Mistress of Siren Cove

Chapter 17: A New Family

Elysia's life was almost that of a typical Chicago woman with a husband and child. She was truly in love with Connor, and he with her. She went to work every day in her large Palace office, a few paces from her mother's. In contrast to the off-island adventures during her first years on the island, her days were remarkably quiet. She was still in charge of Palace administration and had little to do directly with off-island missions, which were mainly the neutralization of off-island threats to the peace of the world.

In addition to administration, Elysia had other, more broad-ranging duties, formerly performed by her mother. As she took over more and more of her mother's work, the Mistress had free time to relax with a longtime friend, who then became her lover and mate. Elysia was very happy for her mother, who had neglected that side of her life. The Mistress had the final say in everything, but it was Elysia who did the day-to-day work.

In acknowledgment of her growing responsibilities, Elysia underwent an anointing ceremony, which spiritually named her as her mother's successor. This was a necessary ceremony because certain of her mother's powers would not pass to her daughter without this ritual. This ceremonial naming was created as part of the gift of the Mother Goddess to allow a Mistress to select among her daughters the one she wished to be her successor. Only one of her daughters could have the full powers of the Mistress. Now all of the gifts of the Mistress could pass to Elysia, if her mother died or voluntarily relinquished those powers.

Elysia was gratified as she stood on a Palace balcony and received the applause of the assembled crowd. She was well-liked on the island and more and more respected. She had grown to love these people, and as she spoke to them, she pledged that she would do everything she could for them, to make them happy as they all worked toward their combined mission. That evening her little family celebrated her new status with a very fine wine for the adults and a special dessert for Lorelei.

Elysia and her mother oversaw but did not get directly involved in, the island's most important activity, neutralizing threats. However, they were directly involved in identifying threats. The pair spent every day exerting their powers to locate masculine energy surges that could mean death or destruction. The Mistress, with Elysia's help, made the final decision on whether to use the island's resources to act on a threat.

Direct involvement in off-island operations was Antoinette's primary task, although her advancing pregnancy prevented her from leaving the island. She was content to work in the operations office, directing and supervising sirens and other island people out in the field. As always, sirens were charged with seducing and controlling men, and other islanders did everything else.

After a couple of months of planning, work on Connor's lab began. It was not a large lab, but it was well-equipped and had space enough for building prototypes. Initially, it was Connor and two engineers who were already on the island. Plans were already in place to identify and recruit several climate scientists from off-island. Recruitment of this kind was a delicate activity, given that the island had to remain secret. However, the Palace had both men and women who were practiced in doing this.

Recruiting men was the easiest, though it was time-consuming. Several men off the island would be identified as having skills that the island needed. Ordinarily, they would be single men. Once identified, they would be entrapped and bound to a siren. While bound, the men could be questioned to determine their suitability. It was always a gamble, but the recruiters had a good idea of the personality types that would thrive on the island. When they made a mistake, the person's memory would have to be modified before allowing them to leave the island, taking a good amount of severance pay with them.

Women were more difficult since they could not be bound by the sirens. In addition, their position on the island would be much different than men, since women without power were sometimes looked down upon. The types of women that were suitable for coming to the island were those who were highly skilled and confident in their abilities, so that they would not be concerned that they were not sirens. In addition, they ordinarily did not come to the island with a mate, and men on the island made very poor mates. So, the women who came usually had to be comfortable living alone, or they had to want to take a woman as a mate. There were many sirens on the island who desired a smart, capable woman as a mate, so if a recruit wanted this it was usually available.

In Connor's case, he would meet with the recruits remotely once they had been vetted by Palace personnel. In this way, he added one man and two women to his lab. All were climate-science experts and came from academia. They knew of Connor Bechner and were thrilled with the idea of working with him, having a practically unlimited budget, on a beautiful tropical island.

Connor had complete access to his work and patents, from the lab in Switzerland, and he and his team would spend the next few years working to solve the problems in the technology while saving its primary benefit, the removal of climate-damaging greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Sometimes, while engaged in a particular line of research, he would spend long hours in the lab with his colleagues, and would at times sleep there, on a cot in his office. Most days he was back with Elysia and Lorelei at a reasonable hour.

As a Siren, Elysia felt the urge to pursue and lay with the men of the Palace. Connor knew this and did not object. This was what he had signed up for in becoming her mate on the island. But it worked both ways. The siren women could not entrap Connor, because he was immune, but that did not stop them from pursuing him. These women were by nature free with their bodies, and he would occasionally succumb to them. He would always tell Elysia, who was genuinely happy for him, as she would be for her husband, Andrew. It was the island way, and as a siren, it was her way.

Antoinette regularly slept with them, and Connor had learned to allow himself to come under the siren spell, which enhanced the pleasure of their lovemaking. Andrew would regularly visit them, and sometimes it was Andrew and Elysia, Andrew and Antoinette, or all three. Connor sometimes joined Andrew and Elysia, and Connor looked forward to these times because he had learned to allow himself to come under the siren spell, even though it had no power over him, and could share in the intense pleasure created by Andrew and Elysia.

Antoinette continued to enjoy the company of many men, even though she was big with the coming child. She made sure that her lovers were gentle with her. Part of their lovemaking included massaging and oiling her body and massaging her legs and feet. She made sure that for her men, this was as pleasurable as any part of their lying together. She finally gave birth to a baby girl she named Talia.

Around the end of Connor's first year, Elysia became pregnant with her second child. Connor had long wanted a child, and Elysia had begun craving a baby as well. Her mother was very happy because a baby girl would further ensure the survival of the line of Mistresses. Elysia had been afraid during her first pregnancy; afraid for the child, afraid she would be a bad mother, and afraid of the coming ordeal of giving birth. This time, as her body grew with the baby, she felt more and more uncomfortable, but she was not afraid. She even looked forward to giving birth because after that, she would hold her new baby girl.

She and Connor sometimes went out to the spot on the far end of the island where they had made love shortly after Connor came there. They went there several times a year. She was in her seventh month, but they made love again, and again lay naked under the sky. She was as happy as she believed she could be, and she could see that same happiness in the face of Connor.

Elysia gave birth to a girl, whom she named Nixie. She was a dark-eyed little siren girl and immediately became Lorelei's living doll. In the nursery, Lorelei helped Marina, the nanny, take care of the two babies, feeling herself very grown-up while helping to change their diapers, wash them, rock them when they fussed, and sometimes slept next to them.