The Hunt - A Supernatural Romance

This is my submission for the HALLOWEEN 2026 contest.

Fair warning: this is a slow-burn story, not a quickie. If you're in the mood for a supernatural romance between a straight man and a trans woman, you're in the right place.

As always, all characters engaging in sex are over 18, and all constructive criticism will be happily considered.

Enjoy and, as always, five stars are appreciated.

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Chapter 1

The Halloween Scavenger Hunt was the stuff of myths and legends... at least in the city I grew up in. There was an official version, one the city sponsored and one everyone got to participate in, but there was also a secret version. One you had to be invited to play and it was called simply... The Hunt.

According to the rumors and lore, The Hunt had been around for ages. There was even a story that said people participated in The Hunt in ancient times... the nineteen fifties.

I didn't know... and honestly, I didn't care. All I wanted was to be apart of the game. Why? Because my favorite rumor stated every challenge or clue was sexual and you got to run around the city, on Halloween night, having the most outrageous sex of your life. Who wouldn't want that, right?

The rumors also hinted at a cash prize. And like everything else surrounding The Hunt, depending on who you talked to, the amount changed. Everyone agreed, though, the prize was somewhere between five hundred and a million dollars. Honestly, I hoped for a million but would've been happy with five hundred and the right to say I was part of The Hunt.

I found out, once six o'clock hit and we were officially in the game, that the actual prize was thirty grand split between the two team members. Granted, it wasn't a million dollars, but still, a chance at fifteen thousand dollars and a possibility to fuck my way through the city in one night? Yeah, I wouldn't be mad at that at all.

And the craziest thing... I almost missed my shot, but thanks to an overzealous cop, I didn't.

The invite came on a cold rainy day in March. The weatherman... that asshole... had claimed fair skies so I'd left my umbrella at home. Then those same fair skies had opened like God had changed His mind about flooding the Earth.

Pissed and trying to dodge puddles, I was sprinting from the train platform to my apartment when a gust of wind slammed a flyer straight into my face. I swear it was a scene right out of a cartoon. One moment I was running and the next I was flat on my back, the cold rain soaking through my overcoat, and the flyer covering my eyes.

"Motherfucker," I groaned pulling the flyer from my face and throwing it away.

People flowed around me as I rolled to my knees and stood. That's where I found the cop, waiting for me and not bothering to help. No, he had other, more important things on his mind... like the flyer.

"Littering is a crime," he said.

"I didn't litter," I said, trying to continue on my way.

He moved just enough to block my path.

"You threw this onto the sidewalk," he said, waving the paper between us. "That's littering in my book."

"The wind blew it in my face... from the sidewalk. If anything, I was returning it to its home," I said.

We stared at each other until I realized he wasn't going to move. I snatched the flyer out of his hand and jammed it in my pocket. After another half a minute of him showing me how big his stick was, he moved and I continued home.

It was another week before I wore that jacket again and when I did that's when I actually read the thing. It said what I'd been waiting my entire adult life to hear, or in this case read:

You've been invited to register for this year's Halloween Scavenger Hunt -- The Hunt.

Answer carefully because not everyone will be chosen.

And at the bottom was a website.

My heart began to race.

The thing about The Hunt was that everyone tried to make money off of it. Flyers, emails, text messages, and a slew of other things circulated claiming to be The Hunt. All of them ended the same way... someone wanted you to pay.

And that was one of the biggest clues you were on the wrong website... The Hunt never asked for money.

Still, people fell for it. Every year there were reports of people falling for the scams... even me. I followed every lead that came down the pike. Every email, text message, and yes, every wet flyer that slapped me in the face on a rainy evening.

The website URL didn't even mention The Hunt. And the landing page was completely blank except for a place to enter your name and phone number. That made me hesitate. Someone could do a lot of damage with those two bits of information... but when it came down to it I was willing to take the risk.

I added my information, hit enter, and then answered what seemed like an endless amount of questions.

Did I have any problem with nudity? Was I comfortable being filmed? Was I comfortable with physical contact with a partner?

The questions continued until I fell asleep at my computer desk. Then I woke up and answered more until the screen went blank again and said:

Thank you for your submission.

After that... nothing. No email, no phone call, just an eerie feeling I'd fallen for another scam. It'd happened before and I'd gotten calls in the middle of the night trying to blackmail me. People have approached me in the grocery store as if we were friends. I kept waiting, but thankfully months passed by without anything happening.

Honestly, I didn't hear anything for so long I'd almost forgotten about the whole thing... but then I got a text and my emotions went into overdrive.

It came in about a week before Halloween. I was at work, on the phone with a client, when my phone buzzed.

Congratulations! You've been selected to participate in this year's Halloween Scavenger Hunt... The Hunt.

On October 31st, you will receive a text message at 5 pm with a location inside the city. You will have 45 minutes to arrive and check in. You will be assigned a partner before the start of The Hunt.

Please note, all travel during The Hunt must be done by mass transit only. No personal vehicles or Uber/Lyft vehicles allowed.

I stared at the message for a long moment, then yelled... right into the ear of my client. I got a conversation about that, but I didn't care... it was finally happening; I was going to be part of The Hunt.

That night reality set in. How could I even prepare for something like that? Would the challenges be to collect things? Take photos? Do some kind of activity? A combination of things? I didn't have a clue. I hate to say it but I spiraled for a day or two until I realized the best thing I could do was to familiarize myself with the city.

Like a nomad, I roamed the streets making notes and wondering who my assigned partner would be. Registration had said teams would consist of one man and one woman and both over twenty-one, but other than that... I could be assigned almost anyone. It could be someone from work, someone I passed on the street on the way to lunch, or... well... anyone.

I hoped for an NFL cheerleader, but would accept a fashion model in a pinch.

Halloween arrived like a runaway train... and then slowed down like molasses in December.

I woke up early and did everything in my power not to think about five pm. It didn't work, and by noon I was on the train headed into the city.

I arrived at the central station and thought about wandering, but as I didn't know my final destination I decided the station was the place to be. Not only was it close to a decent diner where I could get lunch and possibly dinner, but it also put me in the perfect position to get anywhere in the city within minutes.

Time passed quicker as I walked around the area near the station so when the five pm text came in:

5th Avenue Bus Depot. Check in with the desk clerk before 5:45 pm. Do not use the key before 6 pm, or you will be disqualified.

Your partner will be revealed at 5:45 pm.

I was ready to hop a train and ride. Fortunately, I didn't have to go anywhere... at least not on a train.

The bus depot was only half a mile from the station and it only took five minutes of sprinting to get there.

The crazy part of the whole thing? The place was so crowded it took me longer to get through the clerk's line than it did to run from the train station.

I watched the people in front of me as I waited, and saw a pattern, not with the women, but with the men. Not every man mind you, but certain men I noticed didn't get bus tickets... they got locker keys. And when I checked in and got my key, I realized it was the key from the text message.

The key, K13, matched a locker situated between the men's and women's bathrooms. Not the most pleasant-smelling area in the depot, but at least it was easy to find the other people waiting for The Hunt to begin.

Then it happened.

5:45 pm:

Find your partner.

The photo loaded, and I actually stopped breathing for a second.

Warm chestnut hair, long, falling past her shoulders. She'd been caught mid-laugh at something off to the side, like whoever took the picture had surprised her. Fair skin, a light dusting of freckles across her nose. Late twenties, maybe younger. Athletic build, but also curvy enough to stop traffic.

Damn, she's gorgeous, I thought. Here's to wishing for a lot of intimate challenges.

I didn't know it at the time, but somewhere in the universe one of the old gods laughed and said, 'Wish granted'.

Chapter 2

I panicked... she wasn't there. No matter where I turned, the face I wanted to see wasn't anywhere in sight. One by one, I searched the faces near me, then further out, then I stared at the door hoping she was just running late.

She wasn't in any of those spots. It turned out she was actually in the one spot I couldn't look in... the women's restroom. Even then it wasn't until she tapped my shoulder that I found her.

"Holy shit, you're even better looking in person," I said without thinking.

She laughed as I blushed, thinking I was about to get smacked. Instead, she smiled.

"You're not so bad yourself," she said putting her hand on my chest.

"Thanks," I said with a grin. "I work out."

She laughed again, and I forced myself to stop talking.

"It shows. I'm Victoria."

"Alex," I said before glancing away. "Sorry about..."

"Calling me gorgeous? I'll try to survive," she teased, causing me to laugh.

"Good to know," I said. "So, other than the standard rumors, I know nothing about The Hunt. What about you? Do you know anything about all of this?"

"Personally? No," she said. "But I worked with a lady for a bit who said she ran it back in the nineties. I'm not sure how much has changed, but she said you went from place to place completing challenges. They had a digital camera so they could take photos to prove they did whatever they were supposed to do. She said you got points for each challenge you completed. And depending on which option you chose would determine how many points you get."

"Meaning?"

"Each challenge has two options for each challenge. One for low points and one for high points."

"Really? Wonder why the options?"

"According to Maria, the low points were regular things like taking a pic with a stranger, but the high points were more sexual in nature. She said she spent six hours with some random guy doing all sorts of things and still lost. Bad time management."

"Damn. So, we need to move fast. Good to know. Anything else?"

"If these challenges really are intimate, we should have a conversation."

Before she could say more, our phones buzzed.

Early start. Team Nine has been disqualified.

We looked around. Next to an open locker a couple stared at their phone. The time said 5:59 pm.

"Follow the rules, no exceptions," Victoria said.

"Good to know," I said as another text came in.

Go!

Everyone looked at each other for a second and then shot toward the lockers. Victoria got there first so I tossed her the key. She opened it and found a tablet with a strap, two GoPro cameras, and two body paint pens, a green one and a blue one.

She slung the tablet over her neck and shoulder and started reading. The others were crowding in on her so I reached in, took her arm, and pulled her back to the seats.

"Thanks," she said barely looking up enough to hand me the cameras.

"It's the rules," she said reading the tablet.

I fitted one of the cameras onto myself and tried to give the other back but she was too engrossed in the information on the screen.

"Seems simple enough," she said as I fitted the other camera and slipped it onto her head.

"Does that feel comfortable?" I asked.

"Perfect, thanks," she replied. "Prize money is thirty thousand for the winning team. We can quit at any time we want, the team with the most points at midnight wins, and everything has to be recorded. Here's a good one: we can do each challenge more than once for half the points."

"That's good?"

"Think about it. We can do both parts of the challenges. Do the high points, and if we've got time, do the low points."

"For half the points, though," I said.

She thought about it for a few seconds then nodded.

"Let's judge it on a challenge-by-challenge basis," she said.

"Good idea, anything else?"

"We can do all the challenges in whatever order we want except the first one. That one we have to do.. well... first. And at midnight we'll find out the winners. And we're legally responsible for whatever we do tonight."

"That doesn't sound ominous at all," I said.

"I'm sure they mean running red lights, speeding, and that sort of thing," she said.

"What are these for," I asked, holding up two pens.

"Uh," she said, looking at the rules. "Every time we complete a challenge, we'll be shown a sigil. The pens are to draw the sigil on a specific body part. Blue for you and green for me."

"Not sure I'm going to be comfortable walking around with devil symbols on my body," I said, looking at the pens.

She chuckled.

"I doubt they're devil symbols. I bet whoever's running this thing probably got a book on ancient symbology and picked out some cool designs," she said smiling. "Besides, it's Halloween. What's a little boogity boogity?"

I chuffed a little as I laughed then nodded.

"You're probably right," I replied.

"Good, because this is our first sigil," she said showing me the tablet screen. "It goes on the forearm of our dominant hand."

It wasn't a difficult draw, but it tingled when she was finished.

"What does it mean?" I asked.

"Trust," she said with a shrug. "C'mon," she said before I could ask more questions, "people are getting the jump on us."

"Can you navigate and run?" I asked as we headed for the door.

"If you can keep me from slamming into things, yes."

"Deal. Where to first?"

"Hang on, there's a map button... It's empty," she said.

"There's no map?"

"There's a map looks like it's of the state... but there aren't any locations marked," she said.

The woman next to us zoomed in then they took off. I zoomed in on our tablet.

"There," I said, pointing, "A location marker."

Victoria zoomed in and out a few times.

"It's the only one," she said.

"Maybe the others will populate later," I said taking her hand and pulling her behind me. "What's the first one?"

"It's that cheesy pop-up store, The Ghost and Goblins Halloween Mart. It says we need to choose costumes."

Not too bad for the first challenge, I thought heading into the night with a woman I barely knew.

As the great Sam Beckett was fond of saying, 'Oh, boy!'

Chapter 3

The teams looked like a bunch of kids running for the ice cream truck as we bolted down the street. Dodging other pedestrians, running into other pedestrians, and one couple almost got hit when they stepped into the road to get around a slower couple. We weren't being safe at all. Thankfully, Ghosts and Goblins was less than five minutes away.

The teams burst into the store like we were storming a beach and everyone stopped.

"What're we doing?" I asked.

"The location marker changed," Victoria said. "It's showing options now. A Safe option and a Sinful option."

"What's the Safe option?" I asked.

"Safe option: Pick a costume and change into it... five points," she read.

"And the Sinful?"

"Sinful option: Strip your partner and dress them in a new costume. They're not allowed to help... fifty points," she read.

"Damn, quite the jump," I said.

"I know, and before we do Sinful, we should talk."

"This is the first challenge, shouldn't we ease into things?" I asked, feeling shy about Victoria seeing me without clothes on. "We could do the other and be out of here in ten minutes."

"True," she said, "but we're not going to win taking the Safe options. You want to win, right?"

"I mean, I do, but..." she stared at me until I gave in. "Fine, Sinful challenges only. One thing before we start. I know I said I work out... and I do... just know that I'm not where I want to be in my fitness journey."

She stared at me for a long moment.

"Didn't want you to be turned off or anything," I said.

She laughed, and I blushed. Then she hugged me.

"Babe, you're super cute, and I'm really digging the mildly insecure act, but trust me, you have nothing to worry about," she said. "And you're not the only one worried about clothes coming off." She took a deep breath, then said, "One, I work at the TK, and two, I'm trans. You're going to find more than soft muscle tone when you take my clothes off."

It was my time to stare.

"It's just I don't normally tell people when I first meet them," she said, "but I figure if you're going to change my outfit, I'd rather you know beforehand than after. You okay with that?"

"TK? Like the strip club by the airport?" I asked.

"Yeah, the Tasty Kitty," she said with a laugh. "Not the best place to work, but it pays the bills."

She said it and then looked like she was waiting for me to judge her.

"Are you the librarian with the rip-away outfit and the string one-piece underneath?"

"Holy shit, you've seen me dance?"

"Yeah... you gave me a lap dance during my buddy's bachelor party last March... actually a couple," I said. "I thought you looked familiar. Okay, not to be creepy, but you were my favorite."

She laughed.

"Alrighty then. And the trans part? You okay with that?" she asked as if she were waiting for judgment.

"Based on how many times I've thought about you before bed at night? Yeah, I'm going to be fine," I said then frowned. "I'm being creepy again, huh?"

"Yeah, but in a cute way," she said. "Besides, if you stripped for me, I bet I'd be dreaming about you too."

"Anyway," I said with a laugh. "Thanks for the ego boost, but let's do this."

"Let's find some costumes," she said.

We told each other our sizes and agreed to meet back in five.

"Nothing lame," she called out before disappearing into the crowd.

I'll be honest... I went straight to the slutty outfits first hoping to get a slutty nurse, slutty cat, slutty police woman... well you get where my mind was going, but they were all gone.

And to be fair, yes, I would've loved to run around with a mostly naked woman, but honestly I figured those would've been the easiest to put on her. So, before I get judged too harshly I was mostly being strategic. Let's call it an 80/20 strategy over perv.

Personally, I'm glad there wasn't any of the generic slutty outfits left because I found the perfect outfit in the superhero section. And to be fair, it was just as slutty, but still mostly respectable.

It was Supergirl. Tight onesie top that snapped in the crotch, a skirt just long enough to cover but short enough to tease, and a cape. A fantasy from way back and one I hoped she wouldn't reject.

She didn't, if anything she loved it more than I did.

"Indiana Jones," she said when we met back at the front.

"Supergirl," I said holding up the suit I found.

"Oh my God, I love Supergirl," she said. "Complete badass all while looking hot. Just my style," she said with a wink. "And I love the snaps. Great for quick changes."

"Yeah... that's why I got that outfit... you know, in case you needed to do a quick change or something," I said.

"Uh-huh," she said, a smile spreading across her face. "And I have some oceanfront property in Arizona too," she said with a wink.

"Shut up," I said my face heating up. "We need to talk about Indiana Jones."

"I like Indiana Jones. Adventurer, cool hat, sexy as hell, and a whip for when things get... sticky," she said making me turn red again.

I smiled.

"Dressing room," she yelled grabbing my wrist and pulling me along.

We beat out another couple and before I could ask how she wanted to work the challenge, she was pulling my shirt over my head.

"It unbuttons you know," I said.

"I don't know why you were worried about your body," she said ignoring me as she ran her hand over my chest and stomach. "I would love to come home to this every night. Oh yeah, I'd be one happy girl."

After that compliment, she could've sold my kidneys on the black market and I would have gladly let her.

And it didn't help that her touch made my heart race... and for some reason made the sigil warm. Not from the outside, I checked, but on the inside of my skin I could feel... something. Not a bad something just a... feeling. A feeling that seemed to stretch up my arm, down my side, around my thigh, and straight to my core. It was everything I could do not to get an erection.

I would love to say I handled myself... no pun intended... as a gentleman, but I'd be lying, especially as her perfume filled the small space.

I don't know why, but I've always had a thing for a great-smelling woman. The right scent could get me going faster than almost anything else. Lingerie, dressed to the nines, all the things women did to get a guy's attention were nice, but that vanilla mix from Victoria's Secret? That was my kryptonite.

When she dropped to her knees and reached for my belt I knew I couldn't hide my excitement any longer.

"My God, how are you not married yet?" she asked smiling up at me.

I laughed as she continued dressing me. She finished by tucking my shirt in... twice.

"Okay, Indy. Your turn."

She turned her back to me and lifted her arms.

I stood there for a second.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"I'm trying to calm down," I said making her smile.

"If it helps, I'm not allowed to do anything," she said, and I could hear the smile in her voice. "You can do with me whatever you wish."

"That's not helping," I said.

"Oops," she said bending away from me.

She laughed when I took her shoulders and pulled her straight.

"Manhandle me, daddy," she teased.

I chuckled, but took the hem of her shirt and slowly pulled. She gasped when she felt my fingers slide over her ribs.

I tossed her shirt into the corner when it came off then pulled her tight to me. Her head tilted to the side as my lips brushed her neck.

My fingers slid around her waist and across her firm stomach until they slipped into the waistband of her pants. I pushed. Her hands covered mine as she turned her head allowing me to kiss her.

"If you keep pushing, I'll have nothing but my bra on," she whispered. I smiled pushing her pants down a little further. "Please," she said.

Did she mean please stop, please take me, or please make me howl like a wolf? I knew the one I wanted, but didn't know which she meant... so I stopped. Before I could change my mind, I knelt and worked the tight pants over her hips and down her legs until she could step out of them.

She turned putting her most intimate part inches from my face. Like me, she couldn't hide her excitement. And weirdly, since the moment she told me about her being trans, all I could imagine was something from a bad TV show or movie, but she wasn't. She was... small and dainty.

"Find something interesting down there?" she asked.

"Sorry," I said, grabbing the Supergirl outfit.

"You have to paint me first," she said. "This goes on our stomachs... right here," she said pointing at the screen.

On the screen I could see the sigil, it was just below the belly button. Next to the sigil was the word Possession.

"That's weird, right?" I asked.

She laughed.

"A little, but it's all in good fun, right?" she asked with a wink. "Possess me, stud."

I put the shirt over her head and threaded her hands into the sleeves before kneeling. The sigil's location wasn't a problem in and of itself... the problem came from what was directly in front of that location. It wasn't a big problem, but I did have to hold it to the side as I drew.

I tried to be as clinical as possible, but she kept running her fingers through my hair and it made my hand shake.

"You really need to stop rubbing my head," I said. "This is hard enough as it is."

She chuckled.

"Trust me... I know," she said. "I'm trying to keep myself distracted."

"Really?" I asked smiling at her.

"Keep drawing... and hurry up."

"I'm surprised this bothers you," I said returning to the drawing.

"What'd you mean?"

"Well... not to be rude, but you're a stripper. Aren't you always intimate with guys?" I asked.

"I'm a stripper not a slut," she said.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to imply... and is anyone really a slut anymore?" I asked as I pulled the shirt hem down and snapped it together.

"Maybe not," she said quietly as I helped her into the skirt, "but just so we're clear, I'm not, okay?"

She sounded so vulnerable in that moment that when I stood I pulled her into my arms. I don't know why, but it felt right.

"Got it," I said. "Sexy, hot, badass, but not a slut."

She smiled and turned as I attached the cape.

"There, now look super," I said.

She rolled her eyes.

"Oh my God, that was horrible," she said with a grin. "And we were having a moment. Well, you ruined it," she teased. "On to the next challenge."

I caught her arm before she could leave. She looked around as I lifted my shirt and said, "I need to be marked."

She immediately dropped to her knees and bit my stomach, I laughed. Then I threw my hands out when she grabbed my pants and pulled. Down came everything until I was naked from the waist down. Up until that moment, I had been calming myself until my erection was no longer tenting my pants.

My eyes grew wide and I had to bite back a moan when she took control of me.

"When I painted you," I said as she drew on me. "I used the back of my hand to move you out of the way."

She shrugged.

"Seems like you missed an opportunity... I'm not going to miss mine," she said giving me a squeeze that almost buckled my knees.

"There, now you're super too," she said, mimicking me.

"You can let go now," I said.

"I could," she said slowly. "Or I could do something else."

Her intention was clear and for a moment I thought about letting her... but then I remembered The Hunt and pulled up.

"Spoilsport," she said as she fixed my pants.

I didn't answer, just pushed her against the wall and kissed her. She wrapped her legs around me, and a little more time slipped away until she relaxed and I released her.

"Woo, alrighty then," she said, licking her lips and swaying a little. "I'm going to need you to walk in front of me as we leave."

"I'm kind of in the same situation here," I said.

"Oh, I know, I felt it pressing into me, but at the end of the day, boys can have tents in their pants; girls can't. Plus, we're on a timer. No time for embarrassment," she said.

"But we had time for all that?" I asked.

"Always," she said, biting my bottom lip.

I took a deep breath, grabbed the fedora, put it over my crotch, stuck my head up high, marched out of the dressing room and across the store. I felt every eye on me and couldn't imagine how the night could get any worse.

It did, though. So much worse... and so much better.

Chapter 4

As I guided us back to the train station, Victoria discovered the tablet's map had been updated. Scattered across the map were new locations and at the top was our score: 50 pts.

"Holy shit," she said. "There's a challenge on here for a thousand points."

"If changing each other's clothes is fifty, I can't imagine what you've got to do for a thousand," I said. "Still, we could check it out, where is it?"

"It's two hours away... by bus," she said. "By the time get back, we'd have maybe an hour and a half to do anything else. I think we'll be better off staying here."

"You're the navigator, but let's keep on the back burner, alright. Re-evaluate at nine thirty. If we're too far back, we can head for that one and hope for the best," I said.

"Sounds good," she agreed. "Okay, what do we want to do first? The lower points or higher?"

"Don't they all have low and high points?"

"I meant the Sinful low points or the Sinful high points. For example, what we just did would be one of the lower Sinful points," she said.

"Damn, that was low?" I thought about it for a moment, then said, "Dealer's choice."

"Find the train heading toward Jackson Love; there's a Halloween party at the Java House. We've got to hit five Halloween parties, and we'll get a hundred points."

"Just for showing up?" I asked as we entered the station.

She smiled as I searched for the right line.

"There's a little more to it than that. I'll tell you when we get there," she said.

"Really? Tell me when we get there?" I asked as I paid her way through a turnstile. "Are we in a bad sitcom or something?"

"I'm building suspense," she said with a laugh as we stepped onto the train and the doors closed.

The car was packed with a mix of people getting off work, costumed people going to parties, and a few people holding everyone hostage as they sang their latest hit. We tried to ignore them all, but when one guy got a little too close to Victoria I pulled her to me. I thought I would offend her by 'marking my territory' like that, but she pressed closer so I stopped worrying.

"Are you always like this?" I asked as I put my jacket around her.

"Like what?"

"So flirty? I know this is going to sound crazy... but I'm not this guy," I said. "I'm not the kind of guy who goes into a costume shop and almost fucks someone."

"You wanted to fuck me?" she asked.

"You couldn't tell?"

She laughed.

"Yeah, but that's not what I meant. I was asking because I would've let you, and I know I'm not that kind of girl," she said. "When I'm out on a date I'm usually more reserved. You would maybe get a goodnight kiss if we hit it off but at no point would I be on my knees your cock in my hand and me seriously contemplating blowing you." Her eyes widened. "Even that word... cock... I don't say stuff like that until I'm comfortable with a guy."

"And you're comfortable with me?" I asked.

She opened her mouth to speak then she closed it. Her brows came together and a look of peace flowed over her features.

"Okay, this is going to sound weird, but yes, I'm completely comfortable with you," she said. "It feels like we've been dating for months."

"It is weird, but I feel the same way," I said. "And please don't be offended, but I never thought I'd be this way with a trans woman. I mean, I certainly would've never touched your..." I trailed off not sure what to call her penis.

"Boy part," she supplied.

"Your boy part," I amended. "I mean, I grew up in a small Southern town. I've been straight since the day I was born and grew up in a Freewill Baptist church. Went every Wednesday and twice on Sundays until I left for Basic Training. Right now there are generations of dead spinning in their graves over what I did in that dressing room."

"Are you regretting what we did?" she asked. She tried to pull away but I held tight.

"Are you kidding me? I want to do it again... and more," I said. "A lot more." I held up my arm looking at the first sigil. "Think these are laced with something?"

"If they are it's nothing I've ever heard of," she said. "I feel clear-headed. If anything I'm just really horny, but not like let's fuck and fuck and fuck," she said laughing. "Okay, maybe that too, but it's more than that. I want to be close to you. Feel your body against mine. You know?"

"I do," I said kissing her. When we pulled apart I said, "Distract us. Are there any challenges we can do now?"

She turned in my arms and looked.

"Here's one: tell each other a fun sex fact about yourselves... one hundred points."

"That's supposed to get our minds off sex?" I asked.

"I'm getting the feeling that sex is the purpose of this whole game. We'll just need to be vigilant and not give in," she said, giving me a grin.

"Want me to go first?"

"No, I'll go first," she said. "It was back in high school. Right after I had turned eighteen and still thought liking boys was just a phase. This was before I became Victoria." I glanced at her, and she shrugged. "I grew up in a church too, one that thought praying the gay away was a valid option. Anyway, I started dating the preacher's daughter, thinking if anyone could get me into girls, she would. Turned out she was the exception to the rule."

"So, you were looking for a wild girl, and she turned out to be a good girl," I said.

"Yeah... but thank God her brother wasn't a good boy."

"Meaning?"

"You remember that old Dusty Springfield song Son of a Preacher Man?" I nodded. "It was like that... a lot like that. His name was Billy and everything. We secretly dated all the way through senior year... he was the one who took my virginity," she said.

"It all came crashing down the night of our high school graduation. We had met up afterward and snuck back to the church. His family lived in the little two-bedroom apartment in the back. We thought his dad was gone for the night, but he wasn't. He caught us going at it... right there in the pews. We were so loud he thought someone was trashing the place and came in with a baseball bat."

"Oh my God," I said, "what happened?"

"I ran home buck naked!" I laughed, and people looked at us. Once they decided we weren't trouble, they went back to their business, leaving us to ours. "It got real awkward for a little bit; we didn't go back to church, and Dad sent me to college a couple of weeks later."

She gave a little sad smile.

"Billy's Dad made him sign up for the Navy. I hated that when I found out. Billy had been excited about college." She laughed. "It worked out though; last I heard he was on a submarine. Two or three times a year he goes underwater for three months with a hundred guys or more," she said. "He sends me postcards from around the world. Says he's the most popular guy on the ship."

I snorted. "Bet he is."

"For that too, but he's the head chef or whatever they call it in the Navy. He's even taking some culinary courses so that when he gets out he can open his own restaurant," she said.

"That's pretty cool."

"It is. Okay, your turn."

I thought about it for a moment.

"Well, mine's not as crazy as yours, but one time I was working late," I said. "My boss at the time loved promising big rewards for people who gave a hundred and ten percent. Spoiler alert... she never followed through, but this was back when I still believed her.

"So, there I was, elbow-deep in spreadsheets and stale coffee when the cleaning ladies came in. I'd seen them all before, and knew most of their names. Especially Tamera. She was a little older than me, but she had curves that--"

Victoria put her hand over my mouth.

"I don't need a description," she said.

"Right, sorry. Should I stop?" I asked.

"No... maybe?... honestly, I don't know. I'm getting this weird jealousy feeling over a guy I just met... no offense... and it's making my skin itch. It's insane, but I want to do something right here to... claim you," she said.

"Claim me?"

"I said it was a weird feeling. Did you feel that way during my story?"

I thought about it, then shook my head.

"Not really. I mean, I kept picturing myself as Billy taking you in the church, but other than that... nothing."

She thought for a moment.

"Okay, just get through your story with that bitch Tamera."

"Damn," I said, a smile pulling at my lips. "I've never had anyone be jealous of me before. I like it."

"And I've never been jealous before," she said, crossing her arms. "Just tell your damn story."

I hate to say it, but she was already gorgeous just existing, but the angrier she got, the more something inside of me roared. I had to rein it in before I took her right there in the train car.

I forced myself to do as she commanded and finish my story... with some embellishments.

"So, Tamera and I," I said as she growled again. I could feel my heart pick up speed. "We got to talking, and over the course of the next few weeks we grew closer and closer until one day she was bent over my desk."

Victoria's hand gripped my thigh.

"I was kneeling, and she was screaming my name," I whispered into Victoria's ear. Her nails dug into my skin even as I pulled her tighter to me. "Just as I had her on the edge of an orgasm that would shake the building, she... sneezed."

The pain from her nails was getting close to unbearable. When I said sneezed, she stopped.

"She what?"

"Sneezed. And that wasn't the worst part of the whole thing," I said with a chuckle. "The worst part was her butt plug. It was nice and even had this fake diamond on the end. And when she sneezed, the plug came shooting out like a cannonball. BAM, right between the eyes."

"Holy shit," Victoria exclaimed. "Did it leave a mark? Please tell me it left a mark."

"It did, a big one. Looked like someone popped me in the head with a rock... which I guess they did."

"Good, you deserved it." I gave her a look. "Shut up, I'm going through something here. What did you do?" she asked.

"What do you think I did? I wore a hat until it healed and then got another job. She didn't even say sorry."

"That bitch," Victoria said as she turned back to face me. "I promise I'll never hurt you with my butt plug, okay?" she said, kissing me.

"I appreciate that."

"Jackson Love Station," the announcement came across the scratchy PA system.

We kissed one more time, and then we were off again. Me in the front and her clutching my hand tighter than before as she followed.

I couldn't have been happier... and that worried me.

Chapter 5

We were halfway to our next challenge crossing at a red light when she stopped. I looked around, and insanely she kissed me. Our lips connected and the weirdest sensation flowed through my body, but it didn't start at my lips; it started at the sigils.

The sensation wasn't painful... it actually felt really good.

It began as small pulses that built until they traveled up my body and connected. Once combined, the pulse became stronger and rushed to my lips, where it continued into her. A few seconds later, the pulse raced back into me and to the sigils where I could feel them grow warmer.

I pushed into her causing her to fall back against the hood of a car.

"Get off my car, asshole," the driver yelled as he laid on his horn.

She laughed as we ran to the sidewalk.

"Want to tell me what that was about?" I asked.

"I was looking at the challenges and figured out how to change from map to list. Some challenges don't have locations," she said.

"Like the one we just did?"

"Yeah. Make out at a red light until it turned green... thirty points. Figured you wouldn't mind... I know I didn't," she said. Then after a moment's hesitation, she said, "This is going to sound crazy, but... did you feel a pulse coming from the sigils?"

"Holy shit, I thought that was just me!"

"Maybe the paint reacts to rising body temperatures," she said.

"Whatever it was, I liked it," I said, making her laugh.

"Agreed," she said, looking at the tablet. "Okay, we just picked up another thirty points for making out in a crosswalk at a red light. That combined with the stories and changing each other puts us up to 180 pts."

"All within a half hour? That's awesome," I said. "Does it say if we're in the lead?"

She poked at the screen for a moment, then shook her head.

"Shit," she said. "I found the Leaderboard."

"What's it say?"

She turned the screen toward me. It read:

Leaderboard:

Top Score: 500 pts.

Your Score: 180 pts

5 1/2 hours until midnight.

"How the hell does someone already have five hundred points?" I asked.

"It's got to be the challenges you can do anywhere," she said.

"What are they?"

"Sit on your partner's lap, blind fold them, and explore their face and neck with your mouth only. Looks like that challenge is gender specific because it says 'Women Only'," she said. "Tell each other a sex fact about yourselves. We already did that one. Wear your partner's underwear for the next three challenges. Let your partner video you wearing their underwear with their GoPro. Guess I should've let you take my underwear off at the costume shop."

"I'm not sure I'd look good in your thong," I said.

"It's surprisingly comfortable," she said. "And even if it wasn't, we're still doing it, so prepare yourself."

"Yes, Ma'am."

She smiled as she continued to read.

"Whisper the most erotic thing you can think of in your partner's ear. Share it while straddling your partner for extra points. And the easiest points... make out for two minutes." She glanced behind us. "Damn, if we had kept kissing at the red light, we could've knocked out two at the same time."

"I'm surprised we didn't. Should we do it again?" I asked as we crossed at another red light.

"We don't have the time, not here. This one's already been red for a couple of minutes; it'll be better to wait until we get to the party."

I nodded and pointed. The Java House was jumping.

"So, what's the deal with this one?" I asked.

"Okay, this one is gender specific to you," she said, laughing. "We've got to go to five parties around the city, and at each one you have to propose to me."

"Propose? Like in marriage?" I asked.

"That's how I'm taking it. So, you in?"

"That seems mild compared to what we did at the last place," I said.

"Okay, let's do this," I said, pulling her behind me as I pushed through the crowd.

Chapter 6

The Java House proposal went way easier than it had a right to, but Victoria knew the DJ.

"Ladies, gentlemen, and everything in between," I said into the DJ's microphone. "There's a woman here tonight; her name is Victoria, and I've only known her for a few hours. In that time, she convinced me to make out with her in traffic, tell her my most embarrassing sex story, let me dress her like Supergirl, and got me so turned on I've had to wear a fedora over my erection. This has been the perfect night, so I have one question for you." Victoria laughed as I dropped to one knee. "Victoria Iphegenia McNichols, will you do me the honor of marrying me?"

Her brows shot up, but she didn't hesitate as she ran onto the stage.

"Oh my God, yes!!" she screamed, tackling me.

The audience cheered as she whispered in my ear.

"You know that's not my name, right?" she giggled.

"I had to say something."

"Yeah, but Iphegenia McNichols?"

"Sounded good at the time," I said as I stood and helped her up. "Okay, let's get to the next challenge."

"No, we're doing the 'not going anywhere' challenges first. Beef up our scores."

"What's the first item?" I asked.

"Switch underwear."

"Seriously?"

"It's an easy fifty points."

I hesitated for a moment, but she didn't. She grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the bathrooms in the back. The room was slightly bigger than the dressing room at Ghost and Goblins. I didn't mind because it got me closer to Victoria.

The sigils pulsed as my hands found her waist and my teeth brushed her neck.

"We don't have time for this," she murmured even as she tilted her head making her skin taut.

"I can multitask," I said as my hand slid between her thighs.

Our lips met as I pulled at each snap. Little whimpers escaped from her each time one came undone.

Her hands cupped my face pulling me tighter as I pushed her panties over her hips. They caught for a second then fell lightly to her ankles.

"After this is all over," she said unbuttoning my pants, "we're going to be together forever."

"Or you'll want to run me down with your car," I said making her smile.

"Who says it can't be both?" she teased. My hands roamed for a moment then she murmured, "We really need to stop... now."

"Do you really want me to stop?" I whispered into her ear.

"No, but it still has to happen."

"Fine."

"You need to get our underwear because if I kneel I'm not coming back up," she said biting her lower lip.

I growled as I knelt picking up our underwear. I helped her into mine and re-snapped her shirt. Before I could stand again, she showed me the tablet.

"These go on our legs," she said.

"Why so many?" I asked.

"We're doing multiple challenges so we've got multiple sigils."

I nodded and pushed her onto the sink. She smiled as I took her knees spreading them.

"You're evil," she said glaring at me. "Draw." She tried to make her voice stern, and it almost worked, but when my hand touched her thigh her voice cracked.

I laughed, but did as she commanded.

The sigils were interesting: Craving, Exposure, Confession, and Surrender. I thought about the words and the first two we already had on us... Trust and Possession. Was there a connection between those words other than the obvious? I wasn't sure... and the sensations pulsing through me as I touched her made it a little hard to think.

Finally, I pushed away from her and stood.

"Your turn," I said.

She slid off the sink and forced my foot up on the rim of the toilet.

Unlike me, she seemed completely focused on her drawings. As she finished each one I began to realize what she might have been feeling. Each one pulsed the second she completed it allowing it to join the other sigils already running through my body.

I was sweating by the time she held her thong up for me to step into them. She pulled them up as she stood and thank God they stretched, but even so I heard some of the stitches pop. She shook her head as she tried to tuck me into the small material. After a few moments, she quit and pulled my pants up.

"I thought you said these were comfortable," I said as I shifted her underwear digging into my skin.

"It is for me, but then I don't have so much to pack into them," she said with a wink as she buttoned my pants.

Honestly, anything I could've said after that would've sounded arrogant... so I didn't say anything.

"What's next?" I asked.

She looked at the tablet.

"Now we need proof we're wearing each other's underwear," she said.

"Oh Lord, I have to take my pants off again, don't I?" I asked.

"I'll be quick," she said, adjusting her GoPro and kneeling.

With a sigh, I dropped trou, as my grandfather used to say, enough for her to get a quick video. After a couple of minutes of standing there, I asked, "What's taking so long?"

"Sorry, just enjoying the view," she said with a smirk.

"Oh my God," I said, pulling my pants up. "We're never going to finish these challenges if you keep fucking around."

"Me?!" she exclaimed.

"We don't have time to figure out who wants to fuck who we just need to focus up."

"Yes, we both need to focus up. Now, get down there and film my crotch," she said snapping her fingers and making me laugh.

My view wasn't as good as hers since my underwear was hanging out of her onesie. After we finished, she pushed me onto the toilet and straddled me.

"Siri, two-minute countdown," she said before kissing me.

The sensations of the sigils overwhelmed us until we were making out like a pair of horny teens after prom. Then, after the timer went off for an extra thirty seconds, she stopped... how I'd never know... and gently pressed her lips against my ear.

"This is my favorite position. Your hands on my ass as I gently ride. Then when I get close I want you to roll me over and pound me like a screen door in a hurricane," she said.

I grew under her and winced as her underwear cut into me even more. She was becoming an itch under my skin that I couldn't scratch. Before I could take advantage, she stood up.

"Switch places."

"What?" I asked, feeling as if I was in a daze.

"Switch places and straddle me. It's a challenge... whisper an erotic secret into your partner's ear."

I did as she said. She laughed and grabbed my ass to keep me from falling.

"Now, whisper something good," she said, turning her head.

I didn't even have to think about it, not after listening to her secret.

"In the morning, I want to shower with you. Not necessarily to have sex, but just to start the day connecting."

"I love that so much," she said smiling softly.

I let our lips brush each other and said, "If it turns into a blow job, I'm not going to complain."

She gasped, smiled, then swatted my arm.

"Get off my lap, you dirty old perv," she said, laughing.

We stood, and she kissed me with another one of her quick kisses.

"We're at four hundred and thirty points," she said. "I know the next place we need to go. Should be an easy two hundred points and another place you can propose."

"And that'd be?" I asked.

She took a deep breath and said, "The Tasty Kitty Gentleman's Club... my home away from home."

Again, I wasn't sure what to say, so I said nothing and led us back to the train station.

Chapter 7

The train to the airport was a twenty-minute ride. For two hundred points, I was willing to burn the time, but it didn't mean I was happy. Thankfully, it wasn't a complete waste.

First, there was limited seating. When we got in the car, Victoria pushed me into a seat, then sat on my lap. I tried to be a gentleman by not touching her bare leg... mostly because of how turned on I got... but she had other plans. As she got comfortable, she took my hands and crossed them over her lap.

"It keeps the creepers at bay when guys claim their women like this," she said, glancing toward a young 'Jack Sparrow'.

When I looked up, the guy looked away and didn't look back.

"And here I always thought guys who did things like this were assholes," I said, pulling my jacket, the one she was still wearing, a little more closed.

"Some are, but there are other signs to look for on those guys, mostly the aggressiveness. I used to have a boyfriend who confronted anyone who looked at me. It got old quick," she said as she leaned against me. "I don't get the feeling you'd be like that."

"True. I'm more 'do what you want with the girl, just don't hurt me' type."

A small laugh rippled through her.

"I doubt that too," she said. "I get the sense you're the type who tries to calm situations, but you'd also protect me if it came down to it."

"Maybe. Did you start it?" I teased.

"Oh, most certainly," she said with a laugh.

"Then you're on your own," I said, patting her thighs.

"What if," she said, looking into my eyes, "I promise to only pick fights with people you can win against?"

"Concept stays the same, I'll try to calm everything, but if you start swinging, I'm going to be off to the side eating popcorn and watching you learn a lesson in manners."

She stared at me for a moment as I mimicked eating out of a tub.

"I don't believe you," she said slowly. "All night long you've been taking care of me. I think you'd do the same if I got into a fight... regardless of whether I started it."

I shrugged.

"Probably, but when we got home you'd get a very stern spanking," I said, making her laugh.

"Well, that's just incentive. Hang on while I go fuck up a pirate," she said as she started to stand. My arms tightened, holding her still. "Spoilsport."

"You need to stop before these sigils start heating up again," I said. "Wonder why they're not?" I asked, looking at my arm. "I'm touching you right now, and I feel nothing." Her eyebrows rose. "You know what I mean."

"Still good to hear," she said. "And I might have an answer to your question. While we were waiting at the platform, I did an image search on a few of them. They're standard sigils that have been used throughout the world, which is weird in and of itself, but when combined, they led me to this person."

She showed me her phone and on it was an ancient statue. It was chipped and weathered to the point where it barely looked like anything, but I could almost make out a feminine form. The caption read: Uhlvenashqua, Goddess of Fertility.

"So, they're fertility symbols?" I asked. "Makes sense... in a way. Every challenge we've done so far has pushed us together. You did say all these challenges seemed sex based. Now we know why."

"It's more than that," she said. "During the time of... Uhl... ven... ash... qua?" she asked, and I shrugged. "Anyway, during... her time, they had a festival to honor... her."

"And the way they honored her was to fuck?"

"Yes, but not before randomly pairing off and painting these sigils all over each other."

"There's nothing new under the sun," I quoted. She gave me a curious look, and I said, "An old bible verse, I think. What I mean is that there are no new ideas anymore. Reboots abound, and now we're playing a game that someone rebooted from ancient mythology." She stared, and I blushed. "Sorry, I get grumpy and rant sometimes. Please continue."

"I get it, and don't worry, I have amazing techniques for getting the grumpy out," she said with a wink.

"Don't start with that again. I don't have the energy for another erection. Read," I said, tapping her phone.

"Yes, Daddy," she teased. I rolled my eyes, and she smiled. "So, the sigils connected the participants with the goddess. And when they started having sex, their energy fed the goddess."

"Like a succubus?" I asked.

"Maybe; it doesn't say succubus, though, just goddess," she said. "And it's specific to Samhain. Every year on Samhain," she read, "couples would complete challenges, paint the sigils on each other, and then fornicate like rabbits as an offering to... the goddess."

"Isn't Samhain a Druid thing? Has to do with the harvest, right?" I asked.

"I thought it was their version of Día de los Muertos... festival of the dead kind of thing," she said.

"I can see our college educations are getting their workouts tonight," I said.

"Right?" she said with a chuckle. "Anyway, says that the goddess's group co-opted it from the Druids but wasn't really a part of them."

"So, if I've got this straight, The Hunt is a copy of an ancient sex festival?"

"Looks like it," she said.

"Damn, freaky ancients," I said, laughing. "And the paint, does it say why the paint isn't reacting right now?"

"I mean, it does, but it doesn't make sense." She read, "Using special herbs to create the sigils, the worshippers would meditate on their meanings, which would activate the connection with Uhl... the goddess."

"So, we have to be thinking about sex for it to work?" She shrugged. "This stuff better not show up on a drug test," I said, making her smile.

"I don't know... I've been feeling pretty good all night," she said. "Imagine if we had this stuff at home? The sex would be amazing. Bet we could sell it as an aphrodisiac." I stared at her, smirking. "What?"

"If we had some at home? Am I going to wake up tomorrow and find you've moved in?" I teased.

"You know what I mean," she said.

"No, sounds like you just offered to come home with me and be my sex monkey."

"I didn't say all that," she said.

Then jumped when I tickled her.

"Stop," she said, twisting on my lap and grabbing for my hands. "I mean it, Alex--"

"Sex monkey," I said again, going for her ribs.

She shrieked, a real one, loud enough that Jack Sparrow glanced over before catching my eye and deciding whatever we had going on wasn't worth the trouble. Victoria smashed her hand over my mouth, laughing too hard to actually stop me.

"People are staring," she hissed against my ear.

"People have been staring at us since you put on that costume," I said against her palm.

She pulled her hand back just enough to glare at me, which lasted about half a second before I found the spot right above her hip and she folded in on herself, cackling, trying to trap my wrist between her knees.

"Okay, okay, truce," she gasped.

"No such thing as truce with a self-proclaimed sex monkey."

"I'm going to end you."

"Bold talk for someone who can't move her arms."

She twisted around fast enough that I almost lost my grip. When I caught her from falling to the floor, she took the opportunity to turn the tables. Like a laser, her hands slipped under my arms and made me jerk sideways and nearly dump us both into the aisle.

"Victoria--"

"Who's the sex monkey now?" she asked, not giving an inch. "Speak, monkey, speak," she said, her eyes bright and sparkling with glee.

"I'm going to drop you if you keep going."

"Should've thought of that before you called me a monkey," she said not relenting.

With a heave, I sat up and pulled her with me. She whooped as she came to a rest against my chest.

"If you're going to say it, say it right... Sex monkey," I said slowly.

"Ooo, ooo," she said with a devilish smile.

I could feel myself getting turned on, and the sigils were waking up.

"I hate you so much," I said, pulling her closer.

"No," she said, leaning forward until our lips brushed, "you really don't."

Her tongue slipped past my lips to tease me, and that's how we missed our stop. By the time we looked up, we were rolling into another station.

"I'm sorry," she said as we stood on the platform waiting for the next train going to the airport.

"For what?"

"For making us miss our exit. I knew it was coming up but I was having fun and wasn't paying attention," she said in a small voice.

"Hey," I said, wrapping my arms around her, "if anyone's to blame... and no one is... then it'd be me. I started the sex monkey stuff."

"You're not mad at me?"

I snorted.

"Are you kidding? I'm having the best night of my life. If anything, I'm mad at myself. No worries though," I said. "We'll be back on track... pun intended... in no time. And try not to pay attention to me and my grumpiness. I get this way when I'm stressed, but don't ever think it's because of you. Just an old habit that creeps up on me now and then."

"If you want, I can help relieve your stress," she said with a smile, biting her lip.

I laughed.

"I'll keep that in mind, but for now, let's win The Hunt, deal?" I asked.

"Deal," she said, giggling when I kissed her ear.

It took another ten minutes, but when we got on, I put her against one of the bars and stood behind her. We weren't missing our exit again.

Chapter 8

The Tasty Kitty Gentleman's Club was everything you'd imagine from a strip club that got most of its business from travelers. The darkness of the night couldn't hide the dingy 'someone's going to mug you' vibe it exuded. The windowless box had only one light... a buzzing, flickering sign over the door.

Cigarette smoke hovered in the air making my eyes sting. Competing with the haze was the smell from the in the back, but no one seemed to mind. Of course, most people didn't come to the TK for the food... or the atmosphere; they came to watch the girls dance.

All around were sexy zombies, slutty nurses, and women in cat ears and tails that I wouldn't mind petting.

"Hey," Victoria said, pulling my attention back to her. "You're here to watch me, not the others."

"I can multitask," I teased.

She stopped so quickly I slammed into her. I caught her before she fell.

"I'm kidding," I said with a smile. "You know I only have eyes for you."

"You better," she said, planting me in a seat before disappearing into the back.

Her jealousy was cute, but intense. Was it a product of the sigils, or was this her nature? I couldn't help but wonder. My attraction to her body was obvious, but her personality was what really drew me in. She was quick-witted, playful, and teased as good as she got.

Vanilla perfume turned me on, but keeping my interest required engaging my mind. Tease the shit out of me? That was my love language. Not to say I loved her... it wasn't my style. I wasn't a love-at-first-sight type of guy. Lust at first sight that was more me. And flirting with her was the most excitement I'd had in a long time.

I let my thoughts move from Victoria as I watched the crowd.

The first guys you noticed were the ones who were a little too excited to be there.

They were as easy to spot. Manic energy that didn't match the smell of burnt fryer oil, stale cigarettes, and whatever made the carpet squish when you walked on it. They treated a random Tuesday night like it was New Year's Eve on a private island.

Like the guy sitting next to the stage. Everything he wore was ironed and starched to the limits. I was surprised he could sit with his creases so sharp. That wasn't the worst... or the funniest bit about him. It was when he caught a dancer's eye.

When he did, his smile exploded across his face in this weirdly rigor mortis perma-grin so wide his jaw looked unhinged. And the moment the music stopped... he panicked. Suddenly, single dollar bills would fly. He was the personification of 'making it rain'.

I would put money down that he'd already proposed to several of the dancers during his many visits.

Then you had the 'foodies'. Guys who viewed the club's three-star health inspection rating not as a warning, but as a challenge. To the foodies, the poorly chilled oysters, the soggy egg rolls, some variation of a creamed soup, and the always popular potato salad were culinary delights, and not breeding grounds for bacteria. And the fact that everything had a layer of stripper glitter covering it meant nothing.

Like the slightly gaunt guy in the oversized football jersey staring through the sneeze guard, he had the laser-like focus of a surgeon as he carefully balanced a slice of questionable prime rib on top of a foundation of crinkle-cut fries and fried shrimp.

For these guys, the real thrill wasn't a lap dance; it was the arrival of a fresh tray of chicken tenders. I laughed when the kitchen guy swapped out the pans. Like zombies in a movie, the buffet crowd moved with a synchronized urgency that the stage never quite commanded.

To them, the stage was a background like a TV you leave on when you clean... or didn't want to feel alone.

Finally, you had the airport refugees. The bored travelers who were either waiting for a flight or who'd just gotten off one. They were the easiest to identify thanks to their roller bags tucked neatly under their tables.

But the guy I loved the most was the one in the corner booth. Slightly overweight, wearing a two-hundred-dollar suit that looked like it lived in the bottom of his closet more than it lived on its hanger.

He was leaning back, a U-shaped pillow firmly around his neck, and a glazed, dead-eyed expression of a man who had spent six hours on a tarmac only to have his flight cancelled. He looked to be in that twilight state of sleep, slightly dozing and focusing on nothing.

Every few minutes, he would check his phone, sigh heavily, then take another mechanical sip of the brown liquid in his tumbler.

For travelers, I had the impression that The Tasty Kitty wasn't a den of sin; it was just a terminal lounge with half-naked women and a chance to contract a social disease from a toilet seat. Honestly, to them, the girls on stage were just a distraction until Group 4 boarding was called.

But none of them compared to the women themselves. Whether you respected them or not, they had that special kind of work ethic that only the terminally bored seem to have. Even when they talked to you, the excitement in their voices never seemed to reach their eyes.

Like the girl on stage, the DJ called her Destiny, but I seriously doubted that was her Christian name. She was dressed as the Bride of Frankenstein. Towering hair, bad makeup, and a dress cut up the side high enough to allow her to spin on the pole without falling.

If you just looked at her movements, you would have thought she was the horniest woman in the room. It was the expression on her face; it gave her away. For all the excitement she threw her ass around, her face said she was mentally calculating her dental insurance deductible.

To be fair, she hit every beat of a heavy metal track with absolute precision, and I couldn't help but admire the skill it took to hang upside down by a single thigh while projecting the energy of a DMV employee stamping car registrations.

She finished her set by ripping her dress off and revealing her matching bra and panties to the great delight of everyone sitting in the front row. I watched as she picked up the dollars from the grinning guy, giving him an extra shot by bending at the waist away from him. I swear it looked like he threw a twenty at her after that.

She smiled at him as she went by and headed straight for me. She should have stayed with the excitement guy because Victoria was right; I wasn't there for anyone else.

"Hey stranger," she said in an overly fake Southern accent as she slid into the seat next to me.

Her tone, and the way she leaned toward me, promised I was about to have the time of my life, but her eyes gave her away... again. As she talked to me, asking where I was from and if I had a girlfriend, her eyes scanned the room for the next guy. And don't get me wrong, she was attractive, but it was in a sleazy way. The kind where you'd fuck her if given the chance, but you'd also pray that no one you knew saw you talking with her... even in church.

"I'm waiting for Victoria," I said with a smile.

I thought that would be it. If nothing else, she'd at least see I had my druthers on who I came to see. So, when she stood up, called me a pussy, and walked away... I was completely thrown. For a moment, I thought about saying something to the management, but from what I was seeing... they probably didn't care.

"You can't pay attention to Sassy," a slutty nurse said as she took the seat Sassy had just left and slid the drink I'd ordered across to me. "She thinks her and Vic are in competition with each other. They're not. I tried to tell her one time the guys who want to see her aren't interested in Vic and the guys who want to see Vic aren't interested in Sassy, but she won't listen."

"Okay," I said, sipping my drink.

"Oh, I'm Jen, Vic's roommate. She asked me to keep an eye on you. She called you a virgin and said you needed watching."

I chuckled

"Don't worry," she said, leaning closer. "I know you're not a virgin. You don't have the telltale signs."

"There are signs?" I asked.

"Oh yeah," she said. "Like that guy at the stage throwing money at anyone who looks at him... he's probably a virgin. Then there are the guys who get real shy when you lap dance for them. It's like they'd never had a girl touch them before." She smiled and got a little wistful. "Personally, I like the shy guys. Makes me feel special, like I'm just an innocent girl on a date."

I nodded. "And Victoria... Vic... what types of guys does she like?"

"Oh, she likes them all. Everyone loves Vic," Jen said as the lights over the stage flashed.

"Gentlemen, get your wallets ready," the DJ said over the speakers. "Because for one dance only, she's bringing a little Halloween mystery to the stage."

The lights dimmed as the music started.

"She's beautiful, she's dangerous, and she's dressed to make your darkest fantasies come true. Give it up for the one, the only..."

The lights over the stage began spinning in a chaotic pattern.

"Sapphire!"

The lights went out, and the crowd cheered.

"You're going to love this part," Jen said.

Chapter 9

The Annie Lennox version of I Put a Spell on You sprang from the speakers as a spotlight came up.

Victoria... or Sapphire as she was known at the TK... stood with her back to the audience. Then her head turned in a classic vampire pose. It wasn't much; you could only see her eyes, but I could feel them piercing me.

She spun, letting the cape billow and giving a small glimpse of the costume underneath. It appeared black with flashes of red and every bit the Vampire Queen.

She moved with the precision of a ballet dancer, using the pole as an extension of herself and not just an accessory. And the blue and green lights caressed her like a lover as she danced in and out of them. I couldn't help but wonder if she'd chosen the colors or if they were random. And honestly... I didn't care because they were perfect.

As she moved, the cape opening and closing, teasing the view underneath and driving the crowd wild... even me.

Especially me.

We were at least twenty feet apart, but still, the sigils on my body grew warm and began pulsing. A low, soft pulse granted, but I felt it running through my body.

Finally, the cape came undone, sliding off her shoulders and down her body. The reveal was breathtaking.

Her corset was a deep black with wet-looking red trim. It was laced tight up the front in a crisscross of black ribbon that made her chest impossibly hard to look away from. The skirt wrapped around her waist wasn't a true skirt. It was more like strips of lace hanging off of a belt. You could almost see her red panties underneath... God, how I wanted to take them off with my teeth... and then her black thigh-high boots that looked more liquid than leather.

But I think the topper, the thing that sent me into overdrive, was the choker that sat tight at her throat. Black lace circled her neck with a single dark red stone at the center that seemed to pulse at the same time I did.

If I hadn't known better, I would have thought she had been summoned to devour my soul instead of a seductive dancer working for money.

The crowd's reaction hit like a wave. A mix of whistles and commands for her to take it all off filled the air knocking me out of my reverie. I could feel my face pinching and I could feel my blood boil.

Jen's hand caught my arm hard when I started to rise.

"This is why we don't invite boyfriends," she said patting my arm. "Just watch Vic and ignore the guys."

I opened my mouth to argue the boyfriend label, but Victoria's movements pulled me back in as her hips flowed with the rhythm. The pulse in my sigils climbed with her, building with the song and begging to explode. My need for her made me grip the edge of the table until my fingers hurt.

She caught my eye, and unlike Destiny, the look in Victoria's eyes wasn't boredom it was the same desperation I could feel in my own eyes. The need intensified and I could feel our connection stretch across the room for each other. A pressure began building in my chest and the closer the connection got to her, the more it pressed in on me. It was like diving underwater and instead of coming up for air I kept swimming deeper.

Then she turned back to the pole, the moment broke, and I broke through the surface to breathe again. The sigils grew hot as she wrapped herself around the pole and let her head fall back, hair sweeping the stage.

As Victoria moved, she reached for the crowd and hissed like a true Vampire Queen. Every hiss amped up the crowd and every movement built anticipation for the next. She crossed the stage at a run before she jumped onto the pole in the center. She swung around it, her head back and one leg stretched out until she suddenly dropped into another pose. She was on her knees, one hand stretched toward me as she hissed.

The pulse hit like a shot from a gun, forcing me back into my seat. She smiled as she stood, her hand going to her hip. Her fingers tightened, and her skirt loosened.

With a flourish, her hand shot away, taking the skirt with it to the great delight of the audience. For a moment, I was entranced, but then I noticed something. The sigils I'd painted on her arms and legs looked like they were forming a pattern. It wasn't complete yet, but was definitely turning into something. Maybe something important.

Then, before my mind could travel too far down the rabbit hole, the music scratched and Annie Lennox changed to Rob Zombie and Dragula. The heavy rock beat seemed to break whatever spell I was under. I laughed at myself for thinking the pattern meant something. The most likely explanation would probably end up being that it formed the logo of whoever was sponsoring The Hunt.

Feeling better, I went back to watching Victoria.

Her hair flew wildly as she moved to the new music. And she was all over the stage. Spinning around the pole, sliding on her knees to the edge of the stage, thrusting her pelvis in the faces of the guys lucky enough to be in the front row.

As she danced, her gloves came off and she reached for her corset, and this time it wasn't only me holding my breath.

For the last half of Dragula, she teased the audience by clipping the laces that held the corset together. One by one, the fabric separated until, on the last beat, it fell away.

Just as it did, she flung her arms wide and the stage went pitch black. For a half second, I thought I could see her bare breasts but it could've been my imagination.

The crowd absolutely lost it.

When the lights on the stage came back up, she was gone, and another girl was taking her place.

"Damn," I said, causing Jen to laugh.

"Yeah, everyone loves that ending," she said. Someone waved at her, and she said, "It was nice meeting you. Come back sometime, and I'll give you a lap dance half off."

I nodded and ordered another drink. By the time it came, Victoria was back in her Supergirl costume and dodging customers.

"Your turn," she said, dropping into my lap.

The sigils flared, and it was all I could do to push her into the other seat.

"Spoilsport," she said with a pout, then she smirked.

"Trust me, it'd be best for both of us if we're not touching right now," I replied.

"Agreed," she said, squirming. "Okay, let's finish this up so we can move on." I stared at her blankly, and she said, "This is a Halloween party, right?" I nodded, and she said, "We need four more proposals... so get up there and make an honest woman out of me."

I rolled my eyes but got up. I looked toward the DJ booth, but he was locked in tight. I wouldn't be using his mic. That only left one option... the stage.

I waited until the latest dancer walked off, then I jumped onto the stage. That didn't get the best reaction.

"Get off the stage, asshole!"

"We came to see the girls, not some drunk!"

And a few more that were more threatening. Still, I stayed and yelled over them.

"Sapphire," I said, using her stage name, "you are the love of my life! Will you marry me?"

The crowd changed from pissed and yelling to laughter and mocking.

"Don't do it, dude!"

"Marriage is for suckers!"

"Strippers are for looking, dumbass, not for falling in love!"

"You go, king!" That was from the excited guy. Apparently, I was living out his fantasy.

Thankfully, Victoria was right there for me.

"For the last time, Dave, I will not marry you!" she called out, and the guys laughed even harder.

Before I could react, the bouncer's big, meaty paws yanked me from the stage, dragged me through the club, then threw me into the parking lot.

I was lying on the gravel staring at the stars when Victoria leaned into view.

"You alright?"

"You said no."

"Yeah, no shit," she laughed. "Can't have those assholes thinking I'm married. You know how much married women make at a place like this? Dick... and not in the good way. So, I tell you no, and they think they've got a shot again. Win, win," she said.

"Doesn't feel like a win," I said with a groan as she helped me up.

"Look at it this way, Dusty just threw you out, right?" I nodded. "If the drunks had done it, they would've broken a rib or two. See, win."

I tried to argue, then shook my head.

"Where to next?" I asked.

"Back to town and more points," she said, showing me the tablet. "We're falling behind."

Leaderboard:

Top Score: 1200 pts.

Your Score: 630 pts

3 hours until midnight.

Motherfucker! I thought as we sprinted back to the train platform.

Chapter 10

The train ride back to the city wasn't as bad as the ride to the airport. Mostly because my mind was on other things. My sigils, for example, had finally calmed enough that I could hold her on my lap without ripping her clothes off and having my way with her. And that worried me. Not the ripping her clothes off part... that part would be a blast... but the part that I was pretty sure the sigils were more than a fun party gag.

My mind raced at what that meant... magic was real.

Victoria clapped, pulling me from my thoughts.

I watched as she slipped across the car and handed a guy who'd been playing Halloween songs some money. I smiled when she returned and slid back into my arms.

"Hey," she said, noticing my distance. "We've got plenty of time." I nodded. "So, what'd you think of the show?" I didn't say anything, just nodded again. "No," she said. "You've been talking all night. That's not stopping now, so speak."

"What do you want me to say?" I asked.

"Uh-huh, we're not playing that game. You're going to tell me what you're thinking about, and you're not going to shut me out."

I chuckled, then nodded again.

"I was thinking about the sigils and what they meant," I said.

"And what'd you figure out?"

"Don't judge, alright?" She kissed my temple, and I accepted that as her promise. "I think they're magic." She bit back a smile. "What?"

"You're so cute," she said. My eyebrows furrowed, and she laughed. "Sorry, but, babe, of course it's magic. I figured that out when I read about the goddess. I mean, it made so much sense. And we both said the same thing... we're not the type of people who act like this. And thanks to a toxic ex, I know what it feels like to be drugged. This isn't it."

"That doesn't mean magic," I said.

"Fair enough," she said. "So, how did you arrive at magic then?"

I opened my mouth to tell her what I'd been thinking, to tell her everything I'd been feeling, and as I stared into her eyes, the ones twinkling with barely restrained laughter, my evidence fell away. She'd already come to the same conclusion as me, but she'd gotten there much faster.

I sighed, accepting my defeat. She laughed and kissed me.

"Now... who's the sex monkey?" she teased.

I laughed and rolled my eyes.

"Seriously?" She nodded. I gave another sigh and said, "You're the smart one, and I'm your sex monkey."

"And don't you forget it. Now, tell me if you liked my routine."

"We're not going to talk about the... whatever we're under?" I asked.

"I've been calling it a spell," she said. "And what's there to talk about? Either we're playing a game that's been around for thousands of years and are being used to feed a goddess, or we're just playing a game where the winner gets fifteen thousand dollars. Win, win."

"I don't think you're using that phrase right," I said.

She rolled her eyes.

"What I mean is there is no reason not to keep going."

"If we keep going, we'll eventually have sex," I said.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," she replied.

As she looked at me, I felt our sigils connecting again. I deliberately looked away.

"Your routine is fine," I said.

"You don't think I need to change it?" she asked. Her tone strained.

We talked about nothing until the feelings subsided, then the urge to ask a personal question fought its way to the front of my brain.

"I probably don't have the right to have a say in how you live your life, but... seriously? Stripping?" I asked.

I wouldn't have been surprised if she stood up and slapped me, but she didn't. Instead, she hugged me tighter.

"You're right... you don't have the right," she said, laying her head on my shoulder. "Stripping wasn't my first choice, you know. I told you about my family. Very religious, and very opinionated."

She laughed.

"And the weird part? I actually understand why they are the way they are. I mean, everything they ever did for me, and didn't do for me, was because they thought they were helping. I get that, but it didn't. Not always. Sometimes it did. Like when they caught me with Billy. They still sent me to college."

She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again. We rode a few more stops before she spoke again, but this time it was barely above a whisper.

"In college, I found my true self," she said. "I wasn't the well-meaning, introverted son they'd raised. I was the well-meaning, introverted girl they didn't want me to be."

"You're not mad they didn't accept you?" I asked.

"Oh yeah, super pissed. For a long time afterwards, we didn't speak... especially when they stopped paying for college. But then Dad had a heart attack, and it didn't seem to matter anymore."

"Sorry to hear that," I said, taking her hand.

She squeezed and shrugged.

"He didn't die, but it freaked me out enough that I showed up at the hospital to check on him. The preacher of his church was there. It didn't go as badly as I expected, but it also didn't go as well as I could've hoped," she said with a little laugh.

"What happened?"

"The moment I walked in, the preacher turned red and called me an abomination. I swear, if he had had holy water, I'm pretty sure he would've thrown it on me." She chuckled, it was a hollow sound. "He got really upset when Dad asked for a minute alone with me. And when he tried to 're-affirm' Dad's faith in God, Dad got real quiet, then said, 'I asked you to leave.'"

"Damn," I said. "Go Dad."

"I wish. I mean, he didn't suddenly leave the church or ask me to march in a Pride parade with him, but still, it was nice that he stood up for me... in his own way."

My arms tightened around her waist, and she smiled.

"We had a pleasant talk," she said. "All superficial stuff. Mom came in and hugged me, but like Dad, she stayed on the surface. But as I was leaving, he let me hug him, and he told me he loved me, and Mom said the same thing," she said, wiping at her eyes.

"I told them I missed them, and Dad said I was more than welcome to come home anytime," she said. "Whenever I was ready to live right again."

"Damn," I said quietly.

"That was almost five years ago."

"You still talk to them?"

"Mostly through Mom's Facebook." She chuckled. "I actually built a second profile for Mom... which I told her about. I said that way she didn't have to see me post about my life as Victoria. I think she still checks it out sometimes because every once in a while her posts get real specific about me and my life. She doesn't say my name, but she's not super subtle either."

"I guess that's something at least," I said at a loss for words. "But if it makes you feel better, I'll be your friend on Facebook. And I'll like everything you post. I'll be super stalker-ish about it."

She chuckled.

"You better. Don't make me come to your house after my shift. I'll sit on you until my timeline is filled with little red hearts."

"I was thinking blue thumbs," I said.

"If I have to make a trip, I'm getting hearts."

I smiled but could tell she was trying to lighten the mood.

"So, that's why you strip? Bad upbringing? Let me guess, in reality, you're really a stripper with a heart of gold that just has to shake her cute ass for rent money?" I asked.

"One, you saved yourself with the cute ass comment, and two, I got into stripping through Jen," she said. "It was the end of freshman year; we were roommates, and when I told her I had to go home because Dad wasn't paying for school anymore, she told me about the TK. She'd been dancing there for longer than she should, but she said I could make enough money to stay in school."

She smiled and shrugged.

"Jen had good intentions, but I didn't make nearly enough to go back to school. I barely made enough for rent and bills. Still, I've been saving up, and soon I'll be able to start taking classes again. Maybe if we win, I can go back that much sooner."

"Well," I said, squeezing her tighter, "if there's anything I can do to help, let me know."

"You mean like letting me keep the whole prize?" she asked with a cheesy smile. I laughed.

"I was thinking more along the lines of the occasional night out."

"Well, aren't you just the smooth one," she said.

"I try." I shifted, making her bounce. "Okay, enough with the sad talk. You're trans, right?"

"Wow, you change directions hard," she said with a laugh. "Yes, I'm trans, and before you ask, even though you've seen me in all my glory, I have a penis. She is small but mighty."

I laughed again and said, "Fair enough, but seriously, don't those guys know you're trans? Small and mighty she may be, but there's still a bulge when you get close enough. And the chairs are damn near on that stage."

"I guess it comes down to a couple of things," she said. "One, people see what they want to see. Like you, when you first saw me, did you think trans?" I shook my head. "And after we met, you just saw an attractive woman, right?"

"I don't know about attractive," I said. She swatted my arm, and I smiled. "Fine, attractive women, continue."

She laughed.

"Okay, that's the same thing when I'm dancing at the TK. Those guys aren't looking for a penis, so they don't see one. Also, you saw one of my routines; you saw me in my panties. Did you see a penis?" she asked.

I thought about it for a moment and then shook my head.

"It looked flat to me," I said.

"And that's the second thing... compression panties," she said. "Granted, I don't have a lot to compress, but as long as I don't get hard, I'm fine. And trust me, I'm not getting hard for those guys. Besides, even though my tits are fake, every guy wants them because they look great in a bikini top. Nobody's looking for schlong when these puppies are on display."

I laughed loudly.

"Schlong? Puppies?"

"I was trying something," she said with a smile.

"Try something else." She giggled, and I asked, "Okay, but what about the Adam's Apple? Don't they notice that?"

"The lights are so low in the TK I'm surprised they notice me half the time, let alone my Adam's Apple. Plus," she said, looking up and stretching her neck, "mine's small, so even if someone looked, they probably wouldn't think trans."

"So, what are you saying?" I asked.

"Straight guys are horny dogs that'll mount anything that lets them."

I couldn't really argue with her.

"Seriously though," she said, "I think most people aren't as prudish about sex as they once were. You call yourself straight and so do I. You find me attractive, and I find you attractive. You've seen what I offer, and you're still interested. Does that make you any less straight?"

She threw her hands out, almost hitting someone. I apologized, and she laughed.

"Honestly, when it comes down to it, we're the ones who get to decide who we like. That, combined with what we want to see, means I make money shaking my ass for guys I don't know. Good enough?"

That was a better answer than I was expecting.

"Works for me," I said.

"Good, because I decided we're going to where the high points are," she said.

"To the thousand point challenge?"

"I still think we've got time to catch up without a two-hour bus trip. But we're going to need to get naked and find out how we really feel about each other," she said.

I nodded, but suddenly, I was almost afraid to find out.

Chapter 11

As soon as we got into town, Victoria got us off a stop too soon. When I asked, she said she knew of three more parties where we could finish the proposal challenges. I proposed at all of them, and she had different answers at every place. My favorite she said no? She was pregnant by my father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate. That got the best cheer and secured us a hundred more points.

And she didn't waste any opportunities either. While we were at the parties, we took photos with two or more movie monsters and a kiss in front of the designated Halloween display. That detour took a couple of extra blocks, but it took less than ten minutes, so I wasn't too mad.

When Victoria noticed, she rolled her eyes and kissed me again, then told me to get over myself. I said it'd take at least another kiss to really make sure I was over myself. She obliged, and when we were finished, I waited until she turned away to adjust myself.

As we took off, she grabbed my hand and said, "I saw that."

"No, you didn't," I replied and did it again. She laughed, and I said, "It's these damned panties. I'll be glad when I can take them off."

She stopped, and I almost ran over her.

"What?" I asked.

"Don't be mad, alright?"

"What?" I asked a little more sternly.

"You know you could've taken them off at the Java House, right?"

"No," I said. "I had to wear them for three challenges. After the Java House, we went to the Tasty Kitty; we just finished with the proposals and the kiss in front of the Halloween display. That's three."

"Okay," she said, rubbing my chest like she was trying to calm a bear. "Technically, after you put them on, we did the challenges where we didn't have to go anywhere. So, even more technically, we satisfied that challenge before we left the bathroom. You could've taken them off then."

"No..." I said, thinking about what we'd done. "But I thought... motherfucker!" My gaze turned to her like the Terminator. She was unafraid and giggling. "Did you know the whole time?!"

"Not at first, but on our way to the TK I got to adding up our points, and they seemed off. That's when I noticed we checked off the wearing each other's underwear before the go nowhere challenges," she said.

"Then why didn't you tell me I could've taken them off at the TK?!" I yelled.

"Oh, calm down," she said as we started walking again. "I wear them every day. You'll be fine," she teased.

"Are you still wearing mine?"

"Well... no, but they were bunching up under my onesie. Super uncomfortable. I left them in my cubby at work." I growled. She was unfazed. "Grr," she mimicked. "I'll get them next time I go in."

"Just so we're clear," I said, a bit of an attitude in my voice. "It's going to take more than kissing to get me over this one."

"Trust me, I'm about to make up for a lot. Even stuff I haven't done yet... but not unless we get a move on. Timer says we've only got two hours and fifteen minutes. If we hurry here, we could probably still make that thousand-point challenge if you want?" she offered.

I thought about it as we ran to the photography studio's door.

"How far behind are we?" I asked.

"We're actually catching up. We're at eight ten, and they're still at twelve hundred," she said.

"Did they stop?"

"Maybe they did all the closest ones first? If that's the case, we've still got plenty of time to catch up."

I nodded as we went inside.

"Okay, what's this one?" I asked.

"We can take care of three here for a total of four hundred points," she said.

"Four hundred points for three? I'm guessing they're not wanting us to take another funny photo, are they?"

"Not really," she said handing me the tablet, "but I think you'll like it... I know I will."

I searched for what was left as she hit the bell and a friendly-looking older guy stepped out.

"You with The Hunt?" he asked.

"Yeah," Victoria said. "We need the photo for challenge three, and if it's alright, we'd like to complete a couple more while we're here."

"Not a problem. You won't be the first pair to multitask," he said. "Follow me."

"Are you kidding me?" I asked before we moved.

"No, c'mon," she said, grabbing my hand.

"The only ones we can do here are take a nude photo while embracing, roll body dice three times and kiss whichever part comes up, then you need to blind fold me while you're sitting in my lap and explore my face and neck... with your mouth, and then I'm supposed to eat chocolate from your thigh," I said.

"I know. Where are we going to find chocolate, right?" she teased.

I stepped closer until I could whisper.

"If we do all of that, you know we'll do more. Are you ready for more?" I asked.

"Are you?" she shot back. "I'm willing to see this to the end... hell, I need to see this to the end. And you don't know what'll happen in there. We just got here without any major pulses; maybe we can get through this without any too. You don't know."

I laughed. "We both know."

"Fine," she said. And as I watched, she seemed to deflate. "We can stop if you want, but without these we can't win."

She didn't push; she just let me think. And I could imagine everything she should have been thinking. For almost four hours we'd been running around the city doing all sorts of crazy shit. All of that would be wasted if we didn't at least try to finish. Could we catch up? I pretended that was the question on both our minds, but it wasn't. The real question was, could I continue with Victoria?

It was the answer that bothered me more than anything... because the answer was absolutely yes. But that wasn't the part that bothered me. The part that bothered me was simple... I liked Victoria. Granted, I didn't know a lot about her. Her personal history, her favorite sex position, and the fact that she made me laugh like no one else, but when it came down to it... she was still a stranger.

"You alright?" she asked.

"Yeah," I said. "Just got too much into my head."

"About?"

"Stupid stuff," I said, then laughed as I shook my head. "You know what? I absolutely hate this, and you."

"Me? What'd I do?" she asked.

"You're being you... or maybe you're not. I don't know, but I want this to be the real you because dammit, I want this. I want someone who is fun and crazy and can navigate us through a city on Halloween night without worrying," I said.

The confusion ran across her face.

"Let me get this straight," she said. "You're upset because you like me?"

"No, obviously I like you. I'm pissed because I don't know if all of this is because of the sigils," I yelled.

She laughed. "Of course it's because of the sigils. I mean, it had to be; otherwise, we would've never gotten together. But if you want to know if I like you too, then the answer is yes... you complete dumbass. You're smart, funny, handsome, and make me feel completely safe. What more could a girl ask for?"

She stepped closer and slipped her arms around my waist. "Tonight, I've gotten to be myself. I've been with guys for years and never felt so free to say what I want. I held nothing back and it feels amazing. Got it?"

I nodded.

"Do you?"

"Yes," I said loudly, making her laugh. "I got it. We're both equal in our sex monkeyness. Can we go get naked now?"

"Oh no, you're always going to be my sex monkey. This right here proves it," she said.

"This proves nothing," I said tickling her until she cried out. "See, them's sex monkey sounds."

"You're such an ass," she said, laughing some more.

"Yeah, but I'm an ass who's smart and funny and handsome and--"

"Ass!" she yelled as she led me into the studio.

I smiled and mentally prepared myself for what was coming next.

Chapter 12

The studio was sectioned into little scenes, each one a different world. A luxury living room, warm and staged for a magazine spread. A study lined with shelves of books that had probably never been read. A greenhouse with rows of raised flower beds, and... for reasons I couldn't begin to guess... an industrial scene, all exposed pipe and concrete.

Between them, stacks of extra set pieces waited their turn, along with the standard curved white wall for anyone who wanted nothing but themselves in the frame. I could see coming here for the family Christmas card one day.

"Is it weird that I was expecting a dungeon?" Victoria asked.

"With the night we've been having I wouldn't have been surprised," I replied.

"I do those photo shoots by appointment only," the photographer said.

"Really?" Victoria asked, the excitement growing in her voice.

"Don't even think about it," I said.

"Spoilsport," she said with a laugh as she pulled me deeper inside.

The older guy pointed toward the backdrop.

"I'm set up at the white wall. The changing rooms are in the back."

I glanced at Victoria.

"What's the point?" she asked, shrugging.

She had a point; so like her, I began stripping. Everything was fine, relatively speaking, until my pants came off; then I was mortified. The photographer had been watching us but when he looked at me his smile got a little wider. I was still wearing Victoria's panties.

Victoria laughed, and I growled, ripping the thin material from my body. Her laughter died in her throat as I was finally exposed. My heart raced as she did the same, and neither of us cared about The Hunt any longer.

"It's funny," she said with a nervous laugh. "My job is to take my clothes off, so why am I so nervous?"

"Imagine how I feel," I said.

"I'd love to," she whispered, stepping closer.

She slipped into my arms, and the pulses came with her. Our lips brushed together, and the pulses went into overdrive. Flashes of light bounced around my periphery. The photographer was doing his job, but I didn't care. All I wanted was Victoria.

"Take your time," the photographer said. "But I'll tell you what I told the others... you stain it, you pay for the cleaning."

Victoria pulled me to the living room set as he left.

"Sit," she said.

As I did, she pulled out a slip of silk.

The silk was soft against my eyelids, tied loose enough not to pinch, tight enough that the world was nothing but darkness and the sound of her breathing.

"Can you see anything?" Victoria asked, and I could hear the smile in it.

"No."

"Good," she whispered.

I didn't hear her move, but I felt a shift in the air and a warmth arriving a second before contact. She straddled me and my body exploded in sensation, the sigil on my chest lighting up like a struck match, pulsing straight into her before rolling back into me a heartbeat later.

"Oh God," I moaned.

"No talking," she said as her hand found my jaw.

Her fingers traced a light trail across my skin like she was memorizing my face. My hands came up and gripped her hips.

"Stay still," she murmured. "Let me."

With great effort, I sat there... in the dark... with my hands clenching at my sides while my body screamed to take her. I didn't; I waited, both hating and loving every second.

The first kiss landed on my forehead... soft, almost teasing, and gone before I could lean into it. Then nothing for a second, long enough that I held my breath. Then her mouth was at my temple, slower this time, lingering; the sigil under her palm where it rested against my chest pulsed too, steady.

"When I said stay still, I didn't mean not to make noise," she said against my skin. "It turns me on to hear you... to know you're enjoying me."

I laughed. "You can't tell?"

"My game, my rules," she whispered, but her voice wasn't as steady as it had been an hour ago.

Along my jaw. Down the hinge of it. Then lower, down the side of my throat, her teeth grazing skin like she was truly the Vampire Queen she'd been on stage. Every place her mouth landed lit up in tandem with the mark closest to it, one pulse chasing the next until I couldn't tell anymore which sensation belonged to me and which belonged to her... whether the shiver running through her when she gasped against my collarbone was hers, mine, both.

"Holy shit," I said, my voice rougher than I meant it to be. "You have to stop."

"No," she said, and for the first time all night, there was no tease in it at all. "I don't want to stop."

Her hands slid up into my hair, and instead of pulling back, she pulled the blindfold loose and let it fall.

I blinked against the light, and she was right there, close enough that I could see her pupils blown wide, could see her chest rising too fast.

"Victoria--"

"I know," she said.

That was all either of us needed. I pulled her mouth down to mine, and this time neither of us pretended we were following anyone's rules but our own.

The pulses climbed... a slow, insistent rhythm that built between us, until there was one.

I meant to go slow. To take my time and enjoy her body, but that's not how it went... or maybe it did. Time became meaningless.

Every place we touched lit up and answered somewhere else; we'd become two ends of the same current.

I don't remember deciding to move from the couch. I just remember pushing her against the wall next to the fireplace. As I entered her, a flame appeared in the prop and grew as our passion grew. Orange light flickered across our skin, and the sigils answered back with a glow of their own. I remember thinking, distantly, that I should be scared, but I wasn't.

What I felt was more overwhelming than any fear could've been... this steady, insistent need to claim her, make her mine. And the way she called my name said she felt the same.

Over and over again we searched for ecstasy and found it. Every new place we came together, the pulse answered. And somewhere deep down, in a place I didn't even know existed until that very moment, the goddess of old reached for us. Her long fingers stretched out as our sexual energies caressed her and flew between us like electricity.

For a long time, nothing existed. Just Victoria, me, and the goddess whose name I couldn't pronounce. Victoria and I couldn't stop, didn't want to stop, as we fed the goddess. And somehow I knew... knew... that we would continue until we died from the pleasure of feeding the goddess... and neither of us cared.

Then, suddenly, the goddess's fingers moved from us, and before the connection completely left, I saw her reaching out for another spark. The connection broke and the fire in the fireplace extinguished, leaving us tangled together in the dark.

Our bodies were covered in sweat, and our breath rushed in and out of us as if we'd run a marathon at a sprint. The sigils which had seemed to have a life of their own had gone quiet again. There wasn't even a faint warmth left in them.

Victoria rolled back to me, her head finding my shoulder, and before I could speak exhaustion took me and I fell asleep.

I woke up and found myself alone. My clothes were folded on the chair... and there was a note waiting for me.

Alex,

I still can't believe that happened. It was so amazing... but it was also the scariest thing I've ever been through.

I wish I knew how much of it was us and how much was... the goddess. Even the challenges feel unreal right now. The whole night was all fun and games, but now... I don't know.

I need some time to think, to find out if this wasn't an illusion.

Please don't think I regret anything we did... I don't, but I need some time to breathe.

-- V

"You're awake," the photographer said. "Are you hungry? I have some dinner left if you want some."

"What happened?" I asked.

"The Goddess chose another pair," he said, turning the lights on, blinding us.

"Another pair?" I asked.

"Every Hunt one couple joins with the Goddess, the couple who is the most willing to join with her," he said. "You two... resisted."

"That didn't feel like resisting," I said.

The photographer smiled but didn't respond.

I stayed quiet as I dressed. Afterward, I accepted the food he offered but my mind was on Victoria.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"Almost six," the photographer said. I looked at him and he smiled. "PM."

"It's been twenty-four hours since The Hunt began?" I asked.

He nodded.

"The coupling sends you into a trance. For almost fourteen hours you two made love, and then you slept for another ten. Don't worry, after a couple of nights of sleep you'll dismiss the supernatural aspects of the ritual as a dream... or a fantasy."

I wasn't sure if I wanted it to be a fantasy or if I wanted it to be real then I thought of her letter and I knew I wanted it to be real.

I thanked him for the food, and for letting me sleep.

He smiled, shook my hand, and said, "I'll bill you for the cleanup."

Yeah, I thought. That seems about right.

Chapter 13

Two Years Later

"So, that's my story... well, most of it anyway," I said as the overhead lights came on and a voice came over the PA.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the captain has turned on the seatbelt sign for our final approach. Please return to your seats and place all tray tables in their upright, locked positions. Thank you," the flight attendant said.

"Babe," I said gripping the hand of the woman in the seat to my left. "Time to wake up." She stirred so I looked back to Ully, the elderly woman in the seat to my right, as I continued my story. "You know, I'd love to say that The Hunt was the worst night of my life," I said. "I mean, ancient goddesses and almost dying should have been major red flags. But weirdly it wasn't. Granted, it wasn't the best night of my life either, but I'd say it ranked somewhere in the upper middle."

I popped a peanut into my mouth.

"I didn't see Victoria again for almost two weeks. I'd been respecting her space, but it was hard. But then Bob, one of the other players, reached out. He'd taken pics throughout the night and had gotten every one of us a time or two at various challenges. It's scary how easy it was to find us.

"He didn't do anything creepy, just invited everyone out for a drink at this popular sports bar. He was looking for a support group to process what'd happened. I knew I could've used one so I went. Some people came, some didn't, and that's where I saw Victoria again.

"She didn't say anything other than a quiet hello, but when I sat down, she sat next to me and scooted close. I ordered two drinks and boneless wings... honey BBQ because at one of the parties we'd stopped at, she said how much she loved their honey BBQ wings. I caught a small smile when I gave our order to the waitress.

"The group chatted, superficial stuff, as we waited for our orders. But after we got our food, Bob started talking about his night. I say his night because his partner declined the invitation. We never did find out why, but I could've made a pretty good guess.

"And the more Bob talked, the more everyone else listened until we were staring at him, letting our food get cold. His experience, with some of the details rearranged, was almost the same as mine and Victoria's... and by the look on everyone else's face, theirs too.

"Quietly, one by one the people around the table spoke about what they'd been through. And every single person's experience was eerily similar. They'd go to a challenge, paint a sigil on themselves, then as the night went on they grew closer and closer until, like Victoria and I, they had mind-blowing sex that lasted for hours. Some longer than others and after everyone told their stories I couldn't help but glance at Victoria. We'd been in the trance almost twice as long as the others.

"Then... it was like the photographer said, people started coming up with excuses as to why it couldn't have happened.

"It was a mass hallucination.

"We'd been drugged.

"It was all a bad dream.

"On and on until I'd had enough.

"I stood up, took Victoria's hand, and led us out of the restaurant. That was the last time I saw any of them... well, except for Victoria. Her, I saw the next day, but she said she needed more time to process. Said we both did.

"So that's what I did," I said. "I processed."

I took a sip of my drink as I stared out the window.

"For three months I threw myself into work until I barely had time to breathe. Thanksgiving came and so did the questions.

"Are you bringing someone?

"Why not?

"Do you want me to set you up with someone from church?"

I laughed.

"I barely got out of there with my sanity... and three leftover containers full of food, so I'd say overall it was a push. Then Christmas reared its ugly head, and I had to go through it all over again. But this time the questions were:

"Are you seeing anyone?

"You're not gay, are you?

"That's fine if you are.

"Donna's son is gay; maybe you'd like him?

"To be honest, I wasn't sure if I broke even on that conversation or not. I mean, yes, I got presents and food, but having Mom tell you it's alright to be gay in front of your very religious and very drunk aunt was enough to make anyone swear off family get-togethers for a while. I know it was for me."

I took a deep breath.

"Anyway, I skipped the New Year's Eve party claiming I had a big project at work and needed to concentrate on that. Truth was, I didn't want to ring in another New Year surrounded by couples while I stood there alone singing Auld Lang Syne.

"Instead, I went to sleep early and woke up to a bleak, bitter January first... which didn't improve as the month went along.

"Cold mornings. Dark afternoons. The kind of weather that made you want to go straight home and bury yourself in the one you loved until Spring came along.

"And through it all I was trying to put Halloween behind me. I was failing spectacularly, but hey... denial isn't just a river in Egypt, right?"

The woman laughed as I finished my drink.

"By the time February came, I kept finding a reason to ride the train out to the airport where I'd sit in the back of a dingy strip club to watch a woman dance. I especially liked the themed dances, like on Valentine's Day when she dressed up like Cupid. I'd never wanted to be shot through the heart so bad in my life."

I smiled as I remembered small hearts that covered her... quivers.

"By March, I was following her on Instagram, and liking her posts. I told myself people did that all the time... it didn't mean anything, but honestly, I was just lying to myself."

"Babe," Victoria said as she stretched from the seat next to me, "have you been up all night?"

"Not all night," I said. "And I had company," I said. "Ully, this is Victoria. Vic, this is Ully."

"Nice to meet you," Victoria said with a smile. "I hope he hasn't bored you too much."

"Not at all," Ully said. "I've actually been enjoying myself. Personally, I hate flying and he's been pleasantly distracting. Especially with the ritual sex parts."

"Oh my God, Alex, you didn't tell that part, did you?" Victoria asked swatting my leg.

"One, it was important to the story," I said. "And two, I come out looking like a beast in it. And three, you were asleep, and I didn't want to wake you up to ask if it was alright."

"Let me answer that for the rest of time... it's never alright to surprise someone with a ritual sex story," she said.

I glanced at Ully who winked.

"At my age, a good ritual sex story can go a long way," she said.

I laughed as Victoria rolled her eyes.

"Trust you to find another perv at thirty thousand feet," Victoria said. Ully laughed as Victoria rolled her finger. "Wrap it up, Shakespeare, I want to be one of the first people off after we land."

"Don't worry, I'm almost finished... and I'm getting to the good part," I said. "So, as I was saying, I gently stalked her until about the middle of May, when she completely disappeared. No more dancing at the TK, no more Instagram posts, nothing on Facebook... she was just gone.

"I didn't know what to do so for almost a month, I showed up every night at the TK hoping she'd gone on vacation, but she never came back. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore so I pulled Jen into one of the back rooms and got the story out of her. It seemed the fire had gone out of my girl, and dancing no longer had the same thrill it once did. She wanted more from life, so she found an office job and when summer classes started, Victoria signed up. She hadn't disappeared, she'd just gone back to school.

"It took a few tries, but one Saturday I found her in the library studying. Through a carefully rehearsed and very heartfelt speech, I won her over, and she agreed to go out on a date with me."

"Let me translate," Victoria said. "He sat down next to me and proceeded to bother the ever-loving bejesus out of me until I said yes."

"I wore you down," I said proudly.

"You may want to change the ending of your story. It's very creepy and isn't something most people normally brag about," Ully teased.

Victoria laughed.

"I've been saying that forever. And, Babe, I went out with you because I wanted to see if any of what we went through was real. I had to know if it was you I had fallen for and not the effects of the sigils or the sex," she said. "And you know what... it was. You picked me up, like a gentleman; you took me to that crazy taco place next to that indie brewery, and then we sang karaoke. It was the perfect night."

I smiled and kissed her as the stewardess asked Victoria to raise her seat.

"So, what happened?" Ully asked.

"We made out in the back seat of my car," I said with a smile.

"She means with the story, perv," Victoria said swatting my leg again.

"Oh, that. Well, we dated for a little bit, had lots of ritual-free sex..." I got another swat which made Ully laugh "... she fell head over heels in love with me, we got married, and now we're taking a two-week European honeymoon."

"And that's it?" Ully asked.

I nodded.

"That's it," I said.

"Then it's a nice story," Ully said.

The landing gear come out and we grew quiet.

We weren't the first people out, but thanks to Ully blocking the aisle for us, we weren't the last either. I thanked her by carrying her luggage to the terminal and when we got there, she smiled and took mine and Victoria's hands.

"You two have a nice spark, and I hope you understand why you weren't chosen in the end. You two are more about each other than about me." She winked and said, "It has been said that the Goddess Uhlvenashqua is a jealous lover and requires utter devotion. Personally, I never thought I was that bad." My confused expression mirrored Victoria's but when Ully's eyes began to glow, one blue and one green, I tried to step away. But the older woman, suddenly with a grip of steel, smiled. "Go, enjoy your lives, and know the Goddess has blessed this union."

Before either of us could speak, Ully took her luggage and disappeared into the crowd.

I looked at Victoria and together we said, "Motherfucker!"