"Wow! You are a terrible liar," Stanley exclaimed. "Now, who are the Fae Council and why should I be concerned," he insisted.
Camila looked guiltily at Sigrid who frowned then nodded. Camila turned back to Stanley. "Paloma lost her glamor when she overdosed on your energies. We had to call in a Fae to create a new glamor for her. It almost didn't work because of her oversaturation. The Fae wanted to know where the energy came from. She informed us that she was going to report her findings to the Fae Council who would investigate. So far no one has shown up. This isn't like them at all."
"Maybe it was just an idle threat? Maybe no one is coming," Stanley suggested.
"The Fae don't make idle threats," Camila said with a frown.
Stanley looked at the two women who were both lost in their concern. He knew nothing about the Fae Council and had no idea what it meant that they hadn't acted. He could provide nothing positive to this worry session so he headed for the door. "I don't have the time or energy to waste on a bunch of what if's so I'm going back to work. My software installs need me. I'd suggest you two put the worry aside for now as well but you know better, right? Camila, please don't wait so long between feedings next time." With a wave he opened the door and stepped out, closing it behind him.
Sigrid snorted with a wide grin on her face. "Cheeky little shit, isn't he!"
Camila struggled to keep her own grin hidden then gave up and smiled. "Indeed, he is. He's also right, about a couple of things. We have other things to do that are more productive than waiting and worrying. Marisa is ready to return to work tomorrow. We are going to have to somehow inform Stanley that Marisa used to be Paloma but he can't ever address her as such. We don't know if Satyrs are long lived." Camila went silent for a moment.
"What's the other thing he was right about?" Sigrid asked, looking at her pensive friend.
"Huh? Oh, that I shouldn't wait so long next time before I feed. That sounded like an offer to me and I will definitely take him up on it. His energy is wonderful!" she said with a satisfied smile. Her eyes widened as she caught Sigrid's expression try to remain impassive.
"You are a terrible liar! You've had sex with him too!" Camila exclaimed.
"Just once! A moment of weakness! He's so damn sweet! He unintentionally wooed me!" Sigrid scrambled to deflect Camila's accusation.
"Wait a minute! Valkyrie's aren't going to bed anyone they consider too frail. Have you seen Stanley?" Camila chirped.
Sigrid squirmed. "Human Stanley? Not a chance. Satyr Stanley? Much... much... stronger," she admitted.
Camila smiled and looked at her friend. "Well, well, well. I know intimately what his energy does for a Succubus. What does it do for a Valkyrie?
The blond looked at the drawn blinds and smiled. "You might want to cover your eyes at first."
Marisa paced her living room going out of her mind. She was so incredibly bored. She knew her mother- aunt was arranging for her to begin tomorrow but she couldn't understand why it couldn't have been today. Stanley needed her. She was useless here!
The doorbell rang and she froze. The protection rune was sending her the vibe of a stranger and security hadn't called so this was likely the Fae council. Her mother wanted to be here when they arrived and had spent most of the week with her, training her on her new identity but also waiting for their arrival.
The doorbell rang once more. It was too late to do anything about it now. She walked to the door. "Who is it?"
"Inspector Ghammen."
Male voice. Definitely Fae. She opened the door. In the hall stood a very good looking, slim man dressed elegantly in a tan raincoat over black slacks and shiny leather shoes. It must be a uniform. "Come in Inspector."
He stepped inside and they moved into the living room. As he looked around, Marisa saw his lips moving. She felt the Fae magic scanning the room. She triggered her shield just as he turned his attention to her. His magic probe slid off and around her and his eyes widened ever so slightly.
"I'm following up on the last call Inspector Heriahn made. She'd been called out to rebuild a glamor," he said with a doubtful tone.
It was time to use the cover story she and her mother had worked out. It might serve as a good counter for Heriahn's statement.
"Yes, that's right. She did mine. We think it was damaged during that terrorist attack years ago. It started unraveling."
"May I see the glamor transition?" he asked carefully. It was a rude question but he was a Fae inspector so she'd expected it. Still, it earned him a glare. She dropped the glamor and snapped it back in place. She'd felt his attempt to probe her when the glamor came down but her shield was still in place.
"That's not a standard transition for non-Fae," he said, his frustration at being unable to get past her shield starting to show in his tone.
It was time to launch their second defensive move. "Yes, Inspector Heriahn did not appear to be well and had significant difficulty in binding the new glamor to me. It was a very painful experience! I was surprised to see the transition was different but she left before I could ask about it. She also left using one of my cloaks."
Ghammen froze when she mentioned Heriahn had appeared to be ill. No Fae would allow a weakness to be visible. To mention she used a cloak indicated the Fae was in distress. Considering how their people had found the inspector this made sense. The appearance of the body indicated the long term disease had been the cause of her death but she should have had years left. Performing this binding may have been too much for Heriahn and it drained her past the point where she could suppress the disease.
Still, he was frustrated by that shield. He wanted a look inside this woman's head to get the truth. This went against very strict cross species Hidden Races policies and was a forbidden practice but the Fae played by their own rules when it came to investigating the death of one of their own. One last attempt then.
Marisa used her sight on the Fae to see if he was also suffering from the disease. Instead she saw a rapid build-up of dark energies.
When Ghammen launched his mental probe, it didn't plunge into the mind of a helpless, unaware female as he'd expected but was effortlessly deflected by a fully enraged Succubus in attack mode. Her glamor was gone and her claws were fully extended. The razor-sharp tips carried her impenetrable shield spell around them and ripped through his glamor to score deeply across his actual cheek. Worse still, the damaged spell he'd launched clung to him, embedded in his own wounds marking him as a rapist. He attempted to flee but she spun and struck him in the temple with her heel. As he crumpled to the floor it never occurred to him how she'd seen the attack coming or how to hit his actual face through his glamor which was a good foot lower than his glamor indicated.
Marisa took deep breaths as she struggled to regain control of her rage. She could easily kill the Fae at her feet and desperately wanted to but his guilt was plain to see for anyone with even the minimal amount of sight. Instead she bound his real arms and legs using her sight and called the authorities.
Not the New York Police Department but inspectors from the Hidden Races Council. She filed her complaint and asked for at least five representatives including a Fae. This was her right as one species filing a complaint against another was a high-level charge.
Within the hour, a group of five arrived and found the Fae struggling against his bonds on her living room floor. He screeched something at the Fae Representative who said a few words and he shut up immediately. The other four frowned at the Fae Representative as she'd spoken out of turn. Marisa sat in the living room with them and went through the events of the encounter and explained the circumstances of the first visit from Inspector Heriahn as she had for the Fae tied on the floor wearing the rapist's mark.
There was one major drawback for Marisa that came with filing the complaint. She had to divulge her ability as an unregistered, untrained seer to explain how she saw his imminent attack. This would go on record and her mother would learn of it and know she'd been kept in the dark all these years. She regretted that but not enough to let this rapist go free. She would also likely be called upon to serve on some committee or other administrative body using her ability for the good of the people. Ugh.
Each of the representatives asked questions and reviewed the information they had. The four glared at the Fae Representative for preventing the prisoner from speaking in his defense. Again, she'd broken protocol and there would be ramifications amongst the Council.
Finally, they thanked Marisa for her cooperation and let her know they would be in touch.
"Before you go I would like to ask one question." They nodded, even the Fae, though reluctantly. "I'm a little confused about why Inspector Ghammen was here at all. I answered his questions but he still tried to rape my mind. What was he here for?"
The four turned to the Fae Representative who looked like she'd just stepped in something offensive. Sighing she looked at Marisa. "He is investigating the death of Inspector Heriahn."
"She's dead?" Marisa's shock was clear and honest.
"Yes, seemingly from this disease you claim to have seen," the Fae snarled.
Marisa's eyes flared and she looked at the female. It was there, too. And it was advanced. Her knowledge and surprise must have shown on her face.
The Fae's eyes flashed with shock and humiliation as she rushed out of the condo. The others realized what had happened and gave her concerned looks. A representative of the Japanese Spirits Combine leaned in towards her. "Get training in your abilities soon. Learn when to use them and, more importantly, when not to."
She nodded in regret and he returned it with satisfaction. Two others hoisted the bound Fae between them and covered him with a blanket. Suddenly he wasn't there. They left the condo as well. She locked up and went back to the living room to drop into a chair.
So Heriahn was dead. Before she could make her report about the wild magic she found. Killed by the same disease the Fae Representative had. Something had accelerated the disease's timeline.
Or someone.
Looking into the shadows of the room she kept that last thought to herself.