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{Chapter: 207 Talking Out With Niki/Jessica Sanders}
Jessica lay sprawled across the bed like a lioness after a victorious hunt — hair messy, lips swollen, eyes half-lidded with satisfaction and the smallest trace of surprise. Her skin still bore faint red marks from where Aiden had gripped her too tightly, and the bruises blooming down her hips told the story of just how wild it had been. No regrets — only pleasure.
He reached for the discarded blanket, draped it loosely over her lap, and sat beside her on the bed, brushing her damp hair from her face with the back of his hand.
"You okay?" he asked softly, his voice now more teasing than concerned. "Or did I go a little too hard on Linderman's favorite enforcer?"
Jessica gave him a look — half glare, half smirk. "I can handle you."
"Oh, I know you can," he said with a grin. "But that doesn't mean I won't check. You just don't seem like the cuddly type."
Jessica rolled her eyes but leaned back anyway, surprisingly allowing the intimacy to linger.
Aiden, seated beside her with the blanket loosely hanging around his waist, leaned in with a smug grin and murmured, "So... was that part of your mission, or did you just get carried away?"
Jessica's lips curled into a dangerous smirk. "You talk too much after sex."
"And you're still trembling," he shot back, brushing a finger slowly along the inside of her thigh. "Was that the part where you were supposed to 'monitor' me?"
She narrowed her eyes playfully, but didn't stop him. "Linderman wanted me to get close. Please you. Obey your orders."
Her breath hitched slightly as his fingers drifted higher.
"I don't think he meant this close to giving me your first time," Aiden whispered near her ear.
Jessica laughed softly — low and sultry, her body still humming from their earlier collision. "I didn't expect it to be that easy either," she admitted. "One drink, a little banter, and we were already clawing at each other like animals."
Aiden said. "Tore open your shirt like you were about to interrogate me with your hips."
"I got results, didn't I?"
After a few moments of quiet, Aiden's tone shifted slightly, growing more curious.
"So," he began, tilting his head as he watched her face carefully, "what exactly happened between you two? You and Nikki, I mean."
Jessica glanced away, exhaling slowly.
"When we were young… things happened. Bad things. I tried to protect Nikki, but eventually… her soul ended up in this body with mine. I don't even remember how. It's all hazy. One day, I was me. The next day… we were we."
"So she's… always been in there with you?" he asked, fascinated. "Same body, two souls?"
Jessica nodded, her tone quieting. "Yeah. It's my body, so I have more control. Nikki mostly watches from the sidelines… but she feels everything. Sees everything. Lives it, even if she can't act on it."
Aiden's gaze softened. "That sounds… lonely."
Jessica's lips pressed together for a second. "It is."
He leaned closer, his nose brushing against her cheek, voice soft but laced with challenge. "So… who enjoyed it more? You or the girl in the backseat?"
Jessica's smile faltered for a second — just enough for Aiden to catch it.
"She was watching?" he asked, his tone shifting slightly — still flirtatious, but now curious.
"She always does," Jessica said, a bit more guarded. "Nikki sees everything. Feels it all too."
The system's chime rang in Aiden's mind just then:
[Jessica/Nikki – Friendship increased by 80%. Fighting Field Knight unlocked.]
"Just one night and you're already that into me?"
He blinked.
'Eighty percent in one go? Damn. I must've really left a good impression.'
Jessica rolled onto her side, propping her head up with one hand. "It wasn't just me. Nikki's the sentimental one. She's probably swooning in the background."
Aiden studied her face for a long moment, then asked, "Can I talk to her?"
Jessica's expression shifted — a flicker of hesitation, then... softness.
"She's a little shy," she said, unusually tender. "But yeah. She wants to."
Without warning, her posture changed. Just a little — her body didn't move, but the storm behind her eyes receded. The tension in her jaw relaxed, and the cocky confidence of Jessica melted into something quieter, more reserved.
There was a pause, and then her voice changed. Softer. Gentler.
"I'm Nikki."
Aiden blinked, studying her expression. The eyes were the same. The voice nearly identical. But the aura around her shifted — the tightness in her shoulders had disappeared, replaced with a vulnerability that Jessica never showed.
"Oh? So we've switched?" he said with an amused grin. "No dramatic mirror scene?"
"I didn't think it was necessary," Nikki said, wrapping the blanket tighter around her chest. "I figured you'd notice the difference."
"I do," Aiden said warmly, letting his eyes roam across her face. "Jessica… she's the storm. You're the calm after it."
Nikki looked down, then smiled faintly. "She's always been stronger. Better. More in control."
"But you feel more," Aiden said, brushing her cheek with his knuckle. "And honestly… that's way more dangerous. Same body, but I'd know it's you even if I was blindfolded."
Nikki looked down, pulling the blanket over her chest.
"I… I didn't mean for it to happen like that. Jessica's always been the one who… acts. But I felt everything. Every kiss. Every—" She stopped, face flushing.
Aiden leaned forward and tilted her chin back up. "You don't have to be embarrassed."
"You don't get it," Nikki whispered. "It wasn't me doing it. Just feeling it. Watching it. That's all I ever get to do."
Aiden frowned, his teasing dropping for a moment.
"That's rough," he said. "To be in your own body… and still be a passenger."
She nodded, biting her lip.
"I've tried everything. Mirrors help. Talking to her helps. But I've never been able to… exist at the same time. It's always Jessica in control. I'm just her shadow."
Nikki tilted her head, raising an eyebrow. "That was not just one night."
He chuckled. "Fair enough."
"Well," Aiden said, his voice low again, "what if tonight… you took the lead?"
Nikki's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," he whispered, leaning in again, "what if I kissed you like it was you I wanted? What if I made you moan? Not Jessica. Not the fighter. Not the enforcer. Just Nikki — the real girl under all that steel."
She was breathing faster now, heart racing. "I… I don't know if I could. Jessica—"
"She won't stop you," Aiden said gently. "She had her fun. She's watching, remember?"
A flicker of amusement crossed Nikki's face. "Then she'll know everything."
Aiden grinned. "She already does. And she's not complaining."
Then, with deliberate slowness, he leaned in and brushed his lips across hers — softer than before, different from the bruising hunger he'd shared with Jessica. This kiss lingered, tender, patient. For Nikki.
When they pulled apart, Nikki's lips trembled slightly. "That felt… like the first time."
"It is," he whispered, eyes on hers. "For you."
She smiled, small and sweet. "You're not what I expected."
"I get that a lot."
She leaned into his chest, and Aiden wrapped an arm around her bare shoulders. Her skin was warm. Her presence, finally tangible.
"I thought I was supposed to get close to you. Follow Linderman's orders. Please you. Obey you. But I didn't think I'd actually…"
"Want to?" Aiden finished for her.
She nodded, her eyes honest.
There was a brief silence between them, filled only by the slow rise and fall of their breaths.
"Do you want to meet her?" Nikki asked, her voice hesitant.
Aiden nodded. "Of course. I've met the wild one… now I want to see the storm from her own eyes."
She exhaled, and a moment later, her posture changed. Her eyes hardened just slightly, a spark of something bold returning to her face.
"Jessica?" Aiden asked, smiling knowingly.
"No. Still Nikki. Just… channeling her a little."
He laughed and leaned closer. "You're fascinating. Same body, different energies. Jessica's all fire and steel — she'd fight the world bare-handed. But you… you're the kind that slips under the armor. You make people want to lay down their weapons for you."
Nikki's cheeks flushed slightly, and she looked away. "You're dangerous when you talk like that."
"Oh, sweetheart," he purred, brushing his lips against her ear, "you haven't seen danger yet."
Her breath hitched.
Aiden tilted her chin back toward him and searched her gaze again. "So… Jessica can hear me, right? See everything I say, everything I do?"
Nikki nodded. "She's in here. Watching. She knows it all."
"Even that?" He leaned forward and kissed the side of her neck, slow and lingering.
Nikki's breath trembled. "Yes."
"Then I guess I'm lucky. I get to flirt with two women at once." He grinned against her skin. "I should get an achievement badge for that."
"Do you… think there's a way we could both be free?" Nikki asked. "Appear at the same time. Have our own bodies. Our own choices."
"Not now," she answered herself, her shoulders sinking. "I'm always just a passenger."
Aiden reached out and took her hand, his voice firm but kind. "That doesn't mean you always will be. Don't give up hope yet."
She looked at him, surprised by the sincerity in his voice.
"Honestly," he said, "I planned to drain your ability at first. That was the plan. But now... I think you're more valuable the way you are."
He kissed the back of her hand, and her heart skipped.
He was not heartless. At first, Aiden had no idea about this and even planned to take her ability, but now he has changed his mind.
Devouring her ability is nothing more than some extra energy that the system needs. He can absorb just Aether, which will produce the same result, so he does not necessarily need to devour abilities. Not to mention, hers is dispensable, and he doesn't really need it.
Instead, she could retain her ability and he could keep her by his side, which was better. Of course, even without an ability, Aiden would not let her go.
"I don't need your ability. What I want… is you."
Her eyes widened. "Aiden…"
"Do you want to be the one who experiences it this time more than just kisses? Not Jessica watching through a fog… but you. Really you."
Nikki hesitated, but then her lips parted. "I… I wouldn't mind."
Aiden gave her a wicked smile, leaned in, and whispered, "I'll make sure you don't just remember it — I'll make sure you own it."
And for the first time in years, Nikki felt seen — not as the passive passenger or the broken twin — but as a woman, warm and alive in the arms of someone who wanted her for her.
The room quieted again, the air still heavy with the scent of sweat and satisfaction.
Aiden looked at her, one hand tracing lazy circles on her back. "So... wanna make some new memories, this time with you in control?"
Her breath caught. "I—I'd like that."
Aiden smirked. "Good. Let's make sure Jessica has a front-row seat."