Jason stood rapt before the mirror of the upstairs bathroom. He had been a huge Star Trek fan since he was a child. Years before his family had moved to Haven, his mother had offered many times to buy him a Trek-themed costume for Halloween. Jason had always begged off, not so much because he didn't care for trick-or-treating (he didn't) but that any costume he could procure would look cheap and unrealistic.

But when he looked at himself in the mirror now, he felt like he had just stepped into one of his own Trek fantasies.

It was so close to perfect that he had to stare hard to see any differences from the real thing. He half-expected to see a Next Generation set behind him. Even the badge communicator was solid, instead of just a sewn-on patch. He raised his hand and almost tapped it just to see if it would make the electronic twitter.

Okay, that's going a little far, Jason thought, lowering his hand. You're nerding out way too much as it is.

He turned to the side and examined the four gold pips on the collar. Captain rank. He couldn't resist. He drew himself straight and tugged at his uniform as he had seen Captain Picard do so many times on the show.

Yeah, that's definitely enough, Jason thought, though he did not stop grinning.

A pounding fist on the door finally snapped him out of it. "Hey, Mr. Trekkie, you finally got that thing on?"

"Trekker," Jason muttered under his breath. In a louder voice, he said, "Uh, yeah, Melinda, I have it on."

"Then what are you doing? Waiting for someone to beam you out of there?"

Jason sighed and felt his heart pound. He never thought he would ever worry about a girl laughing at him again. "Um, all right, I'm coming out."

Jason held his breath as he opened the bathroom door, his hand still gripping the doorknob like a lifeline.

Melinda stared at him for a few seconds, though they seemed like hours to Jason. She tilted her head. "Jason, that ... that actually looks kind of cool."

Jason let his breath go. "You really think so?"

"Well, definitely nerdy, but cool. I mean, it looks like the real thing, you know?"

Jason nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I thought that, too. Cassie really pulled through. I almost feel guilty about it. This couldn't have been cheap."

Melinda smirked. "Almost guilty?"

"Well, come on, how often does a fan like me get a chance to dress up like this?"

"At least you're not going to look as dumb as I do. Shit, maybe I should've done the slave girl thing after all."

Jason paused. "An Orion slave girl, you mean?"

"Yeah, that. And put your eyeballs back in your head! Not like you need me prancing around in something like that when you can get me naked whenever you want."

"Um, well, yeah, I know, but ... well, there's other things about--"

"Don't you ever make me paint myself green!"

The sheer incongruity of her statement made Jason chuckle.

Melinda folded her arms. "And just what are you laughing at?"

"Um, n-nothing." When Melinda eyed him, Jason tried to smile. "I wouldn't do that to you. Green's not your color. And you'd have to dye your hair black, which would look really dumb on you."

Melinda smiled faintly. "As if there could be anything dumber than this fairy costume."

"I was serious when I said it looked nice on you."

Melinda's smile widened. She looked about to say something when they both heard the door open downstairs.

"Cassie and Ned are here, finally!" Melinda said and rushed away. Jason let out his own relieved sigh at the judicious end to an awkward moment and followed his girlfriend. He almost ran into her halfway down the stairs when she stopped and gasped. "Ohmigod, Cassie, that's gorgeous!"

Jason edged around Melinda as he turned his gaze towards the front door. The vision that met him made him linger a few seconds longer.

Cassie's costume was gorgeous. Jason could not think of any other word to do it justice. The gown was so white and pure that it nearly shone. Sequins were woven along its gold-trimmed edges, flashing with sparkling brilliance. Just under the bottom edge of the dress he spied elegant white shoes with two-inch heels. The glittery tiara nestled within perfectly coiffed curls completed the picture.

Jason witnessed Cassie blush as he stepped off the stairs, the pink contrasting against all that white even from across the room. A box almost exactly like the one in which Jason had carried his costume was tucked under one arm. Now she drew the box before her like a shield as everyone looked at her.

"Cassie, you really look beautiful in that costume," Mrs. Radson said.

"Anybody got a pair of sunglasses so it doesn't freakin' blind me?" Richie said with a smirk.

Cassie's blush deepened. "This actually isn't ... I-I mean, I wore this just to ..." She withered under Mrs. Radson's concerned gaze. "Um ... long story. I just need somewhere private for a few minutes to ... well, you'll see."

"Oh, um, of course, you can use the guest bedroom and bathroom upstairs," Mrs. Radson said, a bit nonplussed. "Jason can show you where it is."

Cassie nodded and gave Mrs. Radson a nervous smile before she crossed the room.

"Cassie, where's Ned?" Heather called out.

Jason turned his head. Heather stood in the far corner of the room. Her voice was both husky and tremulous.

"Oh! Yes, he's here, he, um ... well, he wants to make an entrance."

Richie raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah, this oughta be good."

Cassie turned to Mrs. Radson. "Um, he wants you to close the door but leave it open just a crack." She sighed. "I'm sorry, he's really taking this to the hilt, if you don't want to--"

Debby smiled gently and closed the door as Cassie instructed, then stood back. Diane stepped forward, lingering near Richie as curiosity rose above her fog of simple obedience.

After a few seconds had passed, a raspy version of Ned's voice bellowed: "Avast, ye scurvy dogs! Prepare ta be boarded!"

Richie snorted and clamped a hand over his mouth. Melinda rolled her eyes.

The door was kicked open with a rattling thump. Ned stood in the doorway, resplendent in his pirate costume. His hat was perched at an angle on his head, midnight black with a skull-and-crossbones symbol embroidered in blood red upon its brim. One eye was covered in a black leather patch, its edge designed to appear ragged to suggest years of use. A bright green and yellow fake stuffed parrot was perched on his shoulder.

"Avast, ye bilge rats, I be takin' this here ship fer my own!" Ned declared as he swaggered over the threshold. "I be Blacknose the Pirate, scourge--"

Richie snorted laughter into his hand.

Ned gave him the evil eye (the unpatched one). "I heard that, ye landlubber! Show some respect, or I'll have ya keelhauled. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah. Blacknose the Pirate, scourge of the seven seas and terror of Port Haven! I be lookin' fer treasure and wenches, and not necessarily in that order!"

Jason grinned. Even Melinda was trying to stop from smiling. Richie shook with suppressed hysterics. Jason was grateful to see Debby smiling as well. He had a feeling Ned would pull something like this, and was glad that it did not appear to disturb her.

"May I suggest to the dreaded Blacknose that he close the door before he lets the heat out?" Debby said gently.

"Ah, but here be a fine saucy we ... er ... ah ... saucy ... Mrs. Radson," Ned said, grinning.

"Oh, nice save, Mr. Dreaded Pirate," Melinda said.

"Since ya asked so nicely, Blacknose be obliged ta comply," said Ned as he shut the door behind him.

"Thank you," Debby said, smiling.

"Now, then, on ta the plunderin'!"

"So long as you'll be satisfied with raiding the fridge."

"Arr, but that be a fine idea! Piratin' is thirsty work. A bit o'grog would be jus' the thing."

"You'll have to be satisfied with soda, I'm afraid."

"Arr, but that be soundin' like a fine brew! Onward ta plunder!"

Ned barreled out of the room and into the kitchen. Jason began to applaud. The others joined in, and Ned popped out of the kitchen to take off his hat and bow to his audience. "Thank you, thank you! I'll remember all the little people that helped me along the way when I get my star on Hollywood boulevard."

Cassie smiled as well, all trace of embarrassment gone. She swooped over to Ned before he could retreat into the kitchen and gave him a light kiss on the lips. "I'll go put my real costume on now, Ned," she said, a soft, sultry cadence to her voice.

"I can hardly wait, my dear. Arr!"

Cassie giggled and picked up her dress as she headed up the stairs. Jason watched her as she ascended.

"Hey."

Jason turned towards Ned.

Ned grinned and gave him a thumbs-up. "Nice costume, Captain."

Jason smiled. "Thanks."

Charles arrived at the church early. He needed something to do to keep his mind off his troubles, as daunting a task that seemed. He also needed the time away from his mansion. He could no longer trust his staff not to spy on him and report all his actions to Victor. It was not simply paranoia; on several occasions he had witnessed his servants whispering to each other in the hallways, only to scurry away when he approached.

Charles had put on his robes and thus looked the part of a Prophet of the Glorious One, and the cultists bowed their heads in reverence when they passed. He didn't feel the part. The lie seemed to stand out to him now, so much so that he felt the urge to demand that the other cultists see it as well.

He looked towards the altar, and his stomach clenched. In less than eight hours, Gina would be sprawled across the top, naked and bound hand and foot, driven to excruciating levels of unrequited desire until her final and total submission. The release of her denied pleasure would destroy her will and seal her fate as a lifelong slave.

In his mind's eye, he saw Stephanie Fowler once more, crying and screaming as her sexual need grew to monstrous proportions, her resistance refusing to wane. The look on Victor's face when he realized his mistake was still seared into Charles' mind. First frustration, then a rare display of fear when he saw that his own actions had awakened Stephanie's latent power.

"Prophet?"

Charles flinched. "Kelly, please don't do that."

"My apologies, Prophet," said Kelly, once again dressed in her cultist robes. "Do you have a moment?"

Charles looked back at the altar and willed away the ghost of the past. It lingered anyway even as he turned towards Kelly. "Yes, what is it?"

"I am curious as to your opinion," said Kelly. She paused, looking uncertain. "I realize we have been at odds, Prophet, and I am sorry for that."

Charles waved a hand. "Please, get to the point."

Kelly knitted her hands together before her. "I witnessed something at the school today, something that disturbed me greatly."

Charles frowned. Now what, he thought. "Yes?"

Kelly glanced over her shoulder and drew closer to Charles, lowering her voice to a whisper. "Prophet, I fear this will sound blasphemous, but I witnessed the Glorious One in a moment ... what appeared to be a moment of weakness."

Charles' heart sank. "What happened?"

Kelly recounted the details of the confrontation at the school, ending with Jason's lunge and subsequent strike against Victor. "Prophet, he drew blood from the Glorious One. Is that even possible?"

Charles had no idea how to respond. The cult was not supposed to think of Victor as an omniscient and omnipotent god! It was never supposed to go that far!

"Prophet, I have thoughts that I am sure the Glorious One would not approve of," Kelly continued in the wake of Charles' silence. "Things I dare not reveal to Him. Things that--"

"I've heard enough, Kelly," Charles snapped.

Kelly fell silent and lowered her eyes.

Charles sighed. "The Glorious One is working against powerful evil forces, Kelly."

Her gaze rose and fixed on Charles.

I cannot believe I am doing this, Charles thought. "Surely you must understand that if there can be a force for good as powerful as the Glorious One, that there could be evil forces with similar strengths?"

Kelly hesitated. "I suppose that's possible, Prophet."

"It is possible, Kelly."

"But I did not think that the Glorious One would allow such a thing to happen in the first place."

"I am sure he has his reasons, and that ought to be good enough for all of us."

Kelly slowly nodded. "Yes. Yes, of course. I was foolish to think otherwise," she said in a toneless voice. "Thank you, Prophet, for setting me straight on this matter."

Charles nodded in return, but she had already turned away.

He was not at all sure he had done any good whatsoever. Even if Kelly thought she had hidden it, Charles had seen the lingering doubt in her eyes.

Keep it together, Charles told himself. Keep it together for another eight hours and it will all be over.

Some of the allure of hosting Jason and his friends was wearing off for Debby. Even the bit of amusement with Ned's arrival had carried her for only a few minutes. With all of them present and Jason was again in their midst as their leader, they were no longer a bunch of teenagers but the Harbingers, and she was separated from them by more than a mere generation gap.

But in another light, they were still just teenagers, talking about things that they should have little business doing until they were much older. Then she had to chastise herself for slipping into "protective parent mode" again.

It would do her little good. The atmosphere was saturated with their heightened sexuality. Even in the absence of obvious arousal, their minds were far more open to sex than even the most promiscuous in her own circle, and it was beginning to affect her.

Then there was Diane. Debby felt uneasy around her. Her gentle deference bordered on subservience, and Debby was caught between the need to give comfort and the strange, alien notion that she should order the girl about like a servant.

Debby finally had to retreat, even if for only a short while. Any sort of distance would allow her to shield herself and get herself back on an emotional even keel. While Cassie was upstairs, she slipped into the kitchen, but stopped only two steps inside. "Oh, um, hello, Heather."

Startled, Heather spun around. She had been staring out into the deepening twilight through the kitchen window. "Um, sorry. Does someone want me, Mrs. Radson? I just came in here for ... well, never mind, I'll just--"

"Is something the matter, Heather?" Debby asked, though it was rhetorical. Even without any advance preparation, she could tell that Heather's psychic aura was disturbed.

Heather shook her head. "I just wanted to get away from everything for a few minutes." She started back towards the living room. "I really should get back, Jason will probably want to try the spell soon."

Debby remained silent as Heather passed, her need for solitude overriding her compassion. "Heather, wait, please," she finally said just as Heather reached the door.

Heather paused, then uttered a short, exasperated sigh and turned, folding her arms. "What is it, Mrs. Radson?" she asked, her voice sharp.

"You're quite upset, and I want to make sure it wasn't anything I've done."

Heather stared in surprise. "What? No, of course not."

"You just seemed a little on edge ever since you arrived."

"How would you know?" Heather snapped. She covered her eyes with her hand for a moment. "I'm sorry, I take that back."

Debby touched Heather's arm. Heather's aura was perturbed, a quiver within the band that represented her sexuality. "Something is wrong, isn't it?"

Heather sighed. "It's not something you can do anything about," she said in a lower voice.

Debby withdrew her hand, and Heather relaxed a bit. "Maybe not, but I might understand more than you think."

Heather looked into Debby's eyes and found herself missing the mother she thought she used to have. Her eyes glistened, and she took a deep, quivering breath. The repressed anguish could be heard when she cleared her throat. "It's just ... it's just this thing we're going to be doing today."

"You mean the spell," Mrs. Radson said in a neutral voice.

"Um, yeah, that," Heather said. "Look, this is my own hangup, not yours. I really don't know why it's coming up. Things like this shouldn't matter to me anymore."

"Things like what?"

"Things like who's watching me when I fuck."

Debby managed not to show her aversion to the harsh language, save for a brief flicker in her eyes.

"Mrs. Radson, I have to be honest about this. I really got thrown by what Jason told us, that you might want to join in."

Debby sighed, which came out sounding more husky than she cared. Touching Heather had sparked a heat in her sex that she could not douse, and now threatened to grow again on its own. "To be honest, Heather, I was hoping to avoid it this first time around," said Debby. "I am still hoping that will be the case, but--"

"Maybe we shouldn't be talking about this, Mrs. Radson," Heather said.

"I agreed to host the Harbingers here. That means we're going to have to get used to each other one way or another. In ... whatever capacity."

"I just want to make sure it's by your own choice."

Debby paused and took a deep breath, letting it go as a slow and carefully controlled exhalation. It did nothing to calm her; the heat grew and spread from her nether regions.

"Mrs. Radson, you need to know something about me," Heather said. "I can make people horny."

Debby just stared, not so much out of shock as lack of any words for a coherent response.

"I mean, I can do it just by thinking about it. For the past few weeks, I've had a sex drive that won't stop, even for a day. If I get really horny and don't get what I need, I--"

"And are you doing that now?" Debby asked in as gentle a voice as she could.

"I don't think so. But once we get started with this spell, I will. I can't guarantee I won't use it on you."

Debby had almost hoped that Heather would have answered yes. It would have been a more comforting explanation for her arousal. "Thank you for being honest with me." Debby realized it was a stock answer, but she had nothing else at that moment.

"When it was just the Harbingers, it's okay. I mean, I want to think it's okay. We're all used to this sort of thing by now. But that sounds stupid, doesn't it? We fight against this Darkness because we don't want it mind-controlling everyone in Haven, and then we keep using it on each other. It's supposed to be wrong all the time, isn't it?"

Heather's voice had become shrill. Debby guessed that this must have been building up for some time. She could only imagine what it must be like to live with a parent that was enslaved to the very thing she and her friends were fighting.

Debby had wanted to avoid acting as another child's mother, but she wondered if she had to make an exception in this case.

Debby stepped over to the table and pulled out a chair. "Heather, please, sit down. I think you need to talk more about this before Jason begins the spell."

Cassie stared at herself in the mirror. A different person stared back.

It was not the costume itself, although the physical transformation was astonishing to her. The bodice squeezed her breasts up, molding them into near perfect globes, the nipples hidden a bare inch below the tight, plunging hem that wrapped about her body and left the shoulders bare.

She took a step back and looked down. The skirt was designed to appear tattered, one "tear" strategically placed along the side of her hip to her waist. The ragged bottom edge hung at mid-thigh, allowing a peek at her garters above sheer white stockings. Leather boots were squeezed about her calves.

Her appearance was not what was so different, it was how she felt. More natural? No, that was not quite it. More rebellious? Maybe. She had told herself she was wearing this to please Ned, but now she wondered if that had been an excuse. The pleasure she derived from the outfit went beyond what Ned would think or how her parents would balk.

She stepped closer to the mirror. Her hair spoiled the fantasy. Her coiffed curls were still more suited for a princess.

She raised her hands and hesitated, letting out a sigh. If she mussed her hair too much, she would hear about it to no end from her mother. Cassie was sure her mother would remain awake until she had returned home, if only to confirm that everyone was suitably impressed and envious of her costume.

It did not take long for Cassie to realize that she didn't care.

Cassie closed her eyes and teased her hair for a full minute. She dropped her hands to her sides and slowly opened her eyes. The hair had been too gelled and sprayed to lose total cohesion, but enough hairs had fallen out of place to allow her to ignore her heritage for one night.

Several light brown curls spilled down her forehead and hung before one eye. She lifted her hand to brush them away, hesitated, and lowered her hand. She smiled. She rather liked the effect. It complimented Ned and his eye patch.

And it felt good.

Cassie finally turned away from the mirror and exited the bathroom. She had to look down at herself again to convince herself she had not stepped out of the bathroom in the nude. Even with the tightness in the bosom, it felt far more free than anything she usually wore.

Just as Cassie reached the top of the stairs, Ned's pirate voice rose from below. "Arr, where be my saucy wench? I've seen neither hide no hair of the girl! Ye scurvy dogs better not be hidin' her from ol' Blacknose, or--"

"I'm here, Ned," Cassie called out as she stood on the top step.

Ned turned. "Arr, there ye be yer ... whoa."

All the Harbingers now looked up and stared at her, save for the absent Heather. Cassie paused before she descended the stairs. For once she wanted people to look at her and behold something special.

"Someone needs to stick Ned's tongue back in his mouth," Melinda said.

"Okay, that's way better than the princess costume," Richie said as he looked up from next to the stairs.

"Yeah, only because you can look up her skirt, you perv."

"Hey, I already saw her naked. Not like I don't already know what's up there."

"Cassie, you look ..." Ned started in his normal voice. "Wow. You look great. Seriously, babe."

Cassie beamed and started down the stairs. "I'm not sure why I put this on now, I'm just going to have to remove it soon. I mean, it's getting time for that, isn't it?"

"Um, yeah, we really should get started," Jason said. He was taken by Cassie's appearance almost as much as Ned. "Maybe when Mrs. Radson gets back."

"Where is she?" Cassie asked.

"In the kitchen."

"Would you like me to fetch her for you, Master?" Diane said.

Cassie heard the eagerness in Diane's voice. The poor girl had not been given any direct orders all night. Cassie wondered if a slave could get bored.

Jason looked uneasy. "I think Mrs. Radson left so she could, well, get a break from us."

"Oh, crap, I didn't bug her with the whole pirate shtick, did I?" Ned asked.

"No, it wasn't that. I think it was how we talk about sex-related things so easily. It's unnerving her a bit."

"Well, I certainly didn't say anything!" Melinda said, looking annoyed.

"I didn't say you did specifically, Melinda, I just--"

"And if she wanted to get away from anything to do with sex, why's she staying in there with Heather?"

As Debby listened, she understood the problem: the Harbingers lacked an adult influence that they could trust.

Not that they needed constant and direct supervision. While they still acted like typical teenagers in many ways, they were far more mature than any of their peers. But their resources were limited. Cassie's riches mitigated the problem somewhat, but only as long as she continued to fly under her parents' radar. Debby had guessed that the costume change was a bait-and-switch perpetrated against her parents.

"This is really frustrating, Mrs. Radson," Heather said. "Most girls my age would jump at the chance of not answering to anybody, and maybe I secretly did, too. Maybe I wasn't so upset at first that I couldn't rely on my parents anymore. But when I have all this shit happening to me, and I can't figure out right from wrong, I don't have anyone to talk to about it."

"And none of you can confide in your parents?" Debby asked, though her tone suggested she knew the answer.

"Richie has only his mother, and she's like mine, involved with the stupid Darkness. Jason's father is the same way, and his parents are fighting like cats and dogs now. Ned's family is ... um ... do you know what the term 'cheap white trash' means?"

Debby sighed despondently and nodded.

"Cassie's parents don't seem to care about anything except their money and whether Cassie is all prim and proper. Diane is our ... um ... she's ... she's got a special situation, let's just put it that way."

Debby wanted to know more about Diane, but she did not want to sidetrack the conversation. She took Heather's hand, squeezing it in what she hoped was reassurance, despite the touch stoking her own growing desire. "Heather, I never knew it was this bad. I've been trying to avoid being a mother to anyone in the Harbingers. I didn't want to interfere with another parent's--"

"Interfere, already!" Heather cried. "Look, we don't need to go running to an adult every day. We've kind of been forced to do things on our own, you know?"

"And you've done incredibly well! The House, the school nurse, and then Melissa. I still can't thank you all enough for that one."

"But it would be nice if you were there to give us advice. Or just listen to us gripe when things are going to hell."

Debby nodded and rearranged herself in her chair, though it did nothing to quell the rising heat in her pussy. "Do you need advice now, Heather?" she asked, a tiny tremor in her voice despite her effort to keep it steady.

"Dammit," Heather muttered.

"What is it?"

"I'm doing it already! You're getting horny, aren't you?"

"I-I'm somewhat aroused, yes," Debby said. "It might not be coming from just you."

"I'm not really sure of that, Mrs. Radson. I was driven to create this link between us. I made them all horny in turn to fuck me and then each other. I might be doing it to you, too."

Debby's eyes widened. "To ... to join the link?"

Heather nodded, her eyes cloudy.

Debby let out a slow breath and leaned back in her chair. Her sex was warm and wet, its heady arousal radiating through her body and into her mind, trying to instill the lust to go along with it.

She consoled herself that this was nothing like Melissa. She felt none of the cold touch of evil behind the power. Instead, it was pleasant and inviting, not so much making her aroused as making her want to be aroused.

"Mrs. Radson, is this right?" Heather demanded. "Is it okay to do this kind of thing?"

"Heather, are you using it just for personal gratification? I mean, only for that?"

"I don't exactly dislike the sex, if that's what you mean."

Debby squirmed. "I-I know. But that's not the only reason you do it."

"It's like sex has become a need. Like eating or breathing. I have to do it. I mean, I know we all get something out of it, but--"

"Maybe that's the problem. You're not seeing the forest for the trees. The others don't dislike the sex, do they?"

Heather snorted. "Hardly."

"And it seems like it's a bit out of your control."

"Or I just don't want to stop."

Debby was silent for a moment. She ignored the needy ache in her pussy a little longer. "Heather, I think you're looking for me to tell you that it's all okay. I can't tell you that because I don't know myself. All I can say is that intentions matter."

Heather looked at Debby in confusion. "Intentions?"

"You don't intend any harm."

"No, of course not!"

"And as far as I can see, no harm has come from it. I don't sense any of your friends harboring any resentment towards you. None of them show any signs of any sort of trauma."

"Wait, you can see that?"

Debby nodded. "From what I can glimpse of their normal psychic auras, yes." She paused as she thought of Diane. Now she was picking up that odd alien concept from Heather as well. "Melinda's aura is a touch disturbed, but I doubt it is from anything you have done."

Heather nodded before Debby finished her sentence. She did not want to be reminded of what the cult had left in her little sister.

"You're not doing anything wrong, at least from the point of view that you're playing into the Darkness' hands. If anything, you're using its own weapon against it. The Darkness is perverting sex, making it a means of control. You're using it more as a means of gaining energy, which is the way it should be used, if at all."

Heather smirked. "You know what's weird? I think Jason had this same argument with himself."

Debby smiled. "I'm not surprised."

Heather leaned back in her seat. "You know, I thought of a lot of this stuff myself. Why is it making me feel so much better now when it didn't then?"

"Because you're hearing it from an adult."

Heather looked at Debby and grinned. "A very horny adult."

Debby swallowed. "Goddess, yes, that too," she breathed.

Heather stood up. "I think maybe we better go to Jason and let him know that we're ready to do this."

Debby rose. Her pussy pulsed with her heartbeat. Even when Melissa had imposed her will, Debby had never felt this aroused. Heather's power had provided only a catalyst and let Debby's own libido nurture her desire.

"Yes," Debby said, panting lightly. "Let's do that."

"They've been in there too long," Melinda said.

"What's the big fucking deal?" Richie asked.

"Because of what Heather can do to people when she gets them alone, that's what!"

Richie smirked.

Melinda wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, look who I'm talking to. You'd be happy if they were boinking each other right on the kitchen table."

"Hey, yeah, you're right! We better check on them."

Melinda was unable to think of a suitable retort. Her own words had sparked both jealousy and excitement. The image of Mrs. Radson naked would not leave her mind.

Cassie turned to Ned and Jason. "Maybe we do need to check on them," she said. When Richie snickered, she added quickly, "I mean to make sure they're all right."

"Yeah, sure you did," Richie drawled.

"Not everyone's got as dirty a mind as you do," Melinda scoffed, though the conviction in her voice was lacking.

"Okay, let's not panic, please," Jason said.

"Jason, you don't think Mrs. Radson will really want to join in, do you?" Melinda asked.

"I kinda thought she was already thinkin' about it," said Ned. "Or she wouldn't be goin' 'round in jus' a robe that don't leave nothin' ta the imagination."

"This is just going to be so weird," Melinda said, folding her arms and turning away from the others. She took a slow, deep breath, but her pussy still grew warm and damp. Shit. I can't afford to stain this costume!

Cassie's eyes suddenly widened. "Oh my."

Ned turned towards her. "What is it, babe?"

"D-Don't you feel it? I can't be the only one."

Melinda's eyes shimmered as she looked first at Cassie and then towards the kitchen. "Heather really is doing something! God!"

Cassie's nipples rose against the tight bodice of her costume. Jason and Ned said nothing, but both were shifting their weight or twisting their hips to accommodate a swelling erection, but the pained looks on their faces betrayed the failure of the endeavor.

Richie was nowhere near as concerned with appearances. He grabbed the crotch of his uniform and tugged until his expanding cock settled into a more natural position.

Diane stepped forward, trembling. "Please, does anyone need me now? Your slave is ready if anyone needs--"

"I-I'm going upstairs!" Melinda piped. "I don't want to get this costume all messed up!"

"Maybe we all better head that way," Jason said in a strained voice as Melinda raced up the stairs.

"What about Heather?" Cassie asked.

"She'll have to catch up. She's the one doing this, so she'll already know where we went."

"And Mrs. Radson?" Ned asked.

"I imagine she'll know where we are as well," Jason said, an edge of sarcasm in his voice.

"Masters, Mistresses, please," Diane moaned. She squeezed her legs together with a faint wet sound.

Ned took her arm. "Yeah, don't go worryin' yer pretty little slave head over it. We'll get ta ya."

"Oh, God, thank you, Master!" Diane gushed.

Cassie looked a bit taken aback as Ned led Diane up the stairs, though she quenched the flicker of jealousy before it could burn any brighter. She had not wanted to admit it, but the costume made her feel sexy and wanting. Heather's power had worked on her so fast as she had offered it little resistance.

Cassie turned towards Jason, but Richie suddenly appeared before her.

"Nice costume," Richie said. "I mean, it really does look nice on you."

Cassie slowly smiled. "Thank you. It ... it actually feels kind of nice, too."

Richie grinned. "How nice?"

"Really nice." Cassie paused, then added in a much softer voice, "And sexy."

Richie drew closer. "Yeah. Real sexy."

Cassie shuddered at the raw lust in Richie's voice. She understood now what Nyssa had preyed upon to set her on Richie. She had been attracted to what Richie represented rather than Richie himself. Perhaps that was what had sparked her romance with Ned, but that relationship had moved beyond its superficial beginnings to something more real.

The Richie she faced now was not the same one she had first desired. Nor was he like Ned. She could never feel for him what she did for Ned. Yet she connected with him on a level far deeper than its shallow start during the reign of Nyssa.

Richie raised his eyes to hers. "And you look real, too."

"I look ... real?" Cassie said, confused.

"Not made-up. Like you're finally normal."

Cassie's eyes shimmered.

Richie frowned. "Fuck, that came out wrong. I don't mean like you were screwed-up before. I mean the way you're done up so fancy all the time."

Cassie nodded. "Yes, I understand. It's always my mother. She decides what I wear and how I look."

"Yeah, I figured."

"But you say this looks more like me?"

"Yeah, weird, ain't it? A freakin' Halloween costume."

Cassie's eyes became sultry as her pussy grew hot. She wanted to show him that she really wanted him, but the memory of what Nyssa had made her do still clawed at her.

Richie, however, no longer carried such emotional baggage.

Cassie gasped as Richie grabbed her breasts and kneaded them in his fingers. Her breath passed her lips as a deep, husky sigh. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch as waves of hot lust crashed over her.

"Yeah, they feel as nice as I thought they would," Richie said, his voice strained.

His hand slipped behind her and squeezed her rear. She leaned closer and panted into his shoulder. Her legs seemed to melt when the bulge of his cock touched her. She fell against him, squeezing his hardness against her body and inflaming her lust until she could barely think.

A thought managed to rise above her thick fog of arousal. "R-Richie, wait, what if Mrs. Radson--"

"She'll hafta wait her turn." He thrust a hand under her skirt and pulled her panties aside.

"I don't mean that, I ... oh! ... unngghh! Oh God ..."

A single finger teased her clit. She had to resist the urge to hump his hand. "Unngh ... I-I meant we should go upstairs with the others ..." Cassie moaned.

Richie grinned and withdrew his hand. Cassie let out a ragged sigh like a balloon deflating. Some of the lust in her eyes faded. She tilted her head. "Did you just do that?"

"Make you really horny for me? Yeah."

Cassie slowly smiled. "You didn't have to do that, you know."

"Yeah, but I figured we're kinda even now."

Cassie might have cringed if it were not for the light tone of his voice. Instead, she felt a huge sense of relief. The token bit of "revenge" was enough to let her shed her last vestige of guilt.

"Come on, Richie, let's go upstairs, please," Cassie said. She leaned over and whispered in his ear, "I think I need you to fuck me now."

Debbie and Heather emerged from the kitchen to an empty living room.

"Um, I think they all went upstairs already," Heather said with an uneven smile.

Debby's eyes widened. A floor joist creaked overhead.

"They haven't started the spell yet," Heather said. "We have to build up some energy first before we try it, which means ... um ... well, a lot of fucking."

Debby blushed, the first time she could remember doing so since she was a teenager herself. "Why did they go upstairs before us?"

"I think that was me. We already share the link, so I can get right into their heads. Mrs. Radson, are you going to be okay with this?"

"I'm ... I'm going to have to be, Heather, because ..." Debby paused when she looked into Heather's eyes. She no longer saw a vulnerable teenager but a fully realized sexual being, someone far more in touch with her own sexuality than she thought she could ever be with her own. She shuddered, and something trickled down the inside of one thigh.

"Because what?" Heather prompted.

"Because I'm so excited right now that I doubt I could quench it on my own."

Heather smiled and stepped closer. "I can feel something tugging at the back of my mind, like just before I formed the link with the others. I think you're doing the right thing."

Debby was reassured to hear that. "Then I think we just helped each other today."

"Just one more thing I need to tell you," Heather said. "I'm not sure if you'll get a chance to pick your partner."

Debby took Heather's hand. This time she welcomed the surge of desire that ran hot through her body. "Before Melissa, I suspected I had bisexual tendencies. Melissa brought that out fully and it has not gone away. I'll be fine with whomever I'm paired with."

Heather lay a hand against Debby's hip and gave her a sultry smile. "Even me?"

Debby shivered. "Y-Yes, even you. And if we are ... if we do, it would probably be less awkward for you to call me Debby."

Heather's hand rose up Debby's side, fingers trailing a soft caress over the smooth material of the robe. "Of course." She slid her hand alongside the bulge of a plump breast. "Debby."

"Oh Goddess ..." Debby moaned. She resisted the urge to remove her robe right there and let Heather touch her bare flesh. She placed her trembling hand over Heather's. "We better get upstairs."

Heather withdrew her hand and nodded. They headed up the stairs, quickening their pace as they reached the top.

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