing which were hers, but exhausting, too.

Jasper took another drag of his cigarette and finally took mercy on her. He found a thread of calm within Sienna's agitated state and nursed it, letting it resonate and flower within her. Sienna's body visibly relaxed as she was finally able to drift off to sleep, Jasper still dancing on the edges of her consciousness as he slid into the bed beside her.

The next day was a bit of a blur, as their upcoming mental expedition dominated both of their thoughts. Around 7, Sienna became so restless that she decided to ask Jasper when they were going to get started.

"Not for another few hours," Jasper replied dismissively.

"Why?" Sienna asked.

"We want to make sure the nightclubs are open," Jasper answered. Sienna was startled and a bit wary at the idea of psychically entering such a crowded place, which Jasper immediately picked up on. "Come on, Sienna. You don't want to connect with a random warehouse worker on his day shift, right? You want to actually feel something."

As she felt Jasper reach deep into her consciousness and grasp onto the desperate longing lurking within her, forcing it to the surface, Sienna couldn't help but agree. "Yes," she breathed.

So they waited together, Jasper in his chair with his cigarettes, Sienna cross-legged on the floor, wearing only a delicate cotton nightgown. She was glad she had asked him to pick up a small rug to decorate the concrete floor. After what seemed like days, Jasper looked up to see the clock on the microwave change to 9:00. He got up from his chair and walked around Sienna to kneel behind her on the floor.

She bristled slightly at his choice to sit behind her, but Jasper quickly dampened her concerns.

"Okay," Jasper began, placing his hands on her shoulders and letting them roam toward the base of her neck. "Open yourself up to me. You're going to need to be fully open to everything I'm feeling if this is going to work."

Sienna closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose. She visualized the connection between herself and Jasper as a cord binding them together, crackling with energy. Careful to keep her defenses calm, she fed into the connection, attempting to breathe life into their bond so that she could be fully in tune with Jasper's experience.

She felt her awareness expanding, searching, a sense of aching for contact as Jasper began to reach out with his mind past the confines of their basement. Sienna felt vulnerable for the first time since her initial encounter with Jasper. She could feel whispers of other people as Jasper's gift allowed them to meander through their surroundings.

Suddenly, Sienna felt a stab of urgency. Not Jasper's. This was someone new. A man huddled under an awning a few streets away, desperate for his next hit. Sienna winced as the raw need flooded through her. Her defenses flared, threatening to sever the connection. Jasper quickly navigated past the junkie, focusing on another man sleeping nearby. Calm washed over both Sienna and Jasper, as Jasper delicately brushed his hand down Sienna's arms, bringing his attention back to the warehouse.

"It's okay, Sienna," Jasper said in a soothing voice. "We're away from him now. You're safe here, with me."

Feeling a bit more secure, Sienna opened her eyes and tilted her head back to meet Jasper's gaze. "But, wow," he continued, his excitement evident on his face as he smiled down at her. "It is so much clearer when you're with me. You're like my little portable amplifier," he said. Sienna flushed as she felt Jasper's excitement once again morph into arousal.

"That was so weird," Sienna said, looking forward again. "Those two guys were right next to each other, right?" she continued.

"Yeah," Jasper responded, cocking his head slightly with curiosity. "So?"

"I only felt one of them at a time," Sienna replied. "If I had really been there, you know, fully open to everything, I would have felt both of them at once. That's part of why it was always so overwhelming in crowds." Sienna started to feel some excitement of her own. "I think that you focusing on someone means I only feel that one person!" she exclaimed, getting more excited. "That means we can go anywhere! As long as we're physically here at the warehouse, I'll only be able to feel whichever person you focus on! And if it gets too overwhelming, all you have to do is pull back. You might even just need to move to the nearest person," she continued, thinking through all of the possibilities that had just opened up for her.

Jasper observed Sienna's realization with a smirk, subtly feeding her enthusiasm and muffling her fear. "Ready to try again?" he asked.

Sienna nodded eagerly. This time, Jasper moved directly toward the nearby nightclub strip. As they approached the first club, Jasper focused in on the bouncer, causing a wave of boredom to pass through both Sienna and Jasper.

He quickly moved on to the woman beside the bouncer. Exhaustion. The next patron. Elation. The next. Irritation. Jasper and Sienna flitted around the room, briefly interacting with each emotion they encountered. Jasper started to linger more on the excited patrons, even pausing in moments to kindle their excitement. For some, he altered it into hyperfixation, for others, into anger, and still others into flustered states of arousal.

Sienna was thoroughly enjoying herself. Her eyes closed while Jasper's hands massaged her neck and shoulders, she let him take the lead as he guided her through the jungle of human emotion present in the club. Anchored to her safe haven, she experienced a freedom and levity she hadn't felt since she was a teenager.

Lost in this dream, Sienna forgot about time. She forgot where she was. Forgot to feel or think about anything except the experience of the moment.

Finally, they drifted into a mind that was already flush with desire. Jasper's fingers running through Sienna's hair, she moaned as Jasper stoked the existing sexual energy in their target.

"Let's see what's got him so worked up," said Jasper in a low voice as he jumped to the nearest mind. "Ah," he smiled. "There she is."

A calmer version of the blatant horniness they had just experienced encompassed them as they explored this second more feminine mind. These two were clearly attracted to each other, though the woman had some reservations and distractions mingling and interfering with her desire.

Jasper paused, obviously intrigued by this dynamic, and focused in on the woman to find the source of her reservations. Guilt. She was attracted to this man near her, but she was keeping herself closed off from that attraction. Fear. "Oh, you want it," Jasper said eagerly as he amplified her desire and dulled her misgivings. Jasper's own desire flashed as he compelled this stranger to indulge in her unwanted urges, which caused Sienna to bite her lip as her pussy responded to both Jasper and the woman's need.

His mission successful, Jasper darted back to the man, letting the raw intensity of his desire flood through Sienna. Back and forth he jumped, fueling each of them to greater and more intense heights each time. Mirroring her own growing wetness, Sienna could feel Jasper's cock swelling against her back through his pants.

"Open up a little more," Jasper whispered urgently against Sienna's ear as he unzipped his jeans and pulled them down below his throbbing cock. "Let's try to feel both of them at once."

Sienna pushed herself deeper into Jasper, willing her own ability to transfer across the distance of his link to the nightclub. Brows furrowed in concentration, she tensed her body and leaned backwards against Jasper. As she did so, Jasper reached down and lifted Sienna's nightgown up to reveal her soft stomach and allowed his hands to explore her body as she let out a small moan and continued to reach out with her senses, darting quickly between the lovers' minds. Sienna's agitation turned to longing as her arousal intensified. "Take it off," she whispered pleadingly. "I want to feel you."

Jasper pulled Sienna's nightgown above her head, guiding her arms through the spaghetti straps and finally bringing his hands back to the front of her bare chest. His hands reached across to massage her milky breasts as Sienna used the sensations to fuel her psychic enterprise.

All of a sudden, she felt something release inside her. Eyes wide, staring into nothingness, she inhaled sharply as her senses were overwhelmed by the deafening emotions of the surrounding bar patrons. Jasper squeezed Sienna's breasts tightly as he thrust firmly against her back.

Nearly in a panic, Sienna cried out, "It's too much! I can't!"

Jasper's white hot rage ignited at her outburst, but he swiftly turned her attention back toward the deep desire emanating from the couple. "It's not. You can," he said emphatically. "Focus," he continued. "Focus on them. Just them. Just follow me." Jasper continued to soothe Sienna's fearful thoughts as he spoke.

Closing her eyes once more, Sienna attempted to hone in on the couple, silencing the din around the pair. She found that by following Jasper's focus, she could limit the range of their joint ability. Together, they breathed slowly, allowing their connection to ebb and flow carefully until they were linked solely and completely with the amorous pair.

Suddenly, there was no more need for jumping back and forth between the lovers. Somehow, Sienna could feel both of them clearly, as it would have been years ago if she were alone in the room right beside them. And Jasper. She could still feel Jasper. She could still feel him focusing in on one of them at a time, could still feel the effects of his meddling. But somehow, she was apart from it as well. She wasn't restricted to the mind he was molding, though she still experienced it as if it were her own mind. Together they had created something new. A little bubble all their own.

Jasper, hungry for more, nipped at Sienna's earlobe as he started to push harder on the couple, increasing their need for one another past the point satisfiable with heavy petting on the dance floor. Overtaken by desire, the two clearly began searching for a more private location, as their minds drifted with urgency. Whisked away by their supernaturally high libidos, the two lovers must have found a suitable venue, because the distractions completely faded from their minds as they gave themselves over to lust.

Sienna and Jasper could no longer hold back. Sienna arched her body backwards, lifting her ass off of the carpet to line up with Jasper's rigid cock. Just a small swatch of fabric separating them, Jasper began to thrust himself between Sienna's legs, rubbing himself against the soft cotton along the length of her pussy, in time with the pulsing waves of psychic pleasure they were riding together.

"I bet he's got her up against the wall just like this," Jasper said in a growl. "He's pulling down her pants and he's going to fuck her from behind." Sienna moaned with pleasure, aching for more. Jasper pushed Sienna's panties to the side and thrusted again, his cock in direct contact with the outer folds of Sienna's labia. As his cock glided against her clit, Sienna's body bucked and shuddered, completely enthralled.

But as Jasper and Sienna became more focused on each other, the guilty feelings within the woman began to surface again. She had moved away from the man and was quickly getting out of range of their carefully crafted bubble. Jasper, desperate to experience the culmination of his scene, invaded her mind quickly and violently, causing her to stop. "Not so fast," Jasper said with a smirk. "You want so desperately to be fucked, right here. You don't care if you turn into a cheater. You are a cheater," he said to himself as he reignited the desire centers of his victim and she turned back to the arms of her companion.