One Part Human Read online

  Tremble straightened his shoulders and looked toward the gathering. “There are some high-court fey in there.”

  Benny laughed. “Go. Socialise. Have fun. Try and find out which guests are toxic and which are not.”

  Smith slid his arm around her waist, Argyle took the other side and Tremble put his hand on the vampire’s shoulder. They returned to the party en masse, and the joy wrapped around them and pulled them in.

  ★ ★ ★ ★

  The ghosts sat out on a spectral balcony and had their own party.

  Lettice poured for Jessamine and smiled. “I am so proud of how Benny has come through this.”

  Jess nodded at the other ghost. “It isn’t over, but she has done well so far.”

  Lettice smirked. “Even dead, you seers can suck all the fun out of life.”

  Jess laughed. “I had to pull a lot of strings to get my remains assigned to the Ganger household. The mages didn’t want to let me that close to this kind of power.”

  Lettice chuckled. “You are handling it well, and we have more than enough accumulated power from the family to rein you in if necessary.”

  Jess smiled brightly, and the other deceased family members raised their teacups.

  Their party included ice giants, two fey that had died during childbirth and a few mages in the direct family. The rest of the invited dead were family friends and ancient teachers.

  Jess looked out over those assembled and Benny shining like a bright star in their midst. Three hundred years ago, Jess had known that she was destined to be the companion of a melded being, she just didn’t know how.

  Her death at the hands of a lightning strike had escaped her precognition, but it had given her the charge to retain consciousness in the afterlife. The arrangements had already been made, and her transfer into a spectral being had been surprisingly natural. After that, she just had to wait until Benny entered the world.

  In the strictest of senses, Benny was a relation. Across four generations and several removals, Benny was her cousin.

  “Do you have any more directions for Benny?” Lettice smiled.

  Jess looked over the party and saw the three men causally arranging themselves in a protective detail that was only visible to the trained eye. Benny didn’t have anything to worry about, and soon, she would be authorised to use all that she knew to defend those around her.

  Jessamine Turing raised her teacup. “Nope. She is doing just fine on her own.”

  Author’s Note

  Well, this isn’t really a start. The first book in this universe was Under his Claw. Dragons and sex and all kinds of shenanigans. Zora and Regick were the players.

  Book one felt good to write and 60 days from the release of One Part Human, Two Parts Demon will be out in which we face Benny’s basic training and the side effects of her rather public exposure, as well as the actions of her parents thirty years earlier.

  An Obscure Magic is a new universe with new characters, and at this point, I have over thirteen titles planned, ranging from valkryies, the inheritance of a magical practice ground, and how Freddy gains autonomy from the demon zone, plus much, much more.

  I hope I am off to a good start in my little self-published universe.

  Thanks for reading,

  Viola Grace

  http://www.violagrace.com

  [email protected]

  About the Author

  Viola Grace (aka Zenina Masters) is a Canadian sci-fi/paranormal romance writer with ambitions to keep writing for the rest of her life. She specializes in short stories because the thrill of discovery, of all those firsts, is what keeps her writing.

  An artist who enjoys a story that catches you up, whirls you around and sets you down with a smile on your face is all she endeavours to be. She prefers to leave the drama to those who are better suited to it, she always goes for the cheap laugh.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Author’s Note

  About the Author