House of Long Shadows

"What did you do if you didn't get a snack or watch TV?" Ivy asked with a smile.

"I had sex," I replied, and her smile widened.

"Your...," the guy in the suit began and stopped himself. "None of our business."

"They might be a valuable witness. Perhaps a few details might make the drive up here worth it," Ivy said. "If you are willing."

"It's your dime," I said, and the man in the suit rolled his eyes but remained silent. "She was bent over, searching the fridge for something good to eat. The trouble began when I confused her with another long-haired redhead."

"Of course, you did," Ivy laughed. "I take it she went with it, like in any good porno."

"It took a little convincing, but yeah, now that I think of it, that's not a bad analogy."

"Can we get back to the attempted murder?" The man asked.

"So, it wasn't a hunting accident," I said, and the man didn't like that. "After a long nap, I woke, and like I said, I needed to blow the cobwebs out of my head. While I enjoyed the landscape, I spotted a glitter off something. My gut instinct kicked in, and I dropped to the ground just to be safe. That feeling saved my life."

"Unbelievable luck," the man said as if he were upset that I was alive. "It seems the Longshadows are born with an inordinate amount of prosperity."

"How did you know my last name was Longshadow?"

"Yeah, the neighbors never mentioned that," Ivy said.

"I searched the property and title," he lied.

"You never identified yourself or showed any ID," I said, even as Kitten flashed a message across my retina. He's a fucking liar.

"Well? This is the part where you identify yourself."

The man's eyebrow lifted, and he glared at her, but she was unperturbed. Ivy turned to face him, and I didn't miss that she put herself between me and the man in the suit.

"You are wasting time," he said. His voice was a deep, icy bass. "I don't have time for this."

"Make time," Ivy growled. "Or take a walk." His hand brushed his jacket open, and Ivy's hand went to her sidearm. "Slowly."

"Cheeky," he laughed as he produced his identification. I accepted it and felt a wave of dizziness. The ID was that of a federal agent sans the organization's name. "We are okay, right?" He said, and I shook my head. I examined the leather case for his ID and saw he had coated it with a shiny substance. Did this fucker drug me? He turned his head and locked eyes with the detective, then me. "It is not forbidden to use the weapons of the enemy. Excelsior."

"What? Unn, why I am so damn wet." Ivy asked as her lower lip trembled.

"Perfect," he said. "Now, when they find you two locked together, I kill two birds with one orgasm. You. Longshadow. You are going to fuck her within an inch of her life. Got it?"

My head cleared, and I rubbed my fingers to get more of the stuff on them; as I handed it back, I dropped it and smeared the drug on his cheek. His skin absorbed it, and I watched his pupils dilate.

"Who are you?" I asked. "Really."

"Malcolm," he grunted as he fought the effects. "Which."

"You drugged me?" Ivy snarled as she fought the drug's post-hypnotic effect. Malcolm reached for his shoulder holster but found the detective's 9mm pressed against his temple. "Don't move. Hands behind your back." I snagged Ivy's handcuffs from the small of her back and placed them on Malcolm. "Thanks." She plucked her radio and called in for backup. "Until my backup arrives, can I ask you some questions?"

"Ask away, detective," I replied.

"I need details, unn... no, I won't," she grunted as she fought the urge to undress and let me have my way with her. Her tits look so plump, and her ass is like a Georgia Peach in those slacks.

"Excelsior, return to yourself and ignore any further suggestions," I ordered. And Ivy grinned, appearing less stressed and agreeable. "The bullet missed me, and about four or five other discharges followed up that first gunshot."

"First, why did you duck?"

"I've already had one attempt on my life," I said, lifted my shirt, and showed her my scars."

"Jesus," Ivy cursed. "Okay, point taken. Can you be more specific on how many gunshots you heard?"

"The distance and landscape created an echo fest, but I'll try," I said, closed my eyes, and mentally replayed the event. My mind created a visual of each discharge in the form of a dot and then concentric circles rippling from each dot. There were two dots and five gunshots. "Five bullets by two shooters."

"Two shooters? How can you be so sure if there were echoes?" Ivy asked as he glared at Malcolm.

"One shooter was a little further away from the other. I feel pretty confident. Oh hey, your backup is here," I said, which was followed by a loud crunch and Malcolm's corpse hitting the floor. "Holy shit, did he just off himself?"

White foam bubbled from between his lips. This situation came from a spy novel or the first Captain America movie.

"Don't touch anything," Ivy snapped as she tried to process the situation. I agreed but knelt and looked at Malcolm's hands since, when he fell, the cuffs had forced him onto his side. I leaned in close and gasped.

"Holy shit, he burned off his fingerprints."

"Bullshit," Ivy said as she knelt and examined his fingers herself. "What the fuck is going on?"

"Whatever it was, he drugged us, placed a post-hypnotic suggestion in your head, and tried to ruin your reputation by having us go at it. Imagine your supervisor walking in on us having sex. That is a career-ending situation. You okay?"

"Yeah, that command still echoes in my mind," Ivy moaned. "It is going to take time."

"Detective Baker," an older man said as he entered. "Mr. Longshadow. What happened?" He asked and then looked at the corpse. "Cyanide?" Ivy stood and looked shaky. "You okay?"

"He has no fingerprints," Ivy added, ignoring his concern. "And a drugged ID case."

"Hey, Phil, send for one of our meat wagons. If you don't recognize any of them, send them packing. Got it?"

"Yeah, boss, another one, eh?" Phil called out from the front porch.

What did Phil mean by another one? Did the shooter have his fingerprints removed? Were these two a team or part of the same organization? This group must have some serious backing and finances to prep their agents with poison teeth, a lack of fingerprints, and ID cases coated with a mind-altering chemical. Why did they try and kill me? Did they have something against me, or did this have to do with my Dad? I tried to puzzle it out as a middle-aged man pulled a wheeled metal case into the living room. He shifted it onto its side, opened it, and revealed the robots inside.

The technician released the drones, they took to the air, and they began processing the scene and the side yard outside. I pointed out the tree where the bullet struck. That same tech activated a specialized robot with a saw attachment to retrieve the evidence. Detective Ivy and I were both treated for poisoning once the substance on the dead man's ID case was sampled and identified. The plant extract came from South America and was extremely rare and difficult to obtain. The cloud forest where the plants originated is a protected area due to vast amounts of deforestation that had taken place earlier this century.

It was a long day. The first ambulance that arrived Phil sent away when he didn't recognize any of the three-person crew. By that time, several officers parked their official vehicles outside, and half a dozen or more uniformed officers and three federal agencies pooled their resources on the case. Lovely. The men in the first ambulance left a bitter taste in my mouth and raised alarm bells in my head, and if I was a good judge of character, Ivy's boss was equally startled. Every time he looked at me, he shook his head and made an unhappy expression.

"Hello, William," Julia said, addressing the much older detective as she appeared. "Just down to grab something to eat. I slept late after a busy morning. How is the wife?"

"Divorced two years ago after that quintuple homicide, you?" Ivy's boss replied, looking pale and startled by Julia's presence, as was I. Why was she down here?

"Just got divorced from Carcosa and staying with Albion," she replied, and I shot her a look when she used my full name. I hated it, and she knew it. "Oh, hey, Frank. I thought you transferred to Seattle," she said as she greeted one of the federal agents.

"Jules," Frank responded with a smile that quickly vanished. "I changed my mind."

"Has anyone in this room not fucked Julia?" I asked, and the shockingly low number did not surprise me. "Good to know."

"I like sex," Julia giggled. "Can I get some food?"

"Go ahead; the kitchen isn't part of the crime scene. Since you are here, do you know this man?" One of the drones provided a hologram of the corpse's features.

"Yeah," Julia replied. "He was in the crowd of regulars surrounding the compound and one of the more vocal haters. Carcosa didn't feel threatened, so we ignored him."

"Did he have any friends?" Ivy asked, and Julia nodded and gave a list of six names.

"Anderson was the shooter," the lead detective confirmed. "I am guessing the three in the ambulance are probably on her list. Check with Phil and see if he recognizes any of them. You helped a lot. We'll want an official statement eventually."

"No problem, glad I could help. You can cuff me and sweat out a confession if you need to. Where is Arya?" Julia asked as I followed her to the kitchen. "Your father is not going to like this. He is very protective."

I didn't bother replying. As for Arya, I figured she was working on her news story and putting her spin on events, and I told Julia my theory.

"You think she's a reporter, huh? I suppose that makes sense," Julia replied after letting it sink in. "She makes nice, moves in, looks the house over, and then writes a series of award-winning stories about the House of Long Shadows. I buy it. That cop looks like she is ready to eat you alive unless I am blind."

"The fake agent had a plant-based poison smeared over his ID case. It left her susceptible to suggestion. He ordered her to fuck me."

"You poor thing, you," Julia cackled. "No, please don't suck my cock... whatever you do, don't sit on it... I'll leave the door open when she sneaks in and fucks you senseless. Death by Snu-Snu." What shocked me is that not only had Julia heard of the drug used on Ivy and me, but its Latin name and how rare it is. "Your father abandoned its use a while back for more reliable methods of indoctrination. He taught you his favorite technique, didn't he?"

"Yeah, it was one of the reasons I left. I won't lie; I am terrified of ending up like Carcosa. That kind of power can change a person."

"Here is the million-dollar question," Julia said. "How in the hell did you shrug off the effects of that drug? Carcosa had given up on it before he began training you. How do you explain your immunity?"

"Just like fighting off the effects of the suggestion Dad stuck in my skull," I said as I thought out loud. "I shouldn't have been able to, but I did. Julia, I don't know. Don't take this the wrong way; did you know my birth mother?"

"That is a complicated question. The years before you were born, Carcosa collected some of the most exotic beauties from all over the world. At first, we believed he loved us, and that was it. Later, he confessed that he wanted to breed us to produce the best possible heir to his legacy. Eugenics. You were always his favorite, but your mother was strong-willed, and eventually, he moved her to another compound. Of Carcosa's brides, she topped us all in beauty, intelligence, and uniqueness. The years you and the others were born was a busy one. Carcosa started that building project that lasted for years to make the compound as perfect as possible."

"I remember, I was five when it finished. You better get upstairs and feed Emma. I'm sure she is starving, too."

"Aching more like it," Julia laughed. "I think she has got it bad for you. Maybe that cop will show up, and we can have a foursome. I knew that would make you smile."

Julia set out a platter and began filling it with food. I turned to leave, and Ivy stood in the doorway. She was gnawing on her lower lip and quivering. I apologized for talking about her behind her back, but she shook her head.

"The drug's effects are still bouncing around, and all I can think about is you. If your Dad used it, maybe he knows of an antidote?"

"Sorry, kiddo," Julia joined the conversation. "The only way you get that monkey off your back is to follow the last command, and that involves screwing poor Al here until the fever breaks. Throw yourself into this case until later tonight; come by, and we'll help all we can. That is doctor's orders."

Ivy walked off, rejoined the other investigators, and followed Julia's advice. I asked Julia what would happen if Ivy went too long without consummating the hypnotic command. Her expression was answer enough; she would lapse into a coma and die.

"I can't believe I am saying this, but my cock is her only hope."

"Jeez, that would make a great adult cosplay or virtual scenario, fuck or die," Julia purred. "Fuck me, Obi-Wan Kenobi; you're my only hope."

The puns and jokes flew from there. I stayed downstairs until the police finished processing the crime scene, collecting the bullet from the tree, and trying to keep Ivy's thoughts occupied by anything except sex. I closed the front door behind the last cop, leaned against it, and let out a long, anguished sigh. This was the second attempt on my life, and I had to ask myself, did the same group want me dead, or were there two? Dad had made so many enemies over the decades, and I was the easy target since I lived outside his heavily defended compound.

"If I stay here, I am begging for another bullet or knife or car accident."

'Better check up on the two redheads,' my inner voice reminded me.

I heard Emma's voice, and she appeared to be reading from a script or something. The closer I got to my bedroom, the clearer it became.

"...we came upon the island where none should be," Emma said. "As harsh a sight as mortal eyes were never meant to glimpse. The captain, I, and a few trusted souls took two lifeboats to its frothing shore. Nothing living dwelt on that hellish shell thrust from the ocean's bottom and adorned with statuary and buildings that defied logic as we strode through the nightmare city. A ramp leading up would, by the end, dive deeper into the bowels of the place. Steps spiraled down, leaving one at a precipice looking out over the corpse of that antediluvian horror." Emma paused before continuing. "I'll give 'em this; that is one hell of an imagination. Al's ancestor should have gone into being an author instead of a seaman."

"I showed you these to get a feel of this place's history, not to mock them," Julia replied.

"I am not making fun of anyone," Emma snapped. "I... care about Al. I know it has only been a short time, but damn it, Julia, I would never do anything to hurt him. I put this damn thing in my ass to prove that."

"Now you are lying; you let me slide that toy in your butt because you enjoy pain. You said so yourself, and I quote. It hurts so good."

"Details," Emma moaned. "Fine. I am relishing my recent discovery. Don't tell him, but last month, I was riding my bike when a car sideswiped me and sent me over the handlebars. I broke both arms when I threw them out in front of me to keep from face-planting. I came so hard when I made contact with the concrete and later when they put on the air casts. Up until then, I never experienced that level of anguish. Who knew my body processed pleasure and pain so closely?"

"Face it, Hermione, you are a class S masochist," Julia laughed. "Read on; you are close to the end of that entry."

I stood in the hallway and listened as Emma read from my ancestor's logbook. It didn't end well, as only Captain Marsh and First Mate Longshadow survived the encounter on the mysterious island. The passage described encountering non-Euclidean geometry and a titan that belonged in the movies or the Monarch television series. The description fit the image of my Dad's most prized possession, the idol of the Dreamer in the Depths. I debated whether I should step in and see how they reacted or return to the first floor.

'The longer they wait, the more they'll want sex,' my inner voice whispered, and I agreed. I could wait.

Instead of going down, I went to the third floor, where Carcosa had hidden my family's sea chest. Julia must have lugged it out from the hidden room where Dad had kept it. The ancient lid was open, and generations of Longshadows had traveled and collected relics to add to the treasure. Weapons, armor, coins, and objects d'art were inside the chest, a real pirate's bounty. While most of the books we found ended up in the library, a scant few remained here, like the voyages of Dagon's Wroth. My upstanding ancestor was a thief, a scoundrel, a murderer, and a madman. I broke faith with my dad's gods. Maybe they are the ones hunting me for a breach of promise.

"Fuck," Julia cursed behind me as she held the ledger she had taken from the chest. "I am sorry."

"Give it to me," I said, returning the book to where it belongs. "I am going to beat your ass until it is crimson, and that is only the beginning."

"I am responsible, too," Emma declared. "My ass is forfeit, isn't it."

"Yeah, tell me what you've gleaned from that story."

I closed the chest lid, lifted it, and carried it to the first floor. As Emma regaled me with her interpretations of the lore, I collected the house's treasures and moved them to the basement. Neither Julia nor Emma chose to follow down to the cellar, and a wise choice, I believed, as I safeguarded those artifacts from harm. Carcosa had hardwired that into my body, and I couldn't fight this compulsion. I restored the lock and woke from the trance, feeling like I had accomplished much.

My muscles ached so much that I required a long bath and massage. The ladies joined me, and Emma made a singular offer that none of her most trusted lovers had ever received.

"I'll pretend to be Hermione if you want me to," Emma said with a pained expression.

"No, I want you bent over my knee and helpless," I stated. "I've got enough leather straps for all of you."

"You look relieved," Julia said.

"I am. Consider Emma and Arya both want to create stories about this place. In Emma's case, she wants a scary tale that will thrill and frighten her audience. Arya is planning a biographical article about my family that will explain my dad's actions and make sense of his insanity. But first, I get massaged, and then the ass beatings begin."

"What if you are wrong?" Julia asked. "I mean, what if Arya isn't a reporter? I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but after watching those videos, fuck."

"What videos?" Emma asked. "By your expressions, they aren't sex tapes, or are they?"

"Yes and no," I said. "Damn it, I don't know what to do and who to share this with?"

"Begin with basics; if you feel inclined, you can add more detail later," Emma suggested.

"Sounds fair," I agreed. "Well, it is like this."

Emma's face lit up like Christmas morning, while Julia looked guilty as sin. Julia's expression changed as she cupped her chest and whimpered. Kitten walked in with her fully recharged drone and took the blame for activating the toys the pair had inserted or were using. In Julia's case, the three vibrating piercings for her nipples and clit. Emma's butt plug was not simply pulsating but gyrating, stimulating, and giving off a mild electrical shock. She was a pain freak of the highest order.

"Arya has been meeting with a man who owns a fully restored 57 Chevy. The sex came later, and he paid in bundles of cash. Few people use the currency anymore, and certain characters highly prize it for its rarity. I know because Carcosa only uses gold coins, Dinari, to be specific. I am afraid of the Man in the Car because he threatened to kill Arya, and I believe him. I don't know what to do."