Ralof nodded quietly, seeming to think about my situation. “It does not sound like anything I am familiar with. Nothing is ringing a bell anyway.” He glanced over at me with concern in his eyes, then smiled softly and patted my feet as he turned his eyes back to the road. “Get some rest, Dakota. You look exhausted.”
“Yes sir.” I murmured quietly, drifting off to sleep.
16
Supernatural Investigation Institute
I felt bad about sleeping through the three-hour car ride. Ralof had just laughed off my apology, and waved it away. He said he’d enjoyed having a little quiet time. I figured that was rare for an Alpha, but I still felt kinda rude for leaving him alone all that time when he was only making this trip for my sake. I’d yawned loudly and stretched my way out of the truck and into the parking deck. I’d glanced around for the elevator and noticed a woman in a smart gray business suit walking briskly from the stairwell with a small child in tow. The child was glowing with a sturdy purplish aura just a shade dimmer than the business woman’s irritable green one. I raised an eyebrow at Ralof and he shook his head, nodding toward the elevator.
Once we’d stepped into the elevator and the doors had closed, Ralof looked over at me and said quietly, “She was not really a child.”
I blinked in surprise. “Come again?”
“The child you saw.” Ralof rumbled, the deep basso tones of his voice vibrating into my chest at such close proximity. “She was not really a child.”
“Then what was she?” I found myself chewing at my inner lip and made an effort to stop.
“Fae, I think.” He seemed to consider. “It is the most likely thing. She could be a magic user, but it is more difficult to disguise one’s size with magic. More likely she was a Fae using a glamour.”
I leaned back against the elevator wall just as the door popped open with a ding. I threw my hands up exaggeratedly, making Ralof smile. “So like fairies? Little people?”
Ralof nodded. “Though, they are not all so little.”
I pondered that quietly as I followed my Alpha into the building before us. It was a newer construction, built with the sleek steel and white I’d seen on finer office buildings in Knoxville in the past few years. As we walked through the front door, there was a pressure like I’d just walked into a body of water, only I felt perfectly dry. My wolf felt distant suddenly, as if she were very far away. I glanced around sharply, drawing more than Ralof’s attention. “The hell was that?”
Ralof smiled at me, amused. “I should have told you about wards, but with so much to tell to a new wolf, something always gets missed, I suppose.” He put a hand on my shoulder and guided me out of the entry way as a group of four men in what looked like some kind of black combat leathers made their way out past us. I almost didn’t notice them, but then I did a double take. They had swords strapped to their backs. Swords. Real ones. “There is one at the pack house as well, but I negated its effects upon you when I invited you inside.”
“So it’s some kind of force field?” I queried lamely.
Ralof smirked. “Something like that. It is a magical barrier that protects a building against entry by unwelcome intruders.”
“So like an A-T field for a house?” Ralof tilted his head, showing me a confused expression. “Nothing. Like a force field. Got it.”
“It is fair to point out that a ward does not necessarily bar all unwanted entry.” Ralof explained. “If someone is not allowed to cross a ward, they can still physically cross it, but the ward will strip them of some of their power. Stronger wards strip more power. So the better the ward, the safer you are.”
“So it doesn’t actually keep the bad guys out?”
“Not entirely. But if the bad guys were to come inside, they would only be making themselves an easy target. So it is still an effective protection against supernaturals and magicians none the less.” The lobby was a tall room with a set of stairs in the back and hallways leading off in all directions. A variety of food smells drifted out from an open doorway which led into a cafeteria from which I could hear a garbled bundle of conversations.
Ralof guided me over to a desk in the middle of the room where an attractive woman with the dusky brown tones of a Native American bloodline solidly dominating her skin sat picking at the keyboard in front of her. She had silky black hair pulled back in a tidy braid and she wore a brown sleeveless shirt with a draped neckline over sleek black pants. I grinned at her and she returned my expression with an irritably fake smile. “Welcome to SII Nashville. Do you have an appointment?”
Ralof nodded to her. “I am Ralof Gunnarson, Alpha of the Lower Appalachian Pack. Mr. Michaelangelo—”
“That’s right.” She cut across him idly, plucking the keyboard of her computer more actively. “Mr. Michaelangelo senior informed me that he will receive you personally. His son will be handling your charge.” She glanced me over as she emphasized the last word. I was still marveling at the fact that she’d just spoken right over Ralof like that. No one spoke over the Alpha. Well, except maybe Elisa. “Up the stairs to the right.” She informed me before dismissing my presence with her palpable disinterest. She turned her eyes to Ralof briefly. “You know the way, right?” Ralof nodded, so she went back to her work.
Ralof started toward the stairs with a jerk of his head that told me to follow, but I ignored him for a moment and stuck out my hand instead. “Hi. I’m Dakota Shepherd. Nice to meet you.”
The woman glanced up at me with a look that told me her standoffish attitude was usually more effective, but to my surprise, she accepted my handshake and responded in kind. “Taya Nitana Swiftrunner.”
“Woah. Cool name. I didn’t think Native Americans still used names like ‘Swiftrunner’.” Having grown up two hours from a reservation, I had met a number of Native Americans in my life, and most of them used rather ordinary American names and surnames.
“Most don’t. I prefer to claim my heritage whether other people are willing to stand up for it or not.” She crossed her arms, then let a devious smirk creep onto her face. “I take it you’re newly Awakened.”
“What gave it away?” I grinned.
“You’ve got that look. Like a small town tourist in the big city. Like you have no idea what anything is, and everything still impresses you. Don’t worry. It’ll fade.” She seemed to think that was a good thing.
“You say that like it’s a good thing.”
She snorted mildly. “You’ll get used to it.” She hooked a thumb toward the stairs. “Up the stairs, to the right. It’s the office with the double door. Don’t keep him waiting.”
I decided to quit while I was ahead and just nodded my thanks, scooting past her to follow her instructions. “Thanks, Tay—uh…”
She rolled her eyes. “Nita.”
“Thanks Nita.” I hurried after Ralof as she went back to her work.
We followed Nita’s instructions to the top of the stairs where Ralof pointed me in the right direction and we parted ways. I walked up to the big double door and knocked. A polite sounding voice said, “Come in.”
I stepped into the office and glanced around. It was a nice, moderately roomy office with dark plush carpet and rich burgundy walls. The room felt somewhat dated, but in a purposeful way. I approached the desk and the young man seated behind it. He was a handsome younger guy with long blond hair pulled back in a neat low ponytail. He wore a fitted suit with a tie that matched his electric cyan eyes. His aura was moderately close to his body, pulsing with a strange current of lambent blue that coursed through the shifting array of varied colors like a living thing. The streak was reminiscent of the lightning in those cool novelty devices with the static electricity that followed your hand if you touched them. “Welcome.” He stood, offering a hand over his desk. “I am Adrien Michaelangelo.”
“Dakota Shepherd. Nice to meet ya.” I shook his hand and then we both sat down.
“I have been informed by your Alpha that you have a particularly unique case,
Ms. Shepherd. It is fortuitous that you have made your way here.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard you guys can help me with my uh… problems.” I flexed my hand inadvertently.
Adrien noticed, his eyes flicking over to my hand and back to my face. “Indeed. It is likely that we may be of service regarding your newly acquired power. I was speaking also of the difficulty Mr. Gunnarson related in regards to your inability to shift.”
I nodded. “Yeah, that too. I guess the other just feels more pressing, all things considered.”
“I understand and concur. Though, unfortunately, I may be less capable of truly assisting you with latter than with the former.”
I frowned. “The which with the what?”
“I’m sorry. Perhaps we should simply take one problem at a time.” He smiled as he rose and stepped over toward a small counter running along one wall. “Could I offer you some coffee, Ms. Shepherd?”
“Bless you.” He smiled at me and started to prepare a couple of cups.
“How do you take it?”
“Preschool style.”
He looked up at me and blinked. “I’m sorry?”
“Full of milk and high on sugar.”
He smiled politely and went about preparing the drinks. I didn’t think my humor was really landing with this guy. Something about the way he spoke was bothering me. He sounded like a native English speaker, and he looked pretty white-bread to me, but his manner of speech was somehow slightly off. He returned to his desk and handed me a steaming cup of alertness. I inhaled with a happy sigh. “Thank you.”
“It’s no trouble, Ms. Shepherd. Now, regarding your ability to produce…” He lifted a paper on his desk, reading from it. “…green fire from your hands. This is related to the incident in which you were Awakened.”
“Crazy Wizard Guy and the Goblet of Green Fire?” I grinned my cheesy joke grin.
Adrien smiled politely. “I suppose one could put it that way.” Wait. Did he just miss a blatant Harry Potter reference? Now I was seriously intrigued to know more about this guy.
“What was up with that guy anyway?”
Adrien glanced up. “You mean the rogue magician you encountered the night of your Awakening?”
I nodded. “Yeah, if he’s some kind of wizard, couldn’t he just turn invisible or walk through the walls or something and get out of jail? I mean, should I be concerned?”
Adrien smiled. “You needn’t worry about him, Ms. Shepherd. The Magister’s Court has relieved the police of such burdens and have taken him into custody directly. His fate is in their hands now, and he should not be available to bother you again any time soon.”
I chewed at my lip a little as I nodded. “So he’s off to Azkaban then?”
Adrien tilted his head slightly, his brown furrowing slightly. “No, I would imagine that he is incarcerated.”
“Okay.” Wow. He definitely didn’t understand that reference. “So about the green burny hands then?”
Adrien nodded, smiling politely again. “It is imperative that you understand what you are dealing with, Ms. Shepherd. The fire you conjured is incredibly dangerous. We refer to it as Hellfire. It is a potent and vicious power that resonates namely from the denizens of the Circles of Hell.”
“I have been told that much by my…” I started to say “girlfriend”, but really, I guess we’d only gone out once. “By a friend. And yeah, it sounds pretty scary. So how do I get rid of it?”
Adrien gave me an approving smile laying the paper down and folding his hands on top of it. “Well, first we must determine whether you wish to be rid of it, or if you seek to control it. Unfortunately, the former could be more difficult than the latter.”
I frowned. “I’m sorry. That expression is—”
“I apologize. I said something out of place didn’t I?” He sighed and gave me an apologetic smile.
“Huh? Oh, no. It’s just… I get mixed up sometimes.” I tried to give him a reassuring smile.
“I see. I meant that it may be easier for you to take charge of this power than it would be to relieve yourself of it. Does that make it clear?”
“Crystal.” I smiled sunnily in the hopes that I could undo whatever faux pas I’d stumbled us into. “So I can’t get rid of it.”
“You could, perhaps. But it would involve either interacting with the demoness to whom the power you have acquired truly belongs, or perhaps beseeching something even worse for aid.” He took a paper from a folder and passed it across the desk to me. “This dossier has a little about her.”
I frowned as I accepted the paper. I stared at it for a few seconds before setting it down on the desk in front of me. “So what kind of demon is she?”
Adrien tilted his head curiously at me. “As it says just there, she is Lady Nihasa, demon of addiction, poison, and intoxication.”
“Ni-ha-sa” I pronounced carefully. “Ni-ha—”
Adrien rose from his seat and cut me off, extending a cautionary hand toward me. “Ms. Shepherd! It would not be wise to repeat her name as such.” He looked somewhat apologetic and softened his tone. “Doing so at all has the ability to draw her attention, something we do not wish at this point.”
I frowned. “Sorry. Just trying to make sure I had it down.”
He nodded as he sat back down. “It’s no matter. Just, please, refrain from repeating her name out loud as much as possible. There is much you need to learn, and we don’t want this visit cut short by an unfortunate encounter.”
“Yeah, no.” I agreed with a grimace. “So she’s about… drugs and stuff?” Adrien nodded. “Then what does that have to do with my green burny hands?’
“Among other things, the Lady is known for significant talent in commanding Hellfire. While it is accessible to many of those of the Circles, few can wield it with such prowess as she.”
“Ah, so it’s one of her things. Right.” I stared down at my hands. “So, what do I… do about it?”
Adrien gave me a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, Ms. Shepherd. You are far from alone. This is precisely the sort of quandary which we at SII attempt to assist with. Rest assured, we will do what we can to aid you.”
I smiled at him weakly. “I appreciate that. Truly. I’m just a bit overwhelmed. There’s just so much for me to come to terms with. I mean…” I felt the sting of tears suddenly rising in my eyes as if lining up for the diving board. I batted them down with a few blinks. “A week ago, I’m just an average girl with an average job. Then this guy breaks into my job and… screws everything up. Now I’m a werewolf? And my hands are on fire? And I’m stuck with the powers of a demon? I don’t even believe in demons!” I took a deep breath and tried really hard to push those tears back down. I didn’t want this. I will not be a victim. I straightened up and shoved the weepy emotions back into my chest, hardening my resolve and my expression. It was more difficult, somehow, with my wolf feeling distant, like she was just beyond my grasp. “So what do I do about it?”
Adrien had apparently decided I needed consoling, and was reaching toward a box of tissue when I snapped back to myself. He gave me an uncertain look. “Well…” he began slowly, plucking the box of tissue from his desk which he brandished at me helpfully. I stubbornly declined and he nodded almost apologetically as he set it back down. “Regarding the Hellfire, we can educate you about the demoness, advise your actions regarding her, and offer an instructor who may tutor you in the command and control aspects of magic. That should help ensure that you are able to control what happens with the fire.”
I nodded as he spoke, absorbing and mentally re-listing to myself the things he’d said. I blinked my eyes several times as he listed the various types of aid they could give. He seemed to notice my little ritual and tilted his head. “Sorry. It’s a thing I do. Just, committing what you’re saying to memory. I’m uh… I’m using my mind palace.”
“I’m sorry?” He frowned thoughtfully.
“My mind palace. I learned about it from Sherlock. It’s uh… this mem
orization technique where you make up a place…” I didn’t typically geek at people this openly. I felt my face warming uncomfortably. “I’m just, making note of the things you say.”
He smiled and nodded. I took a big drink of my coffee. Geeze. This social stuff is hard. Adrien opened a laptop I hadn’t noticed due to the files he’d apparently left laying on it earlier. “Regarding the difficulty with your inability to shift…” He tapped the touchpad a few times as if searching for something. “We can find someone who is competent enough with Mentalism to determine the cause, and hopefully such a person will be able to resolve the matter.”
“Mentalism?” I grinned.
“Magic which focuses upon the mind.” Adrien explained.
“Ooh. So like mind reading and mind control?”
“Yes, although, mind control is a debatably unethical practice.” He tapped at the keys of his laptop slowly, as if he were somewhat uncomfortable with it, which confused me. What guy his age wouldn’t be familiar enough to use a laptop comfortably?
“Oh. Yeah.” I said sheepishly. “So wait. You think that the reason I can’t shift is… something in my head?”
“Your Alpha related to me that you had a history of fugue— That is, blackouts. You stated you were in your later teen years when these states began and ended?”
I nodded. “As far as I can remember. Though, we are talking about blackouts here… so…”
He nodded. “But the pertinent fact is that these events occurred during the period in your life when you would have been most likely to begin shifting forms. A reasonable hypothesis would be that you did shift, but that for some reason, your mind has lost those memories. Perhaps you had a medical condition which caused the fugues, and the amnesia. Or perhaps…” He paused his typing, glancing upward as he considered. “Perhaps you began Awakening, but your mind resisted… refused to accept the truth. Perhaps your mind pushed it all away, and you suffered an unusual consequence as a result.” He thought about that briefly then shook his head and returned to the computer. “Regardless, we should leave it to an expert to determine such a thing. Fortunately, there is a member of our administrative staff who is incredibly gifted with Mentalism, and he is willing to assist you.”
Awakened (Auralight Codex: Dakota Shepherd Book 1) Page 12
