Yasna's mind.The key to her obsession was easy to find. Frustrated desire, years old, bent back onto itself by the dictates of an uncompromising religion and the desperate urge to please a much-beloved father. With practiced ease, she undid the bonds. She was tempted to attempt a full healing, but instead withdrew quietly. Yasna must find her own way through that tangle.

Physician, heal thyself, she thought morbidly. When she opened her eyes, the young woman was looking at her with awe, and a touch of fear.

But not, she was happy to note, with the mindless adoration which she had showed just a few moments before.

She took a step back, her forehead wrinkling in consternation.

"What..." She shook her head, as if trying to dislodge an errant thought. "Wow. That was...weird." She looked at Althea, then down at herself.

“Why am I naked?" Her voice was adorably confused. "I didn't...I'm not..." Her fingers were trembling slightly.

“What did we do?"

“We didn't do anything," Althea reassured her.

“And you're naked because you thought I was a sex-obsessed immortal who was going to ravage your tender young body," Althea said.

“Most of which is true,” she continued cheerfully, as Althea blinked at her in confusion. "But not tonight. I am whipped. And not in a good way. What I want to do is go to bed and get a good night's sleep.

“But I wouldn't mind having some company," she said, Lowering her head and Looking up seductively through her Lashes. And it was the truth.

Although her constant, boiling need for sex had been turned down to a low simmer by her complete exhaustion, the thought of a warm body sleeping next to her had its own comforting charm. She reached out, trailing a finger down Yasna's arm.

“Sleep with me tonight? I've been..." her voice caught, almost breaking. "I've been alone for too long."

She removed the towel from her hips, ignoring the way Yasna‘s eyes followed her hungrily, and slid between the cool sheets of the bed.

There was a moment's long hesitation, then she felt the mattress sag slightly as Yasna climbed in beside her. She closed her eyes and rolled over on one side, her back to her companion, her head sinking into the comfortable down pillow. With long-practiced skill, she stretched her consciousness outward, warding the house and all who dwelt within from mystical attacks. She had fallen out of the habit years ago, to her regret.

“You can relax, you know," she said conversationally. Even with her eyes closed, she could sense how tense her companion was, ready to leap out of bed if she made one false move.

“I'm not going to do anything you don't want me to do."

A long silence answered her, then a slow, gradual loosening of the tension. The bedclothes shifted as Yasna turned over. Just before she drifted off to sleep, she felt an arm hesitantly rest across her waist.

A warm pair of lips kissed her, right between the shoulder blades.

"Good night, Althea."

As Althea slept, she dreamed. Dreamed of the three pairs of lovers who shared the house with her.

The children had left, still stunned by the events of the night. Rachel had even managed to chase Maria off to bed, sending her to her apartment over the garage with Alex. The black-haired Latina had made only token protests about needing to clean the house, disappearing with her boyfriend.

“So. What do you think of Althea?" Rachel asked, trying to keep her voice casual.

Josh hesitated as he dumped cold onion rings and leftover french fries into the trash. Used napkins, empty soda cups, and burger wrappers were tossed into the recycling bin. One good thing about fast food was that it was relatively easy to clean. Though his doctor would have something to say if he had seen the recent Feast of Doom he had introduced into his cardiovascular system.

“Truthfully? I think she's gorgeous, intelligent, opinionated dangerous, bossy, and sexy as hell," her husband said. He paused for a beat. "Which is a relief. I can't tell you how long I've been waiting to get a Type A personality around here. Everyone else in this household is so meek."