Two Parts Demon Read online

  Freddy perked up, this was her favourite part. Benny smiled, put her hands over the bowl and pulled magic out of her to transform the contents. Benny opted for orange-soda flavour.

  “There. All done but the blood.”

  Minerva was still grinding away, sweat on her brow. “Good. Go and drop it in.”

  Benny shook her head. “Nope. This is a four-way binding spell. It will attach me to them and them to me, as well as each other. I am going to have to make damned sure that they want that or this is going nowhere.”

  “Why didn’t you use a standard spell?”

  “Because this has to be equal all the way around or nothing. My binding them to me would be selfish in the extreme.”

  Minerva shook her head. “It isn’t selfish, it is destiny. You have always known what you needed in life, and whom you needed around you. That is some of your fey blood. You must have a seer on your mother’s side somewhere.”

  Benny used a funnel to get the binding potion into a flask. It was glass bound with silver and had the engraving of her mother’s and father’s initials. It was a wedding gift, and she felt it was appropriate to use it for this particular potion.

  Minerva whistled softly. “Is that an Eckerhart?”

  “I don’t know. It has always been around, and my mom told me it was only for potions that revolved around the family. This definitely counts.”

  Minerva rummaged through the vials on the bandolier and brought out a small gold capsule. “Add all of this to the binding spell. You need it there more than I do on the outside.”

  Benny took the small, engraved capsule with reverence. She pried open the vial and sniffed. Wild green, open air, a love song in the distance and the battering of the ocean against rocks. “What is it?”

  “Luck. The luck of life. One thousand shamrocks distilled in the bright sunlight and ground with the purest salt from the sea. One grain is enough for a normal being to bless them for a lifetime. You are going to need it.”

  Benny tapped the crystals out of the vial one at a time until all twenty-three had spilled into the orange, swirling liquid, and it changed to silver with flecks of gold.

  She made sure that the gold vial was empty, and she pressed it back into Minerva’s hand. “Thank you.”

  “You are welcome. It needs to be shared, and I can’t think of anyone more deserving than you of some bright, new luck.”

  Freddy looked up, “What about me?”

  Benny chuckled. “You will be with me, and your summoner is not in the zone right now.”

  Freddy perked up. “You know that?”

  “I always keep tabs on her. I know where she is every moment of every day. Right now, she is across the world.” Benny patted her friend on the shoulder, rubbing in the small crystal of luck she had kept behind.

  Freddy blinked, and her eyes flared red for a moment. She nodded and smiled. “Good. The less I hear from her, the better.”

  Being bound to a mage came with being a hellhound. When Freddy was born, across the world, her mage came into the world. They met when the mage was a teenager, and she chose Freddy’s form. The first summoning had pulled Freddy out of the mall and across the globe. When the need was over, Freddy was back in the seat she had been taken from, in the lap of the new occupant. Freddy was stuck with the hound first chosen. The form was set and the connection was made.

  Benny might be bound to her family, but Freddy was bound to a stranger who never took her wellbeing into account. It was all about what her mage wanted and the hound was never consulted.

  She corked the flask and looked at the silver and gold swirl. “I really hope this works.”

  The sound of approaching footsteps brought the Y-chromosome into the room in the form of Argyle and Tremble. Smith stumbled in a moment later, rubbing his eyes and looking delightfully sexy.

  Argyle asked, “Why are all the ladies in here?”

  Minerva chuckled. “We are cooking...sort of. Can you guys go and fix dinner? We have been working all day.”

  Smith nodded and saluted her. “Yes, ma’am.”

  The three agents filed out of the lab and clanging could be heard in the kitchen.

  Benny cleaned up her workstation and sent all the residue of the spell into the catch basin under the house. Everything was scrubbed and put back where it was supposed to be.

  Minerva was still working on her spell, but based on the steam bubbling up from the vessel, it was nearly complete.

  Benny asked, “Do you want me to keep you company?”

  Minerva shook her head. “Nope. Go on and keep an eye on your men. You can explain the binding spell to them using the paper cup and straws analogy.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Benny bowed and took the flask.

  Freddy piped up, “I will keep her company.”

  Minerva grinned. “Bring in dinner. I still have an hour to go.”

  “Yay and yes.” Benny gave her a thumbs-up and went to rescue her kitchen. It sounded like it was in distress.

  Chapter Six

  The surprisingly graceful ballet of chopping, mixing and flipping was taking place in her kitchen.

  She was surprised that Argyle was involved, but he was boiling pasta with an eye for it approaching the precise doneness.

  Tremble glanced over his shoulder. “What were you working on?”

  “Minerva is getting a spell ready to sever the family connections with a demon. I was working on a binding spell in case anyone wants to come with me.” She put that out in the open.

  Three men turned to her, but Argyle turned the stove down first. The vampire crossed his arms. “Of course we are coming with you. You are not going into the demon zone alone.”

  She cocked her head. “It isn’t that easy. To get into the zone, you need demon blood. To get that blood, you need to have it in you and bound to you. It would contaminate your bloodlines, possibly permanently.”

  “What would we be bound to?” Tremble cocked his head.

  “Me. Well, not just me, but to each other. It would be an equivalent sharing of power and awareness with everyone involved in the spell. So, whoever were involved would be bound together, not just by demon blood, but by whatever was in the mix.”

  Tremble picked up on the ramifications. “So, I would have links to vampire, shifter and demon?”

  “As well as the fey and mage bloodlines I bring to the mix.”

  They paused together. Benny smirked. “Do you want to discuss it without me here?”

  Tremble shook his head. “No. We are coming with you, and if the binding spell is what it takes, then we are willing to bind to you and each other.”

  Argyle and Smith nodded.

  Argyle said, “I am good with it.”

  Smith grinned, “My mom will be so impressed.”

  She laughed. “Well, did you want to do this before dinner or after?”

  Tremble asked, “What do you need us to do?”

  “Four drops of blood into the flask, drawn with a knife. No teeth. You don’t want saliva getting in here.” She patted the flask.

  Smith went to the cutlery drawer and pulled out four steak knives before handing them out.

  Everyone gathered around the kitchen island, and she opened the flask. With a quick motion, she stabbed her pinky and dropped the knife, squeezing four drops out without difficulty.

  Argyle went next. It took him a while to get the vampire blood to drip, but after a minute, he finished.

  Smith was quick, and Tremble’s blood looked like it was loaded with glitter.

  Benny corked the flask and tipped it to get the blood drops from the sides. The liquid turned to a molten bronze; four cups appeared on a chain around the flask.

  “That is different. Well, here goes.”

  She unhooked the cups and lined them up, pouring an equal measure of the spell into each vessel. She set the flask down and lifted her cup to the men standing with her. They each picked up a cup, and
all of them brought the cups together.

  “Let’s hope this works. I am a little rusty on my potion making.”

  Benny brought her cup to her lips, and the orange was still there, along with the wild taste of the luck and the pungent flavour of blood. She drained the cup. The power hit her a moment later.

  Benny slammed her hands down to the table, watching as her skin changed shape, texture and claws appeared and disappeared. The other three were in the same condition. Ears pointed and reset, eyes flicked and skins changed colour.

  It took several minutes, and they were all covered with sweat when the magic had linked them from the inside out.

  Smith shook his head. “That was...wow.”

  Argyle looked at his hands. “My heart started beating for a moment.”

  Tremble was blinking rapidly. “I felt so much.”

  Benny took a deep breath. “You will be able to access the power of the others as needed, even my power, though you guys don’t have the training to work the human magic.”

  Smith looked at her. “Why do I feel like I can bench press a cow?”

  Benny pointed at Argyle. “That comes from him. You will all experience flashes of instincts that belong to the others. That is normal.”

  Tremble focused. “What about you; won’t you experience a change?”

  She shrugged. “I already have all three of your races in my bloodline. I deal with all of those instincts every day. What you need to watch out for is the trickle of demon blood. If one of you asserts that, they can take control; the others need to smack him. The constant urge to dominate others with aggression is one of the signs. Enforcing your will with levitated objects is another.”

  Smith looked at her with narrowed eyes. “You would not have handed uncontrollable power to us.”

  “You are right. I can pull you back if I need to, but it sounds a little bossy.” She shrugged.

  Tremble blinked, rubbed his eyes and blinked again. “I keep seeing a face overlapping yours.”

  “The demon blood gives you another presence, and if it is strong enough, another form completely. You will see me wearing that other form when we go to the demon zone. I won’t have a choice. The magic that binds the demons into the zone keeps human enchantments from being effective. We will have our bodies and our wits. That is it.”

  Argyle tilted his head. “What about weapons?”

  Benny shook her head. “No. I will explain the details later. Finish cooking, Minerva is going to need her strength.”

  As if her words released them, they turned and resumed cooking. Benny sighed and took the flask back to the lab for cleaning.

  Minerva was putting the salve she had created into a glass jar. “Got it. Just two more ingredients and the spell will be complete.”

  “And that is blood from Yomra and blood from me.”

  “Right. It will sever the link between you and ripple down all layers of your family. You will still be of the demon breed, but you will be free.”

  Benny nodded. “Slice through the demon magic that binds me and Yomra can’t call on my family.”

  “Even Kyria will be loose. Sorry, but Freddy filled me in.” Minerva got every drop of the salve into the jar, sealed it, and then, she carefully took the empty raw-iron bowl to the sink and poured in nullifier. Bright sparks flew, and Minerva quickly cleaned out the vessel before drying it and heating it on the small burner once again.

  While Minerva worked, Benny used the nullifier in the flask and swished it out before dumping the potion into the sink with the catch basin. After that, she was free to use water.

  When it was clean and dry, she set the flask back on the shelf and closed the glass-paned door.

  The smells coming from the kitchen were delightful, and with the salve ready, the spell-casting implements washed and a strong hunger, they all trooped out of the lab and into the kitchen. There was just something about pasta when you needed to fill up and prepare to break part of your family tree into a pile of splinters.

  Benny watched Argyle when the rest of them started eating. When she took her first bite, his eyes widened and he swallowed. She grinned, and he looked at her in surprise.

  “I can taste it. I used too much oregano.”

  She chuckled and swallowed. “Focus on one of the others.”

  Tremble drank some wine, and Argyle’s eyes fluttered and his lips pressed together.

  “Holy...” He smiled as his words trailed off. His fangs were on display while he spoke, and he closed his eyes to savour it.

  Tremble blinked. “He is tasting what I eat?”

  Benny chuckled. “Of course. We are bound.” She smirked. “It works with sex as well if you were wondering.”

  Minerva coughed wildly. Freddy patted her on the back, but her own cheeks were on fire.

  Argyle was grinning and Tremble finally caught on.

  “So, that is why you said that being with all three of us wouldn’t be a problem. What one feels, the others feel.”

  Benny kept eating and mumbled, “Only when you concentrate.”

  Minerva sighed. “Didn’t you explain it to them?”

  Benny grinned. “Not really.”

  Minerva took a mouthful of food and got to her feet. She went to the cupboard and got four paper cups and a handful of straws that she snipped in two. “Benny’s blood is symbolized by the water in this cup. She could give you each some...” Minerva poured a splash of water into each cup.

  “If she did that, the blood would not have a connection to her, and after a while, you would consume it, or it would evaporate.”

  Minerva set the four cups out, and with a touch of magic, she dyed each one a different colour. “These are all of you, each a different power. If we connect them with the binding spell...” She waved her fingers and the straws bridged around in a spoke pattern and then connections for the agents’ cups.

  “The powers are stable unless someone injures one of them.” Minerva took an ice cube out of her glass, and she dropped it in the Benny cup. The colour moved out of the cup through the straws. “She then gets strength from each of you and you get strength from each other. Usually, it is only done between a maximum of three people, but this one seems to be working quite well.”

  Minerva waved at the cups, and they floated up and into the sink. “The point of that spell is to keep you equal at all times. Your magic will still be separate for the most part, but it will flow when it needs to.”

  Benny finished her meal and got up to start the dishes. She scrubbed and smiled as she heard Argyle discussing how food actually tasted. Apparently, he had been craving the taste of food since she let him taste his first taco through her veins.

  She blinked away tears. It seemed like so long ago, but it had been less than a month since her world had spun out of her control. So many firsts in that time, and now, her parents were in danger because of her. Her stomach flipped at the thought of what she was about to do. It was only in the security of her home that she had discussed the demon zone. Even her father had never set foot in the place.

  Dishes and cutlery started to appear on her left, and she washed, rinsed and set the dishes on the draining board in rapid succession.

  “How much time has passed, Freddy?”

  “Seventeen hours, Benny. You will have most of the night in the zone.”

  Benny nodded and dried her hands. “I need to get the map. Someone else can dry the dishes.”

  Freddy nodded. “I will. I know you hate doing it.”

  Benny wanted a moment alone. She needed to talk to the house.

  She left the group in the kitchen with a tight smile and headed for the library, closing the door behind her.

  “Hello, house.”

  The phone rang.

  Smiling, Benny went to pick up the receiver. “Hello, house.”

  “Hello, Benny.”

  “You know what I am about to do?”

  “It is very dan
gerous.” The calm, masculine tone spoke the truth.

  “If we do not return, I want you to welcome Minerva as your new occupant. She will respect you and all that is within you.”

  “You will return.”

  “I hope I will, and Mom and Dad too, but I am bracing for the possibility that we will not. I want you taken care of in a manner that you deserve. Minerva knows you. She will respect you and listen to your council.”

  “I will accept her if the Gangers do not return.” The voice was resigned.

  There was a moment of silence before he said, “There is a present for you on the desk. I have enjoyed watching you grow, and you deserve the protection that I can offer.”

  Benny looked around and found a box that gleamed with a black silk ribbon. “Do I open it now?”

  “You will need it where you are going. Demon eyes cannot see it. Wear it and be safe.” The line went dead.

  She put the handset down on the phone and tugged the ribbon loose. She opened the ten-inch box, and tears pricked her eyes again. A knife made of ebony and obsidian was nestled in the box next to a sheath with thigh straps.

  She slid the blade into the sheath and looked at it, flicking to her demon vision. She could still feel it, but it was invisible. Grinning, she flicked back to normal vision and strapped it to her left thigh.

  Humming to herself, she got the map and flicked her hand to open the library doors. They swung open, and her entourage stumbled inside.

  The map was gross, but keeping an interdimensional diagram on normal parchment wasn’t possible. A gargoyle’s wing hosted the map, and since it did not dry out, the map was rather lifelike.

  She pinned the wing open and whispered over the skin in a language that had no name, but haunted the nightmares of anyone who heard their name spoken in it.

  The zone took shape and projected into a three-dimensional drawing of the home of the demons. She whispered, “Yomra.”

  A light glowed in the centre of the city.

  “Harcourt Emile Ganger.” A blue light lit in the same building as the yellow.