The Bonding Chronicles Ch. 14

It only took her thirty minutes to find civilization, or at least as much as a truck stop a few miles outside of town could be considered civilization. The small room only had a few short rows of shelves, and as the doorway declared her entrance with an artificial chime, the sweet scent of sugar assaulted her nostrils, a short-lived mystery that vanished as she surveyed the rack of snacks that sat in front of the cashier's desk.

The large man behind the counter seemed to be passing the late evening hours with a book, his highlighter moving across a page as he took a brief moment to admire her lean body. The man seemed nice enough, though the scent of his arousal reminded her of how much all men seemed to be alike. There was another patron looking through a shelf on the far end of the store, and as Mercedes moved further in, intent to find a map, the woman raised her gaze and smiled.

"Excuse me, miss. I hate to impose, but I've been staring at this shelf for... well longer than I care to admit. I've got a niece who I haven't seen in quite some time, and... well... I just don't know what to get her."

The woman was beautiful, and as Mercedes continued to move deeper into the store, listening to the brunette's plea for assistance, she couldn't help but smile, feeling some of her worry over her own indecision lessening with each step. The tall woman had a wonderful smile, and her tone reminded Mercedes of her favorite mother's; like no matter what happened, everything would be all right.

It wasn't until she came around the edge of the shelf, where the woman was standing, that she noticed the scent. Sara!

Her eyes scanned around, but the fearsome woman was nowhere to be seen, and as she moved closer to the pleasant-sounding woman, she realized that the scent was coming from the brunette, and more than that, she could smell Andrew all over the woman; his rich, sweet fragrance was unmistakable.

The woman seemed to sense Mercedes' shift in mood, and was not surprised when the athletic woman stopped and her eyes grew wide. She tilted her head and stated, "I apologize, my dear. I hated having to mislead you like that."

Mercedes narrowed her gaze, her body language making it clear she was ready to fight if necessary.

The brunette spoke in a near-whisper, wanting to ensure that their conversation would remain private, "Relax, I promise I mean you no harm."

The lithe woman scanned the shop, causing the stranger to explain, "They aren't here."

Mercede's could only sense Sara and Andrew's scent as it poured off of the strange new woman, and knew that if either of them were within the building, their scent would be impossible to miss. The woman was telling the truth, at least about that detail.

"What do you want?" The suspicion in Mercedes' voice was impossible to miss, and caused the mysterious woman to smile.

"My name is Karen, and Sara wanted me to give you something." Karen looked at her watch, shaking her head at the time. "Listen, I'm glad you saw through my ruse. The truth is, I don't have time to play cat and mouse in order give you this gift, and it seems you're in a hurry as well, so win-win."

Mercedes continued to watch Karen, the position of her feet making it clear she was ready to run, or fight, depending on what would happen. Karen couldn't shake the idea that Mercedes looked like nothing more than a frightened animal, and that the only thing the woman could think about, was escape. From what, she had only a limited idea, but all she knew was that Mercedes had helped to save her family, and even if Sara had not asked, she wanted to help the woman.

"Listen, I don't know what your plan is, but if you're going to run, you will need help."

Karen held out a piece of paper.

"I have some experience starting over, and want to lend you my assistance. Call me when you find a city you like. I can help you get set up."

Mercedes eyed the folded piece of paper as if it were a snake. "Why would I need your help?"

Karen was not surprised by the woman's naive view of starting a new life. At first glance it seems simple, but experience had taught her otherwise. "If you want to be safe, you will need a lot of paperwork — Birth Certificate and Social Security Number, among other things. What I can provide may not be 'legal,' but it will stand up to all but the most intense of scrutiny."

Mercedes shook her head, and sighed, before reaching out and taking the piece of paper. The moment their skin touched, Karen understood why Sara had asked her to heal Mercedes. The woman's body was a tapestry of pain and torment. Karen hated the fact that she had seen worse, but was still impressed by the scale of damage that had been done to the woman's body.

Her supernatural flesh was almost exactly as Sara's had become, both women powerful and agile, strong yet resilient. Though, unlike Sara, the woman carried the scars of her life across her body, her flesh telling the story of her years of suffering.

"Thank you, and tell Sara that I'm sorry."

Karen smiled and laughed, before explaining, "The new identity is not Sara's gift."

Mercedes narrowed her eyes, "What is, then?"

Karen held out her hand, making it clear that she expected Mercedes to take it. "Let me show you."

The young woman did not want to trust Karen, but after a few moments of looking into Karen's pleasant smile, a warm sense of safety washed over her, assuring her that everything would be all right. She expected to be led out of the building when she took the strange woman's hand, but as Karen's fingers closed, sealing their grip, she could feel a tingling sensation cascade through her body, the strange feeling seeming to settle on her numerous scars.

Karen's eyes grew distant as she studied the extent of the woman's damage, realizing the sexual depravity that her ex-mate had subjected her to. Mercedes gasped and struggled not to moan as her sphincter and vaginal walls grew warm and began to throb with erotic pleasure. The sensation did not last long, just enough for her to wish that it would have continued, and as the confusing feelings fell away, she realized that her ass and pussy had been healed.

The confused look on Mercedes face told Karen that the woman knew what she had done, and as she smiled, Mercedes pulled her hand away. She traced a scar on her wrist, and her eyes began to shift as she considered what a tremendous thing the unknown woman was doing for her.

"I promise, I only wish to help."

Truer words had seldom been spoken, and the weight of Karen's desire to help her was not lost on Mercedes. Tears welled in her eyes as she realized that she would not need to live out her life with a broken body. Perhaps someday, she would find a mate that she could love, and she could give herself to him without fear of what he may think of her ruined flesh.

Her lips quivered as she attempted to speak, and after a few moments, she finally trusted herself enough to open her mouth. "I... I don't deser-"

"You saved my family. What I give you now is but a drop, when compared to the ocean of what you have helped to preserve for me."

Mercedes eyed her arms, her gaze settling on the long scars that ran from the center of her wrists, up the entire length of her inner arm where they terminated with pink and discolored tissue. "Would you leave those, so that I will remember?"

"It's not your fault, you poor girl." Karen wished she could turn off her gift, not wanting to feel the flood of depression that assaulted Mercedes as she remembered the events that had led her to try and take her own life. "He's gone, and you did nothing wrong."

Mercedes did not respond, her penetrating stare telling Karen that she would not be dissuaded, so with a shrug, Karen relented, "If you wish for them to remain, I will leave them. Though I hope that someday, you will allow me to finish what I've begun."

Their hands gripped, and Mercedes knew what to expect, so when Karen's eyes grew distant and the older woman's magic washed through her body, she welcomed the flow of energy. Karen had been true to her word, and all of Mercedes' scars vanished within a few brief moments, all except the thick reminders of her weakest moment.

Karen looked at her watch, swearing in an unknown language before she surprised Mercedes by pecking her on the cheek, and saying, "Good luck, dear." And just as suddenly as she had appeared, Karen was gone, vanishing through the door, leaving Mercedes surprised and confused. How had she known that she would be there? Why had Sara insisted on the woman healing her body? Would she ever be able to repay them for everything they had done for her?

Her cheek was warm where Karen had kissed her, and as she brought her hand to the side of her face, she thought she smelled honey.