SMUT Warning Ahead!: There is some light F/F interaction here, but nothing lascivious.

Half a dozen pizzas, beer, and hours of Riddick and Celeste honing her Toombs' persona later, Jack was bone-tired. She placed the last dirty dish in the dishwasher, grabbed her half-full mug of beer, and literally collapsed on the living room sofa. Her shoulders and neck ached something fierce, from stress most likely. Unfortunately, the two men who she'd normally call on for a massage were at the ship and she had no idea when they might return.

Wincing, she rolled her shoulders, then her head, trying to alleviate some of the tension in her muscles. Celeste was just coming down the stairs after changing her clothes and heard Jack's sharp intake of air.

"That didn't sound good. Are you in pain?"

Jack's eyes skimmed jealously over Celeste's comfortable attire. A tank top and boxers never looked so good to her, but she had to wait on Riddick for a change of clothes. "I don't think I've pulled anything. It's stress most likely. I tend to carry it in my neck and shoulders."

"Oh, I've got just the thing for you then. How does a twelve-jet jacuzzi tub sound?"

That definitely got her attention. "Twelve-jets? Oh, heavenly..."

She noticed the hesitation in Jack's voice. "But?"

"I don't have anything to change into until Rick gets back."

"You're taller and more curvy than I am, but I don't think we're that far apart in size. You're welcome to borrow something of mine."

"No charge?" Jack asked, grinning.

"I don't charge for everything."

"No?"

"Of course not. Besides, you put away the dirty dishes. There is a credit on your bill. Interested?"

A tiny voice inside her head, which sounded a bit too much like Riddick to her liking, warned her not to become too chummy with Celeste. The woman had already admitted to coveting her for food after all. But the thought of the water jets pulsing against her aching muscles was simply too tempting to pass up.

"Momma didn't raise no fool. Lead the way."

"You won't regret it." Celeste turned on her heel and started up the stairs to her bedroom, talking over her shoulder. "I don't know what I'd do without it personally. No matter where I am or whose body I take over, I make sure I have a jetted tub."

"Won't you need to re-fill it before I can enjoy it?"

"Cheaper models? Yes. Not this one, though. Mine has a constant water filtration that's programmable. If I want scented oils, bath salts or I want to soak in something, I can tell it how long to keep it in the water before cleaning it out."

"Did you sell them in a previous life?"

Celeste stopped so abruptly that Jack almost ran into her. She thought the question had been sincere until she spied the twitching corner of her mouth.

"Cheeky woman."

"As if you would've said anything different?"

"Hardly, which is why I've come to like you so much."

"Well, I suppose it's nice to know that I have merits aside from how good I would taste."

"Undeniably, that too. But any woman in whom I can see shades of myself, I can't help but admire."

"Celeste, you take self-love to a whole new level."

"Jack, darling, when you've been alive as long as me, you're given the luxury of time to perfect oneself. How could I not be completely enamored with flawlessness?"

"When you put it that way..."

With a dismissive flick of her hand, Celeste declared, "Impossible to argue against. Waste of good breath to try." Entering her room, she headed straight for her dresser. "First, clothes. Any preferences?"

"Something comfortable will be fine."

"Comfortable is subjective. Silk for some, cotton for others, nothing but a birthday suit for the rest."

"Cotton."

"Booorrrrrinng," she sang as she selected a pink tank top and plaid boxer shorts that matched.

"Boring? Need I remind you that you're wearing cotton!"

"I have guests in the house."

Jack gave Celeste a quick once over. "Let me guess...silk is your usual choice?"

She arched an elegant brow. "So sure you have me pegged, my dear?"

"Let's see...perfectly manicured nails, expensive clothes, jacuzzi tub? You scream 'pampered puss'."

Celeste opened another drawer revealing an impressive collection of jewel-toned silk lingerie. Jack wasn't about to admit that she too loved lingerie thus setting herself up for one of Celeste's retorts. Then again she didn't have to. The way her eyes covetously raked over the drawer's contents said enough.

Smirking to herself, Celeste languidly ran her fingers over the various pieces, her hand coming to a rest over an emerald green and black lace chemise. She plucked it from the drawer and held it up to Jack, noting where the hem would hit on her upper thigh. Perfect.

"Take this, too."

Jack eyed her suspiciously. "Why?"

"Because you may be in the mood for cotton, but your husband might have other ideas. I have a robe that matches that, too." She retrieved it from her closet where it was hanging and tossed it to Jack. "What's your scent?"

"Scent?"

Rolling her eyes, Celeste approached her and brought a handful of her hair up to her face. "Hmph. Vanilla and sugar?"

Jack nodded mutely.

"How...quaint."

"Excuse me? What in the hell is wrong with it? Rid-. Rick certainly hasn't complained."

"He's also the type to growl if you take the last cookie from the jar and use words like 'mine' and refer to you as 'woman' when you piss him off. Or am I wrong?"

It took everything she had not to let her jaw drop or bust out laughing or both. "And your point being?"

"You smell like a cookie, then expect to be treated like one. Devoured, consumed."

She beckoned Jack into her spa-like bathroom and toward a tall cabinet filled with various vials of scented oils. Selecting a few along with an unscented base oil, she added a drop here and there until she nodded, happy with the creation.

"Close your eyes." Curious by nature, Jack did as she asked without blinking. "Now don't inhale deeply as if you're testing the scent of a new body wash or shampoo. Simply breathe."

Jack's eyes flew open after taking a few breaths. She didn't know what exactly Celeste had concocted, but it was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. Not smelled...experienced. Yes, the scent was amazing, but it was as though she could taste it, too. No names of fruits or spices came to mind, but they were there, subtly layered with floral essences. And these were followed by a feeling of breezy warmth that tingled against her skin.

"What is this?"

"You like it?"

"Like it," Jack snorted. "Hell, I wanna roll in it!"

"And that's your experience. For a man, it's far more intense."

"Then it should probably come with a warning label. I can't imagine wearing that if men who get near me are going-."

"Not men...a man. The oils are designed to encode to the first woman who wears it and the first man who experiences it with her."

"Microbiology nanotechnology?"

Celeste shrugged. "It's a little hobby of mine." She capped the bottle with an eyedropper and offered it to Jack.

"How much?"

"A gift...from Syrin. She introduced me to it and I've made a fortune off of it. I had the nanite knowledge and she'd been mixing oil essences for years."

"Selling to whom? Women are property on this planet."

"Exactly. And what better way for a woman to gain the upper hand than to seduce her owner or husband into compliance."

She begrudgingly handed the bottle back. "Thank you, but I don't want to manipulate Rick."

"You misunderstand. I told you why women here want it. I create and sell various varieties of nanite essences, the most popular on this planet aimed at seduction. You, darling, have your man quite in hand and are amazingly adept at making him believe he's in control. This is meant to compliment what you already have, enhance his desire to savor you a bit longer, especially if he's gotten his panties in a twist to have you. Sometimes it's a heady experience to be the object of a man's desire, to have him completely consume you. Other times? A good, slow, sensual burn hits the spot."

"So this isn't a daily fragrance kind of thing."

Celeste held out the bottle on her open palm. "Don't throw out being a cookie just yet. Supplant it with this every now and again."

Jack nibbled on her bottom lip, debating whether or not to accept the gift. That lasted all of ten seconds. "Thank you."

"My pleasure...soon to be his." She walked over to the tub and punched in time and changed a setting or two Jack's liking. "Do you want to try it tonight?"

"If we didn't have to walk into the gates of hell, I'd say 'yes'. When all of this is over, then I'll use it."

"Probably a wise decision." She reached above the tub to a shelf full of bottles. "Lucky for you, I have cookies in a bottle right here." She poured a healthy dollop into the tub and a frothy foam of bubbles covered the surface in seconds. "The water won't clear for fifteen minutes. Is that long enough?"

"Sounds perfect. Thank you."

"My pleasure. The towels are kept heated and stored in the bench.

"A girl could get used to this."

"Every girl should have this," she retorted. "I'm going to open a bottle of pomegranate wine. Would you fancy a glass?"

"I'd love one." Jack was about to ask her to hold the glass until she finished, but what better way to complete her spa experience than to sip on some wine? "Would you mind bringing it up here?"

"Not at all. I'll give you about five minutes to get settled in before coming back up."

Anxious to get in that tub, Jack had already toed off her shoes and unsnapped her cargo pants before the door was completely shut. She carelessly left her clothes scattered across the tile floor, making a mental note to pick them up later. Peering over the edge, she realized it was far deeper than she thought. "Now the handles make sense. I could almost swim in this thing." Easing herself in, she was only submerged to her waist when she groaned in delight. "Definitely getting one of these."

Then she missed the small underwater ledge and found herself completely submerged. Sputtering but smiling when she surfaced, she wiped the foamy suds from her face and at last settled back against the jets. She felt herself drifting off when Celeste knocked at the door, startling her.

"Wine delivery. Can I come in?"

For some reason, Jack felt suddenly self-conscious then chided herself. She was completely covered with foam after all. "Come on in."

"So, does it meet your expectations?"

"And then some," she sighed. "You may have to drain this thing to get me out of it."

She handed the long-stemmed glass to Jack who wasted no time in taking a drink. "I told you it was fabulous."

"Mmmm...and so is the wine. Thank you."

"I'll add a delivery fee to your tab."

"But of course." Celeste was turning to leave when Jack called out to her. "You can stay if you like. I-I'd like you to stay. I rarely get the chance to have a conversation with a woman."

"And you consider me a woman now?"

Jack had the good graces to blush. "In my defense, I was still a bit pissed off at you at the time when I referred to you as 'it', and for good reason. However, I can't see you as anything but a woman. You may have been men in previous incarnations, but no man, even gay, would think and behave the way you do."

Celeste pulled up a bathroom stool next to the tub. "But I still make one hell of a man."

"Irrefutably. I have to give credit where it's due."

"So, you're no longer miffed at me?"

"I wouldn't have asked you to stay if I was. You baffle me. Never has someone antagonized me to point I wanted to thrash them and then turned into someone I admire and...and even like within mere hours."

"But you want to know why I behaved as I did initially?"

"Wouldn't you? It's only human nature."

"Ah, but I'm not human."

"Come on...you can do better than that for an excuse."

Celeste shifted uncomfortably on her stool. "It won't make sense to you."

"Try me."

She paused for a moment before sighing, "Very well. I saw my immortality in you. The end of my existence."

Clearly confused, her mouth opened and closed a couple of times before she blurted, "But you're immortal. You can't...you're immortal."

"So can you imagine how disturbing it was for me? After all this time to see the end of my life reflected in a stranger's eyes." She shook her head and softly laughed at herself. "Anticipating your next question...I don't know why it was you. Hell, I don't know why it happened at all. I'm still trying to figure that out myself. You're definitely different though or so my reaction to you was...is."

"Because I'm so extremely fucked up?"

"Perhaps, darling, but you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. Others fucked up your life, not you. For what it's worth, I'll let you know when I figure things out."

"Comforting." Jack sipped her wine in silence but her mind was racing. Celeste wasn't able to read her thoughts, but she sensed her conflict.

"Ask your questions, Jack. I can literally hear them whirling around in that brain of yours."

Annoyed she flicked water at Celeste. "I hate that you can do that."

"I can't read your mind."

"Close enough," she huffed.

"Ask."

"Fine. Is it...is it possible for me to talk to Syrin?"

Celeste almost choked on her sip of wine. "That's your question?"

"I have things I need to ask her."

"About your husband?"

"And...about you."

Celeste tapped her fingers along the glass as she contemplated Jack's request. "Interesting. Very well then, take a few minutes with her. I can't allow you more than that or I might not be able to resurface."

"But how will I know it's her?"

"I'm incapable of deception. Twisting words here and there, yes, but I can't portray her and speak falsely. How will you know? Syrin is all hearts and flowers."

"The antithesis of you?"

"Sickeningly so. Are you ready?" Jack nodded and Celeste closed her eyes and a moment later she jolted off the stool and seized Jack's available hand, pressing it to her own cheek. "I can hardly believe he found you! It's such a miracle for your both. I must know he was terribly grief-stricken that night, which is what drew me to him. I wanted to help him...heal him or at least offer him a moment of peace. I saw you in his mind and realized he desired you, which is why I took your likeness and offered myself to him. He couldn't do it though."

It took Jack a moment to process Syrin's enthusiastic professions. No doubt, this was definitely not Celeste. "And did you help him?"

She nodded. "At least I hope he felt that way. He only allowed me to manifest as you when he wanted to sleep...but not naked together," she quickly added. "That he wouldn't do. It was comforting for him to hold you again, even if it wasn't really you."

Jack covered Syrin's hand with her own. "Thank you for being there for him."

"Truly? I know Celeste tried to make it seem-."

"It's okay. She's explained why she did it even if I don't or can't completely understand it myself."

"She'll probably yell at me for saying anything, but meeting you hit her like a sledge hammer. I've never felt her so off-balance and truthfully I'm worried about her."

"Because if something happens to her, you're directly affected?"

"No. I actually care about her. Very much. I'm aware of how I tend to annoy her, but she came to me at a time when I thought all hope was lost. I treasure what she's done for me. But listen to me go on and on. You have other questions? About Celeste?"

"Yes. Is what she said true? About being able to help me? Can she really take away my pain?"

"She can be a bit scary can't she."

"Definitely intense."

"That too. Celeste can come on a bit strong, but she is entirely capable of doing what she claims. I took a leap of faith and let her free me. I'm not sorry I did."

"Wait! Before she took over you, she fed off of you?"

Syrin nodded. "I was a mess. She didn't want me to make a decision about letting her take over my body until my mind was clear of the torments I suffered. She's very ethical like that."

"What was it like?"

"Indescribable. There are no words. Jack, I feel your pain, how you fight to keep it from choking you sometimes. I've felt your husband's pain acutely when you're suffering. He blames himself. What Celeste is offering benefits you both, and I wouldn't be surprised if it brought new joy to your marriage. I-I have to go now. My time is up."

"One last thing."

"Quickly."

"Does it hurt?"

"Perhaps a moment's panic when she asks you to revisit your dark moments, but once they're gone it's only bliss that's left...and copious pleasure. I promise."

"Thank you, Syrin." She dropped Jack's hand as her eyes closed. Celeste was back with her soon after, flexing her neck as though she was trying to pop something back in place. "Celeste? Are you okay?"

"Right as rain. Was she as I described?"

"You exaggerate. A lot. She's a happy babbler to be sure."

"Try having her inside your head, then you might see it from my point of view."

"So noted. And it looks like my soak is over. The water is clearing up."

Celeste retrieved a couple of towels from the warmer and placed them on the edge of the tub, then picked up Jack's almost empty glass of wine. "I'll see you downstairs with a fresh glass."

"Sounds good."

Five minutes later, Jack was dressed in emerald silk with her hair wrapped up in a towel. She had debated between that and the cotton, deciding in the end that it had been too long since she'd worn something so nice. Around Riddick, nothing enticing ever stayed on her body long. Securing the belt of the matching robe around her waist, she was done with the exception of finding a brush for her hair.

"Well, great. No brush."

Not wanting to snoop through Celeste's drawers in hopes of finding one, she went back to the room she would share with Riddick and began searching the guest bathroom. Again, no luck. She pushed the last drawer closed right as Celeste called her name from halfway up the stairs.

"Since you're taking so dreadfully long, I decided to bring the wine to you."

Celeste first looked in her room and then headed to the guest bedroom to find Jack, who exited the bathroom as she stepped into the room.

"There you are. Thought for a moment you were avoiding me, but given how spectacularly interesting I am, I quickly extinguished the idea."

Celeste grinned and held up her own glass of wine in salute to her choice of nightwear.

Jack's forehead scrunched in confusion. "What was that for?"

"Because you look far more fetching in that ensemble than I ever did. Except for the towel-head that is."

"Thank you for the compliment. It's a bit on the short side though."

"You're taller than I am. Besides, I doubt seriously he'll protest, so quit tugging on it."

"If I was wearing anything underneath, I wouldn't tug. At least the robe is a bit longer."

Celeste snorted at Jack's complaint. "Panties only get in the way and are a needless expense."

"Good grief! You have an explanation for everything."

She handed Jack the glass of wine. "I'm polished perfection."

"Mmm...I might agree with you if you had a brush to get these knots out of my hair."

"Damn, I didn't think of that and I never use one."

"What? How do you get away without it?"

"Shapeshifting, my sweet. The ability extends to the individual strands of hair."

" .Fair," Jack whined then quickly brightened when an idea came to her. "But wait! Could you change your hands so they could maybe brush out these knots?"

Celeste shook her head. "I can't risk the chance of touching your skin or I would."

Syrin's voice echoed in her mind along with her words. Leap of faith. "You won't feed unless I give you permission?"

"My promises are a bond that I cannot break. You have my word."

"Then it's okay if you touch me."

Jack took a deep sip of wine before placing her glass on the nightstand and climbing on the king-size bed. Patting a spot on the comforter right behind her, she motioned for Celeste to join her.

Rolling her eyes, she huffed,"Fine. I won't promise not to cause you pain though. Knots are a bitch."

Celeste placed her glass beside Jack's and settled in behind her.

"If you know about knots then you must have had longer hair at some point and had to deal with them like everyone else."

"Every now and again, before I could shape shift." Celeste morphed her nails to simulate the teeth on a comb and began to work.

"And is this what you normally look like? Shoulder-length straight blond hair and blue eyes?"

"Just blond hair and blue eyes? How bland you make me sound."

"Flaxen hair and cornflower blue eyes that rival a clear summer sky?"

"Better...but work on the flaxen part. it sounds too close to wax and flatulence for my taste."

"Are you going to answer my question or bitch about my use of adjectives and similes?"

"Pushy woman. Yes, this is what I'm like normally. It's the form Syrin reverts to by nature. I try to be respectful of a host's natural tendencies whenever possible."

"And if you could look as you wished? What would you choose?"

She stopped working for a moment to reflect. "Honestly, I don't know. Until Syrin, I never had a choice, so I haven't thought much about it. I change form quite often when in the bar to suit a customer's fancy, so I'm never even in this guise for many hours at a time."

"When you leave her body, you keep the ability to morph. Maybe it's time you consider who you want to be."

"If only that were true. You forget I'll be in another body after this one, thus I keep that identity. But it's something I can shelve away for a day when I'm bored and looking for something to occupy my time."

"Sorry about that. I did forget."

Celeste sighed almost wistfully. "Never you mind."

A comfortable silence settled between them as Celeste continued working the knots loose. She picked up the last section of hair that needed tending and the tips of her fingers innocently brushed along Jack's neck. Her skin erupted in goose flesh immediately, but the brief contact affected Celeste far more than anticipated. Although unintended, she had gotten a small taste of Jack's misery that she wore like a second skin. And it had been blissfully sweet.

Jack had gone completely still. In spite of her relaxing time in the tub, her neck and shoulders still slightly ached, but no longer. It took her a moment to realize the tension was gone once she got over the distraction of the goose bumps. She felt remarkably good and wondered if Celeste's touch was the cause.

"Celeste? What just happened?"

She immediately moved away from Jack, far enough to prevent easily touching her. "I-I didn't mean to. I swear it. My fingers just brushed along the back of your neck and-. Oh Gods! It's never happened like that. Not accidentally."

Jack had turned around while she explained and saw panic was clearly written on Celeste's face. She was trembling, too. "Did you feed?"

She nodded hesitantly. "It's never happened like that. Unconsciously."

"But you've been thinking about it a lot. We just talked about it."

"It doesn't matter. It requires concentration on the part of both people. I can't just feed through casual touch."

"Why was it so easy with me?

Celeste shook her head as she considered the question. "It may have to do with the odd way I've been reacting to you, which I mentioned earlier. But I believe everything that is dark inside of you has risen to the surface this evening and you're wearing it much like a second skin."

"Now there's an image I could have done without," Jack grumbled.

"What did you feel?"

"My neck was still hurting until you touched it. The tension was eased in the tub, but now it's completely gone. My poor neck hasn't felt this good in I don't know how long. If a brush of fingers did that for me, then what did it do for you?"

"Honestly? It quite whetted my appetite. You're decadent, and that was a simple, minor taste."

"Hypothetically speaking, what would I have to do if I gave you permission to feed?"

Celeste's mouth went dry as hope soared. The conversation was only hypothetical, but they were speaking of it, which meant Jack had to be considering the idea.

"Well, hypothetically speaking, we mutually decide where and how I can touch your skin. I then ask you to relive a bad memory, bring it to life in the most vivid way you can. That's when I feed."

"And my aches and pains go away - ones associated with my misery. What else?"

"Not just aches and pains, my dear. I take away the power your memories have over you. The cigar scent ceases to bother you as it has...the image of Toombs loses its grip on your well being. With all that darkness purged, it's like there is a blank canvas in your soul. Light floods in and beckons pleasure to join it. It's a euphoric experience. Some have described it as being punch-drunk, a high. Your heart and soul, they seek the pleasure denied in the past."

Jack's brow furrowed in confusion. "Denied? What do you mean?"

"It's simple really. Where there is ongoing pain, pleasure can't take a foothold. Surely you've experienced this yourself."

She opened her mouth to deny the claim, then quickly shut it. "So, that's it? After you feed, I would just want to have some kind of sexual contact with you? Earlier today, you made it sound like you enhance it somehow. Don't you or was I wrong?"

"No, you did not misinterpret. Whether I'm feeding off misery or preparing to feed from pleasure my body reacts the same, releasing a pheromone that prepares the person for feeding via arousal."

"Pheromone? Isn't that a sex hormone?"

"Yes. Some may liken what I release to an aphrodisiac."

Jack cringed a bit at the mention of aphrodisiacs. "If that's the case, then you must make a person wild with lust and ready to go off the deep end into unchartered territory."

"Nothing so extreme. It's most definitely a stimulant, but it isn't capable of overpowering your free will and thought. You would never do things sexually that, under normal circumstance, you wouldn't have tried otherwise. However, for those who are in much pain, their sexuality is often highly repressed. Once liberated, some are like a kid in a sexual candy store, taking full advantage of losing their fear and trying out all sorts of things that may have only brushed their curiosity before and could never brings themselves to do."

Jack knew that repressive feeling only too well and despised it. She hated how it got between Riddick and herself, and to some extent still did. Knowing exactly how it felt to be under the influence of an aphrodisiac, thanks to Micah and Drake, she at least had some experience with what Celeste was describing. A small part of her was actually contemplating the experience with Celeste, but she wondered if she would actually be able to go through with having sexual contact with her.

"So when you feed off of misery, you also feed off the pleasure that follows."

"Dinner and dessert without spending a single credit, my dear."

"Ah, but which is which?"

"Okay, fine," Celeste huffed. "The mother of all desserts, followed by a scrumptiously delectable after-dessert treat. Better now?"

"Yes, far more aligned with what I expect you to say. And the pheromones? How quickly does that take effect after you feed?"

"There isn't too much of a delay. They behave almost as a temporary placeholder, stimulating arousal to prevent the darkness from seeping in where light now exists."

"You speak of pleasure, darkness, and light as if they are living entities."

"But I do see them as such because I can see, feel, and taste what others can't."

"So pleasure and light have a symbiotic relationship of sorts?"

Celeste nodded. "You could describe it like that. Pleasure fortifies the light, and without light there is no pleasure"

"Except for you who finds fulfilment from both."

"Precisely. Consider me a filtration processor. I take in something dirty, cleanse it, and return it tenfold." Pleasure fortifies the light, so the pheromones work to escalate the arousal to ensure when you orgasm that it's a mind-blowing release and ample for my feeding needs."

The corner of Jack's mouth twitched. "Just one big bang? Over in a flash? Sounds a little like a five-second fuck a teen boy might have with his first girl."

Celeste was trying not to laugh...trying and she eventually failed. "I can tell you've been with those three men of yours and isolated from women for far too long. As for the experience, it varies with each person. I've been in a situation or two when it was over in a blink. No need for a second or further rounds to complete the fortification I spoke of. With you, it could very well take more to 'do the deed' so to speak. In fact, I would expect that to be the case. Not that either of us would complain, I assure you."

"But when you touched me, I didn't get this compulsion for sex. My neck feels better but-."

"What were you thinking of at the time?"

Jack took a second to recall and smiled to herself. "How much I enjoy having someone play with my hair. Even getting knots out. Guess I'm weird that way."

"And that may have been a key between us. You weren't thinking of painful thoughts, but good thoughts. I wasn't thinking of feeding. Instead, I received a taste of you and in turn you lost some of the stress-induced pain caused by your past experiences."

"So, unless I'm thinking of crap that I really don't want to think about, you can't feed deeply and the pheromones aren't released."

"Also the contact wasn't ample enough."

"Contact?"

"Skin-to-skin." She wiggled her fingertips. "These weren't enough. It would normally take a full palm's contact to your open skin - the throat or chest.

"Okay, so a brush of unintended contact, me thinking about something nice equates to you getting a nibble and my pain fading. Would that be accurate?"

Celeste nodded. "It's definitely a theory. Remember, I've never fed so easily from someone, so this situation is unique."

"So, let's test it out."

Celeste's jaw dropped and she immediately backed even further away from Jack, and straight into the headboard.

"Are you mad? What-. What if we're wrong? What if I do truly feed from you and then you're hell-bent on having your way with me?"

Jack shook her head. "You're overthinking it. Don't and we shouldn't have any problems."

"Easy for you to say, but thoughts are harder to control than you may realize."

Something wasn't exactly right with Celeste. Jack didn't know what it was or just how she knew, but her intuition told her the woman was holding back the truth. But why? Jack eyed her quite speculatively.

"I think for once you aren't telling me the whole story. What aren't you saying?"

Celeste sputtered for a moment, at a loss for words for once because Jack was already on to her. "Wha-. You! Vexing woman! No doubt you've been called worse, too."

"On a daily basis as a matter of fact, and you're stalling. Out with it."

She hesitated. "I don't wish to make you feel uncomfortable."

"Can't be worse than how you made me feel earlier-"

"Now, that's quite unfair, Jack! I explained my behavior."

"Yes, you did, but now you're aggravating me and I tend to get snippy when that happens."

"Well, we can't have that can we?" she drawled. "Very well, but don't get mad if what I say disturbs you. It's that...you don't simply appeal to me as food. I find myself quite attracted to you...to an extent that has taken me by surprise because I rarely feel this way. Beauty aside, I find your heart, soul, and mind to be as sexy a package as your form."

Jack's heart was racing because of Celeste's declaration, which set her mind racing along with it trying to figure out why. She didn't know if she was shocked, nervous, a little turned on or all three. When it came to appreciating the beauty and sexual appeal of another woman, Jack was an aficionado. As a manager of a strip club, she was around nude women all the time, even assessing them for employment. Every once in awhile, a rare, special dancer would come along, and watching her perform made her mouth go dry. Hell, there were quite a few times when she caught her own dancers making out with each other. Recalling how she hadn't immediately looked away was causing her cheeks to flame hotly, especially because an image of them lip-locked in an embrace just popped into her head.

Why had she stayed those extra few seconds after the shock wore off? Had she been longing for that kind of passion for herself? Probably...definitely. But she had never seriously considered being with another woman even though watching her dancers together had fascinated her. Even though she would have been far safer physically and mentally with another female.

Celeste broke Jack's moment of introspection. "I've shocked you."

Jack slowly shook her head. "No, actually you haven't. You just caused me to take a look at myself."

"Uh-uh, my dear. You are most decidedly not getting away without explaining further. Why the self-examination?"

"Because-." Oh, god what in the hell was she supposed to say? Did she even have a clear answer? No, but Celeste had been nothing but honest with all of them, and it made no sense to hold back from her. "I've never consciously thought about being with another woman. But spending so many years working in a strip club, I tend to look at a woman perhaps through different eyes than most would. I don't just see a woman's beauty, I see her sexuality, too and appreciate it. Sometimes it's in a look or the way her fingers play with a glass or how she tucks her hair behind an ear, but I notice it."

Her gaze narrowed on the younger woman. "You feel it as well. It's my opinion of course, but what you're describing sounds like attraction. Maybe not enough for you to ever consider pursuing...but you do feel it."

This conversation had Jack bewildered, yet fascinated. "I-I think you're right."

"You don't have to answer this, but have you ever seen two women together in a true lover's embrace?" A scarlet bloom appeared on Jack's cheeks as she cut her eyes away. She might as well have stamped 'GUILTY' across her forehead.

Celeste's soft chuckle only made it worse. "Oh, so you have! And you certainly wouldn't be blushing had you been unaffected!"

A bit perturbed, Jack turned the tables back on her host. Running her fingers along the deep v-shaped neckline, she asked, "Celeste, were you hoping I'd dress in this? Is that why you gave it to me to wear? Not for Rick's sole benefit, but for yours, too?"

But her ploy didn't work. "I didn't take my eyes off of you when I walked into this room. You already know I desire you, please don't tease."

Now she felt like a heel. "I-I'm sorry. I'll behave myself." But she had been serious earlier about trying out their theory. "However, I still want you to try, Celeste."

"Dammit Jack! You just said you would behave!"

"Just one finger along my shoulders," she explained, making it sound oh so simple. "They still ache. I promise I'll think about nice things."

"I don't think-."

"Then don't think. Do." Jack turned her back to Celeste and shrugged off the robe. She then moved her hair over her shoulders, leaving the skin of both completely exposed except for the spaghetti straps of the chemise. "Please."

Wringing her hands in her lap, Celeste just stared at what was being offered to her. The devil on one shoulder was jumping up and down, emphatically screaming 'Yes!' while the angel on the other urged caution. The angel though had a bit of devil inside and said, 'Well, maybe just a quick taste.'.

"I'm a reckless fool for even considering this. Your husband-."

"Will be fine."

"He'll kill me if this goes awry. I've had that damned blade of his at my throat twice tonight."

"He's never laid a hand on a woman in anger, and he won't because I will take full responsibility regardless."

"Yes, but will he believe you?"

"I've done some impulsive shit in the past or so he says. So, yes, I think he would believe me."

"You're incorrigible."

"But..."

"I'll most likely regret this later, but let's try it."

Jack's eyes lit with excitement. "Really?"

"Calm down wench, I'm still not 100% sold on the idea."

"Sorry. But before we do this, you need to think of something else, too. Maybe you should play with my hair again so the skin contact is natural, not planned."

"A wise idea." She positioned herself close behind Jack, then spoke her way through what they were going to do. "Just your hair down to your shoulders and brush along your skin...subtle."

The anticipation was getting to her. "Celeste!"

"Damn, you're impatient! Happy thoughts! On the count of three."

"No, i've got my thought. Just let it happen. No warnings."

With that, Jack closed her eyes and focused on Riddick, their wedding, and when he first told her he loved her. She felt the gentle tug on her hair as Celeste ran her hands over it and her fingers through it. Soon, she stopped anticipating her touch and relaxed, completely losing track of time. Then she felt the feather-light brush of the very tips of her fingers skate along her shoulders, her skin erupted in goose-flesh once again, and that's when she made her move.

Syrin's mind reading capability would have come in very handy. Without it, Celeste had no chance to brace herself for what came next. Jack seized both of the woman's hands, bringing one open palm to her throat and the other to place above her heart on bare skin.

And then she thought of Toombs' crew.

She pictured the men and their cruel, laughing faces. She brought forth images of them holding her down, their filthy hands groping her body, pinning her to a cold, metal table while they took turns raping her. She recalled the bruises their fingers left from digging into her flesh, her swollen and split lip from one's fist, how broken her body felt. And the pain. The nearly incessant pain she was in until Toombs had called a halt to her torture. She brought all of those memories flooding to the surface.

"Feed Celeste! Please feed and take this away from me! I don't want to hurt anymore."

But Celeste was struggling against her hold, furious that she had been lured into this trap. "Damn you, Jack! Why are you forcing my hand?"

"I'm sorry, Celeste but you're too concerned about Rick to do it if I asked. He feels my pain more deeply than I could have imagined, and I want to take it away for both our sakes. I don't want him to constantly be on guard, wondering when I might collapse again. I don't want him to blame himself. I want us both free. I want to be able to love him as he deserves."

Celeste had never before held back like this and the pain was excruciating. But after hearing Jack's heartfelt pleas coupled with Syrin's voice urging her to help, she quit struggling and fed. The first full taste was so sublime, it was almost more than she could bear. In all of her centuries of existence, never had a feeding been this intense, all-consuming. She inhaled sharply, forcing herself to remember to breathe as torrents of dark pleasure besieged her. Celeste cried Jack's name as the orgasmic bliss peaked, oddly enough bringing bittersweet tears to her eyes. Knowing her rapture was born of this woman's sorrow induced pangs of guilt, an emotion quite foreign to her.

For Jack, her tortured memories and the pain seemingly evaporated almost as quickly as she gave them life. Swept up into a vortex of promised euphoria, they no longer held the power they once did, replaced instead by sobs of joy. She could only manage to utter two words that fell like a litany from her lips over and over again: Thank you. Syrin had been correct. There were no words. Nothing could describe the sheer elation that hummed through her veins as Celeste consumed the heinous moments of pain and suffering she offered.

Panting, boneless, and well-fed, Celeste fell back onto the pillows, bringing Jack down with her. For what felt like forever, neither woman talked or moved much, both too overwhelmed. Although wanting to sustain the additional physical contact her hands afforded, she didn't want to chance another forced feeding. She let one slide down to rest across Jack's silk-covered middle and began to twirl strands of hair around her fingers with the other.

"That's all I can do, for today at any rate. I know there is more. I can feel it in you, but I'm at my limit for this side of the feeding. How are you feeling?"

Jack sniffed away the few tears she was still shedding and drew herself to an upright position, wearing a look of wonderment. "Like I could walk on air! I feel so...light, like a weight has been lifted off of me. It's indescribable really. What is like for you?"

"Unadulterated, carnal, nearly all-consuming pleasure." She suddenly bit her bottom lip to keep from moaning as a residual spasm hit. "Aftershocks aren't so bad either," she added.

Jack's eyes grew large, taking in the change in Celeste's appearance. "Your hair...you're a brunette now!"

"It's what you like better, yes?"

She nodded. "The whole blonds having more fun is entirely overrated."

Jack, still floating from the high, tried to reach her wine glass on the far side of the night stand and started to tumble off the bed. Celeste bolted and caught Jack's about the waist only a second before she hit the floor face first, and pulled her toward the middle. Had she not just fed, she never would have had the extra strength to rescue her.

"Guess reaching for my wine is out," she giggled, looping her arms around Celeste's neck and resting her head on her shoulder. "Am I drunk? Cuz I feel drunk. What did you put in that wine?"

"It's the feeding, not the wine that's turned you into a lush. It's scrambled your brain for a bit, but it will wear off once the-."

She was just about to mention the pheromones when Jack's lips grazed the column of Celeste's neck, rendering her temporarily mute. Her arms tightened reflexively around the younger woman, almost closing the distance between them from the waist up. Without thinking, Jack nudged the side of Celeste's chin and began exploring her neck from collarbone to ear by nibbling, nuzzling, and licking along the way.

"Pheromones are definitely working," Celeste groaned. "Gods, what in the hell am I doing? Jack...I really think we should wait f-."

"Wait?" she murmured against her throat. "For what?"

"Your husband. You know, that big, hunky, bald guy built like a tank. Likes to flash knives. The very one who may kill me for feeding off of you, for touching you."

Jack's hands slid into Celeste's hair, cupping her head. "I...don't know if I can wait, but this isn't...I'm not...God, I didn't expect to...Fuck! I'm so confused."

Sensing Jack's reluctance to complete her thoughts, she did it for her.

"You didn't expect to want to touch me like this? Celeste feathered her lips down Jack's cheek, smiling to herself when the fingers in her hair tightened and a faint whimper of need escaped. "You didn't think you'd react so willingly...effortlessly."

Jack simply nodded.

"It's okay to feel conflicted. This is new for you...something you probably never imagined happening. Take your time. You needn't fear crossing a line you'll later regret. Stimulants or no, you remain in control, and I'll never push you beyond your own natural desires or boundaries you define. Perhaps waiting for Rick might be best?"

"Maybe you're right."

Still feeling a bit disoriented, Jack didn't realize the bottom of the chemise was caught under her hip. Had she stayed put, it wouldn't have been an issue. But when she went to change to a more upright position, instead of moving with her, the trapped chemise stayed in place, causing her her sensitive nipples to unexpectedly brush across the lace. A flash of heat radiated across the surface of her skin, like the faintest lover's touch, before coiling tightly at her core.

Celeste felt it too...tasted it, which technically shouldn't have been possible. She wasn't a creature capable of experiencing arousal or pleasure prior to feeding. She tried to dismiss it, but Syrin's voice inside her head wouldn't allow it.

"You felt that! Tasted it! I know you did."

"Don't let your imagination run away with you, Syrin. I dont-."

"I think you meant to say 'we'."

"Yes, yes...we don't work that way and you're quite aware of it."

"Unlike you, I've experienced the pleasures of arousal, which is exactly what you just fed on."

"No. That's not how my abilities work."

Syrin laughed almost coyly. "Not until you met Jack. Enjoy it, Celeste. I know I will."

She scoffed at Syrin's assertions, but if there was even the slightest chance that she was correct then she should put some distance between herself and Jack. Should, but she didn't want to and cursed herself for not being stronger or at least strong enough to move away, but her reaction to Jack and how easily she was able to feed from her was proving to be quite overpowering.

Yet, there were the knives for which she'd developed a strong respect and didn't relish having them pricking the skin at her throat for a third time. In her mind, she had a scale and was weighing that prospect against the woman who was driving her mad. Which weighed more?

But she never had the chance to debate with herself. Jack took the decision in her own hands when she slammed down two tons on the scale, shattering it into tiny pieces. Trembling, she threaded her fingers through Celeste's hair and brought their faces together until their breaths mingled.

"I-I know we should wait, but... I just...can't. A kiss wouldn't hurt, right? Will you kiss me, Celeste?" she pleaded.

And how was she supposed to say 'no' to that?