One Part Human Read online

  With a smile, Lenora handed the tea to her mother-in-law.

  Lettice beamed and sipped at the cup. “Oh, that is lovely. You learned that spell for me?”

  Lenora smiled. “I have been holding onto it just in case.”

  “Now, can you do the same trick with a nice rare steak?”

  Lenora laughed. “I can, but it will take about an hour.”

  “Well, I am a shifter and not a magic user, but life with Zephyr taught me a lot. If Benny has you backing her and family ready to gather around her, she can survive this.”

  Lenora scowled. “What do you mean? I am sure she will weather the assassin.”

  Lettice waved that away. “I am speaking of the public exposure of her family and bloodlines. There is no avoiding that now. She will be exposed as a blend of species that no one thought could even breed. She will go from being sheltered to a publicly acknowledged freak. That is why she will need family and friends. Her life is about to shift, and it will never be the same, no matter the outcome.”

  Harcourt let his mother’s words sink in, and he nodded. “Lenora, get on the phone. We need to be ready.”

  He glanced at his wife and smiled, she was already on the phone, and she was making a list with her free hand. Lenora’s grasp of modern technology was one of the things he loved about her, one of the things out of thousands. He could not imagine life without her and Benny in it, and it was that love that kept him in touch with the part of him that was born human.

  ★ ★ ★ ★

  Having a man wrapped around her was definitely a novel way to wake up. Benny tried to ease free of Smith’s body, but he tightened his arms the moment she moved.

  She had to pee.

  She sighed and pried his arms away, slipping out from under the covers and making her way to the bathroom. After she relieved herself, she washed her hands, scrubbed her face and brushed her teeth again. As she crept into the bedroom, she checked the time, and it was only just turning eleven. She still had four hours to sleep at the minimum.

  Benny flipped back the covers, and Smith had taken up the available space. She huffed. With a determined focus, she rolled him to his other side and scooted into the bed, bracing her back against his.

  She felt him trembling slightly, and she turned her head as she tucked herself in. “Are you laughing, Smith?”

  “Maybe. I did not expect you to flip me over.” He got out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

  She chuckled and wormed her way back under the bedding, pulling the covers up and over her ears. When he returned, he wrapped his arms around her again, and he made a happy grunt when he pulled her against him.

  “This is a little odd considering that as far as I know your first name is Agent.”

  He chuckled and sighed against her neck. “William. My first name is William. Argyle’s is James, and Tremble’s name is Hurias.”

  She smiled. “Nice to meet you, William. Hands stay in neutral territory.”

  He sighed. “You are no fun.”

  “Fun comes after stopping the guy trying to psychically rip me to pieces. For now, I will settle for a bit more sleep.” She squirmed against him for a moment before she settled in to sleep.

  Her squirming had made sure that his sleep was a little further away than hers, but that was what he got for hogging the bed.

  The scent of breakfast for dinner got Benny out of bed a few hours later. She got dressed and tiptoed down the stairs.

  “Jessamine?” The whisper shouldn’t carry, but while Benny could smell food, she couldn’t hear any of the noises that she associated with breakfast.

  She stood in the kitchen and called out, “Jess?”

  There was no answer and that was unusual. Jess was always available even if she was doing double duty down at the main house.

  She looked around, but it was when she spotted the portrait of her and her parents that she knew something had gone wrong. Her father was his dapper green self and that was not the portrait in her home, it was the one in her mind.

  Benny ran upstairs, and she tried to wake Smith, but he was still wrapped around her. She had been disembodied.

  Snarling, Benny jumped on top of her body, and she thrashed around. Smith snorted and Benny looked at him with narrowed eyes. She slowly and carefully eased into him, hiding inside his larger form. His aura shuddered as she made room for herself, but when the shadows crept up the stairs, she was glad that she had hidden.

  Gremlins crawled along the walls, chittering to themselves as they sought her out. She had been pulled into the space between worlds. When the gremlins ran their hands through her body and came up empty, the chittering took on a panicked tone.

  She watched as they avoided touching Smith, and when he moved, she rolled with him. Keeping inside him was paramount.

  The gremlins searched every inch of her bedroom before they started to crackle and explode, one by one.

  She counted down from the dozen she had witnessed until the twelfth gremlin exploded. It was not the right number. Demons didn’t use even numbers.

  Three minutes passed until the final gremlin crept from beneath the bed. He was larger than the rest and looked like he had accumulated the bodies of his fallen brethren.

  The aura she was nestled in snapped tight around her. It was in defense rather than attack so she held still.

  The gremlin looked at her body, and he ran his hand down her cheek, over her breasts in a lewd gesture.

  Smith’s aura sat up, and he flexed his claws. He slashed at the gremlin, and the beast staggered back. The roar that Smith let out caused the gremlin’s entire body to ripple. They locked together in combat, and Benny was along for the ride.

  They slashed, hacked and clawed at each other on the psychic plane. Benny could feel the protective anger that Smith was channelling, and it drove him forward until their attacker was carved into strips by the lion’s claws.

  When the gremlin was gone, the room itself lightened.

  Benny’s body stirred and sat up, and just like that, she was pulled out of Smith and back where she belonged.

  She sat up, still in her pajamas. She prodded Smith in the shoulder, and he shot out of bed.

  His half-shift was impressive, but his tail had to be uncomfortable in those shorts.

  “What the hell was that?”

  Benny rubbed her forehead and felt a trace of oil that was more than natural. “Soul separation. Kyria came to me as I was falling asleep, and I felt her touch my forehead. I need a shower.”

  “Is it safe?”

  “To take a shower? Yes. To keep the mark on my skin? No.”

  She headed into the bathroom and started the water. Her clothing went flying, and she turned to step into the shower when she realised that she had left the door open and Smith was an interested audience.

  She kicked the door mostly closed and stepped under the spray, soaping up and scrubbing her forehead. Gamma had some explaining to do.

  Chapter Fourteen

  They entered the main house, and Benny flicked one of the portraits on the wall. The lockdown was immediate.

  Kyria was sitting with her grandson, and she paled when Benny entered the room.

  “Why, Gamma, you look surprised to see me.”

  The obvious attempt to teleport stretched space around the succubus.

  Harcourt got to his feet, glaring at his grandmother. “What did you do?”

  Kyria looked around with wild eyes and tried to find an exit.

  Lenora muttered quickly, and bands of power wrapped around her grandmother-in-law.

  Kyria was suspended in midair and unable to do anything. Every bit of her was confined, Lenora made sure of it.

  Benny explained the sleep visit to her father and mother. Her father’s crest came up, and her mother seethed. “It is fine. Thanks to Agent Smith, I am perfectly fine.”

  She walked up to her genetic twin and asked, “I just don’t know why.”


  Kyria tried to speak, but Lenora had her all wrapped up.

  Benny threw a translation orb into the air.

  I want another child, but my mate is a demon. He is also beholden to Yomra, and if we have a child, I will be back where I started five centuries ago. I want another child, so Yomra offered a compromise. I could provide another female born of my flesh to take my place.

  You are the only daughter of my blood, kitten. Kyria’s eyes begged for understanding.

  Benny tightened her fist and the orb shattered. “Don’t call me kitten.”

  Smith put his hands on her shoulders. “Easy, Benny. It is over.”

  She turned to look at him with astonishment. “It isn’t her that has been killing across the country. Yomra took her suggestion and decided to go around her. If he can get two females of his bloodline to do his will, he would increase his power exponentially. He convinced a gullible human to do his work for him, and they have been following the power lines until it led to me.”

  “If they knew where you were, why didn’t they come here?”

  She closed her eyes. “They were leaving me with nowhere to run.”

  “So, before, you could have put your mind into anyone of those bodies?” Smith’s fingers were tight on her shoulders.

  “Yes, but only if this one was coopted. It explains the blood portion of the ritual. They are destroying the bodies so I can’t use them.”

  Smith nodded. “Right, so this is more than personal, this is high demonology.”

  Lenora flicked her fingers and Grandma Lettice appeared.

  Benny smiled. “Grandma!”

  Lettice floated over and wrapped her arms around Benny. “I am so sorry that Kyria is such a selfish bitch, but she is a demoness and that must be remembered.”

  “I know. It is why she was the first one that I suspected. Dad’s altered portrait was my big clue. He was more demony than even I could imagine. It is how she sees him, or how she wants to see him.”

  A knock at the door got Benny’s attention. “I will get it. Keep the bindings up.”

  Tremble and Argyle were at the door. Argyle was wearing a heavy set of shades and his hood was up, but he looked rested.

  Benny grabbed them and pulled them through the ward before resetting it again. “There have been developments.”

  “Where is the amulet?”

  Argyle frowned. “I left it in the car.”

  She sighed. “Thank goodness.”

  “Why?”

  “I am pretty sure that Kyria spiked it.”

  She beckoned them inside. “We will explain.”

  They gathered in the library, and everyone was brought up to speed.

  Benny smiled at the agents. “You get to see why it is so seldom that folks arrest demons.”

  Smith growled. “She attacked you.”

  “Did she? She manipulated a member of her family and used gremlins to investigate the world between in search of me. To anyone from the outside, it would look like she was concerned.”

  Smith opened and closed his mouth. “Can’t we get her for targeting you and removing you from your body?”

  “Why? I am fine now. If you hadn’t been holding me as we slept, you would never have known what happened.”

  Tremble and Argyle glared at Smith. Benny saw her parents give her amused glances, and Lettice stared at the three agents before smiling.

  “Oh, gentlemen, this is my grandmother, Lettice.”

  Lettice smiled. “I am pleased to meet you. I have been working with Harcourt and Lenora to create a more reliable tracking device. I have designed something that should work.”

  Kyria tried to squirm free of her bonds, but Lenora tightened the restraints.

  Benny kept glancing at her great grandmother. She was about to demon out, and it was something that the agents needed to see.

  Lettice and Harcourt went to the workbench, and Benny joined them.

  A few drops of the soil sample, some oil of rabbit’s foot, a dash of snake venom for focus and finding the path, a drop of Benny’s blood to bring it all together and enough magic to hold it around a crystal. The luck was an extra touch that Benny added. She felt she could use it.

  Benny held up the new charm and nodded. “Perfect. I just have to go to the lab to get something.”

  She wound the chain around her fingers and smiled brightly. Kyria got to her frustration mark, and the agents backed away. Vivid purple-scaled skin, three head waves, black on black eyes and a set of fangs that didn’t look like blow jobs should be on the menu.

  She waved her hand from the agents to the very angry demoness near the ceiling. “And that is why you don’t cast a demon sex spell. That is what lies beneath.”

  They stood with their eyes wide, and she went to the lab to get the aerosol nullifier as well as a vial of liquid. She tucked the liquid container into her cleavage and held the spray in the hand opposite her new tracking charm.

  She returned to the library and hugged her parents. “This should be enough to settle things tonight.”

  Her father held her tight. “Take care, and if anything happens, come home immediately. We will take care of you.”

  Her mother whispered, “What your father said. You can always come home, Beneficia.”

  Benny nodded and headed to the door. “Keep an eye on Kyria. She might try to run when we break the warding.”

  Harcourt nodded. “We will be watching her.”

  The agents followed her to the car, and she smiled at Argyle. “Can you bring the other charm out?”

  He nodded and reached into the car, careful not to touch the surface of the metal. He looked at her. “Now what?”

  She kicked over a stone edging the drive and smoothed it clean with her foot. She sprayed the neutraliser on the rock and nodded. “Put it down there.”

  He set it down on the rock, and a sizzle came from the charm. When he stepped back, she worked the spray over the charm from the bottom to the top, including the chain. It sizzled and crackled as the coating magic covered and blanked out the demon magic.

  The charm burst into flame, and it confirmed that there wasn’t simply benign tracking magic involved.

  Never trust a charm you don’t make yourself. Her mother had chanted it over and over. Benny never imagined that she wouldn’t be able to trust family.

  With the new charm in her fist, she looked at the agents. “Do you want to call for backup?”

  They looked at each other and shook their heads. Smith added, “Not unless we can’t handle what happens. We don’t want you exposed or endangered.”

  She quirked her lips. “Gentlemen, the moment that we get a heading, I will want all the backup you can call. My life is immaterial, catching the man who would make a deal with a demon by killing eight women and attempting to kill a ninth, all for some power we don’t know about, is paramount.”

  Benny opened her door in the SUV and looked at them. “What if the demon in question shows up?”

  Argyle got behind the wheel, Smith at the computer and Tremble was in the back with her once again. Benny put the neutraliser spray down with the safety on and switched the charm to her right hand. From her seat, she leaned forward and sent power through the chain. The charm lifted and swung back toward the main road.

  Argyle nodded and said, “Tremble, you keep on the directions. Watch the charm and tell me which way to go. Benny, stay buckled in and keep behind me.”

  She chuckled. “To think, only a few days ago, we were after psychic hookers selling magical seduction, and today, we are trying to stop someone working for one of my relatives from ripping my guts out. Ah, evolution.”

  Tremble raised his brows and chuckled. “I thought that I had problems with my family.”

  Benny sighed. “The more races you add, the more possibilities for problems. This is just one part of my bloodline. The rest can be better or worse depending on where you are standing.”

/>   Argyle smiled at her in the rear-view mirror. “That sounds like a series of stories.”

  Night embraced the interior of the car, and Tremble’s low voice droned the directions.

  “It is quite entertaining. Some species shouldn’t be in the same room together.” She chuckled.

  They continued on their way until Tremble asked, “What does it mean when it is twirling?”

  “We are here.”

  They were next to a cemetery, and it was obvious where they needed to go.

  Once outside the car, each of the agents got a weapon from the back of the vehicle. This was serious. They were not going in alone.

  “Call for backup.” Benny insisted.

  Smith sighed and reported that hostile figures had been sighted in the cemetery along with stray magic. Backup was nine minutes away.

  Benny nodded. “Right. Now, we can do this.”

  She lifted the charm, and it lifted straightforward, leading them to the gates. “Now or never.”

  Tremble flicked two long butterfly knives open. “I vote never.”

  Smith clenched his fists around the studded and bladed grips that covered his hands. “Voting never as well.”

  Argyle shrugged. “I vote now so that Benny can get on with her life.”

  Benny grinned. “And I vote now, and I get two votes because I am a woman.”

  Smith looked like he wanted to argue, but Tremble put his hand on the lion’s shoulder. “Don’t contradict her.”

  Snickering, Benny led the way.

  The rich smell of loam mixed with the green scent of oaks and the tang of pine. There were no fresh graves in the cemetery, which was very odd given the amount of empty spaces available.

  Benny watched as the crystal lead them right into one of those vacant expanses.

  She held her hand up and the other three paused. “Something’s wrong.”

  She put more power into the crystal, and shadows began to shift in the open space. The shadows collected and coalesced into a single figure. It was the man who had taken Jennifer.

  “Finally, you have come to me.” He smiled, and it was not a good smile.