'No.'
'Okay. I know you've got the hots for Ruth, I know she's been through the worst fucking shit imaginable, but I think it's her.'
'Bollocks.'
'Thank you for that measured response.' She bit her tongue; she could feel the power in his hard body at her side. 'I'm not just being a jealous bitch, which I am, but not right now. Here's what I think. She's been waking up with nightmares about what those bastards did to her-'
'Wouldn't you?' He was already starting to bristle. She had to get to the point.
'I think those nightmares are caused by something real. You remember what the Bastards did to Tom under Dartmoor? They stuck one of those creepy little bugs in his head so he'd do everything they wanted.'
Veitch's head snapped round. For a second Laura's blood ran cold until she saw the troubled expression on his face. 'You think they did that to her?'
'Makes sense.'
He considered it for a moment, then shook his head vehemently. 'Bollocks.'
'Just think about it, that's all. It could've happened. Someone needs to keep an eye on her, and seeing as you've appointed yourself official judge, jury and executioner-' She caught herself. She'd done enough. She could tell from Witch's expression that the notion was already burrowing its way into his head.
'Come on, I need you.' Ruth caught Veitch's arm when they all met up outside the pub. She pulled him over to one side where the others couldn't hear them, oblivious to the odd way he was looking at her.
'What's wrong?'
'I want us to have sex.'
Witch's expression was so comical she had to stifle a giggle and that wouldn't have helped at all; he was sensitive enough as it was. His mouth moved, no words came out; his whole, stumbling thought process was played out fleetingly on his face. 'You're taking the piss now.'
That was the first response she expected. 'No, I'm not. I'm deadly serious.'
Veitch shook his head. There was a pink flush to his cheeks. He was eyeing her askance, still trying to read her motives.
'When we started out on this whole nightmare I was just a normal girl, but I've changed, like we've all changed. I've learned some things. Powerful things. How to change the world around us, things… things I don't want to talk about because I can hardly believe it myself. You know the owl that followed me around?'
His eyes ranged across her face; he seemed to be trying to peer into her head. He nodded.
'That wasn't just an owl. It was… Well, I don't really know what it was. I'm not making much sense, am I? I wish I could understand it all better myself.' She became lost in her own confusion of thoughts briefly. 'Look, the owl's some kind of familiar. You know what that is? A demon… I don't know… Some kind of supernatural creature, anyway. That took the form of an owl to be with me. But when the Fomorii had me under the castle I found out what it was really like. Not what it looked like. I mean, I couldn't see it. But… it taught me things-'
'What kind of things?'
Her mind sparked and fizzed with wild current when she considered the answer to the question; it was suddenly as if she could look into the infinite. 'Things that could help us. Only the trouble is, now the familiar has gone away and I don't know why, but there are still so many things I need to know.'
'Well this is all very fucking nice, but what's it got to do with us shagging?'
She sighed. 'I'm sorry, Ryan. I really am making a mess of this, aren't I? Let me try again. Sex is at the heart of all magic. Throughout history it's been used in all sorts of rituals. The earth energy, the blue fire in the land is the same energy we have inside us. In our spirits, our souls. It runs in grids over our bodies the same way it does in the land. Like the stone circles are areas where it's at its most powerful, there are places on our bodies where the power is strong. In eastern religion they're called chakras-' She watched him start to glaze over and quickly picked up the pace of the conversation. 'Normal sex fills us with this energy which we can use. But a particular kind of sex- it's called tantric sex-supercharges these chakras and-'
'And you know how to do this?'
'The familiar told me. I mean, I've never tried it, but-'
'There has to be a first time.'
'Right. Look, I don't want to take advantage of you. This isn't an emotional thing. But you get a good screw out of it and all the experiences you could want. And I get-'
'What?' His brow furrowed. 'If you don't want it to be anything serious, what do you get out of it? You're not some slapper-'
'You're so sweet,' she said with a mock smile. 'I get knowledge, hopefully. Power I can bend to my will.'
The incomprehension was chiselled into his face. He felt uncomfortable. It wasn't what he wanted, in the slightest, but it seemed important to Ruth.
'Look, don't waste time thinking about it now. If you're up for it, I'll fill you in as we go along. Are you?' He nodded, unsurely. 'Right. Then let's do it.' Back in the pub bedroom she drew the curtains and locked the door. None of the others would even think of disturbing them at that time of day. They were downstairs in the bar, picking over the remainder of their lunch, having a quiet drink, chewing over the village's problem. Her breath was ragged from apprehension and, if she admitted it to herself, a sexual charge.
'You're sure about this?' She could hear faint nervousness in Witch's voice. She sensed that if she called it off he would be more than happy.
'I am. Are you?'
'Yes.'
Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but what did she expect. 'I know this isn't how you expected, Ryan. It's not exactly every maiden's dream either. Not that I'm a maiden.' She blushed, looked away. 'But it's the only way I can think of-
'It's okay. You don't have to explain any more.' She smiled; underneath it all he was quite sweet. 'So how do we start?' he continued.
'Take our clothes off first, I suppose.'
It felt unduly uncomfortable, so artificial in the way it was drained of all passion, but she knew she couldn't afford to be self-conscious, for Veitch's sake. If he saw her being embarrassed, the atmosphere would completely fall apart and he probably wouldn't be able to perform. She set her mind and tried to act as brazen as possible. She pulled her T-shirt over her head and threw it on the bed, then unhooked her bra. Her nipples were already hard; her breasts almost ached. She tried to fool herself that her instant and powerful arousal was because it had been so long, but she knew in her heart she was physically attracted to Veitch. As he pulled his own T-shirt off she let her gaze run over his lean, muscled torso, watching the flex and ripple of the tattoos, like cartoons in animation. There was a hardness to his body she hadn't experienced in any of her previous lovers; it wasn't even the kind of hardness that came from working out in a gym. It was the kind of compacted yet supple muscle that came only from a life lived at street level, in onerous situations that tested the body on a daily basis in a way the fitness trainers couldn't even imagine. His own nipples were hard; that excited her even more. Briefly, his clear, powerful eyes caught hers and there was no embarrassment there at all. Energy crackled between them. She saw his own passion laid bare as his gaze dropped to her breasts.
She undid her loose belt, unpopped the buttons and dropped her jeans to her ankles. In the same motion she slipped down her briefs and stepped out of them. She felt the chill of the wetness between her legs send a tingling fire into her belly.
Veitch removed his trousers and his shorts. He was very hard, aching for her. A shiver ran through her. He seemed filled with vitality, as if the blue fire burned in every cell, nuclear fission raging out of control, ready to consume her.
She took his hand and pressed him towards the floor. When he was sitting with his legs out in front of him and his hands behind, she climbed astride him and gently lowered herself on her taut leg muscles, gripping his erection in her fist and feeding it into her. His hardness was shocking; it seemed to go in so deep she felt it was almost in her chest. She wrapped her legs around him and supported herself on her hands behind her. Her heart was thundering, the passion crackling through every fibre of her.
'Don't move,' she said. 'This is the hard part. The aim is to achieve orgasm without moving, through meditation, directing the energy. I've had some guidance how to do it. Normally it takes a long period of training
