Table of Contents
Chapter 1 – Demons Wanting to Get In 1
Chapter 2 – That Last Flight to Forever 7
Chapter 3 – Satisfying to Just Be Wild 11
Chapter 4 – Lin Does Not Cast Spells 17
Chapter 5 – Wolfe’s Plans Are More Devious 24
Chapter 6 – The Gold Brings Complete Obliteration 28
Chapter 7 – Any Fool Can See the Changes 37
Chapter 8 – I Want All I Can Get 41
Chapter 9 – A Slave to Her Secret Desires 44
Chapter 10 – You Told Her I Was in Georgia? 49
Chapter 11 – More Gorgeous Without those Powers 51
Chapter 12 – Something I’d Craved for So Long 55
Chapter 13 – More Foreplay, Girls 59
Chapter 14 – That Sexy Witch Has a Password 64
Chapter 15 – Hellish Fire Met Hellish Fire 69
Chapter 16 – You Really Can Give Someone Horns? 77
Chapter 17 – Plans Within Plans Within Plans 85
Chapter 18 – Lin’s Phone Chiming in Her Pocket 90
Chapter 19 – Not a Single Person Would Ever Know 93
Chapter 20 – That Hunger Is Devouring You 98
Chapter 21 – When It’s So Close to Happening 101
Chapter 22 – Like an Axe in Jenny’s Hand 106
Chapter 23 – Somewhere Out There 113
Chapter 24 – Let’s Ask Benson for Help 116
Chapter 25 – A Man Already Near Madness 120
Chapter 26 – He Said That He Has Taylor 127
Chapter 27 – Only a Vile Craftsman Would Assemble 133
Chapter 28 – Smiling in the Dark 139
Chapter 29 – I Did Promise Myself 142
Chapter 30 – Her Eyes Flashed a Caramel Glow 146
Chapter 31 – I Have the Ability to Kick Jack 151
Chapter 32 – For Hungers That Would Never Fade 156
Chapter 33 – Hell, There’s an Extra Room 161
Chapter 34 – His Plans Are Wild, Lin? 164
Chapter 35 – We Should Be Nice from Now On 169
Chapter 36 – She Didn’t Even Say Goodbye 173
Chapter 37 – Romance Is Where You Find It 175
Chapter 38 – Different Things Can Be Quite Good 181
Chapter 39 – We Could Even Misbehave Together 186
Chapter 40 – Two Cherry Pies 191
Chapter 41 – Your Tongue, Lin, Wants to Taste 196
Chapter 42 – Wolfe, You Are Correct about Lin 202
Chapter 43 – Being Good Is Disgusting 210
Chapter 44 – That’s All I Needed to Hear 222
Chapter 45 – Damn, That Password Works 237
Chapter 46 – I Want this House! 246
Chapter 47 – Alessa Probably Is Judging You 252
Chapter 48 – Kissing Like That Forever 257
Chapter 49 – A Ritual Was Performed There 268
Chapter 50 – Lancaster Wolfe Hors D’oeuvre 275
Chapter 51 – A Sign of Your Submitting to Them 284
Chapter 52 – The Flower Guy Would Approve 294
Chapter 53 – Just a Fun Kind of Evil 299
Chapter 54 – To Enjoy Each Other’s Company 304
Chapter 55 – All Legs and Untamed Hair 310
Chapter 56 – I Should Pretend I Don’t Want To 315
Chapter 57 – Free Yourself of Powers, Lin 321
Chapter 58 – Her Overly Small Denim Shorts 325
Chapter 59 – Something Only Sweet and Tasty 329
Chapter 60 – Rebutton My Blouse for Me 341
Chapter 61 – Let’s Mark the Spot 353
Chapter 62 – Gabby, You Have to Help! 367
Chapter 63 – Damn You, Wolfe. Wolfe! 372
Chapter 64 – What She Sees, She Sees 380
Chapter 65 – I Wished to Make a Trade 387
Chapter 66 – Humbling to See Such Power 391
Chapter 67 – Who in Hell Wants to Marry Me Next? 402
Chapter 68 – I Whispered Something Special 409
Chapter 69 – Our Luscious, Sex-Starved Beauty 414
Chapter 70 – You Agree to Play Along? 423
Chapter 71 – She’s Already Dead? For Real? 431
Chapter 72 – I’m Ending This. Nobody Move Again! 452
Chapter 73 – I Shouldn’t Be Kissing You Now 472
Chapter 74 – Wash Me in that Hellfire 480
Chapter 75 – Oh, That Gabby—That’s Another Thing 492
Chapter 76 – We Are Still Adversaries 497
Chapter 77 – A Darker Kind of Infinity 504
Chapter 78 – Gabby, I Was Only Ten 512
Chapter 79 – The Paradox Gloriana Had Created 517
Chapter 80 – She Left that Magic in Elias’s Gap 522
Chapter 81 – Gloriana Wanted Me Dressed Like That 526
Chapter 82 – I’d Do It Again. I’d Do It Worse. 532
Chapter 83 – Blasting People’s Heads Open 537
Chapter 84 – It Doesn’t Matter Which Side 542
Chapter 85 – We’ll Both Be Naked Females 546
Chapter 86 – Ever Heard of a Thing Called Honesty? 550
Chapter 87 – And 558
Author’s Note
Lin Finity began in my imagination as a woman with no powers beyond what every woman can possess: intelligence, determination, a good heart, and overall packaging beautiful and beguiling.
Soon, though, something called to me—I believe it was Lin herself—saying that a woman like her, one whose strength appears to be boundless when she needs it, would find a way to gain abilities uncommon, dangerous, and appealing at the same time.
So began the saga of an already impressive woman learning of the magic of the world, seeing that reality is nothing but very consistent magic, and becoming the woman she needed to be to use that magic in ways not seen for over two-thousand years.
In this final book of the Fringes of Infinity series, Lin is pursued in a deadly serious way by Lancaster Wolfe, a clever, persuasive devil in the flesh. He was first introduced as the leader of the group called the Shield, and that’s when he first learned of Lin and her extraordinary abilities. At that time, he wasn’t allowing his true inclinations to show in any detailed way.
Wolfe had to accept over time that he couldn’t defeat Lin in a fair fight—she’s just too strong. But even the strongest of us sometimes have weaknesses that can be our undoing. Wolfe knows that, of course, and he has the craftiness, deceit, and lack of morals to launch an obscene plan to exploit Lin’s weaknesses.
As anyone should expect with a foul, devilish sort like Lancaster Wolfe, decency and decorum are seen as liabilities—unnecessary affectations, traits to be discarded as easily as a drop of blood falls from the point of an outrageous dagger. He’s spent countless years immersing himself in the tools of his trade—sex and violence—and he strives to rely on one’s temptations rather than being so crude as to force anyone to submit. Why push someone off a cliff when their temptations leave them happy to jump?
Temptations. Hmm. It might be worthwhile to recall Lin being quite fond of her powerful car, her Temt8tion.
So, no reader should expect any decency or decorum from Wolfe or anyone ensnared by the temptations he can offer. His immersion in evil brings him delight, and the menageries he choreographs are obscenely vulgar. To those whose hungers he knows intimately, his directions and suggestions become their truest desires, like the correct tone shattering a crystal glass . . . or a soul.
Will Lin Finity triumph over the forces of darkness wielded by Wolfe and his acolytes, all of them perhaps knowing her better than she knows herself? We can hope. But falling into that world can be an appealing adventure if one’s hungers are strong. And Lin’s perverse hungers are, unavoidably, as strong as her mayhem.
Of one thing we can be certain: although the Fringes of Infinity series draws to a dramatic conclusion here in Torrents of Gold, this might mean only that Lin will no longer be on . . . the fringes of infinity.
Chapter 1 – Demons Wanting to Get In
“How many times have I seen this?”
Jack stood beside Gabriel near the closed front door of the house just rented in St. Simons Island, Georgia. He started to point toward the couch but let that hand drop, and he kept raking the other hand’s fingers through his wavy brown hair.
“Yes, and it’s been warranted every time, Jack.”
Gabriel, whose long brown hair fell onto shoulders still covered by a long-sleeved flannel shirt, looked where Jack had started to point. Nomad, the massive Tibetan Mastiff loyal to all of them but mostly to Lin Finity, looked up at each of them from his seat near Jack’s work boots, laughed a quiet bark toward the ceiling, then fixed his gaze on her too.
“It’s not even the same window.”
“No, Jack, it’s not. That window is still in Pennsylvania, but Lin has every reason to believe that this one, too, might be just another weak barrier against her persistent adversary.”
Late morning sunlight burned through between the opened curtains of the house on Timmons Street, which was turned just enough with its treed lot to face its front southeasterly. Across the street, between the houses on that side of Timmons and Bartow St., the next road over, were the baseball diamonds and open areas of Mallery Park. And beyond the park, Mallery Street, the main drag through the Village just a bit farther south, was already cooking up a fair share of traffic.
“He wouldn’t follow her here,” said Jack. “Or maybe he would. He really is an evil son of a bitch.”
Gabriel sighed and nodded, and Nomad only tipped his gigantic head to one side and maintained his study of Lin, who sat quietly on the couch, facing the window and its relatively cheery sunshine. She’d pulled a light blanket around herself, covering not just her shoulders but her head, too, leaving her long and wavy blond hair trapped and locked away.
On the clean wood floor, she held her spiky high-heeled shoes side by side, attached to legs shapely and bare. The blanket she used to hide was only long enough to cover her short skirt completely, giving the impression that she wore not a thing beneath that blanket but her favorite black heels strapped securely to her ankles.
But none of her audience were looking at anything but her eyes—big, rarely blinking, and green. Bright green. Glowing with a fierce green light of their own.
Jack shook his head, then leaned toward Gabriel and whispered, “Why the heck did we all rush down here to Georgia? Just so she could keep doing that, just like she was back at her house?”
“It was quite a shock for her to see Lancaster Wolfe show up in her driveway, Jack,” Gabriel whispered in return. “She never expected that, and I’m not surprised at her alarm over that.”
“Okay, sure. But why Georgia again?”
Gabriel shrugged, even though Jack was gazing only toward Lin, eyes like hot green lasers aimed toward the window.
“She must have her reasons, Jack.”
“Oh, I know. She always does. But that whole scene didn’t stop bothering me just because we rushed out after packing hardly anything and caught a flight here.”
“You’re bothered by Wolfe.”
“I’m, uh, kind of bothered that she somehow found time to scrounge up the sexiest stuff to wear and packed that. But yeah, Wolfe too.”
“Jack, it was probably all close and easy to take, and Wolfe is definitely a troublesome type.”
“Well, yeah. Not him exactly. What he was saying. What was that all about?”
“Perhaps she’ll tell us when she’s ready.”
“Well, hell, I’m ready,” Jack said, then waved a hand around, but Lin didn’t look away from the pleasant though hot and humid weather leaning up against the glass.
“Hey, Lin.”
She didn’t look.
“You’re safe. We’re nowhere near that freak, Wolfe. Maybe now, you can tell me what that was all about?”
A few seconds passed with Lin frozen into a silent snarl. Nomad began wrinkling his snout, got a low growl going, then plodded heavily toward the window. With his stout paws bearing down on the windowsill, he looked around outside, grumbling at everything, even a butterfly that dared to pass the window on the sultry breezes.
“My mayhem,” she said, still focused on the window. “My spinning mayhem should have sliced that bastard to ribbons.”
Jack laughed and said, “Well, it sliced everything else. I shouldn’t laugh about whatever that is you can do because it’s kind of scary as hell. But you cut that car of his down to scrap. That mess is still sitting on your driveway, you know.”
She didn’t laugh, so Jack glanced at Gabriel and was given only a shrug, then they both looked back toward Lin.
“Look, Lin, we’re here. We’re back in your old hometown. Seriously, what was that guy talking about?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing. Right. He was waving around a bandana, which was weird enough, but he was damn amused when he was talking about an ottoman. I mean, what the hell?”
“He’s insane.”
“Uh, yeah. Evil and insane. No argument here. Still, though, he was—”
She turned only her eyes enough to drill the hot green light into Jack’s, and he leaned back and sucked in a sharp breath, which he kept locked in.
“Hey, uh, never mind. You can tell me, um, whenever. I mean, if you want to.”
Her eyes flared brighter as one side of her mouth curled into a sneer. A quick scoff and shake of her head led to her again directing her attention toward the window.
Jack straightened up and sighed, then took cautious steps to stand beside the dog whose bushy mane was busy blocking most of the light trying to get in. With one hand scratching between his ears, sometimes flopping one around, he studied the clean lawn, the street without traffic, and the orderly homes across Timmons.
With another deep sigh, he turned his head and met Lin’s full green fury.
“Hey, um, there’s no sign of him. That Wolfe guy. Maybe he doesn’t even know you left PA?”
Lin snarled and groaned quietly, and her burning green wrath didn’t weaken.
“Uh, yeah. Alright, maybe I’ll take this beast and go look around out there.”
He let the full force of green fire burn into him for a second, and Gabriel said to him, “Good idea, Jack. He’s resourceful and tenacious. He might very well have followed us here.”
Jack nodded, then sighed and said, “Really, Lin. Just some hint about what—”
She sneered, let her eyes flare, and used every bit of a deep breath to let out a low growl that matched the ferocity of anything Nomad could have delivered.
“Uh, yeah. Alright.”
He started toward the door, saying over his shoulder, “Nomad, let’s go check it out.”
Nomad barked once at the ceiling, then thumped his way over the hardwood floor to get beside Jack. Jack got his calloused hand wrapped around the doorknob, but both he and Nomad cut short their exit when Lin spoke.
“Wait.”
Both of them turned their heads slowly and looked toward the couch. A moment later, Lin turned enough to face them, and both man and dog sighed at the sight of the glow of her eyes dwindling, leaving them just her normal shade of green.
“Wait?” he said. “Why?”
“Just don’t, Jack.”
He gave Nomad a quick look, scoffed under his breath, then focused again on Lin and said, “Because of what else he might say?”
“He can say whatever insane stuff he wants. No, Jack, not because of that but because he’s dangerous.”
Jack was moving his lips like he was fumbling for a response, and Gabriel filled in the quiet gap.
“She’s quite right, Jack. Something we haven’t discussed before is how he might be evolving in his methods for destroying Lin.”
Jack said, “How so?”
“He’s finding out that he’s no match for Lin in an outright battle—she’s already too powerful and gaining strength all the time. I believe he’s smart enough to recognize that and make adjustments.”
“What adjustments, Gabby?”
Gabriel faced Lin and said, “He will likely attempt to form his attacks to employ more cunning and deceit. He’s a consummate liar—on that I believe we can all agree. But if he were to continue his attacks on you more with his cleverness and guile, he could likely concoct a plan difficult for even you, Lin, to recognize and resist.”
“I’m not afraid of him.”
“Fear won’t help you, that’s true. But do remember the adversary you’re facing. He’s craftier and more deceptive than any of us can imagine. It’s what he and his kind do, and they’ve had centuries to learn that craft. And, alarmingly, he seemed more agitated and determined to destroy you in some way when he was so vocal on your driveway in PA.”
“Yeah,” said Jack, “he sure was vocal. All about bandanas and odd furniture and stuff. Really, what the hell was that all about?”
With a brief snarl and quick green flash of her eyes, Lin said to Jack, “Forget whatever that evil bastard said. You heard Gabby—that’s what he does. He messes with people. It looks like it’s working on you damn well.”
Jack shook his head quickly and said, “Nothing’s working on me. Yeah, I get that he plays head games but shit, he was saying some pretty specific things out there, and you,”—he poked a finger toward her but lowered his hand quickly—“didn’t waste a second before trying to shut him up.”
“It’s all he deserves, Jack. You’re telling me I should be nice to him?”
“What? No, I’m just, uh, you know, saying that—”
“You were saying that you wanted to go prowl around the house.”
“Yeah, but then, you said to—”
“Just go, Jack. Holler if you find any demons wanting to get in.”
Jack swallowed hard and looked toward Gabriel, who was only looking toward the floor and nodding.
“Fine. I’ll do that. That was, uh, my idea. Yeah.”
A quick swinging in of the door dumped more humid air into the house, and Jack and Nomad left, announcing their complete departure with a solid slamming of it.
In a silent, sunny room, Gabriel stood quietly, watching Lin’s eyes continue their silent show of force even without the deadly green glow, and wasn’t entirely successful in hiding a modest smile.
Chapter 2 – That Last Flight to Forever
Lin let out a slow sigh as she stared at the door shut decisively behind Jack as he led Nomad out into the steamy Georgia air. A long moment passed before she turned her eyes up and met the calm gaze of Gabriel’s brown eyes.
She stared back, let it evolve into a modest squint, then said, “What?”
Gabriel offered her a smile and a shrug, and she looked away, scoffing loudly enough to make clear that it was intentional.
While looking at her lap, Lin took hold of the blanket with both hands, peeled it back enough to let her blond hair out, then left it bunched up around her shoulders. Another sigh seeped out before she again looked toward Gabriel.
“Still staring?”
Gabriel shrugged and said, “Smiling, Lin. It’s good to see you again without a blanket covering everything but your glowing eyes.”
“Huh. I can use my mayhem with or without a blanket on me. Wolfe found out.”
“Yes, but he seems to have survived.”
“The car didn’t. Neither did his drink.”
“No. You destroyed all of that quite well. Jack is understandably curious about what Wolfe said—what he yelled, actually, toward your house from the driveway.”
“He’s a madman.”
“True. But even the truly mad might occasionally speak of things based in rationality.”
“You’re always so wise, Gabby.”
Gabriel smiled and nodded, then walked over and sat in a nearby upholstered chair.
“You know that my hopes for you are always that you maintain a path toward happiness.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“And goodness.”
Lin sighed loudly, looked at the ceiling, then fussed with her hands in her lap.
“Yeah. I know. It’s why you showed up when I was fifteen, that first time I used my mayhem.”
“Yes. It was a difficult time for you.”
“Life’s full of difficult times. Thank you, though. I wouldn’t have made it this far without you.”
“Oh, you would have made it somewhere, Lin. Maybe not the life you have now.”
“Huh. I suppose.”
“Your visit from Wolfe happened right after you got back from that last flight to forever.”
“Yep.”
The silence dragged on, with Gabriel watching Lin and Lin watching her hands, with elegantly manicured nails, kneading the blanket on her lap.
“The things he said, Lin, were meant by him to sound like a response to whatever happened in that flight.”
Lin held Gabriel’s gaze just long enough to shrug, then the blanket got more subtle twisting and winding.
“You can tell me anything, Lin. If there’s something that happened there, during that flight, you can—”
“Gabby, I know. I know I can tell you anything. You’ve been my best friend for over thirty years. It’s just that Wolfe somehow showed up in that flight.”
“How could he have done that?”
“How should I know? Like you said, he’s evil and clever too.”
“Yes, undoubtedly. So, in that flight, he—”
“He didn’t do anything but what he’s doing now—trying to destroy me somehow, and I think I know why. He detests that I try to do good things. It’s not what he’s all about, that’s for sure.”
“No, he’s not interested in good. Very true. You said your flight was to a place on Ocean Boulevard?”
“Yeah,” she said, pointing toward the front window. “Just get on Mallery, head south, then take a left on Ocean. Or Beachview. Doesn’t matter. It wasn’t a real place anyway.”
“No, of course not. It was a hotel, you said?”
“Did I? Um, yeah, some kind of building—could have been a hotel.”
“And that’s where you went to—”
“I told you that I’ve learned new powers on those flights. That’s where I first learned my spinning mayhem. You suggested that I try to learn something while I’m on a flight.”
“Yes, I did. And it’s always good to keep learning. Lin, I don’t mean to pry, but you—”
Lin scoffed and said, “But you will anyway?”
Gabriel chuckled, looked down for a second, then nodded and said, “It kind of goes with this job.”
Lin laughed at that and said, “Yeah. We all have jobs to do.”
“Yes. So, not just to be nosy but doing my job, why take a flight to a hotel? Couldn’t you learn about new powers in a park or at a coffee shop?”
“Gabby. I don’t have complete, uh, control over those flights. One kind of leads to the next, and it’s not like I can plan things out in detail.”
“No, of course. And in this hotel on Ocean, Wolfe and you were—”
“Gabby, stop. You make it sound like I met him there intentionally. I told you that he just showed up, and I still don’t know how.”
“I see. And it was while you were trying to learn about a new power?”
Lin stared for a few seconds, then looked again at her lap.
“Uh, yeah. That’s right. Trying to learn something new, that’s for sure.”
“And it had something to do with a piece of cloth, an ottoman of some kind, and maybe—”
“Gabby, let it go already! Let’s deal with Wolfe when he finally decides to show up. And I’m damn sure he’s going to.”
“And will you try again to kill him, even if he isn’t physically threatening you, just like in PA?”
Her eyes carried enough of a glow to be noticed, and she fixed them on Gabriel.
“Yeah. And I’ll finish it this time. And no, I won’t hesitate for a second to even think whether what I’m doing is good or evil.”
“Evil, Lin?”
“No, what I mean is whether it’s good or bad, you know, not evil. I’m not saying that I don’t care whether I’m good or—”
A loud rattle from the doorknob got them both to look, and the door swung in, bringing first a bounding ball of fluff big enough to shake the house as he headed straight for Lin.
“My sweet fluffy boy. Come here, Nomad.”
Chapter 3 – Satisfying to Just Be Wild
After slamming the front door and leaning his back into it, Jack wiped across his forehead with the back of a hand.
“Steamy as Hell out there. But that doesn’t mean that Wolfe character is around. Nomad and I didn’t see him.”
“Maybe he’s dead, Jack,” Lin said, keeping her eyes from flaring. “I know I sliced him up pretty good.”
“Oh, yeah. I saw the blood. There was a lot of his blood all over inside that car.”
Gabriel said, “We shouldn’t assume he’s dead. Those slices might not be enough.”
“Then, I’ll slice him the other way next time. He’s probably holding himself together, whining from the pain. Wait till I cut him the other way too. He’ll really do some whining.”
“You can do that?”
“Maybe, Gabby. Who knows?”
“Hey,” Jack said as he took a few steps closer, “maybe before you slice and dice, I can ask him what the hell he was talking about.”
“Don’t waste your time,” Lin said. “I won’t. I’ll cut him up so fast that—”
Jack was laughing, and Nomad, standing beside him, seemed to be smiling in his own way too.
“What?”
“Nothing. You’re just in such a hurry to kill him. Must be something interesting about whatever you two were—”
“Jack, stop. He just showed up, somehow, and sort of attacked me.”
“Sort of?”
“Well, yeah. It’s what he does. I got out of there quick, and you saw what happened right away—he was trying to provoke me from out on my driveway.”
“Provoke you? That’s all? Well, he sure did provoke you.”
“Not really all that much,” she said, showing no trace of a smile. “And maybe that taught him a lesson. If he has cut lines from that, that’ll remind him how vulnerable he is to my powers. He probably won’t dare follow me here.”
“Huh. Not here, no. Some fake world, though? Hell, he might—”
“Jack, forget that fake world. It was just someplace to learn new powers.”
“Just that? Nothing else?”
“Well, what else are you thinking? You know I want to learn what I can.”
“About . . .”
She glared at him as he tipped his head, inviting her to finish the thought. She was about to respond when Gabriel spoke instead.
“You might well be correct, Lin, in that Wolfe might have had enough. Let’s hope anyway. But let’s also remember that he’s involved with dark powers that we don’t understand, and we don’t want to.”
“No, wait a second, Gabby. Maybe I should learn more about all that. It would help me fight him and anyone else like that.”
“Lin, I don’t think—”
“Power is power, Gabby. I could learn some of that and probably just use it for good anyway. God knows, what I’ve been doing since I was fifteen hasn’t exactly been a picnic.”
She turned toward Jack at noticing his shaking head.
“Not you, Jack. You’re a picnic.”
“Uh, thanks.”
“I’m just saying that for all the effort I’ve put into learning all this, all it’s brought me is attacks and pressure—from you, Gabby—to give up on a normal life and go fight evil somewhere. It’s just . . . a lot.”
“But Wolfe’s powers are based in evil, Lin. You do remember that, right?”
“Yeah, I remember. I’m just saying. It’s all about what you do with powers like that, right?”
Gabriel looked down, sighed deeply, and didn’t respond.
Lin scoffed, looked toward Jack, and said, “What?”
“Nothing. Just, uh, don’t go getting all evil, alright?”
“Who, me? Jack, I don’t think I have it in me.”
Jack tipped his head to look when Nomad bumped his leg a few times, then aimed his happy brown eyes up at him. Lin and Gabriel watched too.
A second later, Jack said, “Oh, yeah. Thanks for reminding me.”
“Jack,” said Lin, “Nomad just reminded you of something?”
“Well, sort of, yeah. He does that.”
“Okay. What about?”
“We scrambled out of your house so fast that we didn’t even think to pack any of his chunks. Hey, we forgot his big silver bowl too.”
“I’m sure there are bowls in this rental house.”
“Sure, Lin, yeah, probably. Not chunks, though. He wants me to run out and get some.”
“He told you that?”
“Uh, yeah. Kind of. He has his ways.”
“Okay,” Lin said, then held a deep breath for a second before letting it out in a rush.
Jack tousled the thick fur on the big dog’s head, then looked toward Lin and said, “I should buy some regular people food too.”
“Uh, yeah, Jack. For people.”
“Yeah. You want anything special?”
“Oh, since you’re offering, yeah—I want chocolate. I need lots of it.”
“Alright. Sure. Gabriel?”
“I’m with Lin on this one, Jack. Chocolate for me too. Let’s really stock up. For the people food, I would like to make a mess of the kitchen and cook up stacks of blueberry hotcakes.”
Jack pointed at Gabriel and said, “Yeah. Good idea.”
Gabriel continued, saying, “I might not find the time to devote to that right away, Jack, so how about some frozen waffles too?”
Jack nodded and said, “Blueberry, right?”
“Of course. Yes.”
“Uh, sure. Chunks and chocolate and waffles and stuff. Got it.”
The last thing Lin and Gabriel saw was Nomad’s shaggy tail beating against the wall and the edge of the door until Jack pulled it shut, blocking out more hot air and the lazy singing of a few birds in the yard.
Lin rose up and let the blanket remain on the couch as she walked over to the window. With her eyes studying Jack as he first let Nomad into the rental car, then got in himself, she leaned forward, both hands on the windowsill.
Behind her, from where Gabriel had taken a seat, two bright green reflections, the size of her eyes, were obvious in the glass even with brilliant sunshine working to melt it.
“I think it’s all finally over, Gabby.”
“Yet, your eyes are still full of your mayhem.”
“Oh, that. Never mind that. Sure, I’m kind of agitated, but even if Wolfe didn’t die right away, he still might.”
“He might not.”
“Maybe not, sure. But he’s seen many times that I’m too strong for whatever attacks he thinks he can get going.”
“I hope you’re right, Lin.”
“I think I’m finally done with those Kelgina women too. Remember them?”
Gabriel laughed and said, “I’m not about to forget Anna and Daria. Yes, I remember them.”
“Daria was a brat, but Anna at least had some decency to her.”
“She did?”
“Well, sort of. I mean, she was alright. I almost rented a house nearby on Anne Avenue just for the fun of it. I thought of her when I saw that street name.”
“That would have been fun for you?”
“No, I’m just saying. They’re gone, and Gloriana is really gone for good this time. I think God himself dumped her into that nightmare place between the Islands of Time.”
“She did vanish from Tayo’s floor. Yes, that was likely God’s doing.”
“Speaking of Tayo, we should be done with him too.”
“He was always a decent fellow, wasn’t he?”
“Sure, Gabby, but every dealing with him brought a whole slew of problems. He’s okay, but I’m glad I’ll never hear from him again.”
“In Tayo’s home, there were also Lee and Alessa.”
“Yeah, them too. Even Lee and Alessa should be fine and leave us the hell alone.”
“Yes, they all have their lives to live. What are your thoughts on Taylor?”
“Gabby, I know why she wanted to return to being a crow. God, I know that at least as well because I kind of feel it too. It’s satisfying to just be wild. Someday, she might decide that she’s had enough, and she’ll come back and just be my daughter again.”
“That would be the best, Lin.”
“Yeah. Altogether, everything’s working out just fine. Mostly, that madman Wolfe is probably gone. I don’t think we’ll ever see him again.”
The car had long before rolled out of sight along the tree-lined pavement of Timmons, and Lin abandoned her view of the street to turn and look toward Gabriel, who hadn’t responded.
She saw only a steady stare down toward the floor and the eventual statement of, “That would be good, Lin.”
Chapter 4 – Lin Does Not Cast Spells
The frigid Baltimore wind whipped ice pellets into the window of Tayo Tersoo’s modest apartment, sometimes rattling the entire sheet of glass but always causing an incessant chattering, like a conscious force demanding entry.
The radiator against the wall in his small living room area did its own share of rattling, and he and Jenny sat quietly, sometimes glancing toward the window but mostly staring at each other.
“You say she is not Lin Finity.”
“I did say that, Jenny, and I will gladly say it again. Would you like me to?”
“No. I know how that woman has influenced your life in such drastic ways, Tayo. It is believable that she has cast some spell over you.”
Tayo laughed, then regained a serious expression quickly.
“Lin does not cast spells. She is special, that is certainly true, but she is not a, um, a—”
“Witch? Is that the word you fear to use?”
“Jenny, I do not fear the word ‘witch.’ It just does not apply to Lin in any way to describe her. No, she is just special in ways it is hard to describe.”
“I see. Yes, Tayo, she has made quite an impression on you and now, when I arrive at your door, I find you two together in your sordid little love nest doing whatever—”
“Jenny! It’s not at all like that! And that,”—he tipped his head toward the sounds of utensils clattering in the kitchen—“is not Lin Finity.”
“So you say. Yet, you seem only more guilty for not saying her name.”
“I heard her name spoken—Gloriana—but there was no way for us to be formally introduced.”
“Oh, of course. Naked women in your home—gorgeous ones like her—are such a regular occurrence that you cannot be bothered with introductions.”
“Jenny, yes, she is gorgeous, but she—”
“You are not helping your case, Tayo. I journey all the way from Nigeria, a place you never should have left, for us to be together, and this is what I find? You with a gorgeous woman who is without a shred of clothing?”
“She only just arrived like that. I could relay to you that series of events, but I would only convince you that I have gone mad.”
“Try again, Tayo, and do not include in your story anything about hyenas licking your face.”
“I never said it was more than one, Jenny. You are adding your own creative elements to my narrative that—”
“Tayo, I do not care! One hyena, two hyenas, or three! I will not stay in this home of yours while Lin Finity roams about as if she lives here!”
Tayo laughed at the ceiling, then sighed, his tight dreadlocks swaying with every shake of his head.
“She is not Lin Finity. I believe her name truly is Gloriana. She was present here, earlier, when a young girl who is really something wondrous banished from these walls the deadly forces that had disguised themselves as a mouse and were intent on slaughtering me so that—”
“Tayo, enough! Your associations with Lin Finity have degraded your mind, and you have become a joker of some kind. Tell Lin Finity to get out of your kitchen and—”
“There,” Gloriana said from the doorway to the kitchen. “I am no longer in Tayo’s kitchen.”
Even wearing one of Tayo’s formal winter coats, the shape of her figure was painfully obvious for Jenny to behold. She’d cinched the belt tight, showcasing her trim waist, and the coat was short, leaving almost the entire length of her bare, strong thighs on display. Her hands were on her hips, and she left them there when she shook her head to each side, sending her long, thick black hair back behind her.
“So I see,” said Jenny. “And you say you are not Lin.”
“I am not. I heard my name spoken correctly a moment ago. I know Lin and had many dealings with her, and I would take her powers as my own if I could. But I cannot.”
“If I am to accept that you are truly not Lin, must I also accept that you are naked in Tayo’s home, wearing only one of his coats? I must accept that as well?”
Gloriana snorted a quick laugh, reached for the belt, and quickly loosened it. It began flapping open on its own, revealing her slender waist and much of the curvature of her breasts before she took it with both hands, rushed it back over her shoulders, and let it fall to the floor.
“You need not accept me in Tayo’s coat.”
She grinned at Tayo, then focused again on Jenny and said, “Tayo accepts me this way. You should too.”
“I do not! Whoever you are, you are now standing here without a stitch of modesty about you, and you boldly state that I should accept this?”
“You may do as you wish. Your frame appears weak and too modest, but you have all the attributes of a woman.”
“Yes. So?”
“So, I will state that you may also stand in this cold apartment without a stitch of modesty. Perhaps you and Tayo will quickly forget your pointless bickering and find another activity.”
“You . . . what?”
“Did you bring luggage from Africa?”
“Yes. I did. It’s in Tayo’s room.”
“Good. I shall claim what I wish from your supply of clothing and present myself without an overcoat but with suitable modesty.”
She spun quickly, sweeping her hair around, and took two steps toward the bedroom before turning to look their way.
“Shall I call out before rejoining you?”
“What? Why?”
“Because Tayo is eager for that activity that your stripping for him will cause. He has become all worked up from . . .”
She took another step and got a hand on the bedroom doorknob before turning back again.
“. . . from the passionate kisses of a hyena.”
Tayo’s nervous laugh bellowed out of him and brought on a solid punch to his arm.
“Tayo, you are all insane here.”
Gloriana hadn’t yet entered the bedroom, and she turned to say, “I will tell you what is insane: how could anyone not have frozen waffles in their kitchen? Lin Finity always does.”
Jenny let her breath rasp out long and steady, like a stabbed tire deflating, after Gloriana had sealed herself away in Tayo’s bedroom. Tayo grinned at Jenny’s theatrics, but he kept his head turned toward the door and didn’t offer a comment.
“You are intelligent, Tayo, and can recite detailed descriptions and explanations for events that are sometimes too bizarre to sum in words. But you simply cannot talk yourself out of what I witness here with my own eyes.”
He fell back into the couch, then patted the cushion beside him. Jenny waited with her arms crossed long enough to launch a snarl toward the closed bedroom door, then sat at the far end of the couch.
“Jenny, you are correct in my abilities to speak with accuracy and truth. And I have, I assure you. My life was already challenging and a test to my sanity when working full time with the Shield. But lately, after—”
Jenny scoffed and said, “The Shield. You and your demented cult, Tayo.”
“The Shield was never a cult. We had a purpose that I believed was noble: to decipher and hopefully understand the Words of God. To that end, our years of study and scrutiny brought us to Lin as one who could read those Words.”
“Yes, I have heard these stories before. Some ancient scroll. A thing, you have said, that can cause madness to anyone who dares approach it. These are fables for the naive, Tayo, and it is disappointing to see you believe such tales.”
“Very well. I cannot convince you of the Words and the mission of the Shield. But Jenny, I only first saw Gloriana when—”
“You insist I believe that is the naked woman’s name?”
“Yes, I do, and I believe it is. She arrived earlier with Lin and her group to help rid me of what I can only call a curse. Oh, Jenny, it was an evil mouse living in my walls, or so it seemed. A remarkable woman named Lee brought her—”
“It seems you often fill your tiny apartment with women, Tayo. Tell me: are they all lounging about, naked, when we speak on the telephone?”
“What? No. None of them have been naked here except for Gloriana.”
“So I see. She seems quite comfortable here without her clothing.”
Tayo laughed and said, “She is forceful and confident, that is true, whether dressed or not. But that is not the point. She vanished after something unexplainable happened by the actions and recitations of Alessa, who—”
“Oh, of course. Another woman in your home. Was she naked as well?”
“Jenny,” Tayo said, laughing and rubbing his face with both hands, “Alessa is the daughter of Lee, and she is at most eight years old. I do not wish to appear demanding, but I implore you to abandon all assumptions that everyone that visits this apartment sheds their clothing upon entry.”
“As you wish. I will try to believe the stories you tell me. But Tayo, that woman who likes to remain naked and who I am supposed to believe is not Lin Finity has, I hate to admit, some valuable share of wisdom.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. Come with me to your kitchen and try to convince me you have anything nearly as tempting as frozen waffles. They are not so easily acquired in Lagos.”
Tayo laughed with his head in his hands as he leaned forward briefly, then he straightened up and said, “I cannot convince you of such a mistruth. I do have a functioning toaster appliance, however, and it knows just what to do with a slice of bread.”
They stood, and Jenny began her walk to the kitchen after seeing his tentative reaching for her hand, which she ignored. She entered the room first, stepped to one side and leaned her back into the wall, arms crossed.
“You see?” he said, pointing toward the toaster on the counter. “I speak truth.”
“Hmm. About appliances, yes.”
“Oh, Jenny.”
He withdrew four slices of bread from a bag on a shelf above the sink, dropped them into the slots, and snapped down the lever.
“There. My humble substitutes for Lin Finity waffles will be ready shortly.”
He sat at the table, and Jenny said, while walking up behind him, “I prefer to call them simply waffles, and I am starving, so I plan to eat all of the toast when it is toast.”
“Jenny, you may certainly have all of the toasted toast. Please, enjoy the grape jelly as well.”
She placed both hands on his shoulders, then started rubbing him through his long-sleeved shirt.
“You are all knotted up, Tayo. Juggling so many naked women appears too stressful for you, so you should limit yourself to one at a time.”
“That is sound advice. Thank you.”
“I do not mean Gloriana, either, if that is truly her name.”
“It truly is or at least, it is what she has consistently maintained.”
“So she says, huh?”
“Yes.”
Jenny’s rubbing got more methodical and vigorous, and she began weak efforts at dragging down the collar of his shirt, first one side, then the other. Tayo sighed and rocked his head easily, not stopping her.
She began a more determined tugging at his collar, enough to begin showing his upper back while the first fastened button, in front, was creeping up and pressing into his throat.
“Jenny, you are perhaps too ambitious. It is probably from hunger, which will soon be—”
She snorted softly and pulled down harder on the collar, baring much of his back.
“Jenny! You need not make such a robust effort for a simple back rub!”
“Tayo, sit still and look forward. Do as I say!”
She kept yanking at the cloth, and he fumbled around, trying to grab both of her wrists.
“Jenny, what is wrong with you?”
Chapter 5 – Wolfe’s Plans Are More Devious
Gabriel sat deep into the couch and frowned at seeing Lin still leaning on the windowsill, staring out with her eyes emitting a bright green glow.
“Lin, please sit and let the outside world be for a moment.”
She sighed, loudly enough to be heard, but she didn’t move at all, not even a single wave of her hair.
“Really, Lin, I’m inviting you to have a seat.”
She straightened up, hands on her hips, and began scanning left to right through the glass.
“Lin, this couch is quite comfortable, and we can discuss our guesses and hopes for what types of chocolate Jack and Nomad will bring to us.”
She scoffed out a short laugh and turned to face the couch.
“Nomad? Nomad’s bringing us chocolate.”
“He’s no ordinary dog, Lin, but you already know that.”
“Yeah, I know.”
She sighed again and walked over, spun herself, and dropped down into the cushions, and both of them still had a view of the sunny heat that promised to continue assailing anyone venturing outside.
“So?” Gabriel said after a moment of quiet.
“Gabby, how can I know what kinds of chocolate Nomad is shopping for?”
“We can quickly say that he’ll make good choices, then move on to more important topics.”
“Such as?”
“Lancaster Wolfe. He doesn’t die easily, which we’ve seen several times already. I showed you, in your Pennsylvania cabin, a truer version of myself when I sought to destroy him.”
“Oh, I remember that, Gabby. You were, um, scary.”
“Yes, a destroyer should be somewhat scary.”
Lin laughed and said, “Yeah. Of course.”
“And still, Wolfe survived my scattering of him. Lin, I don’t believe that your spinning mayhem did enough damage to stop him altogether.”
“No, I’d agree. He’s probably got some brutal cuts all around him, though. In fact, I kind of knew it wouldn’t stop him.”
“You did? How?”
Lin crossed her arms and slumped farther into the cushions.
“Gabby, when I attacked him with that, I knew I wasn’t giving it as much force as I could have.”
“Why, Lin?”
She sat up more and turned toward Gabriel, uncrossed her arms, and spoke more quickly.
“Gabby, yeah, I don’t want him destroying me, and I don’t think he can. I’m just too powerful already. So, I was wondering, not really planning anything but wondering, that’s all, if maybe I could, I don’t know, learn some of what he knows.”
Gabriel gave up on the outdoors and held Lin’s gaze.
“Lin, I would advise against any such notions. His powers are dark and linked completely with evil practices. Even learning about those powers, not even using them, will inevitably lead to evil deeds. Why would you compromise the good you’ve embraced to risk any of that?”
Lin scoffed softly and stood, then walked toward the window, where she turned and sat against the sill.
“I haven’t said anything because I hoped it wasn’t happening. Gabby, I feel it again, like when I was fifteen and my mayhem was about to rise up. It feels the same—big pieces moving around inside me.”
“The same big pieces, Lin?”
Lin rubbed across her forehead for a second, frowning, then said, “Uh-huh. Well, as far as I can tell. I still can’t see in there. When I was fifteen, I had some notion that my insides were like the ocean, where who knows what could be going on in there.”
“Yes, the sea is definitely mysterious and full of power. What do you think is happening with you?”
“I don’t know. It’s not scary or anything, but I feel it. I don’t even know if that’s why I didn’t try harder to kill Wolfe. But I still wonder if learning even some of what he knows could help me somehow.”
“Learning is definitely good, Lin, and you should learn all that you can as quickly as you can. Just maybe not the things Wolfe practices. There are countless other things left for you—you haven’t nearly exhausted the possibilities of the magic yet.”
“Why learn quickly, Gabby?”
Gabriel sighed but didn’t respond soon enough, so Lin continued, saying, “Don’t tell me that, Gabby. Don’t say it. I’m always going to need you around.”
“The battle against evil in the magic is vitally important, Lin. You know that.”
“Yeah, I do, but it doesn’t have to be you.”
“My strength is needed. Yours is too.”
She took the few steps needed to return to the couch and reclaimed her place.
“Oh, let’s not start that again. I told you before that I’m not strong enough to ever do that, like you do, always choosing good somewhere in the magic. I’m not sure I even want to be that good.”
She tried raising just one leg, but her skirt was too tight, so she lifted both knees, then extended one leg out and rested it on the coffee table. A few seconds passed while she anchored the sharp heel against the wood and tipped her foot side to side.
The silence hung heavy in the air, and Lin cleared her throat with a light cough and let her foot rest before turning her eyes toward Gabriel beside her.
“Lin, what are you saying?”
“Nothing, Gabby. I don’t know. It’s just weird feeling things moving around again. Hey, let’s forget all of that—no more talk about you leaving, nothing else about whatever’s going on inside me, and especially, you know that I’m good.”
“Yes, Lin, I know. I hope you always make the choice to remain so.”
Lin sighed and bit her lip, then blurted out, “Wolfe might have survived, but I think he’ll leave me alone. He can’t kill me.”
“He doesn’t have to. Very often, Wolfe’s plans are more devious.”
“Well, whatever. Gabby, I don’t think we’ll ever hear from any of those people again. All of them are—”
Lin’s phone rang and rattled around on the kitchen table, and she stood quickly and scurried toward it, with Gabriel following closely. She picked it up after it had gone silent and scoffed when looking at it.
“Oh, here we go.”
“Who is it?”
She sighed and set the phone back down.
“It’s Tayo.”
Chapter 6 – The Gold Brings Complete Obliteration
“Oh God, Gabby. I don’t believe this.”
“It could be a call only to thank you, Lin. You did contribute a great deal to resolving Tayo’s problems.”
“I kind of did, sure, but it was mostly Lee. I can’t do what Lee can do.”
“She is quite astounding.”
Lin shimmied her chair at the kitchen table enough that she could put one foot up on the next chair over, then she got her high-heeled shoe, one from her favorite pair, tipping around again and didn’t stop it when Gabriel spoke again.
“Are you planning to call him back, Lin?”
She shrugged, kept watching her shoe, black as night even in the sunny room, and Gabriel added, “He has always been a good man, hasn’t he?”
“Yeah, Gabby, one of the best. Fine, I’ll call him. It’s just, I don’t know, disturbing to not be done with all of them.”
“I understand, Lin.”
Many quiet seconds passed as Lin studied the length of her heel on a shoe animated on the edge of the chair.
“Lin?”
“Fine. I’ll call him.”
She tapped her phone a few times, paused to shake her head while looking into Gabriel’s eyes, then hit it again to place the call.
“Perhaps on speaker, Lin?”
Lin was wincing as her phone played the ringing on Tayo’s end, and she said, “Really? Why?”
“If it’s about Taylor, I would like to know right away too.”
“Oh, it might be! That’s where she gave up on being human—outside his apartment!”
“Yes, exactly, and we can notify him that he’s on speaker.”
“Oh, sure, that would be polite.”
Lin had just hit the speaker button when Tayo’s voice came through for both of them in the kitchen and alone in the rental house.
“Lin? Is that you?”
“Yeah, it’s me. Hi, Tayo. Sorry I missed your call just now. How have you been?”
“Lin, I am happy to proclaim far and wide that—”
“Oh, Tayo, I almost forgot to tell you that you’re on speaker. Gabby’s here too.”
“That is fine, Lin, and thank you for the disclosure. Hello, Gabriel.”
“Hello, Tayo.”
“As I was saying, I am physically in perfect health, as though none of that abuse had been visited upon my tortured body.”
“Yeah, you were kind of tortured. That Hunter thing wasn’t messing around.”
“No, it certainly was not. Without your intervention and perhaps, more importantly, Lee’s assistance, I would likely have become just another body in the trash behind the house.”
“What? There are bodies behind your—”
“Lin, I am just being overly dramatic. Take it as a sign of my relief.”
“Uh, sure. Okay. So, have you heard from Taylor?”
“Why Taylor? Is she in some sort of trouble?”
“Oh, she, uh, took off on her own right after we left your apartment. I was just hoping that if she was still around there, she might have knocked and asked to use your phone.”
“And I would most certainly allow it. No, regrettably, I have not seen her. But there is one that I have seen, and I am calling to alert you to that.”
“Who? Who have you seen? Not that Hunter thing, right?”
“No, not the Hunter and not its unfunny imitation of a screeching, scratching mouse in my walls, in between attempts to eviscerate me.”
“He, that mouse, almost did, Tayo.”
“Yes, and I’m glad that is all in the past. However, in the present day, there is someone that visited quickly after everyone had departed. That alone, Lin, that initial visitation, warrants a more thorough description, perhaps while I’m restrained comfortably by a straitjacket.”
“Oh, that, uh, sounds like quite a story. Let’s save that for later. Who are you talking about?”
“The one that was here when the attacks of the vicious mouse were repelled or whatever actually happened.”
“No, don’t tell me.”
“But it is why I called. Lin, it is Gloriana.”
“What? No, that can’t be!”
Tayo laughed, then said, “With all else we have witnessed, Lin, why would this one occurrence be something judged by us to be an impossibility?”
“But Tayo, she got banished to Hell by God himself!”
“Is that what happened to her? Huh. Well, it seems that she has overpowered even God, then, because she is here. In fact, she might have fallen asleep in my room after changing into some of Jenny’s clothes, which she demanded when wearing, then removing, just the overcoat that was covering—”
“Tayo, slow down. First, who’s Jenny?”
“She is my very dear friend from Nigeria, with whom I have hoped to maintain some personal relationship, despite the distance between us. She arrived almost immediately after Gloriana, though I don’t believe it was from Hell. She is here as well, and I have sequestered myself in the bathroom for privacy for this call.”
“Well, thanks for the heads-up about Gloriana being back. I thought and hoped I’d never see her again. None of you.”
“Even me, Lin?”
“Oh, Tayo, I didn’t mean that. It’s just that kind of feeling, you know?”
“Yes, I understand, and you probably won’t be happy to see Gloriana again, then.”
“How would I see her? No, I’m not coming back to Baltimore, not unless it’s to pick up Taylor.”
“I must further inform you, Lin, that the woman from Hell, who will likely wear Jenny’s fashions with her own hellish style, has already called for a cab. Her plans are to travel to your home and visit with you again, for what reasons I dare not attempt a guess.”
“Well, she won’t find anyone there. I’m back in St. Simons Island, Tayo, far from her and everyone else. Really, though, I’m glad you’re feeling better and reunited with Jenny.”
“Yes, she is a welcome addition to my life here.”
He had spoken in a normal tone throughout their conversation, but his next words were whispers almost too soft for Lin to hear.
“Lin, I apologize for my hushed speaking, but I do not wish to be overheard. Lin, there is something strange going on with Jenny. She looks as I remember her, but some of her actions are indecipherable and overly aggressive. I cannot begin to formulate a theory on what she—”
The sound of a doorknob squealing followed, and Lin and Gabriel heard a feminine voice say, sounding like from a distance, “Oh, you are here, Tayo.”
In a normal voice, speaking away from the phone, Tayo said, “Yes, Jenny. I only wished you to enjoy some peace and quiet.”
Then, directly into the phone, Tayo said, “I sought only to confirm that your taxi driver had the correct address. I am confident now that you do. Thank you and good day.”
Lin’s phone got pushed to one side when she folded her arms on the table, then laid her head on them.
“Here we go, Gabby.”
“Tayo sounded quite well, Lin, but it’s concerning that Gloriana has somehow returned. I would not have thought that possible, so I must still have much to learn about having faith in God to do what’s best.”
“Huh,” she said, her face mostly hidden. “There’s nothing ‘best’ about that woman being back.”
“Yes. In Baltimore.”
“Right, far from here. If that’s the only surprise I get, I’ll be grateful. Gabby, maybe that’s it? Maybe I’m still somehow done with all of them.”
Gabriel laughed, then relaxed and said, “The day is young, Lin.”
She sat up and stared without a smile into those brown eyes.
“You’re not always amusing, Gabby.”
“No, I wouldn’t think so. Still, aside from those individuals, I believe your most serious concern is still Wolfe. I sense that your spinning mayhem, even at full force, might not be enough to vanquish him.”
“He’s got to at least have cuts across him, right? Shouldn’t he at least look like someone tried to slice him up?”
“He might at that. And as satisfying as that might be, it’s not sufficient to turn him away from his relentless attacks on you.”
“Yeah. Not sufficient. Hey, when that madman was out screaming in the driveway, you said I’d soon command the Gold. If that’s something powerful like it sounds, maybe that’s what I need.”
“Ah, the Gold. Yes, Lin, it’s a concentrated power that obliterates all in its path. You got hints of it in your flights. Do you recall?”
“What, that sound I heard when there wasn’t really any sound?”
“Yes, that. When you told me that you’d heard that, without hearing anything, I knew you’d been accepted. And that acceptance was also an invitation to direct Torrents of Gold if and when you need to.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Gabriel laughed and said, “How could you?”
“Gabby, I must be getting close to having seen every kind of power in the magic of all things. Well, except for maybe whatever dark stuff Wolfe has going on.”
“Let’s forget about Wolfe and his dark practices. And your assumption is wrong, Lin. There is so much more that you have yet to experience.”
“Okay, fine, tell me about the Gold.”
“What you thought you heard—sensed is more accurate—was the constant communication of all plant life, no matter how large or small, that inhabit even worlds that we build on our own for flights to forever. Yes, even the worlds of your flights, just by being created, extend an invitation to them to populate those fake worlds.”
“Why would that happen?”
“Probably because plant life is so basic and necessary for everything else. No one has understood exactly why this is so, but―”
“Wait, this is a common thing? People have been tossing around these Torrents of Gold all over the place?”
“Lin, that’s overstating it. It’s known to others, that’s all. So, the way you visited your flight world, those times when you heard them, sensed them, was what caught their attention.”
“The way I visited that fake world?”
“You spoke of casting aside your powers to visit those worlds. Were you successful in that?”
“Oh, yeah. Yep. No powers.”
“And they knew that. They admire that greatly, as they are the most passive form of life on Earth. No plants ever engage in fistfights.”
Lin laughed and said, “Uh, probably not.”
“They rarely seek to harm anyone or anything, though their natural drive to live sometimes puts them in competition, but they have no control over that.”
“Okay, they don’t go around murdering. Got it.”
“And they never amass themselves into armies and go to war.”
“Uh, no. Of course not. No plant wars.”
“And that is why they were drawn to you. Not one of them, no matter how small, is a fool, and they know without thinking about it how much power you possess. To see you voluntarily disregard those powers, even for a brief period, told them you were special. They know that it takes great strength to do what you did, and they likely believe you left your powers behind only for the most noble of reasons.”
Lin groaned and leaned forward again, saying, after a deep sigh, “Yeah, of course—noble reasons.”
“Yes, Lin. Their calling to you was a direct invitation to summon the Torrents of Gold if you need it.”
“Hey, why not? Another power.”
“The Gold isn’t just another power, Lin. The Gold brings complete obliteration—a purifying, sterilizing type of force.”
“I might need that someday. What exactly is it?”
“We all know that plants are dependent on the sun, but we don’t consider that the sun is also dependent on plants. There’s a constant flow of energy and goodwill between them, much more than the light we see going only from sun to plant.”
“Okay, it’s like sunlight. So, it works only in the daytime.”
“No, that’s not correct. That flow of energy and goodwill isn’t always a straight line, only the portion directly near the Earth.”
“It’s like sunlight, going straight for a while. Got it.”
“Yes, but by a factor too high to count, and it goes unseen, happening all the time. Just as you set aside your powers, which they witnessed, plants can also break their bond with the sun for brief periods.”
“Okay, but why would they?”
“Ah, Lin, to form the Torrents where you need them. They give up their connections, but they are not lost altogether. No, they all accumulate, all of those bonds, in just the area where the Torrents of Gold will strike. The energy between the plants and the sun is already too high to count, and that accumulation unleashes a power that truly obliterates all in its path. That, Lin, is what’s known as the Torrents of Gold.”
“And I do what, just point and tell the plants to burn a hole into the ground?”
Gabriel laughed, and Lin laughed too.
“No, but you already know that.”
“I do know. It’s with my intent, right?”
“Yes. Like so many other things.”
“So, that flight was good for that, if nothing else—even if Wolfe crashed that party.”
“It was a party, Lin?”
“Oh, uh, no. Just saying. Anyway, I think I’m done with those flights.”
“Good, Lin. Life is often enough, especially when one is attempting to continue learning.”
“Yeah, continue learning in a hurry, right? Gabby, no. You just can’t go.”
“The main thing, Lin, is for you to resolve the issues in your life and remain good. It’s a challenge.”
“Staying good? Uh, yeah, I guess so.”
“I hope it doesn’t involve guessing. And to restore some order to your life after all you’ve been through, a wise path would be to try to make friends of adversaries if possible.”
“With some, sure, maybe. With others, like Wolfe, I don’t see it happening.”
“You might have to obliterate what won’t let you be, Lin.”
“Obliterate, huh? Would God approve of me obliterating people, even if they’re not people?”
“One could say that God demands it of you, Lin.”
“So, you’re saying that I wouldn’t have much choice but to—”
The front door rattled and creaked on its swing into the house, and boots and paws hit the floor with laughter and soft barking.
Lin groaned and laid her head back down, and Gabriel said, “I’ll see if they need help, Lin, especially with our chocolate.”
Chapter 7 – Any Fool Can See the Changes
Lancaster Wolfe, appearing to the world as an extremely fit man around age forty, lay back into the couch, feet up on a table, in the most luxurious suite to be had on Ocean Boulevard. His black trousers were all he wore, and the color of his short hair and a beard, which was crafted into a sharp point, matched them well. The deep grooves between his tight abdominal muscles were mixed in with several clean, perfectly straight red lines that circled all the way around his torso.
In his hand, a full glass with ice was spinning lazily, causing a muted clunking and rattling. He took a deep drink, then rested it on the table beside him when the phone rang.
“What?”
“It’s the front desk, sir. There are two guests here who wish to know if someone by your name is here.”
“What are their names?”
“Hold on.”
A second later, the clerk said, “Anna and Daria.”
“Delightful. Yes, I’m expecting them. Send them right up.”
“Very good, sir. Right away.”
After setting the receiver back in its cradle, he chugged the rest of his drink, then rose and walked toward the bar, smiling the entire time. He fixed two more drinks, then another for himself, then brought them all back to where he’d been sitting. And he sank back into the couch just as the suite’s door swung in.
He didn’t get up, but he did grin at the sight. Anna, with long, wavy brown hair, and Daria, with thick, even longer black hair, both stepped inside, then together bumped the door shut with their behinds.
“Well, look at you two.”
“Like we could stop you,” Daria said with a snicker.
“Like we would want to,” Anna said, her soft Russian accent clear with each deliberate word.
“A tempting smartass and a tempting Russian babe. Perfect.”
They wore identical outfits: short red skirts, tight, mostly unbuttoned black blouses, and black stockings and heels, which were stabbing deeply into the plush carpeting. They were the same height, and any extra years that Anna had on Daria were nowhere to be seen.
“Girls, come in. Have a drink.”
Daria laughed and said, “Like you could stop us.”
“Daria,” Anna said, “you are a brat, but you are also adorable.”
“Hmm, yeah. You’ve proven that adoration many times.”
They strutted over, their heels quiet on the carpet, and took the two chairs facing Wolfe on the couch.
“I’d guess that everything went well, then?”
“Yes, Wolfe,” said Anna. “You know from our call right after that we finished off Benson in such a delicious way.”
“The dead guy,” Daria said. “That cold, dead, sexy guy.”
“You didn’t even have to tell me,” Wolfe said while handing them their drinks. “Any fool can see the changes in you both.”
“We feel those changes as well.”
“As you should, Anna. That neat little knife in Benson’s heart took you both up a notch. More power. Better lying. Sexier than ever.”
“We think it was more than just that knife, Wolfe. It was what Anna and I were doing too. How we did it.”
“Yes, Daria, and you must have followed my instructions exactly, which is something you should always do. You were both mostly naked?”
“We were delightfully naked together,” Anna said and gave Daria a smile.
Daria shrugged and said to Wolfe, “Hey, I like her naked. I’m stripping her down all the time.”
“As you should. Anyone would.”
“And I respond with much enthusiasm, every time.”
“As you should, too, Anna. So, right at that moment when you both plunged that dagger into that dead fool’s heart, what were you two doing?”
“Oh,” Anna said, smiling, “that was a thing for remembering. I was seated behind Benson’s head, and Daria was on his—”
“Lap?” Wolfe said, laughing.
Daria smirked and said, “Something much harder, Wolfe. Much harder. And I couldn’t seem to get comfortable enough, so I kept lifting myself up, then resting again on his . . . lap.”
“Hey, dead guys always deliver. You, Anna?”
“I knew that the dead man should have no more need of speaking, so I moved myself forward just enough.”
“Yeah, and he stopped talking, didn’t he?”
“He did, Wolfe. But his lips and tongue continued to try. I even liked the coldness of him there.”
“Nice. I’m imagining the scene. It’s really hot.”
Daria held up one finger and said, “There’s one more detail that you need to add to that fun visual we’re giving you.”
“Oh, you mean?”
“Mm-hmm. Oh, yeah,” said Daria. “Just before finishing off the cold dead guy, we kissed.”
“Not a quick peck, as they say,” said Anna. “No, it was as passionate as any lips could give.”
“I like the way you say things, Anna. Yeah, I’m picturing that. But you know what? I need more than just your description of that before we can get down to the next business.”
“What do you need?”
Wolfe rose from the couch, downed the last of his drink, then tipped his head toward the bedroom.
“I need you both to pretend I’m Benson, but let’s forget about the knife this time.”
Anna giggled and said, “I will try to keep you quiet, Wolfe, but you must make efforts to speak.”
“Oh, I will.”
“And I’ll try my damnedest to get comfortable on your . . . lap.”
“Hmm, yeah, Daria. It’ll be hard, though. And then, what will you two be doing?”
The two women looked at each other, eyes sparkling in the dim light as they smiled. And they both scooted smoothly to sit on the edges of their seats, each with her knees raised up from being high on her heels. Then, they leaned toward each other and their lips met.
“Now, that’s what I like to see. Yeah, girls, just like that. Soon, you’ll hunger for more than that with every goddamn breath you take.”
Chapter 8 – I Want All I Can Get
Nomad was responsible for most of the sound in the rental house on Timmons, nudging across the floor a large plastic bowl full of the chunks that he seemed to down by the ton.
Jack gave him a glance from his seat at the kitchen table, where he was giving himself a steady supply of potato chips from a large bag, then said, “No, Nomad, finish what you have first. Don’t keep trying to con me out of more.”
Lin paused with her hand in the plastic grocery bag stuffed full of every kind of chocolate that Jack and Nomad had brought back from their shopping excursion. She gave him a squint, which he never saw, then scoffed without a sound and resumed her search for the next thing to unwrap and devour.
Seconds later, she held a partially stripped chocolate bar, its packaging bunched up near her hand like a tight stocking dragged down a smooth leg, and she reached it closer for another bite.
“Jack, thanks for chocolate,” she said with her cheeks bulging.
“It’s quite an assortment, Jack. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Gabriel. I know you like chocolate as much as Lin.”
“Very true.”
“And there’s so much variety, Jack,” said Lin. “You did good. It’s fun to be able to pick from so many.”
He watched her hand still rummaging around, lifting an item only to drop it and examine another, sometimes rotating it around for a better look.
“Well, you should always get exactly what you want.”
She stopped everything and held his gaze, but he quickly looked back at the giant dog who had worked himself and his lunch to the far side of the room.
“This one’s good,” she said while lifting out a different kind of bar, and she waited for him to look her way, but he didn’t.
Her next scoff had some volume to it, then she looked toward Gabriel, who was diligently engaged in whittling down a giant bar of pure chocolate.
“Hey,” she said, and Gabriel kept chewing while raising eyebrows and looking at her. “Maybe tell me more about the Gold stuff.”
“Gold?” Jack said. “What gold?”
“Not gold, Jack,” she said. “It’s a power. A magic thing.”
Gabriel said, “It appears as an intense rain of fire from the sky, Lin. But if one were to keep a clear mind during such an extreme display, they would see that there’s almost an equal amount of fire reaching up from the ground too.”
“Alright,” Jack said. “I get it. Some kind of gold magic stuff. You two have fun. More stuff that no one can explain. I think I’ll watch some TV.”
Lin and Gabriel suspended their chewing to watch him walk to the kitchen’s exit, then turn and say, “Come on, Nomad. You’re with me.”
Nomad sat still and panted, holding Jack’s gaze, and seemed to be laughing quietly.
“Fine. Stay. Listen to all that magic talk.”
He stayed there, glaring for a moment at a dog that appeared to be smiling back at him. Then, he shook his head slowly while watching Lin ignore him and Nomad to instead renew her search through the chocolates.
Lin, with her mouth full, said to Gabriel, “More chocolate for us.”
Gabriel smiled and said, “Just how much chocolate do you want, Lin?”
She shrugged and said, “I want all I can get. Huh. I wanted some of those chips too.”
Chapter 9 – A Slave to Her Secret Desires
Light jazz played in the dim bedroom, curtains drawn completely and shunning every bit of natural light. The blankets had been kicked to the floor, where they remained, and the pillows were all gathered and mounded up against the plush, padded headboard.
Anna reclined against those pillows in the middle of the bed. To her right, not quite as high against the cushioning and with Anna’s arm around her, lay Daria.
Both wore only bath towels, and each had her hair pinned and tied high on her head. Anna was lazily caressing Daria’s bent right arm, and Daria was using that to reach across and keep her hand inside the closed towel covering Anna, leaving her palm flat against the soft skin of her belly.
Wolfe, again wearing only trousers and showing hard abs and smooth cut lines all across his torso, lay to Anna’s left. In his hand, he held another iced drink.
“Of all the reasons to get our asses kicked out of this dump,” he said, smirking.
“What is that reason, Wolfe?”
“Well, Anna, you and Daria must have sucked every drop of hot water out of this entire building. I didn’t think your shower would ever stop.”
Daria snickered softly and said, “Hey, it didn’t end until we got thirsty again.”
“No doubt,” he said, then handed his drink to her.
Daria patted Anna’s belly, arranged the towel to cover her again, and accepted the drink.
“Thanks. Good stuff.”
“You have very attractive lines of blood across your torso, Wolfe. I find it quite tantalizing. Lin Finity attempted your murder?”
“Yeah, can you believe it? It almost worked too. Hey, these slices give me an idea. Remind me later.”
“Right,” said Daria. “We’ll remind you about bloody cuts.”
“That’s exactly what I mean. Girls, you already feel what you’ve accomplished with that fun little escapade with reanimated Benson. You’re sexy as Hell, even more than before, and you can lie with the best of them now. Not as well as I can, sure, but still damn good. That fun game with that blade got you close to joining my world.”
“Only close? Close like Daria and I are when there is a shower taking?”
“Huh, maybe not that close. That’s damn close. No, I mean, you just need to take it up a notch to gain full access. You do that, and you’ll have more power and honestly more fun than you can even dream of right now.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” said Daria. “I dream pretty damn big.”
“Of course, you do. But you think you’re hungry for sex now? Wait and see—you’ll be an insatiable pervert that’ll never turn down a sexual thrill. You think you can lie well now? You’re already capable enough for what’s next, but you’ll only get better.”
“I am intrigued,” said Anna. “I wish to know the entry cost for such improvements.”
“That’s the right attitude, Anna. You too, Daria?”
“Well, Hell yeah. Count me in. What does it take?”
“You’ve come so far from your killing of Benson but Hell, he was already mostly dead. No, girls, you need to kill an actual living person.”
“The same way?” said Daria.
“Well, maybe not,” said Wolfe. “I mean, Benson was a dude, right? Your next victim won’t be.”
“Ah,” said Daria, “we’re lining up some bimbo for the next round.”
“Exactly—a bimbo. But think of it, girls: killing someone ordinary will give you a good boost, sure, but killing someone with some extra power will give you so much more.”
“Makes sense.”
“Wolfe, you do tend to have sense.”
“Well, uh, thanks, Anna. So, if you haven’t already figured it out, I’ll spell it out for you. Girls, your next victim, in a scene at least as depraved and murderous as what you did with Benson, will be none other than . . . Lin Finity.”
Anna was laughing when she said, “Wolfe, you are a true madman. Lin possesses powers too large.”
“She’s right about that,” said Daria. “And she’s scary as hell. You’ve lost your mind even suggesting that.”
“You’re both gorgeous, and you’re already sweet perverts for each other, but you’re both missing a key detail about Lin which I know and you don’t. I’m a talented guy, and one of my talents is to see the truth of people even if they’d never admit it to anyone.”
“Oh, so you’re saying you know some secrets about scary Lin?”
“Yeah, Daria, that’s what I’m saying. The thing is, there’s something that Lin craves that will set her up just the way both of you will want her. Girls, she fantasizes about being helpless.”
“Wolfe, I will say it for one more additional time. You are a madman.”
“Point taken, Anna, but this is a time when I’m speaking truth. Don’t get used to that. No, she really does crave being helpless, and it’s because the weight of having all that power kind of crushes her sometimes. Her fantasy, almost her best one, is to be without those powers. No, not just that. She wants to be without any of those powers and be helpless for whatever is being done to her.”
“Get out of here,” said Daria. “Lin the immensely powerful?”
“Crazy, huh? That fantasy involves her being helpless, completely helpless, and just used for sex. Girls, you see how perfect this is?”
“And how are we to enact such a foolhardy plan?”
“Oh, Anna, you still don’t have any faith in me? Well, you probably shouldn’t. I’m a liar and an evil bastard. But here’s the plan: you, Anna, contact Lin, be on your best behavior, and convince her that you’re nothing but sweet and contrite and wish to end your troubled relationship with a shared bit of goodwill. Invite her to lunch or something.”
“I can do that. I can pretend to not be the type for stabbing a thing like Benson.”
“Or taking showers that suck up the whole water supply.”
Anna giggled and said, “Yes, Daria. That too. We enjoyed talking of stabbing each other, too, while we were so wet together. So, Wolfe, we have lunch. Then?”
“Then, you tell her that Daria could not join you, but you believe she wishes to apologize for being a brat.”
“Hey, wait a minute.”
“It’s for the greater good, Daria. Well, bad, actually. It’s all deception, remember? So, Anna, after that first tame meeting, you invite Lin to that lounge downstairs for later in the day. Tell her to dress up too.”
“Hey, remind her of how you like her fashion sense.”
“Yes, Daria, that would work. So, Wolfe, we meet in the bar?”
“Yes, both of you. And that’s where you seduce her and get her to agree to come up to the suite.”
“You will be here?”
“No, Daria, this is your party. Yours and Anna’s. You two probably can’t tell, but you’ve already got this deadly seductive power from what you did with Benson.”
“It is a truth,” said Anna. “When Daria spoke of stabbing, I wanted a stabbing from her.”
“Same with me. Yep, she could have jabbed my heart right then.”
“You two are coming along so nicely—sex and violence. You unleash that seductive charm on someone like Lin, who wants desperately to give in to her deepest fantasies, and she won’t be able to refuse.”
“You think this can work, Wolfe?” said Daria. “Because it sounds kind of dangerous and crazy.”
“Girls, welcome to dangerous and crazy. That’s the world you’re killing Lin Finity to get into. Hell, I know her so well, I can even describe what she’ll wear to meet you two, even though she won’t know why in Hell she’s dressing that way.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Daria, I’ve been doing this a long time. Just the other day, I pulled a little stunt to jam a stubborn wedge between her and that irritating Jack character.”
“How?”
“I gave that fool fiancé of hers tons of reasons to doubt her loyalty to him. And there’s no way for her to defend herself, not without earning his disgust, so that charming little relationship of theirs is on the skids.”
“You are a true devious mastermind type.”
“Yes. Yes, Anna, I am. But on top of being practically a slave to her secret desires, she’s also frustrated as hell, in a sinful, sexual way from probably getting zero action with Jack now. Oh, girls, get ready for some serious thrills at the expense of . . .”
He waited with his eyebrows high.
“Lin Finity,” Anna said, nodding and smiling.
“Finally,” said Daria. “That damn scary witch.”
“Yes. Scary and damn sexy, too, especially when volunteering to be helpless for whatever you want. And when you see that I’m right about how she’ll dress herself for you, for both of you, you’ll know that you’ve just about already sealed her fate.”
Chapter 10 – You Told Her I Was in Georgia?
Jack scoffed silently and had just begun to retreat to the living room, and Lin’s phone chattered around on the kitchen table.
“Hey,” he said, “I know who that is. The dude with the sports car. And a bandana. Can’t forget the ottoman—he probably had one in the backseat. What the hell was with all that stuff?”
With the phone buzzing and chiming, Lin squinted straight at Jack, kept chewing chocolate, and didn’t relax until he’d spun himself around and vanished somewhere into the other room. A moment later, the TV began its muffled noises.
“Finally,” Lin said under her breath and reached for the phone. “Oh, it’s Tayo again.”
Gabriel nodded but kept a keen focus on all of the chocolate while Lin tapped to answer the call.
“Hello, Tayo.”
“Lin, I apologize, but you are exceedingly wise, and no one else I know would listen to my story without enshrining me in a padded room.”
“Wow, okay. So, what’s going on?”
“It’s Jenny. Something is dreadfully wrong with her. I have not yet confronted her about it as I am waiting to be sure my perceptions are not due to a serious malfunctioning of my brain.”
“Well, um, yeah. Be sure your brain’s okay. I’m sure it is, Tayo.”
“I am not so sure, but I am hopeful. I believe whatever is occurring will soon reach a critical point, and something obvious will occur. Until then, though, I wish to also advise you that Gloriana has become aware that you are not at your home in Pennsylvania.”
“What? She’d better not—”
“She claimed that she would direct the taxi driver to deliver her instead to the airport. I cannot verify that has happened, though, as she is gone. In a taxi. Driven by the taxi driver. She convinced me also to provide the funds she would need.”
“Tayo, you told her I was in Georgia? You paid for her trip too?”
“Lin, as I mentioned just moments ago, my brain might be showing signs of severe structural deficiencies. If it’s not, and even if it is, please accept my apology.”
“Well, sure, okay.”
“And I would also advise you to expect, soon, a visit from Gloriana.”
Lin let the disconnected phone slip from her grasp as she leaned forward onto her crossed arms again. But her hair betrayed, with its subtle motions, that she hadn’t stopped feeding herself chocolate.
Chapter 11 – More Gorgeous Without those Powers
“You two, Anna and Daria, will be dressed to kill—literally. With just the power and influence you’ll be using on her, you could wear the dumpiest clothes imaginable, and she’d still go along with whatever you say. But dressed in your sexiest clothes? Girls, she’s going to melt in your hands.”
“So, Anna and I really dress it up. That’s fine. What are you guessing Lin’s going to wear?”
“It’s not a guess when you can see into someone’s soul, Daria. And Lin’s is right there for me to examine and make plans around. She’s going to dress herself in soft, white things, making herself as innocent and harmless as she can be. She won’t suspect why she chose to include things like that, but both of you will know.”
“And just how am I influencing Lin so much?”
“Anna, it’s already in your voice. You don’t have to make any special effort. Even when you’re being sweet and innocent, there’s a tone to what you’re saying, and that tone matches your plans for her. It’ll get to her, basically trap her, and she won’t even know it. That’s the beauty of this stuff: the victim doesn’t even know they’re being messed with.”
“And you think she’ll agree to come up to the room with us?”
“Daria, she won’t be able to say no. You just stay busy being a sexual treat like Anna—two tasty, sexual treats—and her hungers will take over. She doesn’t even think about how her craving, her fascination with chocolate is just a junk food substitution for sex, any kind, anytime, and anywhere.”
Daria chuckled and said, “Anna and I will be her chocolate treats.”
“Yes, exactly. When she’s up here, both of you, just take your time, one slow advance after another. It’s kind of like a spider binding up something juicy. Girls, there’s no chance of escape.”
“I like feeling like I am a sexy spider, Wolfe.”
“Of course, you do, Anna. So, she’s in the room, swooning and ready for anything. That’s when you tell her you know she’d like to be wearing less for you, and she’ll know it’s true. You see, neither of you have actually touched her yet, just some fun kissing and hugging. It’s that hunger for it, the anticipation of it, that will help convince her to do what you want.”
“She’ll just go ahead and strip?”
“Daria, not like that. You can both help her, very gently, to remove enough to see what she’s keeping closest to her skin.”
“And you have a guess as to that as well?”
“Yeah, Anna, and it’s more than a guess. I think you’ll find that she’s put on very modest white panties, maybe just a hint of lace. And under whatever shirt she’s wearing, she’ll have a simple, very thin white top, something like a tank top, and you’ll love how she looks without a bra.”
“I do not doubt that for any seconds.”
“Hell no. Not if you’re like me, Anna, or just about anyone else.”
“Hell would know, too, that I have often admired her breasts.”
“Well, yeah, they’re magnificent.”
“She always wears heels, too, Wolfe. What about those?”
“Those have to go, Daria. Make her just a barefoot, submissive thing, and you’ll both be taller in your own sexy heels, dominating her. And that’s the way she wants it.”
“Okay, the scary witch is there, kind of naked. Then, what?”
“Daria, you can approach her from the front, slowly, no sudden moves, and get your arms around her waist. Make sure your hands are always in contact with her skin, up under that flimsy little shirt if you need to. You’ll want to laugh at how she’s not trying to back away from you, and you will, whether you want to or not, get even more determined from feeling her skin like that. From there, you can lean in and whisper in her ear.”
“Uh, sure. Whisper what?”
“Tell her she’s gorgeous. Tell her you’ve always thought so, from the first time you saw her.”
“I can do that. She really is. I really did think so.”
“Yes, she sure is. Anna, you then do the same from behind her. She won’t even flinch at becoming just a scrumptious, willing piece of meat sandwiched between two hot women intent on all kinds of sex with her. You’ll both be whispering to her how gorgeous she is, how her skin is so soft, how touching her feels so good.”
“Okay, then we stab her?”
“Anna, come on. Think of what you’ve set her up for and just savor it all. Get as much satisfaction as you can from her. No, at some point, when you see her swooning, nodding her head for things you’re saying, then you tell her she’d be even more gorgeous without those powers of hers.”
“She’ll run,” said Daria. “Or she’ll fire up those damn powers and fry our sexy asses.”
“She won’t. Oh, she’ll protest, but it’ll be weak. Tell her again, Anna, and remind her how much she loves being helpless. That’s the key, girls: when you speak the truth to her, she has no place to hide. Keep it up, and it’ll be obvious to both of you—just by the way she’s acting—the exact moment when she lets her powers slip away. It’ll be like something that was wound up inside just loosened and fell away, leaving nothing but a woman ready to submit to your desires and your demands of her.”
“You think she’d do that?”
“Daria, I’m certain. And if you thought she was soft and submissive before that, just wait. You’ll both have in your hands a gorgeous witch without any of her powers, and she’s swooning, starving to do just whatever the Hell you want from her.”
“That sounds too good to be true.”
“Yes, it is true, Anna. And while you’re touching her and forcing her to touch you, remember this, and let it get your sexual appetites up even higher. Lin has never, ever been sweet, submissive, and without any powers to protect herself while with Jack. He has never experienced the endless thrills both of you will have with his very own fiancé, who, for you and Daria, will happily be only a sexual plaything.”
“He never has?”
“No, Anna, and that chump never will know her like that. Lin will not walk out of that room as a living woman after you two have enjoyed her and abused her in the most delicious of ways.”