Clarissa and her captive

The layout of the dining room appeared very formal and elegant. A long ornate dining table, a fancy carved chair at either end of the table and one to either side. The four chairs were occupied, Clarissa at one end, Angel the other, Destiny and Tera sat at the sides, each nicely dressed. There was patterned china dinner service situated in front of the women, intricate silverware lined out to either side of the plates. Each woman possessed a stemmed wine glass, a splash of red a third of the way up the glass.

At the center of the table, sitting inside an empty wine glass matching the ones the women had at their place settings, Garth let out a long exaggerated breath. He was diminished, not much more than a few inches in height, and he was naked.

“A toast!” Clarissa said, taking her wine glass by the stem, and raising it before her, looking at him in his crystal confinement. “To Garth, you’ve led us this merry chase and not, at long last your days of tormenting us have come to an end.”

Each of the women raised their glasses. I unison, they said, “To Garth!” Each taking a sip from their glasses.

He made a dismissive noise with his mouth, echoed by the shape of the glass.

Clarissa laughed, “Not quite your vociferous self. Your new surroundings mellowed your bravado?” she asked, setting her glass down and savoring the full bodied taste of the wine. Looking at him, she was not deceived by his appearance, small though he may be, he was still Garth. With the help of the others, she had taken every conceivable precaution to keep him confined on her home plane of existence, here she could control the variables. She and the other three women, unbound by the strictures of the Covenant in her place, assumed their full heights, all over one hundred forty feet, Destiny, the shortest, just. With everything geared to her normal size, Garth at 6’3” fit neatly into the glass. The fancy meal was a celebration, jubilation for finally capturing perhaps the most elusive being in creation.

He nodded, then chuckled. “Enjoy it, you got me,” he said, rising to standing inside the glass.

“I think I should eat him,” Destiny said leaning in close, locking her soulless black eyes on him, a feral expression looking menacing on her gaunt features.

“And that is why no one likes to play with you,” he replied acerbically, shaking his head, a wry smile on his youthful face.

“Fret not Destiny, we shall all have opportunity to play with him, each in our own way,” Tera said, a broad smile on her comely face.

“Since I know I’m not shrunk and you’re all gigantic, I must presume we are no longer in the realm of mortals,” he said, looking about the cavernous room, rich tapestries decorating polished wooden panel walls. A crystal chandelier, alight with candles hanging overhead.

“And it’s locked up tighter than a drum, there is no miraculous escape from here this time,” Clarissa replied confidently, perhaps a bit smug.

Looking at Clarissa, he smirked. “Challenge accepted, but I think it only fair to let you know, I’ve already found my way out.” He turned to look at each woman. “It’s just a matter of which one of you is going to enable me to enact my brilliant stratagem,” he replied, turning slowly in his glass to look at each of them in turn.

Leaning back, extending a hand in his direction, “Go on, enlighten us, what artifice have you devised to extricate yourself from your current predicament?” Clarissa encouraged, an amused smile playing at the corners of her full lips.

He grinned. “That would spoil the surprise,” he said.

“It is your hubris in the first place that has brought you low. This preening pride has led you to this situation,” Angel interjected, leaning forward.

Four females appeared bearing plates, each appearing in domestic attire. They all appeared varied in age, but all equal in height to Destiny. None of the serving women made eye contact with him as they deposited small plates of hors d’oeuvres in front of each of the women seated at the table before leaving the room.

“What are we having?” he asked, pushing his hands against the glass to try and get a better view of the food on Tera’s plate.

“An amuse-bouche, to prepare the palate,” Tera replied, drawing one of the two bite sized morsels off her plate and putting it in her mouth. “Mmm,” she noised, nodding her head in appreciation of the flavors.

“Very good,” complimented Angel, enjoying the small portion.

“I shall pass along the compliments to the chef, I allowed her to choose the menu,” Clarissa replied, eating the second of her two servings.

The serving women reappeared, each collecting a plate, leaving and returning immediately with a bowl of some type of broth.

Garth slumped back down into the wine glass. “This is going to take forever,” he protested.

Angel inclined her head slightly to the side. “Are you so eager to begin your penance?” she asked, pausing in eating her consommé.

“Penance? Is that what we’re calling it?” he chuckled.

“This is a victory meal,” Clarissa said. “In honor of you.”

Standing, he spread his hands, “How about something to nibble on then?”

Clarissa nodded. “Where are my manners?” she asked rhetorically. One of the serving women appeared, a small plate with some type of roll on it in her hand. She walked over to Clarissa and stopped beside her. Clarissa took the bread, and tore a piece off, releasing a small tendril of steam, before setting the remainder back on the plate. Using the butter knife, she applied a small measure of butter to the piece in her hand. “You don’t mind my fingers?” she asked.

He shook his head. She handed the piece of roll to the serving woman who moved around the side of the table and dropped the bread into his glass.

“I trust this is not part of master plan?” Tera asked.

He grabbed the piece, large than a loaf in his tiny hands, butter melting into it. He shook his head and took a bite. Nodding appreciatively as he chewed.

Clarissa chuckled. “You don’t need to eat, sleep, or breathe, yet you wanted this,” she said, opening her hand in his direction.

“Just because I don’t have to, doesn’t mean I don’t like to,” he replied between mouthfuls.

The serving women returned, cleared the bowls and returned with green salads, followed by main entrées, then a flaky dessert. The dialogue around the table remained convivial and light.

Feeling they were done, he climbed back to his feet. Then the serving women brought each woman a demitasse of flavored coffee. “Really?” he grumbled, making a show of sliding down the glass.

Finally, the table was cleared, and the women sat there, looking at him. Clarissa nodded to Tera, who reached out and slowly tipped the glass forward, allowing him to step out onto the table.

He brushed particles of bread off his chest before walking down the table toward Clarissa. Winking at her, “Okay,” he said, rubbing his hands together, “Let’s get this show on the road. Who’s first?” he asked, looking from woman to woman.

“We have already decided, this was Clarissa plan, she will have you first,” Angel said from her seat, hands neatly folded on her lap.

Tera smiled. Destiny remained silent.

He turned to Clarissa. “What’s the game plan?” he asked.

“We are going to say goodnight to these other ladies and you and I shall retire to engage in other pursuits,” she answered.

He grinned, “Other pursuits?”

“I am going subjugate your flesh to my pleasure,” she said. “I expect the process shall be quite lengthy, and thoroughly involved.”

“Ah,” he replied, nodding. A slow smile crept over his face.

She rose from the table, inclined her head, “Ladies,” she said. Each of the women rose and nodded in turn. Clarissa curled her left hand around him, picking up the wine glass in her right. As she exited the dining room, her mind contemplating how much could he endure? If he didn’t need to eat or sleep or breathe, she could keep him for months buried inside of her erogenous zones. Walking up a sweeping set of stairs into a hallway, she entered a large bedroom. There was a woman waiting in the bedroom, hand folded before her, eyes downcast. Clarissa slid Garth back into the wine glass and handed it to the woman.

She nodded, carrying him through a wide doorway into a bathing area. In the immense bathing area was a large marble tub filled with water, wisps of steam dancing along its surface. The woman set the glass down on the edge of the tub, turned and left the room.

Clarissa entered the bathing area after the other woman had vanished. Garth watched in awe as she walked to ward the tub, a vision of perfection, large breasts prominent over her narrow waist and full hips.

“I am at a loss, you are magnificent,” he complimented.

She paused before entering the tub. “Flattery won’t save you from my appetite,” she said, lowering herself into the hot water.

“It’s only flattery if it’s not true,” he clarified.

She allowed herself the luxury of bathing. Massaging her breasts, touching herself, fueling her desire and driving her passion, she let out a sigh.

 Snapping her fingers, the woman who had put Garth on the tub, returned behind Clarissa, kneading shoulders and back. Rising from the tub, Clarissa spread her arms out and the woman wrapped a towel around. Stepping out, Clarissa stepped from the tub, using the towel to dry herself. Turning to the woman, she said, “Bring my plaything, it’s time.”

The woman nodded, gathered the wine glass and brought him into the bedroom. Clarissa handed her the towel, she in turn hand her the wine glass.

Walking to the bed, Clarissa upended the glass spilling him onto the soft blanket below. Climbing onto the bed, she reclined against the pillows and parted her legs.

“No cuddling, kissing, small talk? Just straight to it?” he queried. She smiled down, hunger kindling in her luminescent green eyes.

Seizing him in her left hand, she started lowering him over her breast, passed her stomach and toward her pink opening.

“Absolutely gorgeous,” he said, angling his body to facilitate insertion. Putting fingers to his feet, she pushed him up inside of her sleek pussy. Instantly, she began to feel him touching her in all the right places, stoking her furnace and setting her positively aflame. Bringing her hands to her chest, she began to caress and play with her breasts, teasing her hard nipples. She couldn’t believe how amazingly fast he was able to bring her to such heights and in all her long life never before had she felt such exquisite delight as wave after wave coursed through her entire body. Her breath came in ragged gasps, as she bucked and thrashed atop the blanket while he continued to manipulate every single nerve fiber and ending her could find, she screamed in ecstasy as pleasure gushed out of her. Everything exploded inside of her as she was overcome by orgasm, reason and thought abandoned her, replaced with bliss. Slowly, the powerful sensations began to subside. As sanity slowly returned to her, tingles of pleasure lingering in her entire body, she realized something was amiss. Sitting bolt upright, she looked down passed her breasts to her stomach and frowned. Garth was gone and she was pregnant.

Crossing the room to her closet, she pulled out a silk robe and wrapped it about herself before venturing back down the hall and to her private offices.

Sitting herself down in the chair, she communed with the three other women. One by one, they materialized in the office.

Once all three women were present, “He’s gone,” Clarissa said flatly.

Angel frowned.

Destiny scowled, “Impossible, the weave is far too intricate for him to have unraveled the spell, especially in such a short amount of time.”

Tera laughed softly, “Impossible to us is made routine by him,” she said.

Noting the perturbed look on Clarissa’s lovely face, “There’s more to this, isn’t there?” Angel asked.

Clarissa shook her head, a look of incredulity marring her perfect features. “I don’t know for sure how yet, but during play he tricked my body into ovulating,” she said.

Angel tilted her head in askance.

“I’m pregnant,” she supplied.

Angel and Tera exchanged glances before Tera burst into laughter. “Pregnant?”

Clarissa nodded slowly, brow furled. “Yes, I can feel it.”

Angel laughed, a pleasant sound, walking over to pat Clarissa’s tummy.

“It’s not funny, he wreaking havoc on my system already,” she complained.

“Perhaps you are just hormonal,” Angel offered, a mischievous grin on her face.

Clarissa rolled her eyes in exasperation. “It feels different than it did with Clare or Clarice,” she said.

“Oh?” asked Tera.

“I don’t know, I just feel out of sync and it hasn’t been more than an hour,” she said. She was shaking her head, a concerned looked suddenly came over her face.

“Clarissa?” Angel said, stepping in and putting her arm under Clarissa. “It can’t be the baby,” she commented.

“It’s Clarice, she’s been hurt,” Clarissa said.

Selene

She watched the strawberry blonde, completely naked, bending and twisting lasciviously for the amusement of the men gathered around her platform. Selene sensed indifference in the woman, going through the paces of displaying herself, exciting the men, instilling desire and fantasy. Selene smiled, she loved the art of seduction, the game between the sexes, it thrilled her, excited her. Opening her purse, she withdrew a hundred dollar bill and set it on the stage in front of the young woman. Looking down, the woman smiled and gave Selene a nod of appreciation. Selene smiled back, as she was returning to sit down, she sensed the disruption of power ripple through the environment, akin to a stone tossed into a pond spreading ripples out from a source of impact. The closer the impact, the greater the distortion and it was so strong it made Selene gasp although it was unfelt by anyone else in the Grind House, she knew immediately something dramatic had happened to Clarice. She moved hastily across the floor between the table and to the hall leading into the back of the club. The burly bouncer frowned and raised his hand to bar her way. She placed her hand on his chest, moving him backward through the portal before giving him a shove. Although almost two and half times her body weight, he was flung backward down the hall with tremendous force, colliding with the drywall at the end wall and with enough momentum to damage it and bend the metal studs behind.

Striding purposefully down the hall, she lifted her hand palm out and the door pushed inward striking the wall behind with a loud bang, her amethyst eyes glowing balefully.

Arvin looked at her. “Who the fuck are you?” he asked, bringing the gun around to point at her.

She made a motion with her hand and everyone in the room was rendered unconscious. Moving quickly into the room, she pushed Jack out of the way and knelt down in front of Clarice, placing one hand over the entry wound, the other over the exit. Channeling an energy conduit between her hands, the wound began to glow, a white light emanating from within the wound track itself. She watched as muscle and tissue knit and skin pulled itself together. She smiled, proud of her handiwork, there wouldn’t even be a scar to mar Clarice’s perfect flesh.

Standing upright, she surveyed the unconscious people in the room. Stepping out into the hall, she grabbed the unconscious bouncer by the scruff and dragged him into the room. Spreading her hands, she drew in power, then released it. Everyone in the room, except Clarice began to shrink down, vanishing into their clothes. It took only a moment, and all seven men were reduced to between two and three inches in height. Crouching down, she picked Jack up first, gently rolling him over in the palm of her hand. A smile touched her full lips as she remembered how he had eluded her in the hunt. Kissing him on his face, she brought him up to her chest and carefully slid him into her bra, allowing the cup to cradle him against her smooth firm flesh.

One by one, she collected the others, dropping them into a compartment in her purse. She paused picking Vince up, looking at his battered tiny frame and wondering why he had been handcuffed and beaten. Once everyone was gathered, she closed the zipper on the compartment and shut the purse. Slipping out the back of the club, she crossed the lot, Clarice’s arm draped over her shoulder. Setting the unconscious girl in the passenger seat, she fastened the safety belt and climbed into the driver’s seat. Taking out her phone, she called Hilde.

Having felt the disruption in the power, though to a much lesser extent given her distance from Clarice, Hilde knew something was awry so pulled her motorcycle to the side of the road. She tried to refine the sensation, attempting to identify a location and discern the nature of the disturbance when her phone rang.

“Clarice has been shot in the stomach, I have tended to the wound, but she has lost a lot of blood. Where should I take her?” Selene asked.

Hilde let out a breath. “Where are you?”

“I am at a gentlemen’s club called The Grind House. I have collected all involved parties,” she relayed.

“I know the place. Gather at my residence, those in the immediate proximity will assemble there,” Hilde directed.

Disconnecting the call, Selene fastened her own seatbelt and started the car.

When Selene arrived at Hilde’s residence, there were several familiar vehicles already there. Clare was waiting outside and was the first to greet her, before hastily checking on her sister. The twins were present, Angelica with Abbie Halston in tow. The snowy haired Serah was there, remarkable face a mask of remote iciness. Clare and Angela helped get Clarice into the house and into the spare room.

The mood inside the house was very somber.

There was an open shoe box on the glass table in Hilde’s dining room. Selene set her purse on the table. Opening it, she unzipped the compartment where the tiny men were stored. Reaching in, she brought out Jimmy the Pin and set him in the cardboard box.

“Ugh, he is so skinny,” commented Angelica, all of his ribs easily visible, like skin stretched over a tiny skeleton.

Next out was the bouncer then Arvin. “He’s the shooter,” Selene said to the assembled group, setting him off to one side of the box.

Vince was next. “What happened to him?” Angela asked, using the end of her index finger to roll his head from side to side and examine the damage.

“Not sure,” Selene answered.

“His name is Vince, he was there the night Vanessa, Emilie, and I took down Cyrus and his crew. My guess is he was beaten for information,” Hilde offered. Looking to Selene, “Go on,” she said.

Reaching back into her purse she brought out Cade, he was hanging upside down by a leg. Rolling him onto his back, she laid his naked body in the box. “The shooter was pointing the gun at this one when I went into the office,” she explained.

“This one I also know,” Hilde said, eyebrow raised. “Detective Cade McKissik,” she identified. “He came to question me today about the lawyer Thomas Edwards.”

The last one Selene took out was Trevor. “This one also had a gun,” she shared. “Oh wait, I almost forgot,” she said, reaching into her bra to extract Jack from against her breast. Although small, traces of Clarice’s blood remained dried on his hands and arms.

“Jack,” Angelica said, a frown pulling the corners of her mouth down. “Was Clarice with Jack? How did she know where to find him with the protection sigil concealing him from our sight?” she asked, looking to Hildegarde.

“You forget, she helped him escape once and learned where he lived,” Hilde explained. Snapping her fingers, Jack began to stir from his induced slumber.

He came awake with a start, “Clarice!” he yelled before being fully aware.

“She’s okay Jack, Selene saved her. Clare and Angela are with her now,” Abbie said, smiling down at him.

That said, Clare and Angela appeared. “Mother is here,” Clare announced, “She’s not happy.” Angela nodded.

Jack paused a moment to gather his wits before taking stock of the assemblage around the glass table. “How come I’m little?” he asked, eyes narrowing.

“It was just easier to transport you that way,” Selene said with a grin, cupping a hand to the boob where he had been carried.

“Transport me where?” he asked, glancing around.

“We are at Hilde’s,” Selene answered.

“Um, how about you transport me back to my right size?” he asked.

Selene removed him from the table and set him on the ground near her feet.

“No,” said Clarissa walking into the room near to where Jack stood. She took stock of all the women in attendance, each women nodding in deference.

“What? That’s bullshit!” Jack groused.

“My daughter was in your accompany when this thing happened. This affair has yet to be settled and until such time as it is, you will remain thus,” she declared, face dark, voice brooking no argument. Turning to Angelica and Abbie, she added, “There are still residual elements of your father’s organization attempting to investigate us, I want you Abbie to establish control over the remnants of the Disciples of the Hidden Path. You are to assert your right to govern that organization based on the fact you are your father’s only heir. Currently there is a man named Vickers coordinating efforts there. Contact Marissa, she will meet you at the airport when you land. I want a triune there and an end to this,” she stated firmly.

“I’ve met Sebastian before,” Abbie said. Angelica nodded.

Selene knelt down and picked Jack up, setting him back on the table. “Sorry little one.” A devious smile crossed her face.

“This is crap,” he mumbled.

“I’m in no frame of mind to listen to you bleat complaints,” Clarissa said sternly. “Judging from my daughter’s blood still on your body, you were witness to what transpired. Tell me,” she commanded.

Jack spoke of being greeted by Jimmy and Trevor, driving to the club and the nature of the questioning by Arvin. He neither embellished nor exaggerated, telling it straight.

Clarissa wobbled on her feet a bit, as if dizzy, she stabilized herself with the table

“Are you alright?” Clare asked, moving a step closer

Clarissa shook her head. “Just a little off,” she replied. Looking to Jack and fixing him with a stare before picking him up and setting him in the box. “Identify these men,” she directed.

Jack named each man except for the bouncer, Jack didn’t know him

Clarissa turned to Selene, “You take Jack for the time being,” she said.

Selene clapped her hands together but kept quiet other than to voice gratitude.

“Hilde, I want to know everything this Arvin knows, but I want him alive, Clarice can decide his fate.” Looking at the other women in the room, she said, “Dispose of the rest as you see fit.” Then she vanished.

The women in the room exchanged glances, Clare said “What should we do with them?”

Hilde said, “I will take Arvin as your mother directed, but I would also like custody of the policeman.”

No one spoke against the selection. Hilde nodded, she reached down and picked Cade up first then Arvin.

“Don’t hurt Jimmy or Vince, they’re both solid guys,” Jack said, concerned.

Serah stepped forward, looking down at Jack with her fierce blue eyes, staring into him. Reaching down she took Jimmy in her hand, rolling him onto his back and closed her fingers around him. She looked at Jack once more, then without another word, she turned and left, the tiny gangster clutched in her fist.

“I want to play with this one,” Angela said, pointing at Trevor, “He sounds like a real peach.”

“We’ll take Vince,” Angelica said, looking at Abbie, who just nodded, still unsure of her standing within the hierarchy of the group.

Clare picked up the bouncer. Looking at Angela, she said, “I have an idea, I think I have a perfect game for both of our little ones. We need to return to mother’s house.” A smile crept over her face. Jack shuddered.