Two Parts Demon

by Viola Grace

  She followed the spiral down into a space that made her cry like a toddler. In a wood-lined room that felt warm and snug. She had bookshelves, desks and her personal spell books in place. Across the room, a lab was fully set up behind a blast spell. It had the texture of water when she entered it but was bouncy as a marshmallow when she struck it.

  There was a modest selection of ingredients and equipment, but it was more than enough for the standard alertness spells and healing potions that she made up for herself. Potions weren’t really her thing, but it was nice to have the option to fiddle with it if she had the inclination.

  She had her personal space. If she wanted to share it, she could, but if she wanted privacy, she had it.

  “Thank you so much.” She spoke to the house around her.

  Her mom wasn’t able to tell her when the family noticed that the homes were alive, but she suspected it had something to do with spellcasting. At home, Benny was fairly relaxed about using magic, as were her parents. That casual power must have seeped into the walls somewhere along the way. It was either that or the wood had been alive when the houses were built.

  With one last, wistful look at the space around her, she climbed the stairs and let herself out the back door.

  Pooky shook his head and turned, pawing at the ground. A huge stable was visible where an empty field had stood.

  “Shall we take a look?”

  She walked with Pooky at her side to the barn and looked around at the space for the entire herd as well as a currycomb and brushes.

  He nudged her to the care equipment.

  “Can’t I just run you through the car wash?”

  He snorted, so she began the hypnotic process of brushing his hide while he stood with his eyes half closed. Dust and loose hairs flew for a few minutes, and then, it was all about taking care of the pukha who had come into the demon zone with his buddies to save her.

  His mane was silky smooth and gleaming, as was his tail, by the time she finished.

  She stopped and he stamped. “Dude, there is nothing left to do unless you want me to put braids in it.”

  Her arms were throbbing, and he looked at her with narrowed eyes for a moment before he nodded.

  She put the gear away and asked him. “Take me back to the manor?”

  He nodded, and she slipped onto his back; the door to the barn slid shut behind them. She held onto the well-groomed mane as he bolted with the speed of a thoroughbred across the meadow, over the creek and onto the manicured grounds of the manor.

  She slipped off his back near the terrace. “Thanks for that.” She patted his back.

  He butted her chest with his head and then wheeled around to show his pretty hide to the others in the herd.

  Benny shook her head and walked into the house, finding both her parents studying in the library. “Thank you, both. That had to have taken a lot of energy.”

  Her dad looked up. “We did it before the Yomra incident. If I had known what was coming, we still would have done it.”

  Her mother smiled. “So, you like it?”

  “Yes, but how did you know about...” She waved her hand vaguely to indicate the guys.

  Lenora smiled. “Even your father could see the way they looked at you. Hell, even Kyria mentioned it to me.”

  Benny sighed. “Well, I am exceedingly grateful. I wonder how she is doing.”

  Lenora got up and came over to give her a hug. “We can wonder, and I think we might one day find out. If she got free of Yomra, she might be with her mage and trying to have that family she has always wanted but been denied.”

  Benny’s dad got up and joined the family hug. For that one moment, they were together with fond memories of the succubus that had gotten them to this moment.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Moving into the house was going to have to wait until after the party. Benny got dressed and finished fussing with the bow on the gift.

  What could a girl get parents that had been together for five decades? The box contained charms that she had put together with Tremble’s help. The vines that surrounded the wedding-day images were made of minerals, wood, gems and iron. They were the most powerful protection spells she could manage, and friends and family had donated the materials. The photo of their first kiss as man and wife was in a spiral of magic and love.

  Benny slipped the present onto her pocket and prepared to take her parents out for dinner.

  She came downstairs and smiled at Harcourt and Lenora Ganger. “Are you two ready?”

  Her mother was wearing an elegant midnight velvet gown, and her father was wearing a tuxedo that suited him admirably.

  “You both look amazing.” She brushed at her tears when her mother took her father’s arm.

  “Thank you. Now, where are the boys?” Lenora insisted on calling them that, even though Argyle and Tremble were older than Lenora was.

  “They are finishing moving into the house. They are going to meet us at the restaurant.” Benny smiled brightly. “Come along. Pooky has something special for tonight.”

  They left the manor together, and the stretch SUV in the drive revved the engine.

  The door opened, and her father helped her inside where she started the illusion spell.

  Her mother smiled brightly, and her father settled next to her in the large space in the back of the vehicle.

  “Anytime you are ready, Pooky.”

  The door closed and the vehicle rolled forward, down the drive and toward the highway.

  When they pulled even with the house, there was a flash of magic and Benny asked, “Pooky, can you stop for a minute? I need to get my wrap from the house.”

  The SUV rolled to a halt, and Benny got out of the car, winking at the gathering of folk who were waiting to surprise her parents.

  “Dad, can you come out here?”

  He appeared a moment later, and his face was shocked and, then, he grinned. “Lenora, Benny can’t remember which shawl matches her dress.”

  Her mother left the SUV and the gathering shouted, “Surprise!”

  Over two hundred people had gathered, and Benny was delighted that she had managed not to blow it.

  Lenora was crying and holding onto Harcourt. Benny went up to them and smiled. “Happy anniversary.”

  Her mother grabbed her in a tight hug and squeezed. “Well done, Benny. I didn’t suspect anything until that last flicker.”

  Benny chuckled. “Come on and meet your friends and family. Fifty years ago today, you two agreed to spend the rest of your lives together. Most of these folks were there.”

  Her parents grinned and wandered into the crowd, accepting hugs of congratulation and many comments on Harcourt’s changed appearance.

  Benny sighed and headed toward Argyle. He was looking devastating in a tuxedo, as was Smith. Tremble was rocking a fey formal costume. He was covered in a black tunic, tight black trousers and about three pounds of silver embroidered thread. He looked delightfully sexy.

  Benny kissed each of them lightly and smiled. “Have you been having fun?”

  Smith grinned. “There are leaders here from nearly every high family on the continent.”

  Benny shrugged. “My family gets around.”

  From behind her, she heard, “Benny!”

  Benny turned, and a blond with her hair in an elegant twist that belied her appearance of youth immediately hugged her.

  “Soph! You look...fourteen.”

  Soph smiled at her. “Part of the curse. You look great. Are these yours?”

  Benny stifled a snort as Soph waved at the guys.

  Benny made the introductions. “These are my mates. This is Argyle, Smith and Tremble.”

  Soph bobbed a curtsey.

  “Gentlemen, this is Sophia DeMonstre, the Cursed One.” Benny inclined her head.

  Soph exhaled. “That is my least favourite part of the curse.”

  Smith raised his brows. “Curse?”
<
br />   Benny explained with a grin. “Soph is part of a family that was cursed by a dying monster. She has to hunt and unravel curses that pop up randomly or are cast into objects. Her skill is to see the solution; her curse is to have to deliver it. Slow aging is part of the curse; she is older than I am.”

  Soph made a face. “Funny. Well, I am here with my parents, and they would love it if you said hi. And I am only older by a month.”

  Benny hugged her again. “I will be only too happy to say hello when I spot them.”

  Soph leaned in. “Are you singing?”

  “With this crowd? Of course.”

  Soph bobbed another curtsey to the guys, and she took off, with the bounce in her step that was uniquely her.

  Argyle blinked. “There was something very odd about her.”

  Benny grinned. “With a look from those green eyes, she pulled apart the magic that animates you. She analyzed Smith’s shifting and took in Tremble’s grasp of natural energies. She analyzed me once, and then, she got a headache. Minerva made her so dizzy, she vomited.”

  Tremble smiled, “I thought you had a more diverse bloodline than Minerva does.”

  “I do, but hers was far more powerful when it intersected with humanity. I am like looking at a starry sky. Minerva is like staring into the sun.”

  She looked around and linked arms with Tremble and Smith. “Come on, let’s mingle.”

  They met with dragons, gargoyles, vampire kings, her namesake, the forest lord and Sabina. When Benny was ready to introduce them to her grandfather on her father’s side, Sabina whispered, “You need to start this now.”

  Benny blinked. “I am the MC?”

  Sabina took her by her shoulders and pushed her toward the stage. “Can you think of anyone better?”

  Benny made a face and got up in front of the microphone. Her parents were ushered to a table on an elevated dais so that they could see the festivities.

  The band concluded their soft song, and she nodded to them in thanks. She leaned over to the guitarist. “Do you have the song?”

  “When you introduce it, we will play it.”

  She gave him a thumbs-up, and he responded with all four of his. She licked her lips and turned to the microphone.

  “Thanks one and all for being here tonight for the fiftieth anniversary of Agatha Lenora Mills Ganger and Harcourt Emile Ganger. Fifty years ago tonight, they pried themselves away from their books and stood up in front of family and friends with a judge officiating, and they swore to be together until death did they part, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health. The richer or poorer thing wasn’t an issue.”

  The crowd laughed. The Ganger family was ruthless when it came to investing, and they had enough money for ten more generations.

  “They skipped along together for a few decades before they realised that all of their friends’ kids were in college and they hadn’t bothered to start a family. I came along as scheduled.”

  More laughter rippled through the group. Benny watched her parents holding hands and smiling at her.

  “There was another decade of lectures, tours, students and a child at home setting fire to dandelions in the yard. That is when the in sickness and in health came in. My mother got sick, really sick. Cancer is a bitch, but with all the magic in the world, we couldn’t stop it. Harcourt really, really tried.”

  The crowd was quiet. Most knew what had happened next.

  “Mom got sick, and Dad stayed at her side. Even at ten, I knew that death was about to part them. To my surprise, my mom lived and Dad turned into the emerald-green goof most of you are familiar with. They shared a soul, but as any of you realise, who truly know them...they always did. Here is to fifty more years of light, laughter and mayhem that always sees you side by side.”

  A server brought her a glass of white wine. “To Lenora and Harcourt! Fifty years and counting!”

  The toast was carried through the gathering, and everyone raised their glasses to the happy couple. Benny drank, and everyone followed suit.

  The conversation rose to a murmur, and Benny got a glass of water. She slugged down the water and faced the mic again. She nodded to the bandleader, and they prepared to get going.

  “Mom, Dad, I wrote you a song about your life and the love that you showed me was possible.”

  She nodded to the band again, and then, she began to sing.

  Benny felt the jerk as something pulled her out of her body. Everyone seemed frozen in time, but she could hear her voice singing the song of love and loss and love again.

  A figure in white at the edge of the crowd beckoned her over.

  Benny felt her astral stomach flip. When she was standing in front of the woman, she curtsied deeply. “Lady Giltine. You honour our gathering.”

  A touch on her shoulder brought her upright again. “Little Beneficia. I see you didn’t tell any of your part in your mother’s recovery.”

  Benny blinked. “I didn’t do anything. My father shared his soul.”

  “Your father shared his soul with your mother the day that he married her. Did you never wonder why I was chosen as your godmother? A goddess of death is not a normal choice.”

  Benny glanced at the woman in white with the pale-blue eyes that had seen so much. She was the death licker. Master of poisons.

  “I did not think about it. I was not consulted at the time.”

  The woman smiled slightly. It was tiny, but it was there. “True. Your mother had been dying for two years when you were born. They bound you to me in the hope that you would do what you did. You stopped me in the hallway and kept me there until your mother had been revived as a demon thrall with half a soul. Because of our connection, it had to be me to collect Lenora, and with my goddaughter standing in my way, I could not progress without destroying what I had sworn to protect.”

  The day came to her. Her father and mother had told her to leave the room and keep everyone out. Benny had agreed and faced down the lady of death who tried to pass. She kept her there until her father had opened the door with her mother, pale but breathing in his arms.

  “The demon venom killed the cancer and it killed her, but without a true death, she was able to be revived with magic in a way that should not have been possible.”

  Benny blinked and looked at the glowing faces of her parents listening to her sing. They both had tears in their eyes, but they were smiling.

  Benny steeled her spine. “We are honoured you have come to our party.”

  “I was invited, but I wished to speak with you. Your men, do you wish to keep them all?”

  Benny blinked. “Of course.”

  “Mark them as yours. Get your friend Minerva to help. She has creation in her blood. Mark them soon. Not all deaths are as easy as mine.” She changed the direction of her conversation. “It is a lovely party. Thank Sabina for the invitation.” Giltine faded away.

  Benny finished the last line of her song, and it hung in the air.

  Her parents began clapping frantically, and the crowd followed. She bowed her head for a moment while the noise roared, and when it ebbed, she leaned forward. “I would also like to thank Neadra for hosting this event here in Ritual Space. It was pure luck that I managed to get this place to ourselves, so feel free to zap, shift and do what you like as long as you respect the guardian of the property. Now, dance!”

  Music kicked into life, and Benny headed down the stairs, across the open space and up to her parents. She handed them the box and smiled. “Here you go.”

  Her dad opened the box, and he stared in amazement at the charm. “Benny, this is wonderful.”

  Lenora picked hers up, and she teared up. “Oh, Benny, this is amazing. So much power.”

  “It is a specific protection charm. It can’t be stolen.”

  Her father helped her mother put her charm on, and then, he put his on.

  “Happy anniversary, you two. I love you both.”

  Her pa
rents rose and came around the table to hug her. Her father whispered, “Thank you, Benny.”

  Benny looked over the dance floor and found Minerva, fidgeting near the edge. Benny smiled and worked her way through the crowd. “Minerva. I am so glad you could make it. I need to commission you for something.”

  Minerva looked exhausted.

  Benny paused. “Geez, Minerva. Come with me.”

  Her friend was so tired that she followed.

  The buffet was set up, but few folks were indulging. When they were away from the crowd, Benny sat her down on a stone and asked, “What is wrong?”

  Minerva rubbed her forehead. “I think I taunted the wrong guy.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “I don’t want to, not today.” Minerva straightened her shoulders and looked attentive. “What do you need?”

  Benny waved it away. “I need a way to mark all of us; I mean me and the guys. Wedding rings won’t really cover it. I need a tattoo or something, something that will work on all of us.”

  Minerva smiled. “I have something in mind, but it might be painful. Small but painful.”

  “Pain doesn’t matter. Pain is fleeting. If it protects them from whatever is coming, I say that I can convince them.”

  Minerva grinned. “I bet you can. I will bring you the designs in three days. It will take that long to work up the ink, though I have the pattern in my head.”

  “Tell me what you want in return.”

  Minerva smiled. “One favour to be granted at a later time that will not cost you life, limb or the affections of your mates.”

  Benny smiled. “Deal.”

  They chatted about the guests at the party until the guys came to grab Benny for dancing. The logistics of dancing with all three were difficult, but not impossible. She spun and whirled until she was dizzy, secure in the knowledge that she was safe, her parents were safe and she was loved.

  It wasn’t a bad haul for a week of vacation. She wondered what the next week of actual work would bring.

  Author’s Note