Shadows Over Bramblewood

Cast of Characters (so far):

* Alan Blackwood - an artist with a troubled past; Miranda Blackwood's son, Jessica's ex-boyfriend.

* Bill Macintosh - director of the Bramblewood public library

* Brianna - a friendly financial estate administrator; Lucy's best friend, Daniel's girlfriend (until recently)

* Daniel - the sheriff of Bramblewood, kind-hearted and loyal; Brianna's boyfriend (until recently)

* Henry Finch - an attorney who used to work for Miranda and now covets her secrets

* Jessica Chase - an ambitious young attorney; Alan's ex-girlfriend

* Lucy - a shy librarian who sometimes glimpses the future

* Miranda Blackwood (deceased) - a mysterious recluse, rumored to be a witch

LUCY

Fire was seductive. I'd never thought of it that way before. I watched in fascination as the bright orange tendrils flickered over the wood, almost teasingly. Over and over again, patient and relentless, the flames danced and caressed, until the wood could no longer resist. It began to char and crack, helpless to stop the fire from its lustful feeding. What had once been solid and strong and full of life was now giving itself up to the heat, becoming one with it. Gradually crumbling in destructive surrender.

I'd been watching it happen for a while now. Sitting here in front of the fireplace, my left hand in the pocket of my robe, absently toying with the folded parchment there. Just a simple little piece of paper, yet it had ruined my best friend's mind - and almost mine as well. If it hadn't been for that stray thought about Alan, I'd probably be back there right now with my legs spread open, moaning and drooling as Henry fucked me into permanent submission.

Alan hadn't believed me when I told him about the parchment and what it could do. He asked me to show it to him, and the fact that I almost said yes made me a little worried. We'd had an amazing night - and morning - intimately exploring each other. Not just sex, though that had been exhilarating and earth-shattering, but also in those quiet moments where we just looked at each other and talked about who we were and what our lives were like. I wanted him, more than I'd ever wanted anything else. I wanted to learn all about him. I wanted him back here in this bedroom with me, even though he'd already given me more orgasms in the past twelve hours than I would ever have thought possible. But I didn't want him falling under that salacious spell, enslaving him with desire, making him my plaything.

Did I?

"If it can do what you say it can do, you should burn it," he'd said. And he was right. I knew he was right. So why was I finding it so hard to just fling the parchment into the fire?

I thought about that scene in the first Lord of the Rings movie, where that elf guy is urging the other guy to throw the ring into the volcano. "Destroy it!" the elf yells. But the human just smiles and says, "No." The ring has already seduced him, and there's no way he's ever going to give it up. Was that what was happening to me?

Despite last night, Alan and I were still little more than strangers. He had just come out of a relationship - how could I be sure he wouldn't go back to her? Or get tired of me? All I had to do was make him read the scroll, and he would be mine. I could make him do anything, whenever I wanted, as often as I wanted.

And then there was Brianna. Henry had turned her into a horny, depraved version of herself - a sex fiend who would do anything to please him, even betray her best friend. But with the parchment, all I needed to do was pay a little visit to Daniel at the police station. Get him somewhere private, show him these symbols, and turn him into a fuck-hungry brute. Just the thought of it sent a warm wave of intoxicating pleasure pumping through me, making me squirm.

I shook my head, trying to clear the lurid thoughts away. Why was I thinking about seducing my best friend's boyfriend - a police officer, no less? I already had Alan - why would I want someone else?

But those thoughts were still coming, one tantalizing scenario after another. Going back to his place, suggesting he bring his handcuffs. Lying naked underneath him, my wrists chained to the headboard. Watching him kiss my nipples, then my pussy. What would it feel like, having his cock surge inside me, knowing that every eager thrust would plunge him deeper into my power? Soon, I would be the one cuffing him. Sucking him, riding him, making him pump his cream and lose his mind. After one evening with me, he'd be happy to go and lock Henry away for life.

And Alan? Maybe I'd make him watch. Maybe I'd make him join us.

The fire was burning steadily now, and I felt as though I was caught in it. I hadn't wanted these obscene thoughts, but now they were slithering through my mind, making my breath quicken, making my heart beat faster. The heat licked my skin as I pulled my robe open and reached between my legs.

* * * * *

BRIANNA

Even asleep, Henry was gorgeous. As I lay there beside him, watching his chest rise and fall, I couldn't help but marvel at how things had changed in just a few days. I'd been a successful estate administrator, with a loving boyfriend, living a happy, peaceful life. Now all I wanted was another round of sweaty, heart-pounding sex with this handsome hunk and his powerful cock.

I'd never been this obsessed about anyone or anything before. Daniel was sweet and kind, and I had really thought he was the one for me. I still felt a pang of guilt for betraying him like I did, but it couldn't be helped. Henry was the sole object of my desire now. Ever since he made me read that parchment, my libido had gone off the scale. I tried to fight it at first; I really did. But he just kept feeding me orgasm after delirious orgasm, and eventually everything else just melted away. Even now, I could feel my groin throbbing restlessly, aching for some more stimulation.

It was maddening, this constant lust I felt for him. I wanted to slide my hand under the sheets. I wanted to caress him and stroke him, until he was as horny as I was. I wanted his mouth on me, his fingers on me, his hard dick plunging into my wet cunt. It had only been a few hours since he last fucked me, but I wanted more. I wanted that hot pleasure flooding my body, over and over again.

With a resigned sigh, I decided to let him rest a little. His stamina was impressive, but at this rate he was going to have a heart attack.

As I left our bedroom, I passed by the guest room where Lucy had been staying. Oh, Lucy. She'd been so close to giving in. Just one more orgasm, and she would have been happy to stay in that bed for hours, letting Henry and me dope her up with non-stop sex. I'd been looking forward to watching Henry fuck her for the first time, watching her gasp and moan as she realized that huge cock was going to undo her. She'd wanted it as much as I did. Both of us could have pleasured Henry - and each other - over and over again.

Instead, she'd taken the parchment and fled to the Blackwood mansion. Maybe she was using it on Alan, making him fuck her until he became her eager servant. She said she'd find a way to free me from Henry. As if I wanted to be free.

I wandered through her room, noticing that she'd left everything behind. Her phone, her clothes - even that library book she'd been obsessed with. I picked it up, absently flipping through the pages. It was just an old history book, nothing special.

Then I saw the photograph, and everything went blank.

* * * * *

ALAN

It hadn't been easy to leave Lucy this morning. We'd made love more times than I could count, but it would never be enough. She was the next chapter in the best book I'd ever read, and I couldn't wait to get back to her and turn another page.

But first, there were some things I needed to do. What she'd told me about Henry and Brianna had me worried. It sounded weird, but there was definitely something sinister about the way Henry had tried to persuade Lucy to go with him. I wanted to talk with Daniel and get his thoughts. If there was a chance that Henry had gained some sort of power over Brianna and Lucy, then Daniel should know about it.

Unfortunately, Daniel wasn't at the police station, and the officer on duty didn't know where he was. I left my number and asked them to have him call me as soon as he came in.

Which left me with one more task - to find a new estate attorney to replace Finch. I was sitting on a park bench, searching online for local law offices, when I heard an all-too-familiar voice.

"Hi, Alan."

Oh, fuck.

In the past, whenever Jessica had seduced me, it always started with that sultry voice of hers. I could never figure out why, but it made my lust boil. Her words had this sweet, lilting cadence, suggesting an almost girlish innocence. But I knew what lurked underneath - a depraved, insatiable appetite and an alluring confidence. If she wanted something, she would persist until she got it.

And I knew, without a doubt, that she wanted me. I had broken up with her, I had slipped out of her grasp, and there could only be one reason why she was here now. Taking a breath, I steeled myself and turned toward her.

She was wearing a sleeveless white minidress, so lacey that it was practically lingerie. I didn't mean for my eyes to wander, but they did. I saw the swell of her perfect breasts under that gauzy fabric; I could see the smooth skin of her belly, and below that - she might have been wearing panties, but I couldn't tell, and it didn't really matter. I knew what was there, and how it made me feel. I had a hundred erotic memories of her body, naked beneath me, writhing on top of me. My cock remembered, too, and it was stirring now, completely disregarding the fact that this woman was bad for me.

"How do you like my dress?" she asked, smiling as she twirled from side to side. From anyone else, it could have been an innocent question. But not from her.

"What are you doing here, Jessica?"

"Well, I came to see you, of course," she said, sauntering closer. "I think there's been some kind of misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding?"

She nodded. "You said you wanted to break up with me. You said you felt like you were trapped, that I was smothering you." She sat down next to me, close enough for me to notice her sweet, enticing perfume. "I don't want you to feel like that, Alan. I want you to feel loved. You deserve to feel loved."

Her hand was on my arm now, and there was a gleam in her blue eyes that I couldn't look away from. I felt that familiar warmth rising up inside me, my body reacting to her nearness, her scent, her tantalizing body.

"I can't, Jessica," I said, mustering my resolve. "You and I...we're not right for each other."

"Yes we are," she purred. "You know we are. Think how much fun we have when we're alone together. Think of how it feels when I touch you. When you touch me." She sidled closer, bringing her lips close to my ear. "You're thinking about it now, aren't you? Picture me taking off my clothes. Picture me lying down, touching myself. Picture me spreading my legs for you. You can have me, Alan. I'm everything you desire."

She wasn't wrong, and I knew I was in trouble. My dick was thoroughly hard now, desperate for an opportunity to fuck this beautiful temptress again. Her words were dripping lust straight into my mind, and I didn't know if I would be able to resist her for much longer.

"I've missed you, Alan," said Jessica, her hands gliding across my chest. "Every night, I've had to pleasure myself. I just lay there and moan, working myself into a frenzy. All the time, I'm thinking about your cock, and how much I want to feel it slipping inside me. It drives me crazy. I call your name when I come. Every...single...time." With each of those words, she tapped the bulge in my jeans. "I want you, Alan. Let's go somewhere private, and I'll show you how much."

I wanted to, more than anything. The fact that it was wrong made me want it even more. My cock was thick and eager, and I thought about taking her here, right now. Yanking my pants down, tearing her panties off - if she was even wearing any - and just fucking her, in broad daylight, for anyone to see. She would love it, and so would I.

But I'd been here before. She had seduced me so easily, so thoroughly, that I'd lost track of who I was. Fucking her would be pure, concentrated bliss, but it would tangle me up in her web again, helpless to resist her every desire.

"I'm sorry, Jessica. Not this time."

* * * * *

LUCY

The orgasm tore me apart, in the best way imaginable. My whole body was throbbing with pleasure, my heart still racing, pulsing glorious ecstasy through every vein. The lust felt unnatural, somehow - alien and obscene, but it had totally overwhelmed me. Now I was lying here in front of the fire, dazed, damp, and shuddering.

And hungry for more.

It was the parchment - I had no doubt of that. The only other time I'd felt like this was back in that bedroom with Henry and Brianna. With those weird symbols in my brain, stoking my libido, there was no way for me to protect myself. Those two would have preyed on my body until I gave in completely. I'd been so close.

Now it was happening again. I could feel that sweet, delicious ache in my pussy. I wanted to be touched. I wanted to be fucked. I wanted to read that damn scroll, over and over again, until its unholy script was burned irrevocably into my mind. I knew it would ruin me utterly, making me a wanton slave to my desires, making me crave debauchery and sin for the rest of my days. But with this insidious hunger coursing through me, what choice did I have?

My fingers were on the paper. I started to unfold it, my hands trembling with anticipation. I could practically see the symbols dancing before me, making me say good-bye to the woman I'd been.

Then, with the last vestiges of my dwindling willpower, I hurled the parchment into the fireplace. I think it might have been the hardest thing I'd ever done. Letting out a shaky breath, I started to congratulate myself. I wasn't going to let that damned thing corrupt me. And it wasn't going to corrupt anyone else, either.

But as the flames started to lick the paper, I realized that something wasn't right. A thick, languorous heat was rising inside me, twisting and spreading. It was the unholy lust from before, except it had multiplied from seductive whispering to maddening desire. I gasped at the force of it, my fingers flying instantly to my engorged clit. Oh, God, it had never felt this good before! I rubbed myself frantically, writhing and groaning as a thousand erotic tingles rapidly converged and strengthened. It took only seconds. I came apart on the floor, those familiar symbols flashed through my mind again, pushing my orgasm to dizzying new heights.

By the time I started to come down, the parchment was blackened and withered. It didn't matter; the glyphs had found a new home. I could feel them inside me now, pumping fresh lust into my body. My nipples were as taut as they had ever been. I brushed them with my fingertips, gasping at the raw erogenous current that flashed straight through to my lower belly.

"No," I moaned, shaking my head. I couldn't let this happen. My mind was still reeling from the last climax, and I was afraid to find out what another one would do to me.

But my tits - they were begging for attention like never before. I thought maybe I would just massage them for a few more seconds, as if that would be enough. It wasn't. Soon I was twisting them, pulling them, licking my lips as my thighs squirmed with anticipation. There was no way I could fight this desperate need. The next thing I knew, my fingers were back on my pussy, swirling and stroking. I gave in completely, practically sobbing at how good it felt.

This time I lasted maybe half a minute. My heart was pounding; my whole body was tightening, clenching, until at last the ecstasy claimed me again, and all I could do was lay there and moan as it poured over me, saturating, devastating.

Ten minutes later? Twenty minutes? It was hard to tell anymore. I could barely think straight. All I knew was that the lust hadn't yet abated. If anything, it had grown stronger. Far too strong to even think about resisting. My pussy was wet, swollen, and insatiable. I had two fingers inside, twisting and churning. I thought about Alan, and what he would think if he saw me like this, delirious and rutting. I thought about his body covering mine, his hard cock surging up inside me. I thought about making him come, over and over again. I thought about making him mine, forever.

My fingers made obscene schlucking noises and they slid in and out of my juicy sex. I was so close now. I lifted my hips, imagining Alan fucking me. Henry fucking me. Daniel fucking me. It would be so easy to seduce them all. I realized then that I wasn't Lucy anymore. I was more than that now. I was an avatar of unrelenting depravity. One orgasm wasn't enough. A thousand weren't enough. I wanted to tempt. I wanted to enslave.

I was fire, and I would consume, utterly.

(to be continued...)