Two Parts Demon (3 page)

“May I look?” There was no reason not to ask to see what they were trying to pry out of the library. It might actually be a demon.

“Be careful, miss.”

Benny glanced over, and her friends were arriving. “They are with me. I was out when I got the call.”

She stepped into the group of mages and looked into the library. Her mother and father were floating in the air, and between them was an actual demon—Yomra the demon high king, her great-great grandfather.

Huge antlers sprung from his head, his clawed hands and dark-blue skin gleamed wetly; the spikes down his back were almost as intimidating as the club between his legs.

An oily voice in her mind knocked her to her knees.
Ah, little Beneficia, just as lovely as Kyria with far less wear and tear. I will strike a deal with you. Your parents can return to their lives if you agree to come and work for me. I think you would make an excellent succubus.

The distended erection he sported made her gag. Benny shook her head.
No. I will not work for you, but I will come for them.

I give you a week to change your mind, pet. You will be mine. If you don’t come to me, I will call you by blood and that is not going to be a comfortable moment for you. Remember, it is my blood in your veins. I own it, and I will own you.

A thunderclap of power and they were gone.

Benny was still on the floor, and the moment the pressure on her mind disappeared, she fainted.

Waking with her friends around her confused her; it took her seconds before she realised what had just happened. “He took them.”

Freddy nodded. “That is what the mages say. They are waiting to interview you. I am guessing that they are pissing themselves at having seen an actual demon for the first time in their lives.”

Smith leaned forward. “Why did he take them?”

She cast a silencing spell on the area around them and whispered, “He wants me. He wants me to take over for Kyria. If I don’t agree, he will pull me in by blood and that won’t be good for me.”

Tremble took her hand. “What does that mean?”

“Blood call will take my free will and imprison my soul. You can’t normally have a soul and be summoned by blood, but if anyone could find a way, he would.” She shivered. “My brain still feels oily.”

A thud on her silence spell told her they weren’t alone anymore. She dismissed the spell, and the four mages surged in.

Argyle got to his feet and held up his hand. “Our teammate has just had a nasty shock. Not only were her parents kidnapped, but there were mages in her home.”

The woman that had first spoken smiled, “I am Agent Wells. I need to ask you some questions about the intruder.”

“Do you have access to the records of the Ganger family? The recent ones?”

Agent Wells looked uncomfortable discussing it in mixed company. “Yes, there is some demon in the bloodline?”

“That demon is where the blood originated. His name is Yomra. He has kidnapped my parents.”

“Do you know why?”

“Because he is a fucking demon. He was a contributing factor in the women who were murdered two weeks ago. These officers of the XIA stopped those plans.” She gestured to the men around her.

Freddy smiled and waved.

“Ah, and Freddy is my best friend. She is familiar with my family dynamic.”

Freddy nodded, “I have known the Gangers for years. They are good citizens, excellent teachers and Lenora is a great cook.”

“Why would he come to you?”

Benny sighed. “Blood binding. He can do a lot with the blood of two of the strongest mages of our current age. Either I turn my blood over or he will capture me and hurt my parents.”

“Why not just take you?”

Argyle snorted. “Blood taken from the unwilling loses power. It can still be useful for a purpose, but you cannot build on its strength. He needs her cooperation.”

That he was supporting her in her lie was a relief. She tried to look pale and shaken. It wasn’t too difficult.

Agent Wells stared at her, but nodded. “You have had a rough time. We will begin negotiations with the demon zone and see what we can find out. I am afraid that your father’s bloodline might make that awkward for him, but your mother should be fine.”

“Thank you, Agent Wells. I will be here or you can get me through the XIA. I have just been cleared to be mage liaison for this XIA team.”

Her chair shifted, and to her shock, she was sitting on Smith’s lap. No wonder she had been so comfortable.

Benny looked up at him, and he smiled down at her, looping his arms around her waist. It wasn’t the most professional appearance, but it made Agent Wells uncomfortable enough to quickly take down her contact information before mentioning that there would be a car out front until they had answers about the origin of the demon.

Benny asked a question. “How did you find out about the demon?”

Agent Wells flicked through her notes. “Someone named Manor called it in.”

Benny nodded. With the suspension spell, it would have had to have been the house itself. “Thanks.”

“Do you know Manor?”

“I do. He lives in the area.” She suddenly had a thought. “Jessamine!”

Benny jumped out of Smith’s lap and ran for the alcove where Jessamine’s remains were stored. Benny opened the box and sighed with relief. In a tiny portrait, her friend and housemate was sobbing softly, claw marks and blood stained her clothing, but she was still in one piece. “Jess. Oh thank goodness.”

Jess looked up and sobbed with relief. “Oh, Benny. He was here and through the wards in no time. He used some of Kyria’s blood to break in.”

“Do you need help?”

“Please.”

Benny whispered a spell to heal ectoplasm and watched the claw marks fade. Jessamine manifested near her, and she looked devastated.

“I couldn’t do anything.”

“Mom and Dad couldn’t either. Don’t worry about it. We are going to get through this.”

Agent Wells was staring in shock. “You have a ghost?”

Jessamine stiffened and floated up to the woman. “Hey, Benny, you have an idiot?”

Benny snorted. “Jessamine was a friend of the family a few centuries ago. She is now a companion and my roommate. I normally live at the dower house at the end of the lane, but my parents are doing renovations, so I am staying at the manor until the renos are done.”

Agent Wells nodded. “Well, I have your information, so I will be on my way. Take this and keep it on you in case you need anything.”

Benny took the card the woman handed her, ignoring the zing of tracking magic embedded in it.

When the mages were gone, her ghost was back, the agents were staring at her and Freddy was eating cookies. Benny got ready to go and rescue her parents from the demon zone.

Benny took a deep breath and muttered, “Just like Easter.”

Freddy explained the comment to the men. “She means it is time to make a battle plan.”

She walked to the library, put her hands on either side of the doorway and sent a cleaning spell through it to remove every trace of blood. When the nine popping flames finally confirmed that she had found them all, she mentally cursed her great grandmother and headed into the best magical library for several hundred miles.

“You might want to keep your heads down.” She called out the warning before she set up a summoning spell. The spell was specific. She wanted a way to expunge the link to the living demon in her bloodline. With her growing power, there was no way that Yomra wasn’t going to try to get his hands on her, now that he was aware of her.

Books flew toward her, and she caught them, stacking them on the table one by one. The books would get her close, but she might have to get help.

“Can any of you read spell books?”

Her four companions shook their heads.

Benny fished her phone out of her pocket and flipped through her contacts. She hoped it wasn’t too early.

The phone rang three times before a scratchy voice answered. “Hello?”

“Minerva?”

“Yes. Is this Benny?”

Benny sighed with relief. “Yes. I need help.”

“What do you need?”

“You. I need someone who can read spells and intuit a new option.”

“At your place or the manor?”

“The manor.”

“I am on my way.”

Benny felt tears running down her cheeks. “Thank you. You don’t know how much this means to me.”

“No problem. Now, let me hang up so I can get dressed. I will be there in five.”

Benny nodded but the call was over. She put her phone back in her pocket and smiled. “You guys don’t have to hang around. I am going to get going on this today.”

Freddy snorted. “Right. I will make some coffee; you start whatever you were going to do.”

Benny kept a polite smile on her face while Freddy headed into the kitchen. She grabbed Smith’s arm. “Do
not
let her make the coffee unless you want to be able to see into next week.”

He nodded and went to rescue the coffee.

“Argyle, we keep a guest room upstairs with no windows if you want to lie down for a while.”

Argyle came up to her and kissed her softly. “We will get your parents back.”

She stroked the blood-red silk of his hair. “I know, I just want to do it before Yomra hurts them. Demons are not known for their self-control.”

Her eye was glowing. She could see it when Argyle headed up the stairs and Tremble walked up to her. It glowed against his skin, and she felt the silk of his hair against her face when he kissed her.

She wanted to curl up in his arms and sob, but this wasn’t the time. Just outside the manor, she felt Minerva’s arrival. “She’s arrived. I have to let her in.”

Benny made her way to the door and opened it before the agents outside could notice the mage in the archway. Minerva was standing on the steps with a bandolier of tubes and vials around her and two large bags over her shoulders. “Let’s figure this out.”

Benny hugged her and invited her inside.

Minerva stepped in and her breathing was a little shallow.

“There are three XIA agents here and Freddy. They are making coffee and biscuits to keep us up and running.”

“Thanks, it takes a lot of effort to maintain this figure.” Minerva quirked her lips.

Minerva was plus sized in all the right places. She was nearly six feet tall, had wicked curves and a lush body that made other women envious, though she would never see it. Minerva was used to being an amazon amongst Victorian ladies. She was designed for battle and had no idea how lovely she truly was.

Minerva rubbed her hands together. “What do you need and where do you want me to start?”

Benny drew her friend into the library, and she walked over to the tomes that her spell had pulled out.

“Minerva, I need your help to locate or create a spell that can cut the ties between a demon and his children.”

Her friend whistled long and low. The magic in the sound vibrated in the air. “That is quite the complicated arrangement. Why are we doing this?”

Benny sat and looked up at her with her exhaustion showing in her body. “My great-great grandfather took my father and mother and is holding them hostage for my cooperation as his newest succubus.”

Minerva’s lip curled. “That is revolting.”

“I just want to get my parents back here and keep Yomra from pulling the whole blood-link thing. To do that, we need to find a way to break the connection that all demons share with their sire.”

Minerva tapped her lips. “Maybe not all demons. Is your family a straight line?”

“Pretty much. One child to one child and so on.”

Minerva grinned. “Excellent. I think I know of a way to do this.”

“I summoned all the books that might have a base spell to what we need.”

Minerva gestured to the table and the near dozen tomes stacked up. “Can I get started?”

“You can.”

“Go and get some rest, Benny. I will have one of your crew call you if I find anything.” Minerva cracked the first book open and settled at the table, flipping quickly with her eyes glowing bright.

Mage sight was a rare gift, and it was one of a dozen or more that Minerva possessed. Benny got to her feet, wavered and smiled at her friend. “Anything at all, get them to call me.”

“Go. Sleep. I will keep you posted.”

Benny nodded and put her hand on Minerva’s shoulder. “Thanks, Minerva.”

“Anytime. It is the Mage Guide oath.”

Benny chuckled. “Right up there with the defence of chocolate act.”

“You’ve got it. Now go. I got this.”

It was a dismissal given with a pat on her hand before Minerva shifted her focus back to the tome in front of her.

Benny headed out of the library and toward the stairs. To her surprise, Tremble followed her from his post in the doorway.

“What are you doing?”

“Benny, you are in danger, and we are fully trained to help with your situation. You are going to be guarded until you are no longer in jeopardy. That includes when you sleep.”

Since he wasn’t on duty, his hair was hanging loose, and as she glanced back at him, the curtain swung and caught the light.
Damn, he’s pretty.

She passed the blackout room and the door was open a crack, letting her see that Argyle was on the bed and watching television.

He called out, “Come on in.”

Benny looked back at Tremble, and he shrugged that he didn’t mind.

She walked into the dimness and looked at the vampire wearing nothing but his shorts and a sheet. “I have been ordered to nap.”

“I am willing to share space if you are. Even the big fairy can come on in.”

Benny yawned and kicked her shoes off, skinning out of her jeans, tossing her shirt and unsnapping her bra.

Argyle was staring at her, and Tremble was draped in her tank top. With another yawn, she climbed onto the bed and yanked the sheets up around her.

“You are very nonchalant about sharing the bed with two men.”

Benny sighed. “My parents have been kidnapped by a demon who wants me to screw mages for a living, so being in bed with two men I can trust is definitely something I want to enjoy while I can.”