SQ - I hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day yesterday! Thank you so much for the reviews thus far, I'm glad people are enjoying this story. Here's the next chapter, enjoy!

[Chapter 11: Spellbound]

A full thirty seconds had gone by without anyone making a noise. The boys stared at Hoarfrost. Hoarfrost stared back. Starfire's hand tightened on Raven's shoulder. Finally Raven couldn't take it any longer. She cleared her throat. "So, this is Hoarfrost. She's here… visiting."

Robin seemed to recover the quickest, blinking a bit too much and a bit too hard before ambling over and offering his hand. "Nice to meet you, Hoarfrost. My name's –"

"Robin – the boy wonder, who's always impeccably dressed." Hoarfrost grabbed his hand for a second, then let go.

Robin arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I know about you." Hoarfrost turned to each of the boys in turn. "And you're Beastboy – the shapeshifter who's obsessed with tofu. And Cyborg – the half metal half man who works on cars."

"How?" Robin's query drew Hoarfrost's attention back to him.

"Raven, of course. She used to talk about you during our midnight sessions."

Beastboy gasped. "What mid—"

Robin silenced him with a slash of his hand. "When?"

"When we were younger…"

Shaking Starfire's hand off, Raven took a step forward. Hoarfrost glanced her way. A smile crawled over her lips. "Oh. You haven't told them, have you? They… don't know?"

Beastboy couldn't contain himself any longer. The words came out with a whoosh of air before he could clap his hands over his mouth to silence them. "Told us what?"

Before Raven could stop her, Hoarfrost sauntered – the woman sauntered – over to Beastboy. She ran a hand down his cheek. "About all the nights she'd make me stay up because she kept gushing about you three. Blabbering on and on about how wonderful you were, wondering how such an awesome team could be just so fabulously awesome and how you could dominate any of the obstacles in your way. She'd talk for hours on end about it. She really looked up to you guys. Worshiped you three, more like."

Raven couldn't help the darkness creeping over her cheeks. She'd forgotten how… obsessed she was back then. But then she sensed rather than felt Starfire move closer to her, closer to Hoarfrost. Don't ask. Don't ask. Don't ask.

Starfire rocked gently on her heels. "Did she say nothing about me?"

Shit. Starfire didn't need to know what Raven used to say about her. How Raven used to feel towards her. What Raven used to think back in those dark days in the tunnels under the city. Back with her old crowd. Starfire never needed to know. Raven had been stupid back then. Stupid and ignorant. And angry. Very, very angry. Her powers strained, wanting to be closer to Hoarfrost. Wanting to be near her. To be with her.

Hoarfrost ran a light hand over Cyborg's shoulder, then twirled to Starfire's side, clutching her close. Dragging her farther from Raven's side. Hoarfrost caught Raven's eye. "No."

Raven almost smiled. The woman hadn't given her away. But then Starfire tugged away from Hoarfrost, eyes case downward.

The sight made Raven's stomach twist. She had to explain. And quickly. "You weren't in the group back then, Starfire. I didn't know anything about you back then. That's the only reason why you weren't included."

Hoarfrost twisted a strand of hair through her fingers. "She probably just forgot about you. Until later on of course –"

Bitch. Raven interrupted, desperate to change the subject. "You wanted to meet my friends, well you've met them. Maybe you should leave now."

"No." Robin moved over to the couch and slumped down into it. His eyes watered. "I want to know more about her, Raven. At least let her stay for a few hours."

Cyborg finally spoke up. "Yeah, stay for a bit. I wanna know more about you, Hoarfrost."

Beastboy flopped onto the chair next to Robin. "What kind of powers do you have?"

Raven clenched her jaw. She knew what their body language meant. What that glazed, watery look in their eyes signified. Hoarfrost had already cast her spell on them. Used her powers. She could draw attention of anything and anyone she wanted. Lure them in, keep them captive. Use their emotions to hold them, then drain the victim dry. The exact opposite of Raven. Raven tried to keep others away to control her power. If she didn't care about many people, she could keep her emotions in check and keep her power stable. But Hoarfrost needed others. She couldn't use their powers, but then they couldn't either.

Something shook her shoulder but she ignored it. Why had she let Hoarfrost stay?

Hoarfrost's arm brushed Raven's as she moved past and sank into the chair facing the boys. That slight touch sent shivers down Raven's back. Her powers ached inside her, throbbed at the very core of her. The curve of Hoarfrost's back, the sliver of skin just below her shirt, her pale neck on display as her hair fell past her shoulders – Raven wanted every inch of her.

A voice cried in her ear but she didn't turn to see who it was. Why had she let the woman come into her house and wait for her friends?

Her powers surged and Raven stumbled forward. Closer to Hoarfrost. If she reached out, she could touch that ivory skin. Run her fingers through those long white strands. Relive all those nights spent with her.

Hoarfrost laughed. "What are my powers? Well, I'm pretty good at getting what I want. For example, I'd like you three boys to leave us alone for the evening. Go back to your rooms. In the morning, you'll wake up believing we had a lovely chat about my past – a happy childhood filled with friends, a loving family, all that sappy stuff. You'll beg me to stay longer here. That is what I want."

As one, the three boys muttered "Then that is what we shall deliver." then got up and marched away.

The door slid shut. A pressure fell on Raven's shoulders and forcing her to spin around.

Starfire's wide eyes stared at her. Starfire. Starfire wanted her attention. "Raven? Raven, what is going on? I do not understand."

But Raven did.

A cold finger touched Raven's neck and Hoarfrost's voice whispered in her ear. "And I want you to tie this alien up since my powers don't seem to work on her."

Raven understood. Darkness glowed in her palm. She weaved it into one long cord, wrapping it end over end around her elbow. Starfire backed away.

"Then that is what I shall deliver," Raven murmured. Hoarfrost had case a spell on her, too.

SQ - Please let me know what you think - comments, reviews and critiques are welcome. Have a wonderful weekend!