The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

I should have been paying attention that night. I had responsibilities, and I really wanted the High Priestess and coven to see I was serious about being Initiated as a witch.

Instead, I was looking up at the overcast sky.

“All that falls shall be reborn!”

I chanted along with the rest of the training coven, but my heart wasn’t in it. It should have been the most important thing on my mind. The full moon would be falling on Samhain this year. It was definitely going to be a night to remember. The main coven was going to let the training class in to the Circle, an honor we’d never previously been accorded. This meeting, the last before the holiday, we were trying to coordinate what parts we would play in the drama of the ritual.

Normally, I’d have the role of Maiden and be responsible for the training group’s altar setup and ensuring everything was ready for the celebration. Since we were joining with the main group, I didn’t have as much to do. I’d be following Naudia, the “real” Maiden, around and watching everything she did.

I tried conscientiously to get excited about it. Instead my mind wandered to Bill.

Since he’d transferred to my college at the beginning of the semester, I’d been watching him with more than a little curiosity. Lately, that had shaded into real interest. He was a premed student, and appeared to be more interested in people than in getting his first stethoscope. His eyes were green and dreamy, and he almost always had a smile for people. He was kind and openminded and intelligent.

It was a great combination. It fascinated me. I couldn’t figure out why he wasn’t dating anyone. For that matter, even though I’d never put my interest into so many words, I couldn’t figure out why he didn’t ask me to get together. He smiled at me every chance he got, and he gave off all the normal signs of being interested. When I tried to encourage him, though, he always backed down. I’d offered to study calc with him. He’d declined, saying he studied better alone. Realistically, I knew he wasn’t interested. It didn’t help to tell myself that, though. Every time he sat down to eat with me or called my name, my heart thumped.

Naudia touched my arm. “Hey, earth to Cailyn! Did you hear what Shimmer was saying?” I realized everyone was getting ready to leave. A guilty flush lit my cheeks. At least I had answered when she called me by my magickal name as readily as I would have answered to my mundane name, Lynn.

“Sorry, Naudia...I’ll ask her in a bit. I guess I’m just a bit distracted.”

She grinned at me. “We all get that way every so often. It was just a reminded that some of you would be tested for Initiation over the next six weeks. Nothing big, if you’re ready. What’s distracting you?”

I got up and stretched, still blushing. Connor, the working coven’s Gatekeeper, looked over at Naudia and grinned as he caught my expression. I’d never been able to figure out the bond he and Naudia shared, but they were working partners in magick and very close. He gave me a saucy wink and sauntered out to the porch where Shimmer was answering questions.

Naudia studied my face and grinned wider. “Oh, I see. It’s a guy. Or a girl?” The last was said in a deliberately casual voice. As a tensionbreaker, it worked. I laughed.

“No, it’s a guy. His name is Bill. He’s really cute...and smart. And totally uninterested in me, alas.”

She tugged me back down to sit on the couch. “Have you told him you’re interested?”

I shook my head. “If he’s not, I’ll never get to talk to him again.”

Naudia shook her head. “Well...what are you going to do about it? You need to tell him.”

I glanced at the door, then back to Naudia. “I was thinking...that maybe I should put a little extra oomph behind my request.” I watched her face carefully for her reaction.

She searched my face. “You’re serious?” At my nod, her expression went carefully blank. “Come with me, OK?” Without waiting to see if I was going to follow, she got up and went out the back door. I waited a second, then went after her.

She led me out to the back of the property, sitting down with me and tucking her legs under her. “You know Shimmer and Dragonfly don’t like love spells, Cailyn. If you don’t handle them right, you can get in a lot of trouble.”

“I can handle it,” I told her confidently. “I just need a specific spell. If I can find it, I can work it. I really want this to happen, Naudia. It’s not just a passing thing. It’s...I think about him all the time. I want to spend time with him, I want him to want to spend time with me. It’s not going to happen any other way. I wish it was.”

Naudia gnawed at her lip. “If you’re sure...I might be able to help you. But remember, the karma is yours. I can tell you how to do it. It’s up to you to make sure you do it cleanly and without harm to anyone.”

I took a deep breath and smiled. “Please, Naudia? It’s on my karma, I absolve you from everything.”

She nodded. “Tomorrow night.”

That night I could barely sleep. I imagined Bill with me, holding hands and talking. When I saw him at lunch, I watched him until he started blushing. I decided to try one last time to catch his eye.

“Bill, I was wondering if you wanted to maybe do dinner tonight? We could...”

He cut me off with a rueful shake of his head. “Sorry, Lynn. I have an exam in a night class on Monday. I need to study. I hope you understand. Sorry.”

No “maybe another time,” no “I’d like to.” I liked his commitment to school, but it was going to get in the way. I just gave him a smile and nodded.

Naudia led me out to the woods, basket over one arm and without a flashlight to help her find the way. I stumbled along behind her, cursing the rocks underfoot the whole way. When she pulled up at the edge of the woods circle, I almost ran into her.

“Here,” she said, setting down the basket. “Are you sure you know what to do?”

I nodded. “And cleanse before, and twice after?”

Naudia made an affirmative gesture. “Especially after. The Lady frowns on love spells in general, but this is the open Circle so she can’t say anything without breaking the Charter, unless the target complains or she catches you. You’re not working evil, only manipulation. Are you sure you want to do this?” She watched my face very closely as she said that. For some reason I blushed as I nodded.

“Then go to it. I’ll be in the car, waiting. If you change your mind, make sure to undo each of your actions except the mixing, as exactly as possible. And remember threefold return.” Then without another word she turned and walked away into the darkness. I heard footfalls, but no branches snapping. She left me alone under the pregnant, gibbous moon.

I shook myself and turned to the basket. Even with the bright moonlight, it was hard to see. The trees cast shadows. I could dimly make out the hulking forms of the Quarter stones, streaked with candle wax in yellow, red, blue, and green. The familiarity was comforting. It almost took the edge off the rising hairs at the back of my neck. The spirits of this place knew I was here. I closed my eyes, trying to adjust my aura to seem nonthreatening and part of the woods themselves.

After a moment of centering, I stripped naked. The cold fall night wind seared my body. My nipples stood out from the cold as I took the bottle of blessed, salt water out of the basket. Whispering the words of the ritual of cleansing, I anointed myself with the mixture.

“Water of earth, earth of water, cleanse me of all impure, all negative, all that would make me unwhole. Make this...” I had to hesitate. It wasn’t really for the highest good of all, something told me. I said it anyway. “Make this for the highest good of all, without malice toward any, harm none.”

I was freezing. I had to get into the Circle, without skipping any of the preparations. My feet already ached from the cold. Numbly, I padded around the circle, setting the candles on the standing stones. Lit incense symbolically cleared what fresh air had already made clean. Water and sand completed the marking out of the Circle, and the altar was set with red flowers, red ribbons, a red candle, and a clear crystal. I strapped my ritual knife onto my thigh, knelt before the altar, and anointed myself with cinnamon and rose essential oils. My skin burned with their fire as I traced out the Circle with the blade, pausing at each stone to light the candles and summon the Elemental Spirits.

When I completed my circuit and returned to the altar, everything was still and waiting. I took a deep breath and lighted the red candle. “By all the power of the spirits, I call that my Will be done and come to pass! There is one who I would be one with in love, one who I would make my own. I want to make him love me, so that we can form a life together honorably.” I shushed the nagging voice that said this itself was dishonorable. “So is my Will, so Will it Be!”

I lifted my arms to the sky. “Here on this night when magick waxes with the moon, when the power of the world is heady with the power of the approaching opening of the Gate Between the Worlds, I call for the powers to grant me the skill and power to create my Will! Here I begin my working.”

I took a deep breath, summoning up the energy to fuel the spell. I wasn’t tired any more. I didn’t feel the cold. Something else was motivating me now.

The red ribbons went around my wrists, their ends trailing down my thighs. I palmed the crystal, holding it up to catch the moonlight. I palmed the crystal from the altar, raising it high. “Let this be the focus for my Will and the receptacle of the Sacred Flame.” I rubbed the icy stone over my body, amazed that I could still feel the chill. Dimly, it occurred to me that the magick was already working on me.

As the cold of the rock set me shivering, the warmth within grew. I caressed my breast with my free hand, visualizing Bill looking adoringly into my eyes. My heart sped up as my nipple hardened. It didn’t take much to imagine it was his lips tugging at it, instead of my fingers. I closed my eyes and completely lost myself in the vision. I concentrated on imagining his scent, the sound of his breathing. The familiar dazed and pounding temples told me the energy was on the rise.

I dropped the hand holding the crystal to my already-damp lower lips. A moan escaped my lips. As the cold of the stone itself sent a shock through me, my fingers tickled the swelling of my clit. This time I didn’t even try to hold back the moan. I imagined Bill’s tongue there, swirling and caressing where the heat was greatest. My fingers moved more quickly, the slick wetness coating them and even part of my palm. The cold of the crystal disappeared as the searing pleasure increased.

The trailing edge of the ribbon caught against my lower lips, eliciting a whimper. I tightened my legs, trapping my fingers but making the ribbon pull taut. Hips rocked back and forth, the world whitening into ecstasy. I heard my own voice, hoarse and unfamiliar, chanting his name.

“Bill, come to me...Bill come to me...Bill be mine...mine...Mine!” My fingers rubbed right over the clit, tiny demanding circles. As I pictured him licking me in the same way, the orgasms began. I came over and over, pouring the energy into the stone, shaping the energy into the form I Willed. My body shook, and the groans turned into wails of Power as I thought of how wonderful it would be when I finally took him inside me. I could feel the wind lashing at my body, icy cold but exhilarating.

When my heavy breathing subsided to normal, the crystal was coated with my juices. The ribbon was just as soaked. I untied the ribbon and wrapped it carefully around the stone, covering it totally. I centered myself, whispering “As the desire has been declared, so the Will ignites!” Then I lit the trailing end of the ribbon and stood back to watch.

The wind blew harder, but the candles stayed lit. I watched mesmerized as the flames leaped up the ribbon. It should have been too wet to burn, but instead the flames licked out hotter. I could see the wax melting from the red candle, vaporizing near the fire-enveloped crystal. Then I had to shield my eyes as a blast of heatless light flashed skyward from the ribbons.

When I uncovered my eyes, the red candle had totally disappeared. The ribbon was partly in ashes. The crystal lay on the naked altar, a curious red flicker within. I leaned forward, gingerly picking up the stone. It was still cold, but the tiny movement within gleamed red. It danced like a candle flame.

I shivered in the suddenly returning cold, carefully wrapping the flame-kissed crystal in the remaining red ribbon. I don’t really remember cleansing the space, closing the circle, or getting dressed. Naudia asked me how it went, but I just smiled at her. I didn’t want to dilute the magick.

The next day dawned bright and clear. The world was alive with the scent of fall leaves and the clean breeze as I went to class. After Bill’s last class, I would give him a present I knew he’d like. The thought kept me smiling through a pop quiz and turning in a term paper. At sunset, I waited outside Bill’s anatomy classroom. The crystal had steadily warmed for a while, leveling off heat at about body temperature. I could feel that warmth and its slight weight as it rested in my pocket, a new ribbon threaded through the tiny hole bored through the top facets.

I peeked around the door as most of the students left. He was standing, waiting his turn with the professor. His black hair was rumpled with the effect of being in class all day, leaning on his hand while taking notes. Earnest green eyes were a bit shadowed with exhaustion. I smiled to myself, picturing his long, lean body sprawled across my bed in sleep. This was going to be worth it.

The wall was cold against my back as I leaned against it. It was a relief to hear him saying his thanks and approach the door. I slid my finger over the crystal and called his name as he crossed the threshold. He looked up at me with a smile that went from vaguely puzzled to warm. I felt myself melting to that smile, and disciplined myself to beckon him over. He came willingly enough.

“Hey, Bill...I was at a rock and mineral show this weekend, and I saw something that just...well, it told me to get it for you. Do you mind?”

He blinked, taking a closer look at me. “You got me something?”

I nodded with a grin. “Close your eyes and duck your head a little.”

He gave me an uncertain look, but did as he was told...proof that the magick was working already. I slipped the necklace out of my pocket and draped the ribbon around his neck. Then I stepped back from him.

His whole body jerked a little. His eyes popped open and he stared at me, mouth slightly open. The crystal flashed slightly, just enough that it could have been catching the light from the window...except his body was between the window and the stone. Then the tension left him and he sagged, smiling at me.

“It’s gorgeous, Lynn. I’ve never seen anything like it. And...” he hesitated a second, then his voice firmed. “I was wondering if you’d like to go out with me tonight. Maybe dinner?” The crystal flashed again, and he shivered slightly.

I beamed at him. “I’d love to. Pick me up at the student center at dusk?”

After I showered and changed into an autumn-leaf pattern sweater and long dark skirt, I reviewed the limits of the spell. I couldn’t force him to do anything he really didn’t want to do. It made him more affectionate, and a lot more inclined toward me. If I touched the stone, or he did something I liked, he would feel a tingle of pleasure that would make him want to feel more. Over time, that could have a potent effect. If I needed him to do more, I needed to be in physical contact with the crystal myself...and he still had to be wearing it.

I could live with that, I decided as I brushed out my hair. He was going to be in love with me anyway, and if I really needed him to obey me, I could just touch the crystal and order him to do it. But it wasn’t going to work that way. He was going to fall in love with me. Bill was going to be mine.

He was waiting for me at the doors of the student union when I arrived, checking his watch and pacing a little. His face lit when he saw me. “You look wonderful, Lynn!” He jogged toward me and took both of my hands. I could see the ribbon around his neck, disappearing under his shirt. He was wearing the crystal against his skin. His face was slightly flushed as he asked “Where should we go for dinner?”

I smiled into his green eyes, watching them widen a little as he gazed back. “It doesn’t matter, wherever you’d like to take me.” He gave that little shiver and nodded, giving my hands a slight tug to lead me toward his car.

He was tongue-tied and shy all through dinner, a little different than the intellectual sureness I’d come to expect from him. We talked about movies, music, and families. As the night wore on, he reached for my hand. When I took his and ran my thumb over his fingers, he gave a soft sigh and shuddered. The blush that colored his cheeks was a sight to see. I enjoyed myself immensely.

When dinner was over, we headed back to the car. At the door he turned to face me. “I...guess I should take you back now,” he said softly.

I stepped close, pretending to adjust his collar as I slipped the red ribbon into my hand. “I was kind of hoping you’d like to go stargazing...” I purred up at him, feeling the warmth of the crystal in my hand. I ran my thumb along its smooth surface. He tilted his head slightly. “You know, go down to the river, to the footbridge?”

He swallowed. “We could do that,” he agreed, a bit doubtfully. “I just don’t want to move too fast...”

“It’s all right...I’ll tell you if you do anything I don’t want you to.” I stroked the crystal down his cheek, and his eyelids drooped a bit. “Don’t you want to go? We could sit and talk some more.”

Bill nodded a little, gaze fixed on my eyes. “I’d...love to!” he breathed softly. “If you’re sure it’s OK, and you won’t miss any classes.”

“Good! I’ll drive this time. My car’s over this way. Turnabout’s fair play...” I guided his steps to the Chevy, wondering at his reluctance. It disappeared as he carefully buckled himself in and gave me that heart-melting smile.

I reached over and held his hand as we drove toward the river. My heart pounded. I knew magick worked, was real. This was more than I had dreamed, but it was going perfectly.

Once at the river, we wandered down the path to the footbridge. This late in the year, very few couples ventured that way. The breeze tended to have teeth to it after blowing over the water. I carried a blanket. He carried a startled, vaguely worried expression. I resolved to make that go away.

There was no one on the bridge, true to my expectations. We settled down on the blanket. I pointed out constellations, feeling him gradually relax. Then I turned to him and smiled.

He looked back uncertainly and offered one in return. I pondered for a second. This was going so well...but it could go better. I leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips.

He didn’t pull away, but when I did he had an unmistakeable deer-in-headlights expression. “Lynn...I...”

I shushed him with a finger on his lips. “The moon’s out. The night is full of magick. You and I are alone here. No one will bother us.” I smiled into his eyes and whispered “Don’t worry.”

The concern in his eyes didn’t ease, but he closed them as I leaned in to kiss him again. His lips were slightly rough, as if he bit them a lot. I ran a hand over his shoulder, then stroked the back of his neck. My pulse was pounding. A voice in me told me to take it slower, but I didn’t want to listen. The heat from the flame in the crystal had come from this source, and I was enjoying it as much as I had in the fantasy.

He got up and leaned against the railing on the bridge. “What’s wrong?” I asked him, a bit annoyed. He shook his head, not saying anything. “Cat got your tongue?” I teased, getting up and padding over behind him. He didn’t move except to lean into me a little bit as I pressed closer and wrapped my arms around him. His scent was spicy and intoxicating, and I breathed it in deep.

I nibbled his neck, resisting the urge to bite down and mark him for a moment. The crystal was mark enough. One hand slipped inside his shirt as he arched his back and moaned softly. The sound was almost lost in the rush of the water against the bridge pylons. It vibrated against my lips where they rested over his pulse, teasing. As a reward, I tweaked his nipple. It hardened under my touch, standing out from the skin in a miniature shield. The flamekissed stone draped itself over the back of my hand. He whimpered again, and I couldn’t tell if it was from the touch of the stone on my skin or the pinch.

“That’s it, Bill...enjoy. It’s all right...” I tugged his shirt free of his belt and slipped it off, exposing his shoulders to the chilly night air. The shock made him shake off his speechlessness.

He shook his head a little. “We shouldn’t be doing this,” he said dazedly. “It’s too soon, it’s...I should court you, give you flowers...” His words broke off in a gasp as the hand on his chest trailed lower, fingers running right inside the belt. My lips found his earlobe. I didn’t bother to hush him this time. I wanted him more, wanted to taste his skin and drink in his scent. A little bit ago, the flowers and courting were what I wanted. They didn’t matter anymore. All that mattered was making him mine.

His breath was ragged and uneven as I slowly undid his pants. “Please, Lynn...give me a little time...I’m really not sure about this.” The plea sounded false to my ears. He didn’t even try to move to stop me. I paused, and he tensed in appeal. “I mean, I just don’t want you to think...”

I interrupted him there. “I don’t want you to think...at all, Bill. Just let me take care of you.” I slid my hands back up his chest, pulling him back against me and letting him feel my breasts against the muscles on either side of his spine. His breath caught as I grasped the talisman. “Just relax and don’t fight it...it’s so much nicer when you enjoy it. You do want me, don’t you?”

“Of course!” he blurted, hips pressing against mine despite himself. “It’s just...”

“No just. Nothing like that.” I nibbled his earlobe again, eliciting a gasp. Then I released him and deliberately stepped back. “If you don’t want me, walk away. Just walk to the car. I want to see you do it, Bill.”

He ran a hand through his hair, torn. “Lynn, I...” Then he shook his head and smiled at me, trying to keep his eyes on my face. “You’re just so beautiful. This all feels like a dream, like some kind of...”

I slowly stretched, then stripped off my sweater. He gaped at me, too startled to speak. I ran my hands over my breasts, squeezing the nipples on the way down. His jaw dropped before he recalled himself, but he’d already taken a step forward. I slipped my skirt down and stepped free of it and toward him. “All you have to do is walk away,” I purred, secure in the spell. “But if you don’t want to walk away...sit down and lie back. Let me show you how I feel.” I was damp, the seduction alone enough to arouse me. I’d never played this game before. I could see why other women like it.

He gulped, then closed his eyes and lay back on the blanket. He had to have been cold, but he tried to make himself comfortable. His face flamed as he said softly, almost begging “Lynn...I’ve never done this before, ever...”

My eyes on his didn’t flicker. “Then this should be an experience you’ll treasure, honey.”

I knelt by his side, slipping his pants over his narrow hips. He shivered but didn’t pull away. I smiled to myself as I got a look. A boxers man. As he looked up at me, I drew a hand down his chest and contacted the spell’s focus one more time. “You don’t want to turn away from me, Bill...I know in my heart you don’t. You see me here next to you, and what you really want is pleasure...pleasure with me. Don’t you want to see what the anatomy guides really mean?” I stroked gentle fingers over the front of his boxers. “See what everyone’s been talking about?”

His body was warm, and as he finally reached up in a tentative caress, his hands were almost unnaturally hot. They felt good, their temperature soothing and exciting at once in a way I’d never before experienced. It wasn’t only in encouragement that I tossed my head back and sighed a soft command: “More...” I wanted his hands all over me, everywhere, letting that warmth penetrate and feed my own fires.

A bit emboldened by my direction, he sat up on one elbow and pulled me toward him. I gasped and wrapped my arms around him, one leg slipping over his, as he took an aching nipple into his mouth and suckled. What he might have lacked in technique he made up in awakening desire and eagerness to please. I slid my hips back and forth against his. The rewarding hardness under the silk of the boxers was promise of the fulfillment of all I wanted.

His hands slid down my back, inexperience leaving him no guide in how to please a woman. It didn’t matter. I would show him everything he needed to know. I pushed him a little away, kissing him hard and deeply when he raised wounded eyes to mine. He whimpered as our lips crushed together. The heat of his body was intoxicating. I wanted more. I had to have more. But there was something I wanted from him, something I’d dreamed about and longed for, and I was going to have it. There was no need to wait. The dampness between my legs shaded into wetness, and with his leg locked between my thighs I could feel it soaking the seam of his boxers. The time was now.

I broke the kiss, leaving both of us panting and shaking. He still wore the dazed look. I looked into his eyes, knowing the crystal was caught between my breasts as I felt the edge of the ribbon. “Lick me, Bill...I want you to use your imagination as to how you think it’s done, and clean me with your tongue. Make me feel how much you want me.”

A faint ripple of disquiet went down my spine at the expression in his eyes. There was enthusiasm, but there was also...resignation? He very gently rolled me to my back, whispering “If that’s what you need, Lynn...” I felt the comforting promise of his weight on me, comfortable and pressing me into the concrete of the bridge. Then he slid down my body, hot hands quivering a little as they parted my thighs. I opened up to him, feeling the cold autumn night air on the wetness. I could smell myself, even out in the open.

He groaned and lowered his face to my waiting slit. The first taste was tentative, searching. He paused for a second, as if in surprise, and then the tip of his tongue was circling my aching clit. I cried out and pulled his head deeper into me, fingers twining in his hair. The encouragement drove him harder, tongue seeking out every sensitive fold and bump. I lost all sense of control and thought as he explored me. When I felt a seeking, warm finger enter me and press up against the top of my opening, I was helpless to do anything but come. It was everything I had fantasized. Electricity pooled in my clit and shot out through my body over and over and over.

I finally had to push him away, quivering with reaction and feeling sated. He crawled back up along my body and held me close. I could smell myself on him, and the intoxication was too much. I had to feel that weight again. “Fuck me, Bill...” I whispered in his ear. “You’ve earned it...now stroke into me hard and feel that pleasure for yourself.”

He buried his face in my shoulder, shy perhaps. I reached down and slid my hand into his boxers. He sucked in his breath. By the time I’d circled his tip with my thumb a few times, he was moaning.

“You want me, I know...” I breathed in his ear. “You want me...you need me...you have to have me...” When he didn’t take any kind of action, I pulled off his boxers, ripping them a bit in the process. He yelped, but I rolled him onto his back and lowered myself onto him. The feeling of him on top of me would have to wait for another time.

The sensation of Bill filling me was exquisite. I shuddered as I rocked, tightening the little muscles of my opening around him. He tossed his head back and forth, pushing into me. His whimpers and moans disappeared into the charged silence of one who has only come in secrecy, never letting himself make a sound. I leaned forward and tweaked both nipples, making him buck a little harder and open his eyes.

“You need to make noise, Bill...it makes it hotter. Try it and see. Let yourself whimper...let the sounds come through you and heat the flame more. Let the flames kiss you and make you burn and cry out.”

His eyes widened as he absorbed the command. The groan that followed was soft, but as I tightened my muscles again in waves he began to writhe with pre-orgasmic tension. Each sound only increased his need. Every time I felt him getting close, I stopped moving.

He never begged, but the rapture on his face was broken by need. I was almost surprised by the intensity of my own desire. I guided his hands to my breasts, and as he ran his fingers urgently over the nipples I was rocked by another orgasm.

It sent him over the edge. His voice joined mine in a strangled whimper as he pulsed inside me. My wetness was joined by his as we spasmed together, shuddering and blind to everything but the pleasure searing our bodies.

We snuggled together, spent, for a moment. I felt him shaking. Then he said softly, roughly, he whispered “I love you, Lynn...but please...take me home?”

The dreams the next few nights made me uneasy. I didn’t sleeping well. It had all been so perfect, except at the end. I couldn’t figure out what went wrong. The dreams worried me, even though I couldn’t remember them.

Samhain night, I felt sick and uneasy. I almost didn’t go to the ritual. Only the knowledge that Naudia would know and judge me even more harshly than before got me there. I took my place at her side setting up the Circle. Connor lounged around outside, telling bad jokes on one level and setting up the Wards on another. Several times I felt his eyes on me. I kept my hands busy with the work I had to do, but I felt my face burn.

I joined the others in welcoming the spirits of the Beloved Dead. In the warded Circle, energies intertwined, we sang the names of the people who had crossed the Veil over the previous year. I felt a part of myself holding back, thinking of Bill and what he meant to me...and what Shimmer would think if she knew what I’d done. Pleasure at the success of the spell began to shade into guilt. I didn’t stay long after we closed the Circle, grateful I had the excuse of another term paper that needed my attention.

I stayed up working on the term paper, but I had a hard time focusing. The ritual had been unpleasant. I wondered what had changed in me. A few weeks ago the thought of being co-Maiden had been thrilling. Tonight, everything felt hollow and pointless. I swallowed down the restlessness and finished the paper. It gave me no satisfaction.

When I finally slept that night, the dreams were even more disturbing. The moon rose over me as I stood on the bridge with Bill. He looked at me with bruised-looking eyes, reaching out a hand for me. “If you’d just asked, Cailyn, I would have agreed...but you didn’t ask, you took.”

I didn’t stop in the dream to wonder how he knew my magickal name. I reached for his hand. “Bill...I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you...”

Then Connor was there, eyes accusing, and his ritual sword passed between me and Bill. I felt as if the blade had pierced my chest. Only my training kept me from raising my hands, knowing that if I did and they came back bleeding I would die. Bill staggered and screamed, and Connor slipped an arm around his shoulder.

They vanished, and the flamekissed crystal loomed over me. A rough, aged woman’s voice said from behind me “Impatient girl!”

I wanted to turn around, but fear gripped me and I couldn’t move. The flame in the stone danced slowly. I stared at it, mesmerized. Cold fingers stroked the back of my neck. “This is the wrong time of year to be casting love spells, dear. Or was that really a sex spell? Did you really want love, or did you have an itch to scratch and chose him? Why couldn’t you have waited for spring?”

I couldn’t close my eyes. Haltingly, I whispered “I wanted love...I needed him now, so I cast it for love.”

She snapped “Well, that’s not what you did! Stupid girl. The energy of the world at My time of year doesn’t lend itself well to abuse. But it is a time of power, and you got what I think you really wanted.” The fingers slid down and pinched my breasts. I shuddered, heat between my legs in spite of my horror. The flame danced. Suddenly I knew She was Hecate, the queen of magick, and I had somehow offended Her. The fear increased.

I felt hot breath on my ear as She whispered “But remember, little girl...you get back what you give. Using spells of manipulation opens you up to manipulation in your turn! This is My time, and My magick.” I sank to my knees, away from the bony hands. The heat exploded out through me as I came without being touched.

My eyes snapped open and I sat up in bed. The one urge burning in me was to find Bill and somehow apologize to him. What he’d wanted, I’d declined in favor of a passing urge. Hecate was right.

But I had wanted love! I argued with myself silently. I just got carried away! I need to make it up to him, tell him I’ll take it slower. With frantic, quick movements, I washed and dressed. The moon hid as I got into the car hoping I could find his house.

Somehow, though, I found myself driving out into the country, towards the woods Circle. I rationalized I could perhaps do a reading to find him. It seemed to make an odd kind of sense. I just felt myself pulled to be there.

The full moon slid out from behind the clouds as I parked. I paused to look up at it. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all. Hecate’s time was the dark moon. Even as I thought it, though, something in me said it was too late.

I felt the pull increasing, tugging me toward the woods circle. The path opened in front of me, clearly visible in the light of the full moon. My feet moved of their own accord. I felt myself growing more distant as I watched shadows dance over the ground. An inner voice screamed at me that something wasn’t right, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.

As I approached the woods circle I could see torches blazing at the cross quarters, and lit candles on the standing stones. The entire working coven was gathered within. Connor was at the east, waiting for me. Without a word, he cut a door in the Wards with his sword, grabbing my arm and bodily pulling me through. I still couldn’t utter a sound. I felt the shiver of the energy as he sealed the door and manhandled me into the center of the circle, where Dragonfly and Shimmer waited. I dropped to my knees, unable to stop myself. As I looked up to where they stood, in full regalia and framed by moonlight, a sparkle caught my eye.

I froze. Shimmer was holding the crystal I’d given Bill, living flame dancing and sparkling in its center. She swayed the chain back and forth, fixing my gaze on it for a moment. I felt myself falling into the flame, lost within it. The same inner voice screaming at me to run dropped to a low, helpless moan of recognition. I couldn’t help but kneel before Her. My Lady, my Goddess...and now also my owner. I would do anything for Her.

She smiled at me, a bit sadly, and passed the chain to Dragonfly. Immediately my eyes were drawn to His. With a gasp I dropped my gaze, unworthy to be looking into His face. Shimmer was nothing; only He mattered. Something in me realized this was stronger than the spell I’d cast. Perhaps even three times stronger. I was His, and I hadn’t even touched the stone.

He looked at Shimmer and nodded. “It’s true.” The compulsion broke suddenly, leaving me gasping and sweating into the cold earth. I hugged myself as I looked up. The flame-kissed crystal was resting on a red cloth on the center of the altar behind them. No one was touching it, so I could think clearly and move. Something told me it was a better idea to stay on my knees. I could feel the eyes of the working group boring into me. Once again, guilt overwhelmed me and I felt tears stinging my eyes.

Shimmer spoke into the waiting silence. “You have been brought here that we might see if you have worked magicks of compulsion and manipulation upon another. You have the right to confront your accuser, that you know who has brought these deeds to our attention. Your actions now will determine the response to your transgressions. Do you wish to speak?”

I took a deep breath. I wanted to hear what Naudia had told them all. I knew it was useless to argue with her, she was the coven Maiden. “Yes, my Lady. I wish to ask questions of my accuser, as is my right under the Charter.”

Dragonfly nodded to Connor, who stepped from my right side. I’d completely forgotten his presence. It was only then I realized Naudia was standing at my left. She didn’t attempt to move. She hadn’t accused me.

Movement around to the left caught my eye and I looked up. Connor was escorting a blindfolded figure to stand in front of the Elders. I caught my breath as the torchlight flickered, showing the tall, slender form I knew so well. Naudia dropped her hand to my shoulder, preventing me from moving. I heard myself sigh. Even blindfolded, he turned his head in my direction.

Shimmer drew her blade smoothly and slashed through his shirt, exposing skin to the cold. He drew in a hissing breath, but didn’t attempt to break free of Connor’s grasp. The moon went behind the clouds. Only the torchlight was left, making the cold steel gleam as she set the point of the blade to his naked chest. “Know that the spirits of this place see all, and will know if you attempt to lie, one known to the outer world as Bill,” she said in a soft, deadly tone. “Know that in this matter, the accusing of one of ours, to lie is to be punished...as surely as the one who has transgressed will be punished. You cannot protect anyone by lying. Not you, and not her. Do you understand?”

Bill didn’t hesitate. “I understand.” His voice was firm, and equally quiet. “I don’t plan on lying anyway.”

Shimmer resheathed her athame. “Tell us all, here, now, before the Gods and the spirits and the assembled, what your connection is to the accused.”

The blindfold kept him from seeing me, or any of us. He stayed calm and collected. “She is a friend from school. She did something to me...I think it was some kind of spell. I fell in love with her.” I was forced to listen as he told them about the way I’d given him the necklace and the trip down to the river. My face burned as he hesitated, then told them about how he made me come. He didn’t leave anything out, didn’t spare me, didn’t show any emotion to his voice at all. It was colder than the calm, rational Bill I’d liked for months. It was nothing like the shy, virginal boy he’d been at the bridge. I wondered if I really had acted too soon. There were depths to him I’d never guessed, and a steel I hadn’t seen until now.

Naudia’s hand weighed on my shoulder. I dropped my eyes, unable to look at anyone. The cold, hard recounting of my actions made me sound like the worst kind of criminal. I tried to tune it out, listening to the crackling of the torches. Bill’s voice kept drawing me back. Finally, he fell silent. I realized I was crying.

Dragonfly broke the silence. “Thank you, Bill. Cailyn!” His voice changed, the whipcrack of my name making me cringe. “How do you answer the accusation?”

I didn’t bother to try to make excuses. “He told you all true, my Lord. I did all those things, and I used the crystal as a focus for the Art. I wanted something so badly I abused the Art for its sake. I await my punishment.”

Bill took a deep breath and his head sagged. “I’m sorry...Cailyn,” he said softly, using my coven name for the first time. “If you’d just told me...”

“Be silent,” Shimmer said quietly, and he shut his mouth with an audible snap.

Connor spoke for the first time. “My Lady and Priestess, there is enough evidence here for the coven to rule.” He sounded almost amused. “What is your will concerning the cowan youth?”

Shimmer eyed Bill carefully. He didn’t move. “Tell me something, Bill,” she said at last. “Why are you not afraid?”

This time he did keep his silence for a while. I felt my heart pounding when he drew in a breath. “This power...this power she used to make me love her...what else can it do? Can it...can it heal?” There was a plea in his words I didn’t understand at first.

Naudia laughed softly. Connor relaxed and grinned. Shimmer waved them silent, but her manner had changed perceptibly. “Remove your blindfold, cowan boy, and ask me that question again.”

Bill slipped off the blindfold, blinking in the torchlight and looking around at the circle of faces. I had to look away again as his gaze fell on me. I couldn’t handle the compassion it held. After a second, he said “I can...I’m in premed, right, for a reason.”

I felt myself tense as something occurred to me. He went on “These hands...I’ve done things with them, things I’m not supposed to be able to do. I’ve made them hot enough to burn, and I’ve...I’ve been able to make others better. Heal them. If...if this power can do more than make people do stuff, then I want to learn more. I guess I want it too badly to be afraid, ma’am. My Lady.”

Shimmer said absently “You haven’t earned the right to call me that yet, boy.” Her eyes were on Dragonfly’s. The priest nodded slowly, the antlers on his headdress seeming to catch the moon for a moment. She nodded back. “Kneel, boy. We’ll deal with you in a moment.” Then she turned to face me, and the blaze in her eyes made me cower.

“Cailyn, you have broken the Charter by forcing your will upon another human being, for a purpose having nothing to do with healing or protection. You have admitted this guilt. Within my rights, I could banish you.” Then her voice softened. “But this was, indeed, a test for you. You failed, as many have before you. This does not lessen your guilt, or negate the need for punishment. It does mean you are one of many who has erred the same way.”

She glanced over at Dragonfly. “By rights, I should give you to the one who you so abused.” Bill started, giving her a stunned look. She shook her head and continued, “In this case, however, that would be less than appropriate. First of all, the boy is untrained and untested himself. Secondly, I did not hear him say his love for you is gone with the crystal.”

For the first time, I met Bill’s eyes. He nodded slowly. I barely heard Shimmer continue “He would have gone on, under your spell, if we were not monitoring your progress. I think the true shame here is that there was no need for your abuse. Often this is the case with that kind of working. And now you must consider the threefold return.”

Bill mouthed “Still love you,” watching me carefully. I gulped and nodded slowly, tearing up. She could give me to him, I thought, pulse racing. She could give me, to him...the way I took him for myself...

“Since that would be inappropriate, I will need a volunteer from the coven to take on her punishment. There will be no shame for declining, and volunteering will be supervised by the coven as a whole.”

A chill went down my spine, and freshened as Naudia spoke up. “My Lady, as the tester thus far, I volunteer to take on the remainder of the cycle. I will take on the burden.”

Everyone’s eyes were on me, not Naudia, as she walked over and picked up the necklace. Bill didn’t flinch in the least, but I moaned audibly at the heat in my sex as She caressed the crystal. “Don’t worry, Cailyn,” She whispered compassionately. “This is for the best. I’ll be very gentle with you for the year and a day of your punishment, and in the end, you’ll learn your lesson.” Naudia and Connor exchanged looks, Hers wry, his amused. “Just as I did when I tried that on, and was given to, Connor. Now, will you ever do this again?” The fire in the crystal was consuming me. I gasped “No, Goddess!”

A satisfied nod, and She said “That’s right. And you will always pay attention, won’t you?” As lash after lash from an invisible scourge welted my back, for the first time I understood threefold return. I heard voices around me, but I couldn’t understand them.

An eternity later, She took away the pain. I collapsed where I knelt, panting and sobbing. “Now...” She commanded, caressing the crystal, “You will apologize to your new training coven brother, Flamekissed. Then you’ll apologize to Connor for having to find Flamekissed and release him from your spell...because trust me, he didn’t want to be released.”

As Flamekissed groaned under my lips and tongue on his shaft, I found a moment to reflect that my Goddess could also be merciful. And as I turned to administer the same apology to the waiting Connor, I realized it was going to be a very long year and a day.