Jason threw the book-bag onto his bed and wondered if someone else should take up the mantel of responsibility of guarding the Book. With a look of disgust he yanked the book-bag open and grasped the Book in both hands. He drew it from its confines as he stepped back from the bed.

Soft light bathed his face in golden radiance. The glowing inlaid symbol on the cover reflected in his wide and shocked eyes. He threw the Book down on the bed, but the glow remained.

Jason stared at the Book and willed his hands into grasping it again. They did after a pause, as if expecting the Book to burn his fingers. He put the Book on the floor and kicked it under the bed. Golden light flooded over the floor.

His heart raced. The Book had never done this before. He thrust his hand into his pocket and curled his fingers around the pendant fragment. When no other course of action would come to him, he withdrew it from his pocket and slipped it around his neck. He dropped to his knees and retrieved the Book.

You are free.

"What?" Jason said. "Free from what?"

You have strength.

Could the Book even hear him? He realized this could be the equivalent of a recording.

You have force of will.

Jason didn't feel like it, not after what he had almost done, unless it referred to his link with the Harbingers. Was it sensing the strength he could call on from the others now? He could not claim credit for that.

You have humility.

Jason's head jerked back. Was it reading his thoughts after all?

And now you can have access to my true power.

Jason had the urge to drop the Book again. "I don't want your power. That's why I stopped using ..."

He trailed off as he realized what the Book had said. True power.

But your link to me is inadequate. It is broken and exhausted. You require another.

"I don't understand. Do you mean the pendant? I don't have anything else like it."

You require a symbol of your power. A symbol of magic.

"But I ..."

A symbol of your beliefs.

Jason fell silent. He cradled the pendant fragment in his hand as an idea formed.

Place it upon the symbol inscribed in my cover, and the two will be united.

Just after the incident with Melissa, Mrs. Radson had spoken with Jason after school and given him a pentacle pendant. The only purpose was for Jason's mother to find it and throw it away so she could feel she was doing her motherly duty in protecting her son from that horrible Pagan influence. Audrey had played her part well, thus allowing Jason to avoid explaining the true purpose of the visit.

His mother could not abide having it inside her house, even in the wastepaper basket. She had tossed it into the garbage can that Henry used for yard waste. But by then the first snow of the season had come, and thus little more yard work had to be done.

He remembered what he had read about the pentacle symbol. Contrary to popular belief, it was not an inherent symbol of evil. In some pagan circles, the five-pointed star represented the human form, and its orientation reflected, roughly, the belief system of the person. Pointed up was spiritual over physical. Pointed down was physical over spiritual.

Melissa's pendant pointed down.

The one Mrs. Radson had given him pointed up.

Jason grabbed his jacket and draped it over the Book to mute its light and shoved it under the bed. He raced out the door and halfway down the stairs before he caught himself and slowed. Nevertheless, his mother emerged from the kitchen, tying an apron around her waist. "That was good timing, Jason, as I was just about to--"

"I have ten more minutes, Mom."

Audrey fell silent. She folded her arms, her eyes icy.

"You said twenty minutes. I promise I'll be in then."

"And what is so important it has to be done now?"

Dammit, another lie. "I need to go into the garage and look at my bike. I was thinking of getting something for it and wanted to check the size."

"And must you do that now?"

"Well ... I ... Ten more minutes, Mom, you said--"

"Fine! Do what you want! But if you're a minute later than that -- and now it's nine minutes and counting -- you're grounded for two weeks. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Mom."

Audrey spun on her heel and retreated in a huff.

Jason ran into the garage and flicked on the light. To his relief, the garbage can had not been emptied yet. He sifted through the bits of broken branches and pieces of neighbor's shingles deposited in the yard from the last windstorm until light finally glinted off metal. He glanced at the door before he snatched the pendant and stuffed it into his pocket.

He had to resist running up the stairs. Breathing hard from both exertion and anxiety, he made it to his room and rushed towards the bed. He pulled the Book out and recoiled when he yanked the jacket off it. The glow was as bright as his lamp.

With a trembling hand he withdrew the pentacle pendant from his pocket. He held it between his fingers with it pointed away from him.

"Up, it's pointed up," Jason breathed. "Up. Not down, okay? Up."

He lay the pendant against the glowing symbol on the Book. As he withdrew his hand, a flash like lightning illuminated the room in sharp amber brilliance. The golden rays turned back on themselves, drawing into a swirling disk about the pendant, until a single stylized eye of gold was superimposed on both the pendant and the Book symbol.

The glow faded, and the Book became quiescent.

Jason paused another moment before reaching for the pendant. The metal shone with a dazzling silver gleam, as if the pewter had been transmuted into something more resilient.

His hands hovered above it for another uncertain moment. He grasped it by the chain instead. Even its tiny links sparkled like polished silver. He slipped the chain around his neck and picked up the Book before he could lose his nerve.

The voice came to him at once, its confidence and strength evident even in the brevity of its single statement.

The Book is revealed.

Jason remained quiet for a few more seconds, expecting the voice to have more to say. He set the Book down and said in a clear voice, "Show me the Rite of Power."

The Book stirred and opened. Pages slithered as if alive, until the stark black script of the Rite flowed across the open pages. The text seemed to have even more frightening life to them than they had before, as if the words themselves had a rudimentary, terrible intelligence.

So was this it? All this just to uncover this spell again?

"Show me a spell to control a woman's arousal," Jason announced.

The Book did not move.

Jason frowned. "Show me a simple enslavement spell."

The Book was still.

Jason turned the pages to a random spot between the Rite and the end of the Book. His eyes widened as they tracked across text two centuries old. He turned to another random spot and read. His mouth fell open.

"Sh-show me ... show me a spell to ... to concentrate power along a force line."

The pages flipped in mad abandon as if eager to obey their new master. The inky black text of the spell lay burned into the pages.

"Show me a spell to tap power from a line of force."

Flipflipflip ...

Jason's throat clicked when he swallowed. "Show me a spell to manipulate the energy inside a line of--"

Flipflipflip ...

"Show me a spell to redirect energy from--"

Flipflipflip ...

"Or to concentrate energy from a line in one spot to--"

Flipflipflip ...

"Or ... if ... sh-show me ... show me a spell to move a line of--"

Flipflipflip ...

Jason slammed the Book shut and shoved it under the bed. His heart hammered so hard that his chest ached. He gripped the pendant to stop his hand from shaking.

Now he understood why that one spell had seemed so out of place with the rest. It was not a Book of mind control spells, it was a book of energy line manipulation, a virtual instruction manual for the same lines of force that gathered at the node and gave the Darkness its power.

Still trembling, Jason rose to his feet and glanced at the clock. "Oh, shit!"

He broke for the door and barreled out of his room. He bounded down the stairs and flew threw the dining room, coming to a stop just as his mother marched out of the kitchen.

"S-see? Right on time," Jason said in a shaky voice.

Audrey sighed. "I would dispute that, but I just don't have the energy or the patience. But don't you dare pull that tomorrow, do you understand me?"

"Yes, Mom."

Jason followed her inside and struggled to concentrate on whatever tasks his mother would assign him, even as his mind seethed with the horrible thought of what would happen if the Darkness obtained the Book.

It would be like giving a sociopath the launch keys to a nuclear missile.

Gina could not concentrate on her homework.

The encounter with Stephanie haunted her. She had never seen the girl freak out like that. And why was she frightened of Victor? From Victor's lack of reaction to the name, it seemed Victor did not even know the girl. Yet why was Gina reluctant to say her name, as if she thought Stephanie needed protection from him?

To make matters worse, her pussy was wet and achy. She wanted to welcome it and let her thoughts drift off into her fantasies. She could masturbate herself to a nice, quick orgasm and get back to her homework.

Gina sighed and dropped the pen onto her workbook. She would be so much more comfortable without her blouse and skirt. Yet each time she tried to heed the thought, her mind returned to Stephanie again and the fear.

(he's messing with my head)

Gina closed her eyes and clamped her hands over her ears. She understood now that Stephanie was the catalyst who shattered the calm. This last time was the worst; now Stephanie's words had slipped into her head and formed a chorus with her own hidden inner demon.

But now Victor would be there to help set things right for her again. He would silence her demon now, so she would not have to wait until she saw him in school the next day.

And yet, she could not say that she was looking forward to it.

"Gina."

Gina jerked her head towards the door in time to see it swing open. Her eyes widened when they fell on Victor. Enticing aromas wafting in around him from the kitchen made her stomach rumble and eased her anxiety. "Yes?"

"Dinner is just about ready. You should come downstairs."

"Oh, okay." Gina set the workbook aside and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

"Is there a problem?" Victor asked, his voice gentle.

"Huh? Oh, um, no, not at all, I ..."

Trust him.

"Uh ... th-that is ..."

Always trust him.

Gina shivered. "I was s-still thinking about Stephanie."

"Ah, I see."

"I was worried about her, the way she ran off, like she was frightened."

"Hmm. Well, I certainly hope it was not over me," Victor said with a soft smile. "I wouldn't hurt a fly."

Gina smiled and nodded. "Of course."

She approached the door. Victor did not move, forcing her to stop. She looked up and tilted her head.

"It is important that you practice everything you have learned," said Victor. "That is one of the things I will help you with. Now, what is the most important thing you learned right from the start?"

The words fell from her lips. "That I should accept my sexuality."

"And how do you show me that acceptance?"

Gina stood still for another few seconds, her thoughts glacial for some reason she could not fathom. Finally, she started to undress.

"It's so much more important now, Gina, especially in your own home. You learned to do this in my office, and you have done it when only your mother is present. You need to take the next step."

Gina felt flushed as she stripped to her underwear. Her nipples rose and hardened in anticipation of their display and tingled as the cups of her bra slid from them. Her pussy relinquished her panties from where they had become wedged in her wet slit. She stepped out of them and tossed them onto her bed.

"How do you feel, Gina?" Victor asked.

"Warm," Gina replied. "And a little horny."

"That is very good to hear. It should be enjoyable for you. It should be something you want to do. Your sexuality is a wonderful thing, Gina. It is meant to be shared. Come along and I will show you more of what I mean."

Victor led her downstairs. She heard her mother bustling in the kitchen. The dining room table had been set for dinner, a rarity in her house since the kitchen table was adequate for two.

Gina paused at the foot of the stairs when her mother stepped out of the kitchen carrying a large bowl of steaming vegetables. An apron covered her front down to her knees. She wore nothing else.

Roberta looked up as she set the bowl down and smiled. She straightened and brought her hands together. "Oh, Gina, I am so proud of you! I knew you wouldn't disappoint our guest."

Gina did not reply. She had seen her mother nude before, but not in such an incongruous moment.

"I did say she would be mindful of you," Roberta said to Victor. "Certainly she has been a very good little girl the past few days."

A wave of soft pleasure washed over Gina, and she offered a weak smile. Of course she would be good. She would never think of doing anything less.

"Mothers always have a soft spot for their little girls," Victor said. "I am happy she lived up to your praise. Do go about fetching the rest of dinner, Roberta."

"Of course, at once."

Gina watched her go, her bare ass cheeks bouncing with her eager gait.

Victor lay a hand on Gina's shoulder. "Here, you should have the seat in the middle."

She approached the table. Settings were placed at either end, and another at the long side between them. She slid into her seat as Roberta burst out of the kitchen to serve another course. She stared at her mother, gaze intense and questioning.

"Do you see what I mean, Gina?" Victor said.

Gina turned her eyes to him.

"Your mother lives what she has taught you. She accepts her own sexuality without question or hesitation."

Gina had a lot of questions. How did her mother learn such a thing? Did Victor teach her? Did she know Victor already? If so, why wasn't Gina aware of their relationship?

She could give voice to none of them, as it would be improper. Her place was to accept it and ...

Trust.

... trust that Victor knew best.

(...messing with my...)

"Gina?"

Gina blinked rapidly for a few seconds. "Yes?"

"Are you still thinking about this other girl?"

"No. Not really."

Victor looked up as Roberta arrived with the plate of roast beef. "It is important to keep your mind in the present, Gina," Victor said as the plate was placed in the center of the table. His eyes lingered on Roberta as she stepped to the side to untie her apron. "As your mother does. She does not dwell on the past, or worry about the future."

Roberta folded her apron neatly and put it aside, leaving her nude. She beamed at Gina and Victor before she sat down.

"Save, perhaps, for your future, Gina," said Victor.

Gina looked at him. He smiled in return. A small shiver of pleasure passed through her and made her pussy throb and ache.

Richie ate his hamburger in silence while his mother watched him from across the table, clad in only her robe. She held the folds closed across her breasts with one hand, while the other played with the belt. She stared at her son with eyes both pleading and apologetic.

She shifted in her seat, the creak of the chair prominent in the unnerving quiet. The hand at her waist finally freed the bow. Her other hand lingered for a moment before it dropped. She let out a slow, lusty sigh and sat back, her robe falling open.

Richie's eyes flicked up, lingered over Sandra's bare breasts for a few seconds, then dropped to his meal once more.

Sandra leaned forward, and the robe slipped from her shoulders. She bent forward, letting her boobs dangle under her. "Richie."

His eyes flicked up again.

Sandra's lips curved into a tremulous smile. "You can have these after dinner," she cooed, though her voice quavered.

Richie stared as he chewed. He swallowed and looked away. "You can keep 'em," he said.

"You want them."

Richie said nothing, nor gave any other clue that he had heard her.

Sandra leaned back in her chair again. She slid her foot forward and touched the inside of Richie's calf. "I-I'm already wet for you again, Richie," she said as her foot stroked his leg.

"Use a freakin' dildo, then."

Sandra raised her foot to his thigh. "A dildo is just not the same."

Richie said nothing. His legs quivered but did not move out of the way. He took another large bite of his burger, almost too large for him to chew at once.

Sandra slid her hips forward and stretched her foot. Her toes found Richie's crotch and its hardening bulge of betrayal. Agitated tendrils of Darkness slithered around Richie's thighs, but trembled and writhed as if in pain. She wiggled her toes and was rewarded with an even harder bulge and a tiny shiver through Richie's body.

Richie reached under the table and grasped his mother's ankle. Sandra grabbed the edge of the table, rattling the silverware. Richie threw her foot to the side, his mother almost sliding out of the chair.

"What the fuck part of 'no' don't you understand?" Richie declared.

Sandra righted herself in the chair. "But I can tell you want it."

"I don't give a rat's ass what my dick wants. I don't have to stick it in you if I don't want to."

Sandra's eyes took on a hollow, haunted look as she stared at her son. "It will punish me."

Richie stopped chewing and looked up.

"It will. Very badly. You don't want to see your mother hurt, do you, Richie?"

Richie narrowed his eyes. He stared at the Aura, trying to determine who was really speaking. His heart ached just the same to look into that despairing gaze.

He was drawing on the power from the others. He felt it like a warm wind against his back. He sensed a presence, as if the others were standing behind him.

If he did do it, he could call on them to prevent himself from falling to the Darkness. He could have his jollies and keep his will, all at the expense of the Harbingers knowing he caved. Then he could claim it was to protect his mother. Maybe they would even believe him.

The problem was that he was not sure he believed it himself.

"No, I don't want to see you hurt, Mom," Richie said in a softer voice.

Sandra smiled, but the haunted look remained. That gave Richie his answer. "Okay, Richie. When you finish your burger, we can--"

"I'm gonna go to my room and web surf for a bit, then maybe call it a day."

Sandra's smile faded. "But--"

Richie crammed the last bit of his dinner into his mouth, chewed it just enough to get it down, and swallowed. He pushed the plate away from him with enough force to slide it halfway across the table as he stood. "Mom, this is to the fucking Darkness and not you: you're so full of shit I might hafta close the door so my room don't stink."

The Aura shuddered, tendrils whipping and snapping.

"Yeah, you. You know you're gonna punish her no matter what I do. It's how you fuckin' get off anymore. If it's not this, it's something else. You want sex? Fine. Go fuck yourself, then." His eyes shimmered. "I'm sorry, Mom."

He twisted away, toppling his chair, and barreled out of the room.

The few words that were exchanged during the meal were largely commands to Gina's mother to bring one thing or another to his end of the table. Gina was a little disconcerted -- but not shocked -- to see her mother submit to him without question.

The rest of the time consisted of scrutiny from Victor. His eyes appeared on her every time she glanced at him. Even if his eyes were lowered to his meal, they lifted to hers within a second, as if he could predict her actions. Whenever their eyes met, a wave of relaxation suffused her body and mind, until her initial anxiety eased. By the time the end of the meal drew near, thoughts of Stephanie no longer preoccupied her.

Now Victor regarded her with a pensive look, hands folded under his chin. "Gina, I wish to show you something. Please pay close attention."

Gina put down her fork and sat up in her chair.

Victor turned his head towards the other end of the table. "Roberta."

Gina's mother looked up and put her fork down as well. "Yes, Victor, what is it you wish?"

Victor pushed his chair back and turned it to the side. "Come here."

"Yes, Victor."

Gina watched her mother rise from the chair and start towards Victor. She stared as Roberta began to move in a manner she had never seen before. Each step was measured, the foot thrust forward in a line before the other. Her hips swayed like a pendulum, rhythmic, graceful, and sensuous. Her torso twisted with each dip of her hips, making her breasts jiggle with each step.

As she passed behind Gina, Gina heard a low, husky sigh, and a moist whiff of aroused female flesh drifted into her nose. Roberta stopped a few feet before Victor's chair, leaving her hips tilted, one leg slightly bent. In the brief silence that followed, Gina heard soft panting.

"Here I am, Victor," said Roberta in a silky voice. "Do you wish to have sex with me now?"

Gina's eyes widened.

"What do you see your mother doing, Gina?" Victor asked.

Gina took a few seconds to form the proper reply. "She's ... um ... she's offering herself to you."

Victor smiled. "Good girl. Yes, that's exactly what she's doing."

Gina squirmed. Her pussy would not stop tingling.

"Once again, you see her living what she teaches. But there is something else that you need to understand about what she just did."

Gina looked at her mother, then back at him. She shook her head in confusion.

"See how she came to me. See how she stands now before me."

Gina looked again. Her mother was panting harder. She held her torso at a slight incline, letting her breasts dangle from her body, the nipples erect.

"It's called presentation," said Victor. "Accepting your sexuality and learning to offer your sexuality to others are the endpoints. What lies between them is presentation. You present yourself to others in a manner that shows them of your acceptance, and that alerts them to your willingness to offer yourself."

Gina nodded slowly.

"Now see something else, Gina," Victor continued. "See how it affects her. Roberta, turn towards your daughter."

"Yes, Victor," Roberta said in a breathy voice and obeyed.

Gina's eyes were drawn to it no matter how much she wanted to turn her head away out of a misplaced sense of decorum. Her mother's bare, hairless pussy was so wet that it oozed.

"It arouses her," Victor said in a low voice. "Intensely."

Gina swallowed. Her pussy ached again.

"Presentation is the most exciting, arousing thing that you can do."

Gina squirmed again. Her nipples buzzed and stiffened.

"Just the simple act of nudity and allowing another to gaze at it can be enough."

Gina let out a ragged sigh. Her thighs quivered.

"Gina, stand up," Victor said.

Trembling, she climbed from her chair. She lay a hand upon the edge of the table to steady herself. Her heart pounded.

"Now turn towards me."

Gina hesitated, then slid a foot to the side and stepped out from in front of the chair. She turned to face him. Victor gazed upon her, and a visible shiver passed through her. Her nipples ached almost as much as her pussy.

Victor smiled. "You see? It is that simple."

Heat rose in her sex. Her heartbeat became a throbbing ache in her swollen cunt.

A low moan distracted her, and her head jerked towards it. Her lips parted as she watched her mother gently masturbate.

"That is another way," said Victor. "Just as you did for me in the office."

Gina's eyes glazed, her senses overwhelmed. A noisy breath escaped past her lips. One foot fetched up against the leg of the chair as it slid to one side. Her fingers sank into hot, moist flesh.

"It will become much more natural to you quite soon," Victor said. "Especially when you extend it outside the confines of the house or my office."

Gina uttered another gasp and struggled to speak as her fingers massaged her clit just enough to keep her at a low level of pleasure without rising. "B-but ... I can't do this at school ... I mean, not really, can I ...?"

Victor stood. "No, not like this. But there are other ways to present yourself."

Gina moaned and stroked faster. Victor draped his hand over hers and shook his head.

"No. No more than this. Not to rise, just to pleasure. Never take yourself further than that."

Memories flashed through her head. Brad fucking her. Her sucking his cock. The wonderful sensation of her orgasmic reward.

"Masturbation for exploration and education was a useful tool, but it is not the right one moving forward. Now climax should come only from sex, or if your orgasm would please another."

Gina swallowed hard. Her heart thundered, teasing her cunt with low, weak throbs. She looked up at him. Her lower lip quivered, and her cheeks flushed. "Do ... do you want to have sex with me?" she finally breathed.

Victor's smile widened. "Very good, Gina. Very good indeed. You are starting to learn. But you are not quite ready for me. It would not be appropriate."

Gina looked stricken, then confused. "But ... you already ..."

She trailed off. Victor tilted his head. "Already what?"

A pause, then, "I don't know what I was about to say."

"Very well. Now ..." He stepped back from her. "Calm yourself as best you can, and return to your room. Think on what you have learned. In the morning, I will show you how to carry this lesson further within your school day."

It took Gina well over a minute to quell her carnal urges to the point where she could stop masturbating. When her hand finally fell away, Victor approached her mother. "Roberta, I will have you now. Take me to your bedroom."

"Thank you, Victor!" Roberta gushed. "This way."

"Oh, goodness!" Cassie cried into the phone. "Jason, are you sure it was okay to link yourself to the Book like that?"

"It's the only way I found out what this Book really is," Jason said.

"But if it has some sort of intelligence, it might affect you like it did Melissa!"

"That was from the pendant, not the Book. Remember what Mrs. Radson said: some of the essence of the Darkness was trapped in it when her mother had stopped the Rite the first time it was attempted."

"I don't understand something, though. Why did the Rite -- and only the Rite -- appear for Melissa and then disappear when she was defeated?"

"I don't know, Cassie. Maybe the Darkness was able to force the Book to reveal that spell. The Book was still linked to the old pendant, so the Darkness might have had some influence over it."

"Jason, is there any way we can use these spells?" Cassie asked. "If the Darkness is drawing power from the node and we can disrupt that--"

"Yeah, I thought about that, but a lot of the more powerful spells require some rather nasty setup. I mean, nothing as bad as the Rite of Power, but lots of enslaving others, using their sexuality to power the spell, or using them to help channel power."

"This is terrible!" Cassie cried. "We can't let anyone have that Book now!"

"We certainly can't let the Darkness have it. At least linking to the Book will allow me to protect it better."

"Or make you a bigger target!"

"Yeah, well, I've been living with that prospect for awhile now," Jason said, unable to keep the acidic edge out of his voice.

"Maybe we should just hide the Book somewhere."

"If we found it when it was hidden, someone else could."

"But we used a clue that was left behind specifically so someone could find it."

Jason sighed. He was tempted to take Cassie's suggestion, but it felt too much like abrogating responsibility by leaving the safety of the Book to random chance. "For all we know, Cassie, we may all be under surveillance. We'd just lead the Darkness right to wherever we hid it. Anyway, I'm getting the sense that the Book can't be taken from someone, it has to be given."

"How do you figure that?"

"Well, think about Heather's vision for a moment," Jason explained. "The way he put it suggested that he made us give it up rather than took it from us. Then consider that Doctor Mann was trying to get me to bring the Book to school. The most logical next step would be to influence me into giving it to him."

"That's possible, I suppose."

"I know it's a bit circumstantial, but I think we need to start following up on hunches more often. Certainly Ned has that nailed; he was suspicious of Mann from the start."

"That reminds me, Jason. Ned wants you to talk to him tonight. He has an idea."

Jason nodded. "Yeah, I can guess, since I already thought about it as well. He wants me to bring a decoy Book, doesn't he?"

"Yes, he does. I'm not so sure I like the idea."

"But it sure would cinch things if Mann tried to get it from me. We'd know we were right."

"I'm just worried about what he would do when he sees you don't really have the Book."

Jason remained silent.

"Jason?" Cassie prompted.

"Sorry, I was thinking. I'll see what happens when I call him."

"All right. By the way, did you get a chance to talk to Richie?"

"Yes, right before I called you."

"Did he say anything about his mother?"

"Yeah, he did," said Jason. "I'm not sure I understand it. He told me he thought that his father was protecting him somehow when the Darkness was trying to get at him through his mother."

Cassie gasped. "Really? How?" she asked in an excited voice.

"Something about a link through his baseball. I don't think he knew quite how to explain it."

"No, no, it makes perfect sense!" Cassie gushed. "The baseball is a treasured gift. It could have some sort of psychic resonance. The energy lines under Haven might amplify that."

"It's beyond me, at any rate."

"Ask Mrs. Radson about it."

"I'll try. My Mom has me on a strict time limit tomorrow. That's another thing, Cassie. I'm having more problems with my mother about all this."

Cassie sighed. "I guess that was inevitable."

"Listen, I better hang up and call Ned before Mom complains about me being on the phone too much."

"Okay, Jason, I'll see you tomorrow. Bye."

"Bye."

Gina lay writhing atop her bed, arms wrapped about herself under her breasts, thighs spread to accept an absent lover. Her own heavy panting could not compete with the loud moans and shrill cries of pleasure that drifted through the wall from her mother's bedroom. Her pussy flared with renewed heat at each one, a despairing whimper escaping her trembling lips.

She pined to touch herself and relieve the intense pressure. She was sure it would take only a few strokes before she came hard. The wrinkled sheet was dotted with wet spots from her dripping pussy.

Yet Victor's directive had been as good as a chastity belt. She was not to masturbate anymore unless it was to please another.

Just a light touch was all she needed. Just rubbing her thighs together would do it. Victor wouldn't see her. He wouldn't know. He wouldn't think to ask.

She replayed these thoughts in her head despite the distraction of her aching cunt. Yet her hands would never move towards her pussy. Her legs would never close. The thought itself became harder to form. The more she squirmed and suffered, the more it seemed proper and normal.

Gina no longer heard the strange voice in her head. Stephanie no longer spoke to her as well, silencing the chorus. Perhaps the two had been one and the same. Stephanie was like some strange, false conscience, filling her head with ideas contrary to everything her mother had ever taught her and subverting her emotions by engendering fear for Victor.

Gina understood that she should be glad that Victor had again shown her the right path. She should rejoice that the voices would not plague her again. Yet she called out to them anyway, and felt a tiny pain of loss when they would not answer.

Gina rolled over and clutched the pillow, letting out a moan both anguished and lustful. Her pussy throbbed against the bed but would not completely crest into orgasm. Her nipples tingled where they rubbed against the sheets.

Finally, after a few minutes of her pussy straining at the edge of a climax that remained out of her reach, she realized that she had heard only her own ragged breathing for the past five minutes. She rolled onto her back and calmed her breathing enough to listen. There was only silence.

Slowly, her need eased. Exhaustion replaced lust. What had she been thinking about? What was it that had distressed her? She could not recall anything more than vague images. Something about Stephanie? Or perhaps Victor? No, not Victor. He knew what was best for her. He was going to teach her so much.

I trust him implicitly, was Gina's final thought before she fell into deep slumber.

"Well, fuck," Ned finally said.

"You think my idea is that bad?" asked Jason.

"Nah, I jus' wish I had thought of it first. It's freakin' inspired, dude."

"Mind you, I don't know if it will work," Jason said. "The old spells may not operate properly when the Book is converted to this new format."

"Seems ta me they'd kinda hafta work. Ya got all these spells ta mess with the energy lines that require ya ta have obedient red-shirts ta do the dirty work. Ya gotta be able ta use the other spells ta do that for ya."

"But would it expect me to memorize all those other spells first?"

"Mebbe it can switch back and forth."

"I didn't see any mechanism for that."

"Didja ask it?"

Jason paused. "I hadn't thought of that. Hang on, let me check."

Jason put the phone down and bounded towards his bed. He pulled out the Book and slipped on the pendant. "Can you show me the other spells?"

He received no verbal response, but the golden symbol glowed for a few seconds, and the edges of the Book vibrated. He opened to a random page and found a spell for inducing orgasms in someone at will. He closed the Book and said, "Now reveal the energy line spells."

Another shimmer of light, another tingling in his fingers. He opened it again and found a spell for bending an energy line so it would intersect a given point. He put the Book and pendant away and returned to the phone. "Wow, it worked."

"Natch."

"So those original spells are really just a means to an end. For each of the new spells I looked at, I could identify most of the original spells I would need to accomplish the prerequisites."

"So then yer plan oughta work. Sure ya want yer head messed with like that?"

Jason frowned. "Not really, but we don't have much choice. I have just one problem, though. I don't have anything here that's the right size."

"Not a prob. I got something here that'll fit the bill. An old single-volume encyclopedia my parents had lyin' around."

"They won't notice it missing?"

Ned snorted. "Ya never met my parents, didja? The great intellectuals of our time they ain't. Now we jus' gotta figger out a way to make it look the part."

"I don't think we have time to do that. Best thing I can think of is using some packaging paper to make a dust jacket for it and just touch up the edges of the cover and spine with some sort of dye to fool the eye long enough for him to take it away."

"Hey, that's clever, I like it. Yeah, I can get on that for ya. Think I got some shoe polish 'round here that's about the same color as the Book cover. An' some paper. I can hand it off to ya in the parkin' lot, and then we can pull the ol' hocus-pocus on ya ta get yer head all set."

"I don't like doing this without talking to Diane about it first," Jason said.

"Why Diane? Oh, wait, cuz Victor the Wonder Freud will hafta use her ta make ya give it ta him. Too late ta call her, then?"

Jason frowned. "That's the problem. If I do tell her about this, Doctor Mann might find out. If this is going to work, I have to keep her in the dark. She has to think I have the Book because she influenced me into it."

"Aw, crap, yeah, yer right. Damn."

"I feel like I'm using her as bait without her knowledge."

Ned pondered. "Look, she's chompin' at the bit ta do something good fer the group. We'll tell her afterward. I think she'd be okay with it. Not like ya have a choice. If he's gunnin' fer the Book, he'll use her anyway regardless of what mach'nations we're doing."

"I guess you're right." Jason continued in a more contrite tone, "Ned, I want to apologize for not believing you about suspecting Victor Mann."

"Nah, don't sweat it. I was jus' followin' my instinct, honed from way too much TV, bad sci-fi movies, and games where ya roll the funny dice."

Jason grinned. "And that instinct is ...?"

"Never trust a guy with a goatee, or who has a title like Grand Vizier, or that has a generic-soundin' name like 'Mann.'"

Jason laughed.

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