Only Human (Kirsten O'Shea Book 1)

by Blevins, Candace

  Mordecai shook his head and looked at me to say, “While you might physically be able to slay a second-level, if you accomplished the task, as the saying goes, all hell would break lose. You must not kill him. The attempt alone could very well take your life, and I’m surprised it did not. I’m aware you had to be carried off the battlefield, but I’m told you were up and walking around and even took a second go at him an hour or so later.” He again shook his head. “Impressive for anyone, but even more so for a human. However, my point is that if you should manage to kill him, it will be very, very, bad. He seems to think you tried to cook his brain from the inside, is this true?”

  “What, you have a phone line into hell? You’ve talked to him? I wasn’t aware I was meeting with a friend of the demons.”

  I practically spat the words, but he responded in his calm, low voice. “I haven’t spoken with the demon in question. Someone with more power and influence than me has offered to intercede, and they pulled me into the equation to speak with you since I was already journeying here. This situation has the possibility of going very bad, very quickly, and we’d like to try to avert a potentially catastrophic debacle.” He leaned back and his voice moved from advisor to teacher, though I couldn’t explain how I could tell. “The balance of angels and demons is important. Try not to think of good and bad for a moment, but of opposites. Hot and cold, wet and dry, left and right. In the binary world of a computer, everything is a one or a zero… a little switch that’s either positive or negative. However, neither the ones nor the zeros represent good and bad in the binary number system, they’re both necessary in order for the computer to create its little alternate realities. In much the same way, the angels and demons are necessary to keep this reality going.”

  I’d need some time to think that over, but I’d long ago learned there’s a point where the philosophical has to take a back seat to reality, so I said, “If the things on the demon plane want to stay alive, they should stay away from our neck of the woods. I’m not going to let them run amok just because you say they aren’t really bad, they’re just drawn that way.”

  Mordecai looked at me blankly, apparently he wasn’t up on his Jessica Rabbit quotes. Or perhaps he just couldn’t believe I was arguing with him.

  Aaron touched my arm as he leaned a little forward and told Mordecai, “What’s done is done and I don’t believe we were in the wrong for killing demons who foraged in my territory. However, before we begin arguing with you about future decisions, we should probably hear your proposal.”

  “I’m not proposing you let them run amok,” he said with a glance towards me. “I’m merely suggesting you deal with them without destroying them the second you see them. I understand they bring chaos and mayhem, and you’re in the right to send them back.” He leaned back and admitted, “You’re also correct that the problem seems to be an overabundance of people in this area who’re calling these beings up. But you must understand the beings are being called here, and the lesser beings don’t have a choice in whether they come or not, so killing them for being here isn’t exactly fair. The ones being punished should really be the ones calling them. That’s the way to keep them away.”

  “And the second-level dude? You’re saying he had no choice?”

  Mordecai shook his head. “He came to try to keep the lesser guys from being killed. He broke several rules in order to do so, and it’s hoped the repercussions will keep him from trying it for another couple of centuries, at least. However, this doesn’t mean he won’t find a way back.” He looked at Aaron. “It won’t be so hard for him to make a deal with someone to call him specifically, and if that happens he will come after your courageous little human here. She has spunk and I like her, so I’m counselling both of you to keep from giving him incentive to work towards that end.” He paused. “Also, it’s possible that whoever is killing humans has been drawn here because of what Kirsten is doing. She’s drawn a lot of attention from the other realms.”

  “And the missing women? The ones we think were taken to the hell realm?” I had to ask.

  He shook his head. “I’m working on it, and currently have no indication they chose this area because of your activities. We simply don’t know, yet.”

  I nodded and asked, “Is the second-level the only one with the ability to zap my laser that way? And, now that they know I have more than just the laser, will they still send him? Or will they send someone higher who can maybe fight off both of the weapons they now know I have? And what do you mean, I’ve drawn a lot of attention?”

  “You have two lasers, correct? A cold one and a hot one?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’d like you to cut my finger off with your cold laser, please.”

  “Uh, okay, sure. I’m assuming you can heal from that? So, this fits into the safe and sane definition? I should point out that my leanings are more towards the masochistic than the sadistic though, so I’m not going to enjoy doing it.” Yeah, I tend to make bad jokes when I’m nervous.

  He laughed. “You are a refreshing soul. I promise you I won’t enjoy the pain, but I need to feel what it does, how your energy works. I’m assuming you can control it so it will only harm flesh and not objects? Otherwise we shouldn’t do this in here.”

  “Then maybe we should wait until we’re outside,” I admitted.

  “Do you have something you can do to me so I can feel your energy but it won’t cause much damage to me, and it won’t cause property damage to the restaurant?”

  “I can just heat my hand up and touch you. I’ve learned to do that as a threat, so it doesn’t cause actual damage, but it’s just barely this side of it.”

  “Very well, then.”

  I’d pulled energy in before we entered the building, so I heated my hand and touched his arm. Two seconds later I pulled my hand back. He was the first person to not jerk away the instant I touched them.

  He had a painful looking imprint of my hand on his arm, bright red with charred edges. Shit. “I’m sorry, most people pull away as soon as I touch them. I didn’t realize you were going to hold still.”

  Mordecai calmly looked at the damage to his arm and said, “That’s quite all right. You can heat your hand up hot enough to burn people, but it doesn’t hurt you?”

  “Correct.”

  “Are you afraid of spiders, Miss O’Shea?”

  “Please, call me Kirsten. I’m not terribly afraid of them. If one were in my gloves when I put my hand in it I’d freak, but if I see one crawling in the house I take it outside. My daughter is terrified of them, and I’ve finally convinced her to stop killing them when I’m around. She still won’t take them outside, but she’ll at least let me do it instead of just smashing them. As kindhearted as she is, the spider thing freaks her out.”

  “So, your daughter was killing them because she was scared of them and she saw them as a threat. But they weren’t actually a threat, right? And, why bother putting them outside if they’re just going to come in again?”

  “You’re comparing demons to spiders?”

  “No, I am comparing the lesser things that have been called from the demon plane to spiders.”

  “And you want me to agree to just send them back.”

  “I want you to agree that if they aren’t causing harm to anyone when you arrive that you will just send them back.”

  “But they attack me!”

  “Of course they do, they know you’re going to try to kill them.”

  “And if I stop trying to kill them, they’ll stop attacking me?”

  “Probably not.”

  “You aren’t helping your case. The spiders don’t mean me any harm, and they serve a purpose, as they kill the mosquitoes that do mean me harm. I get a benefit from relocating the spiders outside.”

  “You get a benefit from sending the lesser things back as well, you just don’t understand it.”

  Who was this guy, anyway? “You used to be worshiped as a god?”

  “I will not speak to yo
u of what I am or what I may have been. I will tell you that I have access to other planes of existence besides this one, though.”

  “How old are you?”

  “Older than you can fathom.”

  “Ten thousand years? One hundred thousand years? A million years? More than a million years? Were you born from the womb of a woman? Were you raised by a mother?”

  “I have a proposition for you.”

  I sighed. “What?”

  “I would like to train you to make use of your powers. You’ve figured much out, but you seem to think you only have fatal weapons. You haven’t learned how to use those tools to injure, and without the ability to cause injury to merely slow someone down, you don’t have bargaining power. If you can only kill them or let them live with nothing but the threat of your heated hand, then you’re having to kill too often.”

  Yeah, I’d figured that out myself a long time ago. I wanted to learn, but I wasn’t going to just agree to it without asking questions. “And what kind of payment will you require for this teaching?”

  “Very good. I’m impressed. The only payment I ask is for you not to embarrass me. People will know I’m your teacher, so you must show honor, and must act in the manner befitting a student of mine.”

  This meant he could dictate my actions. “No deal.”

  Mordecai seemed to grow a foot taller, even while seated. “What do you mean, no deal?”

  The dishes vibrated. I could see ripples on top of the tea in my glass. Wow, I seemed to have pissed him off. Aaron wasn’t reaching out to touch me in warning, though, so I kept at it. “I’m my own person, and I act as I feel each situation warrants. No one dictates that to me.”

  “You are not afraid of me?” It was as if his voice had power in it, as if he was projecting the energy I could shoot out of my hands through his voice. It was creepy and scary, but not enough to make me agree to his shitty proposal.

  “A little, I guess. More wary than afraid, but I don’t sense that you mean me harm. My guess is, if you meant me harm I’d be properly terrified, if it makes you feel any better.”

  “You are a most unusual human.” The power was out of his voice, the dishes no longer vibrated, and I no longer felt his words rolling through every organ and cell of my body.

  I rolled my eyes. Did all supernaturals think ‘unusual human’ was some sort of compliment? “I’ve been hearing that a lot. Do you still wish to train me, and have you thought of an alternate payment?”

  “If I earn your respect, will you consider whether your actions will show disrespect to me before acting?”

  “If you earn my respect, yes, I’ll take it into consideration, but I won’t be obligated.” I found it ironic this was one of the things Master James requested of me as well — that my actions reflect well on him, as my trainer.

  Mordecai nodded. “I will train you, and I will ask you to at least keep in mind how a student of mine should act, even though I will not obligate you. We need to work out a schedule of time when we can work together.”

  “The time thing isn’t so easy. Where will you want to train me?”

  “I’ve made arrangements with The Abbott to stay at the local vampire coterie house. There is an area nearby, partway down the cliff face, only reachable by levitation, flying, or climbing gear. It’s perfect for my purposes — outside where humans can’t see what we are doing or hear us talk. I understand you can levitate?”

  I glanced at Aaron, surprised he’d told Mordecai so much about me, but then looked back to Mordecai and said, “Yes, though stepping off the edge of a cliff is hard for me, as it takes me a second to feel for the ground under me and push up, so I fall for that second, until I can catch myself.”

  “Well then, you’ll be getting practice in more than one skill. I understand the coterie house isn’t far from yours, and I’d like to see you at least three times a week, from thirty minutes to an hour at a time. Our first couple of sessions probably won’t last much more than thirty minutes, but you’ll likely need at least fifteen minutes to build your reserves up enough to be able to drive, when we’re done.”

  “Can Aaron come to at least the first couple of sessions?”

  “If it will make you feel better, and if everyone’s schedules work out, certainly.”

  “Are both of you free tonight about nine o’clock?”

  They nodded. I called Xiaolan’s cell phone and asked her if she had plans for the evening, as Lauren is afraid to be home alone at night. Xiaolan intended to stay home, as she was waking early the next morning to go to an art exhibit with some friends.

  I disconnected and told Mordecai, “If you can get me the address of the house, I’ll be there at nine. Anything special I should wear?”

  “Footwear appropriate for walking around outdoors, and warm clothing.”

  “Okay, I need to go. Aaron can provide you with my numbers and my email address. I’ll see the two of you tonight. I’ll obligate myself to you for three sessions that do not include any pain on my part, and then we’ll discuss whether or not we want to continue.”

  I left them both sitting there, and would’ve loved to know what they talked about after I left. I would ask Aaron later, though I doubted he’d tell me everything.

  As I drove, I remembered Abbott saying he awoke several hours before sunset, and I wondered if he’d be awake. He was, and he answered on the second ring.

  “Hello my darling, it’s a pleasure to hear from you.”

  “Really, Abbott, I’m not your darling. I might not be quite as irritated by just darling instead of being your darling, but, oh, whatever... I’ve had a full day. What can you tell me about Mordecai?”

  “I am aware he’s in town, though I was not aware his presence had anything to do with you. Mordecai is a force all unto himself. Please tell me you haven’t made an enemy of him? This would be most unfortunate. I’m not sure that even Aaron and I combined could protect you from him.”

  “Oh, I managed to royally piss him off twice and just moderately piss him off again later, but I don’t believe I’ve made him an enemy. He’s offered to train me to make better use of my, ummm, talents, I guess. I’m supposed to meet him at nine o’clock tonight at your golf course house for my first lesson.”

  “Where are you now?”

  “I’m sitting in the car line at Lauren’s school. The final bell will ring in about five minutes.”

  “Would you like to bring your daughter up on the mountain to spend some time with me?”

  “No, I want Lauren to be around supernaturals as little as possible.”

  “But not all supernaturals, she’s been around Aaron a good bit, right?”

  “Aaron is...different.” He’s my friend and I trust him, but that probably wasn’t a good thing to tell Abbott. Instead, I told him, “I knew him a while before I knew he was a supernatural, or maybe I would’ve kept her away from him, too.”

  He sighed and said, “Then can I get you to come to the house on the golf course early so we can talk? Also, I’d like to introduce you to as many of my people as I can, they need to know you’re under my protection.”

  “Do I need to be under your protection? I’m pretty good at protecting myself.”

  “Yes, and when you protect yourself from them you will kill them, and then I will be angry with you. I’d really rather they know up front that you aren’t to be messed with.”

  Oh, well, when he put it that way. “Does being under your protection imply some kind of special relationship between us? I’m not obligated to act a certain way towards you or anything, am I?”

  “Yes, being under my protection is a rather formal status in our world. If you were a vampire there would be protocols for you to follow, but you are not vampire and I will not hold you to them. If I were being openly challenged then being under my protection could put you in danger, but my position is secure and my protection makes you safe. Aaron Drake’s protection also gives you a great deal of safety.”

  “I’m going
to be dressed in hiking clothes for my lesson, hopefully that will be acceptable dress to meet your, umm, people? Maybe you can talk to me a little bit more about how this works. How did you get to be the Master Vampire over them? What exactly is the relationship? Is it formal? Relaxed?”

  “You must give me a spot between questions to answer,” he said with another of his sexy chuckles. Somehow, the man could titillate my girl-parts even over the phone. “Hiking clothes will be fine. The story of how I became Master of my territory is long and will have to wait, but the relationship is both formal and relaxed, depending on the situation. Other Master Vampires require formality at all times, I merely require they don’t show disrespect on a day-to-day basis, and I only ask for the formalities during ceremony and when we have visiting dignitaries.”

  “Is Mordecai a visiting dignitary?”

  “Yes, but not the kind we need to show formalities for.”

  “The line is moving, I need to let you go. I’ll get to the house as soon as I can, hopefully around eight.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Lauren was talking a million words a minute when she got into the car, and I heard all about her day, who broke up with who, the cool things she learned in science lab today, and the fact that calculus “bites.”

  She asked if we could have pizza tonight, and we called to be sure Xiaolan hadn’t already started dinner, and then I let Lauren place the order while I drove.

  My evening consisted of a huge pizza feast, going over Lauren’s latest assigned project and what she planned to do (and thus, what supplies I needed to buy), and then stretching out on her bed while she went over her lines for the parts they’d be practicing tomorrow.

  When she decided she wanted to get started on the preliminary work for her project, I went into my room to change clothes and meditate, as well as load up on energy.

  I ended up wearing not-quite hiking clothes — silk long johns with black jeans, and a mint green three-quarter sleeve blouse with a black and grey microfleece pullover. It was a bit chilly, but I thought it would be enough for outdoor wear, and I could take the pullover off while I was inside. The hiking boots were clunky, but the rest of the outfit didn’t look too bad. My hair was down now, but I put a ponytail holder in my pocket to pull it up later.