The Witch's Graduation

Book 3 of "The Coven Chronicles"

The Witch's Graduation

~~ All characters in this book are 18 or over. ~~

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Our story so far:

John and Susanna Chamberlain have Crossed, bringing their sexual power into the service of the Chamberlain Coven, a group of witches living in Des Moines, Iowa. Bound by the Goddess to use this power for the welfare of the Earth, John has mated with his sister, Susanna, and also with his cousins, Hilda and Agatha, as well as taken his mother, Claire, as his lover.

However, John still must mate with his older sister, Eleanor, and must complete the ritual by taking his Aunt Hilda as his lover as well. Proud of her status as John's first mate, Susanna must fight against feelings of jealousy.

At the same time, an orphan named Steve Johnson has been brought into their household by Claire. Hilda and Eleanor have both sensed that Steve is a man of power, one of the few men who have the ability to use magic to affect the world around them. Steve has been emotionally and physically abused by Calvin Grant, a fundamentalist preacher. How will he fit into their home?

And somewhere, the Dark One, the ancient demon who hates the coven unceasingly, is out there.

Waiting...

Chapter 1

Claire, John and Susanna walked upstairs, leaving Steve to settle in. Claire looked around the living room. "Where's the rest of his stuff, John?"

"That was the rest of his stuff," Eleanor and John responded in unison. John slanted a crooked smile at Ellie, who continued, "Honestly, Mom, it's like the kid hardly exists. Two boxes of clothes and a bag with a toothbrush and razor, and that's about it. He's been stripped to the bone."

Claire nodded as they walked out onto the side porch beside the kitchen. The rest of the coven was already out there, enjoying the sunset. The humidity and the temperature had both dropped, and as the evening birds sang in the trees, Claire found herself relaxing into a state of well-earned tranquility.

She sat down beside her sister and stole her wineglass. Taking a long sip, she surveyed the rest of her family.

"Well?"

"This is going to have to be one of the quickest integrations in history," said Sybil, taking her glass back from Claire. "The boy has as much power as any of us. That's new. Chad and Mark certainly didn't. It's been generations since we had a male marry into the coven whose powers matched ours.

"This isn't like the old days, when the High Ones walked the earth, and their seed mingled with ours. Those days are long gone, and not likely to return in this world of science." She shook her head regretfully.

"I happen to like science," said Agatha. "Indoor plumbing, air conditioning, books..."

"Agriculture, electricity..." put in Eleanor.

"Vaccines, modern health care..." added Susanna.

"Space exploration, birth control..." noted John.

"Computers. Porn. Porn on computers," said Hilda with a grin.

"Yes, yes," admitted Sybil, waving away their comments. "But you have to admit that Steve is rather...formidable. Goddess knows what would have happened if three of you hadn't already mated with John. Hilda, how in the world did you keep yourself under control?"

"I met him on the street in broad daylight. Say what you want about me, but I am not dumb enough to try for an outdoor quickie with a boy I have barely met.

"Now, though..." she trailed off. Her body shifted languidly. Her attitude, which had before signaled that of a woman whose needs had been sated, at least for the time being, changed abruptly. Her legs sagged open and Sybil was amused to see a tiny patch of dampness on her crotch. Whether that was from current arousal or from her exertions with John before she arrived was anyone's guess.

"I'd take him. Right now," Hilda said.

"No, you won't," said both Eleanor and Claire. Eleanor looked apologetically at Claire. "Go ahead, Momma."

"Hilda, the boy is a nervous wreck. Goddess knows what sort of damage that monster Grant did to his spirit. We're going to have to lure him in just like he was a stray dog. Make him used to us. Let him get to know our habits.

"So here are the ground rules," she said, speaking to all of them. "Come over as often as you want. Some of you will be here to see Johnny in any case. When you mention the Goddess, make sure it is only as a part of your daily lives. The man has had religion shoved down his throat so hard he is choking on it. No attempts at conversion, oaky?" She waited until everyone had nodded.

"As far as the rest of it goes, dress as you like, talk to him as you like. Make him your friend. Once he understands us a bit, we will introduce him to the Goddess. Make a few small displays of power. If he doesn't fly into a screaming panic at the prospect of magic still existing..."

"He won't," John, sitting on a chaise with Susanna, said confidently. "Didn't Ellie tell us how he was a sci-fi and fantasy addict? I'll bet you he goes absolutely over the moon at the idea."

"That doesn't mean a dang thing, Johnny," said Agatha, with some asperity. "Someone in his situation may have just been reading those books as a way to escape. It doesn't mean he's going to accept it in real life."

Claire nodded, "Exactly. Anyway. If he does manage to accept our power and magic, then we can ease him into the idea that he may have abilities as well. And it is only a short step from there to discussing the practical implications of joining our coven."

Hilda snorted in amusement. "Practical implications? That might be the best name for sexytime I've ever heard. Come on over to my apartment, Steve," she said to thin air. "We need to work on the practical implications of our relationship."

She rose to her feet and stretched. "I have to go. I have a six o'clock class tomorrow morning at the gym. I'll see you all soon." After checking to make sure no one was watching from the kitchen, she walked over and gave Susanna a quick kiss on the cheek, and John a longer one on his lips. Waving at the rest of the family, she left.

"Ten bucks says she sleeps with Steve before we can bring him into the coven," said Agatha worriedly, watching Hilda exit. Behind her, the outdoor lights came on as the last remaining light from the sun faded into the dark blue of twilight.

"You're on," said Sybil, and John nodded agreement. "She won't do it, because she is a horny little tramp," said her mother, with a great deal of fondness in her voice. "She won't take the chance of scaring Steve off. I bet she has better control than the rest of us."

"I think," said Eleanor, teasing the problem out in her mind, "that Steve may affect us more depending on how close he is and how long we've spent with him.

"When I met him this afternoon at the store, I was affected, sure. I wanted to have sex with him. That body and his sad eyes..." she trailed off, then shook herself, gentle face wistful. "But I was able to keep it under control. The longer I spent with him, though...It. Just. Kept. Building. The car ride, the meal, setting him up in the basement. Just his presence was enough to nearly make me cum," she said, blushing softly. "If Susie and Claire hadn't been there, I would have mated with him and damned the consequences.

"Susie, what was it like for you?"

Susanna raised her eyebrows at Eleanor's blunt description of her lust for their new lodger. "Nothing like that. I mean, he is cute and all. His ass is awesome. And when I saw his tummy, mmmmm," she moaned appreciatively, hand dropping to John's crotch. "But it's not like I wanted to throw him down on the couch and ravish him, like you obviously did."

"Heck, I wouldn't have even bothered with the couch," Eleanor frowned, fingers drumming on the patio table.

Agatha cleared her throat and they all looked at her, "I think that we might want to think of Steve as if he is a radioactive element. Small doses won't harm us, but the closer we are to him, and the longer that exposure lasts..."

Sybil laughed as she looked fondly at her younger child. She shook her head. "Only you, Aggie. Only you would turn power, magic, and lust into a chemistry exam." She looked at the others. "But I think she has a real good point. And to further push the analogy, I think those of us who aren't wearing the 'protective suits' of having slept with John are in the most danger.

"So that being said, I think Eleanor and I should go. We both have work tomorrow anyway." She and Eleanor stood and made their goodbyes. Soon, it was only Claire, Agatha, John, and Susanna.

"So what are you going to do all summer, Aggie?" asked Susanna, changing the subject. "Have you heard from JPL yet?"

Agatha shook her head, "Nothing so far. And to be honest, it was a long shot anyway, with all those people from MIT and Stanford and CalTech applying. Drake isn't exactly known for its engineering program. If I was going to get in I think I would have heard something by now.

"I'll probably end up helping Mom and Aunt Claire in the store again. If you don't mind, that is," she said, flashing Claire a quick look.

"Not at all, honey," said Claire with a smile. "These two," she said, with a fond glance at Susanna and John, who were necking softly on the bench, "need to learn that work isn't just sitting behind a counter or in front of a computer. That's why once they turned seventeen I made them get unpleasant jobs. You've already had that lesson."

"Goddess, have I ever. When I think about the summer I waited tables and washed dishes..." she shuddered. "Well, I'm off for home. I'm helping Molly pack up tomorrow so she can move back to Ottumwa for the summer."

John slapped at a mosquito on his arm. "Looks like it is time to go inside anyway. Freaking Iowa."

@@@

In the basement, Steve had changed into a t-shirt and old, grubby pair of cut-off sweat pants and had finished unpacking his meager possessions. With no bureau, he had laid out his clothes neatly beside the sofa-bed, which he had opened out. The sheets and blankets were on the bed, and he was quietly reading a short-story anthology by Charles DeLint when a soft knock sounded on the door leading to the staircase. He opened it to see Claire Chamberlain.

"I brought you something," she said with a smile. "There aren't any windows down here, so when you turn off the lights it is going to be very dark. I don't want you stumbling around and hurting yourself if you wake up and have to go to the bathroom or something." She opened her hand to reveal a small nightlight.

"We're going to be going to bed soon. But I wanted to tell you good night, and that we are very happy you decided to stay with us." With a quick motion, she hugged him and kissed him on the cheek, ignoring his startled flinch. Steve was surprised to see that the top of her head barely reached his nose. When they had been talking, she had seemed much larger.

"Good night, Steve. May the Goddess grant you sweet dreams."

"Good night, Miss Chamberlain."

She turned around on the stairway, and even in the dim light he could see her smile.

"My name is Claire. It won't kill you to use it."

@@@

"How is he?" Susanna asked, as Claire came back upstairs.

"Settling in, I think," she replied, "But still jumpy as hell. It's going to take him a few days to relax."

Susanna nodded, then leaned over to kiss John's cheek. "Ready for bed?" she purred seductively.

John looked away from the TV, which was showing baseball highlights, and grimaced. "Susie, I don't know if I can. Hilda..." He trailed off. "The woman's an animal. We did it four times before she took a nap. And when she woke up we did it again.

"I'm sore. Down there. And raw. I mean, I want to. I need to. But I also know that it is going to hurt. And that kind of throws a wet towel on the whole thing."

"Sore? Awww, poor baby. Let your sister kiss it and make all better," Susanna cooed. She dropped her hands into John's lap and started to undo his shorts.

"Upstairs, children," said Claire, not even looking up from her novel. "Steve could come up those stairs anytime looking for a snack."

"This is ridiculous," Susanna complained. Or pretended to. "No walking around naked. No fornicating with your brother downstairs. You'd think this was a prison."

"No molesting your mother," added John. "No screwing the cute boy in the basement."

"Yes, dears," said Claire calmly. "Come and kiss me goodnight, and then sex each other up like good children."

Susanna giggled and kissed her mother, followed by a much deeper kiss from John.

Susanna's eyes widened in surprise as they entered John's room. For the first time in memory, there weren't a half-dozen t-shirts scattered near the hamper, victims of John's inaccurate throwing arm. His baseball equipment was stacked neatly in the corner, his books were shelved, and his bed was made.

She looked at him in surprise. "You cleaned up! I don't believe it. For me?" she asked, turning to John.

John raised an eyebrow. "In keeping with my new station in life, having obtained a mate," he said, adopting a high-class British accent, "I will be forced to entertain, and to display my worth before all the world. You see before you the first fruits of that undertaking."

Susie giggled and jumped into his arms, bowling him over onto the bed. As her weight came down onto his groin, John stifled a groan.

"Boy, you really are sore down there, aren't you?"

"Sis, you have no idea. Any man who claims to be able to satisfy any woman should meet Hilda Chamberlain. Because he would see how big an idiot he is. The woman is insatiable. I think she rubbed all the skin off my dick."

"So obviously we aren't going to be doing any slam-fucking tonight," said Susanna with a disappointed pout. She frowned, then jumped up as her eyes lit with an idea. "Stay here," she said, and left the room.

She was back in just a few moments with a plastic bottle in her hand. John read the label and laughed.

"Baby oil?"

"Why not?" She popped the top and handed the bottle to John. While he stared at it, she took off her clothes and laid back on the bed, propped on his pillows. She watched her brother with lust-filled eyes as he pulled off his own clothes.

"No. Sit over there," she said, pointing to the office chair by John's desk. "You know your body best," she said in answer to John's confused expression. "And I don't want to hurt you. So. You get yourself ready. And I'll do the same. And we can watch each other. It'll be hot."

Shrugging, John sat in his computer chair. He had picked it up at an office store a couple of years ago and it was comfortably worn. Leaning back, he put one leg on the corner of his desk, and the other he rested on the footboard of his bed. His vantage gave him a perfect angle to see Susanna, who was leaning against the headboard.

He poured a generous handful of oil into his right palm. Wincing slightly, he rubbed the cool liquid onto his cock, sighing with relief as it eased his sensitive shaft. Working slowly, he made sure he rubbed it thoroughly into his skin. Once that was done, he coated both hands, and then got down to the serious business of pleasuring himself.

And arousing his sister.

This is new, he thought. While his mother had taught him that masturbation was nothing to be ashamed of, she had encouraged him to explore his body in private, and certainly not in front of his twin. Having Susanna only a few feet away, staring at him avidly as he stroked his cock, was one more impossibility in a weekend full of them.

He ran an oil-slick finger up the under-ridge of his penis, then back down, enjoying the sensitivity. The muscles pulsed weakly, working their way up to the crescendo which would follow. He relaxed into the chair and concentrated on Susanna.

As always, she was exquisite, somehow mingling delicate innocence and debauchery into one intoxicating mix. Her feet were on the bed, tucked up near her shapely ass, which allowed her knees and thighs to sag apart wantonly, exposing the sweet petals of her sex. John could see her clit peeking shyly from under its hood, and the innermost part of her groin was gleaming wetly.

Susanna's hands, however, were busy elsewhere. Seeing John's cock had stoked her passion, and her hands were busy on her tits. She hefted them, cradling their weight in her palms as her fingertips danced delicately over the flushed skin. Bowing her head, she blew hot breath down her chest, and laughed with happy delight as her nipples hardened instantly, brought to fullness by her lust.

She sighed and tilted her head back against the bedframe. Goddess, she prayed silently, I thank you. Thank you for allowing me to be the mate of this glorious man. She kept her left hand on her breasts, dancing between the full orbs and the erect nipples, while her right snuck quietly down her belly toward her sex. She laved her fingertip in her wet pussy, and then sent it on a pleasant journey to her love-button, stroking it until she began to gasp and her thighs to tremble.

"So, Sis," John's voice intruded, "Did you talk to Agatha and the rest of them about whether I will be able to tell you about our time together?"

Susanna opened her eyes. John's hand was no longer toying with his erect cock. He had it gripped firmly in his fist, and was pumping slowly. Unbidden, Susanna's mind imagined him in this room, doing the same thing for years, masturbating to porn or to a sexy magazine, or simply laying in bed, dreaming of love. She didn't even try to fight back her groan of desire, and she felt sweat pop out in the small of her back and along her hairline. The room reeked of musk and passion.

"Yes," she gasped, fingers working more urgently, "I did." She swallowed and continued. "Aunt Sybil said that if it didn't bother you, it didn't bother her. Hilda laughed and said I was pervier than she had dreamed, and that she would think about it. Agatha gave me a flat no."

"No surprise there," John said. "I didn't think she would." He continued to stroke. The dark head of his cock was growing, bulbous head slick with juice.

"Eleanor said that she hadn't even had her shot at you yet, so wasn't I jumping the gun? And Mom just gave me this look and shook her head. She said that she didn't have any secrets to hide, and that if this made me feel better it was okay with her."

"So two yes, one no, and two to be decided," said John. One of his legs began to shake. "Susie, I'm getting close. If you want to..."

"Goddess yes, I want to!" she interrupted. "Come over here."

John joined her on the bed and Susanna promptly pushed him down on his back. Quick as thought she straddled him and brought his cock to her waiting cleft.

Between the oil and their natural lubrication, John slipped into Susanna with almost no effort at all. Susanna didn't even bother to muffle her deep moan of satisfaction. Screw it, she thought. If Steve can hear us through two floors, then he can come up and join us.

The mere thought of having both John and Steve in her bed was nearly enough to send her over the edge. With a quick move, she stood on the balls of her feet, crouched so low that she was able to keep John's mighty prick within her. She held still for a moment, reveling in the feel of his heat, their groins the only places on their bodies that touched.

Or needed to.

Goddess bless me, why didn't anyone ever tell me how beautiful a man could be? Her eyes drank in the gorgeous form of her mate. Her brother. From strong feet and calves to toned thighs to flat, muscled belly to his always-familiar, always-changing face, he was everything that a woman could desire.

Still on her feet, she slowly began to raise and lower her body, keeping up a delicious friction. In deference to John's state, she kept her strokes long and light. She smiled as she watched his face change expression. From amusement at this new position, to appreciation at the pleasure it brought, and then to that gradual, drawing-inward look that meant his climax was near. She could feel his shaft thicken slightly, growing in response to the torrent of come that was barreling up his rod.