------------- ------------------- Several hours later . . . ------------- ------------------- If she hadn't had such a great morning earlier, Shamira would be miserable. Even with her advanced recovery, she really needed more than a few hours of sleep before starting the day. But Clara's cell phone had erupted (to Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" as a ring tone, no less) with Clyde informing them that he had located the medium who had been dealing with Shamira's sister. They didn't ask how he had found out so fast, but they did show up at a little trailer-style business on the outskirts of town. Just as Shamira had thought, it was on the far side of town from where her sister lived and worked. Inside was a nervous young woman who had all the trappings of a stereotyped gypsy woman. The trailer-trash-blond was sitting next to Clyde, fidgeting and rubbing her hands. "I'm so sorry," she was saying as Clara and Shamira walked in. "I wasn't trying to expose anyone. It's just that

Shane came in her mouth with little warning. He pulled out until only the head remained inside, then spurted several waves of warm jizz onto her tongue. "Swallow it," he growled, "and clean up the mess. Shamira happily obliged, swallowing his seed and then gently sucking and licking his softening member until it glistened with the moisture from her mouth and that was all. He stepped away and tucked himself back in, and then picked up the belt again. Moving to the side of the desk, he brought it down, making her back tingle. The rest of her was already tingling from what Henry was doing. She getting strapped and fucked at the same time, and she couldn't believe how good it felt. Their whole world revolved around her at the moment. Just for shits and giggles, she "strained" against the handcuffs, making sure every muscle of her arms, back, and shoulders was flexing to its utmost . . . so they knew the power of the animal they had captured. She wondered if it was just her imagination

"It ain't that at all. I just can't seem to wrap my brain around how powerful you are.""What? I've got a few cool tricks, but you're stronger and Shane's stronger, and everyone keeps saying that the weres are --""They're a different kind of strong, and you are DEFINITELY more powerful than I am. Three of the Shadow Aspects? You're not even three weeks old yet!""Sorry," she muttered. She felt like she was being given a free pass . . . power she hadn't earned that should go to others."Don't be. I"m surprised, not upset." He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her to her feet, then checked out her hands. They were already as clear as if they'd never even been nibbled. "You're amazing," he murmured.Suddenly, Shamira was uncomfortable again. Someone else should've gotten all this power, not her. Someone better suited to using it. All the excitement and adrenalin of the evening abandoned her, leaving her feeling hollow again.Henry seemed oblivious to her mind's about-face. "Well, your

---------- ------------------- Friday night . . . ---------- ------------------- Shamira was sitting in the main hall of Shane's impressive estate. She hadn't been sure what the dress code was for meeting future house-member, and she'd fretted so much that Clara had actually been forced to get out of bed and help her come up with a suitable outfit. It was strange, but Shamira seemed to be sleeping in Clara's room so often that a lot of her clothes, costumes, and personal items had made their way in there. She wondered if she was intruding too much on Clara's personal space? 'She hasn't said anything,' Shamira thought. Shamira was dressed in a flowing black skirt from the waist to the ankles, with a bare midriff, and a black-silk vest that stretched around her ample bosom. Her hair was actually out of its braid, flowing down over her submissive collar and muscular shoulders. She'd taken no small amount of pride at the approving glances that she'd gotten from her co-workers. "Nerv

--------------- -----------That night . . .--------------- -----------Shamira was nervous. She was waiting for the fairies to arrive to perform a ceremony using Shamira's "sexual energy" to contact all all the other faerie colonies in Georgia. They were trying to find out if any faeries had gone missing, as there was a good chance that such creatures had been captured and had their blood used to make the magical drug morning star.That wasn't the part that made her nervous. Shane decided to send Yosyp along with her and Renata, and Shamira wasn't sure how to handle that. Yosyp was pretty much the poster boy for the vampires of horror films. He even had an accent, though it was more Ukrainian than Transylvanian. He didn't speak much, but he also never did anything threatening. All Shamira knew was that he was somewhat handsome, highly dangerous, and had once been an enforcer for the Tribunal. How and why he was here was a question for someone above her pay grade."And so you agreed t