Waiting for the danger to pass the creature was getting farther and farther away as she recovered. Her mind focused on that thing. Was it a part of the trees? In them or otherwise connected to them in some way? Those were questions that she had no answers to, questions Slarr might but he was nowhere at hand.

As she made her way back the smoke she saw drifting between the trees oddly smelled like burnt toast. In such a tattered state she made her way back to the area that they had first come into the jungle searching for Azalea. Then a hand fell to her shoulder from behind, a grip tightened against her there. The thing had been silent coming right up on her used body. For a moment she had considered it was that tree thing yet again. It took a second the register that touch as warm and from a fleshy creature. Claws sat against her sink threatening to tare into it at a moment's notice.

Another hand slapped her ass before taking a handful of it. That touch just as warm as the one on her shoulder. “Is that the latest fashion statement or are you just happy to see me?” The voice a familiar one. She didn't even have to turn around to see the diabolical creature.

Then her eyes opened and she was laying there in bed. A hand had been on her shoulder stirring her awake as Slarr stood there at the side of the bed. The effects of that dream evident by the hard nipples beneath her clothes. Fortunately there was a blanket hiding them from that lemon yellow gaze that looked down upon her.

“It seemed that you were having a bit of fun from what I could determine. I miscalculated that book I loaned you. It is best that I take it off your hands tonight.” He told her asserting that she couldn't handle it.

The dream felt so real. Every sense had been stimulated to a great degree and yet how long had past? Could she even use any of the teachings from that dream?

Her perverted guest attempted to lift up the edge of the blanket. “Tell me your nude under there.”

Tiffany bolted upright into a sitting position as her mind made the transition from dream to reality. The blankets fell away from her as she sat up. She wasn't naked as Slarr had hoped, having fell asleep still in the rumpled uniform she had been wearing when she came in, but as she slept she had apparently torn open her blouse and her bra was pulled up above her breasts. Tiffany's stiff, pink nipples were in full view of the smoke devil's yellow-eyed gaze, but she didn't seem to notice, at least not yet. Her hand moved down between her legs and she found that her panties were soaking wet, but that bruised, sore feeling left behind by the tree demon was gone. Had it really been just a dream?

She looked at Slarr, still a bit groggy and confused, as the waking world came back into focus.

"Wha... how did... how did I get back here?"

As she came fully awake, the realization that she had been dreaming dawned on her... along with the realization that Slarr was in her room staring at her naked tits.

"What are... how did you get in here?!?!" the suddenly embarrassed blonde blurted out as she hastily began to fix her disarrayed clothes.

The words he had said finally caught up to Tiffany's brain then and she stared at the ebony-skinned devil.

"What do you mean? Take it off my hands? What happened to there being risks associated with accelerated learning?"

Tiffany had caught the subtle inference of his tone that she couldn't handle the book alone. Her intellect told her that that was almost certainly true, but her pride wanted to protest the point. She didn't like being told she couldn't handle things.

"What makes you think you miscalculated it?"

“Awww ...” He was denied a further display of her breast simply because he had no tact staring at it. How ripe it appeared to him. Just like a freshly picked strawberry he was tempted to stick it in his mouth.

For the moment he kept himself in check but just barely. They had a deal on the line here and while it didn't violate it if he indulged in her business came first. She was a bit confused and he simply held up his hand which became smokey then reverted to it's natural state.

“Locked windows are meaningless to me. Nor doors or most barriers. I can fly, even brake up my form in part or in full.”

He listened to her though he could not fully resist as he set a hand down upon her shoulder. “You can hold on to it if you like. You've already gotten a small taste of what it can do.” Fingers grazed the side of her neck as he grinned at her.

“Given what we are attempting to unlock you might set fire to your dorm room while you sleep. At least I can control flames if things get too bad. But if you think it's worth the risk to you and all the other girls in this dorm than be my guest. I could stay here for the night I suppose if you insist on it.” He doubted that she would choose that option. But would she risk keeping the book here or allowing him to take it?

From his experience the girls here tended to be self sacrificing and protective or one another. Not all of them, granted, but a lot of them he found. Where did she fall he wondered? Just how much did she truly want this?

“We can pick up with it tomorrow, same time and place.” He supplied so she wouldn't think that he was just taking the tome from her. His hand stilled then began dripping down her neck resting once more on her shoulder before drifting even lower cupping the curve of her covered breast.

Despite not liking being told she couldn't handle a situation, Tiffany hadn't thought of the risk to other students that keeping the book in her possession might cause. She wouldn't want to be responsible for someone else getting hurt...

"Well... I guess if you think it would be safer with you until tomorrow..." Tiffany started, reaching up to push Slarr's hand away from her chest and back up to her shoulder, "I suppose I shouldn't argue. You know a lot more about this than I do."

Her eyes drifted up and to the side then, as though she were pondering something. She was thinking of the names Slarr had mentioned before...

A few seconds later she looked back at Slarr and asked, "The tree-demon... that's Birch, isn't it? I don't know why I didn't put that together before... when you first mentioned the name..."

His hand deflected away from her breast as she slid it back up to her shoulder. He wasn't overly strong but he could have overpowered her if he had wished. Currently he did not as alluring as it was seeing her in such a state he surmised that the book had exhausted her mentally. Which would translate into being unable to keep up physically if he pressed the issue.

He followed her gaze as she looked away from him but saw nothing out of the ordinary. His hand remained on her shoulder until she voiced her question to him.

“Yes, that is Birch. I suppose the book inserted him into your dream. And I'm willing to bet he tapped into my memories for that scenario. Birch is mostly boring nowadays, lots of talk and little action. Tell me, was he angry? Was he at his wits end? He starves himself so much these days only eating when he must. Really with all the students here there is little need to befriend each one of them but he's been odd ever since Thudd left us.” He made a motion over his throat with his thumb so she would get the idea.

“The three of us were a team for awhile. Thudd up and died and Birch began having second thoughts with what he was doing with his life. I don't know why. Anyway,” he moved away from her retrieving the book then looking back at her on the bed.

“Until tomorrow.” He paused as he considered something. “Perhaps you wish to encounter him again in the waking world. Hm? He might be able to teach you a thing or two. Definitely not magic but he does have a rather unique outlook on things. He may be able to assist you. Either way Ania isn't back yet and I don't expect her for some time so your training can go along unimpeded.”

Tiffany looked shocked at Slarr's comment.

"Help me? Birch? I HAVE met him in the waking world... and that thing scares the hell out of me. He's probably not the most terrifying thing that I've met here, but... he... he hurt me... and I seriously doubt I could ever learn enough to protect myself from such a creature..."

Tiffany cast an odd look at Slarr then. Slarr was himself a terrifying creature in his own right. She found it strange that despite knowing he was a self-serving fiend and was undoubtedly only helping her to satisfy his own ends, she no longer considered him threatening. She didn't doubt that when their business was concluded he might, and probably would, try to force himself upon her again, but she didn't think he had any interest in doing her permanent harm. Even so, it was interesting that she could converse with him almost comfortably when she should run screaming from the room at the mere sight of him.

"Slarr, I know you are only helping me because we made a deal... but... thanks. For helping me, I mean. Do you think the training is working?"

“Then you had to have caught him on a bad day. He is usually easier to deal with than I am.” He looked to her as she thanked him. He had read her correctly before thinking that she wouldn't want to place others at harm but he had not honestly felt that she would thank him.

She must have felt that he was working toward his own ends. In the long run it had not mattered to him if she learned how to master fire. Against him he could usurp her flames to his own ends if need be and with the inhibitors in place she could only improve her station a little, at least until she left the planet. Maybe with practice among the stars she would fare much better but that was not his concern.

Setting the book back down he moved away from it walking closer to the bed. “You are welcome. And no doubt the training is working. The effects may not be as swift as you'd like but in such a short time you could produce a flame and have a strong head about you. Earlier all manners of things could have taken advantage of you while you attempted to ignite those candles had you tried to do it the hard way.

“Now try to strike me with your flame. Clearly the book has already begun it's training on your subconscious while you slept. It doesn't just focus on sex so I believe there was more to that dream even if you might not recall it fully. Now hit me right here.” He thumped his chest.

Of course even if she were successful he would take control of that flame before it hit it's mark compressing that flame into a ball then snuffing it out. However, if she failed he had to alter tomorrow's training to compensate for it.

Tiffany looked around for Cinder before realizing that the wand had only existed in her dream. Even now, the dream seemed so real. In her mind, it felt like an actual week had passed while she practiced with the circle. She could still feel that sense of fear and concern she had felt for poor Azzie. Tiffany wondered if Azalea was an actual student here. Since the book could use images from people's memories, there was a possibility that Azzie might actually be real.

"Ummm... ok... I'll try... but, in the dream I used a wand for fire..."

Tiffany focused the way she had learned in the dream. She took a few deep breaths, imagining in her mind flames leaping from her hand toward Slarr. She concentrated on that mental image, drawing that thought... that energy... into a tiny, bright pinpoint... much like the way a magnifying glass focuses sunlight into a bright glowing beam of heat.

She looked at Slarr and stretched out her hand the way she would have pointed Cinder. Tiffany willed that bright point of light inside her mind to release, not really expecting anything to happen. After all, her "week" of training had only been a dream, right? It wasn't real, so how could she have actually learned anything?

To her utter astonishment, something DID happen, though.

The air rippled in front of her outstretched hand, spreading outward across the room in a shimmering wave of heat. There wasn't any actual fire, but the paint on the walls all around Slarr bubbled, then blistered, then browned as though a flame had been brought close enough to start the wall smouldering, but not quite close enough to set it alight. Slarr was at the central point of the wave and while it wasn't quite hot enough to incinerate someone, probably not even hot enough to kill unless it was sustained for a longer duration, it would certainly have burned a human being. Blistered skin for sure.

Tiffany's jaw dropped in her shock and surprise and for a few seconds she could only stare open-mouthed at what she had just done.

"Oh my God... are you ok? Look at the wall! How am I going fix that? Did that really just happen?"

If Azalea was real she had to be drawn from a portion of her memory, someone she may have seen once. The book could have fleshed out the details. Or it could have been a memory from Slarr's. Whatever the case she had been left to wonder about her fellow student.

That week which had only been less than an hour did wonders. Her subconscious had connected to her conscious mind allowing her to draw flame even without a wand. Slarr disposed of it making it smaller and condensing it into a ball before winking it out of existence.

He gave her a look then cast a glance to the walls. If the flames had been hot he wouldn't have noticed but there was evidence that they were.

“Excellent. I am fine. Concerned?” That question caught him by surprise not thinking that anyone, at least the humans, would have been concerned. Among the other guests he felt that Ania would have been the only one that genuinely cared.

“Don't worry about the wall. It will be fixed before you wake. Does it feel like your training has had an effect now?” Lemon-yellow eyes looked her over then he went over to retrieve the alien lifeform that was the book.

“That really did just happen. It would be likely to occur at some point while you sleep causing a fire. Of course ...” he paused as he considered something. “The book will accelerate your training while you sleep. As dangerous as it is it may benefit you. Of course I would have to stay here for the night to prevent this.”

He gestured toward the wall. “Your choice. Tomorrow or have more fun with the book. I cannot say what it will do if it is allowed to continue instructing you.”

Tiffany considered her options carefully. She didn't really consider Slarr a threat, but could he be trusted to behave himself while she slept? She wasn't completely sure about that. And also, there was the fact that the book was dangerous. She wondered...

"When you say the book is dangerous... I get that if I DREAM about conjuring flames it might happen in real life while I sleep... but beside that possibility, do you think the book poses any other threat?"

She paused a moment, apparently gathering all the various thoughts (and doubts) she had about the book before continuing.

"I guess what I mean is, why does the book work? What does it want in return? Should I be worried about whatever it might be doing to me? I think it's amazing that I can live a whole week in less than one night, but... what's the catch? Ther's ALWAYS a catch, right?"

“Subconsciously you could start a fire. That is probably the biggest danger to you and your fellow students residing in this dormitory.” He rubbed his chin either considering her question or what to tell her about the book.

“Other dangers are mainly psychological. That book there will worm it's way inside your head drawing upon whatever lustful thoughts you may have had. Real or imagined. Pleasant fantasies as well as horrid realities. Judging where you reside now I'm willing to be your most recent experiences fall in the not so pleasant category. It can invent new things too using what it finds to weave into whatever narrative it has designed.

“That book is a life form. You see it as a book because I impressed upon you that it was a teaching aid. It is. It will help you find a way to access your hidden talents. Often there are elements that you are unaware of that it draws forth. Like many things in the galaxy it has it's own motives.

“To keep things simple it enjoys learning. Just as you learn from it it learns from you. It feeds from a psychic link drawing upon lustful thoughts for whatever purposes it has. I do not know all of it's capabilities but it will not kill you, not unless, well you need not worry about that.

“It will derive sustenance from your experiences. Sexual ones provide the most nourishment. In my presence that book lets me relieve my own conquests. For me it is rather pleasant. You can try to focus where it takes you though it doesn't always work. If you have a strong memory or fantasy it might lock on that if it's tasty enough or it can use that experience to teach.

“In an ordinary situation it teaches something to whoever it comes by. Most of the time it's random unless directed but these lessons always end up in some form of erotic experience. A price for knowledge. A lesson for a meal.”

Slarr paused for a moment then looked to the book then back at her. “It can be rather addicting too. Not that you will be exposed to it long enough for that to matter. It can make it appealing to live in a fantasy world. Your experiences on the island should make that option less likely, especially if it's already focused on the darker aspects of your time here.”

"So, the catch is that in return for teaching me things, the book manipulates my subconcious, creating erotic fantasies which it then uses to feed off of my sexual energy... is that it?"

Tiffany shuddered slightly at the thought. So far, the book had indeed only tapped into her experiences here on the island, and while these experiences were certainly intense, they were also mostly horrifying.

Of course, on the other hand, it might be worth the risk. If the only threat the book posed was giving her nightmares about being raped, but the tradeoff was learning how to defend herself in real life, wouldn't that be worth it?

Besides, while it made her angry and ashamed to be dominated by these fiendish creatures, from a purely physical standpoint it wasn't SO bad, was it? She thought about the way those vines had slithered across her skin at Birch's silent command... coiling around her breasts... squeezing... rubbing...

... and the way the tree-demon had grabbed her hips and pulled her so forcefully up into his thrusts as his serpentine phallic tendril impaled her... twisting and writhing deep inside her...

Tiffany didn't know it, but the book was trying to influence her mind once again. It didn't understand this casual communication between Tiffany and Slarr, a predator and his natural prey, and it wanted to observe more of their interaction if it could.

Tiffany's face flushed and her breathing had quickened. Her nipples were beginning stiffen again as well, noticeably poking out through the fabric of her bra, although the book that was not a book was subtly distracting her mind from this fact just enough to keep her from being aware of it yet.

"I... I think you should stay. If you would, that is. I want to learn as much as I can as quickly as I can. And I'm curious about the time distortion. How long in "dream time" is one night in real life? I don't plan on keeping the book with me every night of course, but I'd really like to see what it can do in a whole night. And also, you said you can sort of steer where it takes you sometimes, although it doesn't always work, right? Maybe I can learn to interact with it more, control it even.

It's up to you. But if you do stay, there is a ton of strawberry jello and, closer to the real thing, a little jar of strawberry jam in the top dresser drawer. I was saving it for your payoff, but you can have it now if you want..."

“Pretty much. You won't be in contact with it long enough for it to truly sink it's hooks into you. In addition to bringing up erotic thoughts and scenarios it can alter you to the point that you become a much more lustful being. Addiction is powerful in humans and numerous species of the galaxy. Others are exempt from such a hold it being more habit forming in some.”

Slarr explained. Lemon yellow eyes took in the fact that the book was working it's magic on her so to speak. It was tough for him to keep his eyes from staring at her breasts. A thought did occur to him but he dismissed it not wishing to get too greedy yet.

Her features were flushed and he didn't know if it were the book at work or the after math of her dream.

“I'll stay then.” He considered what to do in order to occupy the time. There was no doubt that if he stayed that life form would attack his mind too in a lesser extent as he had learned to deal with it. He should be fine, the thing was unable to render him unconscious. As for the arousal? Either it would play out images of the past, Ania had been his favorite. What could he say about a fellow hunter? Or she would end up begging him for release. How? Well that was a separate matter.

“You might be able to work with it. But you will not be able to control it. It is as free willed as you or I. But as long as you give it what it wants then you should be able to influence it. As far as how much time passes in a night I cannot say with any certainty. How much time passes in your dreams. Days? Weeks? Months? Even years. Like a dream scenes might flash forward making it feel like more time has past leaving your mind to fill in the gaps.

“One night will be broken up with your normal REM sleep. You can have several dreams in a night and not even remember them all. The dream will be as long or short as it deems fit. Be cautious, it can chose to drag out those unpleasant moments for what seems like an eternity. It's not likely to focus on one aspect for so long unless ravenous. It has fed at least twice today so you shouldn't be in danger of that.”

Slarr warned then went wide eyed at the mention of those treats. Strawberries and strawberry flavored goodies worked from time to time in him giving up a chase. Primarily the reward had to be high and there were a few occasions where he combined his dessert with a blond but he was content with having just one of his favorite treats. Those that knew of this weakness could bargain with him, often at a greater rate of success.

“Jam? Then I'm certainly staying. Now go back to sleep or do whatever you humans do.” He crossed the room heading to the dresser to get the jam in question.

The book wasn't actually controlling Tiffany's mind, but it was gently and cleverly tugging at her thoughts, pulling them in the directions it wanted them to go. It had made her focus on the physical pleasure Birch had inflicted on her while lessening the focus on the shame and rage it had caused her so as to make it seem as though the risk was worth the payoff of keeping the book a while longer. Having fed already, it wasn't ravenous... although it was never really full. But the craving it felt now was one more of curiosity. It had seen in her memories that Slarr had forced himself on her before. It had felt the anger and revulsion she had felt for him. She should be screaming for help and trying to escape at the mere sight of him. But that fear was either gone now or so much diminished, that it was all but undetectable. In its place, there had arisen a cautious sense of mistrust in the girl's mind, but also a growing feeling of... gratitude? Very strange creatures, these humans.

And what of the other? A predator, and here was his most favorite color of prey. The book could sense the carnal lust that coursed constantly through such impish creatures as this Slarr. Yet he refrained from acting on his natural impulses... repressed them even, if the book was reading him correctly. Of course, it was hard to say if the book was reading him correctly. The thought patterns of such beings were chaotic and hard to decipher, and even harder to influence.

Still, it found their arrangement so exceedingly odd that it couldn't help but want to observe more. And of course, it couldn't help but to exacerbate the situation somewhat. It began to subtly suggest to the girl's mind that she should take off her rumpled uniform before going to sleep. It didn't make her forget that Slarr was there, it simply distracted her mind from that fact, over-enhancing the importance of getting comfortable and getting out of her dirty clothes just enough to make her not think about the prescence of Slarr in her room.

Tiffany began to undress...

Slarr found the jam. Scooping it out with his index finger he was in the process of sucking it off of his finger. Pausing, those lemon yellow eyes staring at Tiffany as she undressed as if he had not even been there at all. He managed to keep himself in check for now at least since he had been distracted by the jam.

Going back to eating at a slower pace he watched her as she moved about the room not even paying the book any mind. Naturally he was aroused but didn't act on his first impulse to act. He had to tare his eyes away after a few minutes looking back at the jam and his finger.

Then glancing back in her direction he saw that she was under the covers. Asleep? No, though her eyes were closed. He watched her there as he went back to eating. The book taking over as she drifted back to sleep. This time she was in a clearing in the jungle not sure where she was at first.

There were no landmarks around and she had been alone. Cinder in her grasp, robes on, was this another training exercise? The brush began to rustle though there was nothing there. Something moved around at the perimeter of that clearing diverting her attention this way and that. Then things went silent. Even the wind refused to blow.

A clawed finger tapped her on her shoulder but as she turned there was no one there. Then Slarr appeared before her eyes. “You cannot use your powers effectively if you cannot see your target. From camouflage to invisibility to even darkness and poor lighting conditions there will be times you will have no target.

“Running is only so useful. You will have to make a stand a fight in many cases.” He held up a blindfold he was carrying. “Here put this on. Today you will train your hearing and targeting skills.”

The book drew upon her mentor student relationship now as it continued to search both her and Slarr's mind. Curious about their relationship. Of course her prior lessons were still intact as this simply added to the ones she had learned already.