olonging it through a coitus that would seem to her like hours, and
peaking it when his own climax sent jets of icy fire into her.

He left her body first, smiling down at her. "You liked that, didn't
you, sweet Piety?"

The nun sighed happily. "You know I did . . . does that really have to
be the last time?"

"I'm afraid so." Shannon rose, still smiling. "I've enjoyed you a
lot, but I have to get back to work, and it's time for you to report
our little party to the nearest Enforcement post. You can tell them
everything except my name and how you knew me; all they need to know on
that subject is that I'm the Raidmaster. Not just a raidmaster, the
Raidmaster. You'll be sure to point that out for me, won't you?"

"Of course."

"Very good." Shannon double-checked the barriers he'd raised to keep
her from the refuge of insanity, then he released his other
compulsions. She reacted beautifully, her expression turning from
pleasure to revulsion as she retreated from him, turning to run but
falling to her knees racked with convulsions of nausea.

* * * * *

Shannon's attention returned to his surroundings. He'd left St.
Ignatius then, thoroughly satisfied with the interlude, and memories of
Sister Piety had cheered him several times since. It was an
interlude he dared not repeat now, though. Cortin might sense
something as simple as using his power to modify his physical
attributes, and now that she was personally aware of him thanks to the
attack, she'd have to sense his use of it on others.

Return to main storyline: 3. Center

4a. Shannon's Reaction

Shannon had decided to take advantage of Cortin's skill during the
afternoon session. It had been some time since he'd combined his two
preferences purely for pleasure instead of as an "object lesson"--since
Piety, in fact--and he was overdue for some recreation. He'd told his
aide he was tired and would be napping after lunch; Cortin would
provide the violence, Victor the sex. Victor was homo, raised in a
family that saw the Church's increased tolerance in the last two and a
half centuries as abhorrent. But Victor couldn't deny his drives; the
best he could do was conceal them, feeling guilt whenever they became
strong enough to make him take action.

Shannon had picked him for that, perhaps more than for his
administrative ability, then arranged for Victor to find him apparently
asleep, naked. Since then he co