"You can scamper on out now, Lindsay..." Brian drawled, his eyes trained on the trees behind which Lindsay stood hiding.

Glaring at her oldest and dearest friend, Lindsay retorted, "I do NOT scamper!"

"I trust you heard everything..." Brian went on in a bored tone, his hope that their talk was to be short. He had much he needed to be doing.

Lindsay nodded, with censure and concern in her gaze. "Enough to know that you need to get your jealousy under control before you lose everything! Unless, of course, you want to end up like Grace."

"I'm sure I don't know what you are talking about, dear friend. As you should very well know - I DON'T do jealousy. I merely do results." Brian looked away from her probing gaze, knowing he would show far more emotion than he cared to right now.

"Right. That explains why you just placed a spell on your aspirant, prohibiting him from having sex with his boyfriend." She looked at Brian knowingly. "If that's not jealousy, perhaps you tell me what it is..."

Brian glared at Lindsay, refusing to verbally agree with her allegations. They both knew it was true. He could see no need to speak the words. "It's called moving things along... nothing more. If I need to be more precise - severing the bond, such as it is, that exists between them."

"Moving things along... nothing more," Lindsay repeated Brian's words, a mischievous laugh tumbling from her lips. "How about this, then. Perhaps this little mental treat will make you see the truth..."

Before Brian could ask what she meant, he felt the sensation of a sexual aura surrounding him... but it wasn't him in the vision that was encased in a thick fog. As he peered inside, he could see the head of Ethan Gold enthusiastically bobbing up and down on Justin's cock. They were in the backseat of a car, and his blonds head was arched backward as total bliss transformed his face into the most beautiful expression he had ever beheld on a man. Brian waved his hand in the air, hissing out in rage - "Stop this, Lindsay. There is no fucking need!!!"

Her intentions not meant to be tormenting her friend, Lindsay made the vision disappear... regret clearly reflected in her eyes. "I don't mean to upset you, Brian. You should know that... but you need to understand that your feelings for Justin weakens you."

"I am not weak, Lindsay." Bluntly, Brian explained, "You forget how long it's been since I've had a man. How do you expect me to react when the man that I am fated to be with not only shuns me, but clings to another man? These circumstances do not go well with my temperament."

"I know that, Brian. Although, let me put your mind at rest on one thing. Justin is not in love with Ethan. Fate is every bit as magical as the magic we possess. Justin has been slowly coming to the awareness that he doesn't belong with Ethan. Befuddling his head with spells won't help with that. Right now, I think his love is steeped in gratitude. Ethan saved him from a horrible life... and don't forget, that brought him here."

Brian's nostrils flared. He wouldn't be grateful to that odious man for anything. "Correction - Tresum led Justin here. Everything else is coincidental."

"Fine. Whatever. Just get your focus back, Brian. That is the only way you will win." Lindsay reached into her pocket for an envelope, extending it to Brian in one rushed motion. "This is yours."

"What is it?" Brian asked, looking at the sealed envelope suspiciously.

"I took the liberty of purchasing a beachfront house for you. It is private... and it is everything you said you wanted. The check is what you have left from your fortune after I purchased the house. You'll still need a car, but I figured you would want to choose that." She laughed at the shocked expression on Brian's face. "Monetary values are much different than when Grace first imprisoned you... but as you can see, you are still a very rich man. I made some investments with your inheritance that really paid off. You, my friend, are a millionaire..."

Brian was incredulous as he looked at the figure on the check. This was unbelievable. He still couldn't understand why Lindsay was going to such efforts to help him... but he knew there would be a payday attached. Nothing came for free. And so far, everything she had done for him had been exactly that. "Thank you, Linds. I have no words... and that doesn't happen often." Brian laughed, unable to believe what he was now seeing. "Granted, I could conjure up any kind of lifestyle I wanted, but this makes everything legitimate... and allows me to establish a proper reputation. I have a feeling that is something Justin needs in his life."

"He has been through so much in his young life, Brian. He really needs caring and understanding. But above all... you need to secure his loyalty soon."

"I will. He wants me. I've felt it. I just need to rid myself of his boyfriend... and then he WILL come to me. I swear it!" Brian vowed vehemently, in his mind, there was no chance for failure. "This house is one of the loose ends that I wanted to resolve before I fully began my pursuit. There is one other matter... one that I think would be of interest to you. Justin spoke in passing of someone that had been speaking of Tresum. I believe he called her Daphne."

"Yes. I have felt a slight presence. I think she is just learning the ways of Tresum. I will work on finding her and determining if she is a friend or foe. I'll let you know about that. For now, you need to concentrate on Justin... and only him." She looked at him sternly. "I can't stress strongly enough how vital it is to secure him soon. It doesn't matter how you win his loyalty - all that matters is that he submits wholly to you."

At one time Brian had felt the same. That all changed shortly after their first kiss. "You are wrong, Lindsay. It does fucking matter. I want Justin to want me for me... not because of the will of Tresum."

"I don't believe this!" Lindsay snapped. "You are falling in love with him. While that's fine, you can't let it divert you from what matters most."

Brian eyed her coldly. "Tell me what that might be, dear friend? Would that be Tresum, or is it simply destroying your sister?"

"They are one and the same!" Lindsay's eyes glowed with red, hot fire. He just didn't get it. She hadn't wanted to tell him the secret yet... but Brian's resistance now forced her hand. "You are the future leader of Tresum, Brian. And it can only be achieved by your possession of Justin, your aspirant virgin sacrifice to the Tresum Gods."

His head reared back as laughter erupted. He looked back at her incredulously, instantly realizing she meant all the insanity she just spoke. "You are as twisted as your sister. For one, your sister has long been hailed as the supreme goddess of Tresum, and secondly, Justin is obviously not a virgin!"

"The Tresum council has grown weary of Grace and her archaic ways. She just wants to control and she doesn't care who she hurts to do that. Her methods are not the true Tresum way. The council seeks a leader that will maintain order without destroying everyone in their path. Grace's ways constantly exposes us to the world. Her time is done... and you will be in complete power once you claim your aspirant." Lindsay paused briefly, making certain that Brian was clearly grasping everything. "In regard to Justin, yes he is a virgin. His heart is pure and beautiful. Despite what he thinks he feels for his boyfriend, he has never experienced love. It is his destiny to love and surrender completely to you."

Brian felt his cock harden at those words. Justin surrendering to him in all ways was what he wanted more than anything. It was what he was determined to have. He had never felt this way about another man in his life. The more he learned, the more he truly understood that they were meant to be. Nothing would keep them apart. He dared anyone to try. "That may be... but it doesn't equate him to being a virgin."

Lindsay sighed deeply. She hadn't wanted to speak the words. What she had to tell Brian held the power of pushing him over the edge. Brian was essentially primitive... and he had been locked away for so long. Knowing that he would be the first with the man that obsessed him, perhaps even loved, would drive a man such as him insane. Patience would be non-existent. Yet, his lack of focus left her no other choice. "You need to remember the larger picture, and not the one of relieving your dick. Justin has never been taken by another man except orally. When he gives you the gift of his heart and that part of him that he hasn't trusted to another man - your bond and your power will be complete. You can't screw this up and take him before he's ready. It is your only chance to destroy Grace..."

"That's what this is really about, isn't it?" Brian asked almost mockingly. "You never had the guts to kill her... and now you expect me to do that for you."

"Not exactly. I made a promise long ago that I wouldn't kill her. I couldn't break that. Back then, I didn't have the power to do so either." A malicious twist curved her lips. "You have in your hands the ability to do something that will destroy her far worse than death."

Brian smiled. "Strip her of her power..."

"Exactly! If you fulfill the prophecy by claiming Justin in the proper manner, not only will you have him... but Grace can be rendered human. I know that thought intrigues you."

"Very much so. That bitch has been the plague of my existence..." Brian hissed. "Tell me this - does Grace have any idea of this?"

Lindsay thought about that for a moment. "It has been kept from her to protect Justin. She would have never allowed him to be born if she knew. But she does know of the prophecy."

"She just doesn't know who completes it," Brian mused. "It explains much of why she has always been so obsessed with keeping me to herself. I knew it was much more than my obvious charms..."

"Well, you do have many of those, darling." Lindsay's voice was teasing, and a bit relieved that Brian seemed to be grasping what kind of power he held in his hands. "My advice is that you be your seductive best with Justin. Don't be so controlling with him. He needs to fall in love with you."

Brian's eyes became stormy, the need continuing to pulse within him to seek and devour the blond that was essentially the other half of him. "I will seduce him, Lindsay. You don't need to worry about that."

"And he needs to love you. Don't forget that, Brian. Your soulmate needs to love and trust you implicitly."

"He will." Brian felt his heart thundering in his chest, knowing he had never wanted anything more. "I will have it all. Justin, the full powers of Tresum... and my revenge on your sister." Brian knew his greatest test would be himself. He wanted the boy with an urgency that wasn't of this world. All he had to do was see him in his mind and he was aching and hard. If Justin's complete seduction took very long, he wasn't certain he could stop from using all the power he possessed to make things happen.

Lindsay read her friend exceptionally well and understood the struggle he faced. "If Grace finds a way to get free, she will throw stumbling blocks in your path. We both need to be alert. You can't trust anyone, Brian. She could use anyone as a vessel. And above all, you must be patient with Justin. Everything depends on that."

"That's what I worry about the most." Brian knew it was pointless to deny how much he wanted Justin. It was apparent in his every word and action. "I will be fine once Justin's boyfriend is out of the picture... and I know exactly how to achieve that."

"Don't kill him, Brian. That could backfire on you drastically..."

"That won't be necessary," Brian recalled Ethan's innermost thoughts. He would find this man that Ethan truly loved and force a reunion. Then, his hunting of Justin would begin. "I'm going to work on that little obstacle tonight. Justin will be with me soon. That, my dear friend, is a solemn promise..."

TBC