“Come on,” Matthew said softly, holding a hand out to Rebecca as he slowly rose out from the steaming waters. “Let’s get out of here for now; there’s something I need to do with both of you before we head back out to the school. It’s best to get it done tonight; you’re going to need to rest for a while to get your strength back afterwards.

Taking his hand, Rebecca allowed herself to be pulled gently up out of the water. Furrowing her brows slightly, she asked, “What are we going to do?”

“You too, Jen,” Matthew ordered, pointing a finger over to where she was still submerged in the water. “There’s a ritual which I need to do, to help keep the two of you a little safer out there. It won’t take too long and I don’t think it’ll be painful or anything – just exhausting.”

“Fine,” Jennifer mumbled moodily, slowly rising and shuffling over to where Matthew and Rebecca was standing. Something about her movements and actions seemed stiff and oddly forced to Matthew, but he shrugged it off as no big deal. He’d always heard that a woman’s first time was painful for them. As far as he was concerned, Jennifer was probably just dealing with an ache of her loosening hips.

Unfortunately, the ache she was feeling was deeper in her heart. A wound of betrayal which was festering and slowly growing poisonous, though the others were too young and inexperienced to notice it.

Rebecca was leaned up against Matthew, walking arm-in-arm though the massive mansion he called his home, when she stopped suddenly, took in a deep breath and held it. They’d twisted and winded their way through the maze of underground tunnels back up from the pool, went up staircases, down a maze of hallways, down long spiraling staircases which twisted and ran until she wasn’t certain which direction was which anymore, and then they’d came out into another set of underground tunnels.

Perfectly smooth, these tunnels seemed to be carved through a single, massive mountain of crystal. Prismatic light shined weakly in through the crystalline walls and ceiling all around them, dancing mischievous rainbow shadows across everything in sight – including themselves. It was another scene of unnatural mystical beauty that almost took her breath away with it awe it inspired.

At the end of one of these winding tunnels was an even more majestic sight which was what caused her to stop and hold her breath in disbelief. Opening up, the tunnels transformed suddenly into a massive crystal chamber of unspeakable and unparalleled beauty. Crystal stalactites draped down majestically from the ceiling, while massive crystalline stalagmites rose grandly to try and meet them. All the light in the room was refracted, refined, and directed to perfectly smooth and massive crystal alter in the center of the cavern.

“Behold the secret temple of Hel,” Matthew declared proudly, sweeping his hand back and forth, as if he was responsible for everything before them.

“It… It’s…” Rebecca struggled to find the words, then gave up and simply shrugged helplessly. As far as she was concerned, the greatest poets in the history of mankind wouldn’t be able to properly describe the beauty and majesty laid out before her.

“I know,” Matthew whispered, hugging her up tight against him. “It’s one of those sights which the heart can never forget. I wanted to share this with you.”

“Thank you,” Rebecca whispered softly. She was half afraid a loud sound might suddenly startle her awake and then she’d quickly lose the memory of the beauty of the place as he lost the dream she was having with it in it.

Glancing back over his shoulder, Matthew chuckled slightly to himself. Even Jennifer’s eyes were sparkling, her mouth half agape as she stared wide-eyed at her surroundings.

“Come on, you two,” Matthew ordered gently. “The only place where I can do what needs to be done is over at the altar. Let’s get over there and get this done. I was warned by the great lady herself not to stay here too long. The lure of this place can become too great for the human heart to resist and a person could be stuck in here forever.”

“I can believe that,” Rebecca agreed softly. “And I can’t think of any place better to get stuck and spend out the rest of one’s life.” Hesitantly, she followed Matthew when he tugged on her arm and dragged her and Jennifer up to the altar in the center of everything. Being in the center of the light left an almost endless warmth which pleasantly caressed the skin and seemed to seep into her spirit.

“It’s… It’s…” Once again, she stammered, unable to describe what she was feeling and experiencing. No orgasmic experience in her life would compare the endless pleasure the warm light was spreading into her being.

Without saying a word, Matthew simply nodded slightly before scooping her up in his arms and laying her down atop the center of the altar. Being the focus of the refined light was too much for Rebecca, as her back arced wildly and she felt herself climax repeatedly several times in a row. Her mind went dumb with warmth and pleasure and she was lost in pure ecstasy.

Jennifer’s eyes opened wide in disbelief as she watched the whites roll up in Rebecca’s eyes and she suddenly bent, spasmed, and moaned endlessly. “What… What’s happening to her?” Even if she was disgusted and currently filled with loathing for both Matthew and Rebecca, Jennifer couldn’t help but stare wide-eyed at Rebecca’s orgasmic expression.

“She’s being bathed in the light of Hel,” Matthew whispered softly. “It’s burning itself into her very soul, binding her spirit to this place for all eternity.” Closing his eyes, he slowly reached out one hand and pushed on the center of her chest, until she was resting and squirming with her back down fully upon the altar once more.

Ignoring the way her arms and legs swayed erotically as she was lost in her ecstasy, and tuning out the soft impassioned moans gently escaping her lips, Matthew concentrated and focused energy into his hand. Slowly, a small black flame began to flicker around his hand as he placed it between her breasts and held Rebecca down. Gradually the flame grew larger, more intense, until there was a blazing dark inferno reaching several feet above his hand.

“Mistress Hel!” Matthew cried out loudly, a strained expression of pain and torment across his face. “Mistress, by your gift and by the power of this sacred place, I claim the one before me as mine own! For now and for all eternity! May she serve you, as I serve you, should you find her acceptable!”

His voice echoed throughout the chamber for what seemed like an eternity before the room finally settled back into silence. The black flames on Matthew’s hands slowly flickered and began to die down, and a worried look was starting to form on his face, until a cold wind seemed to blow in from nowhere in particular, and yet from everywhere at once. The light in the room seemed to dim by several degrees, and frost slowly blanketed all the surrounding crystals, making them somehow even more awe inspiring.

A soft, feminine voice gently whispered into the room. “I approve,” was all it said before it slowly drifted back out and the light gradually returned back to normal.

Moving his hand, Matthew wiped the sweat from his forehead and stared down at the center of Rebecca’s chest. There, between her breasts, where his hand had been, was an exquisite crystal tattoo of several archaic runes formed in a circular pattern, which seemed to pulse slightly with each of Rebecca’s heartbeats.

“She’s mine now,” Matthew said wearily, looking exhausted, but also grinning widely. Gently lifting Rebecca up, he moved her off the altar and gently sat her on the ground in front of it. Turning around, he beamed a brilliant smile over at Jennifer and softly wrapped his hand around her wrist and tugged her over gently so he could scoop her up into his arms.

“You’re next,” he whispered quietly.

Jennifer’s eyes opened wide and she tried to squirm away to escape, but it was already too late. Laying in the center of the light, all she could do is arch, squirm, and moan as a filling of endless warmth sank into the deepest recesses of her spirit.