Spell, Crook and Handle Pt. 04

"Really, how so," I asked curious.

"I am your slave. I am bound to you as I never committed myself even to the Twelve. You are the core of my existence and have remade me. Even if you were to release me I would crave your touch to the end of my days. So when that day comes I will walk into the sun and immolate myself because I cannot imagine a world without you."

Her words cut me to the core. I had gotten to know her and not just physically. She was witty, intelligent and romantic. I had destroyed that with the dark magic. It was worse than the girls I had killed. They could not suffer any longer but Leah was another matter altogether.

"I am sorry," I said and she suddenly clung to me.

"NO... you misunderstood," she told me her lips near my ear. "Our bond is very important to me. I don't regret a single moment of it. I do not know if there are words to explain it."

"As long as you are content then the burden is bearable," I told her.

"Perhaps I can take some of that burden off your shoulders," Leah purred.

It was a long night. A long pleasurable night and Leah showed me the depth of her devotion. She wanted me to understand the joy she felt in my embrace. We ended our love play before dawn. I had replaced the windows in the cabin to opaque bullet proof glass. It was as much for Leah's protection as my own. I slept the dreamless sleep of the well fed. I received the text just before noon. I was up and dressed ten minutes later. Leah looked out from beneath the covers.

"Louis, you are quite agitated, your heartbeat is accelerated," she commented.

"Got to go," I hollered. "Stay here... will be in touch..."

"LOUIS... stop Louis what is wrong," Leah said forcing me to stop and explain.

"My father is in the hospital, he has a heart condition, stay here and be safe," I said and threw clothing into one bag.

"I will catch up with you. Leave me an address before you leave." Leah said with a strange tone in her silky voice.

"Okay," I said and grabbed a pen and paper and wrote out my parent's address. "Consider yourself invited."

"Fuck you Louis that is just in the goddamn movies!"

"I know I was making sure you were you."

I left the boat and had Feng get me a flight home. By the time the cab reached the airport there was a private jet waiting for me. I was home in a few hours. A cab was waiting for me and that was a good thing. I was so upset I couldn't have driven if I wanted to. I paid the cabbie and raced out and was called back to the cab to retrieve my bag. He was in ICU and my mom and sister were in the waiting room/lounge. We all hugged and I asked how he was. Mom and Lily looked at each other and I knew something was amiss.

"What the hell is going on," I asked and mom stepped up to field my questions.

"It isn't your dad's heart," she said. "I think you should see him and then I will explain. This isn't going to be easy."

I followed them to dad's room. There was a police officer posted outside. A doctor and nurse were already there checking his condition. The doctor turned and glanced at my mom.

"This is Louis," she said. "How is he?"

"He lost a lot of blood, but we have him stabilized. He is sedated for now to deal with the pain and trauma he suffered."

"Trauma, what kind of trauma," I asked and then I looked at my father.

All of his fingers were wrapped and they looked terribly swollen. His face was bandaged in several places and there appeared to be multiple stitches beneath the gauze. I looked at the doctor and he began to explain what had happened to my father. The longer he talked the more horrified I became. In short someone had kidnapped and tortured my dad. To hide his or her identity they had fed him GHB and thankfully his memory of what had transpired was gone or delegated to the realm of nightmares. The rage was building by the second. Someone had broken his fingers and toes, cracked three rips and cut him in places that were painful but not life threatening.

"They were a pro," I said and the doctor agreed.

"The breaks and cuts were very precise. They had done this before. Does your father have any enemies?"

I shook my head. My dad was about as mundane as they got. He didn't have an enemy in the world, oh but I did. I broke down and cried. This was all my fault! Whoever this was, was after me and was going at it through my family. The rage was white hot and it suddenly turned ice cold. I was going to find this son of a bitch and kill them. But before then I had to get my family to safety.

"It's my fault," I said and everyone in the room looked at me. "I am going to make some arrangements for my family and then I am going to hunt this fucker down like the goddamn animal he or she is."

"Louis..." Mom began and I looked at her and the words died in her throat.

"I will make this right," I said. "I promise."

"Louis, we can't just let you take this on alone," Lily said.

"He's not alone," Gabrielle said from the door.

I turned to see her in full Inquisitor garb and a shiny new pin, a gold one. Somebody got promoted and she looked quite pleased with herself. There were three other Inquisitors outside the room and they were speaking with the police officer. What the hell was going on? Mom looked at Gabrielle and her friends and then at me.

"Louis, care to explain your friends?" Mom asked with a subtle smile.

"Um mom, this is Gabrielle," I said and Gabrielle rushed in and hugged her.

"Can I call you mom," Gabrielle asked and Lily laughed. "We will take care of his security. No one will lay another finger on him or your family."

Gabrielle promised my mother and I could tell mom felt a sense of comfort. A priest stepped in and went over and spoke with the doctor. I couldn't tell what they were talking about but they went to my dad's x-rays and began discussing them. My attention was drawn away from them when Gabrielle was in my arms and kissing me.

"Congrats on the promotion," I said once her tongue was out of my mouth.

"Thanks," she purred. "I missed you."

"I can tell. So what do I call you?"

"Boo-boo kitty-fuck," she offered and she grew a little more seriously. "Don't laugh, but my official title is..." she leaned in close now. "...Mistress Inquisitor."

"No fucking way," I said. "I look forward to calling you..."

"Silence," she said. "By the way, where is that little item I left with you?"

"I left her on the boat," I said. "She will be here after it gets dark."

We left my dad to the doctor for his care and the Inquisitors for his safety. Mom and Gabrielle began to talk and a new deep seated fear took hold. Lily jumped in and suddenly there were offers of naked baby pictures and I attempted to put a halt to it and failed.

"So what are your intentions towards my boy," Mom asked and Gabrielle stammered and I let her hang herself on that one.

"Louis, a little help here," Gabrielle said with a hint of fear in her eyes.

"We are living in sin and having amazing sex," I said and Mom smiled.

"Welcome to the family," Lily chimed in.

The silence that fell was profound. Who the hell would kidnap and torture my dad? Why not go straight at me? Unless they wanted to make me suffer first and sow fear in my friends and loved ones. I glanced over at Gabrielle and I saw the same understanding in her eyes. We huddled and discussed strategy. My dad was safe for now. We had to be concerned about Lily and my mother. We had to assume that he or she wasn't done yet. Gabrielle agreed to assign Lily a bodyguard while mom and dad would be under the protection of the Inquisition.

"Louis, I have some disturbing news," Feng said appearing on her own.

"I didn't realize you were on the case," I said and mom looked at me and then Gabrielle.

"I have pulled every bit of footage that I could find and ran facial recognition on it. The only thing I can tell you is that whoever dropped off your father at the hospital was male. Sorry, I could not find out anything more."

"No one mentioned that dad was dropped off," I said and looked at mom.

"Oops," she said.

"Details... take your time... good coffee and I am all ears," I said and Gabrielle waved over an Inquisitor and requested food and good coffee.

She left and fifteen minutes later we had some amazing food and the best coffee I had tasted in years. I will give them this, they had some serious resources. So while we ate mom told me everything that had happened. Dad had disappeared while collecting rent from their properties. He had been gone for less than six hours before he was dropped off in a wheelchair at the emergency room of this hospital. It was obvious that the kidnapper wanted him alive for now at least. A flash of rage hit and I bit it down. Anger wasn't going to serve me. I needed a clear head to be able to protect my family.

"I think you need to get some air," Mom said. "It is going to be a while before he is awake."

"No, I want to be here when he wakes up," I said and settled into my chair.

"Has he always been this stubborn," Gabrielle asks and mom just smiled.

"I could tell you stories," Lily said and launched into tales of my childhood.

I closed my eyes and left my body. I was going to hunt this fucker myself. I visited each and every property my family owned. I walked through every apartment seeking signs of emotional turmoil. It wasn't going to be that simple. I found strong negative emotions in six apartments but no particular sign of my father there. I cursed and returned to my body no further along than before. This was so frustrating.

I opened my eyes and the 'girls' were still chatting and giggling. I got up and they all glanced my way and I shook my head. I needed some fresh air and some alone time. I took the elevator down and the music was off or broken. That kind of just added to my mood. I stepped outside and stretched. The chairs in the waiting room were not very comfortable. If I were to design a hospital waiting room that would be the first thing I would change. If your loved one was in a critical situation you could at least be comfortable. The night was bitter fucking cold but I hardly even acknowledged it. Was this another sign of my lessening humanity? The image of my father in his hospital bed popped into my head and the cold rage kindled into action. I punched one of those bright yellow metal tubes filled with concrete. It bent and folded where I struck it and I snatched back my hand in pain.

"That was foolish," Leah said from the shadows.

"How the hell did you get here so quickly," I asked.

"I left a little while after you did," she replied. "Let me see your hand."

She approached and was wearing a fur hood that covered not just her head but kept her face out of direct sunlight. She made a tsk-tsk sound and bit her lip. Her blood fell on the broken skin and soothed the pain instantly. She licked her lip and the wound healed instantly. The pain in my hand faded and the skin closed and healed as I watched. It was still sore as all hell but it wouldn't bother me. I looked at her and smiled.

"Thanks," I said.

"How is your father?"

I told her what had happened and she grimaced. She looked around the parking lot and narrowed her eyes. I was about to ask when Leah looked at me and took my arm. She led me back into the hospital and only spoke once we were in the elevator heading up.

"This is a game Louis," Leah said, her tone more serious than usual. "Your opponent is moving pieces and forcing others to move."

"He hurt my dad to see who came to my side?"

"Exactly, he wants to know who is close to you. He is tricky this one. I would be very wary as should anyone in your orbit."

The elevator opened and I led Leah to the waiting room. Mom stood up and made a face. She was confused to see another woman clinging to my arm. Gabrielle looked up and smiled. I sat down while Leah and Gabrielle walked off to talk.

"Two," Lily asked. "You have two women in your life."

"It's complicated," I said.

"Define complicated," Mom said weighing in.

"I have an extended romantic circle," I said and watched their faces go pale.

"Wait a second, are you fucking them both," Lily asked and mom glared at her. "Sorry, they are both intimates?"

"Yes," I said and mom shook her head.

"I am going to ask this and you better be honest. Are these the only two?"

"No," I said and they gawked.

"How many are you stringing along," Lily asked.

"None, they all know the situation. I have kept my non-monogamous status open to everyone involved."

"So they are okay with this?" Lily asked and I nodded.

"You, son of mine, are a man slut," Mom said and laughed. "Are you keeping them all happy?"

"Extremely," Leah said.

"Most assuredly," Gabrielle added.

"Damn... just damn," Lily said and we all laughed.

"I needed that, thanks Lily," I told her.

"We all needed that," Mom said. "Really? You are able to..."

"MOM... god," I said cringing. "Boundaries... lines... you know."

I introduced Leah to my family and when she pulled her hood down they gasped. Lily looked over and me and mouthed 'holy shit Louis'. Mom's mouth fell open and she smiled after a short pause.

"You my dear deserve better," Mom said and I wanted to disappear right then and there. "But you appear old enough to know what you're doing."

"I know what I want," Leah said as Gabrielle and I giggled at mom's age comment.

"What's so damn funny?" Mom asked glaring.

"Nothing," I said. "What the hell?"

I saw lights shining against one window and then another. I stood up and looked out. My mood soured when I saw the news vans. I told everyone that reporters have arrived. Mom said something about the inevitable. I was after all a local celebrity. We were discussing who would be the family spokesman when a very loud Spanish speaking woman slithered up, hips swaying, tits bouncing and wearing a fur coat, scarf and dark sunglasses. Who the holy hell was this?

"I tell you, those men are so annoying," the stranger said switching to English.

"What the fuck are YOU doing HERE," Mom roared as she got to her feet.

"Dah-ling, I haven't seen you in absolute ages," the woman said and then she looked at me. "You must be Louis, you look just like your father."

"Mara, leave it be," Mom growled in warning.

"You haven't told him have you," the woman purred.

"Now is NOT the time," Mom said crossing the distance between them.

"All I heard is that your husband is in the hospital," Mara said. "I assumed it was his heart. It's not, is it?"

"No, it's not," Mom said her composure fracturing. "Don't do this now, please!"

"I would never do or say anything to upset you sissie," Mara replied hugging my mother.

"Sissie," I said and noticed that Lily didn't seem surprised. "What the hell! Mom has a sister and you never told me, either of you."

"It's complicated," Mara said as she took off her glasses and head scarf.

"Holy shit, your twins," I gasped.

We all sat down and Mara didn't miss the fact that Leah sat on my left and Gabrielle on my right. She smiled and let Mom explain everything. It went all the way back to when Mom and Dad were dating. Apparently Mom and Mara decided to play a trick on Dad. Mara went out on a date with him pretending to be Mom. Unfortunately Mara and Dad ended up having sex that night. To make matters worse it was their first time hooking up. Mom was furious over the betrayal by Mara. Dad was heartbroken that Mom would play such a cruel trick. It nearly ended their relationship.

"You fucked my dad," I asked and Mom went beat red.

"I fucked your Mom's future husband," Mara said and I found that quite telling. "So who are these two lovely young things?"

"We are Louis' fuck buddies," Leah said watching Mara's jaw drop.

"Just like your father," Mara said after she recovered which resulted in a punch in the leg from Mom.

"How about we address the white elephant in the room," I said and Mom looked down at her lap.

"Mom had a onetime fling with a perfect stranger and you were the result," Lily said.

"So, my dad gets kidnapped and tortured, I have an aunt I never knew about and I am a bastard. Fuck me, best day ever!"

I jumped up and left them sitting there. I don't think it could get any worse at this point. I clenched my fist and winced. It was still tender from the last time I lost my temper and punched that post. I wanted to scream but that would only make things worse.

"You know," Mara said from behind me. "When I get overwhelmed I grab a guy or two or three and fuck myself silly."

"You fucked my dad," I said. "He IS my dad! He loves me and raised me."

"Of course he is," she said. "Your mom didn't want me around because she knew I would tell you. When I heard what happened I was here as quick as I could."

"Three guys, really?" I asked and she smiled and did this thing with her eyebrows.

"You betcha, I can fuck with the best of them."

"Sex will just have to wait until I talk to dad. They say he is going to be in a lot of pain for a long time."

"What you need is a quickie in the bathroom," she purred. "...Something to take the edge off."

"Maybe you're right," I said and glanced at Leah and Gabrielle.

She grabbed my wrist and tugged. I looked at her and she winked. She let go and pouted. She stomped her foot and returned to the group. Did she actually want to help me take the edge of herself? No fucking way, she is my aunt. She plopped down next to Mom and continued pouting. I headed for the elevator and took it up to the top floor. The song playing was Stephen Stills 'Love the One You're With'. I began laughing. The music god was once more pointing the way. The door opened onto an empty floor. There were plastic sheets hanging everywhere and signs of construction everywhere.

"I overrode the security," Feng said as she appeared next to me.

"You've been tweaking your appearance," I said noticing the black silk Chinese dress she was wearing.

"Do you like," she asked and I nodded. "I am glad. I will find the man that harmed your father, I promise."

"We will do it together," I said. "You are upset."

"My emotion subroutine is very sophisticated. I want to help. I want you to be proud of me. I uh... I have other tweaks if you want to see them."

"Do you now," I said smiling.

"Oh yes, I have been doing some research on human sexuality and fantasies."

"Um... is there some reason why you are doing that Feng?"

She reached out and I felt her hand slip into mine. That was all the answer I needed. She began to do a kind of digital fashion show for me. The first few dresses were nice and pretty innocent. But as she continued I noticed she had tweaked her physiology and was now sporting hard nipples beneath. The black teddy with stockings and matching panties took me by surprise. Instinct kicked in and I looked back to check out her ass, that had been modified too. It was much rounder and more bubble like. A few more costumes later and there she was with school girl uniform, cat ears and swishing tail.

"This one is quite popular in Japan," she said blushing.

"I bet it is," I said swallowing hard.

"Your heartrate is elevated Louis," Feng whispered. "Am I making you uncomfortable? I can stop before I begin the cosplay portion."

"Cosplay, you mean like anime and comics?"

"Oh it includes all manner of entertainment and genre. Shall I continue?"

"You did go into all that research," I said.

We stopped and I sat on a large plastic cylinder. She stood in front of me and began to pose as she displayed all the characters she had selected. I think the thing that really struck me was she didn't duplicate the character. It was Feng as that particular character. She began with well-known characters like Cortana and Harley Quinn. She moved on to more obscure Japanese anime characters. Some I had seen at conventions but others she had to tell me the character name and the anime. The scarlet skinned twil'lek with the tribal tattoos all over her body was one I hadn't heard of before. Apparently she was a very popular villain for a time, her name was Talon. She wore black calf high leather boots, a black loincloth and a matching black leather bustier. Feng stopped when she monitored my reaction to the character. She turned to the side so I could see all that leg, the swell of her ass and just a hint of a shaved pubic region. Feng bent over and grabbed her ankles and I swallowed hard.