Chapter 2

Several times, Danica considered sneaking off into the darkness with Jared again. Her stomach felt as if it were full of butterflies and the tingle between her legs was nearly unbearable. It was obvious to her that Jared felt much the same, but they were both too nervous about going any farther to make another move.

As the festival wound down, the couple shared a deep, very serious kiss. They had kissed before, many times, but there was something different this time. There were underlying currents of passion, desire, and a spiritual connection that had never been there before when their lips met. They both felt it, and when they broke from the kiss, they simply stared into each other's eyes for quite some time.

A peal of laughter, followed by a crash and a curse snapped them out of their trance. Danica blushed, but Jared's cheeks were just as red as hers, and that helped to dull the embarrassment somewhat. "I should get home, my mother will be worrying."

"Will you come to town tomorrow?" Jared asked.

"If Mother will let me," Danica promised.

They continued to hold hands for a few more moments, neither really wanting the night to end, and then regretfully went their separate ways.

It didn't take Danica long to find her sister. Devan was laughing and having a good time, and she was obviously quite drunk.

"We should probably get home," Danica suggested.

Weaving a little, Devan nodded and said, "You're probably right. I'm going to regret this in the morning. Help me in the house, and try to cover for me with Mom. The night air will probably sober me up a bit."

Danica chuckled and observed, "I think you'll need more than a little sobering to get past Mom without a fight."

They walked down the road toward the edge of town together, and Devan asked, "Where did you sneak off too with Jared earlier?"

Even in the faint light, Danica's blush was obvious, "We were just getting away from the noise."

"And making some of your own?"

"We didn't do anything," Danica insisted.

Disbelief was obvious in Devan's voice, "Nothing?" she asked as she tried to turn toward her sister, and walk at the same time.

"Well, we didn't really... I mean we never..."

Devan leaned up against her sister, throwing them both off-balance. "Okay, so you didn't get him inside you, but you did get a good feel of it, didn't you?"

Danica covered her face with one hand for a moment, her cheeks burning, "I wanted it, but there were so many people."

Devan could tell Danica was getting uncomfortable, and in truth, she was having trouble talking and walking at the same time. "So find somewhere farther away next time," Devan said and punctuated it with a laugh. "You'd better make us a light; I don't think I could do it right now."

Danica cast the spell, and they continued in silence the rest of the way home.

Danica was surprised when their mother didn't scold Devan too much. She was very surprised, and pleasantly so, by her mother's silent approval of the fact she was not in that condition.

Danica had to help Devan get undressed and into her nightshirt, then guide her into the bed. Devan was sound asleep, and snoring loudly, almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. Danica nudged her sister slightly, causing Devan to roll and stop snoring, before getting dressed for bed as well.

Danica could not think about anything except how good Jared's cock had felt in her mouth, and how much she had wanted it, as she lay in her bed. When she thought about his mouth on her breasts, and his finger sliding inside her, Danica's breathing quickened.

She had masturbated almost nightly since Devan had moved out, and the vivid memories of what she and Jared had done that night only made the ache between her legs stronger. Danica pulled up the front of her nightshirt, unable to bear the throbbing heat any longer, and started to stroke her wet folds.

Only a short while later, she was holding her mouth clenched tightly shut, her hips arched upward, with three fingers buried in her tightly clenching canal as she came. Danica collapsed back to the bed when the orgasm let her go, panting for breath, and continuing to stroke her fingers slowly inside her. After only a few moments, her body screamed for more, and Danica's fingers sated that need yet again.

She came four times before exhaustion claimed her, falling asleep with her nightshirt still pulled up, her panties pulled away from her sticky folds, and her hand coated in her juices.

Devan awoke with a throbbing headache, her own predictions coming true. Rolling over, a sight greeted her that was embarrassing, and somewhat amusing. Danica had kicked the covers off her in the night, and revealed that she had not bothered to pull her panties back over her sex or pull down her nightshirt after her final orgasm the night before.

Devan smiled slightly, but then winced when her head started pounding even worse. She could not help but groan, and saw Danica stirring a bit. Devan closed her eyes to feign sleep, but opened one just a slit. Over the obstructing hump of the pillow, she saw Danica start, then hurry to hide the evidence of what she had been doing the night before.

When Danica got out of bed, Devan groaned again and got up as well.

"Are you okay?" Danica asked her sister.

"No, I'm hung-over. Do you have any temlene?"

"No, I don't know any spells that use it," Danica replied.

Devan groaned again, "Damn, do they have any at the school?"

"Yes, we have some there."

"Looks like I'm going back to school for a day then, or dying. Right now, I think I'd take dying. I'm not looking forward to walking in the sun with this headache."

"It's your own fault," Danica noted with a chuckle.

"I know," Devan moaned pitifully.

Dunthain stood outside the school, holding court with his fawning lackeys. Seeing a couple of the younger apprentices looking down the road leading to the school, Dunthain turned to see who was approaching, and his blood turned to ice.

Devan shielded her eyes with her hand, walking up the road next to her sister. Dunthain growled silently upon seeing the two hated sisters approaching. He had thought he had seen the last of Devan, and now here she was to steal his thunder again. His eyes opened wide when he saw what was hanging at Danica's hip, a bag of holding.

Dunthain glanced down for a moment at his own enchanted bag, and then back up at the approaching women, his eyes narrowing and his fists clenching tight. His toadies were already starting to wander away, and other students were hurrying to greet Devan. Dunthain turned with a snarl, stalking into the school so he wouldn't have to look any longer. Not only had the great bitch returned, but now her cow sister also had a bag of holding, something that had been a badge of honor only he had possessed previously.

As he walked down the hall toward a private study room to brood, Dunthain thought, Just making you look like a fool isn't going to be enough now, Danica.

The tea Devan brewed from the temlene at the school dulled her headache and gave her reason not to die on the spot, although the trip had certainly caused her to consider it. Still sipping the tea, she sat with Danica, watching her sister trying to learn the fertility detection spell.

Danica could feel the warmth starting to rise in her blood, and she knew she was getting the words right. The spell really was very easy, and it was falling into place in her mind without any trouble. Devan sat next to her, smiling encouragingly, as Danica quietly mouthed the words of the spell.

Perhaps a half hour later, Danica closed her eyes and sat up straight, taking a deep breath. The all-encompassing warmth within her let her know that the spell was hers. She had learned it.

Devan patted the paper on the desk and said, "See, I told you it was easy. Now, give it a try."

Danica spoke the words of the spell, laying her hand over her tummy. When she completed the spell, the dark blue aura of light appeared beneath it. Danica's smile was very wide, and very bright.

"Well, safe for another night," Devan observed with a wink.

Danica blushed, although other parts of her were far from embarrassed, and responding in ways that only deepened the flush in Danica's cheeks.

"Time to work on that lightning bolt," Devan stated firmly.

Danica sighed, "I'm never going to get it."

"Just get out your spellbook. I'll help you out a little. You said you'd never learn the fireball either, and I watched you cast it for the first time. As I recall, you learned it the day after I'd sat down and went over a few of the words with you."

Danica nodded her head, "Yes, it helped a lot. Maybe it's because we have similar voices." "Could be," Devan responded, "Whatever the reason, it worked. So let's increase your arsenal of magic."

Walking back home that afternoon, Devan turned to Danica with a somewhat befuddled look on her face, "You've got it right Danica, I don't understand why you can't cast it. Did you feel your sign?"

Danica sighed and kicked a rock off into the woods lining the road, scowling when it bounced off a springy little young maple, bouncing right back into the road, almost at her feet. "I've felt it a half dozen times, but I always mess it up somehow. I thought I had it perfect last time, but it still didn't work. Everybody was watching when I tried to cast it, and nothing happened."

"Let me think about it for a while," Devan mused, running her fingers through her hair, "I think it's something in your head stopping you. I'll figure out some way to get you past it."

"Gods know I'll never do it on my own," Danica grumbled.

"You're too hard on yourself Danica, just keep at it. Did you see that look on Dunthain's face as we were walking up this morning?"

Danica smiled weakly, nodding her head.

"He was always such an arrogant ass. I got a kick out of showing him up. Keep up the family tradition, Danica. Show him up and make him gnaw on his own liver."

"I don't see that happening," Danica muttered, punctuating it with a self-depreciating chuckle.

Devan sighed theatrically, "What am I going to do with you? Okay, let's forget about magic for a while. Are you going into town to see Jared this evening?"

"If Mom will let me."

"So, are you going to find somewhere a little more private this time, and pick up where you left off?" Danica's face turned bright red, "Devan!"

Devan shrugged, an exaggerated gesture indicating quite clearly that she was jesting and said, "What?" She then laughed and continued, "You're sixteen, Danica. You've got the spell to know when it's safe. He's a nice enough boy and it's a damn sight better than taking care of it with your fingers every night."

Somehow, Danica's face turned even redder, "How did you know about that?"

"Well, for one thing, you didn't cover up last night, and I did the same thing until I got brave enough to turn my nocturnal fantasies into reality."

Danica raised an eyebrow, "You did it?"

Devan laughed, "I still do. There's not always a man around when you need one. I'm sure Mom did too, but she has an unnatural prejudice against sex."

Danica cringed, "Don't talk about Mom and sex, that's just weird."

"I know, sorry. It's not going to be that big a thing for you. You don't have to worry about getting pregnant like most girls do, as long as you check with the spell. You can also shove them through a wall with telekinesis if they start getting too rough or want to go too far, too fast. Just keep in mind that it's just sex, nothing more. There aren't many boys, especially your age, who think of it as anything else. I suppose there are a few out there that think of it as love, but I've never found one."

"I don't want to just..." Danica paused, her brow furrowed as she considered it, "... give it away. I want it to mean something."

"It will, Danica. Even though the jerk left me a few days later, my first time was still special. Make them treat you right, work for it a bit, and enjoy the moment. I think Jared has pretty much qualified. I saw how he was worshipping you last night. Just don't count on it leading to a lifetime love or anything."

Danica turned to her sister and asked, "What if people start saying I'm a loose woman?"

Devan shrugged, "There are probably some that say that now, even though you've never done it. Just stick with one boyfriend at a time and make them work for it while you're still around here. Once you get out in the world, then you can start looking for one-night flings when you need them. Speaking of loose..."

Danica raised an eyebrow and looked at her sister, waiting for Devan to finish.

"There's a way to stop that from happening too. Lorelle taught me about it. Squeeze your muscles down there, like you're trying to stop peeing, and do it regularly. I do it while I'm bathing and drifting off to sleep. Just do it for several minutes a day, it strengthens the muscles." Then Devan turned to Danica and twitched her eyebrows, adding, "And the boys like it too."

"I don't know how you can just talk about it like you do. I get embarrassed when I even think about it," Danica said, shaking her head slowly.

"That's because you've never done it. You'll get over it in time. It's just Mom rubbing off on you, I felt that way too, at first."

"If you say so..."

Devan pulled Danica close and hugged her with one arm, "I do."

Nearing the house now, they continued in silence. Devan kept her expression neutral, but she was sighing on the inside, knowing Danica was heading toward disappointment. There was no real way to explain that to her little sister, however. Danica was going to have to learn that lesson on her own. She had done what she could to prepare Danica, and it was the best she could do.

"So, can I go into town then, Mom?"

As usual, Danica's mother scrutinized her daughter's face, looking for any sign the young woman was up to no good. After a moment, she sighed and replied, "Well, I suppose. Don't be out too late, and behave yourself."

Devan stood up, "I'll walk into town with her. I want to go visit Erin for a while."

"Both of you behave then, and bring me home some sage from the Greeley's, I'm all out. I'll get some money."

"Don't worry about the money, Mom, I'll get it for you," Devan said, waving her hand in a dismissive gesture.

Their mother smiled, "Thank you, dear."

Danica walked over and hugged her mother, "I'm going to go get ready then. I love you."

"I love you too. Go on then."

Once again, both women put on provocative skirts and blouses. They put on conservative garments over the clothes they actually planned to wear in town, in order to get past their mother without a fight. Before long, they were both on the road to town, their safe clothes hidden in the barn. There were already several young people gathered around the well when the sisters approached.

Danica peered through the crowd, trying to find Jared, finally seeing him sitting on a bench obscured by one of the support posts for the awning over the well. Danica's wide smile shared her face with a blush upon seeing him, and the reaction spoke volumes to Devan about what her sister was thinking.

Devan playfully pushed Danica in Jared's direction. "Okay, I'm going to go to Greeley's, and then to Erin's. You have fun, Sis."

Danica only nodded, already moving quickly toward Jared, who was rising to greet her, a smile equal to Danica's on his face.

Devan shook her head, wearing a slightly sad smile, and walked toward the general store.

Only the faint light of the flickering torches lit the square now. Young couples explored their attraction on almost every bench near the well, though a few had moved farther away into the shadows. Some were very reserved, while others groped with each other so openly as to border on scandal.

Danica and Jared fell somewhere in the middle, quickly approaching the more demonstrative couples in passion.

The couple broke from an urgent kiss, Danica's hand lying in Jared's lap, and Jared's hand still lightly squeezing Danica's right breast. They stared at each other, both breathing heavily for a few moments before Jared spoke.

"I can't stop thinking about last night," Jared whispered huskily.

"Me either," Danica replied, color rising into her cheeks.

"Do you want to... uhm... go for a walk?"

It was painfully obvious that walking had nothing to do with what Jared had in mind. He looked at Danica with a longing expression, tinged with fear that he was moving too fast.

Danica cast that fear away when she stood up, still blushing, and nodded, not trusting her voice at the moment. Jared rose and took her hand, and the couple moved away from the flickering torches into the concealing darkness.

Danica had expected Jared to lead her toward the old abandoned farmstead on the edge of town, but he was walking toward the woods instead. It was probably a good idea, as the adults had discovered what was going on at that old abandoned house. That safe haven for experimentation wasn't quite so safe any longer.