by Viola Grace
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Author’s Note
About the Author
Benny is swept on a quest to save her parents, and binding herself to her agents is all part of the plan. Who knew it was permanent?
Benny has completed the XIA course that will let her work with the agents she became close to while hunting a serial killer. It will take effect the moment they are cleared of demonic influence. Nothing like knowing that your blood is despised to make a girl feel wanted.
After a night on the town with Freddy, Benny runs into the agents, and they are not only hogging her favourite taco joint, but they are interested in her social status. She is about to say yes to whatever they can come up with when she gets a call from her house, and the night goes downhill from there.
Karaoke, kidnapping and binding spells make up the rest of the night when Benny must head to the demon zone and Argyle, Smith and Tremble refuse to let her go alone.
Nothing like jumping into a dimensional prison to lock in a first date.
The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Copyright © 2015 by Viola Grace
ISBN: 978-1-987969-01-6
©Cover Design by Cora Graphics
©Cover photography by
© BigStockPhotos.com/ leksandr Doodko
© Depositphotos.com/ mppriv
All rights reserved. With the exception of review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the express permission of the publisher.
Published by Viola Grace
Look for me online at violagrace.com, amazon, kobo, B&N and other ebook sellers.
Two Parts Demon
An Obscure Magic Book 2
By
Viola Grace
Chapter One
Benny grunted as she was struck from above and continued crawling through the obstacle course.
“Come on, demon. Lose it!”
Benny gritted her teeth and continued to pull herself forward, arm by arm. She really hated control training, but today was her last day. One way or another.
She scraped her belly on the rough ground of the course; her tank top was no protection against the gravel and dirt. She hissed as a boot connected with her ribs and another kick sent her tumbling. She held in her pain and kept moving until she could get to her feet and run through the swinging, weighted bags.
Benny gritted her teeth as curses and insults to her bloodline were spewed at her. This was practice for being in the field and dealing with those who were not too keen to be subdued. She wanted nothing more than to finish her training and get into the SUV with her agents, if only to get away from the trainers.
She grunted as one of the bags made impact, but kept going. She could see the end of the course.
It had been decided that the best way to prove her worth to the XIA was to go through endless rounds of stress testing. If she could keep her cool under every circumstance they could come up with, she was safe to be in public.
Her ability to use magic was not in question. She was physically capable of managing the tasks that made up the bare minimum of the staffing skills for the Extranormal Investigation Agency. She could apply for additional training later on, but the course designed to test her skills and tolerances was her first step.
Her impulses wanted her to burn a pathway through the course, but her self-control kept her doing things the hard way.
Benny grunted and heard a distant voice call her a scaly bitch. She sighed and poured on the speed while her bruised body screamed silently.
When she stumbled across the finish line, it was time for the final task. Benny whispered and moved the pegs into the properly sized holes using tightly controlled magic.
The light turned green when the last peg hit the slot, and she dropped to the ground.
Her trainers applauded wildly and cheers sounded around the workout yard.
Benny looked around and nodded wearily. “So, did I pass?”
Agent Tafnor chuckled and pulled her to her feet. “You did. Time for the final photos, and then, you are officially cleared by the training centre.”
Benny nodded and headed toward the imaging booth. She had been photographed every day for the last two weeks. The bruises and damage to her body were tracked for a very specific reason—she needed to know how a victim felt. She needed to know how easy it was to damage evidence on her own body, and she had to feel the exposure of the photographs.
All agents were subjected to a rape kit at some point during training. She had opted to get that out of the way on the first day. Today, it was just the indignity of stripping down in front of the camera.
A cold voice greeted her when she entered the space. “Take off your shirt.”
She flinched at the aggression in the tone. Benny pulled her tank top off, exposing the damage to her upper torso. The camera flashed, and she winced at the light.
“Hold still.”
The camera flashed again.
She was ordered to turn to the side and then face the back of the photo area.
“Now remove your pants.”
She hesitated.
“Now!”
Benny got angrier than she had been while she had been physically attacked. The camera flashed, and she flipped her middle finger at the shadows before she removed her trousers and pushed them to her ankles, leaving her bra and panties as the only things covering her.
The cameraman got closer, but she still couldn’t see him. He took close photos of her thighs, back and ribs.
“Remove your bra.”
“No. You can see the damage around it. This is my body, and I am saying no.”
“This is an order.”
“No. This is a courtesy. This exercise is to make me feel like a victim or a suspect, and in either situation, I would ram that camera through your jaw.” She pulled her cargo pants back up and pulled on her top.
“You are already healing. We needed to document the pattern.”
She snorted. “I heal the same as a shifter does. I just don’t match any blood types that they do. I have to be faster or I die.”
Benny tucked her shirt into her pants, and she lit the interior of the photo booth with a ball of soft light. No hands required.
The goblin in the XIA uniform grimaced. “Can you turn that down?”
She dimmed the light. “You need to use manners when you deal with either suspect or victim. You were very close to breaking my control.”
He chuckled. “I know. Check this out.”
He turned the camera to her and showed her an image of her glaring at the camera, her eyes were poisonous green and very demonic.
“Oops.”
His finger slipped and the image disappeared.
She frowned. “Why did you do that?”
“They are looking for reasons to restrict your movements. Let’s not give them an excuse.”
Benny cocked her head. “I will not lie about seeing my own demon in the mirror.”
He inclined his head. “And so I will lie for you.”
His fingers moved
over the back of the camera. “Sent. Your training is now complete.”
She patted him on the shoulder, a move that caught him by surprise.
Benny sighed. She knew that most of the XIA did not touch the goblins, but she didn’t have any hang-ups in that regard. Their magic and transformation came from the same energy that ran in her veins. There was no difference.
Benny double-checked her clothing and left the photo area. “Thank you.”
He was so stunned by her thanks that he didn’t respond.
She returned to the training area and accepted congratulations for successfully making it through the course without biting her trainers. Apparently, that was a thing.
Benny just wanted to go home. Her parents had started some kind of extension on the dower house, so Benny was stuck in her old room at the big house with Jessamine haunting her day in and day out. With nowhere to be alone, she was closer to cracking at home than she was having the crap kicked out of her at work.
After the congratulations, she hit the showers and grabbed her bag. If she could manage to get changed, Freddy had asked her out for a karaoke night. Howling into a microphone was right up her current mood.
Pooky was waiting for her, and he revved up the moment she entered the parking lot. Benny flexed her swollen knuckles around the steering wheel and whispered, “Take me home.”
Pooky did as he was told. He took her home at a safe and sedate speed. Her muscles were alternately tensing and twitching, so it was better that she wasn’t driving.
The shower had been nice, but she was going to run around in the greenhouse the moment she got home. She was healing fast, but not fast enough to go out in a tank top. She would have enough time to administer a healing draught, but she would not be able to drink when she went out with Freddy. Given her friend’s penchant for getting her into trouble, it was better that when Benny went out, she stayed sober.
Benny and Freddy leaned in close to the mic and howled along with a full-moon love song. Freddy’s other form was canine, so she thought she could hit the right notes. Benny could hear Freddy’s voice swing and miss over and over again.
Some of the members of the crowd had their hands over their ears, but others were listening with rapt attention. Those enjoying the music were usually of goblin descent. They enjoyed the notes that were up beyond standard hearing.
As the song concluded, Benny laughed and leaned back, heading for a glass of water. She sat to the side as the next singer took the stage.
“Well, your voice hasn’t suffered now that you are all official and stuff.” Freddy grinned and slugged down her cocktail.
“I have done a lot of shouting and grunting this week. It is a bit more physically challenging than I am used to, but it keeps me busy. I think I am going to enjoy this.” Benny shrugged and nodded to the waitress for another glass of water.
“We miss you at work. You used to bring in samples. The new food writer doesn’t bring in samples.” Freddy pouted.
It hurt to think that she had been replaced already. “That is too bad.”
“You are telling me. I have had to start paying for food. It is horrifying.”
The water and another cocktail arrived. Benny tipped the waitress and gulped down the water. It was all she had been drinking for the past week. When she needed to heal, it was water or nothing.
“So, are you still going to be driving around with those agents? The photos in the articles were extremely frustrating.”
Benny grinned and sipped at her water. “Why was that, Freddy?” She already knew the answer.
“They were fully clothed.”
They sat giggling as a baritone crooned a classic from the forties.
Freddy turned to her. “Do you want to do another?”
“Want to? Yes. Should I? No. I have been getting plenty of attention this week. I don’t need to jump on stage.”
“How are you dealing with that?”
“The freak trying to rip away my humanity or the fact that my great grandmother was behind it?”
“Both.”
She didn’t mention the role her parents had played. That was something that was going to be dealt with later.
“I am dealing with it. The training has helped.”
Kobar came up to the table, and he slipped Benny a piece of paper. He whispered, “Please.”
She looked at the song on the slip and listened to the warbling of the current singer and nodded. He walked away in relief.
Freddy looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “What was that?”
“Folks are starting to leave. He has a request.”
“Well, I will leave you to it. I believe this calls for a solo.” Freddy flapped her hand and waved her toward the stage.
Benny got up as the last of the song died away and took her place behind the microphone. The watchers perked up, and she began to sing a vampire love song about love and death, blood and pain, all coming together to haunt the new vampire for eternity. Love Never Dies was always a classic.
The few vampires in the audience were crying tears of blood by the time she finished her song.
Benny felt the same rush that she always did when the applause followed her off the stage. She finished the water that Freddy had guarded, and she waved her hand at her friend. “Come on, time to get something to eat.”
“Yay!” Freddy bounced to her feet and clapped her hands.
They made their way through the crowd listening to a mage with quite a good voice. It was time to hunt down a food truck.
Chapter Two
“So, what do you feel like? Pizza? Tacos? That weird noodle thing?” Benny drove through the streets on the lookout for something edible.
“Well, you know I am always up for that weird noodle thing, but I think that tacos are our best bet tonight.”
“Tacos it is. Pooky, you know the way.”
The car did a quick U-turn, and Benny sat back while they were driven to the taco truck.
When they arrived and got out of the car, Benny snickered. “Well, it seems I have created addicts.”
Freddy leaned against her arm. “Do tell.”
Benny linked arms with her friend and hauled her toward the picnic table occupied by Smith, Argyle and Tremble.
Two of the three men were covered in taco grease and not at their best. Benny made the introductions anyway.
“Gentlemen, you remember my best friend, Freddy. Freddy, you remember that these are the agents that turned my life upside down, Smith, Argyle and Tremble.”
Freddy shook their hands and licked her palm clean afterward. Benny didn’t explain, she just headed to the truck and ordered for herself and Freddy with a bright smile and a wink for Dem-rah behind the counter.
With her hands laden with tacos and juggling sodas, she headed for the table where Freddy was flirting madly with the three XIA agents.
Benny settled, and Smith pressed his thigh against hers. “It is good to see you, Benny.”
She nodded as she doused one of her victims with hot sauce. “You too, Smith. ‘scuse me.”
She tilted her head and found four pairs of eyes watching her. She shrugged and dived in. The spice hit her before the flavour did, and she closed her eyes and kept eating. Sweat prickled on her upper lip, but she kept going.
She opened one eye a crack when she heard Freddy starting on her own meal. Having a best friend that was part hellhound was definitely interesting. Her table manners were always lacking, but her enthusiasm could not be denied.
Benny finished her tacos and wiped her face. Her lips throbbed with a steady beat. She daintily sipped at her soda, and the sugar sent her senses reeling.
She sat up and looked at the agents. “So, you have been declared demon free?”
Smith grinned. “Relatively. We are fit for duty.”
Argyle folded his hands on the table. “How did you do in your training, Benny?”
She smirked. “I passe
d, though it was less training and more stress testing. They were trying to make me freak out on them.”
Tremble blinked. “That is unusual. What was the purpose?”
“They seem to think that my bloodline makes me unstable. The trainers used every method they could to make me manifest my demon side. It wasn’t comfortable, but I didn’t flip out.”
Smith chuckled. “At least it was only stress testing. They didn’t hurt you.”
She paused, and it was long enough for him to sprout claws and mark the table. Tremble looked shocked, but Argyle patted his friend on the shoulder and nodded. “I thought as much.”
Benny chuckled. “I am glad one of us knew I would have the crap kicked out of me. They used pain, exhaustion and verbal abuse to try and make me lash out. I am happy to say that it didn’t work.”
Argyle nodded. “When do you report for duty?”
Benny grinned. “I have no idea. They are going to assign me as a fourth to a team. I am cleared to work, but I don’t know when I start. When do you guys get to go back?”
Tremble smiled. “We are still on leave, though we have been cleared of all demon influence.”
Argyle smirked. “Feel free to influence us anytime.”
Benny snorted. “I am dealing with my change in circumstance. Kyria has been banned from my home, and my parents are waiting for the investigation to get to them.”
Smith frowned. “Does that bother you?”
“Having to lock out one of my oldest ancestors? Yes. She was part of me, part of my family. She was the origin of the demon blood in my bloodline. It hurts to have her separate from us, but she was acting as a demon. She was focused on her wants and desires and pursuing them.” Benny couldn’t believe that she was having this conversation in a vacant lot next to a taco truck, but there it was.
Smith cocked his head. “Is that what the fuss was about? Is that demon influence?”
Freddy chimed in. “You don’t get it. If a demoness wants to get some sleep and her baby is crying, she will kill it. If a demon male sees a woman he wants and she is with her husband or family, he will kill them to clear the path. The emotions of their victims never even enter their reckoning. They simply don’t see anything but themselves.”
