by P. S. Power
Not at all.
"Well, I'll try to see what I can find out from him tonight. I have a little more experience with this kind of thing than you do. Either way we should form a strong wall around him. Finias seems to want him alive, for what that's worth, and if Xenses is still around, then he'll come for the kid when we show an interest in him."
That was her plan in a nutshell. Zack was the bait in that given trap, a more alluring thing than even using herself would have been. Greater Demon or not, insane or perfectly normal, those things didn't really matter at all. Her older brother would want his toy back if anyone else started playing with it, and if he was still able to, that meant he'd come to collect him directly. Possibly that night.
Given that, Keels ate more, her body craving carbs again, since they were used for quick energy by preference. As she ate with her left hand, she started reworking the complex magics that would allow her to take some of the energy of the world around her and incorporate it into herself. She did a little better, but not enough to be a substitute for food. She didn't stop though, struggling with it, focusing hard while she was handed individual snack cakes by Darla, who was amused by the whole thing it seemed. Helpful though.
She had to spend hours doing that, just eating, and absorbing energy poorly, before Darla finally called a halt to the experiment in adventurous eating.
"Almost time to go. You'll need to fix your face and reposition some muscle. You look a bit asymmetrical through the shoulders." There was only a little humor in the words though. It wasn't mocking really, just slightly aware of how things looked.
They were headed to a party after all, so that kind of thing needed to be perfect. Especially if Bente was going to be there. The Pristine wasn't called that because she was slovenly and often out of sorts. It would be embarrassing to be seen looking lumpy and misshapen by her.
It took some work in the bathroom, first arranging the muscle mass, which was several hours of work, even if it was minor stuff really. A full transformation could take over a day to get right for her still. Then she did the work on her face, making it look like her, but slightly older, the jaw line just a touch heavier, a slight shadow of lines near the eyes. Around the mouth some lines formed too, as an afterthought. Then she hid it all with make-up. It made her look like a twenty-eight year old trying to pass herself off as being in her late teens and just failing by the tiniest amount. When she came down the stairs again, she found Darla had changed into an outfit almost identical to her own, except with a bright red shirt. It was a Christmas party after all.
One being thrown by a Demon, as if that made sense. Finias did love his parties though, and was kind of known for them. It was odd to think of him as her father still, though biologically that was the truth of the matter. The man that had raised her, the one that she'd thought of as "dad" her whole life, Charles, was dead now. Decapitated by Xenses for some reason that only made sense in the insane Demon's own mind. Something about him loving her.
Not in the wholesome incest kind of way either that she might have been able to put up with, but in a horrible, deluded and torturous kind of way. The thought wasn't a fun one for her, but she made it go away, since dwelling on that kind of thing wouldn't help her at all. That was the brilliance of being a Greater Demon. Never having to feel anything she didn't want to. As long as that ability wasn't being taken away from her as a punishment.
She had to resist rubbing her neck and then block out the idea of Darla's handy little collar even existing for a bit. It was made to only work on her, and if she had enough energy it couldn't actually hold her forever, but the fact that it existed was a threat to her. Not just because of the occasional beating it promised either. If anyone else got a hold on the thing, she could be left almost helpless, magically speaking.
The Greater Demon in front of her smiled and then gave her a single, slow wink.
"You look ready to hit the bars. We should do that soon. Go out with Sherry and see about picking some guys up." There was a dark and far too delighted manner to the words, as well as a very close examination of her face.
Sherry was her mother after all. It would be really hard for Keeley to go out and watch her hitting on men like that, and Darla was relishing the fact. It was kind of a bitchy thing to say really, but there was only one correct answer, and Keeley knew that for a fact.
Locking down her emotions she shrugged.
"That sounds like a plan. Next weekend? If we aren't busy with other things, I mean." Then she counted the days up and shook her head. "The one after that. Friday is Christmas."
She already had her presents for people wrapped and tucked away in the garage. There was enough to make a small family feel like they'd won the lottery, but there were simply a lot of individuals to take note of this year. Luckily money wasn't a problem. The hardest person to shop for had actually been Darla, since the woman both had most of what she wanted and wasn't nearly as materialistic as she let on. In the end it had taken a lot to find the item for her, a thing she wasn't even willing to think about, since that might give it away. Darla was perceptive and watching her like a hawk at the moment after all.
The smile on her sister's face was sickly sweet then and she nodded enthusiastically.
"Definitely. Well, shall we go to your place, I don't know if your new boyfriend can find us here." She meant Zack and was trying to needle Keeley on the fact, but she didn't rise to the bait, which had to be getting old. That was the idea at least.
"Right, he's been there before. Shall we walk?" That meant putting on coats, but they had the time, and frankly it was too short a distance to drive. Just starting the car would take nearly too much gas to make it worthwhile. It was cold out, but only in a chilly way, not a bone freezing thing at all. They weren't dressed for it, but both had long coats and could warm themselves if they needed it, using their powers. Except, Keeley realized, when she went outside, that wasn't needed. She barely noticed the chill at all. Her sister clearly didn't either.
That was a new thing then. She'd felt it on the walk over earlier. It probably had to do with her strength finally starting to kick in. She was simply adapting to the world instantly and not having to force it all the time.
That meant the trip was pleasant and didn't take long at all. In fact they had to wait for the others to get there, Keeley risking another snack. She didn't offer Darla anything, which was on purpose. The party would have food and they could eat all they wanted, since everyone would know who and what they were there, but at her house it would take negotiation to offer sustenance. Given the time frame it wasn't worth the bother.
Just as the last bite of chocolate muffin vanished and she washed her hands in the kitchen sink, she felt the node start to open. It was interesting, but the feeling of a being walking on the inroads was different this time, a strange thing that caught the attention for sure. She'd felt it before, so knew it was Zack, but Darla stood near the front door, a copper and crystal gadget in her left hand.
"Our guests?" The device was pointed at the front door, and didn't drop when Keeley nodded. Not even a little bit. She smiled though, trying to make herself relax, since she was a little nervous.
"Yes. Try not to scare them. He's a nice person."
That got a slow nod and reluctantly the weapon was put away. They were expected after all and even if two Vampires were coming along, it looked weak to seem scared of your own visitors.
The knocking was gentle and polite, but Keeley opened the door quickly, her face moving from interested to delighted.
There were, as planned, three of them. Zack was in the front, since he was her date, and for some reason wasn't afraid of her at all. Behind him stood his girlfriend, Lenore, who looked about nineteen, and had a slightly roman nose along with a classical cuteness that would have looked just about right on a nineteen twenties flapper. She was much older than that though, it was clear. Keeley had touched her before, so knew that the woman was closer to four hundred than not.
Next to her was an adorable, totally bald little man with a big nose and ears. Bey Transmorguir. One of the rulers of the Vampire Counsel.
"Welcome!" Keeley said the word happily and even meant it. "Thank you all for coming. You look wonderful." They all did too.
Especially Zack.
Chapter two
It wasn't a small thing either. He looked good, like a GQ model that was just getting ready for a photo-shoot. The clothing was fantastic, since Bente had made it herself. It fit perfectly, and almost totally hid the splint on his left arm. The gold and brown of the jacket, which was short, hugging his lean waist, was patterned to hide most of the minor flaws of his body perfectly. As for the rest of him, it was clear that someone had spent a lot of time on the project. His hair was neatly trimmed and artfully styled to make him seem both casual and ready for a party at the same time. He was even wearing make-up, to smooth the wrinkles around his own eyes and mouth.
Over all, the look worked for him pretty well. Since he didn't think of himself as more than a six on a good day, this had to be an ego boost for him.
She waited to mention that though, since it was rude to leave people standing on the front stoop.
"Please, everyone, come in!" She let them get inside, Bey acting as if he suspected a trap or ambush and moved around the little man slowly, in order to shut the door. For a Vampire he smelled nice. Slightly of cinnamon and clove. It was almost enough to make her hungry.
Casually her hand brushed the back of his, stealing a copy of his mind in the process. Keeley already had one, a thing so old and vast that it wasn't totally comprehensible yet, but the new data she got was interesting. Lazar the Vampire, the one that had broken Zack's arm, had gotten himself killed. By her new little line walking friend, which was fascinating to learn. He'd used a node to tear the vamp in half. It was both clever and clearly not something that a human should be able to do at all. Her move wasn't lost on the ancient being, but he suffered it nobly, not even scowling at her.
The Bey, a word which meant lord in a language that was now mostly dead, truly didn't want to cause a fight. Especially with Mr. Hartley right there. There was too great a chance that the boy would die if that happened.
It was true enough, but Keeley wasn't planning on a fight at all that night. Ready for one, but that was just prudent given the way things had been going in the last months.
Zack looked at her closely, but wasn't staring at her chest too much or anything. No, he was looking at her eyes, as if searching for meaning, or trying to see what was different about her. After a few seconds he nodded, not bothering to smile at all.
"You've made yourself look older. To match me? It's a lot easier to handle than you looking like a sixteen year old. That almost made me feel guilty for wanting to have sex with you. This is much better." Then he paused and gave a very cute shrug that took about fifteen years off of his twenty-two for a few moments. "I probably shouldn't anyway. I'm dating Lenore now and that's kind of complicated. Vampire rules. I'm not certain I understand them all yet."
The words were blunt sounding, but not mean. Not even overly coarse, for all that he'd just admitted, very honestly, that he wanted to have sex with her. It was a part of his broken mind. For some reason he couldn't lie at all. It was a handicap, if he turned out to be a Greater Demon after all. Touching his hand openly, without bothering to hide what she was doing, Keeley picked up a bit more from him as well. The thing with Lazar, which was a much greater feat than even Bey knew, and the fact that Finias had regularly been coming to look in on him. Openly, at least the last time it happened.
The information was dense on the topic, but there were enough holes in the story that she didn't think it could be true. Even a human mage child couldn't exist on the inroads for months like that. The memories said it was true, the ones from the young man in front of her. The thought was a very strange one really, since she knew for a fact that he was older than she was by at least six years. Seven nearly.
In return he took her hand and held it for a moment. He was her date after all, so that was kind of to be expected. There was no passing of information the other way though. Most Greater Demons could do that, but Zack was so broken it might not be real for him yet. It would eventually present, she thought. If she was right about what, and who, he really was.
Darla smirked and held her own hand out to shake, like an actual person or something. The moment she made contact she went still, which the Vampire's both noticed. Lenore even got ready to fight, until The Bey touched her arm.
"No, dear. I don't think The Technician means harm or insult." The words were soft, but they all heard them, being way too close to one another for a mixed group like this. Keeley decided to assume that meant, afraid of her or not, that they could all be friends, eventually. It was probably wrong, but Lenore wasn't a bad sort, past her strong and deep seated desire to rip people's throats out on occasion. Bey was actually nicer than that by a good bit even, and Zack was a sweetie.
Darla pulled back and nodded, holding her hand out to the rather frightened Lenore, gently.
"True. He just shocked me a bit. Call me Darla. As your friend mentioned, I'm known as The Technician by some." They clasped hands easily enough and then the move got turned on Bey. The old and somewhat goofy looking thin little man bowed over the hand, just as he would over a regular woman's. It was darling. They'd have to have him around more often, if possible.
Keeley clasped her hands in front of her, a move that made it seem like she was from a long ago era. Zack didn't seem to get that at all, but the others all did. She was old, and had strange mannerisms, just like they did. It practically screamed that she belonged in a group with them, but she tried to hide it after a moment, making it seem like a slip. Very subtly though, so no one would jump to the conclusion that it wasn't.
"We should go soon. I have some people attending with us. They'll be brought in by my Lesser Demon, Balthias. I don't want anyone to be frightened. They're all terribly polite and well behaved. Now at least." Smiling in a friendly fashion, she opened a node for Zack to walk through, holding it with a good bit of focus. It took a moment to trace all the possible side routes and close them, so that it would only end at Finias's winter home, in the mountains. It wasn't a problem for them to get there, given everything, but some of the people invited would have been fighting through six feet of snow for days to make it on time. That was no doubt another way to subtly show off how powerful her kind was.
On the good side it would make Zack look good too.
"Shall we?" She waited for the others to go first, holding the rent in space open with her will and magic. It occurred to her to use a bit of the energy that she'd absorbed earlier for that. It seemed to help some. After the first group went, the Vampires giving a well timed little hop into the air so Zack could pull them along more easily, Darla tilted her head.
"We need to talk about your friend. I can't swear he's one of us, but if I had to guess, I'd say we're going to the event with Xenses's child." She tried to slip into the inroads then, but Keeley cleared her throat first.
"Didn't you tell me that Xenses had never had a child? While you couldn't lie?" It was kind of a big thing, because that might mean she was lying right then, given that fact.
The pretty blonde, that looked about eighteen at the moment, seemed slightly annoyed by the questioning.
"And? I have new information, so the truth changes. The things done to him... They're very close to some of the things that Xenses used to do to me. That isn't proof of anything, but there are some signs. His energy pattern is being forced into a human flow for instance, not going still and drawn ever inward like ours does. It's a good trick, actually. We should both learn it. The flow wants to be like ours though. Not that strongly, but that could mean a thousand things. We need to grab Finias and grill him on the topic. Right now though we should go, or they'll feel abandoned with a bunch of strangers." Then she finished the move and opened her own door onto the inroads. It was a
sign of power to do that after all. That and age.
Keeley moved in behind the others, who'd waited for them to show up before ringing the doorbell. It was a horribly normal thing, a simple chime that played in the background to let the people inside know they were there. The whole thing was decorated with bows of pine and holly, along with red silk ribbon and bits of mistletoe. It was festive enough, if a little plain for something Finias put together.
The man on the door wasn't one at all, being very short, but perfect looking anyway. Elth, she thought. She'd have to remember not to thank him. They found that offensive, and while she'd survive it, it was considered generally rude to cause problems at a get together. As the host it would be up to Finias to settle anything like that too, which would probably not go well for her if it happened. She wasn't really up to fighting a being as old as he was, even if he did seem happy and a bit careless most of the time. For one of them at least. He seemed human most of the time really, which was a cultivated trick, no doubt.
The tiny man, who wore all black, except his perfectly white gloves, bowed and gestured for them to come out of the cold.
"Welcome all. This is the party of Finias, please come in and seek refreshment." It was clearly the line he was supposed to speak and when it was done the man simply stood there, not even acting like he had a thought or care in the world.
Which he didn't. He was a slave, she realized, tracing the thin line from him to Finias, who was talking to a group of people across the richly appointed room she could see into on the left. It was all done in red and wood. A bright thing meant to agitate the Vampires, no doubt. There were, she realized, a few minor touches of green as well, but again, they were subdued compared to the Halloween fete he'd thrown. After they moved in, before everyone could see who was there, Keeley mentally contacted Balthias. Then, after he was alerted and started to get everyone else around, she smiled and gestured slightly.
