The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

The Freeman Estate, Riverside, California

Nearly two weeks had passed since the Anointment, and life had pretty much been quiet in the Freeman Estate, or as quiet as it could ever be with the constant moaning and screaming going at any one time.

Matthew and Helen were at it almost every day since the anniversary, and as Kimberly suspected, half the time their celebration of their married life occurred outside the bedroom.

Cleopatra took up residence in the fourth floor of the east wing in a magnificently decorated room. If Matthew and Helen’s room were the ‘King’s bedroom’, located just above the grand living room in the north wing of the manor, then Cleopatra’s was certainly the ‘Queen’s bedroom.’ A fitting name, though the Egyptian queen rarely spent time in it. With the addition of the ebony princess and her handmaiden, a pretty, black Egyptian woman named Selene, sex was a certainty. If the Master wasn’t filling up the lovely Helen of Troy with his cock, then it was usually Cleopatra who was getting stuffed.

The only complaint Kimberly had was that she wasn’t getting enough of Matthew’s cum down her throat or on her face or in her pussy or…wherever else she could get it on. It was easy to figure out why. With an incredibly hot, Egyptian, ebony, fuck machine and a stunningly beautiful, Greek, golden-haired sex goddess at your side, who needed her?

Still, life was good for Kimberly. It’s not like she hadn’t had any orgasms…the constant sex show and display of tits, ass and pussy was enough to get her off on numerous occasions, but she wanted a man, or more specifically, a man’s cock…or even more specifically, she wanted Matthew’s cock. She wanted Matthew.

She couldn’t really complain, though. The sheer size of the estate made sure that she had a lot to do. Visiting the ponygirls’ in the stables was something she did almost every other day, enjoying the chance to ‘pet’ them. Apart from this she also loved taking them out one at a time and riding around the estate in a sulky, a small one-man carriage that could be pulled by only one ponygirl. She often spent time at the grotto, lounging in the artificial hot springs, or lapping in the indoor pool.

Much of Matthew’s attention when not fucking Helen and Cleopatra silly was spent practicing his new powers. His force field projection and teleportation were particularly getting rather good. When he did have enough time to get away from all the sex (which was a rarity), he often spent his time in the game room, pumping iron. With the added powers of some of the other Ascended, he found he was doing bicep curls with 500 pound weights and benchpressing close to 1,500 pounds.

If Kimberly thought Matthew had a hot body before, towards the end of November he was so fucking scorching now she wanted to cook something on him.

It was on one lazy Sunday afternoon that Kimberly found herself in the living room with the whole household, where Yvette and Selene were happily sucking Matthew’s cock as he sat in a lounge chair, under the guidance of their respective Mistresses, Helen and Cleopatra. Apparently, Cleopatra was concerned that Selene, who had always been her handmaiden and lover, had not been getting any practice with the Master, and so Helen suggested that they train their personal servants together.

Kimberly watched the partly comedic but mostly erotic display, as Helen and Cleopatra instructed the two sex slaves in proper technique, and she silently wondered if this was how life was going to be from now on. It seemed so peaceful, so perfect. But she knew that such things wouldn’t last.

As if to prove her point, Katrina, the raven-haired maid who was always in cuffs, entered the room.

“Pardon Katrina, Master, Mistresses…” she stated.

“What is it?” Matthew asked over the moaning of Yvette and Selene.

“There is a young woman at the door to see you, a Miss Sharon Baxter.”

“Oh,” Matthew said, his voice becoming more serious. “I see. Well, show her in.”

“Very well, Master.” Katrina disappeared.

Matthew turned to Helen and Cleopatra in an apologetic look. “Sorry, dear. But I have to take this. You can continue your instruction later.”

Helen nodded and gave him a kiss. She and Cleopatra exited the room and entered the study, allowing their servants to stay and continue sucking Matthew off. Matthew had expressly ordered that she must not reveal herself to the Order until this whole messy business had been taken care of, though he never expressed specifically why.

Sharon entered the room in a simple white blouse and black skirt that ended quite a few inches above her knees, but not as skimpy as to expose anything. She wore simple but elegant black pumps and nylons, and she carried a briefcase in one hand and her coat in the other, which she promptly handed to Katrina.

She lowered her shades and looked intently at Matthew and the two beautiful maids contently sucking at his cock, before licking her lips and smiling.

”Good afternoon, Sir Freeman. I see you’re still as horny as ever. You really want to discuss this while these two sluts suck your cock?” She smiled.

“And a pleasant afternoon to you to, Miss Baxter. I realize it must be a new thing for you, since normally during our meetings you’re the one doing the cocksucking. Think you’ll be able to get through a meeting with me without swallowing my load?” Matthew teased.

“Contrary to what you must believe, Sir Freeman, I CAN go through a meeting without dropping to my knees and sucking you off. I think you’ll remember that I was able to do just that when I first went to your hotel room.” Sharon said, putting her free hand on her hip, the smile on her face only growing wider.

“I’m not saying that you can’t stop yourself from sucking my cock, my dear. I’m just saying you don’t want to stop yourself from sucking my cock,” Matthew replied.

Sharon rolled her eyes and shook her head, but the smile on her face remained and the hunger in her eyes started to grow.

“Well, in any event, I’m here with important news,” Sharon said finally, taking a deep breath. She sauntered over, hips swaying, to Matthew and sat down on the lounge chair opposite him, opening her briefcase, occasionally peeking at the white and black woman dutifully sucking away.

She reached into the briefcase and pulled out a green file folder and handed it to him, purposely averting her eyes as far away from the action at his crotch as possible without looking too obvious.

“We’ve found them,” Sharon stated, “the Three Sisters. They’re in Nice, France.”

Matthew opened the file folder and took a look at the Three Sisters. They appeared to be in their early 30’s with alabaster skin, all of them quite attractive. The youngest, Skuld, now going by the name of Delilah, had long, wavy, deep red hair, and was by far the prettiest. The second, Verdandi, now going by the name of Danah, had short black hair. The eldest, Urda, now going by the name of Diana, had dark brown hair that she wore long and straight. Matthew’s mouth formed into a sly smirk.

“Oh good God,” Sharon shook her head.

“What?!” Matthew exclaimed, as Kim suppressed a laugh.

“Does everything have to equate to sex to you?” Sharon asked, a bit flustered but also aroused.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Matthew replied.

“Your smile says it all.” Sharon accused.

“So do your hands, you horny little hypocrite.” Matthew answered, raising an eyebrow.

Sharon looked down, and only then did she realize her hands had been kneading her breasts. They shot back to her lap.

“Fine,” Sharon said, defeated. She cleared her throat and continued. “We’ll be meeting in Nice in ten days time. I can get us tickets…”

“No need,” Matthew said. “We can take my jet. I can have it refueled and ready to go by Tuesday. We’ll fly to New York to refuel again, then we can fly directly to the Cote d’Azur.”

“The what?”

“The Cote d’Azur Airport in Nice. We can land there straight from New York. Do we have arrangements there?”

“We’ve got people going today to make reservations at one of the small hotels—”

“Forget that. We’re staying at the Hotel Negresco. I’ve been dying to get back and eat at Le Chantecler. The food at that restaurant is amazing, trust me.”

“Okay. But we don’t have to leave that early. It will be a week before the team can fully assemble at Nice anyway.”

“Doesn’t matter. I want to be there early. It’ll give us a chance to see the sights.”

“Oh—uhm, all right. I guess that’s that then. Our team will meet us there. I’ll call the others and—”

“Oh, could you give me one second, babe,” Matthew said, raising a finger to stop her from talking momentarily. He gave a small groan as his hands held Yvette’s and Selene’s heads, pushing them together to ready their faces to receive his cum. They opened their mouths, tongues sticking out, awaiting his explosion.

With a slight push he came, sending streaks of cum all over their faces. “Thank you, Master for cumming on us,” they said together in unison, before sharing a kiss.

Sharon watched intently, a huge part of her just aching to get in on the action. Kimberly was no different, but she remained silent.

“So, you’re staying in Riverside until Tuesday?” Matthew finally asked.

“Huh?” Sharon muttered, her eyes glued to the delectable streaks of semen on the faces of Yvette and Selene.

“Are you staying in Riverside?” Matthew asked again, this time saying it slowly and with more emphasis.

“Los Angeles, actually,” Sharon replied, snapping out of her reverie and shaking her head to clear her thoughts. “I’ll leave my number with Katrina, and you can call me when we leave on Tuesday.”

“You know, we have plenty of guest rooms here…”

“No thank you, Sir Freeman,” Sharon answered, already knowing what he was about to suggest.

“Oh, don’t trust me?” Matthew asked.

“Actually, Sir Freeman, I don’t trust MYSELF when I’m around you.” Sharon stood and walked over, taking one hand and caressing Yvette’s face with it, wiping off a great deal of his semen off her cheek. She brought her hand to her mouth and proceeded to suck and lick his cum off her hand. “Mmmmm…delish,” she said, looking at Matthew. “I’ll see you on Tuesday, Sir Freeman.”

“It’s a date.”

“You wish.”

“Not as much as you.”

Sharon smiled as she turned around and left, licking her fingertips clean of his semen, savoring the taste.

Meanwhile

The Alpha Agency Central Office – Boston, Massachusetts

“Lord Balthus? You summoned me?” The raspy voice sounded like metal scraping against metal. Bernard Jeffries hated it, but then again, he always hated having to rely on this individual who stood right outside his office window. Surrounded in shadow, the figure was almost impossible to see. His heavy hood hid all his features, and staring into his face was like staring into darkness. He was almost complete, but not yet. The process wasn’t perfected, but that would soon change.

Bernard cleared his throat. “They’ve found the Three Sisters. If they agree to help, our plans will be ruined. I need you to get to the Sisters before they do.”

“Very well, master. Where are they?”

“They’re in France. I’ve got tickets that can put you on a plane to Paris tonight. From there, you have to make your way to Nice, on France’s southern coast.” Bernard held up a small white envelope which contained the tickets. No sooner had he raised his hand, than a gust of wind suddenly blew by. By the time Bernard had noticed, the envelope was gone, and the shadowy figure at his window was holding the envelope. Bernard cringed. He may have had control over this beast, but it still disturbed him to no end.

“I shall not let you down, Lord Balthus.”

“Oh, and by the way…”

“Yes, Lord Balthus?”

“Be wary of the leader…the one called Matthew Freeman. I believe you’ve met him before?” The hooded figure snarled. It was the most inhuman sound Bernard ever heard, and even he wasn’t all human. The hairs on his neck stood. This creature had been useful for over thousands of years, but now he hated it more than ever. But he needed him, again. There was still a job to do.

“What do you want me to do with him, Lord Balthus?”

“If he gets in the way, kill him. But be warned! Do not be reckless in engaging him…he now carries the power of not only Azrael! He has been Anointed. Denying the team the help of the Sisters remains paramount, do you understand? I do not want you to lose focus of that. This is not the time for personal vendettas.”

“Yes, Lord Balthus.”

“One more thing…”

“My lord?”

“I want you to make a special stopover in Paris. I will forward you details when you get there.”

With that, the shadow outside Bernard Jeffries window suddenly vanished, leaving only the howling wind. Bernard clasped his hands, his fingers interlacing. “So it begins,” he said softly.

Four days later

Matthew Freeman’s Suite, the Hotel Negresco – Nice, France

“Well, I must admit, Sir Freeman, you certainly know how to travel,” Sharon said, putting down her luggage bag and looking around the luxurious room.

“Of course, my dear Miss Baxter. I always travel in style,” Matthew responded, putting down his bags. Kimberly followed him into the room, putting her bags down right beside his.

As Sharon looked out the window and surveyed the position of their hotel, Kimberly excitedly plopped herself down onto the bed, a huge excited grin on her face. Back in Riverside, Helen and Cleo had both wanted to come along. Despite all the pleading (and the inevitable sex and teasing), Matthew would have none of it. He convinced them to stay in the estate and wait for his return. That meant that she would have some time alone with Matthew.

“Well, we have a few days of free time. That means we can probably discuss what we need to do to convince the Three Sisters to join our cause,” Sharon said, opening her bag and pulling out several files and opening her laptop. “We need to establish a plan before we can—”

“Lighten up, Miss Baxter!” Matthew interrupted, holding up his hands to signal her to stop. “You’re on the French Riviera!!! It’s time to live a little. Winters’ has got you wound up way too tight about all this.”

“It’s ‘MISTER WINTERS’, Sir Freeman,” Sharon scolded, “and I would appreciate it if you please just took this seriously.”

Matthew shook his head. “I’m taking this VERY seriously, believe me. But you have to learn to loosen up a bit. We’ve got nearly a week before the entire team arrives. We can’t do anything without Theodore here anyway.”

Sharon rolled her eyes. “Sir Freeman, this is a very important phase of your mission. Do you even know how you’re going to get the Three Sisters to cooperate with you?”

“Maybe I was hoping to appeal to their better nature,” Matthew said, smiling.

“Is everything a joke to you?”

“Why? Do you think that someone having a better nature is a joke to you?” Matthew replied.

Sharon’s eyes narrowed. “Need I remind you, that lives are at stake here? Or do you not even care that the Soul Collector is out on the loose? I would think that you would, considering he killed Vincent Lancaster. Or maybe you don’t even care about that. Maybe you ought to be reminded that—”

Kimberly held a hand to her mouth. She knew that Sharon had gone too far. Though he made no gesture, Sharon stopped speaking, seeing Matthew’s expression had suddenly turned grim. His eyes narrowed and burned. “No, Miss Baxter, you don’t need to remind me of anything. The fact that Vincent Lancaster is dead is enough of a reminder for me.”

Sharon’s expression shifted suddenly, from anger and annoyance to surprise and guilt. “Oh, oh god. I’m sorry, Matthew, I didn’t mean to—”

Matthew held a hand up, stopping her in mid-sentence. “I know what’s at stake, Miss Baxter, I do. Vincent Lancaster is dead, and I want to make sure that his death won’t be for nothing. The Soul Collector will get what he deserves. I promise you that. But please, I don’t want to ever hear you throw Vincent’s name in my face ever again.”

“Matthew, I—” Sharon started to say, but before she could finish, he had left, slamming the door behind him.

Three days later

Matthew Freeman’s Suite, the Hotel Negresco – Nice, France

“Where do you think he is?” Sharon asked Kimberly as she paced back and forth.

“I don’t know,” Kimberly answered, a bit worried herself that Matthew had stormed out three days ago in anger and they had not heard from him since.

“God, why does this have to happen now?”

“Because you insulted him by accusing him of not caring about his friend.”

“You’re not helping.”

“Neither did you.”

Sharon shook her head. She hated to admit it, but the fact was Kimberly was right. Sharon had been calling Matthew’s phone for three days, but he had not been picking up. She cursed herself for being so stupid.

“Why do you care so much whether this mission succeeds or not?” Kimberly asked, curious.

Sharon looked at her intently. She took a deep breath and took a seat opposite Kimberly on the couch. “Gerard…”

“Your Master?”

Sharon nodded. “With every Ascended One, it’s different. You’re lucky. Azrael, despite all the crap, always cared for his Vassals, he always gave them more will than the other Ascended Ones ever did. Most, if not all, were his friends. It’s not like that with the others, usually. Balthus…the man you know as Bernard Jeffries? He’s famous for his brutality towards his Vassals, let alone Servants…”

Sharon took a deep breath before continuing. “The fact is, Azrael created Vassals because he wanted companionship, not just slaves. Don’t get me wrong, he made plenty Servants and he had just as many slaves as any of the other Ascended, he was never above that…but he always treated them with a measure of respect. Any Servant or Vassal of Azrael’s was always ensured of a future with him. That’s not the case with most of us. With the other Ascended, they looked upon the creation of Vassals as a means of creating more efficient slaves. By not stripping us of personality, we became more adaptable to current situations, more intelligent and more efficient. But the Ascended never gave us free will…we’re still their puppets…we still ask how high when we’re told to jump. And the worst part? Most of us don’t know how to live without that anymore…I don’t, at least.”

Sharon felt a tear running down her cheek. She wiped it away. “Gerard has always, and I mean ALWAYS, replaced his Vassals every hundred years or so…I’m the only one he’s kept for more than that. How long do you think I’ll last? Every other Vassal he’s let go of he makes into a mindless Servant, stripping them of all personality and putting them to work somewhere where they can live out the rest of their lives quietly and without true happiness. And it’s the same with so many of us, Kimberly. Once we serve our purpose, once they get bored with us, they forget we ever existed. We’re expendable.”

Kimberly didn’t know how to react. “What about Angel? Or Zhao? They’ve been Vassals for hundreds of years,” she said, trying to refute her.

“Special exceptions to the rule,” Sharon answered, “But even they aren’t spared. Through the creation of a Vassal, any Ascended decides on just how much free will that Vassal retains. Zhao was one of the greatest conqueror-generals of China. Madame Li became his lover once, but she got bored with him in less than a year, and he’s been like a bodyguard ever since, barely ever spoken to or noticed. Angel is much the same. De Vega liked her, used her, and then made her a Vassal only because she does a lot of his dirty work for him, so he never gets caught.

“The fact is, once you’re Master or Mistress decides that you’re done, that’s it. After they break you, after they twist every thought in your head until finally the only world that you know is serving them, they even take THAT away from you. When your life has been destroyed and the only life you know is being useful to them, they throw you aside. Suddenly you’re useless. You can’t go back to living a normal life, and even the life of servitude you know is taken. When that happens, we may as well be dead. There’s no REAL exception, Kim. NONE. Except for one…”

“Azrael,” Kim said plainly, already knowing the answer.

Sharon nodded. “Azrael never did that to his Vassals. That’s why it really affected him when they died fighting the Soul Collector so many years ago.”

“Oh,” Kimberly fell silent, not knowing what to say.

“And now, I’ve just insulted the only man bearing Azrael’s spirit.”

“He’ll be back, Sharon. Don’t worry, everything will be fine. Matthew’s a great guy. He really is. He’ll forgive you.”

“How do you know that?” Sharon asked, a little irritated.

“I—I just do,” Kimberly said, smiling. She realized that she was not just saying that to make Sharon feel better. She really believed it.

“Yes, but why?”

“Because I trust him…and I think you should, too.” Kimberly answered.

Sharon wiped another tear from her cheek, but nodded slowly. Kimberly stood up and walked over to Sharon and placed a hand around her shoulder. Sharon fought back a sniffle.

As if by some twist of fate, a knock came on the door. Kimberly stood to answer it.

“Where have you been?!” She asked excitedly as she opened the door.

Sharon shot to her feet, holding her breath. “MATTHEW!” She exclaimed, seeing him in the doorway. “I—I—” Sharon stammered, moving her hands about and fidgeting nervously as she struggled to find the right words to say. “What I mean to say—I—the way I see—” Matthew waited patiently for her to say something meaningful. Finally, Sharon threw her hands up and shrugged, as if finally giving up on trying to make it sound good. “I’m sorry…” she said finally, “I’m sorry. You were right. I’m sorry for trying to push you into rushing this mission. We’ll deal with the Three Sisters when we get there, and I’m sorry about—about—I’m just sorry.”

Matthew nodded. “Yeah—about that. I’ve got a surprise for the two of you.”

Sharon and Kimberly looked at each other quizzically, before returning their gaze to him.

Moving out of view for a split second, he returned, leading a beautiful young woman into the room, with alabaster skin and bright red lips and long, wavy, deep red hair. “Sharon, Kim, I’d like you to meet Delilah La Rocque, better known as Skuld.”

“Hi!” Delilah said cheerfully, waving to both Kim and Sharon.

The two ladies returned her wave, a dumbfounded look on their faces.

Meanwhile

Fleur de Deveraux Flower Shop – Paris, France

The short, dark-tanned man stepped from the back of the dumpster, coughing. Fixing his shades and promptly waving his hands in an attempt to get the smoke away from his face, he peered left and right, checking to make sure no one had seen him arrive. He fixed his suit and tie and ran his hand through his hair.

Julio de Vega hated teleporting so far. It was always uncomfortable and it sometimes left burn marks in his suits, and he hated being untidy.

He peered into one of the windows of the flower shop. It was still early, but he knew that Jacques Deveraux was never late. The lights were all off, but Julio guessed that Jacques was probably in the back. He needed to talk business with him, and soon.

Julio had long discussed with Deveraux the possibility of bringing in drugs from the cartel through Deveraux’s flower shop, which was also a long-time front for Jacques’ drug running business. Unfortunately for Jacques, his two best sources from Asia had been apprehended, and he had been forced to downscale his operation as a result. Profits were down, and he needed to revitalize the business.

Julio had proposed that his cartel would provide Jacques with everything he needed. Jacques had agreed, much to Julio’s approval. Julio had long wanted to expand the cartel’s drug trade to Europe.

Everything had been prepared, and Julio had sent the first batch of heroine and cocaine in yesterday in the wee hours of the morning. Unfortunately, his men reported that Jacques never showed up. They had waited for several hours, and to avoid being caught with the merchandise, they had to abort the drop. Julio had called Jacques several times, but there was no answer. Fearing Jacques had been compromised by authorities, Julio decided to make an appearance personally.

The front door was locked, and the sign said CLOSED.

Julio looked in every direction. Satisfied that no one was looking, he closed his eyes. In a split second, he disappeared with a loud ‘CRACK!’, disappearing in a small blue flash of light, and reappearing inside the shop in a cloud of smoke.

Coughing again, he looked around the shop. On the table was a bouquet, half-finished.

“Jacques!” Julio called out, assuming he was in the back. There was no answer, but he heard something moving about. “JACQUES!” Julio shouted, making his way to the storage room at the back of the shop.

The lights were off. Julio flipped the switch, but nothing happened. “Ay dios mio,” he muttered to himself, as he pulled out a cigar and lit it. He peered around the tall shelves one by one.

“Jacques! You better have a good explanation for not picking up my drugs yesterday, gringo!” Julio said. “Where are you?!”

Then Julio spotted his large frame out of the corner of his eye, getting a glimpse of his red flannel shirt behind some boxes. For someone who was French, Julio thought, he had absolutely no fashion sense. “There you are. Jacques—” he pushed one of the boxes aside, “you stupid—”

The cigar dropped to the floor, and rolled forward, stopping as it hit Jacques’ lifeless body.

“DIOS MIO!” Julio shouted, staring at the corpse on the floor.

Julio was shaking as he pulled out his cell phone. His fingers shook as they dialed, taking several tries before getting the number right. As the phone on the other end rang, Julio began to hyperventilate, and sweat began to pour down. “Answer, answer puta!” he said frantically.

Finally a voice on the other line picked up. “Good evening, Gerard Winters’ office, this is Marielle, how may I—”

“WINTERS! I NEED TO TALK TO GERARD WINTERS!!!”

“I’m sorry sir, he’s in a meeting. If you like—”

“LISTEN, PUTA!!! GET HIM ON THE LINE!!! TELL HIM IT’S DE VEGA!!! DO IT! DO IT NOW!!!”

Julio waited, his eyes fixated on the corpse before him. Whoever had killed Jacques, he had done so without mercy. Jacques was face up, his face distorted into one of pain. His lifeless eyes stared eerily back at Julio.

“Hello?” came a voice on the other line.

“AZAZEL!” Julio exclaimed.

“Julio! You know we’re not supposed to mention—”

“SCREW THAT, GRINGO! SURTUR IS DEAD!”

“What?!”

“SURTUR IS DEAD! DEAD! DEAD!”

He said nothing further, but Gerard could clearly hear Julio whimpering on the other end of the line. DAMN! Gerard needed time to think…the Soul Collector was in France! He needed to think!

“Julio! Listen to me. Get to Nice on the Southern Coast of France. That’s where the Knights are. Leave Jacques’ body. Forget everything else. Teleport yourself to Nice! Now!”

Julio kept on whimpering.

“CALM YOURSELF, JULIO! FOCUS OR YOU WON”T BE ABLE TO TELEPORT! TELEPORT TO NICE, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!”

Suddenly Gerard heard Julio scream…a scream so full of terror it shook Gerard to the core.

Then came the sound of the phone dropping to the floor.

Then came silence. Unforgiving silence.

Julio wasn’t whimpering anymore.

“Julio?”

Nothing.

“Julio?!”

Nothing.

“JULIO!?!” Gerard yelled into the phone.

The line was dead.

Meanwhile

Le Chantecler Restaurant – Nice, France

“So, you just bumped into each other?” Kimberly asked again.

“Yes, as luck would have it,” Matthew answered.

“I knew it was Azrael’s aura instantly,” Delilah reassured. “It wasn’t his face, and it was different than I remember, and oddly enough it wasn’t just one aura that I sensed, but it was definitely Azrael’s in there.”

Matthew smiled. Sharon couldn’t believe their luck. She put down her fork and leaned forward. “And you’re saying that you’re perfectly all right with helping us track down the Soul Collector?”

Delilah nodded as she took another sip of wine. “Oh, absolutely. I mean, what happened between the three of us and Corantor, that was centuries ago. I don’t like keeping grudges. Besides, that problem didn’t have anything to do with me anyway. It was Urda and Verdandi who had problems with Corantor, not me.”

“Sorry,” Kimberly asked, “Who was Corantor?”

Matthew leaned in to answer. “Corantor was Vincent’s name during his rule of Atlantis, remember?”

”Oh yeah,” Kimberly nodded.

Sharon still looked confused. “What do you mean you had no problems with Corantor? We thought you hated him because he didn’t allow the three of you to establish a temple in Atlantis.”

Delilah coughed, “WHAT?!” After a brief pause, she broke into laughter. “That’s what you think? So for six thousand years, you actually thought that that was the reason we didn’t talk to Azrael?”

Looking more puzzled than ever, Sharon pressed the issue. “Fine, so what WAS the reason?”

Delilah smiled. “Corantor ended up sleeping with my sister, Urda. They were close for a while, then Urda caught him one night sleeping with Verdandi. That’s pretty much it.”

Sharon’s jaw fell open. “You can’t be serious.”

“That’s the whole of it, I swear.”

“Wait, so they broke off ties with Corantor, but your sisters never fought with each other after that?”

Delilah laughed. “Of course they did. Why do you think Danah keeps her hair short all the time now? Diana ended up tearing some of it out after she caught the two of them doing it. It was a nice show, if you ask me. But the thing of it is, we’re sisters. And we’re always going to be sisters. You can always stop being someone’s lover, but you can never stop being someone’s sister. Still, it took a hundred or so odd years for them to patch up their differences, though. Danah never wore her hair long again…for eight thousand years she’s kept that hair short. She’s too afraid Diana will remember what she did back then and start pulling again.”

Kim and Matthew laughed. Sharon suppressed a chuckle. “So you’re willing to help us?” Kim asked.

“Well, I have to say, I kind of like Matthew,” she said openly, smiling at him. Kimberly raised an eyebrow. “He’s a lot more charming than Corantor was. So yeah, I’m ready and willing to help. But without the power of Diana and Danah, we’re not nearly as powerful…you’d be better off sticking with Pandora’s echolocation. So, what it all boils down to is that even if I do help you but you can’t convince my sisters, then it’s all a moot point.”

“Do you think they’ll want to help out?” Matthew asked.

Sharon and Kimberly awaited her answer. Delilah smiled. “Well, honey, if I’m going to be honest, you can probably convince Danah the way you, ahem, ‘negotiated’ with me in my bedroom last night…” Delilah gave him a wink. Kimberly and Sharon rolled their eyes. Delilah ignored them and continued. “But, that’ll just piss Diana off again when she finds out a bit of Azrael’s in you, and Diana’s the one you should REALLY convince.”

Suddenly, Sharon’s phone started to ring. She excused herself from the table and took the call in the lobby.

A few minutes later, she returned. Just by her face Matthew could tell something was terribly wrong.

“What is it?” He asked, the concern in his voice apparent.

“It’s de Vega and Deveraux—they’re dead.”