Diana Racine 02 - Goddess of the Moon

Diana was right. Penetration was out of the question, but I can still pleasure a woman and, more importantly, a woman can still pleasure me. Pleasure is anything that transpires between two consenting adults.” He paused, and a smile twitched his lips. “Even those non-consenting. I bet Diana does an excellent job pleasuring. What do you say?”
    Slater was pushing all the right buttons. Lucier knew it and couldn’t control himself. He fought harder , the sharp edge of the plastic cuff cutting deeper into his skin . B lood trickled down his hand to his fingers, leaving a telltale stickiness . He collapsed in fatigue, breathing hard. Sweat crawled down his back like liquid worms, soaking his shirt. He shimmied against the back of the chair to stop the slithering effect. “Dian a wouldn’t touch you,” he said.
    “Are you sure? You didn’t see her when we were together. She’s fascinated by me. I sensed it. So did you. I saw those cat’s eyes of yours turn green. Ask her.”
    “I will if you b ring her here. Let me see she’s all right.”
    “Soon. You’ll see her soon. Like you, she may be a little groggy, but she’ ll come around.”
    “If you’ve hurt her in any way, I’ll kill you.”
    Slater laughed. “I admire your optimism. You see, Lieutenant, we use special tactics to incorporate people into our sphere.”
    “You mean cult, don’t you, Slater?”
    “If you choose to call it that, I have no objection. People crave affection. Other than Phillip, the founding males of our group, including Silas, pulled themselves up from dismal beginnings, some with parents who were so busy surviving they had no time for their children. The one thing th ose men shared was brilliance and a need to be loved and admired. And greed, of course.”
    “But not you. You were blessed with loving parents, belief in God. You had everything.”
    “Yes, until I got sick. You know the story so I won’t bore you with the details. Suffice to say I slipped as low as a man can go and still live. These people offered me the love and passion I’d lost. They accepted me for who I am, or who I had become. A half-man.”
    “So the medicine man taught you what? All about Satan?” Lucier snorted. “Give me a break.”
    “ E ver heard of love bombing?”
    “No, and I don’t want to hear about it now.” Lucier wriggled in his chair. “Take off these restraints,” he demanded.
    Slater ignored him. “Too bad. I’m afraid you’re a rapt audience. Love bombing take s many forms. It may be a session where the members hold hands, hug each other , and bond. Cults use the tactic. So do many successful organized religions, especially in fundamentalist and extreme churches. You’ve seen pictures on TV of parishioners touching and holding each other, while the preacher strokes their egos, boosts their pride and self-esteem. The method works extremely well with children from the earliest age and makes them dependent on their leader.”
    “No different than brainwashing. No different than the Nazis.”
    “Yes. The Germans did it well. Turned a whole country into their way of thinking. O ur tactics are slightly different. They used hate to bring them together; we use love.
    “ You remember the polygamist groups? They use love bombing to keep their people in line ―t o convince them the world is an ugly place outside their confines. The technique does not promise unconditional love. In fact, quite the contrary . Love bombing is highly conditional. Love is tied to membership and participation in the group. If a member doesn’t join or wants to leave, all love stops.”
    “You’re justifying using young women like Nona and Brigid and turning them into baby machines to populate your so-called new order. Do you think drugging them to have sex against their will is love?”
    “No one drugged Brigid or Nona,” Slater said. “They were eager and willing to do whatever Silas wanted. He’s their father, you know. Selene’s daughters.”
    Lucier muffled his gasp, but his shock showed nevertheless . He watched the satisfaction on Slater’s face as the man relished his surprise.
    “You didn’t guess, did you? No, I can see you didn’t.” Slater pulled a chair close to Lucier but out of his reach. “Those two women love sex. E ach has produced one child, but Brigid’s pregnant again. They were a little young, but they’re Selene’s daughters and very much like her. Not at all like their older sister, Anat. She’s an