The Thaumaturge [Chapter 15: Good Dreams]

Author's Note: Well, the results are in, and voting puts Matt at a 1.7 on the 1 (forgiving) to 4 (over it) scale that I invented.

So he'll land on the forgiving side of distrustful when it comes to Viv and Lauren, for now, at least.

Thanks for voting. I may do other, similar, polls going forward, where they're less about an immediate choice and more about establishing a dynamic between characters, attitudes, priorities, or more.

There's no poll this time -- the chapter break doesn't allow for it -- but more are coming, of course!

---

One thing felt certain: I wasn't taking Diana to Viv and Lauren for help.

I was sure they would be helpful.

Or try to be.

But it was clear to me that sometimes they made mistakes, even if they meant well.

And Diana hadn't wanted to be around anyway when I had it out with the two of them. I figured that her current condition -- curled up in the fetal position groaning -- only made that more likely, not less. It felt like I wouldn't be respecting her wishes.

And anyway, I still didn't trust Viv and Lauren, not completely. Until I talked with them, I wasn't about to potentially put someone else's fate in their hands.

Fortunately, even in my panicked state, another option presented itself.

I was in the gym. In the middle of an athletic complex. Where there were a bunch of werelions who seemed to generally like me and Diana.

With Diana in pain -- maybe her life on the line? -- and help close at hand, it was an easy decision.

I went downstairs to find Reg.

---

Attached to the gym and locker rooms, there was a suite of small rooms for various PT-related purposes, with benches, tables for sports massage, even hot and cold tubs. They were empty at this hour, and I brought her in.

Reg hovered worriedly, watching as Diana groaned. "She seems pretty messed up, man. You hurt her by accident or something?"

"I, uh..." I winced, not really seeing another way to describe it. "...Yeah, I guess I did. I feel awful. A little too much thaumaturgy, y'know? This, um, isn't the usual result. I'm not sure what happened."

Reg clapped me on the shoulder sympathetically again. "Well, we've got like...ointments and salves and stuff we could use...they're mostly for wounds and things like that. But we've got stuff for magical conditions too, it's just not really my specialty, y'know? Clint's not around right now, so one of the guys went to find someone from the pride who knows the magical stuff better."

I nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Reg, I really apprec-"

I trailed off at the sound of the door opening behind us, and we both turned.

"Matt! Is...is everything okay?"

Of course it was Brooke. She was clearly coming off her own workout, maybe a run or something.

Shit. She and I hadn't really talked, after. I had no idea how she'd react to me, let alone me with an injured witch I'd just fucked too much power into.

I had to admit, she looked good. Sweat on her body, blonde hair back in a tight ponytail.

The whole package reminded me of last night.

She rapidly looked me over for injuries. There was a degree of concern in her eyes I was admittedly surprised by.

The worry eased into relief when she saw that I was obviously unharmed.

And then the relief tightened into a grimace at the sight of Diana, curled up in a ball and groaning on one of the sports massage tables. At some point she'd lapsed into a kind of half-consciousness; her eyes were closed. I had no idea if she could hear us.

"Oh." Brooke scowled. "Diana. Great. Well, at least it's not one of the coven witches. What's wrong with her, a spell backfire or something?"

Reg snorted. "Try not to be a bitch for three seconds, Brooke. Diana's a friend of the pride. Matt was telling me he gave her too much power?"

Brooke stared at me.

I nodded, doing my best to suppress a wince. Brooke seemed like the territorial type.

Reg, either oblivious to the subtext or uncaring about it, looked at Brooke. Expectant. "So. Any idea if we've got anything in the medicine cabinet that could help?"

Brooke looked disdainful. "Let me talk to Matt about what happened. Reg, go see if you can find Maya; we'll want a more seasoned opinion than mine. I'm not sure what would've caused this."

Reg nodded, and trudged out.

There was silence for a moment. Brooke crossed her arms. "What happened? Little witch couldn't handle you?"

Her expression was carefully neutral. Placid. Like quicksand, or maybe the surface of water just before an orca breaches it to eat a seal.

But Diana needed help, so I forged ahead. "Well, I was, um, giving Diana some power-"

"You mean you were fucking her." Brooke interrupted, voice flat.

I had been worried that was how this was going to go. "I mean, yeah, that's how-"

"Where'd you do it, here?"

"Uh, yeah-"

"Is that your thing, then? Some kind of fetish or whatever, fucking girls at the gym?" She looked like she was trying to decide between tearing me limb from limb or just making fun of me, and it was even odds for either.

"What? N-no, no. I didn't even expect to, y'know...do that with you, last night. You just...pissed me off., and then-

She interrupted again. "Yeah, Matt. You pissed me off, too." Cold fury.

"That's not how it seemed when you left." I couldn't help the satisfaction that crept into my voice. Her eyes darkened further, and I hastily added, "Look, you were amazing, okay? I just-"

"Whatever. Ugh." She sniffed, disdainfully. "You know what? It's fine. We're not even dating. Obviously you can do whatever you want. Whoever you want. Just don't bring them to me when they can't handle you." After a moment, voice smug, she added, "I mean, I didn't have a problem."

"Yeah, because I didn't give you any power," I said. The words were out of my mouth before I could stop myself, and I instantly regretted it. I'd wanted to keep things peaceable.

Brooke's green eyes met mine for a moment, challenging. Then she gave me a tight smile. "Not yet you haven't. But you'll owe us for helping her, thaumaturge. Not Diana, you. This is at your request, not hers. The pride will expect payment."

I glanced over at Diana, consumed by worry. Then back at Brooke -- the challenge in her eyes, that cold, furious smile.

There was one very specific thought running through my mind: there was no way I could repeat my performance from yesterday, now that what Elana had done to my mind was fixed. Tapping Brooke out with jiu jitsu? Sure. Making her orgasm over and over? No way in hell. I'd be lucky to last ten seconds the way she'd been riding me last night.

Giving Brooke power was likely to be embarrassing for me.

But it would be worth it to get Diana help.

I nodded at Brooke. "Fine. But this is only so you'll help her. Nothing more. If there were a different way, I'd do it that way instead."

She opened a locker, producing a pendant, which she held in front of me. "Yeah, I'm aware of how thaumaturges work. This stores magical energy. You will owe us enough to refill one pendant, and we'll care for her." She glanced at Diana. "If you are able to give her enough magic to debilitate her this way, it ought to only take one...encounter...to fill one and meet your side of the bargain. Deal?"

Making a deal with Brooke was not really what I wanted to be doing. But from the massage table, Diana groaned again, weakly. "Fine. But it's just a deal. You can't be catty that I'm giving other people power, too."

She gave a shrug, as if she couldn't care less. "I mean, anyone with sense would be allying themselves more closely with our pride. But it's your loss if you don't, not mine."

I searched her face, trying to decide if she was just playing it cool, if this was posturing for some other reason...or if she really just didn't care.

I couldn't tell.

And then Brooke's eyes narrowed again. "Wait. Was that a deliberate lion pun?"

---

"I'm no expert on witches, but it's plain that she has ingested too much power. More than she can handle, a lot more. She's got..." Maya hesitated, frowning. "Something between the magical version of a hangover and a stomach ache. I have given her some herbs that will let her sleep easily. The magic should bleed off over the next day, perhaps two at most. It's a painful process ordinarily, as you've seen, but hopefully she'll just sleep through it. We'll keep an eye on her here; you can check on her tomorrow."

I nodded gratefully. Diana's features had eased; her breathing was more regular and relaxed. "Thank you. Any clue why this might have happened? Has something changed in me, or maybe her...tolerance, or something?"

Maya shook her head. "You're asking questions specific to witches and thaumaturges, not to werelions. I'm afraid I don't know."

I pursed my lips, considering. "Well, thanks all the same. I appreciate you all taking care of her."

Maya inclined her head. "Now, thaumaturge, there's the matter of payment-"

"I already made a plan with Matt to collect payment, Maya. I don't mind." Brooke chimed in, nonchalantly.

Maya looked sharply between Brooke and me. "That's fine...as long as Matt's actually amenable to that. And as long as you don't do anything rash. He's an important ally, Brooke."

Well, here was my way out of dealing with Brooke. Maya was tall, athletic. The more senior werelion was a bit older, but certainly still hot.

I just needed to say that I didn't want to deal with Brooke, and some other hot, athletic lion-woman would be collecting payment. That sounded fine to me.

Although the memory of Brooke, naked and writhing underneath me as I fucked her senseless, played through my mind pleasantly.

And then I glanced at Brooke's face. There was an amused expression. Her eyes met mine, and she made a little pout. I could tell what she was thinking.

Aw, go ahead, chicken out if you can't handle me. That's just what I'd expect.

She'd be insufferable if I did that. That cemented it.

"I, uh, don't mind," I said.

Brooke handed me her cell phone. "Give me your number. You and I can figure out a time for the repayment," she instructed.

I put my number in her phone. My performance wouldn't matter from a payment perspective, but I wasn't looking forward to her turning the tables on me. And the inevitable mockery that I was sure would follow.

At least it was a problem for another day. And Diana was getting the help she needed.

I debated staying, looking at her inert form. But she seemed to be in good hands with the lions. And I had something else I wanted to do.

I glanced at Reg, who had been watching all of this with interest. "Can you ask her to call me when she wakes up?"

He nodded, and gave me a thumbs-up.

Satisfied, I went to do some homework.

---

The library was almost completely empty; the only people I saw were a few bored-looking student workers behind the various desks as I went back to the little Special Collections room. Nobody was inside.

I'd hoped that would be the case; I didn't really want to talk to Lauren or Viv right now.

What I wanted to do was figure out what had happened with Diana. I didn't have Lauren's facility with research -- I wasn't about to go perusing the books in the room knowing some of them were likely magical anyway.

I eyed the Mirror of Misfortune. I could use that to learn something, maybe. But I wasn't really sure what question to pose. What if I kept giving Diana power? What if I figured out a way to give her power safely? It was easy to imagine that there might be any number of ways that it might not give me useful information. And Lauren had mentioned that there were only a few uses left. Breaking it would only make the conversation I needed to have with her and Viv even more difficult.

So instead, I decided I'd read some more out of the old thaumaturge's journal. See if that held any clues as to why I'd given Diana so much more power this time.

It didn't.

Or if it did, I couldn't discern them.

In the section of the book I'd been reading -- only yesterday, in point of fact, although it felt like a million years ago -- the thaumaturge had been taken captive by harpies. At least, I thought they were harpies; the translator had taken some liberties but there were enough mentions of feathers, wings, and talons among the description of bare, heaving breasts that I felt reasonably confident.

There was a long account of the way they held him captive in their mountain nests. The way they drained him, over and over. He lost hope of escape; it was completely inaccessible by foot, and he didn't think the witch he'd been traveling with would have any way of finding him.

But he did form a relationship with one of the younger harpies, named Lysith. They had many conversations as she drained him, and their relationship became more and more personal and passionate. He talked about the village he grew up in; she told him all about harpy culture, the hierarchies the bird-women had, the politics of the little flock of them that lived in the mountains.

I bumbled my way through their encounters and rambling conversations for the better part of an hour, feeling hopeless. If I'd been reading for enjoyment, maybe it would've been interesting. But I was reading with a very specific purpose in mind, and I was learning nothing. How did Lauren do this, just reading through page after with nothing remotely related to what she was looking for? It was mind numbing. For all I knew, this guy just spent the rest of his life fucking harpies.

And it was very late. I realized that, in spite of crashing hard last night, I probably needed to prioritize rest more than I had been.

I'd just read a few more pages, and then head home.

---

"Well hi there, honey. Odd choice of location for a nap."

I'd fallen asleep, I realized. I snapped my head up groggily at the amused female voice. For a moment, I assumed it was Lauren or Viv. I wondered if I'd slept here through the whole night.

Instead, though, I was staring at Callistryllaxia.

Red irises. That gorgeous face. Unblemished, shadowy skin. Horns peeking out from her ebony mane of hair. Tail dancing in the air behind her.

The succubus wasn't naked, as she'd been last night in the summoning pentagram. Instead, she was wearing a little miniskirt, a blouse, and a set of glasses with cateye frames.

"I, uh -- buh-" As my brain tried to make sense of her presence, my eyes roved over her body. She was perched on the edge of the desk I was sitting at, her thighs at face-level. The miniskirt barely covered her ass, and the way her smooth legs flexed, enticingly, captured my attention immediately.

She giggled. "We're in a library, right? I figured a librarian aesthetic was appropriate. I have to say, I didn't really take you for a bookworm..."

The giggle sent a surge of arousal through me. I blinked, trying to get my mental act together, watching her look around the room with interest.

"What're you even doing here?" She stood up off the edge of the desk and started looking around the room, tail swishing past my face as she moved to peer at the cabinets and various oddities around the room.

"Um, research," I mumbled. She bent over to look at one of the cabinets, giving me a full-on view of a perfect, thong-clad ass underneath the miniskirt.

"You're doing homework? Boring! We should do some roleplaying instead." Her voice turned husky, seductive. "I'm Calli, one of the librarians here. I just love to see good students who are doing thorough, in-depth research. Maybe I can help you? I've got lots of experience. We can find just what you need to finish your assignment, even if it takes all night."

She adjusted the glasses down the bridge of her nose slightly, leaning forward and giving me a wink. The angle of her body gave me a phenomenal view down her blouse, exposing the swell of two full breasts, no bra in sight.

God. Her tits were perfect.

And her wink said she knew exactly what I was looking at. And what I was thinking.

It was all so over-the-top -- which made it all the more embarrassing that it was working. I was sure it had less to do with the words than how she said them, the way she looked, but my cock was doing its best to tear through my jeans at her presence.

I took a few deep breaths. I'd kept it together long enough to make a deal with her last time.

Of course, last time I'd had my orgasms locked away. My cock was making it abundantly clear that it faced no such obstacles this time.

"H-how are you even here, Callistryllaxia?" I finally gathered myself. "I thought succubi couldn't...just manifest, on their own."

"This is a dream." She said it as if nothing was more obvious. "You must've fallen asleep, just working so hard." She tousled my hair affectionately.

I tried to ignore the effect her touch had on me. I was still asleep. I'd fallen asleep while reading the journal. I wasn't surprised; I hadn't been learning anything. I glanced down at it.

She followed my gaze, and moved to stand next to me, her eyes flicking rapidly back and forth across the page. "What kind of research is this, anyway? Greek history class or something...?" She trailed off as she read more.

"It isn't for a class." I imagined she could put two and two together on her own just from looking around the room, so I added, "I'm doing some research. This is the coven's, um...magical repository."

She gave the room a more thoughtful appraisal, nodding, slowly. "My goodness, those girls are industrious, aren't they? Good for them." She said it approvingly, affectionately: a little-league baseball coach, proud of a scrappy team of eleven-year-olds.

Her obvious disdain made me wonder if she could be helpful. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

Her eyes lit up. "Ooh, is it about what you're here doing research on? Can I be your sexy librarian assistant?"

Help. Finally. "Uh, yeah. So, I had sex with a witch tonight, and..."

I stopped talking because Callistryllaxia was shaking her head slowly, a sad pout on her face. "Oh, sorry, honey. I was kidding. I'm only here to collect my second feeding, as we agreed. I don't actually have to answer your questions; that's not part of our bargain."

"Oh." That deflated me, but I tried to rally, and gave her my best smile. "C'mon, please?"

She smirked. "I do love the sound of a man begging. But no, thanks."

Thoughts of Diana, groaning in pain, were enough to make me push the issue a little bit. I needed to understand this, or I would be back where I was, unable to use my power. I couldn't risk giving power to anybody if it would debilitate them somehow.

"Look, if you don't do this, I might not be around for you to get twelve more feedings out of. It's really important."

"Really? Oh my goodness. Is it a matter of life or death? Am I the only one who can save you?" She mock-swooned against me, before letting out a girlish snort.

I tried to keep the persuasive smile on my face, but I could feel it slip a little at the sound. I reddened. The snort was full of feminine derision. Everything she did was so sexual, so full of implication. The sound was exactly calibrated to rile a man up, challenge his masculinity.

And the swoon put her skin against mine. One of her arms slid smoothly along mine.

My cock throbbed in response.

I tried to think of something to say, something that would persuade her to change her mind, but it was so hard to think straight; my mind was blank. She let the silence linger for a moment before she spoke.

"Aw, you're so cute when you're desperately trying to get me to help you. I don't normally give anything to anyone for free, but I'll tell you what." A wicked smile formed on her face. "I'm bored, Matt. And I imagine your escapades will be entertaining. Until you cum, I'll answer questions. It'll be so delicious watching you to try to hold back. It always is, with thaumaturges."

It occurred to me that learning more about my escapades might be useful to her in some way.

But I needed to know more. I didn't know if what happened to Diana would happen to anybody; maybe I was dangerous now. And she'd said it always is, with thaumaturges. Like she knew them well.

She was watching me consider it, a wicked smile on her face. "So, tell me what you wanted to ask about."

Her expression indicated that she didn't think I'd get to ask that many questions. I swallowed, hard.

She was going to drain me either way. I might as well try to learn something.

"Okay. So I fucked a witch earlier tonight. It...it gave her some kind of...magical overload? Or something. It seemed really painful, afterwards."

She turned the full force of her attention on me. The glasses came off, and she slid one end of the frames between her lips, suggestively. "I see. Have you given her power before?"

The glasses left her lips; my eyes followed them as she traced them along her skin, down her neck, and between the swell of her breasts. God, the way she moved was so sensual. I tried desperately to stay focused. "I-I have, yeah."

"What a lucky girl," she commented, with an air of amusement. Her eyes had drifted to my cock. Her fingers deftly undid one of the buttons on her blouse, bringing even more cleavage into view. "How long ago was the last time you gave her power? And no...side effects, were there?"

My mouth was suddenly dry. "I-it was a few days ago, I guess? And no, she handled it just fine then."

Her eyebrow arched. "Did she, now? So it must have been something that happened in the interim."

"I-I mean, I figured that, but..." As I watched, she undid two more buttons on her blouse, unbuttoning it almost to her navel. Her tits were big enough that the material didn't fall to the sides of her chest completely, it just rested atop their curves.

"Interesting. So, tell me what you've been up to the last few days. While you do, I'm going to do some...original research." She smoothly dropped to her knees in front of me.

Oh god. I wondered if she'd use her mouth again. The thought alone was almost enough to make me cum. I could feel how hard it was going to be to hold back already, without my orgasms locked away under Elana's control. "Well, I uh...there's...y'know, you...the, um...gorgon..."

"Mmm? Yes, tell me about the gorgon. That's who had your mind all twisted into pretzels?" I could hear the interest in her voice.

"Yeah..." I looked down at her as she undid the button on my pants.

"A neat trick." She smiled up at me. It was hard to focus on anything besides her face, her lips, thinking about how it had felt last time, but I did glance at her wings, neatly folded at her back. I couldn't exactly see how that even worked, with the blouse...but I was dreaming anyway, wasn't I?

Her tail too, which peeked out from under the back of her miniskirt to lazily floating in the air above her at my eye level.

She glanced up, saw what I was looking at, and smirked. The tail flicked forward, the flat spade-like tip brushing my cheek in a caress. "Oooh, I didn't take you for a tail-and-wings kind of guy, Matt."

The tip of her tail was warm; it felt like maybe she'd trailed her fingers or a hand across my cheek. I blushed, furiously. "N-no, I'm not..."

"We've got lots more of this to do, so you'll get to play with the whole package eventually, don't you worry," she purred. "Now. Who have you had sex with since the first time you had sex with this witch you're talking about. Me, of course. And that gorgon; anyone else?"

"Uh...a werelion...and another, different witch..." I wracked my brain. I knew I'd had sex with Viv and Brooke; those stood out, for obvious reasons. Had Lauren given me a blowjob too, after I'd fucked Diana the first time? It had been before the gorgon, but other than that, I wasn't sure; with the succubus kneeling in front of me, admittedly, it was hard to keep it all straight in my head.

Especially as she freed my cock from the confines of my boxers, stared at it, mute desire on her face.

"Mmm. A werelion, succubus, gorgon, and another witch? You've been so busy, haven't you?" she whispered. She said it at my cock, as if she were asking it a question. My cock answered her by twitching, precum leaking from the tip.

She glanced up at me, those ruby-red eyes locking on mine. "Now. Anything stand out from those encounters?" The question was matter-of-fact.

"Why...why does that matter?" I realized -- with an odd sense of futility -- that I could feel the urge to spray a load across her face growing. Even though she hadn't touched me.

"I'm a succubus. That sort of thing always matters to me. Besides..." The tip of her tail whipped from up by my face down her back, before disappearing out of sight between her thighs. She let out a gasp. "...I bet it's hot."

Her little gasp of pleasure sent a surge through my balls I hadn't been expecting. "The women enjoyed themselves," I said. "A lot." I had wanted to say it in a low, confident voice, but it came out as a hoarse whisper.

"Did they, now," Callistryllaxia moaned the words out. "They enjoyed this big, sensitive cock?" Her eyes were still locked on my member through the glasses she was wearing.

I nodded, staring down. I couldn't tell from the movement of her tail whether she was fucking herself or maybe toying with her clit.

But either way, I could smell her arousal now, I realized. A kind of delicate, sweet musk.

"I-I couldn't orgasm with them, because of the gorgon, you know?" I was mumbling, watching her as she writhed. "So, uh, I...j-just kept fucking them..."

In the middle of that sentence, the succubus let out a moan. I could feel her warm breath on my cock. She was definitely fucking herself. There was just too much movement for anything else. She was rocking up and down, clearly thrusting her own tail up to meet each downward movement of her body.

"Ah -- that-that's -- ngh -- interesting...so another witch, the gorgon, me, and the werelion since you last fucked her...anyone else?"

That up-down motion was interrupting her speech, and making her breasts move; they bounced, heavily, with each movement of her body. Her tits were an inch or so away from the tip of my cock and the desire to push my cock between them was almost overwhelming.

But I was so on edge just from watching her. I knew I'd cum instantly if I did that. And I was worried that would end the dream; I wanted her to tell me more.

So I fought the urge, for now. "H-how does this...matter..." I stared at her tits, shimmying hypnotically, the perfect amount of recoil in each little bounce.

"It matters," she moaned, "Because there are a few ways for thaumaturges to grow, to make their powers more effective." Each word came out as a shuddering grunt from her.

"R-really?" I was elated -- she had answers. I latched on to that idea, struggling to resist the urge to push against her tits.

"Really." This time the word came out as a sigh, and I saw her movements slow. She arched her back little more, stretching languidly. The movement put her big tits nearly in contact with my cock.

"What are they?" I fought to maintain my composure.

She gave me a sly little smile. "Well...let's see..."

And as she said the word, teasingly, she leaned forward, ever so slowly.

Sliding my cock directly into the valley of her cleavage.

I did my best to hold it back, feeling those big tits envelop the head of my cock, dark velvet wrapping around it.

I strained with the effort, trying to wait to hear her answer.

But it was no use. The smell of her, the way she'd been fucking herself, the sight of her body kneeling before me.

"Mmm...I don't quite remember all of the ways, exactly, but something to do with conquests, I think..."

She had a smirk on her face. One that said she'd decided exactly when I was going to cum. Exactly how much she was going to reveal.

And there was nothing I could do about it.

Her tits were huge, the valley between them deep, more than capable of engulfing me. The further forward she leaned, the more of my cock went in between them.

She hadn't even buried half my length in her cleavage when it became too much.

"Nnngh-" I made a strangled, frustrated sound as I lost control.

My cock erupted, a jet of cum spraying across her face and neck so hard that it audibly spattered across of the glasses she was wearing.

"...But I guess we're done talking anyway, so it doesn't matter what I remember." The smug delight in her voice was clear.

The second jet was followed by a third, then a fourth. I let out a groan that was equal parts disappointment and pleasure.

"That's it, honey, give it to me," she crooned. She was moving her tits in time with each spurt of cum.

It kept going for a long, long time before my cock subsidied.

"Well, maybe we can talk about that next time," she said, with a satisfied sigh. "Two feedings down, eleven more feedings to go. You were so cute, trying to hold back so I'd tell you more. This is going to be the best deal I've ever made, I think."

The bliss of the orgasm was fading, leaving me feeling annoyed -- with my own performance, with her little games. "Callistryllaxia, c'mon. Tell me more. You said there were a few ways. What are they?"

Her brow furrowed, prettily. "You answer one of my questions for a change. Why won't you just call me Calli? The way you say my full name is actually kind of offensive. You pronounce it like I'm some kind of fossilized species, or a newly-discovered strain of bacteria."

I hesitated. It hadn't been a conscious choice, but as I considered, I realized there was something behind it. "Nicknames are for...friends. Not...not demons who tried to get me to bargain my soul away." I winced -- it felt a little cruel to say. But she was a demon, after all.

She pouted. "Aw, don't be like that."

"I mean, if you were my friend, you'd tell me everything you knew about thaumaturges," I added, innocently.

She let out a laugh, and for once it wasn't seductive. I'd said something that genuinely surprised her. I felt the erotic aura that seemed to envelop me around her lessen, at least a little.

But then the laugh subsided. "So persistent." Her eyes focused on my cock again. "But I think we've gotten friendly enough for now, don't you?"

As she spoke, she used one of her hands to bring a full breast up to her mouth, and her tongue flicked out, delicately tasting the cum I'd sprayed across her.

I shivered as the erotic web the succubus seemed to weave snapped back into place in an instant. I could feel my cock -- which had only just begun to soften -- take notice and spring back to attention.

Her lips curved into a lascivious smile at my obvious reaction. "Anyway, handsome, our time's up. Looking forward to our next visit; if you haven't figured things out by then, maybe we can talk some more."

She stood up, and blew me a kiss.

"Calli, wait, c'mon-"

But she was already dissolving into smoke, and as it dissipated, I jolted awake with a start.

One word: conquests. It sat in my mind. One of the ways she said thaumaturges got stronger.

I looked around the room. It was unchanged, exactly as I'd left it -- and exactly as it had been when Callistryllaxia had been here.

Well, almost unchanged. It only took a second or two for it to dawn on me that while it had only been a dream, it had been a decidedly wet dream.

I'd blown a load in my pants.

Ten minutes later, I was returning from cleaning up as best I could in one of the library bathrooms...when I realized that there were people in the room, now. I could hear voices.

"But why thirteen?" It was Viv. "We need to know why, Laur."

"I know we do! I'll look, but I told you, we don't have a lot on..."

Lauren trailed off as I stepped in the doorway.

"So." I let out a breath. "We need to talk."

---

The three of us looked at each other silently for a moment. Lauren and Viv were both dressed in workout attire; they must've gone on a morning run together or something. I'd seen the morning light filtering in through the windows on my way back from the bathroom; I'd clearly fallen asleep for hours.

Viv looked like she was about to speak, but I forestalled her. "I want to say a few things first."

I'd done a lot of thinking about this conversation as I'd walked from the gym to the library, before I started reading. About how I wanted it to go.

Diana had asked me to be forgiving. But if I was honest, I was pretty mad at the two of them.

Most of all, though, foremost in my mind, I'd been replying my conversation with Clint.

One thing he'd said had stood out.

Eventually you'll need to decide what you want. What it looks like to build something, instead of just surviving.

It made sense. I still wasn't sure what that was, exactly, long-term. But I was starting to get some ideas.

And the first of those ideas was that I was damn well not going to end up dead or powerless because someone else decided they knew what was best for me, and turned out to be wrong.

It didn't matter whether that someone was a gorgon or a witch.

I folded my arms and leaned against the doorway. "First of all, the succubus mentioned another witch. I wanted to tell you all that I've been talking to Diana. She's back on campus, by the way; she has been for a little while. She has filled me in. On a lot of things."

Viv made a sound of mingled surprise and dismay. Lauren just stared at me, speechless.

"I know about Liam. You two have been lying to me. If not directly, then through omission. Honestly, it feels like a betrayal in the wake of the conversations we've had." The anger and bitterness in my voice surprised me a little, and I took a breath to calm myself.

Lauren looked like she might cry. "Matt-"

I held up a hand. "Just hear me out, okay? I believe you want what's best for me. I really do. But I can't trust you the way I have been. I'm sorry. So we need to reset things. Here are the new terms."

I held up a hand, ticking things off on my fingers. "I retain access to this room, and the coven's artifacts, especially the thaumaturge's journal. I'm also going to want some things magically enchanted -- like that escape spell you put in my phone, Lauren. I want you two to be available to help me when needed, but only as reasonable. I will supply the power for anything I want done, but no extra."

Viv took umbrage, folding her arms. "Just because you're mad doesn't mean we'll do whatever you want with no-"

"I am not done." I said it mildly enough, but Viv lapsed into silence.

I paused, and then continued. "In return, I will renegotiate terms with the werelions. I'll deal with them directly to cover the tithe they demand that maintains the truce for all of us: you two, me, and Diana. That frees up your own power to use for your own purposes. If you feel that you need more power, for something else important, we can cut another deal separately to help you get that power."

The two of them were speechless for a moment.

I was banking on two things: first, that the terms I was offering would be perceived as pretty generous. Both Lauren and Viv had talked about how onerous the deal with the werelions was, how they struggled to keep up their end of the bargain. I wouldn't be giving them magic to do with as they pleased -- not without more incentives -- but at least Clint would be off their case.

And honestly? I figured I could probably juice up the werelions better than they could anyway, with my own power left over. Power I could then use for my own purposes.

Of course, this would only work if the impression I was putting together was correct: that I was a pretty powerful font of magical energy. Powerful enough that a succubus and a gorgon had both remarked upon it. Powerful enough that Diana couldn't handle it.

Otherwise, I suspected I was going to be really tired, and everyone else was going to be really pissed off with me.

"This is really how you want it to be?" Lauren asked. She sounded sad.

"No. No it is not." I paused, trying to keep the venom out of my voice, and just gave her a sad smile right back. "But this is the only kind of deal I know how to make with two people who I like...but who probably got one thaumaturge killed already. I'm not going to be the second."

They were both silent at that.

"So. Maybe we can renegotiate things in the future. But for now, those are the terms. Do you accept?"

Lauren glanced at Viv.

Viv's eyes were locked on me. I saw her expressive face flicker through a series of emotions. Frustration. Sadness. Remorse.

Eventually, though, she settled on a kind of distant, disgruntled acceptance. "We do. I'm sorry this is how it has to be."

I waved a hand, and gave her a smile. "Hey, look. I really do get it. I meant it. I like you. I want to help you. But I've got to protect myself."

"But we can do that. We have been doing it. Remember the werelions at my apartment?" It was Lauren, voice small, apologetic, hopeful.

"I do. Of course. And look, I appreciate it. I want you to keep helping me. I want to help you too, this doesn't change that. But I have to stand on my own two feet. I mean, Lauren...be honest. If the succubus hadn't said anything, would you ever have told me about Liam?"

They were both silent. Answer enough.

I said the next words gently. "Look, you can help protect me. But I'm the only one with my own interests at heart."

"You didn't tell us about Diana, either," Viv muttered.

"Those aren't apples to apples, and you know it. I didn't kill Diana. She asked me not to tell you that she was back, so I didn't."

Viv pinched the bridge of her nose. "I know." Her voice went neutral again. "Your terms are fine. For now."

I felt bad. I missed the flirty banter we had, that mischievous smile. I suspected Viv was hurt, hiding it.

But I didn't feel bad enough to handle this differently. Not after they'd gotten another thaumaturge killed, and hadn't told me. I was distrustful. Maybe we could rebuild things over time.

Into the silence, Lauren asked, hesitantly, "So...how is she? Diana, I mean."

"Well..." I hesitated too, now, but decided to bring them up to speed. They were still my allies. Maybe my friends.

And I knew I'd need both.