The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Light and Shadows VII: Fading Light

by J. Darksong & Baltimore Rogers

Ch.7) The Coming Night

Lacie moaned softly, luxuriating in the sensation of soft feminine fingers stroking and caressing her skin, teasing her softest places. Soft bare toes rubbed idly against her shins, the owner’s legs twitching slightly as she ground herself against her. Warm breath teased hard nipples gently before soft sweet lips engulfed them, eliciting another sharp moan of pleasure. Though she and her dearest friend Eva had trysted several times before, tonight she seemed exceptionally insatiable.

“Eva...uuuhhn...don’t tease me...” she hissed, “Aaahhh please...nnggghh...push me...aahhh...over the edge!”

“Mmmmm, gladly, baby,” Eva cooed huskily, working her fingers back down to Lacie’s smooth, hot, wet pussy, giggling as the blonde heroine’s hips jerked instinctively, moving into her hand, seeking contact. “Uh uh uh, you bad girl,” Eva chided, giggling, “Naughty, naughty. Let mommy do it, now.”

Lacie groaned again, pulling instinctively against her chains, the Nth metal restraints bolted firmly to the floor. The feeling of being helpless added an extra dimension to the sex, reminding her of her last time together with her husband, Gene, before he’d left to go after his brother. Eugene...the thought of him stirred something primal within her, sending her lust into the stratosphere. She pictured his strong, rough calloused hands stroking her instead of Eva’s, pictured his teeth grazing her nipples, biting deftly, imagined his voice in her ear, whispering, reminding her of her place, her role, her reality: his slave...

“Ahhhhhhhhh!” she cried out, cumming hard, her body arching into a tight bow of pleasure.

Eva jerked in surprise, gasping. She hadn’t even touched her lover’s pussy yet, and still she’d just cum harder than she’s ever cum during their nights together. She wondered idly what that was about...and an image flashed into her mind—

Lacie’s eyes shot open, and a gasp escaped her lips as Eugene closed the collar around her neck, letting the heavy metal band rest lightly against her skin. A visible shudder swept through her as she felt all of her power, physical as well as mental, dissipate. She slipped to the floor on her knees, eyes closed again, basking in the sensation of her own weakness. The technology embedded in the simple metal band around her neck rendered her completely and totally powerless. Helpless. Vulnerable...

“Slave,” Eugene said softly, staring down at her on her knees.

“My Lord,” she replied back, staring up at Him with love and devotion, and a bit of awe. He hadn’t even tranced her yet, and already she was his complete and total thrall. The desire to submit to him had become a need. She tremble like a leaf in a storm, overwhelmed by the force of her Master’s will, a force that threatened to swallow her whole...

Eva gasped, shuddering, thighs clenching hard. That image, the feelings it brought up...all plucked from Lacie’s mind, unbidden. And she hadn’t intended to see that, hadn’t tried to peer into her friend’s mind. Gahh...I’m leaking...in more ways than one. Psychic control gone...I’ve lost all concentration...probably transmitting too, sending my lust to everyone in a two mile radius...didn’t mean to steal that memory from Lacie’s mind...but...goddess bless...I never looked at Gene that way...never even THOUGHT of him that way before...uuuhhnnn...but that image...

...The joining was intense, powerful, and savage. Eugene walked a fine line between brutality and pleasure, expertly fusing pain and joyous release, alternating wild roughness: a twist of her nipples, a pull of her hair, or a hard slap across tender flesh...with gentle passion: caressing, kissing, cherishing her most sensitive spots. Even though he was getting on in years, his body was in excellent shape, and he kept up with his lover stroke for stroke, a virtuoso controlling her movements as he played her body like a finely crafted instrument...

“Ahhhhh...yesss...goddess...” Lacie panted hair whipping back and forth. “Ohhh, ooohh, ohhh take me, Master...take me...fuck me...own me...yes! Yes! YES!”

“YEEESSSSS!!” Eva screamed as well, hips jerking, cumming hard, eyes rolling back into her head. Whether it was the pleasure of the moment, or more psychic leakage, but her climax seemed to ignite Lacie’s once more, until both women were clutching each other, grinding furiously, lost, consumed by the pleasure engulfing them both. Afterwards, Eva let out a soft sigh of contentment, feeling the haze around her mind lift a little for the first time in days.

Bimbo virus, huh? she mused softly, toes rubbing lightly against Lacie’s calf, That explains a lot. So...what’s been happening to me, to the rest of the city...it’s an attack of some kind. She closed her eyes. She recalled Lacie saying something earlier about trying to find...some sort of cure? She glanced towards Lacie, the information pouring into her mind: the meeting with Kremenski at the jail; the sampling of her own blood, and isolation of the virus affecting her; the conversation with her daughter, Katie...and the surprising advice to go to one of Nigel Grimalde’s people for help.

Hmm...still, all things considered, I guess beggars can’t be choosers. Angela Prentiss...I just hope she’s up to the task. The last time I saw her she wasn’t exactly...competent...or really coherent even...but that was a long time ago. Now she’s a VP in charge of one of the world’s best biotech operations, working for the very monster who had turned her into a drooling nymphomaniac in the first place. Well, at least Lacie seems to be convinced that she’s more than just a figurehead. I hope she’s right.

“Eva?” Lacie managed, yawning and stretching. “You okay, sweetie? You seem a little bit...lost in thought, yanno?” She giggled.

The platinum blonde psychic smiled back. “Yeah, kinda was. Just kinda thinking about our situation here...we’re kinda fucked, huh?”

Lacie giggled again. “Yeah, kinda! Very much so. That’s why I let you chain me up to the bed, after all...” She blinked frowning. “So, like, um...can ya let me up now? I gotta use the bathroom.”

Eva unchained her lover, then watched her make her way to the bathroom, licking her lips as she watched Lacie’s ample buttocks swaying with each step. Damn...is it just me, or are her hips even wider than they used to me? Or maybe it just the way she’s walking now...her walk was always kind of...manly before. Not now. Guess that virus is good for something after all. Eva sighed softly, one hand idly rubbing her bare thigh, as her eyes drooped to near slits, feeling her arousal slowly flooding back in. Uhhhnn...huh...not sure...why...I’m getting horny again...so soon...usually last longer after a good hard cum...like the one I just had...mmmmm...must be leaking again...picking up everyone else’s lustful thoughts...mmmm... She groaned softly, the haze settling back into her brain, as she rose from the bed, walking over to the bathroom to join her lover.

“Hmmm...Lacie Ann, baby...I was just wondering...where IS your hunky husband anyway? Where is Eugene?”

* * *

“We hafta hightail it outta here,” Katie told her two new friends, placing a restraining hand on their shoulders as they moved to engage the three beautiful bimbo bombshell baker babes. Heh. Whoa. trying saying THAT three times fast! Katie suddenly burst into giggles, cracked up by her own thoughts, and it took a bit of effort to stop and put a serious face back on. “Sorry. teehee...I just...hheee..plum tickled mahself a bit silly. " Clearing her throat, she gestured back towards the skylight they’d dropped in from. “These gals ain’t all that important. They’re just the hired hands! We gotta catch the dirty sidewinder what’s behind all of this!“

Unable to help themselves, Tawnya and Sioban burst into loud hearty laughter, which only infuriated Luminaire. I’m trying to be serious dammit, but this danged fool accent from that doggoned serum I’d been injected with is making me sound like the unholy love child of Foghorn Leghorn and Betty Boop! Of course, there was also the fact that the same virus affecting Katie had spread in some form or another all throughout the city, and was likely affecting the Angels as well, to some extent. I need to focus...focus on what’s important here, and what I need to do. Gathering her light, she lifted off the ground, heading towards the skylight...only to duck and dart back down to the ground as a huge metal crate went flying up towards the ceiling.

“Uh uh,” one of the girls—Sugar, I think—called out, with a naughty little smirk on her face. “The boss said to keep you guys, like...octopod, while he makes his escape—“

“No, Sugar!” Sweetie said with a frown. “You said, ‘octopod’ That’s like a squid or something! You meant ‘occupied’!”

“Gah! Sweetie, I’m in the middle of being all mean and evil and stuff!” Sugar protested with a scowl. “You’re making me look bad!”

“Well, I just didn’t want you to, like, yanno...sound stupid,” she said, looking down. “Was just trying to help, that’s all...”

Sioban could feel the embarrassed horror in her partner. She couldn’t read the younger girl’s actual thoughts, but Tawnya’s emotions were speaking loud and clear: Oh Goddess! Is that what WE sound like when WE squabble?

Sioban thought wryly to herself Well, maybe if you tack on 60 IQ points to each of them...No, 80.

“Okay, ladies,” Sioban said, still chuckling slightly at their antics, “this has been fun and all, but we need to wrap this up. I need to get out of here and go prepare for my day job tomorrow.” Activating the hidden devices in her gloves, she took a step towards the trio, raising a hand. “Don’t worry. I promise you. This won’t hurt a bit.”

“Tee hee,” the third girl, Honey giggled, raising a hand of her own, palms out, towards Sioban. “Yeah! You got that right. ’Cause I’m not gonna let you do nuthin’ bad to my friends.” A white mist issued forth from her hand, a thick plume of vapor, or gas, enveloping Sioban completely within seconds.

“Ivory!” Tawnya yelled, moving towards her partner. Katie grabbed for her arm, trying to pull her back, but she missed, and Ebony Angel was determined to rescued her mentor. Luminaire winced, not knowing what to do. Should she charge in as well, or stay back. At least until I knew what Honey had just spritzed them both with. It turned out to be a moot point, however, as the cloud quickly dissipated, blown away by the wind caused by Ivory Angel unfurling and flapping her wings. Tawnya and Katie coughed a bit from the lingering traces as they approached her, but Sioban seemed no worse for wear.

“Are you okay, Ivory?” Katie asked, concerned, and feeling a little guilty for not rushing in as the redhead’s partner had. Yeah...if it was me, or Tawnya, she’d have charged in without hesitating,

“I’m fine,” Ivory replied with a grin. “Not sure what that was supposed to do, but it didn’t pack much of a waa...wa...tee hee...hee hee hee..” she said giggling slightly. “Heh...that’s kinda funny actually,” she said, giggling again. “In fact...tee hee...it’s fucking...hehehehe...hilarious!” She suddenly burst into loud laughter, doubling over in hilarity.

It’s like she’s in the middle of one of Jess and my tickle fights, thought Katie, and she’s got a nice, sweet laugh, too. More giggly than braying.... Wait, what the heck am I doing? We need to stop these guys!

“Ivory!” Tawnya yelled, shaking her partner briskly by the shoulders. “Come on, snap out of it!” Turning away, she glared at the three blonde minions, powering up her own gauntlets. “Oh, you little bimbos have done it now. You’ve pissed me the hell off! Now you’re gonna pay!”

“Nuh-uh!” Sweetie replied, surging forward to meet Tawyna, her own hands outstretched. “You’re the one that’s gonna pay for being a big ol’ meanie stupid-head!”

Despite being a dim bulb, Sweetie had some skills, showing her agility by dodging every blast from Tawnya’s gloves, and landing a few blows of her own. Forgoing the blasters, Tawnya focused more on hand to hand, using her fighting skills to try and simply pummel the ditzy blonde instead. Sweetie, however, seemed to have some amount of martial arts training as well, and was holding her own.

Then Katie was drawn back into the fight as Sugar, holding up another of those large metallic crates in her hands, holding it high above her head. “You better move outta the way,” she yelled, somehow sounding angry and giddy at the same time, “or I’m gonna squish ya!” And indeed, she certainly tried, launching the heavy metal case at the heroine like a major league baseball pitcher. Squealing, Katie darted out of the way, wincing as the crate hit the concrete floor inches away from her, bounding into the far wall. Now taking the initiative, Katie let loose with a bright light flare, hoping to blind her, or at least stun her momentarily.

No such luck. Either by planning or instinct, Sugar had turned her back to Katie just as the flash went off, moving to scoop up another crate. Katie targeted her again, about to use laser blasts this time...but then she hesitated. I don’t really want to hurt her. She’s just another pawn in all of this after all. She isn’t even trying to hurt me either, just keep me off balance. She’s even warning me to move out of the way before throwing her projectiles.

“Ahhh!” Tawnya cried out suddenly, her assault drawing to a surprised halt as she found herself naked, her clothes flowing slowly down her body like water, pooling down around her suddenly bare feet. Katie’s mouth dropped open. She couldn’t help but stare at the lovely dark skinned feast of woman-flesh, there in all her resplendent glory. Katie knew Tawnya had an exceptional figure—those rather skimpy threads she wore as a costume didn’t hide much—but seeing her completely bare this way...those big dark areolae surrounding those long, thick nipples...that cute little wooly landing strip, so neatly trimmed...DAY-um...

“LUMY! Watch out!” Tawnya yelled, suddenly, snapping Katie out of her inner deliberation. Behind her, the gas spewing Honey pounced, grabbing her from behind, wrapping arms around Katie’s neck, tightly. The blonde gasped in surprise...and immediately regretted it as a strange sweet smell filled her nostrils.

“That’s it, Ms. Loony Air,” said Honey with a grin, “get a good dose of my ‘giggle gas’. It’ll REALLY make you loony!”

“For the...tee...hee...last time...It’s...hehee...Lumi...NAIRE...heheheehehehehe!” Katie protested, descending into helpless laughter. She sank to her knees, chortling madly, completely overcome.

“Oh, goody!” Sugar said, walking over to join her friend, Honey, looking down at Katie’s helpless form. “That’s like, two down, now...and um...um...” She paused, counting on her fingers. “Ah! Just one left! You got her, Sweetie?”

“Yeah,” Sweetie replied, picking up a few scraps of tungsten steel from a couple of the shattered chain links on the ground, moving them back and forth in her lands, squishing it together like a ball of clay. “I think I got her ’bout wrapped up!” she said, tossing the ball at Tawnya. The Angel put both hands out, blocking what should have been a hard attack, only to find herself soaked, as if the steel orb tossed at her was nothing more than a water balloon. The attack’s purpose came clear a split second later, however, when the steel re-solidified, hardening around Ebony Angel like an hard metal cocoon, leaving her likewise trapped and helpless.

Ahhh, shit... Luminaire thought glumly, even as she giggled and chuckled relentlessly under the effects of the gas. All three of us down...not good. All it would take is for that Sugar girl to get her hands on any of us and we’d be done like dinner! Looking up as the three of them approached, Katie wondered idly if her number was finally up.

“Uhhnnnn...” Sugar groaned softly, shaking her head. “Uhhn...it’s time...it’s time...It’s my turn.” Sweetie and Honey glanced at her, concerned. “It’s my turn,” she said again, insistently, running her hands along her thigh, across her stomach, and up to her breasts, squeezing then briskly. “We need to go find Chucky Baby!“

“Okay, Sugar, we’ll go,” Honey said softly, caressing her friend’s cheek lovingly. “It’ll be okay. He’s prob’ly at the Mayor’s Office now, making his Hulky Maiden.”

“His what?” asked Sweetie.

“His Hulky Maiden...his big ransom thingy!” said Honey. Tawnya groaned involuntarily in her metal prison as it hit her that the poor dim bulb was trying to say “ultimatum”.

She was joined in her groan by Sugar, who was experiencing a different kind of stress, clenching her thighs.

“C’mon, Sweetie,” said Honey, “You drive. I’ll play with Sugar in the back ’til we get there, and help her get through the ‘hornies’.” They turned and walked towards the main door.

“Hey! But what about the office?” Sweetie protested, glancing back towards the small door on the far side. “Chucky said we needed to secure everything before we left—”

“SWEETIE PLEASE!” Sugar screamed, mauling her tits violently, pulling at her nipples, sending sharp spike of pleasure through her frame. “It’s my FUCKING turn! You know what it’s like when you don’t have YOUR turn and the ‘hornies’ get too bad...”

Sweetie glanced from the office, to her friends, and sighed. “Okay, let’s go.” she replied, running after them. The three heroines watched them go, two of them through bleary tear-fogged eyes. Katie distracted by her own bout of horniness. It just seems to keep getting bigger and bigger, the more I laugh and giggle... And then it hit, the mother of all climaxes. The heat...goddess...such fucking heat...it feels like a nuclear bomb going off inside me...spreading out from my core...filling me...surrounding me...drowning me in pleasure...

* * *

“Luminaire?”

When I came to, sometime later, I was no longer laughing like a hyena, but still felt warm and giddy, and more than a little aroused. I recognized Ivory Angel’s concerned face peering down at me. I guess the giddy gas wore off on her as well...though she looks to be a lot more in control that I feel right now. I smiled at that. She did look really focused and in-charge. I wondered idly if she was that kind of lover...you know, a dominant type. Heh...she is a bit older than me after all, even if it is kinda hard to tell her age by her looks...but I have kinda wondered what she would be like as a lover...if her ‘Master’ Nigel Grimalde even lets his harem girls have a dominant side, you know, maybe sometimes, maybe with each other if not with him...What would it be like if she wrapped those big feathery wings around me and bent me to her will.

“Um, Luminaire?” Sioban asked again, shaking me slightly. I blinked, staring at her with a stupid grin. “Are you okay?”

“Huh? Oh...sorry...guess ah spaced out...” I replied drunkenly, “was just daydreamin’ ’bout if’n’ them wings would tickle when ya wrapped ’em around me.”

Sioban’s eyes went wide, like a deer in the headlights, as a blush erupted from my cheeks as I realized what I’d just blurted out.

“NO! Ah’m sorry...Ah didn’t mean it lahk that. Ah was ruminatin’ ’bout what it would be lahk ta be yore love slave!”

Now SHE was blushing furiously as well as me, gaping at me in open-mouthed shock. The blush looked kinda nice on her pale skin—NO! Dammit, focus! Gotta fix this.

“Sorry...sorry...this is coming out all tangled up...but damn, Sioban, yore hot as fresh biscuits. Ya shore melt mah butter...” I was moving before I even realized it, wrapping arms around her, leaning down to kiss her, softly but passionately...and after a second or two of surprise, she reached up and responded in kind. And then she did wrap those soft, soft wings around me, so gently that it didn’t even tickle at all. Pity.

“Um...ahem...” Tawnya called out from behind us, breaking the moment. “Sorry to ruin the mood, ladies...but could someone get me the HELL out of this metal strait-jacket?”

Blushing still, I turned back to our other friend, and focusing a tight narrow beam of light, sliced through the heavy reinforced steel alloy wrapped tightly around her naked form. She sighed, rubbing her arms and shoulders, working out the kinks. “Thanks. I was beginning to feel a little bit like a canned sardine.”

Which gave me another case of the giggles. Tawnya sighed, rolling her eyes...then blinked and did a double-take. “What the? Um...Ivory...are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Is it just me...or is she...well, even BIGGER upstairs?”

Upstairs? I frowned, glancing down at myself. “Holy Hannah! My cantaloupes dun turned into wartermelons!” I exclaimed, jiggling slightly, causing my new expanded tits to bounce.

“Luminaire?” said the little redhead.

Hmmm. Bouncy, bouncy...

“Luminaire?”

Bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, bouncy—

“KATIE! Dammit, we need you to focus,” Sioban said, grabbing my shoulders, and my attention. “Some strange shit is going on here, and you apparently know more than we do. We need you to keep it together and fill us in. Can you do that? Please?”

“Yeah. Raht! Sorry,” I replied, forcing my hands down to my sides to keep them from playing with my enhanced ta-tas. Marshalling my remaining focus and discipline, I launched into a narrative of what had happened, from the conversation with my mom, to searching out Sweet Tooth, to waking up tied to the rafters, and being injected with that blasted bimbo virus. During my talk, Ebony had retrieved her discarded costume, no worse the wear from being transformed momentarily into liquid. With her dressed again, she was less distracting...well, a little bit less distracting. Somehow Sioban was even more distracting though. “Large and in charge” in spite of her tiny stature. Mmmmmm...

“I see,” Sioban said after a moment. “Sounds pretty bad. We need to head to the Mayor’s office then. We have to get after them, and stop them before they cause any more harm.”

“Stop them? Hello? We just got our asses kicked by three girls with the combined IQ of a cabbage!” Tawnya reminded her. “I think we need to alert some of the other heroes in the city, and let THEM take a crack at the ‘terrible trio’.”

“Lordy be, if wishes were horses,” I replied wearily, shaking my head, still trying to clear it. “Ah’m sure as shootin’ that mah momma went down the whole roster of Supers she knew afore layin’ all this on mah shoulders. Until that snake Sweet Tooth injected me, Ah uz one of the last ’uns that wasn’t a total airhead, and near as ah can figger, y’all are the only t’other.“

“Besides, we were fighting here, inside,” Ivory Angel said with authority. “We’re at a tactical disadvantage in confined spaces. Our best weapon is our speed, our agility, our flight, being able to strike from on high. Plus, those three were unknown quantities. Now, at least, we know what we’re up against. I’m sure we’ll fare much better the next time.“

“Wait...there’s somethin’ else we’re fergettin’,” I said suddenly, my mind clear for the moment. “Y’all tarry here a sec!” I said, running back towards the unsecured office door. I had a hunch that what I’d been searching for would be there, and sure enough, behind a stack of old cardboard boxes, I found a wall safe. Heh. Perfect place to stash a copy of your serum, or at least the formula notes to create it. I had no idea of the combination, of course, but I was willing to let my blind luck work for me here. Closing my eyes, I grabbed the handle, preparing to spin the dial randomly and hope for the best...but I didn’t even have to do that. The doggone thing was unlocked!

“Hey, what’s that?” Ebony Angel asked as I ran back into the storehouse, clutching a large glass cylinder.

“Best Ah kin figger...It’s th’ answer...ta all our problems,” I replied, slightly breathless. “Ah need y’all...ta take me...ta Angela Prentiss.”

* * *

Eva watched in awe as Lacie did her thing, tugging slightly on her husband’s thread, bending time and space to bring him bodily to their bedroom. He snored slightly, deep asleep, dressed lightly in only a pair of white briefs and a t-shirt. She gingerly extended a finger, moving carefully as if afraid he would pop like a bubble, but he didn’t, merely grunting, moving slightly, eyes fluttering open. He was there. He was real.

“O-M-G!” Eva said, still disbelieving. “It’s really him! It’s, like, totally Gene-Gene! Holy shit!” she said, giggling, pulling Lacie in for a deep passionate kiss. “You did it, Lacie-sweets! I can’t believe it! You actually brought your handsome...hunky...llllllloverman here to join us!” They kissed again, grinding enticingly against each other, to the Scotsman’s confusion.

“Ye-ah!” Lacie replied in a smoldering breathless voice. “Told ya I could do it!”

“Eh...what?” He frowned, glancing around. “My bedroom...I’m home? No...I was in New York...” He shook his head, then hiccupped. “Plus...Eva wouldnae be quite so overjoyed to see me, or talking about me ‘joining in’ with her and Lacie...must be a dream...”

“Oooooo, You got it, loverboy,” Eva purred, nuzzling her bare chest against his lightly clothed one. “It’s a dream come true! Don’t think I haven’t known about your little fantasies involving me all these years. I’m, like, totally psychic, you know!” She giggled again, sounding very much unlike the cool and composed woman she normally was, making the scene seem even more surreal. “So...now that we’re all here, Lacie and I have a little...probbbblemmm...and we’re hoping you can hhhhhellllp us with it.”

“Mmmm, yeah,” Lacie cooed softly, crawling up the bed cat-like on her hand and knees, giving her husband her sexiest babydoll look. “Can you make it all better for us...Daddy?” she asked, eyes wide and vapid, innocent yet naughty all at the same time.

“Yeah,” Eva chimed in, cat-walking up the bed on Gene’s other side, staring at him with an almost identical lusty expression.“Is that twue, Daddy?” she asked, biting lightly on her pinky, lip trembling slightly. “Can you make it a-a-a-all better? Pwease Daddy? Pwetty pwease? Paw-weeese?“

Gene’s mind went into meltdown mode. On the one hand, he was drunk, most assuredly, blessedly, drunk, self-medicated to banish the bad dreams and nightmares of what he was facing in the hunt for his twisted brother Duncan. He’d just had the penultimate nightmare, with Patricia Grimalde screeching at him on fire, half-melting into a puddle and half-dissolving into wind-blown ash before his very eyes. Now, he was reasonably sure he was having the mother of all sex dreams, all his naughty fantasies combined together into the vision dancing before his eyes. On the other hand...it WAS very much the embodiment of one of his deepest, strongest fantasies. Only a fool would look such a gift horse in the mouth, as it were, and dream or not, he had no intention of turning away from the lovely pair of fillies before him.

Soon stripped as naked as his two lovers, he indeed joined them, taking Lacie Ann first, out of respect, fucking her deep and hard, with all the vigor his body possessed. Apparently, his lovely wife had missed him terribly, as she seemed primed and ready for him, cumming almost the instant he entered her, like a cowgirl having a seizure, while riding UNDER the horse.

“OOoohhhh fuuuucccckkK!” she cried out, wrapping her legs around his waist, holding on for dear life as she came, and came, and came again...sheer perfection, her husband, her king, her Master, taking her, using her, driving her insane with pleasure. Behind her, Eva’s naked body ground hard against her own, her lips nibbling and sucking at her neck, fingers teasing and pinching her nipples lightly, adding moments of spice to the encounter. Her loving, powerful man, and dearest closest friend, together. This was bliss. This was ecstasy. This was nirvana!

“YES, YES, YES! MASTER TAKE ME, TAKE ME, FUCK MEEEEEEE!” Lacie screamed as she finally reached the pinnacle, a steady stream of rolling orgasms flooding her, piling on top of each other, hitting her like a tsunami. Her eyes rolled up into her head, and she sighed, shuddering, falling away limp into Eva’s arms, as Eva helped lay her gently onto the side of the bed.

Gene sighed deeply, panting, eyes closed, simply basking in the glow of the moment as well...but his eyes opened wide moments later when he felt Eva’s warm supple body crawling up to his, positioning herself over his semi-erection. “E-e-eeva?” he yelped, surprised, jerking back slightly, only to have her follow him, bound and determined to make this happen. She wanted this. She NEEDED this. And by God she wasn’t taking no for an answer!

“Eva, lass,” he protested, as she pulled him close, kissing him, forcing her tongue down his throat.

He pulled back, still not believing this was really happening. “What are you doing? Have ye gone daft? Ye...ye cannae want this, truly!”

“Want, no,” she replied, breathless, rubbing lightly at her clit all the while, nervous and excited, anxious and aroused, and everything in between. “Need, yes! I need you, Gene. I NEEEEEEED you to fuck me...hard and deep and strong. I need you to fucking dominate me the way you just did Lacie.” She kissed him again, feeling the passion rolling off him in waves, even as his resistance to her advances weakened. “You know you want this, too, Gene. You’ve always wanted it...always thought about it, dreamed about it. Well, it’s happening now. I’m here for the taking! Take me!“

He pulled away again, staring at her hard, eyes blazing with desire. His erection had been restored, and any lethargy or fatigue from before had burned away in the heat of the moment. “Eva...I don’t understand. Yer a bloody lesbian!” he protested, chest heaving, hands shaking with the need to push away and pull close.

“Yeah, I know,” she replied, just as breathless and needy, still undulating her hips. “So what?”

“So, you fancy bloody women!” he exclaimed. “Ye’ve never desired a man in yer life! And I’m most decidedly a man!“

“Uhhnnn... you sure are...” she cooed softly. “I’ll have you know that I had sex with Lacie several times before you arrived,” she said with a grin. Then sighing, she looked him straight in the eye. “Yeah. I’m a lesbian. And proud of it. I’m attracted to other women. They turn me on. They get my blood pumping. They arouse me. I am not attracted to men. I don’t have feelings for them. But I think, just maybe, I’m turning into a Frasierian too. Gene...you’re not other men. You’re you. And Gene,” she said sincerely, her mind open, showing him the truth of her feelings, punctuating each word with soft kisses on his chest, throat, chin, mouth, “I...Want...Need...Desire...Love...YOU.“

“GGrrrrrraaaahhhh!” he roared, the last barrier to his control snapping, as the war within him was resolved. Rolling over, he pinned her roughly to the bed, entering her in one smooth motion, causing her breath to catch. Eyes wide, slightly fearful, her hands tightened in the bed sheets as the tall, muscular Scotsman holding her down stared at her for a long moment. She half expected him to simply ravish her, brutalize her, fuck her deep enough to split her in two. Yet...despite the need she felt in him to do just that, he began slowly, gently, easing her into it, knowing somehow, instinctively that that was what she really needed, at least at first. And that, the simple tenderness, the controlled way he took her, undid Eva Snow more completely than anything else he could have done.

“AAAAAHHHH GOOOOODDDEEEESSSSSS!!!” she screamed, cumming with her heart as well as her body, unable to hold anything back. She clutched him to her, eyes rolling back in her head, urging him, screaming, begging him to take her, to own her, use her, claim her...rip everything away from her, everything, only to let her feel this again...this completeness, this all consuming pleasure.

“That’s it, girl,” Gene’s rasping voice spoke in her ear, speaking to the deepest part of her. “Just let go. Surrender, lass...submit to me, and let me take ye there. Aye...ye ken what I wanted...and I too know what ye want. What yer needing from me. Verra well.” his hands grasping hers by the wrists, holding them down tightly. “True surrender must be earned. Fight for it.” With that, he began the onslaught, fucking her hard and deep now, forcing her pleasure up once more, guiding her body where he desired it. Shocked somewhat out of her happy place, Eva resisted slightly, trying to slow down the pace, wanting to stay in that warm pleasant feeling...only to find her body responding only to Him, her own desires and needs melting away under his relentless invasion.

“Gene...please...” she cried, breathless, fighting her pleasure now, needing it to slow down, needing to catch her breath, to maintain at least SOME control. “Too soon...too much...gaaawdddess...aaahhh...please...Gene—”

“MASTER!” he growled, emphasizing the word with a brutal thrust that she swore sent his iron hard cock up into the back of her throat! “Ye want to be owned, girl? Ye wish to be my slave? Then learn how to address yer Laird!” He reiterated the point by bringing down a rough callused hand hard against her left breast, slapping it hard enough to leave a red imprint.

“AAAAAHHHH!” Eva screamed, pain and pleasure mingling, twisting, even as her mind twisted under the onslaught. Master. Yes...that is what I wanted...what I needed. Master...my Master...his slave...oohhh goddess...I can’t hold it back... “OOOOOO PLEASE MASTER! PLEASE DON’T PUNISH ME! I’LL BE GOOD! I’LL DO WHATEVER YOU SAY! JUST TAKE ME, MASTER! FUCK! FUCK ME! TAKE ME! O-O-O-OWN ME! I’LL BE WHATEVER YOU WANT! PLEASE! USE ME! PLEASE MASTER! I’M YOURS!“

“Then CUM with me, slave!” he hissed, hips jerking wildly as the last bit of his control slipped away. “Cum for me, now, Eva...now!!” And two voices cried out in pleasure...

* * *

Ebony Angel and I flew high up together over the River City skyline. At the bakery, we’d talked about it and agreed that Tawnya should escort me to Grimalde Tower to meet with Nigel and get his permission to speak to Angela, while Ivory Angel flew on ahead to the City Hall, to see what was going on with the Mayor, and try and stall Sweet Tooth until we could meet back up with her again. As we cleared the waterfront area and headed into the business center, I remembered something important. “Hey, Tawnya?” I asked.

“Yeah, Katie?” she asked arcing wide to the left, flaring her wings a bit to glance back over at me.

“Ah, um, Ah wanna ’pologize ’bout that scene at Lorenzo’s ’tother day. Ah know ya’ll heard him talkin’ all crazy-like about yore fam’ly.”

“You, ah, know we...heard?”

Nod. “Ah figgered out ya’ll got super hearin’, raht?”

“Um, right.”

“But ya high-tailed it outta there too soon! Ya’ll didn’t git to hear me defendin’ ya. Ah tole him that Grimalde didn’t matter, that that there stupid feud didn’t matter, that ya’ll are heroes an’ we’re friends, an’ gol-doggit he was jess gonna hafta deal with it.”

“Wow,” said Tawnya, grinning, “I am sorry I missed that!", but then her face fell again, “but, um, Katie, he wasn’t completely talking out of his ass. Parts of what he said were true.“

“Aw, T-baby,” I said, concerned, “Duz that have sumthin’ t’ do with why y’all were wiggin’ out at first when Ah as’t you ta take me ta see Angela...and yore...um, boss?”

Tawnya glanced away, not meeting my eyes for a moment before replying. “Um...how much do you really know about the feud? Between us, I mean, our families?”

I shrugged. “Most all of it, ah guess, tho’ it all happened back afore ah was even born.”

“Yeah, me too,” said the winged girl.

“Basically, mah Unca Parker dun got hisse’f bespelled by this-here witch named Venus Satore, and she turned him inta her minion...then he went and dun the same ta yore friends Patty and Angie. So they blamed him fer, like, the whole thing, even after it was all over and done with, even after Satore was hauled off ta th’ hoosegow. Later on, yore boss, Nigel—”

“Wait a sec,” said the dark girl, her eyes burning bright, “There’s a lot more to it, especially from Patty’s, uh, Patricia’s perspective. I actually remember much of Patricia’s life as if it were my own. I can explain that later if you need me to. Anyway, even before he captured her, Patricia had a kind of hero-worship crush on Parker—’Super Sonic’, he called himself back then. He had no idea, I’m sure. She thought he was funny and brave and, well, amazing, and he was just a few years older than her. Patricia was still in high school back then. She was really shy and awkward, in spite of, or maybe really because of, her killer bod.”

I chuckled slightly at that. “Kinda like you, ah, Tawyna?” I said teasingly.

She blushed slightly, dark rosy cheeks coloring deliciously. “Well, thank you, Katie. I want to say that unlike Patricia I don’t have a shy bone in my body, but, it feels like my own face would be making a liar out of me.”

I just grinned. It was nice to think that I could make this tall confident athletic girl feel awkward in any way at all.

Tawnya continued, “Um... so anyway, after she was captured, when Venus got a look at Patricia—and believe me, Patricia looked amazing, still does!—anyway, Satore basically turned her into a trophy girl. See, even with mind-controlled slaves she needed rewards and punishments to motivate them, so that they would do more than just go through the motions. Patricia was one of Satore’s favorite ‘rewards’. When Patricia wasn’t playing submissive lesbian lover to Angie—her partner, her own foster mother!—she was playing the submissive sex slave to anyone Venus paired her up with.

“And Parker—being one of Satore’s most loyal and trusted lieutenants—got a lot of those ‘Blowjob Patty’ rewards. He wasn’t as bad to her as the ones who beat her when they raped her, but he definitely used her, and used her well, whenever Venus gave her to him as a ‘reward’.

“When it was all over with, Patricia was an emotional wreck, which makes sense I guess. What doesn’t make sense though, even to ME, was that she blamed Parker BECAUSE he broke Venus’s control. Patricia had heard the story of how Parker found the strength to break loose from Venus when his Aunt got captured. Crazy as it sounds Patricia burned blazing anger at Parker over this thought that she couldn’t get rid of: He was strong enough to break loose to save HER. Why couldn’t he break loose to save ME?

“So it was over. Satore was in jail. All the thralls were free. And Patricia and Parker...they might as well have been on different planets for all the good it did. Parker never came to see her, never even tried to talk to her. Of course, at first he was recuperating from getting shot in the head. And then after that, well, by then he and Veronica were pretty serious. And besides that I’d bet good money that he was too ashamed to face Patricia, but from Patty’s side that just made it worse. Patricia got it into her head that Parker only wanted her as a slave, that he liked using her as a sex toy, that he didn’t really care about the real Patty at all. Crazy as that sounds, that’s what she thought. Hell, that’s what she still thinks! But, I’m sorry. Go ahead, you were talking about Nigel.“

I had to take a moment to absorb all of this. Of course it made sense now...there were always two sides to every story after all, and Uncle Parker had always maintained that his biggest regret in life was what he’d done to all those Supers as Satore’s brainwashed puppet, and, among those, he felt the worst about Patty and Angie. From what mom and Aunt Roni said, before that time he’d been a pretty happy-go-lucky kind of guy, always wise cracking and joking, but with a more light, fun side to him. I mean, he’d always liked to crack wise ever since I knew him. My whole life really. But it always had a hard, bitter edge to it. To me that’s just how he had always been, but mom and Roni insisted the difference between the Parker-before-Satore and Parker-after-Satore was like night and day.

And to think...this whole stupid feud and everything that followed could have been avoided if the two of them had simply sat down and talked about things after the Aphrodite thing was all over. Instead he avoided her out of shame and embarrassment. And she thought he was a pig and a rapist who only wanted to use her as a whore, so she certainly wasn’t about to go looking for HIM. So neither of them ever got any of this poison out of their systems...

“Awraht,” I said, after a moment, “Where wuz Ah?”

“Nigel?” prompted Tawnya, almost flinching as she said it.

“Oh...raht,” I paused, but decided there was no use sugar-coating it. “So, as Ah hear tell, Nigel roped, tied, and branded them two bird girls and made them into his...well...slaves,” I said, trying to be gentle after all, not wanting to offend her. She sighed but nodded. “Well, Unca Parker and Aint Roni tried ta bust ’em outta that hoosegow after the fact...but by then, Patty and Angie wuz as happy belonging ta yore boss as kittens in a warm lap. They shore didn’t wanna be ‘rescued’.” I shrugged. “So, on our side, Parker an’ Roni an’ Eva an’ mah folks all blame yer boss fer corruptin’ their friends and turning ’em ’gainst us. On yore side, Ah reckon Patty, Angie, and the rest of ya’ll feel like we wuz buttin’ in where we didn’t belong, tryin’ ta break up yore happy home life.”

Tawnya added, “And well, Patty had all that silent rage against Parker anyway, but there’s no way any of you could have known that. I’m not sure even Nigel knows, at least not all of it.”

We flew on in silence for several minutes. “And how do YOU feel about all this?” Tawnya asked quietly.

“Well...havin’ been on the receivin’ end of havin’ my brain warshed an’ hung out ta dry, more’n a few times, Ah kin kinda see both sides. Ah don’t know Nigel Grimalde from Adam, but it seems ta me that if he wuz th’ ‘terrible monster’ mah folks made him out ta be, then you and th’ others wouldn’t be so quick to rally ’round him, mind control or not! Hell, Ah been in some really bad sitchee-ations mahself, and Ah broke outta it from sheer desperation. Ah don’t care how powerful a whammy he put on ya, if ya didn’t wanna be there, you’d-a found a way ta break free.”

Tawnya sighed again. Damn...she’s really just too sweet, she thought sadly. “Oh Katie,” said the big teenager, “You don’t know the half of it. Belonging to Mas—um, Nigel...it’s the best thing that EVER happened to me!“

She must have seen my skeptical look, because she continued, more subdued, “Okay, Katie, I know I must sound like some crazy cult girl when I say that, but it’s true! And not just because they made me a superheroine! I’ve never felt so loved and happy and cared for in all my life! And I’ve got focus and drive that I never had before. It’s not like whips and chains and torture,” she said, suddenly wearing an evil grin, “unless, of course, we ask for that.” With that she seemed lost in her thoughts again.

After a few more minutes, Tawnya spoke again, very nervously this time. “Um, Katie...before we get there, I have a confession to make. The reason we kind of...panicked a little when you asked us to take you to our, ah, Nigel...was that we had actually intended to do just that anyway...” She swallowed a bit, and I nodded, waiting. “...as...um...a new addition to his harem.”

I nodded again, slowly. That’s what she meant by “parts were true” from Lorenzo’s crazy rant. I had kinda wondered about that. Still, hearing it spoken aloud.... They wanted to make me a slave. No. From their perspective, they wanted to make me a sister. It took a moment to process. “So...since y’all didn’t exactly seem ta be chompin’ at the bit ta do that just now, Ah guess somethin’ backfired on ya? Did he read ya the riot act when y’all told him mah last name or somethin’?” From her wince, I guess I’d struck close to the mark. “Well...don’t matter fer nothin’ anyway,” I said brightly, forcing myself to smile for her. “Even if’n Ah ain’t yore harem sister, we’re still good buddies, raht? It don’t sound like he tole y’all ta keep yore distance from that there ‘evil Frasier wench’ or some such...so ah s’pose it’s awraht ta keep dippin’ our toes in the same fishin’ hole.” I shrugged. “Whatever problems them ol’ Hatfields an’ McCoys got one with t’other, ain’t got nuthin’ ta do with us, raht?“

Tawnya smiled back, but her eyes were sad. I could tell that she actually wished it were true, however, I could imagine the real score and she had to know it too. Her Master was allowing things to continue for the moment, not seeing any harm in it, but he could easily change his mind on a whim. If he ordered Tawnya to cut all ties with my spunky blonde self, she would do so instantly, without hesitation. It would hurt her so bad, but in the end she knew who owned her, and she clearly liked it that way. It was sad though, because we were really starting to like being around each other, all three of us. We would both hate for this friendship to end.

Just please, please...let this little meeting go off without a hitch, I prayed quietly under my breath as Grimalde Tower came into view.

“Oh! Jes’ one more question,” I asked, recapturing her attention. “How old are you and Sioban anyways?”

“Me? Um, I just turned eighteen a few weeks ago. I’m a senior at River City East High.”

“Really? Wow...Ah jus’ grajee-ated from there last year!” I said grinning. “It’s too bad, though...you woulda thought we’d-a had some classes together. In costume or not, Ah think Ah’d-a remembered you...”

Tawnya laughed. “Actually, come to think of it, I DO remember seeing you a few times in the halls in my sophomore and junior years, before I became a Tearbearer. But you were always hanging out with that Whitney chick. Wow, I guess it was you and Jess both hanging with her now that I recall. Gawd, what did you two see in her? She was like the original ‘Mean Girl’, the one they based the movie on. Anyway, I was mostly into sports back then, basketball and track, so I guess we really just hung with completely different crowds. But I had to quit the sports this year. You know how it is; I’ve got more-than-human strength and speed now. It, well, it wouldn’t be, y’know, fair. So now I’m putting most of my focus into academics. I’ve already been accepted to River City U in the fall, but I still need to finish up all my AP courses with A’s this semester to stay in the running for scholarship money.”

I blinked, sighing inwardly. Ah. Of course. An awesome brain to go with that awesome bod. Shoulda known. She is too perfect. Color me awestruck. Aloud I chuckled wryly. “Ah guess it’s a shame mah brother ain’t here. You’d-a probably hit it off raht friendly with him. He’s a mite bit of a brainiac too.“

“Your brother? Oh my G—you’re Jimmy Frasier’s sister?” she asked, stopping in midflight to gape at me. “Damn...talk about a brain fart, I just now got the connection! Still, I guess there aren’t too many kids named ‘Frasier’ in this town, right? But I didn’t realize he was your brother. You don’t look at all alike!“

“We us’ta be identical-like, up ’til his powers came on fully....Wait! How do you know Jimmy?”

“Well...I don’t ‘know’ him, per se...” she admitted. “I never met him, he graduated before I was even a freshman! But he’s still something of a legend...the first kid at East to get a perfect score on his SATs AND graduate with a perfect four point oh GPA for EVERY year of high school? And he graduated two years early!” She sighed softly. “Mr. Marks, the chemistry teacher still talks about him in class. He made some kinda awesome twelve-stage distillation apparatus that covered an entire row of lab tables. And Ms. Jordan, my AP Physics teacher? She showed us the paper he wrote about the aerodynamics of stunt planes. It was SO awesome. I...I asked her if I could have a copy. I’ve got it in my desk...in my room...at home. I...I’m kinda into airplanes.”

Okay. I love my brother. Lots. But hearing my new friend gushing about him in such a way caused the old green eyed monster to rear her ugly head. I mean, no one EVER talked about how smart I was. Granted my own grades were...less than stellar...but she was MY friend, dammit! I wanted her to be awestruck over ME, not over Jimmy!

She must have noticed the look on my face. Again. She got a shy smile. “Look, Katie. I know you’re not a big brain. Mas—, err, Mr. Grimalde makes us compile a dossier on anyone we, ah, bring to him. We really did our homework on you. We know a lot about you. The fact sheet must have said where you went to school and all about your family, but I guess I skimmed over that. Really, we DO know all about you. ALL about you. And, well, the more we found out the more we wanted you in our family. Both of us. Very, very much. Okay? Hey, Sioban even went back to Nigel after he said ‘No’ and argued with him about it. I’ve never seen her do that about anything!“

I swallowed hard. Not so jealous of Jimmy now, are you Katie gal? “Um, sure. Okay.” I sighed softly. “And, Tawnya, hon? Ya dun hafta keep editin’ yerself, know wut Ah’m sayin’? Nigel is your Master. Ya love th’ guy, as much as Ah love mah Jessica, and while she’s not REALLY mah Mistress or nothin’, she’s shore as shootin’ th’ next best thing. Believe me, hon, Ah unnerstan’. Yore Master means ever’thang t’ you. So while Ah wouldn’t suggest ya go flauntin’ in front of strangers or anyone else in my family or nuthin’ ya don’t gotta worry nun ’bout me. ’Kay?” I gave her a smile, and after a minute she gave me one back.

“Oh, by the way, you never said. How old is yore pretty little partner, Sioban?”

“Oh! She’s twenty-eight, twenty-nine in a couple of months. She’s a new assistant professor at River City University...well, when she’s not spending her time flying the unfriendly skies on patrol with me.”

I blinked, stopping my flight so suddenly to turn back and gape at Tawnya that I nearly fell out of the sky. “Tw...twe...twenty-nine?” I nearly shouted. I’d thought her only a year or two, three at the most, older than me! “Geez..what’s with ya’ll Angel babes anyway? Do ya’ll take some kinda dip in th’ dawggone Fountain o’ Youth or somethin’ when ya get yore wings?!?” Tawnya didn’t reply, but her dark skin blushed darker at my words. It gave me the inkling that my haphazard guess might again be closer to the truth than I thought.

Poor Sioban, I mused, turning back to follow Ebony Angel on the flight towards her home, If anyone knows how she feels it’s me. She must have it pretty rough. Almost Twenty-nine, and she’s even smaller than I am , with the same ‘cutie-pie’ looks that I’m cursed with. I’m almost twenty, and strangers STILL ask me why I’m not in school...and not high school, junior freaking high! And nothing against Tawnya, who I really love, but being paired with an Amazon like her...Nigel must have a strange sense of humor, or a sadistic streak...or possibly both!

The levity and camaraderie we’d shared on the flight over vanished, however, as we landed on the outside balcony. I had the distinct feeling like we were two naughty girls being called to the principal’s office. Tawnya, for her part, paused at the doorway, clearly hesitant to enter. I swear I heard her muttering under her breath, “He loves you, T-baby. Don’t forget that he loves you.”

And then, the choice was taken from her completely as the door opened, and a short lovely Asian girl stepped into view, gesturing for us to enter.

“Sioban called and told us you were coming. We’ve been waiting for you. Mr. Grimalde will see you now,” she said, nodding slightly. “You can go right in.”

“Th...thanks, Constance,” Tawnya said to the shorter girl, giving her a small smile, which was returned doubled. I watched silently, getting a strong vibe from both that Constance was more to her than just a casual acquaintance she saw at the office now and then. The look Constance gave me, in contrast, was significantly cooler, her eyes flicking over me as if she were trying to peel away my exterior and see through to my very core. I shuddered slightly, turning to follow Tawyna into the main office. There were three people waiting in the huge office. Constance was about my size. And there was a tall—though not as tall as Tawnya—elegant-looking blonde woman. And then there was Nigel Grimalde.

Nigel Gimralde was...

It was kind of strange, really. To say he was not what I expected would be an understatement. From the things I’d heard, and the way Sioban and Tawnya had reacted, I had expected someone larger than life, an evil Mr. Hyde, or some dark haired, slicked back devil, like Al Pacino in “The Devil’s Advocate”, or maybe some combination of both. And granted, he WAS intimidating. A few seconds under his watchful gaze, and I quickly averted my eyes.

The strange thing was...it really reminded me of being around my DAD! I mean, it’s not that I can’t look my Dad in the eye, but he has the same ‘presence’. They both appeared close to the same age, for one thing. They both had that kind of...ineffable thing about them...the kind of way of standing, or sitting, or just lounging, that only big businessmen have, an air of authority that commands respect and attention. Even more, despite his face, which was guarded and neutral, I noticed laugh lines around his mouth and eyes, meaning he DID have a jovial side, hidden away behind the mask. All in all, I found myself feeling wary, but not overly afraid of the man.

“So, Tawnya,” he said after a moment, hands steepled at his chin, “you’ve brought me a visitor. Didn’t we just talk about this? It couldn’t have been more than a few hours ago.” There was a hint of disapproval in his voice that a deaf person could have picked up. Against my better judgment, I stepped forward to defend her.

“Actually, Sir, it was me...Ah as’t her to bring me here,” I said, forcing myself to meet his gaze. “Ah’m Luminaire, the Laht o’ Justice...”

“So you are,” he said wryly but levelly.

I sighed, taking a deep breath, “but mah name is Katie...Frasier.” No reaction from him. Meaning he already knew who I was. Okay, that only made this easier then. “Ah’m sure yore aware of th’...sitchee-ation...th’ epidemic goin’ ’round town? Well, Ah have reason to suspec’ that it’s the work of a crazed madman callin’ hisself ‘Sweet Tooth’. He’s infected ever’buddy with some kinda ‘Bimbo Virus’, tryin’ ta turn us all into brainless sex crazed zombies.”

He simply nodded, eyebrow raised. “Go on, Katherine...May I call you ‘Katherine’?”

“Um, sure! Or, um, you can call me Katie. Ever’buddy does.”

“Thank you, Katherine. Go on.”

Damn. I take it back, This is WORSE than getting called to the principal’s office.

“Um...well...” I gathered my wits and my courage and continued, “mah momma dug ’round an’ found out some stuff...told me Ah needed ta track th’ varmit down an’ see if’n Ah could wrangle th’ antidote outta him. Shore ’nuff, Ah managed ta find ’im, but he, uh...kinda got th’ drop on me. Long story short, yore Angel gals saved mah sorry hide, and we got us a sample of his formula, but th’ varmit got away. Which brings us ta th’ here and now.” I removed the glass cylinder from my pocket. “If’n we’re gonna save ever’buddy, we need a big brain specialist in biochemistry an’ genetics ta take this here sample and turn it into a cure. Mah momma sez we need Angela Prentiss. An’ in spite o’ all th’ fussin’ an’ feudin’ twixt our fam’lies, mah momma tole me ta come here, ta seek her out. Momma said Angela was River City’s only hope.”

“Lacie Frasier said that? About me?” the blonde woman asked, stepping up to take the vial from my hands.

I nodded. “That she did, ma’am.”

She glanced over at Nigel, her boss, and so much more, and he simply nodded. “Well, no pressure then,” she joked. “Honestly, I don’t know if I can live up to all that. We’ve been studying the virus for days and, while we think we know how it works, there are still some big gaps. If the contents of this vial could fill in those gaps...well let’s just say things are suddenly looking up. Maybe we can put together an antidote after all. I can’t promise anything, but I swear we’ll do everything we can.”

“Thank ya, kindly,” I said, sighing in relief, a huge weight lifting from my shoulders. “An’ please hurry. Ah dunno what Sweet Tooth has up his sleeves, but Ah’m shore we’re fixin’ ta find out real soon now.”

“Indeed we are,” Nigel said suddenly, grimly, turning to the wall on his left. Pressing a button, a large view screen revealed itself, and a second button press showed the local news.

“...those of you just joining in, there seems to be some kind of a commotion at the Mayor’s office. Reports are still sketchy, but it seems to be a hostage situation of some kind,” the anchorman stated, reading slowly from his teleprompter.

“Apparently a man and three women dressed up as pastry chefs forced their way into city hall, and have prevented anyone else from entering.” Abandoning the script, he looked to his co-anchor’s chair, “Say, Diane, isn’t that one of the girls from the bakery that makes all those delicious doughnuts?”

“Mmm, hmmm,” came a muffled reply from underneath the desk, a small, feminine hand showing just above the edge. Then suddenly she rose up and tackled the man to the floor. The camera cut away as they began tearing at each other’s clothes.

“Well, it’s more entertaining than usual, but somehow just not as informative,” Nigel commented dryly, shutting off the monitor. “And there you have it. This situation is spiraling out of control. All is chaos and the poor beleaguered folk of our fair city can only pray for heroes to arise from our midst. Angela, Katherine, Tawnya...’Help us. You’re our only hope.’ Damn, I always wanted to say that.”

I couldn’t help it. I giggled. Loudly. Then, noticing I was the only one, I coughed, trying to cover it, blushing furiously. Still... the guy just made a Star Wars reference that DIDN’T involve Darth Vader. That meant he couldn’t be all bad, right?

Nigel cleared his throat and turned to the blonde scientist. “Angela, you know what you need to do, far better than I do, please start immediately.” She nodded, heading to the large double-doors on the far side of the huge room.

“Tawnya, you and your new little friend need to catch up with Sioban. She probably has a plan by now, and it no doubt depends on your help. There’s a madman out there screwing with my city. Stop him. Do everything in your power to bring this...situation...to an end. But above all, Tawnya,” he looked her dead in the eye, serious as a heart attack. “Be careful. I need you to come out of this in one piece.”

Tawnya swallowed hard, and whispered, “I’ll be careful. It’s hard for me, but I’m trying. I love you too, Master.”

He grimaced at the minor indiscretion, and glanced over at me. “That goes for you as well, Katherine,” he added, surprising me. “I spoke to your father a few days ago. We called a temporary truce of sorts. Fascinating man, your father, but not one to be trifled with. The last thing I need, or want really, is to have Eugene Frasier breathing down my neck because his darling daughter got hurt on my watch. See that you take care of yourself.”

“Ah...um...yessir,” I replied, blushing furiously, as Ebony Angel and I turned to head back towards the balcony. “Ah’ll shore do mah darnedest.”