The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Miss Scarlett turned off the vampire suggestions, then awoke Nicholas and Zelasha. The two promptly got into a tickling match, then started kissing. Leaving them to their own devices, she returned to the diminishing crowd that was still absorbed in her hypnosis show. With a smile, she called up Jiliana and Ricardo, put them under, and turned them into Katharina and Petruchio from “The Taming of the Shrew.”

More mayhem and hilarity ensued as the two insulted each other. Finally, Scarlett stepped between them and put them back to sleep just as they were about to kiss, much to the chagrin of the audience.

She gazed around the room. Emily had made use of the flower on three of the Songbirds, and was enjoying their attentions. Saoirse and Cleo had found each other again, and were snuggled up together. Then she noticed Lawrence stirring.

His eyes opened at just the right moment to meet her glance. He shivered, but kept staring at her with a look of total adoration.

Smiling softly, the lovely hypnodomme walked over to him. Lawrence continued to gaze at her unabashedly. He was a handsome fellow; it was always flattering when people responded to her this way. Perhaps she could...

No. She was with Emily.

“Sleeeeeeeeeeep,” Miss Scarlett told him, snapping her fingers several inches from Lawrence’s face. He sank down into trance, slumping over like a deflated balloon.

She glanced at her wristwatch: it was 2:30 AM. They’d been at this for quite a while! There’s probably time for one more trick, she thought. She awakened Lawrence, then chose Ricardo, Francine and Prentice as volunteers. Impishly, she told them they were strippers, but were too drunk to get their clothes off—and much humor followed.

Out of the corner of her eye, Miss Scarlett spied the drummer slink out of the party glumly, followed by Lawrence. Concerned, the hypnotist made her way over to Emily. She grinned at the little scene: Emily was lying, eyes closed, her head in Rissa’s lap. The sterling rose was half-forgotten in her hand. Meanwhile, Alondra was massaging her feet, and Brynna was massaging her shoulders. Emily was breathing easily, obviously quite content. With a quick word, Scarlett put the three Songbirds to sleep.

“Emily,” she whispered.

The blonde woman opened one eyes and yawned. “Mmm-hmm?”

“I’m sorry to ask,” Scarlett said, “but the drummer just left—could you bring him back for me?”

“Sure,” Emily said. She stood up and stretched, blinking sleepy eyes, and followed in the direction Scarlett had indicated. The Southerner saw her glance back at the three sleeping Songbirds. Erk, the hypnotist thought—I hate to have taken her away from that! But she couldn’t leave the crowd, and she couldn’t let those two go far in their present state. She hoped Emily would be back soon.

She turned back to the show in time to see Ricardo tumble over with his belt around his feet.

Clancy and Lawrence were sitting at the edge of the clearing, easily visible in the moonlight. Her footsteps as light as a mouse’s, Emily approached them, unseen.

“I know what you mean,” Lawrence was saying. “Seeing Zel seduce Cleo that way—even if it was just in fun.”

Clancy frowned, and looked at the ground. “It’s freaky watching people hypnotize each other,” he said. “It makes me think... makes me wonder.”

Lawrence laughed. “Like having junior high fantasies?” he said. At Clancy’s glum nod, he continued. “I mean, I would never do anything to hurt Cleo or Saoirse. But if I could steal her the way Zel did... if this were some other reality where I could!”

Clancy smiled at him. “I think Jiliana’s single,” he suggested.

“Her?” Lawrence sighed.

“Doesn’t she have a cute accent?” Clancy said with a smile.

Lawrence shrugged. “Yeah, but she’s... she’s... timid. I want a girl who knows what she wants.” He clapped Clancy on the shoulder. “How are you doing?”

Clancy’s smile vanished, and he put his head in his hands. “I’m going crazy,” the drummer confided to his friend. “I can’t stop thinking about her. I wish I’d never seen her! Nobody should be allowed to be that beautiful.”

“I don’t suppose you’ve considered telling her how you feel?” Lawrence asked.

“Are you nuts?” Clancy snorted. “I’d be dead in a matter of minutes. And I know she could never love me, even if things were different.”

Lawrence nodded. “Granted. Well, then, Clance, you have to forget about her. That’s the only thing you can do with a girl you can’t have.”

Clancy lay down on his back, his hands behind his head. “You’re right. But how am I ever going to forget someone like her? I mean, she’s got the most beautiful smile ever, and the sexiest hair I’ve ever seen—and I don’t usually like redheads!”

Emily felt a huge weight leave her. This was perfect! She didn’t know Clancy very well, but he would clearly be better for Anna than Gavin was. And she’d seen him checking Anna out earlier.

“Gentlemen?” Emily said as she joined them.

“Lawrence, you know Emily, right?” Clancy asked, sitting up.

“I don’t know that we’ve been introduced,” Lawrence said. “It’s nice to meet you, Emily.”

“Good to meet you too,” said Emily softly. “Sleep.”

Obediently, both men’s eyes shut, and their bodies went limp.

Phew, the blonde woman thought. She was lucky the men had responded to her command, given she wasn’t their hypnotist.

Emily squatted by the lovesick drummer. “Now, Clancy,” she said, “when you wake up, you will tell the woman you love how you feel. You will be her devoted slave.”

“Wide awake, having had a wonderful time,” Miss Scarlett was saying.

I opened my eyes. Zelasha was lying on her back, her head resting in my lap. Her eyes opened as well; her irises were dark and deep in the dim lights. She took a breath, and smiled up at me.

“Hey, handsome,” my fiancee said softly.

I caressed her cheek, then looked around. The crowd was stirring; Duncan and Kaitlin were already bidding their goodbyes. Emily had returned with Clancy and Lawrence; Saoirse was pulling a sweater on over her head.

“I suppose we have to call it a night,” Ricardo said.

“It’s almost three in the morning,” Miss Scarlett said.

“I feel like I’ve had a full night’s sleep!” Brynna put in, and there were murmurs of agreement.

“That’s not unusual,” the hypnotist said in her luscious Southern accent. “For many people, trance is actually more relaxing than sleep. And hey, if you’re wide awake in the middle of the night, I can think of something to pass the time.” She looked over at Emily, smiling; the blonde woman blushed and looked away.

“Do you want to go?” I asked Zelasha as the group began to diminish.

“Mmmm, I’m comfortable right here,” my fiancee said. “Your lap is comfy. Say, did she make us vampires again? I’m starting to lose track of what happened in trance and what I dreamed. I guess it is kinda late.”

I nodded. “I remember having a vampire thing. I think.” I scratched my head. “Now that I think... I’m not sure. I remember having this dream a few years ago where you bit me... it was kind of like that. I tried to get that dream back for months.”

Zelasha looked up at me. “You used to dream about me?”

Smiling wryly, I nodded.

“Oh god, that’s sweet,” the redhead said with a grin. “Tell me about them?”

“Good night Nick! Good night Zel!” Francine called. I waved to her as she left with Rissa, Saoirse and Cleo. My fiancee waved in their direction, but her dark eyes were focused on my face.

“Well, there was this one—” I began, but Scarlett and Emily had arrived.

“We’re going to go,” the dark-haired hypnotist said. “Are you two all right from here?”

Zelasha smiled, tipping her head back to look at the pair. “Oh yeah. Nick’s about to tell me how I’m the woman of his dreams.”

“Have fun,” Scarlett said. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

Emily smiled at her girlfriend, and the two women took their leave.

“Well?” Zelasha asked wickedly.

I chuckled. “The one I remember best was this time you showed up on my doorstep and started swinging a watch before my face. Then... you called me your husband.”

My fiancee smiled up at me, green eyes shadowed in the soft light. “When did you know, Nick?”

“Know what?”

“That you wanted to be with me?”

I thought back to college and vampire chatrooms, where I’d spent hours prattling with other fans of Bram Stoker and Christopher Lee. We’d described whole imaginary masquerade balls to each other, pretending to be vampires for real—and one night I’d ran into a woman who’d taken my breath away.

“Our first conversation,” I admitted.

She laughed. “Really?”

I nodded. “I’m sure you’ve noticed that a lot of women choose gender neutral nicknames, because they don’t want to get flooded with propositions?”

My fiancee simpered up at me. “I don’t have that problem.”

“I know,” I told her. “I remember the first time I saw you join the chatroom. You weren’t scared of your femininity. Then we started having a conversation, and you were witty, and smart, and sexy. And then you told me you were a green-eyed redhead, and you caught me with my thing for the exotic.”

Zelasha smiled crookedly. “So why didn’t you hit on me?”

I sighed. “You got disconnected,” I recounted. “I saw you again the next day, and you mentioned that you already had a boyfriend.”

She made a face. “James. Ick. I wish you and I had gone to school together, Nikolai. It would have been so nice had we just met as freshmen. I would have seen the way you look at me, and known right away that you were the one.” She looked at me deviously. “What are you thinking?”

“You just gave me an idea,” I said nonchalantly.

“Oh?”

“Want to share a daydream?”

“Do I ever.” The redhead grinned, sat up, and turned her body to face me, sitting cross-legged in front of me.

I gazed at her. My fiancee was a vision of beauty with her long red hair falling loosely past her shoulders. The light reflected elegantly off her black leather jacket; her silver necklace shimmered in the soft lights.

“Look into my eyes,” I said.

She nodded slowly.

“Deeper into my eyes.”

“Deeper?” she said playfully.

“Deeper,” I told her. “Deeper, and deeper, and deeper. Relax, breathe deeply, and trust me.”

“Trusting you,” she said.

“Listen to my voice.”

“Your voice.”

“Feel yourself relaxing.”

“Relaxing.”

“Relax into me, breathe in me, surrender to me.”

She blinked. “Surrender...”

I leaned forward. “Look into my eyes and give in to the magic... let it make your eyes heavy.”

She blinked once or twice. “Eyes heavy.”

“Listen to my voice and let yourself go.”

“Letting go,” she said. Her head was nodding, her eyes staring.

“My voice relaxes you.”

“Relaxes me.”

“My voice puts you in a trance,” I whispered.

“Puts me in a... a trance,” the redhead repeated, her eyes fixed on mine.

“Your eyelids are getting heavy...”

“Eyes getting... heavy...” She blinked several times, and with each blink they stay closed for a second or two longer.

“Eyes getting heavier and heavier...”

“Heavier,” she repeated, visibly fighting the urge to yawn.

“Your eyes are getting droopier and droopier... relaxing into the patterns.”

“Droopy,” she echoed languidly.

“Falling into a deep sleep, a deeeeep sleeeep.”

“Sleep,” she said. Zelasha was so alluring as a hypnotist, so sexy as a subject. I loved how she trusted me, how she let me talk her into a trance.

“Your eyes are closing, you hear nothing but my voice as I guide you into a deep sleep.”

“Deep... sleep,” she whispered, her tone of voice going up a notch.

“My voice relaxes you so much that you can’t keep your eyes open,” I whispered.

“Can’t... keep... eyes...” Her eyelids were so drowsy, so heavy...

“Relax, relax, relax... relax and sleep... sleep for me...”

“Sleepy...” she yawned.

“Eyes closed, deep asleep. Sleep.”

Zelasha’s beautiful eyes closed for good. Her head wasn’t quite nodding, but her face was so very peaceful, so open.

“Deep asleep,” I continued, “deep asleep, hearing only my voice, completely focused on my words. You are completely focused on my voice... you can’t distinguish between my words and your thoughts. Are you ready to share a dream with me, darling?”

“Yes,” she said softly.

“Perfect,” I told her. “You’re so amazing... you and I are meant for each other, darling. Now focus on the fantasy, listen to my words and accept all of my suggestions. When I wake you up, you will be deep into this fantasy, completely into this fantasy.

“In our dream, you and I just met today,” I told her. “We met for the first time earlier today at the Faire. We felt very comfortable around each other at once, like we’ve been friends for years, but we never met before today. We’ve spent the entire day talking. We discovered that we are very comfortable touching, too. We feel very affectionate for each other, and have amazing chemistry. Everything feels right between us; we click. In fact, you are so comfortable with me that you’ve decided to invite me back to your tent. However, on the way to your tent you are going to decide to stop by the bathroom.

“What you don’t know is that I’m a vampire. As far as you can tell I am completely normal: I smell nice and my body is the right temperature. You will not even suspect that I’m a vampire until you see that I don’t have any reflection. When you do notice that I have no reflection, you will feel two things. You will be scared, and you will be intrigued. You are fascinated because you think I’m sexy, and you’ve been daydreaming about vampires all your life. You want to know what it’s like to be enthralled, and you want to know what it’s like to be bitten. You will be scared because you’re apprehensive about losing control, but you also want to lose control. You’ll be scared because you’re apprehensive about being bitten, but you also want to be bitten. You’ll be scared because you’re not sure that you can trust me, but you want to trust me. Your reason tells you that you shouldn’t trust me, but all your instincts insist that you can trust me.

“When you don’t see my reflection in the bathroom, you will return to your tent, because you know I can’t enter without being invited. You know you are safe in your tent. You are completely safe, and you know I cannot enter unless you invite me.

“Are you comfortable with this, darling?”

“Yes,” Zelasha whispered, her voice light.

“Good. Now on the count of three, you will wake up, and you will have no memory of falling asleep. You will wake up and open your eyes, feeling relaxed, refreshed and comfortable, and you will have no idea that you were hypnotized. You are going to invite me back to your tent, and when we stop by the bathroom on the way you will discover that I’m a vampire. One, feeling very comfortable and refreshed, two, opening your eyes, three, wide awake.”

The redhead’s eyes opened, and she raised her head a little, smiling at me. “I’m sorry, Nikolai,” she said, and yawned theatrically. “I must have fallen asleep.”

I smiled at her. “That’s all right,” I told her. “We’ve had quite a day.”

Zelasha nodded mellowly. “That we have.” She stretched. “Thanks for spending the day with me, Nikolai. This has been one of the best days of my life.”

I hadn’t seen that coming, and didn’t have to fake my surprise. “Really?”

She smiled at me, and flicked a lock of hair over her shoulder. “I love the Faire. Well, you can see I love the Faire, as I’m in a singing group—but it was great spending time with you, too.” She put her hand over mine, casually. “I liked shopping with you, and mingling with you, and it was really sweet of you to buy me lunch. And when Miss Scarlett showed up and crashed the party, I was grateful to have a partner to share the experience with, so I could just relax and let go.” Her hand tightened around mine, just for a moment.

“It’s been my pleasure, Zel,” I said in all honesty. “I appreciate all you’ve done to put me at ease. When we first met, I was a bit tongue tied!” She laughed. “I’m serious,” I said. “I haven’t felt nervous at all—it’s like I’ve known you for years.”

Zelasha smiled warmly. “I feel the same way.” She giggled. “I don’t believe I’m about to ask you this—would you like to come back to my tent?”

I stood up, and offered her my arm. She rose as well, and slipped her arm through mine as we walked casually towards the campsite.

“I’d be more than happy to walk you home,” I told her.

“Thank you,” Zelasha said, “although that isn’t precisely what I meant.” She smiled crookedly at me, lapis lazuli eyes dark in the shadows.

“Oh,” I said.

I could see her grin. “I hope you don’t mind,” she said, and steered us toward the bathrooms. “I need a quick pit stop.”

I smiled back at her, and she entered the florescent-lit building. I loitered around the entrance for a minute or two, then followed her in.

To the chagrin of everyone working at the Faire, a pipe had broken in the men’s rest room last Friday night, and it wasn’t repaired yet. The women’s bathroom had been temporarily opened to everyone while the management tried to find a plumber who would stop by a campsite on a weekend.

The rest room itself serviced only the campsite—not the Faire—and so was available only to the Faire workers who were here after hours. The floor was done in was beige tiles, and the bathroom stalls were wooden—but they served, I supposed.

Zelasha emerged from the stall and stopped by a sink to wash her hands and face. As she finished up, I joined her, sliding my arms around her waist and clasping my hands over her stomach. “Hey there,” Zelasha began, glancing up at the mirror.

I could imagine what she was seeing: the mirror would be empty, except for her own reflection.

Zelasha squirmed around and stared at me. “You... what?” The redhead glanced behind me, at the mirror. “You don’t have a... is that a trick?” She gazed at me as I smiled. “How did you do it?”

I shrugged. “Who said it was a trick?”

Zelasha examined the mirror, but all she could find was glass. “It has to be a trick,” she insisted blankly. “I mean, you couldn’t possibly be...”

I grinned.

The redhead backed away from me, and thumped into the wall. Unconsciously, she reached up and massaged her shoulderblade.

I stepped towards her. The aghast expression in her eyes indicated that she was seeing fangs. “Don’t fight me, darling,” I whispered. “It only hurts if you resist.”

“No,” the redhead breathed. “No... Nikolai... I’m sorry... I can’t.” She turned on a dime, and dashed out the back door.

I hurried after her, but didn’t see her in the darkness. For a moment, I wondered if I’d overdone things—had the hypnotic illusion truly frightened her? No, it doesn’t work that way, I reassured myself. Zelasha’s a daredevil and a thrill seeker. She loves rollercoasters and driving fast, and last fall she’d even mentioned a desire to learn how to skydive. She likes being scared. For my part, if we ever did go skydiving, she’d have to hypnotize me first so I wouldn’t pass out from terror. And I love her—I love her because of all this. If she got so scared she stopped having fun, her mind would reject the suggestions, and she’d snap out of it.

I didn’t see her in the dark, though. Well, I had to trust that she’d accepted this fantasy: if she’d accepted my being a vampire, she’d also believe the folklore, that vampires can’t enter a private residence without being invited.

I stole through the campground towards our own tent. It was now past three in the morning, and silence pervaded. I saw no flashlights. I did hear some strange noises as I passed by one tent, though. Heavy breathing, and—yikes! I started, recognizing Kaitlin’s voice coming from Duncan’s tent! Well, at least they’ve stopped tiptoeing around each other, I thought.

I caught a glimpse of Zelasha tiptoeing through the tents. I stalked after her—but a twist of her head followed by quick footfalls indicated that I’d been seen. I gave up all pretense of stealth, and ran after her.

I was gaining. She was forty yards away, then thirty. I dodged someone’s grill, ducked behind someone else’s trailer... and then she and our tent were in plain sight.

I risked calling out. “Zelasha!” I said in a stage whisper.

She turned her head again, and I slowed—but she stepped around some coolers, and reached the tent’s entrance. Her hands touched the zipper...

I was close enough to see her hands trembling. She couldn’t get a good grip. “Zelasha!” I whispered again, loudly. “Wait! Listen! I won’t hurt you, I promise—”

But it was too late. She forced the door open and slipped through it, twisting around to zip the entrance shut from the ceiling to the ground.

“Zelasha!” I skidded to a stop in front of her, and could just make out her shape, dark in my jeans and leather jacket, on the other side of the mosquito netting.

“You can’t come in,” she said flatly.

“You invited me to your tent,” I told her.

“Back TO it, yes, not back IN it,” she countered. Damn, she had a good memory. I put my hand to the door, and pretended to push against an invisible barrier.

“You’re right,” I said.

“You can’t wait there all night,” she pointed out. “The sun will come up eventually, and you’ll burn to a crisp.”

“That might be worth it if I can spend the next three hours with you,” I said, going over the top.

She scoffed, and sat down in one of the director’s chairs. Absently, she lit the battery-powered lantern beside her. “You can’t possibly be serious,” she said.

Shucks—I really HAD overdone it! “You don’t feel this too?” I asked without missing a beat.

“I don’t feel anything for you,” she shot back.

“You didn’t like having lunch with me?” I asked. “Or holding hands with me? Or shopping with me? You said you were comfortable with me, comfortable enough to let go and enjoy Miss Scarlett’s performance.”

“You were messing with my head,” Zelasha accused.

I shook my head. “Contrary to what all the movies say about the whole look into-my-eyes thing, that only works if you let it. And I didn’t try. We feel comfortable around each other because we’re comfortable with each other, not because I got inside your head. I want you to want me for me, not because I could make you.”

“That’s not going to happen, Nikolai. I’m not going to become someone you can just exploit and abandon.”

“Zelasha, I have no intention of exploiting and abandoning you,” I promised. “If I was going to do that I would have taken you when I had the chance earlier.”

“And just when was that?”

“You remember falling asleep with your head in my lap?”

“You mean—you mean during Miss Scarlett’s show?” she stammered. “I trusted you, and was so—relaxed—being with you—you mean you could have—oh god, oh god I let someone hypnotize me when there was a vampire sitting next to me...” she trailed off.

“But I didn’t,” I said. “I want you, Zelasha. There are some people that want me for what I am—they want to be hypnotized and seduced, they want to let me inside their head, they want me to make them want to be bitten. It’s a small minority, but you can learn to tell. But when I met you, I started having feelings for you—in our very first conversation—and I wanted you to have feelings for me for who I am too. I think you do.”

“It’s an act,” Zelasha accused. “You’re not really the guy I met this morning. You’re not the guy I was falling for. You’re just some monster, worse than any creep or any stalker, who wants to use me and discard me. I’ve had boyfriends like that, for god’s sake, and they were human!”

“You know I’m not like that,” I soothed. “Trust your feelings, Zelasha. I can tell what you’re feeling, not because I can read your mind without your permission, but because I can see it in your face. Everything I’ve said, everything I’ve done, that’s me. I’m standing here outside your tent because I’m falling for you, not because I’m looking for my next meal.”

“When you said you could tell about a certain kind of people,” she said abruptly, “how can you tell?”

I shrugged. “It’s something about body language,” I said. “I’m not sure if I can describe it. It’s something about the way someone walks, and the way they move their eyes.”

“And you think I want that?”

“I know you want it,” I said. “I could tell with the way you looked at me when we were dancing earlier at Miss Scarlett’s show. I could tell with the way you drooped your eyelashes when you were flirting with me. I could tell when you kissed my cheek—it was close to my jaw, not towards the middle. You love vampires, Zelasha. You want me to seduce you, you want me to hypnotize you.” I dropped my voice to a murmur. “You want me inside your head, whispering to you. You want to find yourself fumbling at your collar before you even know what’s going on. You want to be held in my arms and forget where you are as I kiss your neck. You want to lose yourself in me because you can trust me not to hurt you—and I never will.”

In the darkness, I could see her shaking her head—but her motions had begun as emphatic, and now they were gentle.

“No,” she said, but there was hesitation in her voice.

“You want me to,” I said intently. “You want to surrender to me—you want the experience. You have been dreaming of this for so long, and you want to know what it feels like to be hypnotized by a vampire, to let me control your desires, to feel my fangs sinking into your neck. You’re going to love it, Zelasha, I promise. It doesn’t hurt at all. It’s wonderful—it can be ecstasy.”

“No,” she whispered. I had to strain to hear her. “No. I can’t let you. I can’t let myself want—I can’t let you use me.”

“You don’t want to look into my eyes?” I murmured. “You don’t want to let me seduce you with my gaze? You don’t want to know how good, how delicious it feels when your will drains away and you drown in an ocean of delight?”

After a pause, she managed another “no.”

“You don’t want me to come to you in the night, to take you and nibble on your neck? You don’t want to feel yourself surrendering as I hypnotize you? You don’t want to lose yourself in my eyes? You don’t want to sleep in my arms?”

“N-no,” she said slowly.

“You fascinate me, Zelasha,” I prompted. “You intoxicate me. If your feelings for me are a tenth of what I’m feeling for you... can you truly tell me you don’t desire me?”

She rose, and stepped over to the screen that separated us. “I—I don’t desire you, Nikolai.” She crossed her arms.

I stared into her face. “Tell me you don’t want me, Zelasha.”

“I don’t—want you.”

“Tell me you don’t want to kiss me.”

She started to waver. “I don’t... don’t want to kiss you.”

“You never thought about kissing me?”

Zelasha dropped her gaze to the floor, then looked up at me again. “I... no. Never.”

I put my hand on the mosquito netting that separated us. “If you really don’t want to touch me, tell me you don’t want to touch me.”

“I don’t want to touch you,” she said, but her tone of voice told me otherwise.

“You don’t want to fight with me?”

“I don’t want to fight with you.” She was determined, and looked up into my face.

“You don’t want to fight me?” I repeated quickly, and gazed directly into her eyes.

“I don’t want to fight you!” the redhead nodded, insisting.

“You don’t want to deny me?” I asked rapidly.

“I don’t want to deny you!” she asserted.

“You don’t want to resist me,” I told her.

“I don’t want to... to resist you,” she said, staring into my face.

“You can’t resist me?”

“I... can’t resist you,” she echoed. Her hand touched mine through the netting.

“You can’t stop yourself from touching me?”

“I can’t...” Both hands were touching mine through the screen. I squatted down; her hands followed my own, and I touched the zipper.

“You can’t stop yourself from wanting me,” I murmured, before she had time to register what she was doing.

“I want...”

“You want to invite me in?”

“I want to.” Her fingers grasped the zipper, and tugged; but the quick whirring sound seemed to snap her out of it, for she looked up at me, wide-eyed, as I slipped inside the half-open screen.

“Oh my, oh god,” Zelasha said, and stepped backwards blindly. “I—Nikolai—”

I put my hands on her shoulders. “It’s all right,” I said soothingly. “It’s all right. You’re safe. I won’t let anything hurt you. I promise.”

“How did you—what—what are you doing to me?” she asked, dropping her gaze to the floor.

“I want to give you your dreams,” I told her, drawing her closer to me.

She glanced up at my forehead, then looked at the ground again. “Don’t be afraid,” I continued wickedly. “I’m the same guy I was this morning. I want you, Zelasha, and I know you want me too.”

My hypnotized fiancee looked around desperately, everywhere but at my face. I was blocking the only way out. The only place left to go was deeper into the tent, with our air mattress and sleeping bag.

I stood directly in front of her, and slid my hands down her arms. Zelasha avoided my eyes, focusing instead on my mouth.

“Nothing’s changed,” I whispered. “You still want me. I sensed you looking at me this morning... your eyes were so fascinated. And when we talked during Scarlett’s show... we talked about vampire movies, and you told me how you used to daydream about a vampire beguiling you with his eyes and nibbling on your neck. I know you want this. You want me despite this, and you want me because of this.”

She was silent. I touched her cheek. “Say something.”

My fiancee shook her head, gorgeous red hair swishing over her shoulders and dancing over her breasts. “I want to get out of here,” she said to the floor. “I want to run.”

“You can’t escape what you’ve dreamed about all your life,” I insisted. “Even if you leave you’ll still want me, you’ll always wonder what it would have been like. Bare your neck to me, my darling. Let me taste you.”

Zelasha shook her head, staring downwards.

I slid my hand into her hair at her temple, cool against her hot skin. “Look into my eyes, my darling.”

She was warm, but shivered anyway at my touch. “You’ve daydreamed of this,” I whispered. “Why not give in? It would be so easy.”

Her lips pressed together. “Tell me what’s stopping you,” I said softly.

“I... I can’t give in,” she whispered. I could see her throat moving as she swallowed. “Or I’ll lose myself.”

“You know you want to,” I said, tempting her. “I know how much you love looking into my eyes, Zelasha. Remember us dancing at Scarlett’s show, how we looked into each other’s eyes? You love what my eyes do to you, and you want me to do more, so much more. I know you’ve imagined this.”

Zelasha looked down at her chest, at her pale hands adorned with amethyst and ruby rings. I began to unbutton her shirt.

“You want to surrender to me,” I urged. “You want to look into my eyes, you want to know what it feels like to stare deeeep into my vampire eyes. You want to be captivated by me, you want to be mesmerized, you want to lose yourself in my eyes and fall in...”

I caressed her cheek as Zelasha continued to gaze at her shoes. “You want to fall under my spell and feel me inside your mind, seducing you,” I urged. “You want to be bewitched, captivated, spellbound...”

I kissed her lower lip, then tugged on it with my lips. She didn’t respond, but neither did she resist. “You know you trust me, Zel,” I urged. “You want me to come to your bed... you want to sleep in my arms. Trust me. Trussssst me.” She swallowed hard, but I brushed the underside of her chin with my little finger and tipped her head slightly so she could see my face.

Her eyes locked on to mine, and she let out a tiny gasp. “Don’t blink,” I said quickly and softly. “Don’t be afraid... don’t fight it... my eyes are like like magnets, and you can’t look away.”

“Like... magnets...” she said throatily. Her eyes grew wider, and her lips parted. She was struggling, her desire to stay in control competing with her equal desire to surrender to me, to know what it felt like to be hypnotized by a vampire. She wanted this experience as badly as I had. She was struggling, and I could see the conflict within her, the impossible choice between surrendering to her daydream and the fear of losing control.

“My eyes absorb you and overpower you,” I whispered. “When I look into your eyes, I speak directly to your soul.”

She nodded slowly, up and down. “My soul...” she echoed, her captivated eyes staring into my own. She was beginning to trust me, surrendering her mind to me... letting me control her. Colleen was the only person I could ever share this with; I was so in love with her.

“That’s right... fall deep...” I said impishly, staying in character.

“Deep,” she echoed. Her voice was low.

“Don’t fight it, it feels so good,” I urged. “Feel my power all around you... all through your body.” She nodded, once, and I continued. “Feel my magic inside your mind, Zel.”

“Inside... inside my mind,” she repeated, nodding, green eyes wide.

“You are wrapped around my little finger,” I said devilishly, and slid a hand over her hair at her temple. “You’re in my power now... your heart and body obey me, you find yourself obeying me before your mind can catch up.” I touched the back of her head and caressed her soft hair. “What are you thinking, Zelasha?”

“I...” she began. “I want to... look... look away, but I can’t summon up the... the willpower. I... I want you to... to command me.”

I slid my arms around her neck, and hers went around my waist without my even having to tell her. “I can read your mind,” I murmured, staying in character. “I know how badly you want to be bitten.”

She took a deep breath, still fixated on my eyes.

“Yes, that’s right, my darling, my pet,” I said. “Tell me what you want.”

“I want... you... to bite... me...” Zelasha confessed. Her head tipped to one side as she spoke, but she could not look away.

“Tell me more,” I whispered. “Tell me everything... you can’t stop yourself. Tell me all about your fantasy.”

She swallowed. “I want to... feel... your lips, Nikolai... your... your kisses,” she gasped. “On... on my neck. I want to... to feel your fangs... slide in... I want to feel... you... drinking... my... my blood.” She shivered.

“Really?” I teased, remembering last Halloween when we’d volunteered for Miss Scarlett’s show. “Why should I?”

“Because I want you, Nikolai,” the redhead whispered, staring helplessly into my eyes. “I wanted you when we met... before I knew what you could do. And now, now that I know you, I want you even more. You’re in my head, and I don’t want to resist anymore. I’ve wanted this for so long and now I know it’s you I’ve been wanting,” she continued, talking at breakneck speed. “I’ve been dreaming of this,” she finally admitted.

“Dreaming?” I asked, remembering my own confessions earlier.

She nodded frantically. “Dreaming... aching,” she said. “Aching... to be... in the power of the man I love... to be... in your power,” she added quickly. A flash of sassiness passed through her eyes. “You’re enjoying this... way too much,” she accused.

“Mmm-hmm,” I agreed. “Tell me why I should bite you.”

Zelasha shook her head, still not breaking eye contact, then stood up a little taller.

“Because I want you to,” Zelasha whispered, almost insistently. Her arms moved from my waist to my shoulders. “I’ve wanted this all my life... you know that... and it’s not just that I want what you can do, Nikolai. It’s because I trust you.” She shook her head, surprising herself, resigned to her feelings. “I know I’m in your power and I want you to do this to me, Nikolai, no one else, just you.” She was pleading now. “I want you to bite my neck and drink my blood, because I trust you not to hurt me. Please. I’m ready now.” Her hands moved to her neck, and she pushed the cloth of her shirt away, baring her throat.

Our lips met in a huge kiss, delightful and tantalizing. I pushed her back and down, gently; her knees bent, and she fell backwards onto the air mattress. To my surprise, she scooted up onto it, and opened her arms.

“Take me, Nikolai,” she pleaded. “I want you to bite me. Come, please, before I change my mind, before I...”

She trailed off as I lay down atop her, and nudged her face towards mine. Our eyes met again, and she looked determinedly straight into my eyes, straight into her dream, straight into my soul. Waiting.

“When I kiss your neck, you will feel ecstasy,” I promised her.

Her eyes widened, and she smiled, a surprised, surreal smile. “Yes, Nikolai... yes.”

“You will feel no pain,” I told her, staring into her hypnotized green eyes. “Only euphoria. You will feel wonderful when my lips touch your neck, so very wonderful, you’ll be intoxicated. And when you feel my teeth, you will feel bliss, rapture, the greatest pleasure you’ve ever known, but you will be acutely aware that you are in my power, that I’ve bitten you, that I’m drinking your blood... and you will not feel sick or faint, you will feel fantastic.”

She smiled, eager with anticipation. “Yes, Nikolai... yes... I want you... want you to bite me.”

I began kissing her neck, kissing with my lips and tongue, nibbling and tugging.

Zelasha moaned. I could feel her shivering as her head tipped back to accommodate me. I opened my lips on her neck and tasted her scent, her sweat, her perfume. I reveled in her, and brushed my teeth across her neck. She groaned aloud, wrapping her arms and legs around me. Our hearts were beating in time.

“Come for me,” I whispered amidst kisses. “Come for me now.”

My hypnotized fiancee began moaning for real, and as her arms tightened around me I felt her shudder as climax surged through her. “Oh yes, Nikolai, yes...” she gasped from the bottom of her throat.

I gave her a hickey, nibbling and sucking on the smooth flesh of her throat. I inhaled her perfume, felt her writhe beneath my touch, slid my arm under her head, and still she moaned as the climax carried on. My tongue caressed her neck, and I bit and teased, kissed and gnawed.

Zelasha began taking deep breaths, and I resigned myself to gentler kisses. Obediently, her body calmed, and her breathing became more relaxed.

After a moment, my hypnotized fiancee turned her head to face me. Her hair was all over the pillows; her white lace bra was visible under the white button down shirt she’d borrowed, open at the front. Her hips wiggled underneath me.

“Nikolai,” she asked. “Nick, are you capable...”

I looked down at her, not understanding.

“I feel you,” she said, wriggling some more. “Anne Rice’s vampires can’t have sex. But they can on Buffy. Can you?”

“Oh yeah,” I said. Zelasha nodded, and pulled my shirt off over my head, eyes shining in the shadows. I rolled off her, tugged her jeans down off her legs, then laughed as she undid my pants and threw them off the sleeping bag.

“You know, it is kind of cold,” she said. She stood up, sexy and voluptuous in nothing but her underwear, and tugged me off the bed. I reached around her and unclasped her bra. She grinned her crooked smile as her wonderful breasts spilled out, pale with a hint of pink and brown around the center; then she unzipped the sleeping bag, lay down, and beckoned to me.

I joined her. She pulled the top over us, and we snuggled up, removing the last vestiges of clothes.

“Nikolai...” Zelasha said, averting her gaze.

I stroked her cheek. “Zel?”

“What would it be like,” she said, “making love, with me... me under your power?”

I caressed her soft skin. It was one of those rare moments when I remembered that my fiancee was really only twenty-one.

We’d been together for almost a year, and there was no question in my mind that Zelasha was my equal, both in intelligence and in maturity. Her mother had died when she was thirteen, and her father had remarried when she was fifteen. Her stepmother had proven to be controlling and repressive—so my fiancee had grown up fast.

When we first started dating, Zelasha had explained to me that daily arguments with her stepmother—who seemed to hate all women’s bodies, and her stepdaughter’s in particular—had driven her into teenage rebellion. She’d started smoking, and had refused to cut her hair. In effect, the imposition of a stepmother who’d never given her a chance had exacerbated her stubborn streak—and she wasn’t shy about going after what she wanted.

I loved Zelasha for her strength of personality, but the rare moments when she showed her vulnerability only made me love her more.

“You’d love it, darling,” I told her. “Is that what you want?”

She nodded, then looked tentatively into my eyes.

“My spell is all around you,” I whispered, sliding my hand from her cheek to her neck. “Inside your head, filling your mind... surrender to me.”

Her eyes widened. “Yes,” she whispered, nodding.

“You’re aware of only me.”

“Only you,” she echoed, trusting.

“You believe everything that I tell you,” I murmured.

She nodded again. “I believe.”

“When I kiss you,” I told her, “you feel ecstasy over your whole body... and the more I kiss you, the more intense it becomes.”

She nodded, then closed her eyes and parted her lips, awaiting my kiss—but, impishly, I kissed her neck instead of her lips. From the corner of my eye I could see her eyes pop open, but then she moaned as hypnotic waves of pleasure coursed through her.

I moved downwards, kissing her chest—but the moans began in earnest when I took a nipple into my mouth and caressed it lovingly with my tongue. She groaned sensuously as I kept kissing downwards, past her navel, then into the soft auburn curls between her legs. Finally, my tongue touched her clitoris, and her moans of delight noticeably increased in volume.

“Ssh, you’ll wake everyone,” I whispered.

She took a deep breath. “Sorry, my prince,” she whispered.

Then I began licking her in earnest. “Oh yes,” she groaned as my tongue caressed her madly, and she shivered when my teasing fingers took its place. She’d tipped her head back in abandon, but shifted to look at me as I spread myself over her.

She looked at me in wonder. “I never thought a vampire would be this... generous,” she finished.

“I want you, Zelasha,” I told her as my member touched the tender lips of her pussy. She flexed her hips, inviting me, and I slid easily and comfortably inside her, her warm, loving muscles holding me. “I don’t want you for my slave, I want you for my lover.”

“I’ll be both,” she said.

My heart melted. I kissed her, madly, and her arms went around me and squeezed me tight. We started moving in time, up and down, as she welcomed me deeper inside her, and I pushed, reaching for the wonderful places within her that drove her to abandon. I straightened my arms, rising above her, and she moaned happily as I touched her g-spot; then I pressed deep inside her, and her eyes lit up in pleasure.

“Nikolai?” she breathed.

“Mmm-hmm?” I kissed her cheek and sucked on her earlobe.

“My real name’s Colleen.”

“You’ll always be Zelasha to me,” I told her, our bodies flexing in time. “My gypsy.”

“Ohhhhhhhhh,” she moaned, her voice just above a whisper. “I love the way you see me—with you, I’m the person I want to be.”

“There’s something else I want to give you.” I took her beautiful head between my hands, staring down into her eyes. She swallowed, then gazed back, in anticipation and surrender.

“Are you my slave, Zelasha?” I asked.

She nodded, up and down, unconsciously mirroring the way our bodies were moving together.

“In order for me to do this,” I said, “I have to control you completely... so you have to tell me, three times.”

Zelasha pressed her lips together. “I am your slave,” she said quickly. Our eyes locked, and our bodies rocked together, up and down... “Oh, god... I can’t believe I’m doing this... I am your slave,” she said again. I was pushing deeper, up and down; her hot, sugary, wet flesh surrounded me and tantalized me. “I... oh, Nikolai, I am your slave,” she breathed.

“From now on,” I told her, “whenever I bite your neck, you will climax for me.”

“I will what? Oh, oh god,” she gasped, and I nibbled on her neck. “Oh god oh god oh my oh yes oh please oh yes...” Her body writhed madly under me, squeezing me. I felt the quick, unpredictable pleasure of being on the verge, and I nipped at her neck again. Another climax surged through her, and she moaned aloud, calling my name. Her muscles contracted, holding me and squeezing me past the point of release. I felt tingles in my fingers and toes, and I let go inside her. She was sexy, and perfect, and home. Her arms went around me, one at the small of my back, the other pressing my head into her neck. Her whole body trembled, then went soft in exhaustion. We held each other, panting.

“Oh my,” Zelasha said after a moment or two. “What have I done?”

“Hmm?” I asked, turning my head to look at her.

“You own me,” she said slowly, meeting my gaze. “I don’t feel any different, but I know... somehow... that whenever you tell me something, I have to do it... that you’re the center of my world. It’s kinda like being hypnotized... but... it feels sexy and scary all at once. I mean... what if you smother me? What if I’m so into you that I lose myself?”

“If that’s what I wanted,” I said, giving her a kiss, “I wouldn’t have fallen for you.”

“You don’t just want to break me down?”

I chuckled. “I know you dream about being seduced,” I told her. “But I want you for you. You’ll always be my gypsy, Zelasha—I just want to be the only one who seduces you.”

She smiled crookedly. “So what else you gonna do to me now that you’ve seduced me?”

I nibbled on her neck. She caught her breath in a huge gasp, and a tremble ran through her body.

“Oh my god,” Zelasha breathed. “Is that what you’re going to do to me? Make me orgasm whenever you bite me?”

“Would you like that?”

My hypnotized fiancee thought for a moment, then nodded. A glimmer of her old playfulness sparkled in her lapis lazuli eyes.

“Yeah,” she said. “You can bite me whenever you want.”

We kissed.

“What other plans do you have for me?” she asked.

I couldn’t help myself. “Just one,” I said. “Sleep.”

Instantly, her eyes fluttered closed, and her head fell back limply on the pillow. I opened my mouth to speak—but before I could say anything, the stark reality of the situation hit me. We were still in the lovemaking position, and I was lying atop my fiancee, who was fast asleep.

With a chuckle, I extricated myself, then dabbed up our fluids with a towel. Snuggling in beside her, I started whispering in her ear. I told her that she’d wake up when I snapped my fingers; that the fantasy suggestions had run their course, and were canceled; that she’d know it was four o’clock in the morning, and would be ready to sleep or to stay awake, whatever her body needed.

I told her that she’d remember the entire fantasy clearly, but know now that the vampire effects hadn’t been real. And with a last bit of impudence, I told her that from now on she would have an orgasm whenever I bit her neck—but she wouldn’t remember that I’d left that suggestion on, while turning the others off.

I counted to five, and woke her.

“WOW.”

Zelasha opened her beautiful green eyes and grinned from ear to ear.

“You liked it?” I smiled.

“Oh, yeah,” my fiancee said. She rolled over, and covered me with kisses, her lips touching my cheeks, my ears, my chin, and my neck. My hands caressed her soft pale skin and her silky red hair.

“Wow,” she repeated. “That was hot!”

I grinned. “Worse than the time I tied you up?”

She shook her head. “No, better.” She put her hand on her chin. “But maybe next time you can be a vampire AND tie me up.”

“Be careful what you wish for,” I told her.

Zelasha cuddled up to me and laid her head on my chest. “The only thing I wish for,” she said, closing her eyes, “is you.”