The Ritual of Binding

"Did you just feel... something... I don't know how to explain it. Never mind, I'm sorry, you must think I'm --"

"No, no," she interrupted him, "I know what you mean. And yes, I did! It was like, electricity. Wow, what was that?"

The bartender came back and asked if they wanted another round. Will nodded. Qarin jumped in while they were drinking. "Will, something very strange is happening with Carmen, and I don't understand it. I could use some help."

"You need my help? You've done this before, I haven't! What could I possibly help you with?"

"Look, something is really different this time. Like I said before, people don't usually feel the energy transfer, but now that she has, Carmen is quite open to us, and I can easily read her thoughts. But I can't understand them! On the one hand, she's powerfully attracted to you, and getting hotter by the minute, but at the same time, she has all these images of you kidnapping and torturing her running through her mind! If she thinks that is going to happen, why isn't she afraid?"

Will glanced over at Carmen, and from the way she looked back at him he knew the spirit was right about her attraction to him. Just when he thought things couldn't get any better. "Qarin, those aren't her fears you're seeing, they're her fantasies. Haven't you ever heard of S&M?"

"That's what she's thinking about? I've heard the term, but I don't know anything about it. It looks horrible! People enjoy that?"

"Fantasy isn't reality - you don't actually do all the things you dream about. It's a game, you just pretend. Just watch, you'll see what I mean." Finishing his drink, he meets Carmen's gaze and just holds it until she shyly looks down. Then he says, "Carmen, your friend is sure taking their time getting here."

She looks up into his eyes once more, a little thrown by his mention of the non-existent friend. "Oh, yeah, I don't think they're coming."

"That sucks! Do you have any way to get home? 'Cause if not, I could totally give you a lift. When you're ready to go, of course."

"That's so nice of you! You know, I think I'm done here. If you're ready, I would love for you to take me home now."

*****---*****

It was a short drive to Carmen's apartment, and like any gentleman would, he got out and opened the passenger door for her, offering his right hand to help her out of the car. As he walked her to her door, the spirit said, "She is totally ready to ask you to come in, but she doesn't want to throw herself at you with you being such a gentleman - you need to push just a little to close the deal."

When they got to the security door, Will offered his right hand again, and she coyly held it as he said, "Carmen, I'm very glad I met you tonight."

"So am I. It started off shaky, but this turned into a really great night." Will brought up his left hand, and when she took it in her other hand, he slowly pulled her toward him and kissed her. It started off as a peck, but neither of them could be content with just that, and it quickly became heated, and then all-consuming.

Qarin quietly poked into his mind, "I need to take another bite! Just a nibble, I promise, this is killing me!"

"Just wait," he thought. Without breaking the kiss, Will took both her hands and slowly and deliberately pulled them behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pinning her arms behind her back with one motion. Carmen moaned into his open mouth and melted into his embrace. "All right, Qarin, do it now."

Will and Carmen both gasped loudly as their bodies burned and goosebumps raised on every inch of skin. Her breathing ragged, Carmen struggled to get her words out. "You have to push... 2501... on the panel."

Will released her arms and reached for the security panel, but he was still shaky from the tidal wave that had just hit him. "Holy shit, Qarin, you weren't kidding! That was way stronger this time!"

"When you pinned her arms, something happened in her head. It was like she knew I was here, and she wanted me to take everything. It was never like this with your grandfather when we would go out and --"

Will had to cut her off. "Qarin, please, I really don't want to think about my Grand-dad right now!" The spirit fell silent.

The distraction helped Will get himself together enough to punch in the code and let them in. She pulled him past the mailboxes, up a half flight of stairs, and down the hall to her place. Once inside, Will barely had the chance to close the apartment door as she led him to her bedroom. His clothes were on the floor in seconds, but her dress was so clingy that they fumbled with it for what seemed like forever, and nearly tore it before finally getting it off. He pushed her down onto the bed lying on her back, and positioned himself above her. There was no way he could wait another second, but there was no need to - she was more than ready to take him in. Moving as slowly as he could, he pushed his way inside her. Carmen cried out and wrapped her legs around his waist, crossing her ankles and pulling him deeper inside. He remained still, buried within her.

Qarin's voice in his head seemed quite shaky. "She really, really wants you to hold her wrists and pin them down." Will had to smile; as if he wasn't planning on doing that already. He turned his head away from Carmen's face and looked to her right hand. Her gaze followed his. Then he deliberately wrapped his fingers around her delicate wrist, pulled it up over her head, and pushed it firmly down onto the mattress. She arched her back and purred, then moved her left hand up so he could grasp it as well. Shifting his weight forward a bit, he pressed her arms down heavily so she would not be able to move them at all, and then started to pump his hips, slowly, trying with everything he had to draw this out. Carmen uncrossed her ankles and brought her knees back and apart, surrendering to him.

"She has a box of leather restraints and sex toys under the bed, and she wants to tell you about them, but she's too ashamed and embarrassed. She thinks she's a bad person for liking these things, so she's never told anyone about it. And yet, thinking she's bad makes her want it more." Qarin was clearly puzzled by the contradiction.

Will smiled at the spirit's confusion; it looked like she would learn something from him after all. He leaned down until his mouth was right next to Carmen's ear, while trying to keep from putting all his weight on her wrists. It was murder on his back, but he knew he wouldn't have to do it for very long. Then he whispered, "Carmen, I'm so glad I found you. I thought I was the only one who ever thought about --" he gave her wrists a little squeeze, "-- things like this."

A little shudder went through Carmen's body, and she started to writhe under him. He pressed on, "I thought there was something wrong with me, but here now, with you, I feel like everything's okay, you know, like I'm safe." Carmen's lust spiked to the point that she whimpered with the force of it. She tried to say something, but she couldn't make the words come, so she just nodded her head. "There's so much I want to do to you, Carmen."

Her breath caught in her throat, and every muscle in her body tensed. She managed to squeak out a couple words: "Like what?"

He slowly slid her arms even farther up, stretching them towards the headboard while he answered her. "What if I wanted to take your hands and tie them to your bed, up here?" She moaned loudly and started to move under him again. "Ah, I knew it!" He started to match the rhythm of her movements, and he knew they only had seconds left.

"In fact, I bet if I looked under your bed right now, I would find all your dirty little secrets under there. Am I right? Should I look right now, my dirty little girl?"

Carmen started to twitch and jerk underneath him. "No! Yes! Oh my God!" She was gone, thrashing like mad, and Will was one second behind her, screaming with the force of his orgasm. He felt like his body was expanding, like he was filling up the whole room. And then, it felt like Carmen's body softened until it was like jello, and he sank down into her. He was burning hot, and he couldn't move, he couldn't even form a thought, he just hung suspended for eternity. Finally there was a blinding flash of white light, and then everything went back to how it should be.

He had collapsed onto her, so Will propped himself up and gently withdrew from her. Carmen half-opened her eyes and said his name in a weak voice, and then promptly passed out. He gently shook her shoulder a couple of times, and said her name, but she was out cold.

"Okay, Qarin, what the fuck was that? You never told me any of that stuff was going to happen!"

Qarin's voice came across almost as groggy as Carmen's had been. "I didn't know it was going to! You have to understand, ever since the beginning, I've always been bound to elderly, bookish types. They've never been able to store up much energy before they were full, and I've never fed from someone who opened herself so much. She was pushing every last drop of herself down my throat. Whoa! That book you just glanced at on her night table - go back, look at it again!"

"What?" He looked across the bed at the paperback sitting face down and open on the little table. "It's 'The Serpent and The Rainbow,' by Wade Davis. That's really cool, but what's the big deal?"

"Will, that book is ten feet away, and you never turned the lights on, but you can read it plain as day!"

"Oh my God!" The spirit was right. And that wasn't all - after coming like that, he should be exhausted or asleep, but he had never felt more awake, more alive. He ran to the washroom and looked in the mirror. He could see the energy dancing behind his eyes, and he could imagine how he would look to everyone else: magnetic, compelling. Deep down he knew, he could talk anyone into anything. He felt giddy, and even laughed out loud. He felt like a child again, but with the knowledge, and the appetites, of an adult.

He climbed back into bed with Carmen, and shook her again. "Carmen? Carmen? Come on, it's time to do all those things you want, the stuff I talked about." She didn't budge. He couldn't contain himself, and he shook her with more force. "Carmen! Let's go, the night is young!"

"Will! Forget it, she's down for the count. I took everything."

"So give her some of it back! I'm nowhere near finished with her!"

"Doesn't work that way. She and I are not bound - I can only give energy to you."

"God dammit! Well then, I guess we're going back to the bar!" He jumped out of bed and hurriedly got dressed, then ran out the door to find his shoes.

"Will, wait! You have to at least get her under the blankets. I've never drained anyone this thoroughly before. I don't know how long she's going to be out - she'll freeze!"

Growling with frustration, he ran back to the bed, jerked the covers out from under Carmen, and then flung them over her motionless form. "Good night, Carmen. Hope you don't get in too much trouble when you don't make it to work tomorrow, but there's nothing I can do. There, happy now, Qarin?" He got off the bed and went to look for his shoes at the entryway. Finally ready to leave, he opened the front door, pushed in the door lock, and pulled it closed behind him. The apartment settled into silence as Will walked out into the bright, vibrant night.