"We’re ready for you now, Andy," Danielle said. She kind of hated this part. She didn’t think she’d ever get used to bringing somebody in front of the coven. She looked at the frightened man. I can’t blame him… She wondered what she could do for the guy, because he seemed a nice enough sort. "Please be quiet in front of the coven. I don’t want you to embarrass me," Dani said, planting the request into the front of his mind. She paused, thinking some more, then suddenly commanded, "You will say nothing until we leave the room we are about to enter. Do you understand?" She focused her complete concentration on him and he nodded attentively. Well, Dani, I guess that’s as much as you can do… She took a long breath, then muttered, "Well, here we go…"
Andy had problems adjusting to the near-darkness of the room. His steps faltered as the last vestige of outside light was shut off when somebody behind the two of them shut the doors. He felt Danielle grasp his hand, gently, as if he were a small child to be escorted along. For some reason, that was not comforting. They stopped in front of a long table. She let go of his hand, then moved away, walking a little further into the shadows. By then, his eyes had grown accustomed to the lack of light, and he could make out three hooded figures behind the table. Soft voices, talking quietly among themselves, filled the room. Danielle’s earlier command prevented him from speaking, which made it a little easier to resist the urge to go to the front table. What are you gonna do, Andy, intimidate them with your physical presence? He decided that he would have looked incredibly stupid just standing over the figures at the table. Still, he needed to communicate with somebody, somehow. He remembered Gina and her mind-reading ability. She ought to be somewhere in this room, wearing one of the robes. He filled his head with questions, hoping to get a mental response. It was taking a chance on something he had never believed in until an hour or two ago. Then again, the situation he found himself in called for such desperate hopes.
Suddenly, a dazzling spotlight came on. Andy could see nothing except the brilliant white light. He recoiled slightly from the almost-physical impact and shielded his eyes. A bell sounded from in front of him, struck by something metallic. As the sound died down, so did the ambient noise in the chamber, leaving an eerie silence. He tensed, waiting for the death blow to come from somewhere unseen, wondering how much pain he was going to feel. Well, this is it, Andrew. It’s been a fun ride, but a lot shorter than I thought it would be… At the same time, there was an oddly detached part of him wondering how these people were going to get away with killing him. The same part also wondered who would take over his main project at work. He began to tremble in fear, and felt very cold despite the heat of the intense spotlight. He still couldn’t see much, except for Danielle, who was about ten feet away, standing in a much cooler-looking blue circle of light.
"Andrew Davidson," intoned an unfamiliar female voice, "you have been found guilty of third degree harassment." Guilty? Andy was completely shocked by the pronouncement. Didn’t I get a chance to plead or something? Who had defended me against the charges? Don’t I get to testify in my own behalf? Harassment? What kind of harassment—his jumbled thoughts came to a screeching halt when enough pieces of the puzzle spontaneously fell into place. Gina had ripped the first meeting with Danielle from his head and somehow presented it to the others in the room. He cautiously began to look around the room for the first time, having been too absorbed by his impending death to care until now. He saw more hooded figures dressed in dark robes. So this was "the coven." They were probably all witches, in a very literal sense.
"You will keep your attentions on the front table," came a stern order from a deep, but female voice. Andy’s head and body jerked around quickly to obey, forcing him to shield his eyes from the light again.
The first woman that had spoken resumed, her voice a smooth contralto. "The coven has found that your initial actions towards our sister Danielle constitute an unacceptable imposition upon her rights. As the injured party, she has the right to plead for sentence."
Andy couldn’t turn to look at Danielle. His body and head had been locked in place by the earlier command to remain facing the three robed people behind the table. All he could do was to listen for Danielle’s pronouncement of his fate. He swallowed hard, begging silently with all his heart that she wouldn’t want to kill him. "My sisters, you have decided that he has committed a crime against me, and that may not go unpunished," she began, and his heart fell through his stomach. He could sense that he was going to be sick again. All that bravado you hear about facing death in a manly way? Bullshit.
Danielle forced herself to remain calm. If she couldn’t convince the coven that Andy was basically harmless, he was dead. She definitely didn’t want that on her conscience—some guys deserved it, but not him. She steeled herself, and calmly announced, "His subsequent actions were enough to convince me that he is not incorrigible." The quaver that had accompanied her opening sentence had vanished, and she was now sure of herself. She drew a breath to reinforce her next sentence…
Andy’s heart pounded in his ears. Little colored lights began to flash in front of his eyes, despite the harshness of the spotlight’s glare. He heard Danielle inhale loudly. "Therefore," she exhaled, "I desire no vengeance, and so petition the coven for clemency." His legs turned to jelly and a cold sweat broke out over his body and he passed…
"NO!!!!" Another different voice shouted, which somehow broke Andy’s swoon. "He’s just like the rest of them!!! They all leer at you, and… and… He’ll do it again!!! We can’t trust him!!! He should die!!! I vote for death!!! She just doesn’t want to kill him!!! Danielle’s afraid!!! Well, I’m not!!! I’ll do it, just let me!!!"
Gina’s voice came from the front table. "Lia, you are out of order," she calmly said. "Be quiet." Andy heard the other woman’s frustrated peep as she shut off her hysterics. The tirade continued, much quieter, but still loud enough for him to hear. "Lia," Gina warned, and the mumbling ceased.
The woman at the front table who had announced the verdict began speaking again. "Sisters of the coven, our sister Danielle has spoken. She prefers that the accused be granted clemency and has thereby cast her vote for sentence. Sisters, how vote ye?"
Other female voices quickly chimed in, one-by-one. "Clemency."
"Clemency."
"Death." Andy swayed in fear. That was from the woman who had earlier commanded his attention to the front table.
"Clemency."
"Death." Andrew recognized the witch Lia’s voice. The one that was so eager to kill him.
"Clemency," Gina said. Andy was surprised, then immediately started worrying what that meant. Gina had physically hurt him more than he had thought possible without laying a finger on his body. The idea that she wanted him alive scared him shitless. Any form of modern torture paled in comparison to what this woman could do. He forced his concentration back to the proceedings.
"I cast for clemency," said the woman who had called the vote, and no one else spoke. He had missed something while fretting about Gina’s agenda. Andy remembered five (six including Danielle) voting to keep him alive, and two for the dreaded alternative. Liquid fear coursed through his veins. How many were in the coven? It was plausible that he had missed more "death" votes. Andy, it’s just like you to stop paying attention when your life is at stake… "The coven hereby grants clemency to Andrew Davidson by a tally of ten to two." He was relieved, but he didn’t have a chance to celebrate. "The coven commands that you be held for redress of wrongs against our sister," said the smooth contralto voice. "Clemency, although granted, does not obviate guilt. The coven has spoken. Sister Danielle, you may conduct him to a waiting room." The bell sounded, and both spotlights went out. As he turned to follow Danielle out, they were stopped by another robed figure.
"I know what you did." Andy recognized Lia’s voice, but he couldn’t see anything in the hood other than blonde hair. "You made him be quiet so he couldn’t make us mad," she sneered quietly at Danielle. "What’s the matter? Are you scared to take him? Give him to me, and I’ll do it for you."
"Just - leave - me - alone," Danielle said, her words full of quiet fury. She had won Andy’s life, and relieved her guilty conscience. Dani was not in the mood to listen to Lia’s demented ravings. She pulled at Andy’s hand, virtually dragging him out of the chamber. "Hush," she said, giving a little mental push to his brain. She conducted him back to the dungeon cell and motioned him to the cot. She quickly pulled off her robe. It was hot under that thing. Danielle turned to him. He looked exhausted, but something was keeping the alertness in his eyes. "I know you have lots of questions, but trust me, you are lucky to be alive right now," she began. She saw the question he couldn’t ask on his face. Dani paced around the room, trying to decide whether she should answer it. "I saved your life because I—" Her voice faltered. "Because I didn’t think that what you did was so bad. Especially after you apologized so nicely." It felt good to get it off her chest. She leaned against the wall to explain as a grin came to her face. "’Sides, you spent a fortune on me in two days. I figure you wound up spending about two hundred bucks to look at me at that train station. As far as I’m concerned, we’re even. If it had been left up to me, you wouldn’t even be here." She shrugged and looked at her watch. "I gotta go. Gina will eventually talk to you." No sense in her trying to guess what the coven leader had in store for him. Why get his hopes up or scare him unnecessarily, Dani thought. She paused at the door. Whatever was going to happen to him from here on out, she was off the hook, but it would be a shame if he accidentally got himself killed. She decided to warn him, since she had to release her control before she left. "When I leave, you’ll be able to talk again. I wouldn’t recommend trying to escape. We’ve let the dogs out, and I doubt that they’d grant you clemency. Bye, Andy."
True to her word, Andy found he could speak as soon as the door had shut. He shouted questions at her retreating footsteps, but she ignored him. He tried to make sense of what little information he had been able to gain so far. It wasn’t much. There were twelve women who called themselves "the coven." They could control people somehow. At least one of them could read minds. His mind jumped to the realization that Gina’s ability would also make planning an escape difficult. The coven acted as judge, jury, and executioner for crimes committed against… Here, he was at a loss. Them? Everybody? Women? He didn’t exactly know. He was sure, given Lia’s passionate feelings towards the disposition of his case, that they had executed somebody in the past. The question of how they managed to get away with it started nagging at him. He hadn’t seen any "magic." No spells had been chanted, no flying brooms, no boiling cauldrons or anything like that. But it was obvious that they weren’t—normal. They could make you do whatever they wanted, just by telling you.
The more he thought about it, the more depressed he became. There was no way out, not with a mind-reader and eleven other women like her hanging around. There were dogs on the grounds and guards at the gate. He forced himself to think positively. Above all, he knew he was still alive, and that meant he couldn’t afford to give up. Somehow, he was going to escape from here. The so-called coven was bound to make a mistake sooner or later in spite of (or because of) their powers. Andy would have to be ready to take advantage of it when they did make that mistake. What will you do once you escape? Who would believe this story? Certainly not any of the authorities… He turned his rational mind away from asking questions to answering them. It would boil down to a matter of how long he could evade them once he had gotten away. Danielle knew where he lived and worked. All of them knew what he looked like. He was at a distinct disadvantage there, because he had only seen Danielle and Gina. He realized that with their powers they could make him do anything, including committing suicide, with a smile on his face. He shuddered at the memory of how easily Danielle had made him spend lots of money on her, and how happy he had been while he was doing it. His eventual conclusion was shaped by these linked thoughts: he would have to leave town in a big hurry after he got away, and hope they wouldn’t come looking for him.
Fatigue overtook him when he lay down on the cot. Andy dozed fitfully until he heard noises outside. He tried to erase all thoughts of escaping from his mind, just in case the mind-reader was around. The door opened, and a brawny man walked in carrying a large, ornate silver tray. There was a covered plate that smelled great, a salad and bowl of soup on the tray. Along with a pitcher, metal cup, silverware wrapped in a maroon cloth napkin, and—a small flower in a vase. "Well, I’ll be damned," he thought out loud, "room service." A quick study of the "waiter’s" physique was enough to convince Andy that trying anything physical with this guy was not a good idea. More importantly, the scent of food reminded him how hungry and thirsty he was. He also realized that he was worn out from the emotional and physical trauma of the night’s events. Any attempt to escape now would probably fail, and wipe out any chance of a repeat effort in the near future. Nonetheless, he looked past the big guy into the hall to see Gina watching with a knowing smile on her face. Fucking mind-reading bitch. Round one to the coven.
Andy decided to eat. There was no reason to assume that the food was drugged or poisoned. The coven could make him do anything or kill him much more directly. Besides, it smelled incredibly good. The main course was seafood pasta. The tomato-basil-garlic sauce had just a hint of oregano, and was just the right consistency. He knew of several above-average restaurants that couldn’t make this dish this well. He didn’t wolf his food down; somebody had gone to a lot of trouble to make this meal and the least he could do was to appreciate it. After dinner, he rolled himself onto the cot to get some sleep. He would need a clear head to deal with whatever tomorrow would bring.
Andy stretched lazily, then snapped to full alertness when he recognized his surroundings. "Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore," he mumbled to the empty cell. He looked at his watch: in a couple of hours, he would be considered missing at work. A glimmer of hope flared that faded quickly when he assessed the chances of his job reporting him as a missing person. It was Friday, and nothing would get done until… he didn’t return from his two-week vacation. He lay back down on the cot, trying not to become depressed while wondering what was in store for him. He could only watch and wait.
Steven brought breakfast about a half-hour later. Andy assessed the guy who was obviously a head butler or something: a little smaller than me, and I can probably take him quickly enough to get… Then Andy saw the second, much larger, man waiting outside the door. Steven revealed the pancakes and thick slice of ham on the tray. The coven certainly fed you well. I could be a fat little prisoner at this rate… "Hey, can I get some hot tea in this joint?" he joked.
Steven stopped loading the dinner plates onto the tray, and said in that odd (it just seemed so out-of-place coming from him) professional manner of his, "We have a selection available. Do you have a preference, or should I just bring you one of each?" Andy stammered no. He was just kidding when he said it. The large servant carried the dinner tray out of the room, and Steven returned a few minutes later with a pot of hot water, a cup, and six (!) assorted tea bags. "I hope that you will find one to your liking."
Curious, Andy studied the young (no more than 25, he guessed) man as he turned to remove the breakfast dishes from his cell. He heard Steven give instructions to someone outside the cell, and then the butler reappeared. He was dressed as if he were a waiter in a high-class restaurant: pressed black pants, a crisp, wrinkle-free white shirt, and black bow tie. Andy studied his potential opponent, more carefully this time, paying closer attention to the arms under the sleeves. Steven was in a little better physical shape than Andy had first thought. He decided to try the direct approach. "How long have you been here?" he asked the butler.
Steve Hall regarded the new prisoner. The guy didn’t look cut out for any of the heavy tasks or security, and he wasn’t that good-looking. Maybe this is the guy who can take over my job, he thought. He had been the head butler for over two years, after six months of having been trained by the last man to hold the job… and Gina. She had extended his sentence beyond the original year for having made an off-color remark to Danielle. If I can get Gina pissed off at this guy, maybe I’ll be training him, and she’ll let me go free. If he tries to escape, that’ll put him in the doghouse for sure. A little bit of a scare should do the trick… "Four years," he lied. Steve shot a nervous glance at the partially open door. Lowering his voice, he asked, "What are you in here for? I know they granted you clemency, otherwise you’d be dead." Andy said nothing. "I’m here for third degree harassment. They said they’d let me go soon, though," the butler continued quietly.
Andy was suspicious. This could all be a ploy to gain his confidence to trick him into letting his guard down. On the other hand, Steven could be just as much a prisoner of the coven as he was. He tried to evaluate Steven’s abrupt departure from his professional demeanor. "I’m here for the same. What do they do?" Andy whispered back, without trying to reveal anything other than his curiosity about the coven.
Steve leaned close to Andy. "They… they… make you do things you don’t wanna do, and—and—make you happy you did it!" He looked around nervously, his throat working, and continued, "I mean, they trained me to be like, a butler. I was a funk guitar player before I met these…" His voice trailed off as the two men detected footsteps coming down the stairs. "Lissen, one warning," he hissed urgently. "Be careful around Lia. Whatever happens, try not to let her get you alone." Steve’s mouth opened to say something else, but the sound of heels came closer. The expression on his face changed, and he said, "Enjoy your tea." If the warnings had been just a trick, he was a damned fine actor, Andy thought. There was genuine fear in his face when he mentioned Lia’s name. He walked out of the room just as a petite, slender woman walked in.
Her shoulder-length black hair and big brown eyes made Andy’s heart flutter, but he turned his eyes away from her. After all, that’s what had put him there in the first place. "Hi, I’m Elizabeth," she said. "You can look at me, just don’t leer. Most guys overreact when they’re here for training," Elizabeth continued brightly. The air of precious fragility about her made his heart sing. "I’m here to escort you to your room. Her ladyship wishes to see you as soon as you are cleaned and dressed."
"Can I finish my tea?" Andy queried. Elizabeth glanced at her watch, then nodded. He took a sip, then realized that it was just him and her in the cell. There was no sign of anyone else around. She was only a little over five feet tall, and he began to wonder if this was his opportunity. He was well fed and rested. He made a very quick escape plan, buying time by dawdling over the tea. As soon as he put the cup down, the tiny woman said, "You will follow me, and you won’t try to escape," almost immediately. So much for that idea. He should have acted sooner.
Andy watched himself follow the slender woman out of the room. They headed up the steps, onto the first floor and into the entry hall with its old-fashioned grand staircase. The pair passed within a few tantalizing yards of the unguarded front door. It might as well have been twenty miles to him, because his body followed Elizabeth up the steps. "Who is ‘her ladyship’?" he asked, hoping to get some more information. While he had no control of his body, his mind was still functioning normally. Their footsteps echoed in the spacious hall.
Elizabeth didn’t answer, but did slow down to let Andy look at the magnificent view of the entry hall of the mansion as they got to the third floor. After a few seconds, she commanded him to move on. She conducted him to a room on the fourth floor. "This is your room. You should shower, shave, and dress in the clothes that are laid out for you on the bed. I will come get you in an hour, but you are not to leave the room until I come back for you," she explained.
An hour later, Elizabeth guided Andy to the second floor, where they passed through an impressive set of sculpted wooden double doors. The room was large and filled with books in fine oaken shelves. At the far end of the room sat a formidable wooden desk. The high-backed chair behind the desk faced a bay window, with the only sign of occupancy being wisps of smoke rising from the other side. "Thank you, Elizabeth." He felt a chill as he recognized the voice that had cut through his agony last night. Gina said, "You may leave us," to Elizabeth, who nodded deferentially and left the room, leaving him feeling very vulnerable. And very alone. "Welcome to Castlereagh, Mr. Davidson. My name is Gina Mansfield, and this is my home." She swiveled the chair around to face him. He swallowed hard, remembering his first encounter with the now-fashionably dressed black-haired woman. She smiled. Poor dear, he’s scared to death… "I assure you that our ‘last encounter’ was atypical of the way I prefer to do things. You and Danielle were so late in arriving that I did not have the time to be more—gentle. Had you been more cooperative, it wouldn’t have been so painful." Andy detected a hint of a British accent as she spoke.
"Ummm… I can cook real well," he hesitantly offered. "I’m not very good at heavy—"
"No-no-no-no," Gina interrupted, shaking her head. "I decide what you will do as punishment. If you’re a good boy, it won’t be painful at all." She regarded him carefully, narrowing her senses to view his inner essence again, as she had briefly done in the cell. So blue, and so very rich. Danielle hadn’t seen it, of course, but Gina was very pleased that even Miss Gray had the sense not to kill him. He could be… useful. He was scared, but not defensive right now, so Gina shook herself from her contemplations and returned to the business at hand. She reached into his unguarded mind gently, finding places to anchor herself. Now it was time for her to speak, or else he would begin to get defensive. "Let me see… You’re very intelligent, and can be amazingly detached under extreme pressure. I must tell you that you are the first man to ask questions while being judged. Yes, I did hear you, but I’m afraid I can’t answer you telepathically." Andy’s jaw dropped a little, causing Gina to smile; her diversionary tactic had worked. "You’re also resourceful: escaping isn’t beyond you, and it wouldn’t be a mad dash for freedom. You’ve already assessed that you must keep any plans hidden from me in your mind. I am impressed." Gina motioned at one of the two chairs in front of the desk. "Please, sit. I would like to speak with you, because I have something special in mind for your punishment. You may be able to help me with a slight—problem." He shifted uneasily in the seat as all kinds of conjecture flew through his head. "However," Gina resumed, "I think that you deserve some honest answers to your questions before I pronounce sentence." She ordered some tea over an intercom. "Great power is no excuse for shoddy manners, to answer your current question." She picked it from his mind just to—show off. She was not beyond the amusement she got from his horrified thoughts, and the expression on his face. "Ask away, Mr. Davidson."
"No, you may not leave," Gina replied to his unspoken question. "A bit of a smart-ass, aren’t you?" Andy got real scared. Her voice was flat, giving no clues to her reaction. "But, just to make sure… Mr. Davidson, you will not leave the castle unless you are accompanied by a member of the coven. Do you understand, love?" There wasn’t any buzzing noise in his head; this time, he wasn’t a disinterested spectator watching his body obey orders. A wave of—desire—washed over him.
Gina watched Andrew’s confusion with amusement, and tugged a couple more times on the mental string connected to the pleasure center in his brain. The result was a feeling that wasn’t like lust or arousal to him; he really hadn’t paid any attention to her physical assets since coming in the room. Besides, he was too scared to notice.
Andy suddenly felt that doing what she asked would make him so… happy. "No, Gina, I won’t leave the castle without being accompanied," he eagerly replied. The pleasure that rushed through him as he acquiesced made his head spin. He sighed in ecstasy and melted deeper into the chair.
Gina pulled on the mental tether she held, flooding Andy with delight sent by his own body. "Part of the problem with the young ones is that they just don’t use any style with their talent," she muttered. She toyed with him, keeping him blissfully addled until the tea arrived, then watched the funny expression fade from his face while his eyes slowly refocused. "Yes, it is a pleasant sensation, isn’t it?" she rhetorically asked. "That, Mr. Davidson, is the way I prefer to do business."
Andy took a deep breath, reluctantly pushing the head rush aside. This question couldn’t wait, not after what she had just done. "Ms. Mansfield, are you a witch?"
Gina sputtered in her tea. "You certainly are direct," she said as she regained her composure. "Calm down, I won’t hurt you for asking an astute question. You’ll find I am not given to capricious fits of malice." He wasn’t easily broken, and that was very promising. "The answer is a good deal more complex than yes or no." She leveled her crystalline blue eyes at him. "In terms of bell, book, candle, spells, and all that, I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you. However, I am over seven hundred years old." She stood up and made a model’s turn. "I am remarkably well preserved and—" She paused briefly as Andrew’s next thought virtually jumped at her. "Why thank you, Mr. Davidson. I am flattered." Gina sat down and fixed him with a very knowing look. Andy blushed when he realized that she had read the loose thought. "Maybe you’ll find out," she replied playfully.
Between his fear and embarrassment, the only thoughts she got were not conducive to starting a conversation, and he was definitely too intimidated to speak. Gina decided to answer his questions from the night before. "Yes, I am the leader of the coven. I am the only one of us who can read minds. We sit and judge the actions of those who are—less than chivalrous." She felt Andy’s outrage approach the boiling point, and interrupted him before he opened his mouth. "Before you judge me too harshly, I have managed to do some good in the world." She stopped to pour herself some more tea, then resumed with, "Did you ever wonder what happened to Jack the Ripper? I know."
An involuntary chill ran down Andy’s spine. The tone of Gina’s "I know" explained more than the words did. "Naturally, after seven hundred years, I have accumulated a great deal of wealth. That is from whence all you see comes. Castlereagh, as I have named it, is mine, as is the land it sits on," she finished.
"Can you be killed?" Andy asked, figuring that it would be useless to try and hide the thought. Besides, she’d know before anyone could act.
"Yes," she began. "However, to this point, each time I’ve died, I seem to wake up in another body. The rest of the coven is quite mortal, however, and Danielle is only twenty-five." She paused, mouth upturned in a wry smile. "You’re attracted to her. She’s never very deep in your thoughts." Andy blushed again. "Each time I am reborn, it is my duty to find and train women who deserve the power. There are twelve other women in the coven, and it is not a static group. They are free to leave at any time, but they can never come back." Gina cocked her head. He remembered that there were only twelve votes cast last night. What a mind for minutiae, she mused. "You have a very good memory. We have a novice-in-training who will be one of us soon."
Andy’s mind was reeling, overwhelmed with the implications and the images that came to mind as Gina explained more about the coven, and her "self-appointed mission." His eyes started to glaze over when she started to discuss sacrifice rituals. She didn't need any supernatural power to know that he really wasn’t paying attention to her. It was time for a break. "I suppose we’d better stop for lunch. I can see that you’re beginning to struggle with my answers. I have no scientific explanation for what I do, Mr. Davidson. I only know that I am. Would you care to join me for lunch in the sun room? It’s a much nicer place than your holding cell." He was jolted back to alertness by her quick change in subject. After all, it had been a while since breakfast. Gina offered him her arm, and led him to the sun room.
After lunch, they returned to the library. Gina settled into her chair behind the desk to continue her speculation of her origin, which she had briefly touched on during lunch. "I think it’s because I was supposed to be a sacrificial virgin, except that the high council took—liberties before the ritual. Don’t you think it rather ironic that the ceremony designed to increase their arcane power begat the instrument of their death?" Andy was afraid of this woman, this thing that had taught him what "agony" meant. She heard his thoughts very clearly, but she didn’t need to be a mind reader to see how afraid of her he was. Fear was not the ideal motivating force for what she had in mind. "You have little to fear from me, Mr. Davidson. As I said, you may be of use to me with a problem I have." He fidgeted. She decided to approach him from a more vulnerable point. She shifted position in her chair and leaned forward. "You have a crush on Danielle," she stated.
The sudden change of subject startled him. Andrew was embarrassed yet again, and blushed once more. Bingo, Gina thought. She waited for him to talk about the young coven initiate. "I find her very attractive, physically. I don’t know why. Is it something she did to me?" She shook her head with certainty. "I guess there’s something really…" He broke off the statement.
"Sexy." Gina finished with the word Andrew had hesitated to say. "Her image is very strong in your mind, and as I said earlier, it’s not buried very deeply at all. It looks like a crush to me, and I have seen many and been the object of quite a few myself." She paused, then sighed, "She, however, does not feel the same about you. I fear that Danielle is quite the playgirl." His disappointment rattled around his heart and reflected in his face, so Gina decided to give him some hope back. "No, that is not a wedding band she wears. The ring is the band of the coven, to answer your long-standing question." She played the game of drawing Andrew out, urging him to talk more about himself. She read the thoughts and some of the images, but kept silent, believing that he would be more comfortable the more—human—she seemed. He eventually opened up, and she calmly listened; yes, he would do just fine, he and his beautiful blue aura.
Steven delivered a mid-afternoon sweet. His eyes flitted nervously around the library, resting on Andrew and then her. The boy still hasn’t learned how to be discreet with his thoughts… Gina called his name as he turned to go. The young man stopped and turned around slowly. "I have decided that you shall be our major domo for another year, starting today. You are so very good at it, I’d just hate to have to train another on short notice." He bowed and said, "Yes, Mistress Gina," before leaving the room.
"What was that all about?" Andy blurted out, hoping to actually ask a question before Gina could answer it.
So he had picked up on it. "Steven has been a very good major domo. He was hoping that you would be the one to replace him, so he tried to encourage your desperation this morning, which would facilitate his release," Gina explained. "Although you may conceal your thoughts, others are not so—intelligent. But, as you can see, now I have a year to find a new major domo. I have other plans for you."
Andy had no idea what she had planned, but he desperately wanted to find out. Whatever it was, he was sure that he wasn’t going to like it. "You might be surprised, Andrew. You may never want to leave the coven," Gina replied, then quickly steered the conversation away from the subject of punishment. She asked him some more questions about himself, while he tried to get more information out of her about the coven. She was a little evasive about the specifics of the power, trying to keep him from getting scared again. The careful verbal probing lasted into the late afternoon.
Gina looked at her watch; it was close to five. Danielle should be arriving soon. Time to make sure of Andrew’s loyalty. "Stand up," she said. He didn’t move. We don’t have time for this, she thought. "Stand up," she reiterated, any pretense of subtle persuasion gone. He stood up with a jerk, a marionette on strings. "Follow me," Gina ordered, walking out from behind her desk. She ignored his mental questions and positioned him in the middle of the library. "Now, take off your clothes." It was a request—he was shocked into inaction, not entirely believing what she had just said. Somewhere in the back of Andrew’s mind, Gina could sense the curious hope that would prove to be his undoing. "Andrew," she said, more softly, "just relax. I won’t hurt you." A pause. She waited, then gently invaded his brain. "Think about—Danielle. How her skin would feel against yours… Yes, like that. Imagine her lips… They can’t kiss you through your shirt." She enhanced his senses, then linked them with his thoughts. He took his sports shirt off in a big hurry. "Can you smell her?" Gina whispered. "She’s so warm…" She watched the bulge grow in his pants.
"Take out your cock. Let me see it," Gina commanded, but her voice had a soft, gentle edge. "I’m inside your head now, Andrew," she purred, waiting for a protest. Andrew stepped out of the confines of his trousers. "I want you to masturbate for me." She deftly manipulated his thoughts, causing him to comply, but he was still a little resistant. "Show me how hard and big it gets. You want to do it… you must… it feels sooo goood, doesn’t it? But you can’t come. Not until I tell you to." His hand rubbed along his still-lengthening cock in smooth, steady strokes. He circled the base with his thumb and forefinger, making the head twitch. "Make yourself feel good. I command you to play with yourself for me," she continued, then frowned. "You’re stalling. Pay more attention to the sensitive spots on it."
Andy had been stalling, trying to keep himself from the verge of ejaculation. He did not want to test the limits of Gina’s power. The way she had said it left him little doubt that she could bottle up his orgasm. And he hated blue balls. His fingers began to tease the glans and its edge, sending a twitch through his nuts. The wave of sensation hit the rest of his body, making him stop momentarily. He was jacking off in front of a woman he barely knew, in the large, stately library of her castle. Somehow, that realization failed to stop him. The compulsion to pleasure himself manually was growing, fed by the sensations that placed him on his orgasmic climb.
And by Gina. "Doesn’t it feel ready?" she purred. "You’re ready for Danielle… so ready…" The pressure in his balls grew. "Stroke yourself for her." Andy continued masturbating, swaying as he sent himself past the point of no return. Nothing happened. "Stop." His hand dropped to his side as his cock twitched expectantly, and it began to hurt. He fought the forces of reproductive biology, and made the ache a little duller.
Gina watched the battle from inside Andrew’s head, amused by his valiant attempts to deaden his orgasm. Good effort, but… She played some with his senses and perceptions, and his hand went back to work. "You’re fighting me for control, aren’t you? But I still want to see how you make yourself come. You can not resist… Show me… Stroke your cock for me… You still will not be able to come."
The dull ache quickly blossomed into a sharp pain. Andy grimaced, fighting the urges Gina had implanted in him, but the pain was too distracting.
"I will decide when you will come, Andrew," Gina calmly said, showing little emotion. She returned to the edge of her desk and sat, watching him. "But I can make it better. Would you like me to?" He nodded frantically, eyes pleading, unable to speak. She turned the pain off by building a very strong wall around it in Andrew’s mind, shielding it from his senses as he continued his self-stimulation. Let’s see… Pain—off, and ejaculatory reflex lock—on. That should almost do it… "Is that better?" she cooed. Andrew sighed yes, very happily. Gina could detect no analytical thought going on in his mind. He was completely defenseless. "Now, think of Danielle again. Put her in your favorite fantasies… Yes, like that." He groaned loudly, stroking the most sensitive places on his dick. Each touch sent another piece of his mind far away. "How would you like to see her?" she whispered from the desk.
Andrew could be easily manipulated through sexual fantasy. Much easier than many Gina had encountered, which made him all the more appealing as a training aid. She was particularly struck by his flights of fantasy: the images he’d selected to arouse himself were not the standard ones she’d seen thousands of times in this situation. It had been fifteen minutes, and he still hadn’t visualized Danielle underneath him, calling him the greatest lover she’d ever had. His cock was not a third limb in his fantasy, either. Clearly, Andrew did not think of sex as an athletic competition. She watched his mind display pictures of Danielle in outfits ranging from formal evening wear to more revealing attire, but never naked. Gina probed a little deeper. This was civilized enough that there had to be something more—delicious—under that R-rated veneer. She found what she was looking for. "My, we do have some creative fantasies," she remarked.
An image of Danielle filled Andrew’s mind: perched seductively against a door, her reflective eyes on fire for him, fishnet stockings visible to the thigh. He beat off faster, sending stronger thrills through his soul, spurred on by visions of Danielle. "Think of her at the center of your favorite fantasy," Gina whispered. "Play with her in your mind. Let her turn you on… a slave to your most powerful, darkest desires." He began to drool. She raised her eyebrows as another image came out of the deeper recesses of his mind. She stopped monitoring. Enough is enough, she decided; after all, there needs to be some mystery in life. "Andrew."
The crisply spoken sound of his name brought him back to reality in a snap. "I can put you there. Do you see her, ready for your command? Now, can you feel her nails in your back? Can you feel her insides respond to your every twitch?" As Gina spoke it, Andy experienced it. To the last sensory detail. He panted loudly and his ears rung. "You like this, don’t you? I can make you feel like this, whenever you want." His attention had been drawn to Gina, still sitting fully clothed on the desk, because he desperately wanted what she was offering. "When you need to release, Gina will be there," she cooed. "Your loving, sweet Gina… I will give you all you desire," she crooned. "Give in… such ec-sss-tasssyyyy… Surrender to your pleasure… your mistress Gina… your mistress… Gina controls your pleasure… Her will… such pleasure… ecstasy… from Gina…" Andy swayed drunkenly, and his eyes had closed. He was completely under her spell. "Just say yes… to Gina… release… mistress… freedom… Gina… ecstasy… come… mistress… Gina… yes… pleasure… mistress… dream… love… Gina… mistress… come…" His mind edited her quiet, seductive discourse into a stream of alluring phrases that repeated themselves.
"Yes, Mistress Gina," Andy moaned, mind fogged, legs weak. His body seemed to hum. He saw Danielle’s mouth in front of his, open and inviting and the humming increased in pitch. Suddenly, Gina’s face replaced Danielle’s in his mind’s eye. She had a warm, feminine, knowing smile that called to him. Then he saw Gina’s body: she was lying on her side, beckoning, waiting for him. His mistress awaited. She would grant him ecstasies beyond imagination. He craved her touch and silken voice. He needed them. "Mistress," he begged the one woman in the universe that could free him from the increasing strain.
Gina felt the urge growing in her. Just a sample, she kept reminding herself. He belongs to Danielle. For now. His desire for her should make it possible for both of them to learn their hidden mysteries. She felt a slight chill of anticipation. His aura had increased in intensity. "You are ready for me, Andrew. Stop masturbating, and come here," she commanded.
He obeyed instantly. "Yes, Mistress Gina," Andy replied, walking over to her slowly, enthralled. Gina stood up and ran her tongue slowly, hungrily, over her lips. She lightly rested her arms on his shoulders. His body was shaking slightly.
Gina pursed her lips playfully. "Your body consumes itself, Andrew. The sexual tension and energy feed on you. Only I can set you free. But only if you are mine. Are you mine, Andrew?"
Andy would have done anything for her at that point: the shakes were becoming tremors, and his vision was blurry. "Yes, Mistress Gina. I am yours," he answered from deep within his soul, voice quaking. Gina opened her mouth and leaned to his face, filling what was left of his sight. She pulled back after a few seconds (minutes?) The near-convulsions had stopped and he no longer felt ill. He blinked, unaccustomed to his again-clear vision. He looked down and saw that his penis was still fully erect.
Andrew had been absolutely sumptuous, but a little taste was all she could afford to have right now. There were more important matters to attend. "Come for your mistress," Gina purred. She pulled forcefully on the mental tether she held while simultaneously releasing his ejaculatory reflex control.
Somehow, Andy sensed the fibrillation of a woman’s orgasm around his cock. Nothing touched it, there was nothing physically there. Gina was sitting on the edge of the desk, several feet away. He grunted, and his hips bucked mightily at the air. Volley after volley of burning white fluid shot from the tip of Andy’s cock. His eyes bulged and involuntary noises came from his throat and mouth. Small puddles of white fluid were everywhere on the wood floor and he couldn’t stop, he wouldn’t stop there was so much it felt so good he just kept cumming and more white…
"You are mine, Andrew Davidson," Gina said, "to do with as I please. Do you understand?" He lay sprawled in the chair, still undressed, too exhausted to move or speak. She smiled as the weak thought floated to her. "That’s a good boy. Danielle should be here soon." She narrowed her vision, studying his life essence. Still blue, with lively iridescent black sparkles, even after the flare that had accompanied his orgasm. Andrew moved his head to give her a questioning look. He wants to know what I’m looking at… She grinned. "Your life essence is delicious, and it’s so lovely," she said. "I like to look at you as only we can. Yes, I think you’ll do just fine." She felt him try to formulate another question, but she interrupted him before his head cleared enough for him to ask any tough questions. "Who am I, Andrew?"
"You are my Mistress Gina," Andy replied lazily, but honestly, and he was rewarded with a rush of pleasure that made his head spin and Gina smiled and he felt wonderful and…
Nobody else was in the room when Andy came to his senses. It was seven-thirty by his watch and the sun was low in the sky. He was still naked. He looked for his clothes, but they were no longer in the library. The room was comfortably warm, even to his naked body. He decided to stay there, since he didn’t want to go traipsing about the castle in the buff. Andy had no idea how Gina had done it, but now he understood why all the men in the castle were so happy to serve her. She didn’t rule by fear; her control was based on reward. And her reward could get to be very addictive. She had seduced him into complete, willing submission, aided by his own fantasies. That she had been able to do it in an inappropriate setting was testimony to the irresistible nature of her powers. He shuddered at the thought of her doing it to him in public. He had beat off in front of her, at her command. The worst part was that the futile resistance he had put up had been too brief to even be considered token before she overwhelmed it. The bottom line was that he had happily assented to being Gina’s slave. Any control he had over his own actions was subject to her caprice.
She also had said that his life essence was "delicious and so lovely." Andy guessed that she had taken some of it. He didn’t feel any different, but worried about any lingering effects of her theft. At least it hadn’t hurt. He wouldn’t have even suspected that anything had happened if Gina hadn’t said something. He hoped to remember enough to ask her what she meant by "so lovely." He started to look for a mirror to see how many years she had taken off of his life when voices in the hall sent him back to the seat in embarrassed silence. He didn’t want any curious passers-by to see him. The voices came nearer.
"You’re late again, and I do not wish to listen to your excuses any more," the slightly British female voice said. Gina was obviously unhappy with someone. The library door began to open and Andy scrunched into the chair to hide himself as best he could. Had Gina forgotten that he was in there with no clothes on? "Come in the library, and close the door behind you. We have to talk. NOW."
"God, Gina, you sound just like my mother," Danielle grumbled. Panic set in as Andy heard the library door close. Gina smiled less-than-innocently at him as she crossed to her side of the desk. No, she hadn’t forgotten about me… "You!!!" Danielle gasped in surprise. His whole body blushed and he wanted to disappear. Gina ignored the silent pleas he sent her as Danielle sat down in the chair next to his, looked at him and giggled. He wanted to die.
"No you don’t," Gina said lightly, answering his thought while she smiled at his obvious discomfort. Andrew turned away from Danielle. "Don’t be so shy, Andrew," Gina smugly exaggerated. Gina decided to have a little fun. "Let Danielle see you. Show yourself to her. Face her, and don’t hide anything." He turned the chair so that Danielle could look at him, put his arms on the armrests, and opened his legs so she could see all of him. Danielle giggled some more. Gina rewarded him by releasing a torrent of sexual bliss through his whole body. She could find no trace of embarrassment in his system after that. "Well, fun is fun, but I have to speak to you about your… lapses," she said to Danielle, and the room cooled by ten degrees.
"I said I was sorry," Danielle replied with aggravation. There was a momentary silence. "Is that all you’re going to say? I mean, I’ve got a date at ten," she resumed, looking at her watch. She fished out a cigarette and went to light it, but stopped. Andy was there—why not? She held the lighter in front of him and commanded, "Light it for me, my naked servant." There was a mocking grin on her face as he complied. Some days the power was so much fun…
"Look at you," Gina disgustedly began, "wasting your power on meaningless humiliations. Danielle, the power is a gift, one that brings certain responsibilities. It should be used judiciously, for it can demand a price in return." Danielle looked positively bored as Gina lectured. "A ‘date at ten,’ here, ‘light my cigarette, my naked servant,’ there—when will you grow out of your playing stage? I worry that your penchant for self-gratification will destroy you, and possibly us."
"Come on Gina, you can’t tell me that you’ve never used your power to get laid by a cute guy in the past seven hundred years," Danielle countered. She looked around the library. "You’ve certainly never wanted for creature comforts. How much of this expensive shit does the coven really need, huh? Or is it because of… self-gratification?" She smiled, smug and self-satisfied at having turned Gina’s complaint back at her.
"I won’t say that I’ve avoided the trappings of wealth and power," Gina evenly replied. "However, I have never jeopardized the secret of the coven, and therefore, its existence, by my selfish actions."
"Well I haven’t either! I mean, I’ve followed the rules! I even brought him in," Danielle shot back, indicating Andy. "I was gonna let him go ‘cause he spent so much money on me, but no, he had to be brought to the coven." Gina was starting to get on her nerves. What good was the power if she couldn’t use it as she pleased?
"That is not true," Gina calmly said, ignoring Andrew’s desperate mental pleas. "Even if I put aside your petty personal uses of the power, there remains the matter of your irresponsibility. I am most disturbed by your uncaring public use of the power. You know how upset I was about that cab driver. You said that he was old and didn’t have much left. Fine. I let it go because you promised that you would be more careful. Today," she sighed in exasperation, "I read about this bouncer in the paper. How many times do I need to tell you to finish your food?"
Danielle made a face. "He tasted gross. I mean, even you wouldn’t have finished him. It was all gray and slimy," she said defensively. Finish? Food? Gray and slimy? What was all gray and slimy? Andy mentally redirected the question to Gina, and her eyes rested on him briefly in a glance that clearly said, "Not now."
Gina looked at Danielle and shook her head. "No matter how—gross, I would have forced myself to finish him, or left him alive enough to commit suicide in the river or somewhere where he wouldn’t be found." An extremely cold chill ran down Andy’s spine, but he saw that even Danielle had been stunned by Gina’s matter-of-fact statement. Gina resumed, "Miss Gray, I’ve tried to tell you how powerful we are, and how our secret must be kept. It galls me no end that such a dilettante happens to be the most powerful initiate I’ve seen in several of my lifetimes. Did you know that you have come close to frying poor Mr. Davidson’s brain on several occasions?"
No, Andy didn’t know that. "What the fuck am I in the middle of?" he worried silently. Gina continued her lecture, paying his confusion no mind. "I’ve tried to communicate to you how powerful you, specifically, are, but you’ve ignored me. I have made repeated offers to teach you more, but you’ve always been too busy, dating and all that." She sighed. "I suppose it was my fault for encouraging you to get rid of your husband—" Andy shuddered visibly, causing both women to look at him with annoyed expressions. "—But it was the only way you would be able to realize your potential."
Danielle shook her head in disbelief and pouted, remaining silent while Gina continued. "You have a good heart, even if you are somewhat the coquette. You just need some discipline and training. As of this moment, you have no option." She reclined in her chair. "Mr. Davidson has a crush on you," the coven leader started. He blushed again, his entire body going red for both women to see. The flattered expression on Danielle’s face abruptly changed when Gina finished with, "therefore, I have decided that he shall be your training aid. In addition, you are now responsible for his health and well-being."
Danielle couldn’t believe what Gina had just said. "Him??!!?? Oh, please," she snorted derisively. "I don’t think so." Noticing the extremely hurt look on Andy’s face and in his posture, she added, "I mean—he’s not really my type." That was an understatement. She hoped that Gina wasn’t going to make her date him. Her anxiety grew exponentially. Who the hell did Gina think…
"Exactly," Gina pointedly said. "Now, both of you need to be disciplined for your lapses in judgment. You also need to learn more about the extent of your powers. There are certain limits to our powers, which I’m sure has never occurred to you. The two items dovetail perfectly in my mind." She stood up. "I am the leader of the coven by birthright, and my seven hundred years of accumulated experience makes me wise in these matters. It is my right, more importantly, my duty to discipline the other sisters as I see fit. Is that clear?"
Defeated, Danielle bowed her head, and said, "Yes, your ladyship," feeling like she had when her mother caught her losing her virginity. Properly chastised, and thoroughly unrepentant. She looked at Andy and suppressed the urge to make him do something really stupid. "Can he be dressed? I don’t have to look at—that, do I?" Gina nodded and requested some clothes for Andy over the intercom. He dressed rapidly, in silence. Danielle waited impatiently, unhappy, but she knew that it would not be good for her to demonstrate her displeasure in front of Gina. She glanced at her watch; at least she could still keep her scheduled date. "Come along," she listlessly said. "I’ve gotta get you home and call Chris to tell him that I’ll be late." They left the castle, and Danielle was not pleased at all.