One Part Human

by Viola Grace

Smith grinned, “Is there something you want to tell us?”

  “Yes, Argyle needs to drive for the rest of the night.” She sighed. “I will explain more in the car.”

  Smith looked at Argyle. “I am okay with it if you are.”

  Argyle shrugged. “Sure. But you get to do double tomorrow and Thursday.”

  They shook on it, and everyone resumed their position in the vehicle.

  When Argyle had pulled away from the curb, Smith turned to her. “So?”

  “He saw an accident in which we get a spike through the window on the driver’s side. Argyle could survive the damage, you couldn’t. Argyle also has faster reflexes, so we probably won’t get into the accident anyway.”

  Argyle looked up to the rear-view mirror. “Thanks for that.”

  She smiled. “If you are injured, you can use me for repair.”

  Benny could swear that he licked his lips, but she knew that he winked as the next call came in.

  Smith gave the address to Argyle, and they were on their way.

  The location was a cemetery, and flares of magic had been felt, but the magic users at the dispatch centre had determined that the magic wasn’t human. It meant the XIA had to come in.

  Argyle opened his window and shut the lights down as their vehicle glided on the paved pathway of the Heartway Cemetery.

  “What are we doing?” She whispered it to Smith because Tremble was focussing, his hands cupped in front of him.

  “Tremble is looking for the source of the energy pattern.”

  Argyle cruised through the dark space between the glowing white and grey stones.

  Tremble opened his hands, and a small orb of light floated up and toward Argyle. The light moved to the left side of the steering wheel.

  At the next turn, they went left.

  They cruised through a number of turns, and finally, the light lowered. Argyle stopped the vehicle, and a number of hand signals went through the car. Benny could barely make them out; her night vision was her one weak point.

  They slipped out of the car, and she took the hint and stayed inside the vehicle.

  With no one around her, she reached out with her own senses and picked up on the crackling energy of a communication spell. Someone was trying to talk to a dead person and that person was not using human magic; there was the definite taste of trees in the air.

  The spell was interrupted, leaving a lot of power hanging in the air.

  Benny made notes as she felt what was going on with the change of attitude in the energy. She finally gave in to her curiosity and followed the power signature out of the vehicle to the group standing around and discussing communicating with the dead without a permit.

  Tremble came to stand next to her. Benny whispered, “Is she going to drain the spell?”

  He cocked his head. “She said she did.”

  “It is still here. I was top of my class in spell identification. The power is in the air.”

  Tremble nodded. “Right. Well, I will speak with her.”

  Tremble went to speak with the woman who was obviously a dryad. The woman got angry and the power surged.

  The grass on the grave that she had set the spell on began to grow rapidly.

  Tremble and Smith held her. Argyle called out. “Benny, is there anything you can do?”

  She sighed and approached the grave while the woman shrieked and fought with the strength of an ancient oak.

  The headstone was that of a man who died in his early forties. He was either a son or a lover. Either way, his connection to her was his link to the world.

  The spell was simple and had a few ingredients. Benny took the water vessel that had been left on the grave and scooted all the energy back together, embedding it in the water.

  Benny stood and turned to face the furious dryad. “Gentlemen, let her go.”

  The woman lunged, and Benny struck her with the water of her own power. She was overwhelmed and passed out.

  Benny sighed and broke up the small items that she had needed to fire off the spell. All were readily available within twenty metres of the grave, so it wasn’t destroying vital evidence.

  Tremble eyed her as Smith and Argyle cuffed their catch.

  “How did you do that?”

  “Simple spell cancelling. I put the power into the water and threw the water at the dryad. She is tree based, and her skin absorbs water on reflex.” Benny got to her feet, dusting her hands off.

  “How did you know how to do that?” Tremble walked back toward the SUV with her.

  “Practice. I did take spell work at university. I just happened to major in journalism.” She smiled.

  “I am guessing that your transcripts from school would make for fascinating reading.”

  She shrugged as the lights of the transport approached. “They were part of the reason I am here on this ride-along.”

  “That and your knack for recipes.”

  “How could I possibly forget?” Benny laughed and got back in the SUV.

  Chapter Six

  When the accident came, the SUV spun to the side as the pipes shot through the driver’s side and pierced Argyle.

  The vehicle that had lost its load of pipes was stopped a few feet away, and Smith was staring at the end of the metal that would have ended his life.

  Argyle hissed. “Get me out of here.”

  Smith called the emergency services, and Tremble got out of the vehicle.

  He grabbed for a kit in the back of the vehicle and came around the side. Benny went out his door; hers was pinned by the same pipes that were running through Argyle.

  Smith was out of the SUV, and he had the driver pinned to the vehicle while he watched Tremble hacksaw off the following edge of tubing.

  Benny grabbed the window striker, and she crawled into the front seat where Argyle was holding terribly still. “I am just going to break the window so we can get you away from the door.”

  He nodded slightly. She struck the window, and the glass shattered into a sheet that folded when she pushed at it with her forearm.

  The object had entered below his arm and punched down to the spot just above his hip. The blood was dripping sluggishly, but he could survive it. Smith would have had no chance.

  Tremble sliced through the outer pipe and reached inside to make quick work of the inner section. The moment that he was free, Tremble came around and pulled Argyle out of the vehicle through the passenger side.

  Without saying anything, Argyle pulled the pipe out of his body and threw it to clatter on the street.

  Benny was a woman of her word. She offered her arm, and he bit down without hesitation. Her protection amulet heated, but it responded to ill will and bodily injury. It would stop Argyle if he got carried away.

  Her head spun after a few minutes, but thankfully, the emergency services arrived with bags of blood for him.

  She tapped on Argyle’s cheek, and he looked at her. “They have blood for you, Argyle. Let go or I will make you let go.”

  He slowed his draw on her skin and released her forearm from his deadly grip.

  Smith took her by the arm and licked the wounds closed once again.

  “Thanks for asking about that warning.”

  She smiled and swayed. “Sorry, I am a little dizzy. He took quite a bit.”

  “I think you need something to eat, and our group is done for the night. The car is totalled.” He smiled and put his arm around her.

  “I have blood on me.”

  “Well, you were fairly close to him. It is natural for you to have blood on you.”

  She touched her ribs. “Nope. My blood. Can I see a medic please?”

  Tremble must have been listening, because he grabbed her and carried her to the medics who examined the graze along her ribs. The young woman smiled. “It is a small cut. Two stitches. May I?”

  Smith stepped forward. “I can heal her without the stitches. I would have if my partner
hadn’t hauled her off.”

  The medic raised her hands and stepped away. “Go ahead. I will be nearby if you need help.”

  Smith knelt at her side. “I know this wasn’t covered in your authorisations, so may I?”

  She looked into his eyes and nodded. “Yes, please. This isn’t really comfortable.”

  Benny held the shirt away from her skin and left the area clear. Tremble moved behind her and took over holding the fabric as well as pulling her against him to support her.

  She leaned back, and when she was comfortable, Smith leaned forward and applied his tongue to her wound. She wouldn’t have said that an alpha would be out as an XIA operative, but only the alphas gained the ability to heal. It was a means of keeping the other shifters subservient. They had to surrender to the alpha in order to be healed.

  When Smith applied his tongue to her, she tried not to hiss. He lapped around the edges and finally dragged the rough pad over her wound.

  Tremble tried to distract her. “You know, the average young lady would not be so calm in the face of having a wound licked closed.”

  She gave him a narrow-eyed look. “You still think I am average? How sweet.”

  Smith chuckled.

  Argyle came toward them and sat on the edge of the emergency vehicle with one blood bag clamped in his jaws and two more in his hand.

  Benny looked at him. “Oh shit. I forgot. How are you doing?”

  He grinned—a weird and bloody grin, “I am doing well. Your immediate help was invaluable.”

  She could see him sparkling with energy and hoped that he came down from his high before he tried to drive or before he lifted the SUV from the wreckage.

  Smith kept lapping at her skin, and she shivered. The pain was gone, and the healing had turned to a hot wave of interest that got the attention of all three men with her.

  She blushed. “Sorry about that. That particular area is a bit sensitive.”

  Smith dragged his tongue along her skin, but when she realised he was outside the scope of her injury, she grumbled and flicked a finger against his forehead. “I am not an all-day sucker. If there is no more wound, you can stop now. Thank you for your help.”

  He sighed and ran his tongue across her one final time before lowering her shirt back into place. “That is the most fun I have had on shift in years.”

  Argyle grumbled. “Speak for yourself.”

  Tremble chuckled and helped Benny sit up. “It isn’t the worst night we have had, but it does become one of the most memorable.”

  Benny sighed. “I am just glad that it didn’t become a pissing contest when I mentioned what the seer had said.”

  Smith and Argyle shrugged. Smith said, “If it was true, it would save my life, and if not, I would just have to drive for the next two days.”

  Argyle shrugged and prepared to switch bags. “Driving isn’t an issue for me. I don’t mind, so it wasn’t a big deal.”

  Tremble chuckled. “We aren’t here because we are set in our ways. Each of us joined the XIA because we wanted to protect our communities and the extranatural community at large. We are flexible.”

  She blinked and tried to ignore the subtle invitation in his voice. “Right, well, what happens now? We obviously can’t continue tonight.”

  Tremble looked at her with surprise. “Why not? A change of uniforms and a new vehicle and we are on our way.”

  “Seriously?”

  Smith nodded. “Let’s not be crazy, we will take a break and have dinner. But yeah, we keep going.”

  Benny wanted to go home and change her shirt, but that wasn’t an option...or was it. “Can we swing by my house, so I can change my shirt?”

  Argyle shrugged. “I don’t see why not. Where do you live?”

  “Anchor Lane. It’s about ten minutes from here.”

  “Well, our ride just arrived, so we can get going as soon as I change.” Argyle opened the buttons of his dark shirt and peeled it off.

  Benny quickly found anywhere else to look. Argyle had been in amazing shape before he had become a vampire. He still had a golden tone to his skin over the grey base colour. The ridges of his abs were a work of art, and only the stripes of the injury marred the view.

  He was oblivious to her admiration as he returned to their SUV where he grabbed a bag out of the back and he flicked out a new shirt.

  “Pull your eyes back in your head, Benny.” Tremble was amused.

  She blushed hot and Smith laughed.

  “Sorry. The extranormals I hang around with are usually not humanoid shaped. They tend to have extra limbs and such.” She looked at her bloodstained hands. “Sorry.”

  Tremble put his hand on hers, and Smith echoed him.

  Tremble said, “I did not mean to cause you any issue or embarrassment. I forget that humans are subject to that kind of thing.”

  She swallowed and nodded, trying to pretend that he was right in his assessment. He wasn’t. She had been imagining pinning Argyle up against the SUV and having her way with him while the other two watched, but that was what happened when you had an alternative upbringing. The colour in her cheeks had been excitement.

  Smith gave her a curious look, and she tried to put a frown on her face. This was the hardest part of being what she was; pretending to be what she looked like.

  He helped her stand up, and she swayed.

  They walked toward the new vehicle, and she locked up. “My notes, my bag.”

  Tremble patted her arm. “I will get them. You go and have a seat.”

  Smith kept supporting her until he was tucking her in the new vehicle that Argyle was signing for. “You aren’t what you seem, are you?”

  She blinked. “What do you mean?”

  “I have tasted magic users before, and while I taste magic in your blood, there is a whole lot more.” His head bent toward hers, and the warm scent of him swamped her.

  “Most girls are more than what they seem. You are reading more into me than there is.”

  “You are also skilled at evasion. That comes with practice. You are not saying no, but you are not saying yes. It is quite the dance.”

  She gave him a narrow-eyed look. “Why does it matter?”

  “I am an investigator. I despise a mystery. I will solve you before this is over.”

  “Is that a threat?”

  He grinned. “I am an excellent investigator.”

  Tremble brought all of the bags and equipment to the new SUV. The delivery woman grinned. “Take care of this one.”

  Argyle growled and moved the car seat back into a driveable position.

  Their group settled in their new vehicle, and Argyle didn’t move until she put on her seat belt.

  “So, where am I going?”

  “Seventeen Anchor Lane. It is a small house off the gravel drive. It is just off Aspen Parkway.”

  He nodded, and they were on their way to her house.

  She was nervous. She had never had anyone over to the dower house, at least not anyone male. Jessamine was going to get into such a flap over this.

  The door opened like it normally did when she approached, but today, she had three XIA agents watching out for her.

  “No, I swear it is fine, and I live alone for all intents and purposes.” She tried to push through the wall of backs in front of her, but they insisted on clearing her house.

  She thought it was just an excuse for them to rifle through her stuff.

  Benny walked in and called out, “Hello, Jessamine.”

  Her companion came to her through the refrigerator. “Benny, did you know that there are men here?”

  “Yes, I know. They are the XIA agents that I am shadowing for the week. When you opened the door, they used it as an excuse to charge in here.”

  “You look tired. There is something in your workroom for that.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “I will try to grab it if I have time. I need to change my shirt. I was in a
bit of an accident.”

  Jessamine shot upward and then returned to Benny’s side. “Two of them are in your bedroom. Shall I get them out?”

  “Go ahead and spook them. I will be up in a moment.”

  Tremble was on the main floor, in the living room. Benny followed him.

  “What are you looking at?”

  “There are no pictures of you and your parents after puberty. You talk of them fondly, so I assume they are still alive.”

  Benny smiled slightly. “They are. I still see them nearly every day. They live just down the road.”

  “Why no pictures? They looked so blissfully normal.”

  She followed his gaze to the picture on the mantel with her parents cuddled together, her father’s amber eyes smiling and her mother’s brown eyes filled with love.

  “They still look the same to me, but life isn’t always kind. Anyway, you are on duty and I need to get Smith and Argyle out of my underwear drawer.”

  A shout sounded from upstairs followed by a thud.

  Benny chuckled. “And that is my cue.”

  She sprinted upstairs while Tremble asked her if she kept mousetraps in her underwear. It didn’t deserve a reply.

  Chapter Seven

  Jessamine was guarding her lingerie, and the other two were standing back against her bed.

  “Gentlemen, this is my housemate, Jessamine. Jessamine, the elf downstairs is Tremble; this is Agent Smith and Agent Argyle. I will be down in a moment, guys. Shoo.”

  She flapped her hands at them, and the moment they were out, she opened her shirt, dropping it in the fireplace.

  “What happened?”

  “Car accident. Pipes punched through the car door. Argyle got the worst of it; I just got grazed.”

  “You are wearing a protection glyph.”

  “I am, but it protects against people, not hardware.” Benny rummaged around and grabbed a dark-grey button-down shirt.

  She quickly scrubbed her hands and headed back downstairs where the investigative team was analysing her photos and trophies.

  “You have won several karaoke tournaments.” Smith raised his brows in surprise.

  “Yes. I cheated. Can we go now? I need to eat.”