Wonder Woman - Spellbound Ch. 01

This is the beginning of a "what if?" side story for Wonder Woman - Twisted Dominion. The branch-off point is sometime after Wonder Woman - Twisted Dominion Ch. 03. Diana still tells Mark about Aresia and Aphrodite's Rod and Mark still goes and retrieves it. They still have had discussions about including another woman in their fun, but Diana and Mark haven't yet decided who that woman will be. Though I'm sure you readers can guess from the title.

All characters involved are 18+. Wonder Woman and Zatanna are owned by DC Comics.

- - -

1.

"You're telling me that she doesn't use any magic during these live performances?"

Mark gave Diana a doubtful look, but the Amazonian remained smiling. The expression on her face was that of calm confidence. She reached over and took Mark's hand in her own, leaning over to whisper in his ear.

"She might use magic every now and then, just to enhance the show for the audience's sake." Diana spoke low and softly, humming as her lips brushed against Mark's ear. The young man let the pleasant sensation settle in his gut. Every chance Diana got to tease him, she took it. Not that Mark minded at all. "But most of the time, Zatanna uses real tricks and illusions."

"Real tricks and illusions?" Mark snorted, giving his date another peculiar look.

Diana lightly slapped his arm.

"You know what I mean."

Mark let out a small chuckle, giving his Amazonian girlfriend a small grin as he leaned back in his seat. Fixing his eyes on the stage, he went back to enjoying the show.

Damn good seats they were, especially for a hot ticket event like a Zatanna Zatara magic show. The middle seats of the middle row, putting Mark and Diana right smack in the center. The fact that they were free only made them that much sweeter.

Mark had himself a good view. Actually, no. It was a great view.

Straight ahead was the Mistress of Magic herself, striding across the stage in those lovely high-heeled boots, those delectable fishnet stockings, all wrapped up in that flawless magician outfit. Every inch of the woman was immaculate, almost as perfect as Mark's own Wonder Woman. Hell, if he didn't know any better, Mark could have sworn Ms. Zatara was glowing. Her luminous, shimmering hair seemed to be sparkling, at least. Raven locks tumbling down her shoulders in soft, bouncy waves. And her smile... warm, gentle, confident, and dazzling. Mark just couldn't keep his eyes off of her.

Ms. Zatara's beauty was almost... magical.

There was a strut in her step, Mark could see. A little umph that oozed poise, confidence, and power. Click, clack, click, clack, her heels would sound off as she moved to center stage. Every step sent a faint tremble through her legs, her body. Not enough to be distracting or obscene, but enough for a man with Mark's keen eyes to notice. Even dressed up tightly as she was, Zatanna had some wibble and wobble to her more pronounced femininity.

Magical, indeed...

Zatanna stood at the stage edge then, her hands planted on her wide hips. She was wearing shorts, not panties like she used to. Well, they hadn't been panties exactly, but the bottoms she used to wear had been high-cut like a bikini. They may as well have been panties. These days, Zatanna had opted for something more modest - but no less sexy. Short shorts made of the same shiny, black material. And they hugged her waist and rear so delightfully.

The Mistress of Magic beamed over the auditorium, taking clear pride in the packed house.

"And for my next trick, a true classic!" She called out, her voice carrying easily over the audience. Perhaps she was using some magic in that regard, as well. "My assistant, Zachary, bravely volunteers to be... sawn in half!"

Zatanna gestured to the young man in question - he seemed to be around Mark's age - who was standing off to the side. The crowd gave some polite applause, Mark and Diana included. But there was some scattered laughter coming from the audience. And Mark couldn't exactly blame them.

Classic? More like ancient.

Mark gave Diana an aside glance, his brow furrowed. Is she serious, was his unspoken question. But his girlfriend gave him a simple shrug in return.

"Just keep watching, Mark." Diana told him, smirking.

Mark bit his tongue and did as his girlfriend bid. It was clear that she knew something he did not. And they were her free tickets to begin with. Mark had never been the type to look a gift magician in the mouth.

At the very least, the eye candy was nice. Very, very nice.

Zatanna gave the crowd one of her winning smiles as she guided her assistant into the classic, long wooden box. Mark could have sworn she had looked right at him. But the excitement he felt was fleeting. His attention was quickly caught by the box itself. Painted black with bright yellow question marks... and bright yellow letter Zs. Mark couldn't help but snort.

Cute. Real cute.

"Now, I know this trick is a bit of an oldie." Zatanna closed the black box shut just as her assistant poked his head and feet through the holes at both ends. "But just bear with me and I'll make it worth your while!"

The Mistress of Magic turned to the audience, wearing a cheeky grin as she took off her tophat. Then she reached inside... and pulled out a handsaw!

A few gasps and faint claps echoed from the crowd. Even Mark had to admit he was a little impressed. Then the glimmering beauty on stage gave her loving crowd a cute wink, drawing a couple hoots and whistles from the male half of her audience. Mark himself felt his smile growing. He really liked this babe's attitude.

Zatanna wiggled her white-gloved fingers at the crowd, giving them a cute little wave. Then she approached the longbox with the saw in hand.

"You see, Zachary here is pretty busy when he's not acting as my assistant. So many things to get done, so little time!" Zatanna explained, moving behind the longbox. Her assistant swiveled his head to the crowd, giving them a sheepish smile. This drew another round of light chuckles. Even Mark couldn't help himself. Zatanna then put her handsaw into action, slowly cutting through the wooden box at where Zachary's waistline would be. The assistant, meanwhile, gave the crowd an exaggerated wince. Zatanna kept speaking. "So I thought I'd lend him a helping hand. With a little Zatanna magic, Zachary will soon have the gift... of being in two places at once!"

Somewhere off stage, a ba-dum-tiss could be heard. A few hearty laughs bustled from the audience. Hell, Mark even heard a genuine guffaw! But mostly there was groaning. Sympathetic, yes, but not enough to entertain such a low effort joke.

Zatanna herself didn't seem too offended. The devious glint in her eyes remained as she continued to saw the longbox in half.

"Painful, I know." The beautiful magician acknowledged, her voice straining as she worked her arm back and forth. She gave a flat chuckle. "Just be glad I didn't become a comedian."

Zatanna continued to saw, drawing the jagged blade back and forth through the black, wooden box. She kept at it until the sawblade was through to the bottom side. A clean cut all the way through where her assistant's waist would be.

The magician huffed, blowing a rogue strand of her silky black hair from her pretty face. Then she stood, planting her hands on her hips, proudly inspecting her hard work. With a smirk towards the audience, she pushed the two halves of the longbox away from each other, with her assistant's head going one way and his feet going the other away. A small smattering of applause bubbled up from the crowd before Zatanna gestured for them to settle down.

"Can I get a drumroll, please?" She called out to somewhere off-stage. Immediately there came the sound of drumsticks pattering against a snare drum, quick strikes in a steady rhythm. It was a bit corny for Mark's tastes, but nevertheless the young man felt his anticipation building.

Zatanna moved between the two box halves, arms spread wide to present both of them. She beamed at the waiting crowd, letting their growing excitement feed into her own.

"Behold!" She called out, a dazzling smile spread between full, rosy cheeks. She gestured towards the half of the longbox that held her assistant's upper half. "The power to be in two places at once!"

The box half opened up and out stepped Zachary. A few gasps peppered through the audience along with some confused murmurs. The assistant was completely intact, very pointedly not sawn in half. Mark narrowed his eyes as he watched the young man stand alongside Zatanna, giving the crowd a nervous wave.

But before the feeling of disappointment could really settle in, Mark saw Zatanna gesture towards the other half of the longbox. The trick wasn't finished yet, it seemed. And curiously, Mark could see that there was still a pair of feet poking out of the other end of the box.

Huh. That's different.

The other half of the box opened up then... and another Zachary stepped out! Not the poor sap's bottom half, but rather a full, complete identical copy. A living, breathing second assistant! Up on the stage, Zatanna was flanked on both sides by two copies of her loyal assistant. Both young men gave the crowd a polite wave and a thumbs-up.

And the audience, once realization set in and just what kind of trick had been played on them, broke into applause. Real, genuine, very impressed applause. Hoots and hollers erupted from the crowd, barely audible over the clapping and cheers. Some people were even rising from their seats. And Mark couldn't blame them. It was a damn good trick.

As the three performers on stage took a bow, Mark turned towards Diana. He wore a grin, but was shaking his head in disbelief.

"That had to have been magic." He told her, rumbling through an incredulous laugh. "It just had to have been."

Diana gave him a smirk. As if his reaction had been very much expected... and anticipated.

"Why don't we stick around after the show..." The Amazonian Princess offered, her voice smooth and sweet. "And we can ask her ourselves?"

- - -

2.

Another evening, another successful show.

The hero business was fulfilling, life affirming, and made her insides all warm and fuzzy, absolutely. But that sense of satisfaction that Zatanna felt could not be denied. Especially after such a solid performance. Hell, even cousin Zachary had a good time - despite all the earlier moping over being "relegated" to a mere stage assistant.

Zatanna would be riding this high all the way through to next week. She never considered herself an attention whore, but damn if tonight's applause didn't get her all wound up. She loved the crowd's adoration. She wasn't afraid to admit that. Everybody liked the idea of being a star, of people cheering their name.

But not everybody got the chance to make those dreams into reality. And not everybody was dealt a lucky hand at birth, like Zatanna had been.

Homo Magi. A witch. That's what she was. Magic was in her blood. Real magic. And in the modern day, such things didn't get her burned at the stake. In fact, most people thought it was the coolest thing to have magic powers. And she used it as a springboard to fame and fortune.

The Mistress of Magic! Celebrity and superheroine!

Zatanna counted herself most fortunate.

How could she not? Especially when she had Wonder Woman coming to see her shows.

Wonder Woman... and her plus one. That had really gotten Zatanna's attention. Two free tickets were set aside for the friendly Amazonian and one of them had gone to a very handsome man.

It was a bit of a thrill, Zatanna had to admit, to find out that Wonder Woman had a mystery gentleman acquaintance. Diana was amiable enough on the Watchtower, but she never got too personal with anybody outside of the founding members. Clark, Bruce, Barry, Hal, Arthur, and J'onn, those were the Leaguers Diana was closest to. But even with them, Diana never went into too much detail about her personal life, at least as far as Zatanna could tell. With her romantic affairs, Diana was likely even more reserved.

The chances were that Zatanna had just found out a little secret about Wonder Woman. And she couldn't help but feel just a little giddy about it.

The crowd had departed from the auditorium, but Diana and her male friend had stayed behind. Zatanna was going to meet this mystery man face-to-face. The prospect was juicy. She didn't like being stereotypical, but it was exciting. Even if he did turn out to be just a friend.

Yeah, right.

Zatanna forced her smirk into a friendly smile as the odd pair approached the stage. Diana Prince, elegant, regal, gorgeous in a tight, dark green dress, and right beside her, the mystery man, tall and lean and... and young. Handsome, yes, and dressed sharply in a well-fitted suit... but he couldn't have been older than mid-20s. He looked like he was still in college, Zatanna noted with shock.

Huh. I didn't think Diana liked her men so fresh-faced.

"Nice to know that the sensational Wonder Woman can find the time to enjoy a humble magic show." Zatanna teased, carefully easing herself down into the orchestra pit.

She set aside her top hat - on the stage floor which was now at chest height - and smoothed out her tailcoat. Then she put on a warm, friendly face - but very much noticing how Diana's friend eyed her legs. The smirk returned to her lips for a brief moment - Zatanna couldn't help it. Men liked her legs and she was damn proud of that. Not even Wonder Woman's boy toy could ignore how good they looked.

"Free tickets are free tickets." Diana spoke with such calm grace, even in small talk. She truly was royalty. Zatanna couldn't mistake her for anything else. The Amazon gave a small smile, exuding effortless regal beauty. Zatanna was almost jealous. "And I figured I earned a break. Wonderful show, Zatanna."

"Well, now you're just making me blush." Zatanna was only half-joking. Even though she wasn't into women - mostly - a compliment from Wonder Woman still had the young witch's heart fluttering. Zatanna turned towards the Amazon's still-unknown friend, hoping to change the subject before she turned into a giggling mess. "And who's this? Does the handsome acquaintance have a name?"

Zatanna fought back a wince. That "handsome" had just slipped out. But she wasn't wrong. Fresh-faced and young, the Princess' date was a looker indeed. Dark brown hair, combed but slightly - and stylishly - messy. Fair skin, but not too pale. He had a light tan, making it clear he wasn't a shut-in. Sculpted face, full lips, and alluring green eyes. Lean but not skinny, it was clear he was decently built under his well-fitted dark suit. Zatanna had him placed somewhere between a hunk and a pretty boy. Athletic, but not a meathead. Just right. The kind of guy she'd have gone crazy for back in college.

The grin he gave her along with the little sparkle in his eyes only hammered those feelings home.

Damn if you aren't a lady killer...

Tall, dark, and handsome offered his hand, his grin turning into a dazzling, toothy smile. Zatanna felt her heart fluttering again. She took his hand and shook. A firm grip. And the tiniest shock as their skin touched. Zatanna liked that.

"Mark Messner." He introduced himself, his words rumbling deep and warm in his throat. "Charmed to meet you in person, Ms. Zatara."

Nice voice. Nice grip. Nice body. There's no way Diana's not bedding this guy. There's just no way.

"You're not so bad yourself, Mr. Messner." Zatanna kept herself from putting too much honey in her voice. She wasn't going to flirt with Wonder Woman's guy right in front of her. She had a bit more class than that. But she couldn't keep herself from eyeing him up. A quick once-over, but enough for an Amazonian's sharp eyes to catch. Zatanna felt her cheeks grow a little warm. She gave the other heroine a look. "So is he your... friend?"

Diana's dark red lips spread into a proud smile. Zatanna's eyes widened as she watched the Amazon coil her arm around Mark's, drawing herself closer into the young man's side. Mark seemed to stand up straighter then, looking more pleased than proud.

"Boyfriend." Diana affirmed, the conviction in her voice like a solid, bold period at the end of her declaration. "We've been seeing each other for a couple months now."

There was passion there, enough to send Zatanna's heart skipping a beat. Mark wasn't just a boy toy, she realized. He was way more than that.

Woah...

For a moment, Zatanna forgot how to speak. She had been giddy just moments before, back when all she had were suspicions and juicy gossip. But now, to have the truth laid out in the open and straight from the woman herself... It was like being smacked in the face!

"Wow!" Zatanna breathed out. She managed a dopey grin. "That's... that's great!"

The young witch caught a flash in the Amazonian's crystal blue eyes. The faintest hint of naughtiness that had her heart fluttering yet again.

"He certainly is."

Right before the implications of the Amazonian's words could settle in Zatanna's mind, the man himself chose that moment to cut in. Clearing his throat, he untangled his arm from Diana's, taking a step back from the two superheroines.

"I don't mean to be rude, but I need to step away for a moment." He told them, wearing an apologetic smile. He placed a hand over his gut. "A little champagne goes a long way, it seems. Don't let me keep you ladies from catching up. The hero stuff is probably above my pay grade anyway."

Then he turned and started for the lobby. Zatanna kept her eyes fixed on his back as he departed, watching the refined movements of his body just under the fabric of his coat. He really was a well-built young man, she decided. Then he was gone, the doors to the main auditorium closing shut behind him. Leaving Zatanna alone with a very pleased-looking Diana Prince.

I'll bet she has plenty to be pleased about...

"Gonna be honest, Diana..." Zatanna started, breaking the silence. "Not who I expected."

Diana gave a rich chuckle, her laugh coming like sweet musical notes.

"What do you mean?"

Zatanna rolled her eyes.

"I just never took you for the type to go after young guys."

Another laugh came bubbling from Diana's throat, rich and sweet and sending Zatanna's belly into a weightless coil.

"I'm thousands of years old, Zatanna. Every man is a younger man." Diana pursed her lips, a daring look flashing across her eyes. "And what makes you think he didn't come after me?"

Zatanna blinked. She leveled at Diana a silent stare.

Huh. Well then...

That prospect was... very interesting. The young witch gave a quick glance towards the doors Mark had departed through. She found herself quickly reevaluating just what kind of man she thought he was. He seemed charming enough. But if she took Diana's words to heart, then Mark Messner was a much more formidable man than she assumed. Supposedly. Perhaps Diana was simply teasing her.

Zatanna found several ideas swimming through her mind just then. Very explicit ideas. The kind that were rude to have in front of friendly company. She shifted on her heeled feet, breathing in deeply.