Crazy Seduction(erotica)

“Just recently, I met this lovely woman who’s a Naiad. Baba Yaga also pulled her from the past. I have suspicions about why Baba pulled us all here to this time, but she won’t answer that question.” He sighed and looked to DJ.

“That’s quite the story, but it has nothing to do with me,” DJ insisted, a little desperately.

Henry looked at him sadly. This wasn’t going to be easy. “There is an organization that keeps Humans from finding out about us. They’re called the Hidden Races Council. They use some terrible methods to ensure people, Humans, and non-Humans, don’t spill any secrets about us. We all wear disguises to appear Human. A long time ago, two of the Races said they wouldn’t hide from Humans-the Naiads and… yours. I’m not saying the name as it’ll probably trigger the compulsion spell Baba placed on you. Anyway, the Council couldn’t get these two groups to participate, so they murdered them-all of them. All except for two apparently, Lorelei the Naiad and you. The fact that you have what you call hallucinations may be because you can see through the disguises the Hidden Races are wearing. The Council would want you silenced as you are putting the Hidden Races at risk. If they discovered what you are, they’d take deadlier action. Just as they would if they found out about my friend, the Naiad.”

DJ was trembling. “I don’t think I like this Council.”

“Yeah, I’m not fond of them either. They threatened my friends and grabbed me to permanently stick me in this containment center in the room a few doors away. I understand the importance of hiding from the Humans as they kill what they don’t understand and fear, but there has to be a better way.”

They were quiet for a while, each lost in their thoughts, then DJ broke the silence. “I’m not in love with humanity either. People have been assholes to me my whole life. I don’t have parents and was in the system my entire childhood. When I was pushed out onto the street, I started seeing things. Life went downhill pretty fast. Then I got grabbed in an alley and brought here. I thought it was a hospital, not a prison. The doctor is a piece of work, a real sadistic cunt.”

“I’ve met her type before. She’s Fae but one of the bad ones,” Henry agreed.

DJ watched Henry carefully. “You’re being careful not to say something, but I get the feeling you want to.”

Henry smiled self-consciously. “You’re very good at reading people.”

“Survival skill.”

Henry nodded as he took a deep breath. “You need to break the compulsion. Once it’s gone, you can act of your own free will. That said, I got a taste of the compulsion last night, and it’s not going to be easy to get past. Baba did a really good job of building a scary as fuck blockage.” He went silent for a bit as he realized why. “I guess she had her reasons.”

DJ caught his hesitation. “What? Why would she lock me down this tight? What am I?”

Henry held his eyes. “I’m not trying to be obscure, but I’ll use terms that shouldn’t trigger the response.” DJ nodded nervously. “There’s no documentation of what each Hidden Race is capable of, but there is a tremendous amount of misinformation. I’m the least reliable resource for knowledge of… powers, as Baba prevented me from reading anything that wasn’t science-based. I’m really good with computers and tech, but the Hidden Races stuff makes my head spin. Baba taught me nothing about what I could do. She actually hid it from me. I was the only one of my kind, and I had to learn from scratch.”

Henry felt a pain in his chest as he recalled some of the ordeals he went through as a Human child and knew Baba had allowed him to go through them to push his personality in directions she favored. It didn’t work because his instinctive nature was stronger than nurture in that instance. But he was a Satyr, and DJ was not. His bad experiences with Humanity might have made him spin a cursed ring given a chance.

“You may have powerful abilities. Going from social pariah to someone containing great power is a tough transition.” Henry said gently.

“Are you going to unlock this blockage or not?” DJ snapped, his nerves raw from stress.

Henry moved closer. “DJ, you’re the only one who can break the compulsion. I’ll be with you to bear some of the pain and stress, but you have to face it and break through it.”

DJ watched him with a sudden wariness. “Why are you doing this? What are you getting out of this?”

Henry gazed calmly back at him. “I don’t know why Baba did this to you. I’m not clear why she did it to Nate or Lorelei, or even me. Pulling us all from the past and putting us into these new lives was cruel. She has plans none of us can fathom. I’m doing this because I believe it’s the right thing to do. My only advice is when you come out the other side, take baby steps to start, and subtlety is best.”NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.

DJ nodded nervously. Henry held out his hand, and the young man hesitantly reached out and gripped it.

Once more, Henry’s mind was filled with terrible images and sounds. He picked up the image of a small blue-skinned boy curled up in a fetal position. In this plane, DJ was younger.

He pushed himself forward until he was able to reach out and touch the boy’s shoulder. The horrors exploded violently in Henry’s mind, amplified by his connection to DJ. The pain was so intense it almost forced him to retreat, but Henry realized he’d endured worse. This helped him cling to his sanity with a fierce determination.

While Henry reeled back under the deluge, he refused to let go of the connection he had with DJ. He let the images and screeches wash over him as he forced himself closer.

Finally, he moved his mouth closer to DJ’s ear. “I’m here, DJ. I’ve got you. You’re not alone. You can do this. I’m here.”

He pulled the small boy to his chest and took as much of the pain as he could. He listened to the youth’s screams slow then stop. Then Henry felt him move.

“Th-thank you,” came out as a small gasp against him.

The horrific sounds and images faded quickly until they were left in complete silence and inky darkness.

“Boy… what have you DONE!”

Henry jolted as his eyes flew open at Baba’s angry shout and found himself hovering next to DJ’s bed. Ice ran down his spine as he recalled the rage in Baba’s voice. The young man was resting back against the pillows, panting, looking like he was waiting for his heart to stop racing.

His skin also had the oddest blue tint. It was still a lightly bronzed brown, but when looked at directly, it had a metallic blue sheen, like the color was a thin layer hovering just above the surface. He held up his hands and looked at them. Then he looked at Henry. “That voice. Was that…?”

“Baba. Yes. She sounded… seriously pissed,” Henry said quietly.

“What am I?” DJ asked.

Henry’s eyebrows rose. “Oh, I’d hoped you would get some memories when the spell broke.” He shrugged. “You’re a Djinn.” He got a blank look. “A Genie?” he qualified, and DJ’s expression broke into a shocked grin.

“As in Alladin and the Genie?”

Henry smiled weakly. “Sorry, I’m not really up on those stories, and they’re likely way off base for what you are and what you can do. I believe you’re a wielder, which means you should be able to bend magic to your will. You might want to start off by disguising the blue color on your skin. Disguises are the first and best defense against detection.”

“Where do I find magic?” DJ stared at him.

“Uh, it’s just the energy within you. We’re linked to it. I can’t really feel it, so I can’t detect if you are linked to the original source of magic or the new Wild Magic.”

“Okay, how do I use magic?” DJ asked.

Henry squirmed. “I’m really the last person to ask, but try to envision what you want to happen and push with your will. Glamors are disguise overlays people wear, hiding their true selves and presenting an appearance they want to show. Mine has to hide a lot,” he said, gesturing to his horns and furry lower half. “… but for you, just create a filter layer that hides the blue.”

DJ looked at Henry and nodded to himself. He closed his eyes, and after a moment, the blue just faded away.

Henry smiled at him as DJ opened his eyes. “Perfect.”

DJ looked at himself and grinned. “Holy shit! It worked!”

“Now that you have the basics, you should be able to create glamors to look like anything. I don’t know the extent of your abilities. You really need a trainer, someone who’s been a wielder their entire life and maybe has some historical background on Djinns. Listen, these are the most important things to take away from this: You’re not crazy. You’re a Djinn. Magic is real, but secrecy is essential as Humans must never find out about us. Act normal if someone you meet doesn’t appear Human. They’re just one of the Hidden Races.”

DJ’s smile faded. “Why am I getting the feeling you’re saying goodbye?”

Henry paused. “The people running this place are not good. I’ve met good Fae, and I’ve met really bad Fae. The doctor falls into the second category. Ogres aren’t friendly either. You aren’t tied down like I am. I can get you out.”

DJ frowned. “I’m not going without you! I can undo your restraints!”

Henry shook his head. “If we open the doors, they’ll know and come running. Ogres are also really tough!”

“How are you going to get me out if we don’t open the door?” DJ asked.

Henry smiled wickedly. “I can open a door to another planet. It’s where the Glass People are living now. They call it Eden. I’ve been there, and it’s really nice. I sent my friend Nate there when I rescued him from a mad Fae who was torturing him. My Glass friend Xiong will be able to open a door for you back to Earth. Go to VRL in Manhattan and ask to speak with the Chief of Security, Roy Duncan. Tell him Henry Gable is in Hainesburg, New Jersey.”

He gestured for DJ to get out of bed. A light on the wall above the bed winked on. “Shit, they’re monitoring your bed. Quickly. Stand here.” Henry said, gesturing to an empty spot in the middle of the floor. Bend your knees.”

DJ began to crouch then gave Henry a puzzled look. “Bend my- waah!”

Henry heard the gentle thump of the young man landing in the grass just before he snapped the opening closed.

He felt pretty good about himself. That was two rescues while strapped down to a bed. He wondered if he could help the two patients in the first two rooms he hadn’t checked yet. He slipped through the wall and saw a Fae woman laying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, unblinking. He moved closer and realized she wasn’t there. Her body was idling, but there was no one at the controls.