Free Playing with Passion Theta Series Book 1 by Gayle Parness Page A

they chose, they could see the opaque holographic projections
sent to the stage, but most kept their eyes closed, sighing and
moaning and laughing—lost in this make-believe world. The audience
knew that none of it was real, that when it was over, everything
would be as it was, except for the euphoria.
    Theta performances were
the ultimate instant high, better than sex, drugs, or winning a ten
million dollar poker game. Because thetas used magic amped up to
the stars by Mack's boost of power, the buzz from a theta's brand of morphine lasted for
months.
    The actors only projected
the people who
appeared in the fantasy, so the APM, Alan, had to supply the rest.
Alan created the scenic backgrounds, the lighting effects, the
larger specialty creatures, such as dragons, the weather effects,
the sound, and the music. A vision of Druids working a spell at
Stonehenge wouldn’t be effective if there were no monoliths of
stone surrounding them, or a sacrificial slab stained in blood, or
a night sky filled with stars and a full moon.
    Mack was speaking quietly to Alan off
to the side. He was shirtless and hot as hell, Ingrid couldn't help
but notice, wearing jeans that hung low on his hips, emphasizing
that great ass she decided she wanted to squeeze. Having already
experienced a taste of his power, she found herself smiling. Today
might be the very beginning of everything she’d hoped to
achieve.
    "You look like the cat that swallowed
the mouse," Gene whispered, his bare chest only inches away and
impossible to ignore. He was definitely on the steamy side himself,
dressed only in dark dance slacks that hugged his hips in a very
sexy way. "What's up?" he asked, scanning her face.
    "Are you always analyzing people?"
Ingrid imagined very little got past those green eyes.
    "It keeps me entertained."
    "Not just me, right?"
    He smiled and shook his head. "I'm no
stalker. The troupe is my family and you're one of us. Mack does
his part. I do mine." Ingrid looked back toward Mack and sighed
quietly. To feel she was a part of something—that had been her
dream long before she realized there were dreams she should cast
aside and others she should strive for with every bit of her
energy. She might always be alone, but it would be worth it, if she
could find freedom and help to save others.
    Mack looked up suddenly, as if he knew
she was watching him. Their gazes met and the world fell away for a
breath of time: a perfect moment. His smile was shy, unsure, and
she returned it in kind.
    “Places." Alan announced.
    The words snapped the spell as the six
actors and two techs got into position, ready to project. Mack
began to pull in his power, a steady vibration drawing his stomach
and chest muscles taut. Ingrid's breath caught in her throat as
ribbons of his warm energy snaked through her skin and muscles,
racing through her bloodstream to mesh with the swelling power she
held in her central axis.
    With a last look at Gene's encouraging
gaze, she laid her hand flat on his chest, centered over his heart,
then pushed out from her psycore to create the young virgin sprite,
surrounded by darkness, lost and afraid. Gene’s projection of a
handsome sorcerer appeared behind a boulder, holding his spells in
readiness to battle against the powerful witches who pursued them,
all created by Staci. He called out to the graceful sprite, both of
them terrified by the approach of the blood drenched ghouls—Sam's
creations and the witches’ servants. The Sorcerer King and his
mate, the Queen of the Sprites—brought to life by Dave and Di—stood
high above on the parapet, calling out to them to run for
safety.
    The characters created, they began to
dance, adding life to the fantasy. Each moment of the vision was
powered by the energy of their minds and the movement of their
bodies, synchronized to the energy and music created by the two
techs swaying in place, lost in deep concentration.
    The actors didn’t mimic the action of
the story. Instead, they