by Viola Grace
Jennifer nodded, and the foam on her cappuccino began to stir.
“I needed to speak with you in order to give you a warning or instruction. I am not sure.”
Benny looked into the face of what had obviously become a seer. “I am listening.”
Jennifer squeezed her hand. “See the fey first. Call the wild and see the fey first. Wear all that you have when you see them. It is important. All of you must wear all that you are.”
The cryptic nature of the reading didn’t bug Benny. She had been seered before.
Jennifer blinked and sighed, looking into her cup warily. “You know, I used to drink my coffee black, but now, I see too much in it. Is it the template?”
“No. It is the print of magic laid on your mind. You are now pulling wild magic into you, and it is coming in the form of time. Every seer is born to pull one wavelength.”
“How do you know mine is time?”
“It feels like time.”
Jennifer rubbed her forehead. “Why won’t it shut off?”
Benny grabbed a napkin with her free hand and started writing with a pen groped from her purse. “Call this guy and tell him two things. One, I sent you, and two, you are a time seer. He will help train you. Your mind no longer has the automatic structure to process power. You are going to have to go into training or go insane.”
Jennifer took the napkin with a shaking hand. “It’s a man?”
Benny grinned. “He is the best trainer for you. Female seers grow into their powers. He acquired his, and he can help you start from the basics. He has gone through it himself.”
Jennifer nodded and seemed content to ignore the lack of direct answer. “Right. One more thing. What is his name?”
Benny chuckled. “I am not authorised to use it. He is a name seer. That is how he looks forward and back. You use time and follow the magic, he uses names and sees where they go and where they have been, forward and backward in time. I think you two will get along.”
“Thank you. I know things are about to hit the fan. Thank you for coming when I called.”
Benny smiled. “It is the least I can do for what was done to you, but you saved my life.”
Jennifer smiled. “You saved mine. I am just beginning to know my own mind, so when I know how I feel about the whole thing, I will let you know.”
“Be sure you do. If you want to attack, I am ready for it.”
Benny got to her feet and took her mochachino from the server and gripped the takeaway cup. “Thank you.”
The server nodded and smiled.
She turned back to Jennifer. “Take care and call if you need anything.”
Jennifer smiled and held up the napkin. “This feels like what I needed.”
They parted ways without saying goodbye.
Benny beckoned to Tremble, and he pried himself away from the ladies sighing over him.
Tremble murmured outside, “She doesn’t look good.”
“No, she is going mad.”
Benny didn’t look back, but she could feel Jennifer’s gaze on them as they got into Pooky and she gave the order to go to the XIA so she could check on Miaka.
Tremble and Benny passed through security and got authorisation to visit Miaka. He went to check their schedule while she headed to holding.
Miaka was with Michael in an interview room, and a necromancer was interviewing her.
Benny tapped on the door, and Miaka smiled, asking quickly if Benny could enter. The bemused necromancer nodded.
Benny entered and moved to put her hand on Miaka’s shoulder. “How are you feeling?”
“Much better. Officer Demorak was just having me walk through the rituals of last night. I had to confess that you were the one who handled Michael.”
Michael grinned. “I was hardly handled.”
“Agent Ganger, perhaps you could tell me what spell you used?”
Benny nodded to Officer Demorak and smiled. “Miaka raised her twin, and I anchored him to the pen using an association connection. As long as he wants to manifest, he will be bound to that pen.”
The officer blinked. “You gave the ghost the choice?”
“Of course. It is his afterlife he is delaying. When he and Miaka decide she no longer needs him with her every day, they will discuss it and he can be released, by his own will or hers.”
“How did you manage that?”
Benny snorted at the obvious answer. “They are twins. Joined in blood and soul.”
The officer struck his forehead with his palm. “Right. Not necromancy, binding magic.”
Benny winked at Miaka. “I have a knack for muddling magics.”
Miaka smiled. “I am glad for it.”
“Well, you seem to be doing fine. I just wanted to check on you.”
Miaka sighed. “Thank you. You kept your word.”
Benny winked again. “Now, I have to get the elf back to bed. He is getting all grouchy.”
Officer Demorak stared. “You are the agents who dealt with that demon issue.”
Benny grinned. “We are. Now, I will be leaving. I will be back this evening and check on you again before dawn, Miaka, Michael.”
Michael smiled and put his hand on his sister’s shoulder. It was a spectral effort, but Miaka relaxed at the phantom contact. “We look forward to the visit.”
Benny left, and when she was outside the room, the door opened and closed behind her. Officer Demorak grabbed her arm. “How did you do it?”
“What?”
“How did you anchor him like that?”
Tremble was moving toward them with a scowl on his elegant features. His gaze was fixed on the hand on her arm.
“If you have to know, it was demon magic. Soul manipulation to achieve a purpose. There was a touch of vampire reanimation, a dash of fey energy and a binding of elemental touches to the metal of the pen.”
She could feel her power try to rise, but she held it in. His threatening display was waking all of her instincts, and her instincts were to pound him into the floor.
Tremble came up and snarled at the officer. “Remove your hand or I remove your arm.”
Benny shifted when she was free and patted Tremble’s arm. “Nice. You gave him a choice.”
The necromancer glanced around for help and surprise flickered on his face when he noted that none of the day shift were on his side. The day shift was primarily made up of shifters and fey with a smattering of actual monsters. No one was going to help the officer against one of their own.
The duty agent came to them. “Anything else you need, Agent Ganger?”
“Nope. We are all checked out. She is in great shape. Well done.” Benny grinned.
The duty agent nodded and smiled. “We do our best to keep them sane and alive.”
Tremble put his arm around her waist and escorted her out of the building.
When they were inside the car and headed home, he turned to her. “What was that about?”
“What?”
“Seeing Jennifer, visiting Miaka?”
Benny looked at him and took in his obvious irritation. “Magic leaves a mark. It stamps those who have touched it or have been touched by it. Miaka is vulnerable, she needs to feel safe; Jennifer is unstable and losing her mind. She needs a tutor.”
“You know a tutor for insanity?” He took one of her hands and stroked her palm with his thumb.
“No. I know a man who had to master his own development as a seer. He came into it as a teen and came up with techniques to manage his vision. He can teach Jennifer what she needs to know to keep her mind from being torn apart by the magic it is hunting for because of the residue of the imprint.”
“Your father did that to her. Not you.”
Benny sighed. “She was printed with my mind and aura. I know how she thinks. She doesn’t trust anyone right now.”
“You are still not stable. You are not recovered from your trip to the demon zone. I can feel it.”
She sighed and gripped his hand
. “I can rest when things are settled. I am pretty sure it will happen eventually.”
He chuckled and leaned in to kiss her. The soft kiss of his lips quickly turned into something more heated and unsuitable for the front seat of a car.
When Pooky stopped moving and revved the engine, she reluctantly stopped the make-out session and yawned. “Time to catch up on more sleep.”
They walked through the house and up the stairs, removing their clothing as quietly as they could. They settled in Tremble’s bed, and he held her while they caught up on a bit more sleep.
She wished she hadn’t finished her coffee.
Andrew hauled her out of bed and bullied her into the bathroom. “Come on, Benny. We need to eat and get to work in an hour. Don’t want to be late.”
She used the toilet and brushed her teeth again, brushing her hair into a more socially acceptable configuration that wouldn’t frighten children before she left and retrieved her clothing.
Everybody was downstairs, and she heard the sounds of food being prepared when she went in search of her partners.
Omelettes were assembling in three skillets, and Andrew was watching them with a focused eye.
Tremble was checking his phone, and he smiled when she came into the kitchen. “We are going to be doing a road trip tonight.”
Benny took the coffee that Argyle handed to her with a smile. “Where to?”
Tremble sighed. “We are doing a centaur transport. One of them manifested in a downtown club last night, so we are taking him to the preserve tonight.”
She wrinkled her nose. “The one species I don’t get along with.”
The three men occupying her kitchen stared at her.
Andrew said, “You are kidding, right?”
“Nope. The magic that mixed the men and horses is a little too weird for me. I find the creepy.” She shrugged and chuckled at their expressions. “Come on. There had to be a species I didn’t get along with sooner or later.”
Centaurs had a tendency to pursue females relentlessly, and it got tiring to be on guard all the time. She wanted to kill them and that wasn’t a good frame of mind to be in for any period of time. It was even worse when murder was an actual option.
She smiled and leaned back as Argyle slid her plate in front of her. “Thanks.”
He nodded. “Tremble mentioned that you had already visited Miaka and that you met with Jennifer.”
She gave the elf a dark look. “Squealer.”
“They needed to know.”
She made a face and explained her reasoning for meeting with Jennifer. When she had detailed as much as she could, she sat and waited.
Andrew frowned. “Well, it doesn’t seem that you did anything that would skew the case against your father. It should be fine.”
Benny arched a brow. “You are a legal expert?”
He shrugged. “I dabble.”
Argyle chuckled. “He was pre-law before he entered the XIA.”
Andrew sighed. “Fine. I have studied law. But I have no idea how this case will turn out. There has never been another one like it. Demonic influence over infants is not a common occurrence.”
Benny nodded and kept her mouth shut. The letter in the potion book had explained far more than she had ever imagined. If that knowledge could save her father from a life of incarceration, she would use it, but only if she had to.
They settled down to eat with Argyle supervising, and when the dishes were done, they set out to return to duty and haul a horse-boy off to the collective where other centaurs could control him.
Yay.
Chapter Nine
The centaur was named Steve, and he started making moves on her the moment he scented her. She didn’t take it personally; he had also hit on the troll woman who had loaded him into the transport.
Since Steve got aggressive when any of the guys were around, it was Benny’s duty to sit in the back of the transport with the shackled centaur and keep him calm.
“So, how many of those guys do you take at a time?” Steve shifted his hooves in their booted cuffs.
Benny sighed and glared at him. “One at a time. We don’t need to pile onto each other to show affection.”
He inhaled, and his sharply hooked nostrils flared. “You look human and smell like fey. Were you two doing each other before you had to pick me up?”
She gave him a bland look and whispered a small volume spell. He could still talk, but it was a tiny whisper.
“Benny, what is going on in there; I felt magic.” Tremble’s voice was a little nervous through the earpiece.
She chuckled. “Nothing. I just turned down the volume in here. It will return to normal when he is outside again.”
“Okay. We did promise the colony that we would deliver him intact.”
“I know. I won’t neuter him. I promise. Tempting though it is.”
“Great. Hang in there, Benny.”
“Tremble, one more thing.”
“What is it?”
“Are we there yet?”
His muffled snort sounded in her ear, and she heard the others chortling in the background.
It was an hour later when the vehicle stopped moving and the sound of hoof beats approached the transport.
She waved the spell away and smiled. “Looks like this is your stop.”
She felt power on the other side of the doors. Fey power.
Remembering what Jennifer had said, she let her control slip and let her body take what it recognised as its natural form.
A human-looking woman had stepped into the transport, a demon king walked out with the shocked centaur in tow. The trip down the ramp was slow, and she caught Steve when he stumbled, but he jerked away from her touch.
“Don’t move away from a helping hand.” She steadied him with a hand on his shoulder, and soon, they were on soft grass with a semi-circle of centaurs watching and a few lithe and pale fey in the background.
“What are you?”
She gave the appalled male a smirk. “Agent Ganger of the XIA.”
The rest of her team was nearby, and they followed her lead, wrapping themselves in power.
Tremble waved to one of the men behind the centaurs, and the stunned elf made his way toward them.
“Cousin, it is good to see you.”
Tremble inclined his head. “My prince. May I do you the honour of introducing my comrades?”
The elegant man who looked carved of moonlight smiled slightly. “I believe that would be wise as you are on our territory.”
Introductions were made amongst the men, and finally, Benny faced Prince Emrick Brightleaf, ruler of the local lands.
He took her hand. “Beneficia Ganger? You cannot be. She has a human aspect.”
Benny inclined her horned head. “I am indeed she. My aspect is what I wish it to be. I am currently displaying something more akin to my fey ancestors than is normally apparent.”
Her words were slow and formal. She didn’t want to flash the sharp teeth that didn’t quite match the elegant deer horns.
“You are a woman with much power.” His lips grazed her skin.
Smith stiffened next to her, but she accepted the caress.
“I am indeed. You are showing a remarkable lack of good sense, dear prince.”
He raised his white eyebrows and smiled with his lips quirked to one side as he rose. “I am?”
“My partners are my partners in all things. As enchanting as your presence is, it will not be wise for the contact with you to continue.”
He released her hand and took in the strange assembly. Smith had released Steve to the centaurs, and they had reluctantly left with their new member in tow.
Now, it was just the XIA and the fey.
Tremble moved to her side. “We were going to formally present ourselves, but we are joining in a union that is equal across our four bloodlines.”
Prince Emrick could not have looked more shocked. “A union?”
“Married. The Ganger famil
y is making the arrangements, but in our traditions, we were going to introduce ourselves to the fey community.”
Benny blinked and smiled as her mind spun with the ramifications of this meeting. Normally, they would have started with the lowest members of the fey society and work their way to the prince if they had gained approval. Now, they only needed to get Emrick’s authorisation and the rest had to follow.
“The Ganger family has authorised this union?” Prince Emrick was hesitant.
Benny inclined her head. “Yes. It is a little bulky, but hardly the strangest mating in my family line.”
He looked ill at ease. “What of children?”
Ah, so that was it. “They will be raised as Gangers with the family affiliation made clear when paternity has been established. That will not be for a few years. I am enjoying my new life in the XIA. My family has never kept any distinctly blooded member from their people.”
“In that case, I give you my blessing and await the invitation to the event. I am sure it will be a party to remember.”
She inclined her head, and he backed away before slipping onto a horse that appeared from the shadows, and he and his party rode away.
She shook her head and resumed her human shape. “That was unexpected.”
Benny held still as she was suddenly hugged from all sides.
Tremble was shaking as he held onto her. “You really mean to wed us all.”
She caught on to what he said. She had changed them; they were no longer what they had been and their places in their own society were not assured.
“Of course. You are all Gangers now. You can even take the family name if you like. I am not fussy.” She laughed as they kissed her in turn.
Finally, she called a halt. “We are on duty. Grab the boots and we will be on our way.”
Argyle chuckled. “Ride next to me. I promise not to get grabby on the way home.”
Benny leaned against him and sighed. “Sounds restful.”
It was. The other two were busy trying to determine who would arrive at the altar first on the big day, and Benny had to throw a wrench into the works. “Smith, we still have to meet your alpha, and we need to meet Argyle’s maker or king.”
That thought seemed to shut him up for a while until they re-entered the city.