Cassie sometimes wondered if the craving to have sex with multiple partners was a good thing in another way: it avoided Ned becoming bored with her sexually.

Sometimes she would think of ways she could vary their routine. She even dared to think she could do this while she was building up energy for her confrontation with Jason. Yet as soon as she and Ned had entered the room, she fell into the old routine. She let him slowly strip her, her arousal spiking with each piece of clothing which dropped to the floor.

Briefly, she entertained the notion of surprising him by dropping to her knees while she was still in her underwear and taking his cock into her mouth. She was not very skilled at that particular act, but she hoped eagerness would make up for lack of skill. Instead, when he stepped behind her and loosened her bra, she leaned against him, limp and helpless. She closed her eyes and uttered a husky sigh as her bra fell away and his hands cupped her supple flesh, fingers teasing her hardening nipples.

As much as she never wanted to be in another's complete control, she never missed an opportunity to be submissive for Ned. By the time her panties fell to her ankles and his fingers teased her clit, she was too subsumed by pent-up lust to care.

Yet now, with the ethereal curtain bisecting her mind, she discovered she could take a mental step back, even as her body and immediate mind were consumed by need. She could watch herself nudged towards the bed, moaning softly and squirming against the bulge of his cock pressed to her ass.

Was the potion meant to work this way? Ned was not controlling her; she was simply giving in to her own desire.

Cassie was panting by the time she lay on the bed, her nipples raised to hard points. She spread her legs in silent invite, her eyes smoldering. Ned yanked his briefs down his legs, something he always left until last. Cassie stared at his stiff cock as it bobbed, then drew in a sharp breath in anticipation as he crawled atop her.

She could have done something at this point. Even just a suggestion that she ride him for a change, or suck his cock for awhile before taking him into her pussy. Why could she think of these things now and not before?

She could stop him. She could take back the part of her mind which had submitted to him. This was confusing. Why was this happening? This was not enslavement. She was sure she would know if Ned had done something like that.

Cassie tilted her head back and let out a husky sigh as Ned's cock sank into her. She shivered as he buried himself inside her, her legs wrapping around him as if not wanting him to ever pull out. Now it was too late to act on her thoughts, as she did not want to interrupt. She needed not just the sex but the intimate contact, if for no other reason than to convince her that sex was not just an animalistic vent of primitive drives.

Cassie gasped as his hips rocked hard against her, his thrusts deep and quick. Her empathic sense was overwhelmed, his intense need and desire as powerful as her own. She could decide where she resided, either in the part of her joined emotionally and sexually to Ned, or the part which could still rationalize and observe with a critical eye.

She chose the former.

Cassie let out a cry as her senses suddenly went into overdrive. She smelled both her own arousal and the musk of his. She heard the squish of moisture in her pussy and the slide of his hard flesh against the sides of her tunnel. Every little breath and grunt from Ned floated to her ears, joining her own hard breath, as well as the slide of her squirming body on the sheets.

Cassie bounced as his thrusts became hard and fast, each slap of his body to hers a sharp report. Her pleasure was so intense that she was sure she should have orgasmed already. She rose past the point of her normal peak. She wrapped her arms around him and panted hard, pounding her hips to him almost as hard as his to hers.

"Oh God, Ned ..." Cassie cried. "More ... please, more ..."

She tensed as her pussy strained, and she rose even further, as if the threshold had been moved. Ned pounded into her until he panted from the exertion as well as his own escalating need. Her fingers dug into his arms, where the muscles were tensing and straining almost as hard as her pussy.

She tilted her head back and begged for the threshold not to move again. Her mouth opened in a silent cry, her hips writhing as her orgasm erupted in mind-numbing splendor. He fell against her as his cock throbbed inside her, and with her heightened senses, she felt every single pulse and every hot splash of his seed.

She clung to him, grinding her hips against his as if never wanting his cock to leave her. The cry finally reached her lips, and she undulated to the same rhythm as her orgasm, like a wave which started at her hips and traveled up her body.

"Oh Ned ..." she moaned. "I-I'm still cumming ... oh God ..."

Ned spent himself inside her, though his erection lingered long enough to shepherd her through her waning climax. With a groan he lifted himself, withdrawing slowly to the reluctant loosening of Cassie grip around him.

"I think ... the potion ... worked ..." Cassie gasped.

"Ya certainly were feelin' something all right," Ned said, his own voice still breathy as he sat down next to her.

Cassie closed her eyes for a moment. She saw the curtain better now, like diamonds sparkling on black velvet. She paused to catch her breath before she spoke again. "I think it's working a little differently on me than Mrs. Radson thought it would. Even during this I could sort of step back from the part of me that was enjoying the sex. It was only when I decided to immerse myself in that part that everything was suddenly double the intensity."

Ned grinned. "Heh, mebbe that means ya can build up more energy."

"I don't know if it works that way." She sighed and shivered, her thighs quivering. The ache in her pussy was still one of need rather than post-coital bliss. "We should never have gone this long without," she said in a husky voice.

"Wow, are you still horny?"

Cassie swallowed and nodded, her legs spreading. "P-part of it may be the potion. Maybe it makes for increased desire or something."

"Unfortunately, the soldier ain't gonna be ready ta salute before we hafta leave fer--"

"For goodness sake, Ned, please, just use your hand."

Ned wasted no time, his fingers already pressing to her needy flesh as the last syllable was out of her mouth. She squirmed and panted as his fingertips swirled against her clit, her pleasure rising at once as if she had never had her initial orgasm. She closed her eyes and moaned as he slid his fingers into her, slowly finger-fucking her until she was panting in a frenzy.

"I-I'm so sorry ... I can't reciprocate ..." Cassie gasped.

"Babe, don't worry about it," Ned said with a grin. "Just worry 'bout yerself for now."

She wanted to tell him that was simply not possible when she was supposed to be the leader of the Harbingers, but she was too lost to the rising pleasure to care.

"Uhng!" Cassie cried, tilting her head back as she rose precipitously. Her hands clenched into fists, eased off, then clenched again in time with her false peaks. His fingers pumped into her until she strained again on the edge. Her back arched, then slammed back down when her pussy released.

"Whoa," she vaguely heard Ned say at the same time something splashed against the insides of her thighs. She gasped and moaned as her hips rocked to the intense climax, though faded more quickly even with Ned's fingers still pressed to her clit.

"Oh goodness ..." Cassie moaned as her head lolled to one side. She opened her mouth but closed it again, her cheeks coloring at the words which had almost made it to her lips. She had almost said "I wish that had been your cock again."

"Yeah, the potion must be makin' ya more intense or something," Ned said as he lifted his dripping hand from between her thighs.

Cassie lifted her head and stared in confusion. She sat up, her eyes widening at the small wet stain on the bed. "I squirted? But I almost never do that!"

"It wasn't much. I mean, yer no gushin' fountain like Heather. Think yer gonna be okay fer now?"

Cassie's pussy still tingled a bit, but it was no longer a pressing need. "I think so. We better get dressed and get out of here before Susan or Mr. Radson get home."

She hopped off the bed and grabbed a few tissues to wipe off her damp thighs as she stepped over to where her clothes lay. Ned gathered his own and stood next to her. "Hey, um, I was wonderin' about something."

Cassie knew this was going to come up. She tossed the spent tissues away and stepped into her panties. "You want to know what happened in the kitchen with Richie."

Ned tapped the tip of his bulbous nose.

"I'm not sure myself," Cassie said tonelessly.

Ned raised an eyebrow.

"I have to talk to him before I pass judgment. I don't like keeping things from you. I know how you feel about that sort of thing, but--"

"But I trust yer judgment," said Ned. He shook his head. "Yeah, I knew something had ta be up. Diane's timin' with her cough and Richie goin' off inta the kitchen was just a li'l too coincidental fer my tastes. Jus' tell me he didn't do something monumentally stupid and pour his potion down the drain."

Cassie did not reply until her underwear was in place. "No, he didn't do that, but what he did do ... I'm not sure what to think of it."

"Then, yeah, ya better talk ta him."

"I'll talk to him tonight," said Cassie. "It's all I can do at this point."

When it first happened to Richie, he was sure it was what an acid trip would feel like.

He had not been trying to trigger the potion's effect. All he knew when he returned home from Debby's house was that he was horny, and Cathy was wet and ready for him. She had been riding him in a nice reverse-cowgirl when suddenly it seemed as if he were standing over himself looking down, but still inside his own body.

It made no sense, but that was the best way he could describe it.

He found the effect disconcerting. He could both feel and not feel her pussy riding his cock. When he gave Cathy's ass a slap to a satisfying yelp and quickened humping from her, he both felt and not felt the impact against his hand.

How the fuck do I get out of this--

No sooner had he thought it when the effect disappeared, and he was again fully immersed in the experience. He grasped Cathy's hips just to see if he could feel it. He yanked her down hard a few times to give her the hint. She leaned forward and pounded her hips against him, gasping and moaning as she trembled with rocketing pleasure.

Richie heard footsteps pass in the hall, and the Darkness lurked at the edge of his senses. It did not seem particularly interested in him that evening. Likely he was sensing it only because his mother was home for the token home-cooked dinner.

He wondered what would happen if the Darkness did try to entice him again. Could he retreat from the part of his mind that was engaged with Cathy?

The footsteps stopped outside his door. As if acting on instinct, his mind split again. He guarded his thoughts as the icy Darkness pressed harder against his psyche, as if probing for some new weakness.

This is fucking weird, Richie thought as his "other self" fell into complete abandon with Cathy, slapping her ass several more times until she yelped and moaned. He thrust his own hips to meet hers, bodies slapping in a frenzied race to climax.

The footsteps moved away, and Richie let himself settle back into the part of his mind having decidedly more fun. His pace faltered for a moment as his senses crashed upon his consciousness, as if having become attenuated by his brief retreat.

He grasped Cathy's hips again and pounded with all his might. Cathy's cries became ever more desperate and shrill as her pussy strained at the edge, Richie holding her back until he was ready to go over with her.

Richie tossed his head back as his cock erupted inside her, throbbing so hard for the first few seconds that he could barely breathe let alone speak. When his throat finally unlocked, he uttered a long, guttural groan and slammed his cock into her a few last times before pulling her tight to him.

Cathy bucked and writhed as her pussy throbbed and squeezed his shaft with each pulse. She ground her sex against him, shuddering and moaning. She leaned forward, uttering a small gasp and jerking her hips as if her orgasm had been briefly renewed. Panting, Richie held her down, his cock slow to soften.

Cathy showed no inclination of wanting to break contact, even after both their orgasms had played out. Richie finally gave her one last slap on the ass and pushed her off. Cathy turned around and snuggled up to him, draping an arm across his chest. "That was sooo nice, Richie," Cathy cooed in his ear. She pressed her breasts against his arm and wriggled her hips as she slipped a knee between his legs. "Can we do that again soon? Please?"

"Maybe after dinner," Richie said.

Cathy paused, then slowly smiled. "Thank you. I've really missed doing this with you. It seems like it's been ages."

Richie said nothing in return. He simply slipped an arm around her and drew her close. His cock already felt the urge for another go, even if reality had not yet caught up with desire. When he glanced down, he saw it had not yet gone completely flaccid. It held on to a small amount of tumescence, as he might expect when he first woke up in the morning.

He had not given a second thought to using Cathy as a means to build up energy for saving his mother. At this point, everything was justified. He was sure his father would have agreed with him. Whatever lingering guilt he may have felt at having sex with his cousin paled in comparison to what he could accomplish. His father would have to understand that.

Richie heard his mother bustling about in the kitchen, and the first aromas of dinner drifted to him. He nudged her away. "Hey, let's go see what's for dinner."

Cathy nodded, though from the look she gave him, dinner was likely the furthest thing from her mind. She appeared reluctant to dress herself, even into the skimpy outfit she typically wore around the house.

Richie headed down the stairs. He occasionally glanced behind him, enjoying the bounce of Cathy's boobs in her lacy black bra and the swing of her hips, the panties clinging to her still damp pussy. He felt his cock stir and tried to ignore it.

He entered the kitchen and traced the aroma to a pot of pasta sauce simmering on a burner. Next to it was a large pot of water, its burner turned to high. Richie spied the now empty glass jar of store-bought sauce next to the sink.

Yep, spare no expense in this house, Richie thought as he plopped himself down at the kitchen table. "Hows tricks, Mom?" he drawled as he stretched his legs.

Sandra gave him an annoyed glance, but it softened when she saw Cathy take a seat next to him. "Heard you two upstairs," she said in a subdued voice as she carried a spice bottle towards the stove. "Hope this means you're getting back to doing your duty to Cathy."

"Yeah, I got it covered," Richie said. "No need to get your panties in a twist about it anymore."

Sandra glanced at him again but said nothing. She applied the spice to the sauce in silence.

Richie was going to welcome the sniping banter between them instead of discussions over whether or not he was having sex with Cathy. It had occurred to him that once he freed his mother, Cathy would be freed as well, and she would suffer whatever trauma his mother had warned would befall her.

Richie didn't care. He had to not care. He could not screw this up.

"So why the change of heart?" Sandra asked in a neutral voice as she put the spice bottle away.

"What, I have to have a reason for everything?"

Sandra returned to the stove and stirred the sauce. "You don't do shit unless it suits you in some way."

Richie eyed her Aura. He had not been paying close attention to it until now, so he could not tell if it were any more active now than a short while ago. It was churning and seething, like it always did when the Darkness was either in control or very close by.

"And maybe it's not that complicated," Richie countered. "Maybe it was as simple as I wasn't getting any and Cathy was right there. I got horny, I got laid. Simple."

Richie shifted in his seat and frowned. His cock was rapidly swelling in his pants.

"And I'd love to do it again," Cindy said in a husky voice.

"Yeah, sure, after dinner," Richie said in a distracted voice. "Listen, um, Mom? Are you going to be home for dinner Monday night?"

Sandra stopped stirring the sauce and turned towards him. "What? Why Monday?"

Richie shrugged. "I dunno, I thought I'd just ask."

Sandra narrowed her eyes. Tendrils of her Aura whipped the air. "You don't generally ask questions like that. You don't normally seem to give a shit what nights I'm home."

Richie rolled his eyes. "Look, this is what you wanted, right? You wanted me to stop getting on your case, to fly right, all that shit. Maybe we can, I dunno, watch a movie or something."

Sandra gave him a wary look. Richie sensed the Darkness edging closer, as if in scrutiny.

Richie hesitated, then added, "Or we can fuck."

Sandra's eyebrows rose, and for a moment, a shocked look appeared in her eyes. It was gone the next moment as her Aura slithered around her, and Richie sensed the Darkness retreating from him. Sandra drew in her breath and let it go as a husky sigh. "All right," she said in a softer voice. "But ... we can do that anytime. Over the weekend, maybe."

Richie shook his head. "No dice, I got things to do this weekend."

Sandra slowly nodded. "Monday, then." A tiny smile touched her lips. "I'll be looking forward to that."

Wait, it couldn't have been that easy, Richie thought. I managed to fool it with that lame excuse?

Cathy gasped. "You'll have time for me, won't you?" she asked, her eyes shimmering.

Richie had a raging hard-on already and had no idea why. His cock pulsed with his heartbeat, just the tight confinement inside his briefs and jeans enough to mildly stimulate it. "Yeah, I will, don't worry."

Cathy nodded and smiled, her gaze flicking down. Her eyes widened, and she shivered. "Oh, Richie, you sure you can go through dinner like that?"

Richie was about to reply that he would be fine, but he knew that to be a lie. Sandra craned her neck, and a small tremor went through her. Richie bolted from his seat and grabbed Cathy's hand. She had to jog to keep up with him as he raced into the living room. No sooner than Richie had sat down and started to undo his pants when Cathy had stripped off her panties and bra. She straddled him as soon as his cock was free, already panting in need and anticipation.

Only when she sank onto his stiff cock and buried him inside her did he realize he had done that split-brain thing again without even realizing it. Now he understood why the Darkness had so readily believed him. It was sensing the part of him which would willingly follow its directives if he let it. All the thoughts and emotions which would have given him away were in the protected part.

Richie slowly smiled. So what if he had only half a potion? This was going to work out after all.

Jason returned home ahead of his father, which was the norm these days now that he no longer had to rely on Penny to drive him home. Despite his father's declared intent to alter his schedule to fit Jason's, his profession was still one which could not keep to a timetable. Even when he made it home on time, he fielded phone calls from the hospital well into the evening.

His father need not have worried. Jason found his mother bustling in the kitchen as she always did around dinnertime. Audrey gave him a sultry smile as she put the finishing touches on a pan of lasagna. "Hello, Jason. Did you have a good day at school?"

"Pretty much same as always," said Jason. "Just endless review for the exams next week."

"And how did your time at the Inn go today?"

The eagerness with which his mother had always asked this question had descended into lusty anticipation over the past few days. At first it had disturbed him, but now it seemed neither here nor there, just something he came to expect from her.

"Very well, actually. They helped me overcome a major problem I was having with a difficult decision I had made."

Audrey paused. "This decision of yours ... did it have to do with me? With us?"

"No, I'm sorry, I hadn't had a chance to think about it since I had this other thing hanging over me."

"But now that you're past that, will you have time to think about it?"

Jason slowly nodded. He actually had started to ponder it on the way home. He realized what his problem was in dealing with his mother's attraction towards him: he felt he didn't have enough options available.

Audrey's eyes flicked over his body, and she let out a small, husky sigh. "All right, Jason," she said in a breathy voice. "I have to finish getting dinner in the oven. Why don't you head upstairs for now and maybe we can talk in a bit."

Jason again nodded and headed out of the room.

He wondered if he should have asked Stacy about this as well. Was he overly worried about the supposed trauma he would cause his mother if he accepted her advances? He was grateful for finally having moved past the silly instinctive revulsion he had initially felt towards sex with his mother. He realized he could not in good conscience reject such a pairing when he saw a sexual coupling between Heather and Melinda to be arousing.

Thus it was now simply a matter of determining the right thing to do. So long as he was in the right and on the high moral ground, he had leave to act as necessary.

Jason entered his room and gave his still silent computer a forlorn glance. Soon he would have to do something about that. Ultimately he hoped to get his original hard drive back from Cassie once she and the others realized they had nothing to fear from him. He could not quite justify influencing his mother into buying him a new hard drive, and he doubted his father would allow it in any case.

Jason pulled out a textbook from his backpack and stretched out on the bed, beginning his evening ritual of reviewing for the exams. He was less apprehensive of them now. He had managed to reclaim the time he had squandered in the useless pursuit of the journal of a silly old Witch. He felt foolish that he had allowed himself to believe that some potion would magically give him a defense he ultimately did not need. He would be more careful in the future to avoid falling for such fairy tales.

He looked up when he heard his mother climbing the stairs. He felt less anxious about her visits now. Perhaps that meant he was thinking more logically. He set aside the book as she appeared at the door. She had already undone several buttons of her blouse. Her breasts swung and bobbed free under the loosened fabric as she entered, her hips swinging with each step.

Jason felt his cock swell, and he accepted it for what it was. He would not have to act on his feelings unless he chose to. That was what being in control meant.

Audrey paused just short of the bed, her eyes sliding down to his crotch. A slow smile spread over her lips as she witnessed the growing bulge against the denim. Jason noticed her gaze and did nothing to either encourage or dissuade. She sat down on the edge of his bed and lay a hand against his thigh, just above the knee.

"I have some time ... to talk," Audrey said in a soft voice. "Dinner just has to bake in the oven for a bit."

"I'm not sure I have anything to say yet," said Jason. "I have a decision to make, and I have to make sure it's the right one."

Audrey nodded and squeezed his thigh. "And what do you think your choices are?"

"That's part of my problem."

She tilted her head. "How so? Don't you know what your choices are?"

"Oh, I know what they are, I just don't feel I have enough of them."

Audrey slid her hand further up his thigh. He glanced at it but gave no other reaction, save to squirm as his cock grew uncomfortable in its confinement. He looked at her and remembered what it had been like to see her pussy, all damp and ready. He wondered if it were that way now.

"So what do you think your choices are?" Audrey asked, giving him a sultry look.

"Well, I could accept your advances, for one," Jason said, his voice slightly strained.

Audrey smiled. "I have to admit, I like that one. What else?"

"Or I could influence you enough to stop your advances, maybe even quell your attraction towards me."

Audrey nodded and let out a small sigh. "I don't care for that one as much." Her hand slid further up, lying just inches from his bulging crotch. "I have to tell you, Jason, I ... I feel like it's my ultimate duty to you ... to give you pleasure as well as everything else I have done already."

"I figured as much. But--"

"I know." Audrey lowered her head. "You're afraid I'm eventually going to 'wake up' from this and realize what I've done. I don't want to believe that, but ... but something in the back of my mind thinks you might be right."

"I'm glad you understand."

Audrey looked up, her eyes smoldering. "Yes, I understand. Just like I understand how wet I am for you right now and how much I'd love your cock in my pussy."

Jason swallowed and let out a husky sigh. His mother's hand squeezed his thigh again, and his skin flushed.

"But those are not your only choices, are they?" Audrey asked.

"Yes, they are," Jason said in a husky voice.

Audrey's lips curled into a sly smile. "No, they aren't. You have another one."

"What is it?"

"You can take complete control of me. You can ensure I'll feel nothing but happy having sex with you. Then you would never have to worry about what would happen if I 'came out of it' since I never would."

Jason could not respond for a moment, his mind racing too fast for words to form. When he finally had something, it was lost when she draped her hand over his crotch. He let out a ragged sigh as she gently squeezed the bulge of his cock, pressing her fingertips against it and drawing then up and down in slow, gentle strokes.

"So you do have another choice," Audrey purred.

Could he do such a thing? Would that be better than the alternatives? Would it ultimately be the least amount of harm?

"I'd still be the mother I always was," Audrey said. Her fingers closed around his zipper and tugged it downward, the sides separating tooth by tooth. "But I'd be able to see to all of your needs. I would be the best mother I could ever be."

Jason looked into her eyes and knew she truly believed that this is what stood in the way between her and being the perfect mother. Anything else would keep her from that goal. She would always feel inadequate, that she did not measure up.

He watched as his zipper was undone, revealing taut cotton against hard, pulsing flesh. He realized that if he did not stop her, if he let it proceed to a sexual encounter, he would have little choice but to take complete control of her.

Audrey uttered a slow, husky sigh heavy with need as his cock settled into a more natural position, the outline of the head visible against the straining cotton. She eased a single fingertip down his shaft, bringing a quivering, soft moan from her son.

"It can't be comfortable in there, Jason," Audrey cooed, stroking it a second time. "Maybe we should let it out."

Before Jason could respond, the garage door rumbled.

Audrey turned her head, and Jason yanked his zipper up, wincing as he was forced to squeeze his hardness back into its confinement. She sighed and stood up. "I suppose we'll have to do this another time." She turned back to him. "Think about what I said, Jason. I think you'll find that my suggestion is the best choice."

She headed out of the room, buttoning her blouse back up.

Jason let out a tremulous sigh and swallowed, draping a trembling hand over his forehead. Did he mean to almost let that happen? Had he been influenced by the Darkness?

No. That made no sense. Why would the Darkness use his mother to guide him to the Inn only to arm him with instruments of power he could use to whip the Harbingers into a force to be reckoned with? That was simply illogical.

He must have been in control the whole time. He had realized that his mother had given him a viable third option, and he had reasoned that it would be best done while engaging in sexual activity.

He had made his decision. The next time his mother made an advance, he would accept it, but she had to come to him. That would most definitely put him in the right, as she was choosing to submit. He would simply be helping her attain her noble goal to be the best mother she could be.

What more could a son do for his mother?

"Cassie, what the fuck was I supposed to do?" Richie cried in a frustrated voice on the other end of the phone. "Tell her no? Then she woulda just stood there crying her eyes out."

Cassie sat on the edge of her bed, doubting the wisdom of bringing this up. "Richie, I'm not saying what you did was wrong, but ... but it wasn't exactly right, either."

"What the hell are you talking about? Either I was right or I was wrong. Which is it?"

Cassie sighed and draped her hand over her eyes. "It's not that simple."

"I'm getting fucking tired of hearing that. It's not that simple, Richie! It's not just do this and do that. It's much more fucking complex than your tiny little mind can handle, Richie."

"Will you stop it?!" Cassie cried. "I never said anything like that! Will you please give me a break? This is stressful enough as it is!"

Richie was silent for a long moment. "Sorry," he said in a low, curt voice.

Cassie forced herself to take a deep breath. Blowing up at someone was exactly what she was afraid she would do. She felt this was driving her to be more like her mother every day. It did not help that she heard faint, lusty moaning in the background, making her already damp pussy tingle. "Richie, my main concern is not whether you did right or wrong, it's whether you can rely on taking only half a dose. By splitting it up like that, it may not do either of you any good."

"Look, I know, okay? But if I kept it to myself I'd just be a ... a total dick, you know?"

Cassie opened her mouth to reply, but blinked and closed her mouth without a word as fear that was not her own spiked inside her head. It took her a moment to realize it had come from Richie over the link, which meant it has been so powerful that it managed to override the interference from the line corruption.

"You heard Jason that day in the cafeteria," Richie said in a lower voice. "He said I was supposed to help. I was supposed to stick with the Harbingers no matter what. Well, that's what I'm trying to do."

Cassie had no idea how to respond. What was she supposed to say to that when the prospect of doing anything less so terrified him?

"If you know something else I'm supposed to do, tell me," Richie pleaded. "Because I obviously don't know my fucking ass from a hole in the ground."

"I never said that. I ... I-I just don't want to see anyone get hurt. I don't mean that you would do something to hurt anyone. If anything, you're one of the people I'm worried about getting hurt."

Richie sighed. "Thanks, but I'll be okay. I always am."

"Would you at least consider talking to Mrs. Radson about it? Ask her if she thinks you can go with only half--"

"Oh, no fucking way, Cassie. You saw how she wanted to kick my ass earlier. She'll make me give back the potion I took or take the rest of it myself."

"Then talk to her after you've given it to Melinda!" Cassie cried.

Richie fell silent for a long moment. "What the fuck? Did ... did you really just tell me to--"

"Yes, I did, because ..." Cassie trailed off, as the words "you're going to do it anyway" were not going to help. She pounded her fist against her thigh. "Because I don't have any other ideas. I don't want Mrs. Radson left out of the loop, but I don't want to stop you from doing what you think is right."

And I don't want to decide this! Cassie thought, a pained look on her face. Please don't make me decide this for you.

"Sometimes I don't fucking know what's right anymore," Richie said in a softer voice. "Jason could always tell me what I should do."

Cassie hung her head low. "Richie ... I ... I'm not Jason."

Richie remained silent.

"That came out wrong," Cassie said in a strained voice. "What I mean is, I don't have the same approach he does. I don't have the experience he does. I need everyone to try and figure things out for themselves. And I know you hate to hear this, Richie, but the plain fact of the matter is that there is no right or wrong. It really is not that simple. It stopped being that simple the moment the Darkness could lash out at us directly."

"You know, for claiming that you're not Jason, you're starting to sound like him."

Did she hear a small amount of admiration in his voice? She was not sure whether or not to thank him for that statement. "Richie, I just want one thing from you. No matter what you do, please tell Mrs. Radson what you did. If you decide to go ahead with giving the potion to Melinda--"

"I have to," Richie said in a helpless voice. "I can't do all this shit and not go through with it."

"Fine. Just ... just own up to it."

Richie was quiet for another moment. "All right," he said in a contrite voice. "I'll tell her. Maybe I'll wait until we're all together or something so she won't kill me."

Cassie let out a long sigh and ran a hand through her hair. "She's not going to ... never mind. I'm sorry I badgered you about this. I really just care for your welfare. I hope you're able to free your mother."

She heard a heavy sigh. "Me, too, Cassie."

Cassie bit her lip as she wracked her brain for something else to say. "Um ... I guess I'll see you in school tomorrow. Good night."

"Yeah. Good night."

Cassie thumbed the call end button and dropped the hand holding the phone into her lap, shaking her head. She felt like she had made the situation worse.

She set her phone down and headed into the bathroom, where she filled her tea kettle and flicked the switch on the heating plate. She dropped a chamomile teabag into her cup and stepped back. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered, her nipples already hard again and tenting the fabric of her nightgown.

She had hoped to be spared having to cater any further to her energy needs that night. She was sure now that the potion itself had triggered it. She stared at the kettle as if willing the water to heat faster, though she doubted the tea would do anything to help. She closed her eyes as her hand slid down towards her panties.

Her cell phone warbled.

Cassie snatched her hand back and flicked the plate off with an annoyed sigh. She rushed to the phone and snatched it up. She tilted her head. The caller ID was coming up "unknown."

She thumbed the answer button and brought it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Is this Cassandra Kendall?" asked a vaguely familiar male voice.

"Wh-who is this?" Cassie demanded.

"Henry Conner. Jason's father."

Cassie's eyes widened. "How did you get this number? Did Jason--?"

"Let's just say I have resources and leave it at that."

Cassie swallowed, her heart hammering. Her eyes darted around the room. "What do you want?"

"I don't know what Jason has told you about me, and I frankly don't care. All I care about is getting my wife back."

"Getting your ...?" Cassie slowly sat down. "Mr. Conner ... please don't ask me to help with this. We're so overtaxed right now that--"

"I do not need that sort of help. I have the means by which to free Audrey from the influence she is under."

Cassie's head was spinning. "I don't understand."

"I am sure by now Jason has told you he believes I have some sort of power or influence, so I won't play stupid games with you. Yes, I do have such an ability."

Cassie let out a nervous sigh. "Are you sure you should be telling me this, Mr. Conner?"

"No, of course I shouldn't be telling you this, but as I stated before, I want my wife back."

Cassie could not sense him empathically as he was too far away and not linked to her in any way, but she swore she heard his voice catch in those last five words. "What is it you want of me, then?"

"A time and date."

"I don't--"

"I cannot imagine that you and your friends are not planning some sort of counterattack against the Entity, or whatever you choose to call it. At least I would hope that my son picked his friends well enough that they would not abandon him to his fate. It is why I am focusing exclusively on my wife and not my son as well."

Cassie again was faced with yet another dilemma. How far could she trust him? What if this were some sort of ruse to get information from her? What if his wife had already spread her influence to him?

She heard him sigh. "I am not asking for any details whatsoever of what you are planning," Henry said. "But no more would my son pick disloyal friends than stupid ones. You're likely going to launch a coordinated attack so it can't focus its energy in any one defense. All I want is to be part of that attack."

Cassie realized she never had a more important decision to make. She either had a golden opportunity to boost the Harbingers' chance for success, or thwart an attempt to undermine all their plans.

"How soon do you need to know?" Cassie asked.

Henry paused. "Ideally, a day in advance so I can rearrange my appointments, but knowing sooner would be better."

"I can't make this decision now, not after the day I just had," Cassie said in a quavering voice. She leaned over to the night table and produced a pad and pen from the drawer. "Can you give me a number I can reach you at?"

He recited a phone number to her. "That is my private, unlisted number that will always reach me unless I'm in the operating room. Not even my wife has that number."

"All right. I promise I'll get back to you very soon, Mr. Conner."

"Please do. And I apologize for calling you like this. I doubt I would have gotten within a mile of you otherwise."

He hung up before she could say another word.

Cassie set the phone down with a trembling hand. Whatever lament she might have had at having been handed yet another important decision to make was lost in the surge of heat and aching need from her pussy. She let out a husky sigh and abandoned her plan to find solace in a hot cup of tea.

Her fingers were already under her panties and sliding over slick flesh by the time she arranged herself on the bed. She closed her eyes and thrust her fingers into her tunnel, rocking her hips to each plunge past her wet folds. She did not bother with delicacy; she had a raw need which demanded to be satisfied.

Her pleasure was slow to rise despite her enthusiasm. She panted hard, the bed squeaking faintly as her whole body undulated as if engaged with an unseen lover. She whimpered as she strained near the edge, only to again be driven higher.

She moaned and shivered when her nightgown shifted, the material drawing across her stiff nipples. She raised her free hand to her bosom and pawed one of her breasts, gasping and arching her back as she pinched the nipple.

She again strained at the edge, her body squirming and desperate. She tilted her head back, her fingers stroking furiously. "Uhhhng!" she cried out as she let go, her pussy throbbing to a very quick, staccato beat. She held her breath, fingers pressed hard against her clit, feeling the pulse of her orgasm.

Cassie gasped in air as her climax changed tempo, her hips jerking to slower but more powerful pulses of pleasure. She left her hand where it was until it finally faded, leaving her pussy achy and her nipples tingly. She closed her eyes and lay limp until those sensations faded as well.

Cassie got out of bed only long enough to wash up. She glanced at the tea and decided against it. The best thing for her would be to get to sleep. Perhaps during her nocturnal wanderings she could both seek a respite from her need and figure out how she was going to deal with it in school the next day.

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