The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Mara Foster hurried down K Street on her way to her brothers’ law firm, where she worked as a special investigator. Her anxiety over having to take the Metro back into the city at this hour of the night made her oblivious to the beauty of the holiday decorations that were going up all around the city. Irritation at the thick crowds of shoppers even after the 7 pm end of the rush hour made her pulse race. She paused as she rounded the corner to allow herself to calm down, when the handle of her briefcase chose that exact second to snap. She bent down with a muffled oath and retrieved the case from the gutter where it had fallen, then headed across the street, hugging it to her. Mara could feel her blood pressure soar as she pulled her keys out of her coat pocket and unlocked the door to her office. She tossed the key ring onto the center of her desk, and turned to see a tall, dark-haired man standing in the doorway, an amused expression on his face.

“You still haven’t learned how to slow down, have you, Foster?”

“Adam!” Mara smiled at her old friend, a lieutenant in the Virginia State Police. She took off her coat and hung it up, frowning at the mud stain on the side where she had held the briefcase against her after its handle broke.. “What brings one of Virginia’s finest here at this hour?”

“I do.” A tall, distinguished man in his early 70’s came into the office. His grim expression caused the smile on Mara’s face to disappear. “Lt. Corwin told me that your firm might be able to help me. The Virginia authorities seem to have done as much as they can in helping me find my son.”

“You’re a little early, Adam,” came a voice from the door. Mara looked over as her oldest brother, Jeffery, entered the office and greeted Adam Corwin with a firm handshake. “Mr. Williams?” Jeffery inquired. The older man nodded briefly, and also shook hands with Mara’s brother, who turned to her. “Mara, when Bryan and Steven arrive, please tell them I need them in my office.” He then escorted the police lieutenant and the the other man into his private office and closed the door before Mara could speak. She sighed in frustration. The other Foster brothers arrived ten minutes later, their twin faces showing mirrored anxiety. They did not need to be told, but headed directly to Jeffery’s office.

Ten minutes later, the door opened again, and Jeffery stuck his head out. “Mara, can you come in here, please?” Mara entered her brother’s office and sat down on the only unoccupied chair, as Bryan closed the door. “I’d like you to meet George Williams. He has just hired our firm to look into the disappearance of his son.”

“Are you certain that she should get involved?” Mr. Williams asked as he looked Mara over. “You don’t know what you’re getting into. It could be dangerous.”

“Mara is not a helpless female, Mr. Williams,” Jeffery replied as he leaned back against the front of his desk, crossing his arms. “She is quite capable of looking out for herself, as she has proven many times over the years.” He actually allowed a proud smile to cross his features for a moment. “She also has other skills which will come in handy during our investigation.”

“For someone who looks as if she would be better suited to teaching kindergarten,” Mara amended. She smiled briefly at Mr. Williams’s startled expression. “Don’t feel bad about your reaction, Mr. Williams. I get it all the time.” She leaned forward in the chair, her expression as grave as that of the man she was facing, knowing she needed to reassure him from the very beginning that she was capable of handling this case for him. “I’ve worked with my brothers on cases part-time all the way through college, and started full-time when I quit teaching about four years ago.” She looked around at Adam and her brothers, her irritation mounting. “Would someone mind telling me what this case is about, or am I going to have to guess?”

“Mr. Williams’s son was driving out west to visit with some business acquaintances about a month ago. He never arrived,” Adam stated as he fixed his dark eyes on Mara. “He brought the matter to our attention and we did what we could to track him. We reached a dead end, there were no witnesses, no further clues to pursue...”

“...He just dropped off the face of the earth?” Mara asked skeptically.

“His car was found at the bottom of a ravine along a back road near Martinsburg, West Virginia,” Adam replied. “But there was no body, no sign of anyone being injured. He had filled up on Rt 7 near Leesburg. The tank was still more than 3/4 full, but the gas line was clogged. The car couldn’t have been driven more than an hour after he had gassed up, certainly not all the way to Martinsburg! That places him in Mosby Co., probably, where you all grew up, when his gas line clogged and his car had to stop. You know the area, the people. They’ll be much more likely to answer your questions.” More likely than they were to answer ours, his look said.

“We believe he was forcibly abducted,” Mr. Williams spoke up, his eyes lowered to hide the distress Mara could see in his body language. “It’s the only explanation we can think of for his not contacting us.”

Mara frowned. “But the lack of a ransom note, or sign of distress have left the police high and dry,” she commented, finishing the man’s thoughts. She nodded to Jeffery. “You were right to think I might like to handle the investigation.”

“Are there any other specifics?” Jeffery asked Adam as he pulled a wad of cash out of the top drawer. The Lieutenant produced a file folder and handed it to the eldest Foster brother, who passed it to Mara with the money. “If that isn’t sufficient, give us a call.”

Mara nodded and put the money in her jacket pocket. “I’ll take the T-bird. I’ll send in the usual daily reports. How can I get in touch with you, Mr. Williams?”

He took out a hotel business card and wrote his name and room number on the back. She accepted it from him and breezed out of the office.

Adam looked over at Jeffrey. “She still doesn’t waste any time, does she?”

“One reason why she’s the best at what she does,” Jeffrey replied. He turned to the man seated nearby. “Don’t worry, Mr. Williams, if anyone can find your missing son, Mara can. And she has the full resources our office can muster behind her.”

Eager to be on the ‘hunt,’ Mara picked up the Ford Thunderbird from the firm’s motor pool in the office building’s basement parking garage. Pausing at her Roslyn, Va, apartment only long enough to pack an overnight bag with a few essentials, she drove to the George Washington Parkway, from which she picked up Rt. 123. She turned right on Rt. 7 and headed west. The fact that she would be doing her work in her old childhood home only made the case that much more enticing. She could catch up with her cousins, maybe spend some downtime there once the case was solved. She hadn’t had a vacation in over three years, and she could feel the need for it in the way her blood pressure and irritation level had risen.

The object of all this attention, though he was not aware of it, was at that moment no more than 30 miles from the Beltway. Carl Williams was not, at this time, aware of much beyond his Mistress Lilith. He could not recall how or when he came to be here. Indeed, he had trouble recalling even what had happened yesterday, as distinguished from today or the day before. Except for the sessions with Lilith, about once a week. These and the chores Lilith gave him, were about all Carl was conscious of, all that she allowed him to think about. Currently, he was performing one of those chores, serving his Mistress a late supper.

Lilith regarded him with affection and some concern. His emotions were shrouded in the sensual fog in which she enwrapped him. She permitted him to be aware only of the “pleasurable” feelings, the enormous erotic sensations, the joy of release, the inevitable bonding which resulted. Yet down deep, buried by her suggestions, she could sense the embers of his fear, resentment and hatred glowing. Denied expression, even unconscious expression, they survived still. She had to keep Carl entranced all the time, unlike her other servants: Lilith could not trust him under merely post-hypnotic suggestion. His will was too strong. She had never had a slave like Carl before. His amazing will was one of the things that attracted her so powerfully to him.

“Thank you, carl,” she said as he removed the dishes from the main course. “You may serve dessert now.”

He placed the dishes on the serving cart, and, responding to the hidden post-hypnotic suggestion Lilith had just uttered, returned and knelt in front of her.

Slowly she drew up her skirt to free her legs and expose her mons veneris. Then she slipped her hand under Carl’s chin, and raised his face until he was looking directly into her eyes. “carl,” she began, “when I count to five, you are going to awaken. You will feel wonderful, refreshed and alert. You will remember nothing of what has happened to you while you have been entranced, except that you will remember and follow all the post-hypnotic suggestions I have given you. Ready, one...feeling more awake now, becoming aware of your body. Two...feeling your arms and legs, your fingers and toes. Three...becoming aware of the room around you. Four...more and more alert, now. And five...wide awake! Wide Awake, now! Good evening, carl. How do you feel?”

“What? Where am I?” Carl blinked, and shook his head. What was he doing kneeling in front of this woman...? Lilith. He remembered her name. He remembered the last time, waking up lying on a bed, with her standing over him. And a time before that, sitting in a chair, with her sitting facing him. And at... another time, waking bound to a frame that held him standing, while she walked around him, talking to him and touching him... And one more time earlier, sitting on a couch, drinking tea, listening to her and looking into her eyes. Her deep, dark eyes... He looked up, and again his gaze was caught by hers.

“There now, carl,” Lilith went on. “Take a deep breath.” Automatically, he obeyed. She took his face between her hands. “Hold it,” she paused. “Now let it out slowly. Relax. There, that is better, yes? It feels so good to let me relax you. You are a little confused, are you not?”

“Confused...yes,” Carl mumbled, transfixed by her stare. “I feel ... strange.”

“Yes,” Lilith continued. She began tracing slow circles on his temples with her middle fingers. “You feel strange and confused, but so good, so peaceful and content to just kneel there and look into my eyes and listen to me. So confused, it is so hard for you to think clearly.” She paused to elicit a response.

“... hard to ... think...clearly...” he repeated.

“That is right,” she affirmed, her voice sinking to a coaxing murmur. “You find it so hard to think. But it is so easy and pleasant to just kneel before me and listen to me. Just kneel for me and listen to my voice. It is soo pleasant and comfortable. You do not have to think, just kneel to me and let my words flow into your mind. Kneel to your Mistress, and slip back under my spell. So easy and pleasant to slide into my hypnotic spell.”

“Wait...No...You’re trying to hypnotize me again!” he protested.

“Yes, I am hypnotizing you again,” Lilith confirmed. “You enjoy being hypnotized by me. It is so comfortable and easy to let yourself go ... to just listen to my voice and relax. You want to just give in and listen and look at me. Each time I hypnotize you, you will go deeper and deeper.” She released his face, and drew her fingers down along his cheeks and forward along his jaw, ending with her hands resting lightly on her knees. Cued by her touch, he swayed towards her, almost losing his balance as he leaned closer. She mirrored his movement, leaning towards him, then drawing him even further into her intimate personal space by leaning back again, parting her knees as she did so to lure him ever deeper into her influence. Without even being aware of his movements, he followed her gestures by moving forward between her legs. His thoughts were slowing, fogging, and were fixed now on her words in any case, as his eyes were captured by her gestures.

“Look at me,” she intoned. “Let your eyes follow my hands up my legs and over my body.” She drew her fingertips up along the inside of her thighs, then up her abdomen to her breasts. She leaned forward again, lightly gripping her breasts and pushing them towards him. “You love to look at my body. Let your eyes slip in between the soft, fragrant flesh of my breasts...and where your eyes go, your mind follows.” She was close enough that he could feel her breath fanning his face. Her perfume enveloped him. “My nearness arouses you,” she whispered. “My scent draws you nearer, ever closer. The closer you come, the deeper under my spell you go...come closer...go deeper.”

Leading him now by three of his senses, she began gradually straightening up and lounging back once more. “Breathe in my perfume... my essence. Look at me... at my breasts, so soft and inviting... inviting you to come closer. The closer you come, the deeper you go. Listen to my voice, inviting you... calling you to come closer... come closer... go deeper... closer... deeper.... Inhale my essence. Let my aroma lead you deeper... closer.” Helplessly, he swayed even further towards her.

“Look at my body,” she said as she ran her hands caressingly down her torso. “So shapely, so delightful. It arouses you to be this close to me... to look at me so near to you... to listen to my voice caressing your mind... to smell my feminine scent. It arouses me to have you be so close... to see you become excited by my presence... to have you become so docile, so obedient. It excites you to be close to me, to obey me.”

“...Obey... no,” he moaned, feeling his manhood come erect in response to her nearness and suggestions. Not again, his inner core protested silently, not... a... gain..., and then faded, as the clouds of the sensory pleasure of her, the sight, smell, sound of her, was joined by the sense of touch. She reached out with her left hand and caressed the back of his neck, while reaching between her own legs with her right to fondle herself.

She felt his sexual arousal as an increase in the life force within him, and an increase in the sexual tension in the room. Her immaterial self stirred in response, awakening and reaching out to connect with his sexual energies. But she no longer hungered as she had on that first night. She savored, she sipped...and she tasted the still resisting center of his being as a hot, bitter tang underlying the sweetness of his surface compliance.

Still fighting her influence! She felt a thrill; it was disappointing, yes, that his essential emotional orientation had not changed to match his external behavior, which she controlled so well, but exciting, too! So strong, so vital. Her pulse speeded up, and not just in response to the sexual tension between them. What a life-mate he would make, if he would just give himself to her! What a father for her child!

For now, though, just lead him a little deeper into her control, she sighed. She caressed the back of his neck in the same rhythm as she fondled her own sex. Each time she stroked up, she increased the pressure ever so slightly, ever so subtly, so that her right fore finger sank into her vaginal lips, a little deeper each time, and she drew his face a fraction closer with her left hand, letting him sway back away from her on the down stroke, but never quite as far back as before. Now. She let him sway back almost erect, and brought her right hand away from her crotch to caress his face, making sure that the finger which had been inside her passed repeatedly under his nostrils. “Inhale deeply, carl,” she whispered. “Take in my scent...let it fill your mind, as my voice fills you mind. You can smell how aroused I am, just to see how you respond to my presense. It gives you such pleasure to let me arouse you. Surrender to the pleasure, carl. Surrender to me. Each time you surrender to my spell, you will become more and more submissive. Let the sight of me... the sound of my voice... the touch of my hands... the scent of my sexual arousal lead you closer to me.” She gently increased the soft pressure of her hand on the back of his neck, while drawing her other hand back towards the joining of her legs with a beckoning gesture. “Your will becoming weaker and weaker, as you go deeper and deeper. Closer... deeper...surrender... deeper...” She pointed to her engorged and now wet nether lips. “Kiss me. Give me your kiss of submission.” Mindless now, Carl buried his face between her legs. “Pleasure your Mistress, carl,” Lilith intoned, and he complied. The contact provided her with a small charge of the erotic energy which was necessary to her, much less than she had taken on the first night, but enough to sustain her. More importantly, it reinforced his habit of obedience to her commands. Each time, he submitted more readily, resisted for a shorter time. Yet still he resisted! And yet, each time he inevitably submitted.

And each time, she was more inclined to think of him as the future father of her child. His vitality, the force of his character, the basic goodness which tempered his strength, were all acting upon her own being. The stimulation of having him so near, of taking him so often was hastening the approach of her period of fertility.

Mara pulled into the parking lot of the Mosby County Sheriff’s Office, where her cousin, Edward Foster, was the current Sheriff. She went inside the one story building and a large, beefy man got up from behind his desk and appraoched the counter, a puzzled look on his face. “Yes, Ma’m?,” he started, then paused and pulled his glasses out of his uniform shirt pocket and put them on. “Wait a minute.” He smiled, “Mara! What brings you back here, and in the middle of the night?”

“Our firm was hired by a man named Williams to find a young man who went missing in this area about a month ago,” Mara replied. She looked away for a second to retrieve the photograph Adam had given her, and missed the alarm on Edward’s face. He calmed his expression and leaned on the counter. “I remember the case. Your friend Adam Corwin of the State Troopers sent us some information and asked us to look into it. Now, if you and your brothers are involved, that puts a whole new light on the investigation.” He took the photograph from her and pretended to examine it. “Same as the one we were sent. I can’t say I’ve found any evidence that Carl Williams was anywhere near here. Maybe he took Rt 7, further south?” Edward saw that Mara was not listening to him, her thoughts already racing ahead of his anticipated report of failure to unearth a trace of the missing man. After all, if the Sheriff’s Department had found any sign of him, she wouldn’t be here. He laid his hand on her arm, and she looked up at him. “Are you going to want the same set up as the last time?” he asked.

“I think I can work better from Gran’pop’s house, Edward,” Mara answered with a shake of her head. “That is, if it’s available.”

“You know it’s yours whenever you’re in town, Mara,” Edward reassured her. He pulled the keyring from his pocket, detached a key and handed it to her. “Why don’t you get settled in, and I’ll stop by in the morning.”

He waited until she had left the office, and then dialed a number on the ‘phone. “Things are heating up,” he spoke into the receiver. “That Williams guy sent my own cousin to look into his son’s disappearance. Yes, I know we can’t let her find out the truth. What? No! That would only draw more attention. Besides, she’s family. All right. You let me handle it from here.”

Lilith hung up the telephone, her serene expression hiding the turmoil within her mind. This was not good! More new people snooping around, and this one with local family contacts. And the Sheriff, he had actually said no to her! Was Carl’s resistance to her control catching? A moment’s reflection stilled that panicky thought. The Sheriff was correct; another disappearance so soon would only bring more unwanted attention. Better to wait and let him deal with his kin in his own way, although she felt a momentary twinge of anxiety at leaving Edward so much initiative. His was not a strong mind, like Carl’s, resisting submission to her. Instead, he was like a dangerous animal, a half domesticated wolf, loyal, but unpredictable. And now, it would seem, loyal to his own, as well. That could be a problem, if there were to be any conflict.

For half a second, she contemplated erasing Carl’s memories and having one of her minions drive him up into the mountains and release him. She dismissed the impulse. Carl was hers! She controlled him. She wanted him. He would be her mate, she decided, confirming in her own consciousness the choice her body had already made. And in spite of his resistance, she would soon make him want to be hers, forever.

Unaware of her cousin’s duplicity, Mara drove down the town street and up the mountain a few miles to the old house that had belonged to her father’s parents, where she and her brothers had spent so many happy summers as children. The house was a two-story monstrosity that had been built around the turn of the last century. Several generations of Fosters had been born, raised and mourned in this house, and Mara felt as if it welcomed her back. She shook her head to clear it of this fancy, and went inside with her luggage..

She set her bags inside the bedroom door, and went to the living room to raise the thermostat. The family kept the house furnished and ready for any visits by out-of-town relatives; the propane tank was kept filled and the gas furnace pilot lit, and there was a fire set in the fireplace in the study. She opened the damper and lit the kindling, then set her laptop computer on the desk and sat down to work.

She set the file Adam Corwin had given her beside the laptop, and opened it. She pulled out a loose sheet that was on the top of the information on Carl Williams, and saw it was a list of people who had gone missing in the vicinity starting about eight years ago. Some of the names she recognized from when she had worked on background searches for her cousin Edward in her spare time, when she was still a student or teaching. The couple who had disappeared while hiking on the Appalachian Trail; the truck driver whose rig was found abandoned near the County Airpark; the college English and folklore professor who had been collecting Northern Appalachian ghost tales... Most of them were male, she noted, and they had all been reported missing about a year apart. That, in itself, was rather strange. Carl’s name was near the bottom of the list, next to last. The last was a woman: Julia Jameson, reported missing within the last month, by a Mr. Leonard Harker.

She put the list back in the file and connected her computer through its modem to the ‘phone jack. “If this were the work of one person, the folks around here would have noticed. They have to have some help, both local and from outside. Let’s see....” she mused, as she ran a map program showing the last reported location of the missing persons. She saved the map and navigated to another demographic site. “Who has moved into the county in the last eight years who might be worth looking into?” she read through the county recorder’s records and jotted down the names and addresses of several new residents over the past ten years. In this part of the county, that was far fewer names than she had thought; most of the development spreading from Loudoun Co. was along Rt 7. When she plotted the addresses into her search map, only half of those names appeared near the cluster of red X’s which marked the disappearences. Indeed, the red X’s seemed to encircle a group of the blue squares marking the new residents. “Better and better,” she muttered to herself, as she deleted the names on the list which did not make it into the circle. “This should keep me busy. I wonder just where I should start?” She answered herself with a yawn.

With a start, she checked her watch. It was long past midnight. She had accomplished enough for one night, she decided. The next step was a good night’s rest and an early start tomorrow. She banked the fire, and turned in.

The next morning, as she was fixing herself breakfast she heard a loud knocking on the kitchen door. She went to see who was there, and found a short dumpy man in an insulated coverall over a faded flannel shirt standing there with a cardboard box in his arms. Mara unlocked the door with a smile and embraced him warmly. “Cousin Fred!” she crowed as she brought him inside. “What brings you here?”

“Heard you were back, Mara,” Fred said in his slow careful manner. “Thought I’d come say hello, and drop off some groceries, as I was out this way to make a delivery.” He nodded to the tall, square built man who was still standing on the porch with his head down, a shy smile on his broad face. “Mind if I bring Homer in?”

“Not at all. Nice to meet you, Homer,” Mara replied as she saw the two men inside. “Would you like some coffee?”

“Wouldn’t mind it at all, Mara,” Fred smiled slowly. “I’ll get it myself,” he continued as he carried the box of supplies to the kitchen. Mara watched as Fred made his way to the counter, the limp that was the last remaining sign of his nearly fatal accident causing him to move carefully. He set down the groceries, and poured out two cups, spooning sugar and adding fresh cream from a small carton that had been in the box he brought. He passed one cup to Homer. When he turned back to Mara, his smile had been replaced by a look of concern.

“Heard you were looking into the disappearances around the area. Are you sure you should get involved in that, Mara? Other people who’ve come looking joined the list of the missing.” He took a sip from his cup, and looked at her seriously. “I would hate it if anything happened to you.”

“I wasn’t aware that there were others looking, Fred,” Mara answered. “Edward never mentioned it.” She hid her annoyance at the fact that Edward was keeping things from her; she would talk to her cousin about it the next time she visited his office. Come to think of it, Adam had not specifically indicated that there were other hunters, either. If he knew. She retrieved the list she had printed out from the county records, and handed it to Fred. “Perhaps since you run one of the only three grocery stores in the area, you might know some of these people.”

Fred took the sheet of paper from her and looked over the list. He took a pen out of his coverall pocket, and sitting at the kitchen table, jotted down some notations next to the various names. He put the pen back, and handed her the list with a shake of his head. “Most of these people are older couples who’ve moved back to their family homes after spending their younger years in the cities. Come to retire.”

He got to his feet, placing the now empty coffee cup in the sink. “Better get going. Have to drop Homer off with his employer’s supplies and then get some errands run before I get back to the store.” He turned to the younger man, and was surprised by the transfixed expression on the man’s face. Homer jumped, blushing guiltily, when Fred laid his hand on his shoulder. “Come on, Homer.”

“Good-bye, Homer,” Mara smiled, extending her hand to the quiet man. “It was really nice to meet you.” Homer smiled and nodded. He hurried out of the house, and Mara turned to Fred. “Doesn’t say much, does he?” She kissed Fred on the cheek. “I appreciate your help, Fred. Let’s get together for dinner one night this week.”

“I’d like that,” Fred smiled absently as he nodded. He raised his hand in a farewell, and left the house. Mara watched him and his silent companion drive away in his old pickup, and then locked the door. Homer intrigued her. About ten years older than she was, she estimated. Although quiet and childlike in some respects, he did not give her the impression of being slow. And unless she was mistaken, he had been quite taken with her. More to the point, she was certain he was not from the county, she would have remembered him. Yet his name did not appear on the list of new residents she had compiled. She turned to the task of putting away the groceries which Fred had brought.

Fred drove up towards the top of the mountain, along Rt 9. When he reached what was known as the ‘high valley,’ he turned into a entranceway nearly hidden by a thick screen of old trees and shrubs. There, a large stately house sat at the end of a long drive. He stopped in front and rang the doorbell. A young woman in a maid’s uniform answered the door, and stepped aside to let him enter, while Homer retrieved the groceries from the back of the pickup with the help of a young man. Fred went into the study and waited.

“Hello, Mr. Foster. Here for your payment?” a warm, sultry voice purred as its owner entered the room. Fred turned, his features flushing slightly as his eyes filled with admiration. “I hear your cousin is in town,” Lilith said as she sank down on the white plush sofa, patting a space at her side. Fred sat down beside her quickly, but reluctantly. He always felt awkward in this woman’s presence, and had the uncomfortable feeling that he did not know what was going to happen next. Her dark eyes fixed on his, holding him quiet and still, although squirming inside. She ran her hand along his thigh, slowly; he could not move even to that touch. “I hope she is not here to cause any trouble. Is she, Fred?”

“She’s here looking for a missing person, Ms. Preston,” Fred replied, swallowing first to get his voice past the thickness in his throat. He did not even pause to wonder how she had heard of Mara’s arrival. He was too busy trying to deal with the conflicting emotions that this strange woman evoked in him whenever he had to make a delivery to her home. In any case, he had lived all his life in a network of friends and family through which news was transmitted almost with the speed of thought. It did not occur to him that Lilith Preston, as a newcomer who kept to herself, might not be plugged in to that same network. He gulped as Lilith handed him a check, her fingers stroking along the back of his hand as she relinquished it. “I better get movin’. I got things to do.”

Lilith nodded and watched as Fred nearly ran from the house in his haste to be away from her. She was both amused at his embarrassment, and vexed because it had up til now kept her from capturing his mind as she had the Sheriff’s. Still, he had confirmed what Edward had told her last night, and likewise indicated that this Mara Foster could not be dealt with as she had that silly Jameson woman. She needed more information. She rang a bell, and the young woman in the maid’s costume appeared. “Please have Homer come in here, Julie, " Lilith commanded. The maid nodded and went to find the handyman. Lilith sank back into the sofa, a calculating look on her beautiful face. When Homer came into the study, she invited him to sit next to her, laying a hand on his knee. “I understand you just met Mr. Foster’s cousin, Homer. Tell me all about her.”

“All right,” Mara said aloud to herself many hours later as the last rays of the sunset faded over the mountain. She had been out most of the day, talking to old friends and relations. She had kept her questions casual, slipping in her inquiries between catching up on local and family news. But it hadn’t done much good; everyone seemed to know she was here investigating a missing person, and also seemed to assume that her interest extended to the earlier disappearences as well. But they just weren’t talking. So it had been a process of eliminating what they would talk about to find the persons and topics they avoided and left blank. Then she had come back here and tried to piece it together with the computer data. She looked out the window at the gathering autumn dusk, and stretched to relieve her stiff muscles. “I could use a break now.” She went to the bedroom and lay down on the bed; sleep claimed her almost instantly.

As Mara lay sleeping, a masked figure, who had been watching the house from the shelter of a nearby grove, crept up to the bedroom window and opened it. He climed in slowly and quietly, and moved to stand over the bed, looking down at the unmoving woman. He sat down on the mattress beside her, his hand clamping down over Mara’s mouth. “Hello, Mara...” he began. Her hands came up to his covering her mouth. She seized that hand with both her thumbs on the back of his, and twisted in and down. He turned and rose, to retreat from the pain, and slipped off the side of the bed. Allowing his weight to pull her up and around, Mara maintained the pressure just short of breaking the intruder’s wrist, and pinned him to the floor, his wrist bent in and his elbow locked straight. Holding him easily with just one hand, she reached down with the other and removed his mask. “Hello, Mara,” he repeated with a grin that had more than a slight wince of pain in it. “I’m really glad you’re back.”

“Larry!” Mara laughed as she recognized an old childhood friend, and pulled him to his feet. “You scared the life out of me!”

“I didn’t want to do that!” Larry exclaimed. Something about the way he said that made Mara grow more serious. “You’ve only been back one day and you’ve already drawn some dangerous attention to yourself, Mara.”

“What are you talking about, Larry?” Mara asked as she went to the kitchen to fix herself something to eat. Actually, she would not have been surprised if Larry’s attack on her had been for real, by someone who was serious. The resistance she had met to her questions today had bordered on hostility. But that it had turned out to be Larry, good ol’ Larry, disarmed her for the time being. Sure, he had turned into a n’er-do-well, in and out of trouble with the law and the more respectable members of the community, but she had known him as long as she could remember, and it was impossible for her to attribute any malice on his part towards her. She knew better than to expect any straight answers from him, but maybe he knew something that he would reveal. “Would you like something to drink? I’m going to fix myself a sandwich and some cocoa.”

Larry shook his head and settled down at the kitchen table to watch Mara fix herself a meal. “I’ve watched you grow up from a scrawny, freckled kid into a beautiful woman, Mara,” Larry said plaintively as his hand caressed the wooden table top. “I’ve waited for you to notice how I felt about you. You never did.”

“I did notice. I just never felt that way about you, Larry,” Mara replied honestly as she spread butter on bread. “You know that. We’ve had this discussion before, and it always comes down to that one basic fact.”

“I can protect you, Mara, from the people who want you hurt,” Larry said obliquely, his eyes filled with pain. He saw the skeptical, self-confident expression on her face and sighed. “If you’re still offering, a cup of cocoa would be welcome.” Mara nodded and took out a second cup, setting it down in front of him. When the kettle whistled, she poured the water over the cocoa powder, and turned away to fetch her sandwich. As she turned, Larry took a small vial out of his pocket and poured the contents into her cup. “How about we go to dinner sometime while you’re in the County?”

“That would be nice,” Mara said absently as she sat down and took a sip of her hot chocolate. “That’s funny,” she said as she set it down. “It tastes odd. How is your cocoa, Larry?”

“Just fine,” Larry replied, as he sipped at the hot liquid. “Maybe you’ve forgotten what our mountain water tastes like. No chemicals; limestone filtered.” He smiled to himself as Mara took another sip. They sat in companionable silence as she ate her sandwich and drank some more of the chocolate. When she went to set her cup down, she almost missed the table, and it fell off the edge. “Oh!” Mara cried out, her eyes wide with confusion. Larry rose, and took her by the arm. “Let me get that for you,” he said as he guided her into the living room and over to the sofa. He went back in and cleaned up the mess, being careful to leave no trace of the doctored cocoa on the floor, table or in the fragments of the cup, washing them before throwing them in the trash.

When he returned, Mara was curled up on the sofa fast asleep. “I know you don’t like me much, Mara, but I’m not going to let Her harm you. Even if you don’t want my help, you’re going to have it.” He picked her up and carried her out to his beat-up jeep. He laid her in the back and was covering her with a blanket just as Sheriff Ed Foster drove up.

“Hey, Sheriff,” Larry smiled furtively as he moved to conceal the blanket covered form in the back seat. He started to get in behind the wheel. “If you’re looking for Mara, she just left. She said she was going to get some dinner when I pulled up.”

“Oh?” Edward frowned. Mara’s distinctive T-bird had not passed him as he drove out from town. He couldn’t see if it was in the garage from his car, but many years experience had taught him that if Larry Snopes said one thing, suspect something else. He stopped the engine and got out. “Might as well make certain she has everything she needs while she’s here.” He headed towards the house, and Larry picked up a tire iron from behind the seat of his jeep. As he swung it, the older man dodged aside, turned and caught him by the arm and threw him to the ground. Edward sat atop him and pulled out his cuffs. “Now just what have you been up to?” he growled as he dragged Larry to his feet and over to the jeep. He lifted the blanket in back, and groaned when he saw Mara lying there. “You idiot! Do you want to bring her brothers and their hired muscle down here?” A further suspicion struck him. “Did She send you down here? Was this Her idea?”

“Yeah,” Larry snarled, lying as much out of habit as the hope of being believed. “So you better let me get about Her business, since you serve Her, too!” The Sheriff shoved Larry in the back of the squad car, none too gently, and carried Mara back into the house, laying her down on her bed. He returned grimly to find a much-subdued Larry waiting in the back of the car. “She couldn’t leave it alone, so She sent Her dirty work boy!” Edward gritted in cold fury. “I told Her to leave it to me. Do you realize how close you came to ruining everything?”

“What are you going to do, Sheriff?” Larry asked as Edward drove away from the house. Surely, he would let him go, and cover for him, just as he had every time since they had both entered Lilith’s service.

“Something I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” snapped Edward. All the humiliation of having to protect Snopes and ignore his crimes petty and major, just because they both served the same Mistress, came to a focus in his mind. He suspected Larry of everything from peeping tom offenses to murder, and by no means all of it had been on Lilith’s behalf. But always She had protected Larry, and made Edward shield him as well. Too much, for too long. He had not gone into law enforcement for this. He had been a good cop, dammit, before he had looked into Lilith’s dark eyes. He remained silent, driving quickly out into the country where Larry lived alone on an almost abandoned farm. He yanked Larry out of the back of his squad car and shoved him inside the run down trailer which served as his home. He looked down at the younger man, his eyes cold and hard. “You brought this on yourself, Larry. You should have stayed away from my cousin.” He picked up a baseball bat that was leaning against the wall near the door.

“Sheriff, please!” Larry pleaded as Edward came slowly forward, slapping the bat in his callused hand. “I wouldn’t have hurt Mara. I only wanted to protect her!” He pushed himself back away from the furious lawman, until he came up against the wall, his eyes large with terror.

“She was in no danger, Larry,” Edward said as he stepped closer, his eyes deadly. “I would have seen to that.” He smacked the bat into his palm in front of Larry’s eyes, and a cold smile crossed his face. “There’s going to be a tragic accident. “County man dies in fire’.” He lifted the bat and brought it down across the side of Larry’s head. He removed the handcuffs, then kicked over the kerosene heater and left. As he drove off, the flames were already rising from the tinder box of the old house trailer.

George Williams paced the length of the sitting room in his hotel, waiting for the telephone to ring. Mara had promised daily reports, and she was now three days overdue. He glanced at the door. Mara’s brother, Bryan, whom he had contacted to express some concern over the fact that he had not heard from her since she left town, was due to come over and see him. New developments, he had hinted. Mara was probably out canvassing the neighborhoods, and would call when she thought she had something. Meanwhile, something had come up, something that might bear on the case. For the time being, they would call their cousin, the Sheriff and see what he knew of Mara and how her inquiries were proceeding. They would ask the Sheriff to call them at the hotel, because there was someone they wanted Mr. Williams to meet.

His head turned to the door as someone knocked. He went to the door and opened it, standing dumbfounded when he saw a middle-aged man standing there with Bryan Foster. The stranger was tall, lean and wiry, with a long face dominated by an aquiline nose, dressed in clothing that would have been more stylish many decades earlier. The man brushed past George and walked over and seated himself on the couch; Bryan followed.

“Well, don’t just stand there, sir,” the stranger said, amusement and a British accent tinging his voice. “Shut the door, so we can talk.”

The elder Mr. Williams did as he was told, and accepted the card the man offered, before sinking into a chair across from the couch. Then he looked at the card and frowned. He blinked and read the words there again. “Are you joking? This is real?”

“I was told that you were on the hunt for the person responsible for the disappearance of your son,” the stranger replied. “I have information that might be invaluable to you in that endeavour.”

“I’m not hunting vampires, ghosts or things that go bump in the night, Mr. ...Harker,” George replied, angry at the man for wasting his valuable time. He handed the card to Bryan. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m expecting...”

“I seriously advise you to listen to Mr. Harker, Mr. Williams,” Bryan interrupted. He was frowning with worry. “As you know, my brothers’ firm does many confidential investigations as well as legal work. We are familiar with Mr. Harker’s name and work.” He looked over at the occult investigator. “When he contacted us, we wondered how a mere missing person’s case would rate the attention of such a man.”

“You are expecting a ‘phone call from a very beautiful young lady,” Harker interposed. “Or barring that, a call from the local constable...pardon me, Sheriff, with information about her.” George stared at him in dismay. “Don’t be so surprised, sir. Only a fool hunts alone. I’ve had people following Miss Foster since she entered her old haunts.” George and Bryan exchanged glances. “But she doesn’t have any idea what she faces in this investigation. She is more likely to find what she is looking for than my agents are, to her peril. While we are better equipped to deal with the situation, but are having difficulty gaining any local cooperation. I suggest that we combine forces.” He rose to his feet. “We can’t help her unless we leave now. Do you need to pack?”

“Just a few things,” Mr. Williams replied.

“Get to it then, and then let us depart. The game, as they say, is afoot!”

George Williams hurried into the bedroom and threw a change of underclothes and a shaving kit into his overnight bag. Then he removed a parcel wrapped in oiled silk from an not very obvious pocket of his suitcase, hesitated for a moment, and put it at the bottom of the overnight case. He returned to the sitting room. “I’m ready. Let’s go.”

Williams and Bryan followed Harker downstairs. As they passed through the lobby, he stopped to leave word at the desk that he would be out for a few days, and would appreciate it if the hotel would hold his messages. The telephone rang as they walked out the door, and the desk clerk almost called him back when the young woman asked for Mr. Williams. Instead, he shrugged and sent it into the voice-mail system.

Outside, a chauffeur waited beside a long, black limousine. He opened the door for the three men and got behind the wheel. They stopped briefly at Bryan Foster’s residence, so he could collect a few essentials, and then headed out of the city. As they headed west on Rt. 7, Harker smiled at the expressions on the faces of his two companions.

“I am not abducting you, gentlemen,” he said, amused. “You can relax and ask the questions that are bouncing around in your minds. I will try to answer them as best I can while we are en route.” He looked them both squarely in the eye. “Let me start by informing you that Carl Williams was not the first person to disappear in this area.”

“Cousin Ed was looking into some cases of missing persons about eight years ago,” Bryan agreed with a nod. “In fact, the last time we talked to him, he said he was still investigating the matter, but that he had no conclusive evidence of any wrongdoing. He had Mara running background checks for him; wouldn’t tell anyone who those names were supposed to be, or why he needed private inquiries made. Then he seemed to drop the whole thing.” He smiled ruefully. “Mara was really annoyed with Edward when he seemed to back away from the matter.”

“And you didn’t think it odd that your cousin would decide not to pursue these cases more diligently?” Harker asked Bryan. “From all that my people have learned about the Sheriff, that is not entirely in keeping with his usual way of doing things.”

“Now that you mention it,” Bryan nodded slowly, after thinking the matter over from this fresh viewpoint, “it did seem rather odd. Edward isn’t usually so careless. You don’t think my cousin is involved in these disappearences, do you? That’s ridiculous! Edward would never...”

“Such things have been known to happen before, young man,” Harker broke in gently. “And by ‘involving’ your cousin, She has seen to it that no-one will come near Her door without Her knowing about it.”

“’She.’ So you think you know who’s responsible for these abductions?” George Williams spoke up. He watched the expression on Bryan Foster’s face as he realized that Harker was certain his cousin could be involved in the mystery. He eyed the enigmatic Harker sharply. “You think one of your ‘creatures’ has taken up residence in Northern Virginia, don’t you?”

“My investigations have established this almost to a certainty,” the occult researcher replied.

“What crap!” exclaimed Williams. “Dracula’s daughter in the Blue Ridge? Give me a break!”

“You Americans have such closed minds,” Leonard Harker sighed. “Why can’t you accept that there might be things out there that are beyond your comprehension? I did not say that the person responsible for these disappearences was a vampire, although I have encountered vampires of various kinds in the course of my career. My organization has in fact located and interviewed men who said they were victims of a woman who lives in the area, the same area where there have been so many unexplained vanishings. The experience they describe includes an encounter with a strangely compelling, mysterious woman, followed by a period when they dropped out of view. They have few intelligible memories of the time they were missing. When they returned, they were extremely debilitated; it often took them weeks, or even months, to recover. No medical cause could be found, although their weakness often left them vulnerable to various infections.”

“No bite marks on the neck?” Williams asked sarcastically. “No inexplicable anemia?”

“I have told you,” snapped Harker, “we are not dealing with a vampire of the movie or literary sort. The accounts we have gathered, compared to the serious authorities on the subject, indicate a being more like the so-called psychic-vampire, probably with a strong sexual element to her choice of prey and even her method of feeding. Paracelsus would have called her a succubus. But this individual appears to have some unusual powers of mind-control for that kind, and an exceptionally predatory and lethal nature. Has the disappearance of your young lady not warned you that something more is going on than you are currently aware of?”

“Her ‘disappearance’ could be just a matter of a flat tire, or a broken ‘phone,” Bryan chimed in, making an effort to bring some normalcy back into the conversation. “I am confident that Mara can take care of herself....”

“Were this a normal situation, with a convict on the run, or an ex-husband skipping out on his child support payments, that would no doubt be true,” Harker broke in with an urgency that frightened Williams. “But we are NOT dealing with either of those cases here.” He looked at the other two men, his expression even more grave. “Put aside, as unproven if you will, the concept that the woman we seek is not human, gentlemen. Simply remember that she has caused the disappearance of fourteen people in the last eight years, including one of my trained operatives, and has gained, somehow, the cooperation of at least some members of the local community and the non-interference of the rest. She is dangerous, and she has allies in those she has enslaved to her will. They will not let us near her easily.”

“Then I think it’s time we alert our operatives,” Bryan said, beginning to sense the dimensions of his worries. “May I use your ‘phone, Mr. Harker?” Harker frowned slightly, and opened the cabinet that held the car ‘phone. Bryan quickly dialed his brother. “Steven? It’s Bryan. Things seem to be a little more involved than we assumed. Call in Mason and have him and his associates get down there.” He paused to listen and frowned as he looked over at Harker. “I’m not sure if their being armed is going to make that much of a difference. And Steve...don’t tell Ed.” He paused again. “Nor the State Troopers either. Okay, let Adam Corwin know, he is a friend of Jeff’s and Mara’s. But not officially, just as a friend. I don’t think the law covers this situation very well.”

Mara hung up the ‘phone with a snort of frustration. She had spent the last two days checking out the the names which had appeared on her list that fell within the pattern she had noted on her search grid. She had been so involved, that she had forgotten to check in directly with her brothers or Mr. Williams, figuring that her contacts with her cousin the Sheriff would serve the same purpose. Now she suspected this was not the case at all, and when she tried to reach them, all she got was voice-mail.

The news of Larry’s death in an ‘accidental’ fire encouraged her suspicion that her friend had known something which might have helped her investigation. She was saddened by his passing, and alarmed at the coincidence. Had he said anything, among his rather cryptic remarks, which she should have taken as a cry for help? And just why had he drugged her? When she had awakened queasy and light-headed, she had visited, not the local GP, but the county coroner, and had tests done. These had come back today, and confirmed the presence of a sedative. He had said he wanted to protect her. For what reason did he think that drugging her would protect her? Combined with the way other people were acting, these things were starting to make her paranoid. She was almost sure she was being watched. She was beginning to regret that she had not driven down to the city to have those blood tests done.

Mara had stopped at Edward’s office after Larry’s funeral, more than a little annoyed at her cousin’s lack of cooperation in her investigation. She would have thought that any County Sheriff would have been a little more concerned about the disappearance of so many people in his jurisdiction. Edward had simply pointed out that a rumor of a disappearance was not a disappearance in fact, and left her to work on her own. The meeting was far from satisfactory. He had bluntly told her that he was under no obligation to tell her about every private party that stuck their noses into cases; there were always curiousity-seekers, news services hunting for stories, and so on. She had left the Sheriff’s Office in a very foul mood, and decided to stop at her cousin’s Fred’s grocery store to call her brothers and Mr. Williams at once. Edward’s unwillingness to cooperate changed the assumptions under which her investigation had been proceeding. They should be informed immediately. Especially now that she had narrowed the field of search significantly.

“Hi, Fred,” she called as she walked in. “Can I use the ‘phone?”

“Sure, Mara,” he cousin replied, and waved her to the telephone on the counter behind the cash register. As she dialed Mr. William’s hotel number, she noticed the Sheriff standing on the sidewalk outside his office, seeming to watch her through the window. She defiantly meet his gaze, and he turned away. A tingle of paranoia touched her spine, and she turned to face the wall, cupping her hand around the mouthpiece to add a bit of privacy to her conversation. Williams wasn’t in, so she left a message. Her brothers’ office lines were busy, so again she had to use voice mail. She hung up, sighed explosively in frustration, and turned around.

She was surprised to see that Homer, the man she had met the other day, had come in while she was on the ‘phone. He held a list in one large hand, which Fred had to take from him as he smiled over at Mara, his eyes warming. Fred gave Mara a knowing look as he went to obtain the items on the list.

“H..Hello, Ms. Mara,” Homer stammered.

Mara smiled up at him, “Getting more groceries for your employer, Homer?”

“That is the job Ms. Preston has given me,” the man nodded, a happy smile on his face. “Have you come back here to live?”

“No,” Mara replied, shaking her head slightly, “I’m here on a job. I just stopped by to spend some time with my cousin.” She looked over at Fred. “That is if you can spare me a few moments. I need to eat, or I’m going to pass out.”

“Just give me some time to finish getting these items for Homer,” Fred smiled in pleasure at the invitation, “and I’ll be right with you, Mara.”

Mara nodded and went over to the magazine rack along the window by the front door, from which she could watch the Sheriff’s Office. Homer followed her, and she was amazed that such a large man could move so quietly. She looked up into his face and was struck by the expression of longing she surprised in his eyes.

“You look like an angel standing there in the sunlight, Mara,” Homer said after a few moments of studying her. He lifted a hand towards her and then dropped his arm, confusion dancing across his eyes. He stepped away as Fred came towards them. “I’d better go, now.”

Fred handed Homer some packages, and the man went outside to a sedan, where a young man sat behind the wheel, waiting. Mara could not see him clearly through the tinted windshield, but he might, might have looked a little like the Carl Williams she was looking for. Homer loaded the groceries, got in, and they drove off.

“Let’s get us some lunch,” Fred said as he turned the sign in the front door from ‘Open’ to ‘Closed.’ He locked up the store, and accompanied Mara down the street to the lunch counter. They spent a pleasant half hour together, reminiscing over her childhood, until Mara slipped some seemingly innocent questions into their conversation.

“Nice guy, that Homer,” she began.

“Seems okay,” Fred agreed non-committally.

“I don’t remember him from when I was growing up,” she probed further.

“Nope,” Fred confirmed. “Moved in a couple years after you left. Works for one of those new people...” He trailed off, as if afraid he might have said too much.

“Which?” Mara asked, trying to keep her voice casual.

“Lilith Preston,” Fred sighed, recognising that he had been out-maneuvered. “She’s on your list. Moved into the old Stump place. Keeps pretty much to herself. I wouldn’t go bothering her, Mara. My brother Ed, he places a great store by her. The Sun and Moon don’t rise and set without her leave, by his way of thinkin’.”

Mara realized she was on doubtful ground when she heard the Sheriff’s name mentioned. She shifted the subject by asking about one of Edward’s former lady friends. The rest of lunch passed pleasantly enough.

After lunch, Mara went back to her car, and checked her list. Yes, the name was there. Lilith Preston, moved in about nine years ago...just before the disappearences began. She frowned. She really had very little to go on: a coincidence of dates, a half glimpsed face in a car. Not enough to call in Adam Corwin and the State Police. It might have been enough to ask her cousin to drop by and have a look around, but now she couldn’t trust him. She would have to check this out herself. It occurred to her that this might be dangerous, but she dismissed the thought. She believed that her family connection with the Sheriff would still protect her, and besides, everyone knew she was here and looking for the missing Carl Williams.

The only question was, should she wait for her brother, or Mr. Williams, to get back in touch with her, or should she get out there right away? She never hesitated; her quarry must not be allowed to catch its breath or go to ground. Or dispose of the evidence, in this case, Carl Williams himself. However, no sense being careless. She drove to her Grandfather’s house and left three messages indicating where she was going: one on the computer, highlighting Lilith’s name and location on the list and map; one pinned up on the corkboard by the ‘phone; and a message on her brother’s voice-mail. Then she was ready to face the suspected kidnaper.

She drove up to the high valley, and paused at the foot of the driveway leading to the nineteenth century house. “Pretty ritzy, Ms. Preston,” she remarked, as she noted the improvements which had been made. As she drove up to the door, she noticed a man coming around the side of the house. She looked intently at his face, and noticed a resemblance to the man she was looking for, but this man couldn’t possibly be Carl Williams! He appeared to be several years older, and haggard, as if he had suffered a great illness from which he was having trouble recovering. She saw him glance back as she pulled the car up, and then continue into the house.

She hopped out of her T-bird and hurried to the entrance. As she lifted her hand to knock, the door opened, and a pretty young woman smiled at her somewhat vacantly. “May I help you, Miss?”

“Julie, do not keep Miss Foster waiting at the door,” Lilith practically purred as she came down the main staircase. “Show her into the study.”

Julie stepped aside, and Mara entered the mansion, her every sense jangling an alarm. She followed the maid into the study, and turned as Lilith entered. Mara scanned her quickly: tall, willowly but voluptuous, dressed in a charcoal gray jersey dress with a cowl neckline that framed and set off her fair complexion and midnight-black hair. Elegant, assured, the poise of the aristocrat, used to getting her own way. Altogether, a very dangerous person to have as an opponent.

“Welcome to my humble home, Miss Foster,” Lilith said. “I have been hearing so much of you from your cousin Edward that it is a pleasure to meet you in person.” She turned her head towards the maid. “Julie, please fix us something to drink.” She returned her attention to Mara, and fixed her dark eyes on the younger woman. “Now, how may I help you?”

“My cousin never mentioned that he knew you, Ms. Preston,” Mara began, her eyes taking in the rich surroundings. “If he had, I might have been spared the trip up the mountain.”

“And I would not have had the pleasure of your company,” Lilith replied, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “I understand that you are looking into the disappearance of a young man in our area?”

Mara nodded and pulled out Carl’s picture, handing it to Lilith, who contrived to brush her fingers along the back of Mara’s hand as she took the photo from her. Mara froze for an instant at the unexpected touch, a puzzled look passing quickly across her face, and then continued, “His name is Carl Williams, Ms. Preston. His parents hired our firm to look into the matter because my brothers and I grew up around here.”

“A very sensible decision on their part,” Lilith commented. She looked the photo over carefully, and then handed it back to Mara, who took it carefully, avoiding contact with her fingers. “He is rather good looking, is he not? Too bad, but I am afraid I have no knowledge of the young man you seek. As you might suspect, I do not get many visitors this far up the mountain, Miss Foster. And I do not usually leave the mansion except for emergencies.”

“I met your employee, Homer, running some of your errands while I was visiting my cousin Fred,” Mara remarked. “He’s sweet, but a little unnerving.”

“Poor Homer,” Lilith smiled fondly. “He really can’t help it, the dear. He feels things so deeply, and sometimes he can’t express himself in speech too clearly. You should read his writing, my dear, to understand him better. He certainly is taken with you.” Lilith noted the slight reaction that Mara could not quite control with a pleased smile.

At that moment, the phone rang, and Julie came into the room to tell her that had an important ‘phone call. “Please excuse me for a moment. I shall not be long.”

She went into the hall and picked up the receiver there. “This is Lilith.” A frown appeared on her exquisite features. “Yes, your cousin just arrived....I do not believe she knows anything.” Anything more than I have let her discover, she thought to herself. “Are you certain her ‘phone call was not just a daily report to her client?” Her frown deepened further. “Do not worry too much, edward. We knew she would get around to visiting me eventually.” Especially since I dangled the bait in front of her eyes, she added silently. “I will see to it that she is not a problem.” As I should have done before now, and not relied on you, a part of her chided. “Good-bye, edward.” She hung up.

Mara was browsing the titles on the bookshelves when Lilith returned to the study. Lilith smiled and motioned for her to sit on the couch, as Julie brought in a tea service on a tray and set it down on the coffee table. “Please join me in a cup of tea before you leave.”

Mara smiled briefly with her lips only. Not very likely, Ms Preston, she thought, not after sharing the drugged cocoa with Larry. But she took a seat and watched Lilith pour two cups, her every move elegant and graceful. Something about this woman continued to bother Mara. She didn’t know just what it was, though, and that also bothered her.

Lilith turned towards Mara, and fixed her with an intense look. “Cream?", she asked, watching her with an extremely attentive expression. Mara nodded, uncertain now under Lilith’s scrutiny. Her hostess poured a dollop in the cup without for a moment lessening her deeply searching gaze. “Sugar?” she said next, her whole body conveying an expectant attitude.

“Yes, thank you,” Mara replied. What does this woman want? Why is she watching me like that? she thought.

Lilith extended both her hands holding the cup and saucer towards Mara. As Mara reached for the saucer, Lilith withdrew it just beyond her grasp. For a second, Mara froze, confused. In that second, Lilith very gently took Mara’s extended hand, and guided it with the lightest of touches half-way up between her lap and shoulder height, as the younger woman looked at her in confusion. She smiled warmly at Mara, her hand stroking the back of Mara’s as her dark eyes fixed on her visitor’s. Mara frowned, and tried to pull away, alarmed by the intensity in the woman’s gaze, but somehow, she couldn’t move. “You work so hard, Miss Foster,” Lilith purred as her hand moved up and down, around and back, softly touching Mara’s hand and wrist now here, now there. “You need to rest. A strong man to take care of you.” Mara shook her head, fighting against the sudden lethargy that seemed to be settling over her. “You fight me? You are a challenge, my dear. But if you resist, you must be feeling the effects of my suggestions. Your conscious mind resists, but you respond unconsciously, automatically to my words.” She spoke to Julie, who was still standing by, but without changing her tone, or breaking eye contact with her victim, “Tell Homer I’d like to see him please.”

Lilith returned her full attention to Mara. “You try to resist, you try so hard to resist. It is so hard to resist. You work so hard. You must be tired, so tired. Tired of resisting. The harder you resist, the more tired you become. You want so to rest, to let someone else take care of you.” At that moment, there was a knock on the door frame, and Lilith glanced over to see Homer enter. He was staring at Mara with genuine concern.

“Mara,” Lilith continued softly, soothingly, “here is your friend Homer. He likes you very much. He is a good man, a strong man. He will look after you. You will do that for me, Homer, won’t you?” Homer nodded, a large smile on his face. She spoke again to Mara. “Homer will take very good care of you, my dear.”

Mara tried to get to her feet, her mind telling her that she needed to escape, but her body would not respond. Homer came over to the couch, a pleased look on his face. Lilith smiled at Mara, her eyes warm with...triumph? Pleasure? “I won’t let you do this,” Mara said slowly, her words an effort. “I am not...”

Lilith laid her fingers across Mara’s lips and Mara quieted. “You are whatever I will you to be, Mara,” she said in her compelling voice. “Right now, you are very tired and sleepy, and you are going to take a little rest.” Mara shook her head, and tried again to get up, but Lilith restrained her with just a gentle touch on her shoulder. She stroked Mara’s hair, “Rest now, my dear. You are such a beautiful girl. Relax and go to sleep. It is time you belonged to someone who can appreciate you. Sleep, now, for me. You are mine now, to do with as I will. That’s right, sleep...sleep deeply, now.” Mara’s head nodded, and her eyes fluttered closed. “And I will that you become Homer’s mate. Yes, deeply asleep, now. He does like you so much, my dear, and he will take such good care of you.”

Homer’s smile grew even broader as he reached down to pull Mara to her feet. “No,” she murmured in protest as she tried to summon up the will to fight him, but her struggles were weak and ineffectual. Lilith stood too, and continued to stroke her hair and back, and shortly she sagged limply into Homer’s arms.

“Homer,” Lilith commanded, “you are to keep her in your rooms. She is not allowed in the house unless I ask you to bring her here. She is not allowed out on the grounds.”

“Yes, Mistress,” Homer nodded, his eyes shining with happiness. He picked Mara up in his arms and carried her out through the kitchen, the other servants ignoring the sight. He took her along a brick path to the old carriage house, and into his bedroom. He sat down on the bed, laying her head in his lap so that he could stroke her hair as she slept.