Boy Sorceress Pt. 03

"Naughty," she said as she turned around. She knelt and had me put a foot on her chest. I braced my back against the cool tiles and watched her wash my leg from thigh to toes. She did the same for my other leg and then it was my turn. I reached several times for her labia as I was washing her thighs, but she only giggled and said, "No," each time. I finished her legs and she shut off the water. "Well, come on," she said, gesturing with her hand, "out we go! The towels are on the rack."

We gently dabbed each other dry and I took the chance to run my towel between her legs, rasping it against her pussy. She sighed and then had me turn around so she could wrap a towel around my hair. I was a little annoyed at how she deflected each of my attempts to take our teasing to the next level.

"Come on," she excitedly said and left the bathroom. "I want to see you in everything I got you!"

I wanted to grab her by the wrist and use my power to pin her down until she ate my pussy. Instead, I sighed, set the wet towels to dry and walked out of the bathroom.

She stood behind the couch, wearing only the towel wrapped around her upper body. She was smiling wide and rifling through the bags. "What do you want to try first?"

I nearly replied with, "Your pussy." I shrugged, instead.

"Here," she said, picking up a bag, "try this!" I took the bag and looked around questioningly. She put her fists against her hips and cocked a frown at me.

I nodded and pulled a long, blue garment out of the bag. It was a dress. A fairly frilly dress. I frowned, but slipped it over my shoulders. It came down to about mid-calf, but it was too light for autumn, or winter.

"These go under it," she said, pulling something black out of another bag.

I took the garment and saw that it was a pair of leg warmers. I shot her a look, but she just insisted I try it on. I sighed and donned a pair of fresh boyshorts before pulling on the leg warmers.

Dakota had me spin and twirl and walk this way and that before she pronounced that she wasn't happy with the dress. I seconded her judgment. I was definitely not the dress type. Even with the leg warmers covering me like a snug pair of pants, I just couldn't get used to the light garment flailing around my legs.

Instead of ending our little fashion show, the rejection of the dress led to more outfits she insisted I try on. I bit back some choice statements about me not being her doll and suffered through the indignity of it all.

She had me try two pairs of jeans that didn't feel right on me. Thankfully, she said they didn't look right, either, so they were dumped back into their bag. The rest of the clothes consisted of thick, woolen skirts in earthy tones and dark leg warmers. Up top, she had me try on several combinations of shirts, vests and sweaters that weren't all that bad. She even got me a blazer that matched one of the skirts. She also got me two pairs of saddle shoes that fit me pretty well, but I didn't like the looks of their soles. Not much traction could come from those.

In the end, I tried on two dozen outfits and she declared all but five of them to be perfect. I smiled to cover how impatient I was to get into bed with her. My hopes were all but dashed when she got dressed, complete with pants and a blouse.

"This look really suits you," she declared. I posed mechanically in front of her full-length mirror. I was wearing a gray jacket and skirt, with a violet shirt and black leggings. My hair was dry by then and cascading over the jacket. I did look ok, I guessed, but I felt annoyed and impatient. I didn't like the look of her clothes. She should be naked. We should both be naked.

She smiled her approval at my look and declared, "Time for dinner!"

"What?"

"I'm ordering from the Tandoori Palace! What'll you have?" She went to the kitchen area and I followed her. I realized that I was hungry. I was also impatient to get her into bed already, but it wouldn't hurt to get some grub in us beforehand. She pulled a menu out of a cupboard drawer and guided me to the good dishes. She called and placed the order. "Thank you," she chirped into the phone before hanging up. "The food'll be here in thirty-five minutes." She put a hand over mine. "Now, we can finally talk."

Talk? Talk about what? We can spend thirty minutes in bed, dammit! I really needed to feel her skin against mine. Particularly after the day I had.

"Talk about what?"

"Everything," she said and took my hand. She led us to a couch and we sat down. She pushed me away when I tried to nuzzle into her neck. "Stop that, silly! We need to talk. I mean, we've been to bed already and we still know practically nothing about each other. Tell me where you're from!"

Oh, shit.

The following fifteen minutes of my life stretched on and on. She politely interrogated me, while I desperately tried to deflect her questions with the catch-all excuse of not wanting to risk anything leaking back to my imaginary stalker. The excuse got worn soon and I found myself pulling a backstory for Sheila out of thin air.

When Dakota's cellphone rang, I nearly cried out a, "Hallelujah," of relief.

She answered her phone after seeing the caller ID. "Hi, Chrissie! What's up? ... Oh, I see. ... No, no, I mean, yes. Yes, we're still together." She looked at me and I found myself suddenly interested in the conversation. "I see. Who were they? ... Had they ever come in before? ... But you didn't tell them anything, right?" Her eyes flicked up at me and I felt myself get worried. "Oh, good. Thank you. You did good." She gasped. She looked at me with eyes and mouth wide open. "She did what?!" Her arm rose and dropped. "I can't believe it!"

Dakota was plainly angry, but I didn't know if she was angry with me, or someone else. I stood up and opened my mouth. Dakota interrupted me with a raised finger. "Yes, yes, of course I'll tell her. Hold on! I'll ask her right now!" She turned her full attention to me. "Sheila, is there any reason why a short, busty Asian chick would come asking about you at the Broken Axe Tavern?"

My guts tied themselves in knots. That description matched Susan Hamilton's post-ritual look. I swallowed and said, "Uh, did she have black hair that came down to her ass?"

Dakota repeated the question into her phone and got an affirmative answer.

"Fuck! This stalker that's after me has some friends. Some very close friends that share a lot of his views on things. That sounds like one of them. Her name's Susan."

"Did she give her name?" Dakota asked into her phone. She shook her head no at me and then listened to the phone. "She was with another girl." Dakota then repeated the description that sounded like one of the other women from The Thirteen.

"I think that's another one of his friends," I said. I raised my arms in question. "Who's on the phone? What did those two chicks learn at the Tavern?"

"It's Chrissie, the bouncer," Dakota said. "No one told them anything about you until Flora overheard them asking. Then that airhead beanpole told them all about you and me!"

"Holy fuck!"

"Including my address!"

I felt like I was being stabbed in the gut. "When was this!?"

"Chrissie says the Asian and her friend left the Tavern five minutes ago. She overheard Flora call after them to pass along my regards when they found you."

Oh, that fucking Flora was going to get it, someday. And it won't be the universe that slams its fist up her ass. "I have to get out of here! You have to come with me!" I grabbed my coat and the paper bag full of money. I took my wallet out of my brown jacket's pocket and moved it into the pocket of the jacket I was wearing. I ran to the brown door. "These people are extremely dangerous! They'll know I've been here. There's no time to pack! Come on!" I paused at the door. Dakota wasn't moving. "Come on! We gotta go!"

"I'm not going anywhere," she confidently said. "This is my home. My place of power. They cannot drive me from it."

"Dakota! These people aren't sane! They don't care about your home! They're stone cold killers! They'll kill you and calmly go to dinner right after! Come with me if you want to live!"

She crossed her arms under her breasts and stood her ground. "No. I'll not run."

In the grips of fear, I wanted to be out of there, not argue with her. "You don't understand, we have to be gone!"

Dakota listened to the phone and made affirmative noises. She smiled at me, covered the phone's mouthpiece and whispered, "You can go if you want to, Sheila. I'll be fine."

"Dakota! Please, do as I say!"

Dakota hung up her phone. "Chrissie is coming over with some friends from Alpha Security Solutions. No one is going to make any trouble for us. You can stay here. We'll keep you safe."

"Dakota! These are stone cold murderers! They'll kill you without a second thought!"

"Please stay, Sheila! You're safe in my home."

I stared at her in disbelief. I could tell she wasn't going to listen to reason and time was the one thing I didn't have. Finally, I shook my head and turned to leave. "I have to go," I whispered sadly.

"Wait," Dakota called after me. "Go out the store! I have an exit that leads out back to the alley. I use it for deliveries."

"Ok," I nodded and ran to the other door. "Have Chrissie come over with more than a dozen people."

"Wait," Dakota called after me again.

"What?!"

She ran after me and handed me a small piece of paper. "Go to this address. She'll take you in for the night!"

"Thank you!" I kissed her hard and pulled away. "Don't try to mouth off to them! Just tell them I'm gone!"

Dakota nodded and smiled confidently. "I'll be fine!"

I shook my head. What the fuck was I doing? If I left her there, she'd be dead. No, I was not going to allow The Thirteen to claim another victim.

"There's no time to explain, Dakota! You're coming with me!" I willed her to hover a foot above her floor.

"Oh my God! What's happening!?"

"Magic is real. The people coming here are evil magicians that will kill you and pin the murder on that Kevin guy, who is innocent, by the way. Now, be quiet while I save you!"

I was out the door and down the stairs. Dakota hyperventilated and grabbed at the doorjamb when I willed her to float after me. "Let go! Dakota! Let go of the door!"

She shook her head and cried. "No! No! No!"

"Dakota! Don't make memake you let go!"

Dakota squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head no. I growled and she slowly let go of the door. I made her hover after me as I descended the stairs that led to her store. The statues on display in the middle of the store were lit, as well as the window. I winced. The light almost reached us at the base of the stairs.

"You can set me down now," Dakota whimpered.

"No. You're hysterical. Don't make me gag you with my magic. You wouldn't like that."

I hugged the back wall and found the door. I willed it to unlock and peeked out. I could see no one. I amplified the sound from the alley, but still heard nothing except for cars passing by the alley entrance.

I dashed out and hid behind a dumpster. I looked out again and still saw no one. I made Dakota hover to me. She reached out for the door again, but changed her mind when she saw my exasperated look. I locked the door behind us with my power and ran to the end of the alley, floating her a foot off the floor and three feet behind me. I melded into the wall and peeked out. There were cars and pedestrians around, but I couldn't see any of The Thirteen.

I pulled my head back and turned to face Dakota. "Are you going to be cool? Do you want to live, or do you want to die?"

She shook her head as she cried quietly, but made no reply.

I set her down on the ground again. "Look, we need to get to safety. Just follow me and we'll be fine. Do you understand?"

She looked longingly back at her door. "I...I have..."

I grabbed her by the upper arms. "You're going to be alright, Dakota. I promise you. Just follow me and everything is going to be fine." I looked deep into her wet, blue eyes. "Ok?"

She searched my eyes for a long time before nodding.

"Ok," I said with some relief. "Come on." I took her hand and turned around. I checked for signs of The Thirteen again and found none. I walked out of the alley and started making my way down the street, pulling her after me the whole time. She sobbed quietly and her hand felt like it was trembling in mine.

I heard it before I could see it. The noise of the Ferrari 458 was unmistakable. "Get down," I hissed and pulled Dakota down into a crouch behind a parked car. I peeked out and watched the red car drive past me to turn onto Dakota's street. A dark SUV followed it closely and I could recognize the werewolf in its passenger seat. "Those are the bad guys."

Dakota stared at me with eyes the size of saucers.

"We're going to be a-ok, Dakota. We are." I pulled her hand to my mouth and kissed it. "I promise." I led her to the Interceptor and shuffled her in. "Everything's going to be fine. I'll tell you everything once we're someplace safe. We just have to move now. Come on!" I started the engine, remembering the safety sequence, and pulled out of there as quietly as possible.

As soon as I turned the corner, I floored it, leaving The Thirteen far behind us. Dakota sniffled in the passenger seat, but she responded when I asked for directions to the address she gave me. We were parked in front of a lovely house on the outskirts of Springfield in mere minutes.

"So, this is," I read the name off the tiny slip of paper, "Sarah's place? Where you wanted me to stay the night? Is it safe?"

Dakota wiped her eyes. "She, uh...she's...she's my best friend."

"Will she let us stay at her place?" Dakota nodded. "How obvious would it be to anyone searching your place that Sarah was your best friend?"

Dakota turned her face towards me. I didn't like her bewildered expression. Her lip quivered. "What the hell is going on!?"

"Dakota, calm down!"

"No, I will not calm down! You lied to me!"

"Well...yes, but-"

"How could you lie to me?!"

She was on the verge of tears. I sighed. "Dakota, how does one say that magic is real? Real magic, not the cum-ba-ya stuff you're into."

"You lied about everything! There are people coming to kill you and you didn't tell me that!"

"I did! I told you about the stalker. I just...didn't say how dangerous he was, or that he had...equally dangerous friends. I'm really sorry, I-"

"I can't do this!" She turned away from me and struggled to open the passenger door. It worked fine, she was just too shocked to pull the lever properly.

I held out my arm and used my power to open it for her. She recoiled. "Stop doing that!"

"I'm sorry." She got out of the car. I opened my door.

"What are you doing?!"

I stared at her in confusion. "Coming with you?"

She leaned back inside my car. Sarah's porch light came on. It illuminated Dakota from behind. "No," she said, her voice dripping with hatred. "You're not coming in. I don't ever want to see you again. Get out of here!"

I was too exhausted to feel disappointed, or distraught at her words. There was only so much I could take in one day and the murder I had committed had already eaten up my quota. I sighed wearily. "I'll talk to you in the morning. There's-"

"You'll do no such thing," she hissed. "I don't ever want to see you again! Get away from here, or I'll call the cops!"

The front door to Sarah's house opened and I could see a dark-haired woman's head peek out. "Dakota, please listen to me, I-"

"Get away from me, you lying bitch!" Dakota kicked the door closed and stomped off. The other woman opened her door wide and greeted her with open arms. I could see Dakota's shoulders hitching as they hugged.

I groaned in frustration. I couldn't even comprehend what was going on. All I knew was that I needed to get some rest. I would talk to Dakota tomorrow. Hopefully, she wouldn't say anything to this Sarah woman. If she did, I could only pray that Sarah would gloss over her words and file them away as the ramblings of an overemotional woman.

I put the Interceptor in gear and drove off as quietly as I could. I found a nearby motel on my phone. I was familiar enough with Springfield by now to find my way there on the first try. I was dead on my feet as I went into the office. The guy at the front desk took two hundred dollars and "forgot" to write down my information as he checked me in.

I took one look at the dingy room before collapsing into bed. I was so freaking tired. I debated getting up and taking off my clothes. I decided against it, but sleep wasn't coming for me. My mind kept spinning in circles, replaying the day's events, searching for something. I wanted to sleep. I wanted to put the day behind me. I needed some rest.

I gave in and got up. I took off the coat and suit, kicked off my running shoes and got under the sheets. I rolled on the bed, over and over again. Sleep still wouldn't come to me. I kept seeing Sturbridge's blank face. Then my mind began conjuring up images of my parents, also wearing such blank expressions. I nearly wept with frustration. It had been a bad day.

At some point, I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew, I was sitting up in bed, screaming in terror. "The phone!" Dakota had threatened to call the police. She had her cellphone on her. She had put it in the pocket of her pants when she had gotten dressed, earlier that night. I had forgotten about it in the rush to get away from The Thirteen.

I scrambled out of bed and stepped into my shoes. I grabbed my clothes and ran. I slammed into the door bodily, before remembering it opened inward. I unlocked it with trembling hands and ran out into the freezing cold night.

I got in the Interceptor and drove like a maniac towards Sarah's place. My heart was beating a mile a minute, but it couldn't have taken me more than a hundred heartbeats to come to a screeching stop in front of the house.

I ran to the front door and started pounding on it. There was no answer. I used my power to unlock it and rushed inside. I called out Dakota's name as I turned on every light in the house. I checked upstairs first, looking for the bedrooms. The beds were all made. I frantically searched the entire house, but there was no one there. There was no sign of anything wrong. Just an empty house.

I ran my fingers through my hair, repeatedly, as I kept telling myself that the two of them had changed location of their own free will. "Yes," I said to the empty house. "Dakota told Sarah everything and Sarah decided they should go someplace else. That's all that happened."

I just knew it wasn't true. I could feel it in my gut. I had overlooked one, tiny detail and the universe latched on to it. The Thirteen had tracked Dakota's phone to this house and they had come here and grabbed the girls. All they needed was a name and a number. After that, it was game over.

How could I have forgotten that? How could I have not thought to take her phone and stick it on the back of a truck headed for the Rockies, or somewhere? How could I have just left her here, unprotected?

I slumped to the floor, tears blurring my vision. I felt like shit, but I willed air into my lungs. I willed myself to stand. I needed to move. The Thirteen could be planning to set a trap for me here and there were no fat men around to catch bullets for me. Hell, at this time of night, they could conjure a ninety-foot tall robot to squish me and no one would notice.

I left in my car, nearly forgetting the safety start in my emotional state. I drove in circles around Springfield. The city was asleep, my engine the only noise. I wanted to make sure I wasn't followed, but The Thirteen could just make themselves invisible and fly above me, waiting for the right time to strike.