Spell, Crook and Handle Pt. 03

"That wasn't so bad," I said when the next round of gunfire came from above us.

I dove under the truck as the weapon fire from the helicopter struck the area. Gabrielle followed suit and we huddled as the entire truck was riddled with bullets. I was running low on mana but I managed to summon another shield spell and sustain it above us. She huddled closer as the smell of gasoline filled the air.

"Shit, they hit the gas tank," she cursed.

"Hold on," I said as I pulled her even closer. "Spell, don't fail me now."

The explosion rang in my ears even through the protective energy of the spell. I was gritting my teeth and clinging to that spell with everything I had. I think I passed out. When I was conscious again I was face up in Gabrielle's lap. She was crying and muttering prayers when I opened my eyes.

"You are alive," she said kissing me fiercely. "I thought you were dead!"

"Nope, just drained," I said smiling. "...The container?"

"Gone, they brought in a big ass helicopter and flew off with it."

I looked around and the docks were strangely quiet. Where were the police? Hell, where was the military? A gun ship fires openly in full sight of the public and no one has swamped the area. I looked up at Gabrielle and she shared my fears. I called on Feng to monitor police and military channels as we left the docks.

"Reports so far are that some sort of black ops was being run and everyone was ordered to ignore the docks until ordered otherwise."

I shared Feng's report with Gabrielle and she looked a little spooked. The kind of clearance required was staggering. What the hell had we gotten ourselves into? I drove us to within a block of our hotel and parked. We got out and walked the rest of the way. I kept a look out for surveillance and spotted the van right away. It might just be the local utilities but better safe than sorry. I pulled us into a nearby alleyway and told her what I had seen.

"Gas van near the corner," I said and she smiled.

"Black SUV across from the hotel," she replied and kissed me lightly. "So what's your plan?"

"Promise you won't be angry," I said and she nodded. "Hmmm... blonde, brunette or redhead?"

"Blondes have more fun," she replied. "Why?"

I changed right in front of her. My new form was a tall leggy blonde with bright blue eyes and a rack that any woman would envy. Gabrielle's eyebrows went up and she smiled.

"Oh you've been keeping secrets," she said smiling.

"I wasn't sure how you'd react," I told her in my best Southern drawl.

"I've never kissed a girl before," she said as she leaned forward and planted one on me. "Your lips are so soft..."

"Let's see if we can get into our room and grab our shit and dash."

We walked out of the alley with her arm around my waist. We entered the hotel unmolested. I feared men in black would swarm us any second. The elevator ride was interesting. I've used a female persona as a disguise before but I've never 'used' it like this. Gabrielle's tongue was invading my mouth and her hands were on my ass. I was on the receiving end of overwhelming sexual attention. I was a little frightened by how this body was reacting.

"You are going to let me play with this new you aren't you," Gabrielle pouted.

"Um... I uh... I've never," I tried to say and she giggled.

"You will tonight," she promised.

I felt a wave of panic as the elevator door opened. We stepped out and headed for our room. There was a maid's cart at the end of the hall but no sign of the maid. I slipped my arm around Gabrielle's waist and urged her past our room. She looked over at me and we slowed as we got closer to the cart. There, at the front of the cart, a camera aimed at the hallway in front of our room. We continued and discussed what was in the room and whether or not it was worth returning for.

"I don't need anything, what about you?"

"All of my mystical equipment is in there," she said. "It can't be replaced. Some of those relics are hundreds of years old!"

I leaned up against the wall and thought it over. I was so damned drained but there was a spell that might work. It was worth the risk. I told Feng and Gabrielle my plan. We turned around and she took out her room key. Feng had hacked hotel security by the time we reached the room next to ours. Gabrielle slid in our key and Feng unlocked the door for us. The room was dark and we closed the door as quietly as we could. We crept into the bedroom and found the bed occupied. The occupant was a man in his forties and the stench of alcohol coming off of him was a relief.

"He shouldn't wake up," Gabrielle whispered. "Okay now that we are in here what are you going to do?"

"This..." I said as I laid my hand on the wall and chanted softly. The shimmering began near my hand but quickly expanded to a circle about six feet in diameter. I grabbed her with my free hand and we stepped through the wall and into our room. I collapsed onto the carpeted floor and clung to consciousness. Gabrielle knelt next to me and her expression of concern was well founded. She helped up onto the bed and as I tried to get comfortable she worked on undressing me.

"What the hell are you doing, the room is being watched."

"Shut up and enjoy," she said.

I lay there naked and she undressed while I watched. Oh there was that strange female reaction, the warmth and tingling down there. Gabrielle smiled and lay on top of me. Her tits pressed against me as we kissed. Her hands weren't idle and her knowledge of the female anatomy was profound. I was shaking and moaning as she worked on me. I now knew how a woman felt having her body caressed and pampered. I cried out when her lips wrapped around my nipple.

"Oh shit," I cried out and all that did was to encourage her.

"This is fun," she said as her hands parted my legs. "Now relax and let me do all the work."

"I am too weak to argue," I replied as her fingers found their mark. "DAMN!"

My hips left the bed as her lips and fingers went to work. I had done this once before years ago. I was too weirded out to do it again. But I trusted Gabrielle and she seemed to really be enjoying herself. I looked down and watched as she licked and fingered my poor little pussy. It began in my toes and swiftly moved up through me until I cried out.

"Oh hell what was that," I asked and Gabrielle just giggled.

"You came you silly goose," she said. "Ready for round two?"

We shifted into a sixty nine position and now I understood her logic. I had never fed in female form before. The light trickle of her life stuff did wonders for me. I was still weak but the dire threat had been removed. I would survive. I rolled her onto her back and took charge for a little while. She protested but not for long. Once I got my wind I decided to try something I'd never done before.

"Are you ready for a surprise," I whispered in her ear as I had her on her knees now.

"What kind of surprise?"

I had used the dark miracle to entertain the ladies properly. But now I was going to try it in this form. I closed my eyes and the change was easier than I thought. I looked down and there was my old familiar friend. I took it in hand and eased it inside of Gabrielle. She let out a guttural cry as I began fucking her. Her surprise mirrored my own. It was the best of both worlds. Gabrielle looked over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes.

"Cheater," she whimpered. "I am never leaving your side."

"I know," I said as I thrust harder and the trickle of life flowed again.

"I am so close so soon," she said. "Be careful lover..."

"I will I am close too."

I drove into her as hard and fast as I could. The sway of her breasts matched mine. It was weird but felt amazing. I cupped my own tits and teased the nipples as Gabrielle thrust back against me now. I was hitting sensory overload at breakneck speed. We were perfectly in sync as our mutual orgasms hit at the exact same moment. I severed the dark magic and eased out of my lover slowly. I lay back and Gabrielle pounced cuddling close.

"That was fucking amazing," she cried out.

"I am glad you enjoyed it," I said. "This is all new territory for me."

"Now you know how I feel," she replied as her hand wrapped around my semi erect member. "Are you up for round three?"

"I don't want to hurt you," I said feeling a flash of alarm.

"That's not what I had in mind," she said smiling. "I will be gentle... and careful."

She had me lie flat and I let her have her way with this new form I had created. Her logic became clear at once. I watched as she stroked and licked me to an aching erection. She took a two handed grip and wrapped her lips around the head. She double fisted my cock and licked and sucked like a demon herself. I grabbed at the covers like a newbie and whimpered and moaned for her. Gabrielle slowly took about half my length between her lips and when I warned her I was close she just ignored me. I cried out as I came and she swallowed every last drop.

"Damn woman," I growled. "You fucking curled my toes."

"MMMMMMM perfect," she said. "Now let's get the hell out of here."

We got dressed, packed our bags and reversed course. Since I had enough energy from Gabrielle the pass wall spell didn't tax me too much. We reached the hallway without incident. We got to the elevator and when it opened two men in dark suits exited. They headed in the direction of our room and we took the elevator down only breathing when we reached the lobby.

"That was close," I said and Gabrielle nodded.

"I have a question," she asked as we turned in our key.

"Hmmm," I muttered as we neared the exit.

"Do you take requests," she asked smiling mischievously.

"Huh," I said confused as I pushed to outer door open.

"You know... your faces," she said blushing now.

My eyes widened as we stepped out onto the sidewalk. I giggled and we headed back to the car. We were halfway down the block when every car alarm went off without warning. We didn't run but we did walk faster. The sound of the alarms brought tons of people out to investigate. Well played Feng! I tossed the luggage into the back seat as Gabrielle started the car. I hopped in even as she backed out. She continued backward entering the intersection in reverse and then heading forward along the side street.

"Well done Feng," I said aloud.

"Thank you Louis," she replied. "I didn't have time to warn you. The assassins were waiting to cut down anyone that exited the hotel."

"That's pretty damn cold blooded," I said. "Do you know who ordered the hit?"

"Yes and you are not going to like it," she said.

"Hit, did someone hire assassins?" Gabrielle asked.

"Yeah, we have Feng to thank for our escape."

"The Grand Inquisitor gave the order, the assassins are Inquisitors." Feng said softly. "He has declared Gabrielle a heretic. Her life is forfeit."

"Is he behind the shipment Feng? Did he set this in motion?"

"Yes sir, whatever is in that container is for him."

I fell silent and wondered how to tell her the news. Gabrielle had given up so much; this was going to crush her. I looked down at my hands and fidgeted horribly. We drove around with no clear destination and I waited to tell her what Feng had discovered.

"You are being awfully quiet," Gabrielle said after ten minutes or so. "How bad is it?"

"Bad... really bad," I said my voice cracking.

"I am not going anywhere," she said again. "I have dedicated myself to you."

"The Grand Inquisitor is behind the shipment and the hit men are Inquisitors."

"I fucking knew it," she said her eyes bright with anger. "That arrogant fucker..."

"So you're not pissed at me," I asked and she shook her head.

"I am going to chop his balls off," she snarled. "I need you. I need your help on this."

We planned and schemed and plotted. I sent out an email to a certain young lady. We needed arms and I knew she wouldn't let me down. She replied an hour later and the cost for the case of weapons, a long weekend in Switzerland. I thanked her and told her she could have a week if she wanted. The weapons alarmed her but she didn't ask questions. She was very understanding. We went off the grid. I had caches of gold coins worldwide and that would help finance our little vendetta. This fucker was not going to get away with this!

It was going to take time. That couldn't be helped and every day spent in preparation was another day the Grand Inquisitor was in possession of whatever the hell was in that container. We took a train to British Columbia. I had a safety deposit box there. While we were in transit I contacted a coil dealer I knew.

"Francois, comment cava?" I said in greeting.

"Louis, it has been too long," he replied.

"Do you remember our last conversation," I said and he laughed.

"Oui, you told me that you might be able to get your hands on some interesting currency. Has this fine thing happened?"

"Yes it has," I said. "I have three rather interesting pieces for your perusal."

"When will you be available?" Francois asked quite eager.

"Tomorrow," I said. "I will need a cash transaction."

"Understood," he said. "I look forward to your arrival."

I hung up and looked over at Gabrielle. She was smiling at me and had that look. It was the 'you've been keeping secrets again' glance.

"Convoluted, but let me explain," I said and she looked shocked.

"You don't have to," she said.

"I want to," I told her.

I told her all about Yig and the ruins where my friends had been killed. I told her about the treasure chamber and all the gold coins and other artifacts. That was the source of my wealth and it was scattered all around the world. I told her I was taking a big hit on the price of the coins but I didn't have time to put them up for auction.

"So how much did you get out of those ruins?" She asked and I shrugged.

"I could guess on the weight, which was about a thousand pounds of gold and other precious metals. But most of the coins are quite rare and worth more than their weight in gold."

"Holy... how did you manage to move that all on your own," she asked.

"A lot of hard work and some very uh creative engineering," I replied.

Gabrielle just shook her head and looked at me. I could almost pick out her thoughts. She thought if I had that much money we could just disappear, forever. The wheels kept spinning and then I saw the dark expression take hold and I knew she had recovered her conviction. I giggled and she shot me a dirty look.

"What is so fucking funny," she snapped.

"I so pity this guy," I told her and she smiled. "He is in for a world of pain."

"You are so wicked," Gabrielle said and kissed my cheek. "I think I love you."

I loved British Columbia, it was a great place to live, to visit and the people are awesome. We arrived late that night and settled into a bed and breakfast for the evening. I took Gabrielle out on the town to help take her mind of the situation. We went to one of my favorite restaurants for a late dinner. The chef came out and spoke with us and that made her night.

"Do you have friends everywhere," Gabrielle asked.

"No, but I do know someone that does," I said grinning. "The Little Moriarty..."

"Who is she?"

"Why do you assume it's a woman," I asked.

"The way you inflect Moriarty, it screams intimate... unless I am wrong?"

"Nope, she and I had a brief thing," I admitted.

"Manwhore," she said smiling.

After dinner we went dancing and I was able to 'drift' the crowd. It's a term I came up with for feeding off multiple people at the same time. The best places were clubs, roller coasters and movie theatres. So while Gabrielle got tired I only got more energetic. After the club we returned to our room at the bed and breakfast. Gabrielle stripped down and went to bed. I placed minor wards at the door and windows before I slipped into bed next to her. I didn't sleep but I worked out a workable attack plan. I learned from Gabrielle that this Grand Inquisitor was located in Rome. That didn't mean he didn't travel on business. Why ship this object to Canada in the first place? There was something I was missing.

I stared at the ceiling and called Feng. She appeared floating above me. She smiled down and we went to work. We began isolating citizens of Vancouver. It took hours and hours of work. We broke down services and possible religious links or even relatives. In the end it came down to one individual. I was able to locate him via his bank accounts. You might think that is unimportant until you see how much money he has and how many countries are involved.

"How much?" I asked and Feng read off the total amount for the third time. "...So roughly five billion dollars..."

"Yes, my suggestion would be either money laundering or a personal bank for black ops and the like."

"So he handles projects for governments, corporations and cartels."

"That would be guess," Feng said. "You believe this is where the Grand Inquisitor is heading?"

"What do you mean heading? He is in Canada?"

"He arrived an hour ago on Alitalia flight 207."

What the hell is going on? Was he selling the artifact? Was this man, Thaddeus Black, buying the artifact? My head hurt. I pinched the bridge of my nose and pondered an early morning. That thought died as soon as it was born when Gabrielle rolled over and her arm went over my chest. Aw damn, I wasn't going anywhere. She lay like that for a while and then she rolled onto her side and scooched until her ass was against my hip. Gods I wanted to take out my frustration on something or someone.

"MMMMMM Louis... don't... people will see..." she moaned in her sleep.

I reached out and stopped myself. I had already fed from her and it would be dangerous to do so again so soon. However it was a Friday night so it might be possible to find a pretty young thing.

"It's so big," Gabrielle whimpered. "I'm so full lover..."

I rolled onto my side and held her close. I let her dream uninterrupted and left the other dreamers untapped. I would deal with the hunger another time. I leaned close and took in her scent. Was this love or just infatuation? I had cared, check that, care for many of the women I have been intimate with. There was a parade of faces and names and I felt warm and fuzzy when I remembered them. There they were the faces that I didn't want to see, the faces of those that I had killed or maimed with my hunger. The frustration vaporized in the flame of regret. I held Gabrielle closer and it was tears hitting her cheeks that woke her up.

"Louis... Louis what is wrong," she said sleepily.

She managed to turn around and hold me tight. She stroked my cheek lightly and told me it would be okay. I held back for a while before the wall inside was sundered by her cool soothing voice.

"You will hate me if I tell you..." I said through gritted teeth.

"Louis, I could never hate you," she said and kissed my cheek.

I looked her in the eye and I nodded. I wiped the tears from my eyes and sat up. Gabrielle placed her head in my lap and looked up at me expectantly. I decided to tell her everything. I explained the hunger and how it was tied to my general health. She nodded and seemed to understand. I told her the different ways I fed. How I preferred positive emotions but explained the more intense the emotion the more I got out of it. Then I hesitated but pushed on.

"Sex is very intense," I told her and she nodded. "I have the ability to astral project. I can enter dreams and interact with the dreamer. I can read peoples emotional state from the astral and choose the most aroused by the intensity of their aura."

"I understand," she said.

"There is a circuit formed between my donor and me," I said. "There is a danger if the hunger grows too strong. I can take too much."

"Has that happened... oh..." she said and I saw the understanding in her eyes. "You've hurt them... your hunger caused you to keep the circuit open too long. I see why you were concerned."