*Purity is the skeleton we hang our sins upon*

Thanks to Shawhollow for editing the first half of this story - I forgot to send him the second half. Thanks to Talonwolf for helping with the idea.

(One month later)

I stood on the main roof ridge that ran down the length of the school. Thanks to the founder's flair for the exaggerated, I was over ninety feet above the rather rocky ground. I had the enchanted (I hoped) Mortuary Sword pointed in the correct direction with a stance that was, according to the internet, supposed to be the proper one.

Eden stood about ten feet away, farther down the ridge with a matching blade and a smile on her face. I would have been more worried about the smile except I had placed that there after some accidental contact climbing up the ladder to the highest attic had led to some serious making out and given her that facial signal of pleasure.

"Why do we keep doing this?" I shouted over the brisk breeze that constantly tried to pull me into a possibly fatal plunge.

"Because you need to know how to use a gentleman's blade, we needed some privacy to practice violence, space which this place provides, you won't leave Regina alone on campus and finally because I excel in enchantments of the wind which can save us both should we tumble down," Eden kept that eerie, yet familiar smile.

"Besides, I'm the one facing a sword meant to bind my essence in torpor; you will most likely survive a fall with a horrible mangling," Eden winked, "but don't worry about that - I'll catch you."

"Fine, this is my fault," I grumbled. "Give me a kiss for luck?" Eden walked carefully along the roof ridge to me, the lack of wind whipping at her skirt reminding me of her mastery of the air.

She used the flat of her blade to turn mine aside and stood before me. I wrapped an arm around her waist with my left arm, pulled her tight and kissed her lips. In the past month all the Witches had learned the sacred art of giving the appropriate kiss and Eden didn't disappoint me. She eventually smiled once more then back-stepped to her starting position.

"En garde!" I shouted and precarious battle was joined. I was by far the better combatant; a gift from my many ancestors no doubt. Our environment balanced us out somewhat; I took three spills down to the iron gutters that saved me a near-fatal fall and she stabbed me five times. I got even though – I cut her skirt off her body in three strokes. I had to place my hand on the hip so she could transfer the energy to heal her one wound that ran deep.

"There you are, damn it!" Regina yelled at me as she came up through the attic hatch. "For the love of all that's Arcane, Richard, would you stop making it so easy for these bitches to kill you?"

"What gave me away?" I sighed.

"Paradise is down on the 6th floor, pacing back and forth generating so much static electricity that dust bunnies are starting to stampede around her," Regina mocked.

"Where are the others?" I teased.

"Yeah, like I have the magical energy to keep track of any of the four just to have them block my divinations," Regina shouted over the wind from the attic entryway. Unlike Eden and me, Regina couldn't survive the fall nor fly and Eden was unlikely to spare the effort to save – both being dark witches didn't imply any sort of sisterhood.

In fact, there were tiny fissures in the relationship amongst the three sets of twins. Eden appeared truly to like me while Paradise was conflicted between powerful, raw and angry sex and simply being angry with me. Midnight was all into love-making; slow caresses, kissing and making the moment last while Twilight was driven by deep eye contact and matching intensity.

Outside the bedroom, Midnight was a coequal and, if not kind, at least considerate of me. Twilight treated me like a moronic one-trick pony and constantly was annoyed by my lack of an occult education. Spring was easy; she constantly advocated for the removal of my brain except for the motor cortex; she liked the sex - especially scarring me with fingernails and threads of fire (Ow!).

Autumn, aka Ice Maiden, had settled into being a passive lover and making me work for every orgasm but she paid me back by being patient and not condescending when I either missed, or didn't know, key pieces of information. So basically, I could count on Eden and Autumn to keep me alive and Spring, Twilight, and Paradise to want me dead – brain dead anyway. Midnight would remain indifferent.

"Let's go down," I sighed. "I wouldn't want Paradise's erratic electrical dust bunnies curling the hairs of some poor co-ed." Regina snorted while Eden floated to my side - show off. I sheathed my blade, wrapped an arm around and walked the balance beam style edge. Regina crawled out of sight and when she was clear, I followed suit.

I caught Eden studying me oddly, or more oddly than the soulless monster usually did, and she was searching the right words to some question.

"Do you think – if it is possible – we could have children together?" she inquired. My hands went numb and slipped from the ladder rung, my mind blanked out and we fell.

At the last second I had enough sense to rotate so that I landed on my back and Eden landed on top of me. Regina was conjuring a dagger of smoke and shadow in a flash.

"Richard, what did she do to you?" Regina seethed with menace toward Eden.

"I asked him if we could have children together," Eden answered for me.

"You freakish Undead Nitwit," Regina grumbled. "We don't even know if you have wombs, but that doesn't matter because you don't have souls so there is no anchor for a child's soul to latch on to."

"But, if we could overcome that, would Richard want to lend his energy and – genetic material – for us to have offspring?" Eden persisted.

"I – um," I stammered as I helped us up. Eden kept looking for an answer. Her lower lip trembled slightly, her resolved cracked and then the tears started coming.

"I'm sorry," Eden blubbered, "I thought..."

"Wait and listen please," I called out as Eden ran for the attic stairs leading down.

"I'm a monster – I know it," she sobbed. 'Ah fuck'.

"No, that's not it," I walked her way. She moved a few steps farther away as I tried to get to her side. She finally relented but I could tell she'd been kicked emotionally in a place she didn't even know she had.

"Eden, I'm afraid of passing on my curse to another generation of Vandemeyer men," I looked into her red-rimmed eyes. "It isn't you, it is me," I said the words that were the death knell of far too many relationships but here I was saying them.

"So if you and I were sure the child would be a daughter, you would consent?" Eden hiccupped.

"I don't know," I tried to look concerned, "It would require lots of lots of hot steamy sex and I'm not sure you are up for it."

"I'm adamant about this Richard," Eden looked fiercely serious.

"I would need to give this careful consideration but for now I'll say 'yes'," I replied.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Oh Goddess," Regina groaned and rolled her eyes.

"There are hundreds of thousands of parents who are monsters and don't acknowledge it. At least any offspring of ours will have that up on the rest of the world," I pointed out.

"I was raised by two warm, loving people and look how I turned out," Regina countered. Regina's inspiration for murder was being a 'normal' girl in an extended family of witches.

"Parents can't make you perfect but they can fuck you up royally," I said as we went down the stairs

When we got down to the sixth level, Paradise was waiting. She looked balefully at me and Regina and annoyed with Eden. Eden short-circuited a rebuke by running up to her sister.

"He said yes," Eden grinned.

"I know Sister," Paradise lectured, "I felt bombarded by your heart leaping with – joy."

"Yeah, that would be a positive passion your tiny little, lump-of-coal heart wouldn't understand, Lich-witch," Regina taunted her rival.

"He's not always going to be there to protect you Regina," Paradise threatened.

"So," I changed the subject, "who wants to be in the school play?" Paradise and Eden looked at me as if I had just switched to speaking in Dorian Greek.

"Oh, come on," Regina tapped my elbow, "You can play the Devil – you are a natural." At this point and time some sexual banter and innuendo would arrive but the twins fell flat and Regina was clearly not up further bearding the lionesses in less than well-traveled paths.

"He's the new teacher with a new play for us to take a crack at," I shrugged. "I might audition and see if participating fits into my class schedule."

"So, what is the Witches of Eastwick about?" Eden inquired. Paradise shook her head in dismay at her sister's continuing efforts to create her humanity on such sterile ground. The rest of us looked around only to find no one had the answer.

"Let's ask Shelby," I suggested. "She tends to know stuff like this."

"Are you implying the rest of us don't study?" Paradise accused me.

"Yes – yes that is pretty much what I've implied," I replied. "After all, I caught you and Midnight conjuring up some brain leeches to use on Ms. Turnblatt – not cool."

"The talentless read books – the powerful draw knowledge form the source," Paradise snapped back.

"Paradise, I'm still waiting for you to e-mail me that formula," Regina grinned hopefully.

"Come on now," I sighed, "when you drain the knowledge from somebody they lose it forever and that is devastating if you are an educator. Besides you are only getting the teachers opinions."

"When I read the book all I'm getting the author's opinions," Paradise countered. I had no pat answer for that argument.

"You've promised not to steal bodies and body parts," I tried. "Destroying her memory counts as a part of her being."

"Blah," scoffed Paradise. "What you really mean is that you will pummel me if I do this."

"No," I said after a deep breath. "No more. If I can't argue the peaceful course of action, I'm going to sit back and let karma take its course, Paradise, I swear."

"You are lying," Paradise growled.

"No..." I reached out and patted Eden's tummy, "I'm certainly not going to be beating Eden up and you are her twin sister – any trauma you go through will transfer into Eden, so I can't think like that anymore."

"You really believe she can do it," Paradise paled fearfully (which was hard for her wane complexion), "you really think she has a chance – why?"

"Of course I hold out a small hope," I explained. "By Shelby's explanation you six are some of the toughest witches in New England, I'm a freak beyond natural reason, Regina is one of the most creative magical types any of you have seen, life magic is Shelby's purview and Alyssa Monroe can tell us all kinds of medical labs we can go to get all kinds of reproductive help."

There was a long silence before Eden grappled with my right arm and began weeping. The weeping, plus my declaration, seemed to put Paradise in a whirlwind of conflicting emotion. Her sister was so happy she was crying and Paradise's mind with its atrophied receptors for positive emotional input was causing her to jerk and flutter.

"This is the part of the play were the Vandemeyer male mocks those who are burning him at the stake?" Regina laughed. "We keep forgetting you are stupidly unafraid of death."

"I don't need to be afraid Regina," I steered Eden for the stairs, "I know you've got my back." The other two women glided along beside us as we trundled down to the 1st level for a late afternoon snack.

I check the school on-line site for the drama sign-up. I was far from the only male applicant for the five male roles. I could only convince Regina to give the play a shot as well. We were passing the Central Library's main door when a voice called my name.

"ello Richard," flowed forth this refined, feminine London accent that I knew well.

"Lady Everest Marlowe," I turned and did a half-bow. It took me a second to realize that the only one happy and stress-free was me. My witches glared at Everest and she had this frozen smile aimed their way.

"Who is this – woman?" Eden dug her fingernails deeper into my shirtsleeve.

"Lady Everest was the daughter of my host and mentor at the School of Economics last semester," I clarified. "She was my guide around town and they pretty much treated me like family."

"She's a witch," Regina enlightened me. "Now what are the odds of that being a coincidence?"

"I'm not a pathetic little witch, scrawling on cave walls and tree bark in order to invoke some infantile cantrip – I'm a Theran," Marlowe declared.

What the fuck? What was the fuck was a Theran and what was that ego trip running down the women I knew? Hell, Everest had always been kind to me – treating me like family.

The girls were not impressed by Everest's proclamation. In fact, it really seemed to piss them off.

"Let's see what will be scrawled on the tree bark once you step beyond the school bounds, you malevolent corpse-weevil," Paradise hissed.

Wow, what does one have to do to an undead witch to rate the term 'corpse-weevil? Everest shifted her weight onto left hip and placed her other hand on the hip there meaningfully. I knew this one.

"Okay girls – remember, I can't see shit," I whispered.

"Oh please, Lilith, Mother of Monsters give us strength of will amongst the witless," Paradise said before weaving a secretive enchantment over my senses.

"Oh Hell's Belles," I groaned. I had thought Everest had a wand or something. Lady Marlowe had on an elaborate set of forest green armor inlayed with gold, some sort of pistol-like object on her right hip, half-made of glass and a medieval style sword sheathed on her left hip.

"Everest, do you normally go about so armed and dangerous?" I questioned.

"Don't worry about this little SNAFU, dear Richard," Everest patted my left bicep and causing Regina to flinch back. "I'm not here for you; quite the opposite, you'll see."

"You should leave this school," Eden growled, "before we make you leave."

"Everest, these are my school friends if you want to get at them you will have to go through me," I stated in the nicest way possible.

"Eden, Paradise and Regina, Lady Marlowe was a good friend to me in England. Our relationship was platonic but she took me to her London flat and her father's country home and a cottage they had in Northern Scotland," I declared. "Can't there be peace?"

"Does it occur to you 'dumb Richard', that Marlowe may have known what you are?" Paradise snipped.

"Of course I know what Richard is," Everest surprised me. "His Mother is an ancestral ally of my household."

"Wait – what – Richard is half-Theran?" Eden perked up with renewed hope.

"Whoa, what's a Theran?" I sputtered. "My Mom died in a car wreck when I was ten for those who don't know it yet. My Father and I buried her and did everything else that goes with a funeral."

"So that she still exists must be excellent news," Eden smiled up at me and pulled me in for a kiss. "Mythological, Therans are known as Atlanteans – Thera being the island that held the city of Atlantis."

"So suddenly my Mom is/was an Atlantean? No way in hell – certainly she could have told me something before she died," I shook my head. "You just fucking with my head, aren't you?"

"Richard, I'm not messing with you – over that. Father and I wanted to see matters work out differently here but we could hardly keep you without causing a stir – your Mom still being alive and all."

"My Mom can't be an Atlantean – she's from Westchester for the love of God!" I nearly screamed. "Take it as fact – they don't like immigrants in Westchester and by immigrant I mean anyone not in the US before 1800?"

"Of course she is still alive," Marlowe pampered my confusion. "Therans are highly spiritual and are essentially immortal. Even half-Therans are long lived."

"What? Is everyone freaking immortal now, damn it!" I was getting way off my center.

"I'm not immortal," Regina smirked. "In about twenty years you will be facing your Maker too."

"Thanks for putting me on an even keel," I growled to Regina.

"I'm not sure about that," Everest hinted. "His Mother's quest for that answer to Richard's – dilemma - is what drew my Father's notice."

"He's ours," Eden snapped. Paradise stood close by her sister, showing her support.

"How about you telling us what you are doing on this side of the Atlantic?" Regina patted my lower back to reassure me.

"Nothing I want to discuss in front of those not of the spirit," Everest informed them. "Richard, we can talk over dinner, or maybe, afterwards?"

"The Six are under my protection," I bluffed, "and Regina goes where I go."

"We are not under your protection," Paradise hissed. "At best we are unsteady allies."

"That's right you Nutty Nim-nuts," Regina gave a dry chuckle, "he was only trying to offer you some help against a freaking Theran. Good luck going it alone."

"Interesting," Everest remarked, "I'm going to the theater to check things out. Richard can tag along if he likes but the rest of you are inconvenient distractions."

"Thanks Lady Marlowe," I said carefully; I would have liked to let the anger take over but something was telling me that my English friend was only showing the placid surface of a very deep lake,

"But I feel obliged to stay with my current company."

"Of course Richard," Everest sounded incredibly polite without being condescending though the looks she shared with the other witches was without the warmth she shared with me.

(Dinner Talk)

Gathering all six of 'my' witches was normally difficult but Eden and Twilight were surprisingly supportive. I concentrated on getting Shelby Ravenrook to sit down with seven dark witches including the one, Regina, who killed her mother. She came the moment I broke down and mentioned the word 'Theran', then she was eager – over eager as it turned out because there was already another Theran on the island; one the rest of us didn't even realize we knew about.

"Listen, I can't believe I'm asking this because I still feel it is my duty here to keep the six of you from killing and abusing Regina, Shelby and the human inhabitants, but what are you eight going to do about Marlowe?" I started off our conversation.

"Therans aren't – necessarily – more powerful than true witches," Midnight lectured, "but they can be hundreds if not thousands of years old.

"That's a lot of magical lore they could have absorbed. Also, they are all born 'in-between' – you know, the region where your ancestors and other bound by your curse, are trapped. This allows all true Therans to freely travel between worlds with a thought. Half-Therans can't do it innately but they have a talent for Apportations," Midnight concluded.

"Translation; the Six can take Ms. Marlowe," Regina explained, "but that doesn't tell us why she's here."

"And we do need to know," Shelby grudgingly agreed with her Mother's murder. "I'll send to my coven to get more information on her."

"Well, are there other tombs besides the one for the Six? I have the Mortuary Blade and Alyssa has the Grimoire, but the other four remain down there, right?" I questioned.

"There is the Seventh Tomb," Midnight stared at Shelby. "Who is in it?" Shelby seemed evasive but the rest of us were intense.

"I don't know everything but the 13th member of the coven volunteered to be the anchored to the sight to keep the rest of you trapped," Shelby became defensive. There was a moment of contemplative silence.

"You mean the female Abenaki shaman," Regina said.

I was getting a feeling for how Shelby's buddies operated and what terms they misused.

"When you say volunteered you really mean she got suckered into the deal, right?" I quizzed Shelby.

"I wasn't quite like that," she sniffed, "it was because she was the oldest and her people were failing so she was the natural choice."

"Unless she was a Theran, you Nut," Regina grumbled. "You did know she was a Theran, didn't you?"

"Well...not initially," Shelby looked embarrassed. "She deceived us to her true nature so our deception toward her made more sense. When she tried to make contact beyond the tomb, we realized our mistake."

"Since you clearly didn't let her go, what did the thirteen of you do?" I glared at Shelby.

"We couldn't kill her – that would have been unjust...so we tapped into her spiritual form and siphoned off her healing powers into the Six," Shelby related. "That would keep her weak and we didn't think giving the Six back their forms would disrupt things that much."

"And the past year when the Six haven't been around in their crypt to be regenerated, where do you think all that siphoned energy has gone?" I drilled the question home.

"I don't know," joked Regina. "I'd find some jack-ass of a half-Theran just wandering around campus and put some subliminal suggestions into his head before he was lured to – say London, where two Therans just happen to be hanging around."

"So she's here to release the 13th Witch? Or kill her?" Spring posed to the rest of us.

"She'd have to break the seal," Shelby volunteered, "and that wouldn't be easy."

"What are we talking about? An old scroll, a coven...what?" I asked.

"There is a thirteenth century enchanted German chisel and hammer that can open most tombs," Twilight offered.

"Osteophyte's Tombs and Wards might have something," Regina put out there.

"Well, how did the six of you defeat the similar design," I queried.

"We drew on the residual energy of you to complete ourselves. Once our bodies were complete we dismantled the wards from within," Eden answered with a grin.

"Then she should finds out where the tomb is and finds a way to help her dig out," I suggested. "After all, if she brought a library or a ton of luggage, you eight could find it and she had to know seven of you would be here – Regina being the added complication. "I suggest Spring, Autumn and I keep an eye on her, Shelby, Midnight and Twilight figure out how she is planning to break the Abenaki out and Eden, Paradise, and Regina go through her room and the places she spends time."

"So you are now in charge?" Spring challenged me.

"If it means I'm putting our mutual existence ahead of my individual desire to survive – then yes, I'm the leader," I narrowed my eyes as I stared at Spring. I could sense Autumn bristling as well, but the other four were abnormally calm.

"That's right," snorted Regina, "It isn't like you Six want to kill me or Shelby here – oh wait, you do."

"Fine," grumbled Spring, "but when the time comes we will finish off the Theran." All would have gone off like gangbusters if Everest had been at all in a hurry – she wasn't.

***

The next night, after study hall, Everest and I found time to talk to one another.

"How's Lord Harper?" I inquired about her Father.

"He is well within his own space and mind, Richard," she snorted playfully. There was a pregnant pause.

"Is there another Lady Marlowe – as in your Mother?" I pressed on.

"Yes and no," Everest was leading me outside. "You see, my birth was a contract between my Father and the woman who birthed me. Father delivered up some bit of obscure lore that only he had to her family and they gave him the offspring of their joining – very business-like."

"That sounds a bit sad actually," I countered. "I didn't know my Mother for long but she was in my life. The same goes for my Father."

"Oh, we Therans are all about gaining favors and then collecting on them," Everest informed me. "Land, possessions and money don't mean much for us. Acquiring such things is too easy – a decade or two of work at most before return to our real pursuits – power."

"And here I thought you came here to visit me," I joked. Neither one of us thought that.

"It is not a task easy to judge the morals on, Richard," Everest sighed. "Some of the debts we collect on are the wrongs done to our houses and we pursue those just as vigorously as boons."

"Don't make it one of my ladies," I stated firmly. I was the monster after all and these maidens were my treasure hoard.

"It is not that simply," Ms. Marlowe replied. "Some people owe debts and some people have done bad things that need to be addressed."

"Everest, do you have any respect for me whatsoever?" I queried

"Yes, you have an army of deathless followers who course through your body, psyche and soul," Everest described, "but your power comes from the cusp of Oblivion and that is where I was born. No Richard, you hold no particular fear for me or any true Theran."

"Have you ever considered that Mom left us because she discovered the monsters within us," I postulated, "or that she found the Monster in Dad and he killed her."

"That's not very likely," Everest was a bit condescending.

"Why? Because when you ran away and crossed over to Oblivion's edge – you ran straight into us? It is where you are born, but it is where my ancestors exist every day," I explained.

"Enchanting idea and if I was twenty, I would be worried – but I'm not Richard. I'm far past twenty but since you have such a strong chivalrous and romantic streak, I'll allow you to protect one of your ladies; one I won't touch," Lady Everest bargained. That was a hellish proposition for me; Eden who might bare my child some day and Regina who was all alone in the world.

"I won't put one above the others," I responded.

"Ah, now true leadership is being able to make the hard choices in difficult times," Marlowe tsked me.

"No, true leadership is finding a way to save them all," I glared.

"Very well Richard, I'll spare you because I like you and you intrigue me but I'm going to get rid of the rest," Everest smiled. "It is what needs to be done and while you have an inflated sense of your own capabilities, you are not powerless in the world. This will be a fun game."

"Please don't force me into a position where it is you or one of my Witch's lives at stake," I sighed. "I really like you."

"Thank you for that," Everest smiled. "I can tell you value their lives dearly."

"They need it more than normal people," I countered.

"We will see what you can do when I come for all of you," she answered with a slight nod.

"We'll be ready," I gave a curt nod. We weren't.

(Two Months Later)

Alyssa Monroe was finishing giving Eden an injection of one of the popular fertility cocktails. The drugs had been cloaked in a protective charm that would stop her body from rejecting the foreign substance.

"I keep telling you I'm not a paramedic, much less a doctor," Alyssa reminded us – as she juggled the serum bottle and the needle with her own telekinetic incantation from her book.

Sure she could only cast spells from her book, while the book was in her possession. Compared to a real witch, she wasn't much, but she'd thrown her sharp mind and imagination to mastering as many manifestations as possible. She'd also worked as the island's electrician, our personal obstetrician, and honed her FBI Agent/Monster Hunter skills.

"I doubt anyone will report you, Ms. Monroe," I suggested.

"I doubt anyone can report you," Eden corrected. "Our condition does that much for you."

"Twilight and Shelby worked out the Rote for the medicine," Monroe smirked, "and I'm sure Richard is pumping you full of...well pumping you full."

"Don't get above yourself Human," Paradise growled. "You help us but we are not creatures who enjoy being mocked."

"Sorry about that, I keep forgetting you ladies aren't human," Alyssa rolled her eyes. She also kept her pistol close by.

"Richard, Mr. Wendell is probably waiting on you. You have your dress rehearsal this afternoon and tonight is the big night," FBI-Girl reminded me of practice for the play. Playing to character; I was the Devil in deed if not in name for the production. We were doing the George Miller version of the Witches of Eastwick and to complicate matters, Lady Everest was my Alexa, Sally Fabian was Jane, and Regina was Sukie.

Our romantic scenes had either an air of hilarity about them or comedic tragedy. I had not 'hooked up' with Sally since the night she had helped the Six in trying to kill me but we'd kept talking. I'd accidently walked in on her having sex a few times. I wasn't sure how often it was truly accidental. Unfortunately for her efforts, I was busy keeping the Six carnally amused.

I felt the play was beyond adequate for our school. Mr. Wendell had a wicked wit and a clever way of working wonderful special effects with mechanical ingenuity. The actors had a faded sense of raw violence to their production that was a holdover of the Six's reign but it had diminished over the months and gave peripheral characters a greater energy.

The greatest thing was how well Mr. Wendell directed the production. If any angry impulses threatened him he didn't show it – that should have been our greatest clue that something was fucked up. Mr. Wendell glided through our seas of depression and despair with hardly gaff or down moment.

In our defense, he was human; just a strange branch of humanity that was aware of the arcane and was capable of taking up arms against it. Ross Wendell was a witch-hunter and a damn good one. Worse, he had been informed of the eight. Worse yet, he had suborned one of our number to his side. Worst of all...

The last scene was done and my face, up on a projection screen, faded to black as the 'witches' banished me from my conversation with my children. There was the applause, the cast coming out and doing a final bow then tending to the debris of the show. The Six gathered near the dressing room where they always gathered.

Regina and Lady Everest where with me in the changing room where I was wiping the make-up off. Regina had begged for a little 'deposit' before the show as a precaution. She was licking her lips as she came up to me. Her touch was like fire as I went from standing, to my knees and finally onto my face – totally paralyzed by my own energy.

"Hush now Richard," Everest breathed into my ear. "This will simply close your portal for a few hours at which point we'll reexamine your position here in this school and in the greater world." A cold bolt slammed through my heart. At the edge of my hearing I heard Twilight scream and the strumming of running feet.

One voice, Paradise's I thought, attempted a casting only to be countered by the louder, shriller voice of Lady Marlowe. A third voice, definitely Twilight, howled a curse and Regina screamed in pain. There was a powerful thump then nothing.

"The ladies think you'll stay in place but I'd like to make sure," Ross stated matter of factly.

He'd shown me his crossbow on occasion but I'd never thought how much one of those damn bolts would hurt. I got that painful less four times – through each shoulder and above each knee, pinning me to the floor and my face in the dust. Away from me, toward the Six, the voices of Shelby, Regina, and Everest were chanting what I recalled to be a levitation charm.

The voices faded away and the silence of all things nearby grew out of all proportions to my location. A few voices were still in the auditorium but I couldn't call out. The helplessness of my situation grew inside of me and that was part of the flaw in the plan because it would have taken a far greater Mistress of the Arcane Arts to really shut down my connection to my ancestors and the rest of my death curse.

The well-prepared dart Everest had pierced my soul with metaphysically narrowed the contribution my ancestors could make to me to just one. Beyond the wall, my guardian spirits were in turmoil; on my side their carefully crafted power was dissipating. Two things happened together, messing up my perception of either event.

"Regina said you would be in trouble," Alyssa hissed into my ear as she wrenched up the bolt on my left shoulder. I was vaguely aware of the pain of the act because on the other side, a choice had been made – or forced. As the second shoulder bolt was worked loose, hate and evil washed over me. Unadulterated, the Bastard had come through; the being responsible for all my family's ills.

My legs thrust up, tearing flesh on the thigh free in blood chunks. The will driving me didn't care for physical infirmity or discomfort. I rose up to a crouching position with a terribly wary Alyssa regarding me.

"Richard?" she whispered. I nodded because speech was too much to expect of me.

"They are heading out the back way," Alyssa continued. She placed the wrench in her tool box and double-checked her pistol before leading me out. As I padded off after her, my scents of my hell-beast nature. I recognized two scents – Regina who had my seed still powering her and Eden who was engrossed in my aura.

We caught them as they exited the rear gardens and passed into the graveyard.

"We should wait for Regina to make her move," Alyssa hissed. I choked down a feral growl and my desire to kill anyone I identified as an enemy. What she wanted made sense because we couldn't enter the crypt until Shelby unlocked the protective wards.

The Bastard wanted to attack but he felt my desperate need to know what Everest and Mr. Wendell had planned. Watching Regina and Shelby was also unsettling but somehow I knew why – Regina was the consummate survivor. The doors swung open ending my dimly thought-out revelry.

A few second later, Alyssa motioned me to follow. I had a low to the ground gait, circling around with stronger bounds while Monroe took the straight approach. No scent or sound revealed to us anyone's lingering presence and the sound of the surf booming below drew us down.

"Help me get the bodies in the sarcophagi, Ms. Ravenrook," Ross ordered with a steady voice.

"We need the Grimoire too," Everest requested politely.

"Move the bodies – give you the book – I already gave you the sword; how about I get paid first?" Regina challenged.

"Oh yes," Everest's tone turned hard as stone, "you joined us so you could kill Shelby and take her power. All you had to do was lie and betray your only real friend, Richard."

We were at the entrance to the cavern. The Six were laid out just outside the circle created by the six burial tombs, their bodies encrusted with salt and flickering items of what I thought was consecrated silver.

Ross faced Regina down the length of an encased Witch.

"Well," Shelby said somewhat sadly, "Ross was sent by my coven to put the Witches back after Richard failed. Everest needs your soul to pry the Shaman out of her crypt." Regina looked back and forth between Ross, who had a grim look to him, and Everest, who looked like she was the Mistress of events.

"Shelby, you are an idiot," Regina turned on her fellow fledgling arcanist, "they need the soul of a White Witch to finish sealing in the Six and you are the only one here tonight." The reality came crashing in for Shelby along with a sharp, curved knife that Everest punched between her shoulder blades and out the base of her throat.

Blood fountained out of Shelby's mouth and slumped to her knees. Everest grabbed Shelby's hair and uses it to gently guide her to the floor of the cave.

"Don't try and die too quickly, Shelby. I need you," Everest purred to her. Now that was what I called a casual disregard for human life.

At the same moment as the knife blow pierced Shelby, Ross had dipped down to the far side of the salt coffin and pulled out a whip and a knife.

"Help me!" Regina called out desperately.

"Girl, you've run through all your allies," Ross snapped, apparently annoyed at the disruption to his business-like procedure.

The whip lashed out and encircled her throat. Where the leather touched Regina's flesh, it burned and blistered – salt; his whip was soaked in pure salt. Regina was screaming, her hands smoking from trying to unravel the weapon around her windpipe.

"Let's go," Alyssa hissed then she broke from cover. "Back the fuck up, both of you!" she screamed at Everest and Ross.

Ross spun the whip around, flipping Regina to the ground. Marlowe waved her hand over her face but that was more than enough movement for Alyssa. She put three bullets into Everest, knocking her down. I charged Ross, he lashed out with his whip but I caught it around the arm. The sight and scent of my own flesh burning meant nothing.

Behind me, a massively unfair duel was going on between Everest and Alyssa. One blow of rock shrapnel crumbled Alyssa's occult protection. The next had Alyssa give out a bitter cry as she fell down. The gun had negligible effect against Everest's armor. In seconds she was stalking toward her fallen opponent.

I yanked Ross toward me, he intended to stab my abdomen with his knife and we locked grips with barely a wound. He grunted with the exertion as I began to push him back.

"This one is still too strong, Lady Marlowe," he called out. My response was to bite his shoulder and by that I mean, my teeth tore through his shirt, skin and muscle straight down to the bone.

Ross twisted in my grip and broke free. His left arm was torn up sluggish but his right dropped the whip, snatched up a vial from his face and through it at my face. The mercury splashed over my cheek but missed the eyes. He backpedalled and the Bastard pursued right up until I felt my soul being blasted out of my body, causing me to collapse on the ground.

The problem with the hand-canon Everest shot me with was that it was a weapon called a Soul Caliber and it could blow the soul out of a person for a period of time. It didn't actually kill you. My/Her problem was that left only one soul in my body – The Bastard's and all restraint I'd been showing up until then was about four feet away my physical form.

To her credit, Marlowe knew she fucked up when the creature that had been me flew at her. Her blade and armor stood her well. Closer to my soul I sensed two forms struggling before one made a final effort then burned down. I figured that Ross had finished off Regina. I could feel my own flesh beginning to fail and the Bastard with it.

"Stay down Richard," Everest said with some compassion. My soul snapped back to my body to hear those words. I had one option left and everything told me it was a dangerous one.

"Leave and I won't kill you, Lady Everest Marlow," I croaked through a battered vocal cords.

"You can't hurt –"she started to say before I vomited on her with every bit of bile me and my first Vandemeyer ancestor had. Her armor and sword melted underneath the corruption and her screams were the last thing I heard and saw.

(Sometime Later)

My sensation that my ancestors were around me once more was the first thing that came to my cloudy mind. The next thing was the unique and familiar scent of Eden's hair. I opened my eyes and looked up at her face.

"Eden, are you okay?" I rasped – vomiting the filth of existence was hard on the pipes. "All of you?"

Her worried face went from fragile grin to a full-blown smile.

"Yes...if there is a 'we' then we are fine," she laughed. "He's awake," she announced to the cavern.

"It is about time," Paradise called out.

"Regina?" I worried. "Alyssa?"

"They both are fine," Eden related. "After Regina killed the witch-hunter with his own knife, she produced an antidote she's prepared once she knew how he planned to entomb us in salt. She doused Midnight before that Theran bitched recovered enough to blast her to unconsciousness."

"By the time Midnight recovered, Shelby was dead and the 7th tomb had been emptied," Eden answered. "The other two sets of twins are out hunting for them. We stayed to make sure you and Alyssa were okay."

"I'm alive," groaned Regina as she weaved her way toward me. "I feel like I have a rhino running around my head."

"I thought my essence would have helped you more," I noted. I would have sat up but I liked my head lying in Eden's lap too much.

"Clearly none of us had an understanding of how tough that bitch Marlowe was," Regina chuckled painfully. "After that cock-sucker poisoned and stabbed me, I was lucky to last as long as I did. Be happy any of us are still alive."

I finally felt compelled to sit up but a remembered scent came to my occult mind. I turned and looked Eden in the eyes.

"You smell differently," I mused. At first Eden seemed confused then her eyes opened up and a hand caressed her abdomen.

"You think?" she whispered. Paradise came ghosting over as well but her expression was more pensive. She knelt by her sister and touched her stomach and tilted her head as if listening for something. Paradise gave Eden a cautious look then shrugged.

"Relax everybody," Regina ruffled my hair. "Most of the ways of detecting life – which none of us are good at – wouldn't show anything right now...but maybe a scent change would be noted."

"So what was going on?" I moved to getting a handle on current events.

"The Six began gathering at one stop Ross had clearly left aside for them. He placed a huge number of salt jars above them along with honey balloons. He dosed them in honey and then salt to entomb them and bind in their powers," Alyssa came staggering over.

"Since he was doing so many mechanical things, no one noticed his latest trick. Regina figured out that Shelby had betrayed us and went to the one person she could count on – me," Alyssa groaned. "Stupid as hell, but I verified what she suspected and no one noticed me because of my job at school. She started piecing together their plan but wanted to know what would happen to Shelby," Monroe sighed.

"Her coven sold her out to take the 7th Tomb's occupant's place since that was what Everest wanted, so she was doomed," Regina said.

"Her soul is trapped in the 7th tomb but her body is dead so there is no bringing her back," Paradise stated matter of factly.

"So Everest kept her deal with the White Coven by sacrificing Shelby?" Alyssa growled. "I'm liking these white types less and less."

"Ditto," I agreed then, "Damn it. I can't stand that woman getting one up on me."

"From the way Midnight described Everest, she didn't get much on you at all – you tore her up good," Eden still looked please. "You did that – thing you did out in the forest, didn't you?"

"I'm afraid so Eden. It was all I had left," I finished with a deep breath.

"You would miss me?" Eden touched my cheek.

"Actually, I would miss those cute little morning scowls from Paradise; the ones that tell me I'm lucky to have lived another night," I teased the twins.

Finally, when we had all regained our feet and Regina restored my sword, I turned to leave with the four women when Paradise reached out and spanked me.

"Be more respectful of the female receptacle of your procreative joy," Paradise added.

"Oh, call it like it is; he's your Baloney Pony, X-rated Hobby Horse of Love, Pantomime Horse of Hijinks," Regina smirked.

"I don't want to live without him," Eden said out of the blue and it hurt, her love, so child-like and new to her heart.

"You, me and Paradise are going to be just fine," I grabbed Eden's hand. The look Paradise gave me was stunned acceptance.

Regina coughed then spoke up, "Well, considering your utter lack of male friends Richard, I'll have to be your Best Man."

"Who is going to reset the wards on the Ravenrook crypt?" Alyssa broke up the happy yet awkward moment.

"As the last, closest heir to old Camilla, I'll give it a shot," Regina began once we'd exited the mausoleum. For whatever reason, the wards respected her status and one by one the wards rose back up and became infused with the magic of the island once more.

"Now?" Regina looked to me. I knew I wasn't going to graduate here. That hope was gone.

"We hunt her down by finding out about the 7th tomb and the Abenaki woman trapped their and maybe we can find out where Everest took her," I decided. "Paradise and Eden gather your sisters. Alyssa, figure out what goods you need and we'll get the money. Regina, I need a moment. The group scattered until there were just the two of us.

"You betrayed us," I pointed out. "Had they given you Shelby, you would have gone along with it."

"Oh, I thought about it, but no, Richard. If I let something happen to the Six, you would have never forgiven me. "

"I know I'd get my shot eventually but big hulking brutes who will smash down dimensional barriers to save me? Those are priceless," she smiled.

"Thanks because when the Six get together and decide to do something to pay you back for the betrayal, I'm going to need some excuses to keep them at bay."

"Just bang Eden and watch the little maggots gape in awe like they always do," Regina chortled.

"They do not," I defended them.

"Richard, I once braided Spring's hair when you were really tearing up on Eden and fingering Paradise – they were totally out of it.

"When are we ever going to have sex?" I changed course.

"Oh boy," laughed Regina as we moved toward campus, "you may be real proud of that dick, but I think six girls are more than enough for your libido."

"I don't want you feeling left out – relationship wise," I told her.

"Richard, you fought the witches for me and tamed their little asses. I think we are okay on the 'friends' status," Regina smiled. "You also aren't blowing up on me for doing the right thing and almost getting us killed anyway."

"Why didn't you tell me, anyway?" I questioned.

"I couldn't see you putting Eden in harm's way," Regina explained. "You two are crazy-obsessed with the idea of having a kid and that would eat at your mind if you risked her and something happened, as unlikely as that was."

"I concede the point," I sighed.

The news fifteen minutes later killed any attempt at levity; Marlow and the Abenaki had made their escape though the Abenaki woman seemed old and frail. They knew Everest would be spending most of the night and tomorrow morning traveling through the death zone. Alone, Everest could make it in half the night – Therans were immune to the live-draining effects of the zone, but half-Therans were not and the old lady would die of Everest didn't take breaks.

That still left us with the quandary of what to do. The Witches took a vote, in anger, for the rest of us.

"We will pursue the two Therans at daybreak born on Eden's winds," Midnight announced. "We won't need the rest of you." Oh really?

"The bonding items or have you forgotten them," I reminded the faction that wanted us left behind. Twilight and Spring seemed the main movers behind this argument.

"That's right," Regina snapped, "I can carry one because I'm the Ravenrook heir, Richard can carry one as can Alyssa."

"My life has gone to shit," the former FBI agent muttered. Now she was going on a man-hunt with the serial killer who had drawn her here.

"We would still need three other humans we will have to protect," growled Spring.

"Two," I declared. I walked to Regina and presented the blade just returned to me. "Give this to Eden's child," I gambled. Regina blinked then smiled.

"Eden, hold this for your child," Regina offered the scabbarded blade to the Undead Witch.

Touching it would scald her; keeping it would burn her flesh to the bone unless...

Eden hesitantly took the blade in in both hands. The warding magic that bound the items and tombs had been constructed by a true Mistress of the Craft. Eden held the blade painlessly.

Five of the Six gave a collective 'Oh' and everything changed for them.

They had been created to be unique and they destroyed their creators because of that onerous fate foisted on them. They were perfectly positive that they were always going to be lone – until something kept Eden safe. Whatever form of life it was, it didn't have a heart to beat or a brain to sing inside their gestalt but it had the most important thing to them – a soul.

Eden rushed up to Paradise, directing Eden's package into my hands before hugging her sister.

"What are we going to name her?" Eden sniffed.

"Well fuck a duck," Regina shook her head. "Knocking her through the headboard for three straight months while she cried like an angel did something besides keep me awake."

"I like the name Utopia," I said mostly praying this was not a son.

"Who says you get a say?" Twilight questioned.

"Your opportunity to separate our fates has passed Twilight," I glared.

"Peace!" Autumn jumped into the equation. "We need two more humans to volunteer to go with us."

They had to have non-coerced, by them, humans to bear their items off the island.

"We could use Sally Fabian," Regina sneered my way.

"Wallace Bozeman," I refused to take the bait, "that freshman we arrived with. I've run across him multiple times and he looks like he might be someone to throw his life away for a pretty face."

Regina looked at the Six, snorted and groaned.

"Fine, I'll do it, but don't expect me to put out for the rug rat," Regina mocked a boy her own age.

"Actually, I was thinking that Alyssa could ask him since she's the one he's been taking furtive looks at," I smiled at her.

The female former officer eyed us all then lowered her head. There was something grim we were neglecting.

"Regina, we'll need to bury Shelby in the crypt and say some words over her," I said.

"Forget that – she screwed us all over and her soul powered freeing the 7th Tomb," Regina declared.

"You betrayed us as well," Paradise pointed out angrily to Regina.

"Yes but that was only so I could betray them," Regina grinned. "Because of me, Richard and Alyssa were able to rescue us."

"You could have simply told us the plot before we walked into the trap," Eden countered.

"Then we wouldn't have known what they were truly up to and who was behind this," Alyssa admitted ruggedly.

"Besides Regina, you take care of your family, even in death. We take a bit of time and bury Shelby because she was aiming at a better world," I sighed. "She simply lost her way."

"Family," Eden murmured. "We will help you bury your cousin, Regina. But we have to make it quick because we need to be gone at first light." It was interesting to see Eden take the initiative.

"Regina, Richard, Eden and Paradise, take care of the White Witch. Her soul may be damned but she was one of us even at the end," Spring declared. "Autumn and I will get Sally while Ms. Monroe, Twilight and Midnight will get this Wallace kid who," Spring pointed at me, "better not be a waste of time."

Spring was righteously pissed about being entombed in salt and silver with the added shame that Regina, the traitor, killed the Witch Hunter that nearly caught them all. When that bitch, Everest, got away at well, her rage was about to overwhelm her.

"Calm the fuck down," I addressed Spring. "It is a good plan but don't bite our heads off."

Spring looked ready to jump when Eden touched my arm.

"Little Utopia," she cautioned me. Spring blinked as well because for a moment she thought Eden was appealing to her, not me. I stepped back from the confrontation.

"Sure thing Babe," I smiled at Eden.

The Witches were taken aback as well. It had not occurred to any of them but Eden that her unborn child could be used as a tool to keep me in check and even exert control concerning my behavior. In a detached fashion, they knew you could use an offspring to coerce a parent but they had never seen me in that light.

A few seconds later, I'm was sure that the felt the shoe on the other foot – Eden's child was one of them – if she was a spell-wielding woman. If the child was a male, a whole new set of twists and turns would appear. I still felt Eden would see herself as a mother; I wasn't sure about the rest. Four witches and Alyssa took off quickly because there was much to do before dawn.

"Paradise would you please – pretty please – help me get Shelby to her sconce in the family crypt?" Regina asked respectively. Paradise was about to get snippy when she caught Regina gazing toward Eden and I.

"Yes, let the two of us do that," Paradise responded. She not too rudely pushed Regina ahead of her down the short gravel road to the graveyard.

"I should put in a good word about Regina," Eden moved until she stood before me, "from time to time." She twisted slightly so she could hike her dress up to her waist. She hooked her panties and pulled them down.

"Shouldn't we be worried about me having too much sex with you?" I whispered.

Here I was having sex and now a baby with an older woman and not 'closer to 40 than 30' but closer to 400 than 300 years of age. I leaned against a rock outcrop, pulling her with me. Eden's face glowed as she unbuckled my belt and began opening my pants. Three months ago she would simply lay there and wait on me because that was all she knew.

I slid a half foot down the rock and Eden mounted me. She guided my cock inside her as my hands were supporting my precarious position. My cock slid straight in as she dropped her body on me.

"Someone has been looking forward to this – besides me," I teased Eden because she was so wet and ready.

"Oh," Eden exhaled through her teeth, "that feels so great. I worried about you, you know?"

"Not really," I pressed forward and kissed the underside of her chin. "You don't normally worry about any not in the Six."

"I know and it was weird," she smiled down at me as she kept rising and falling.

"I don't think too much sex will be a problem my Richard," Eden kissed me. "If anything, the spirit of our child will require even more of your sexual essence to grow strong."

"I think you are looking at more than one night of love-making a week," I protested.

"No," Eden pouted, "I still can't always tell when you are teasing me. Are you teasing me?"

"Yes, but I think if we do it every day some of the other witches might complain," I corrected myself. "Every other day maybe?" The way her vaginal muscles began clamping down on my penis suggested some level of expectance.

"Yes – yes," Eden sang out with a joyous high note. "Insert your gold rod inside of me every other day – yes." She panted harder and harder and I knew she was close. "Yes – and teach me how to drain your semen with my mouth the way Regina does tooooooo!!!!"

The image of Eden's sweet lips engulfing my sex was too much and too from left field for me.

My seed shot upwards in great gobs and strands into her womb but now I had the most bizarre sensation I was sharing my energy with something else. My semen and her fluids coated the top of my cock and cockhead, her muscles were still keeping a tight seal on her vagina. Eden nestled her head into my shoulder and I rested a hand over her shirt and thin bra to coddle her pert nipple and gentle breast.

I would have felt better if we weren't hunting another, smarter monster (Lady Everest Marlowe) with only a hint of what awaited on the continent. I was taking my lover and child into danger as well as three humans, two unprepared, along with us.

"We may not have another chance for the next few days," Eden whispered in my ear.

'What the hell,' I mused. 'She is probably right.' I took her hips in each hand and began lifting her up. Something about thinking that I nearly died and may soon be pressing my luck again made it seem like the best thing to do and Eden felt the same way.