Raven Demarco grew up living a sheltered life. When she starts University to get away from that she is caught up in the world of the paranormal. Secret organizations, magic, creatures from myth and legend, and worst of all her own legacy and the demons who want her blood.

Thanks to my readers for reading my work and patiently waiting for new chapters and to the Big Closet team who give so much of themselves to keep this site going

I kept on running until I reached the water’s edge. I had lost my pumps somewhere along the way, but I didn’t particularly care at the moment as I turned and ran along the water’s edge to put more space between me and the party. “Raven!” I heard Erin call again from somewhere behind me. I ignored her and just kept running, closing my eyes against the tears. I needed to get away from people, away from that voice.

Suddenly the wind was knocked out of me as I slammed into something and fell onto my ass. I opened my eyes and looked up to see a large man looming over me. It was hard to make out his features in the dark, but he appeared to be tall with dark hair and he was wearing a dark robe of some kind that I assumed must be a Halloween costume. “I… I’m sorry,” I stammered as I sat there in the sand looking up at him.

“Don’t be,” he replied in a gravelly voice that I was far too familiar with. “I’ve been hoping that we might bump into each other for a very long time Miss Demarco.”

My eyes went wide, and I tried to back away along the sand only to bump into something else. I looked back to see another man in a robe. My eyes darted around in a panic as I looked around for an escape route, only to find that there were seven men in total and I was effectively surrounded. “Who are you? What do you want from me!?” I blurted out.

The voice that had haunted my nightmares spoke again, as the man attached to that voice gave a predatory smile. “I wouldn’t worry about who we are Miss Demarco, you won’t be alive long enough for it to matter to you. As for what we want, well we want your blood and we’re not too picky about how we get it. So you can either stay there and we can get it over with, or you can struggle and we can have some fun.”

“M-my blood?” I stared at him wide-eyed as he pulled a wicked looking dagger from his robes.

“Oh yes,” my tormentor replied, licking his lips. “Your blood will free our Master. I’ve waited a long time for this. Your blood would be more potent if you weren’t sealed, but it’s of no matter, it will work regardless and be a lot easier this way.”

“Sealed?” What in the hell was this guy talking about?

He continued speaking as if I hadn’t said a thing. “We were content to wait until you Manifested, since that Imp did such a good job of keeping you out of our reach. But then you went to that school with all the humans and we couldn’t figure out how you could hide yourself among them so easily. Then we figured it out, you’ve been sealed all along, and that makes things so much easier for us. You were always among the humans though, and we can’t afford too many witnesses, so we needed to get you alone.”

I stared at him and tried to swallow the lump of fear rising in my throat. “The dreams...”

The man behind me hauled me to my feet and held me in place as the leader dragged the flat of the blade slowly along my jawline. “Do you know how much power it cost me to invade your mind all those times?” he asked. “It was worth it though, to get you alone.”

“Who says she’s alone asshole?” came Erin’s voice as a stone bounced off the leader’s forehead.

He looked past me toward Erin with a look of annoyance. “You just got in way over your head human. You all dispose of her; I’ll take care of this one and get her blood.”

The one holding me threw me to the ground. “As you command Reimus,” he replied.

Before I could try to scramble away he was atop me with the knife pressed against my throat. “Would you like to watch your friend die before I take your life?” he hissed as his features started to change. His eyes changed from brown to a glowing red, his ears lengthened and became pointed, and a pair of black horns sprouted from his forehead. In the dark I could barely make out the details as the others swaggered toward Erin, but from the gasp she let out it appeared that they were going through similar transformations.

One of the men managed to get a hold on Erin and she was thrown to the ground beside me. Reimus held my head, trying to force me to watch, as his toady stood over her, smiling as his fingernails lengthened into sharp looking claws. It was then that Erin began to shake and her eyes rolled back into her head, as her back arched and a mist formed around her body. I had thought that the demons were responsible for this, but they seemed as confused as I was. The mist gathered upon Erin’s chest and began to take shape, forming what looked like some sort of large cat with a stubby tail, a cat which promptly attacked the still staring demons.

“The human is some kind of mage you fools!” Reimus screamed at his men who were trying to fight the apparition. “Kill her body and be done with it!” Then he glared down at me, raising the dagger. “I’ve wasted enough time, goodbye Miss Demarco.” He hadn’t plunged the dagger into my chest yet, but I felt like he had. My chest, back, and shoulders were consumed in a white-hot pain, which was spreading quickly to the rest of my body. In my pain, fear, and desperation I struck at the demon atop me, trying to keep him from taking my life. My blow landed and, to my great surprise, sent him flying.

I got to my feet groaning, even as Reimus did the same. “Her seal broke! Forget the mage, we need to get the girl’s blood before her power fully manifests!” I stood shakily, wondering how I had managed to hit him that hard, and if I would be able to do it again. My balance felt off and I could feel something heavy on my back. I was pretty sure I’d been lucky before and was uncertain about whether a repeat performance was possible against the one demon, let alone seven.

One of the demons had its hands full with the cat, which seemed much more solid than the mist implied. The Leader and the other five though were heading right for me. I glared at Reimus and stood up straight. This… thing had invaded my dreams, threatened my life and that of my best friend, and made me a victim to fear. If I was going to lose my life to that bastard, then I was going to damn well go down fighting.

I threw myself at him, knocking him to the ground and started punching him the moment we hit the wet sand. I was kneeling on top of him and pummeling him when I felt the others grabbing at me and trying to restrain me. The weight on my upper back was making things awkward, and I could feel them grabbing at something there but I couldn’t place what it was, but I had more pressing concerns at the moment. It was then that I felt rushing air, and water splashing against my back and face, as the demons trying to hold me were sent flying.

I looked up to see the demon fighting the mist cat nearby get thrown back as well. “What the hell is going on now?” I muttered as three figures approached us.

“Damn PDA,” Reimus spat, “don’t think this is over.” Then the demon beneath me vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving behind only a hint of sulfur in the air.

I looked around confused for a moment until my eyes focused on Erin’s body lying on the beach. Ignoring the three people, I half ran, half crawled to kneel beside her, where the foggy feline was sitting atop her chest. The mist began to dissipate, losing its shape as it settled on and around my friend, seeming to seep into her. I pressed my head to her chest to find that she was breathing steadily and started to shake her lightly. “Erin, please wake up.”

Erin stirred and sighed, just lying there for a time, “Raven, is that you? I have got the worst headache. I had the weirdest dream; you were being attacked by these guys who turned into some sort of demons, and I think I was a cat.” She opened her eyes to look up at me and blinked several times, looking confused. “I think I’m still dreaming.”

“It’s okay Erin, I know it might have seemed like a nightmare, but it’s over and I think we’re safe now.” I looked up at the three figures standing close by. It was hard to make out features in the dark, but it looked like two women and a man. The shorter of the two women, dressed in a bikini top and a wrap with short hair, nodded and sat beside us, while the other two people, wearing what looked like some sort of wetsuits, began to look around the area. “Yeah, it seems like we’re safe,” I said. “Are you okay?”

Erin nodded mutely as she looked at something over my shoulder, “I think I’m okay.” She shook her head as if to clear it, blinked her eyes several more times, and then stared over my shoulder again in disbelief. “Raven you… you have wings.” I turned my head and looked behind me, wondering what she was talking about, the weight on my back shifting with the movement. There I saw what looked like black wings. Curiously I reached back to tentatively touch one of them, feeling the soft feathers under my fingers. Something about them felt strange though. It was like I was not only feeling them with my fingers, but like someone was softly running fingers along my spine, only it wasn’t my spine. Then the realization hit me like a hammer and I fainted.

Someone was shaking me. ~Wake up please. We can’t stay here, we need to move you in case they come back with reinforcements.~ The voice was feminine, with a musical quality to it, and it was very soothing. Everything came back to me then; the demons, Erin, our mysterious saviors, and those wings. I kept trying to tell myself that this wasn’t real, that it couldn’t be real, and as long as I kept my eyes closed and ignored the strange sensations I could almost believe it. Lying there with my eyes closed though only seemed to make me more aware of the strange feeling new appendages. It also made me aware of something I had failed to notice earlier; my teeth felt different, like I had fangs or something. Was I some sort of monster? I curled up in a ball and could feel the wings wrapping around me protectively, tickling my bare skin.

~Please, we need to get you somewhere safe,~ the voice repeated as I started to panic. ~I know that this is shocking and probably very frightening for you Miss Demarco. I can help to ease your fear, but you have to calm down.~

“Calm down!?” The voice probably could have calmed me down if I let her, but I didn’t want to calm down, and I had more than my share to panic over. “Demons want my blood, I’m some kind of freak, and you’re telling me to calm down?! How am I supposed to live a normal life like this?!”

~You are not a freak,~ the voice insisted. ~You’re a Paranormal, just like me. We can help you to adjust and to live a normal life but we need to take you somewhere safe first.~

“Paranormal? Like as in ghosts and goblins?” I asked in disbelief.

~Kind of,~ she replied. ~There are a lot of different types of Paranormals. I promise we can tell you more once you and your friend are safe, so please open your eyes and stand up. We have a boat to take you somewhere safe, your friend is already aboard waiting.~

Reluctantly, I opened my eyes and got to my feet with the help of the strange young woman in the bikini top and wrap. “Who are you people?” I asked.

~We’re Paranormals like you. I’m Alice MacArthur and the ones waiting at the boat with your friend are my parents, Lila and Jake. My mother and I are Merfolk and my father is a Water Mage. They were the closest agents who were able to respond to your situation. I tagged along in case they needed any help. My parents thought you might be more comfortable talking to someone your own age, while they secured the area.~

It was then that I realized that her lips weren’t moving. “Hey! What are you doing in my head?!”

She took my hand, giving it a light squeeze. ~I apologize if this bothers you, but Merfolk can’t speak, our physical voices are magical so we can only communicate telepathically. If it makes you feel more comfortable, I can’t read your thoughts unless you specifically intend for me to hear them.~

“Sorry, but the last voice I had in my head wanted to kill me,” I snapped as I shook my hand free of hers.

~We only want to help you,~ she replied as we got to the speedboat that sat waiting for us. She sounded hurt and I felt bad for that. She hadn’t shown any intent other than to help me so far.

I cursed silently and looked away from Alice, to look over the boat. Erin was already aboard and looked to be asleep. “Sorry, I know you’re just trying to help, but it’s been a rough night. Is Erin okay?”

~It’s alright; I would probably feel the same way if I were in your place,~ she responded.

Alice’s parents were leaning against the boat and it was Alice’s mother that answered my question. ~Your friend is fine, she’s just sleeping. She used up a lot of energy. You were lucky that we were at a party nearby when the office got the call, or your night could have been a lot worse.~

“How did you know I was in trouble anyway?” I asked. “Who called you?”

A seagull glided past me to land beside the boat. The bird began to grow, its form shifting and flowing, until it became someone very familiar. “I did,” the figure said as she stepped forward to embrace me. “I’m so glad you’re safe Raven.” She stepped back, looking me over for a moment before smiling and reaching out to gently touch my new feathered appendages.

“Lydia?!” I sputtered in shock. “Can someone tell me what the hell is going on? Why are you here? And more importantly, is anybody I know normal?”

“We will explain everything once we get you back home where it’s safe,” she said. “You can’t go back to your dorm looking like that, and there’s a lot you need to be told. The MacArthur’s will take you to the house by water and I will take your car and meet you there. Hurry up and get on the boat, we need to get you home, before Baerahn’s followers decide to regroup and try again.”

For once, I wasn’t going to argue with her about taking me home. Alice and her mother climbed aboard the boat and took their seats while her father gave me a boost to help me in. As I was climbing in I leaned too far forward while trying to compensate for the weight of my wings and ended up falling into the boat face first, with my wings tangled with my arms and legs. Once I was untangled and settled into a seat, he pushed the boat further out into the water and climbed aboard. Then his wife gunned the engine and we took off toward my home.

It was several minutes before I found a comfortable sitting position and by then the movement of the boat had woken Erin. Sitting up straight caused me to sit on my wings at first while trying to sit at the rear of the boat got them really wet. Finally I settled on just leaning forward, which put them above and behind me. “How am I supposed to live a normal life with these ridiculous things? They’re constantly getting in the way.”

Erin had been watching me try to get comfortable, her eyes never leaving my wings. “I dunno Raven, I think they suit you.”

“You’ll learn to control them in time, and we should be able to find ways to help you hide them,” offered Alice’s father.

“Oh yeah, hiding these is going to be so easy, why didn’t I think of that?” I answered sarcastically.

“I didn’t say it would be easy,” he replied, “but if anyone knows about hiding our differences in plain sight its Lila and Alice. Why don’t you show them your true form Alice?” The young woman nodded and as I looked on her exposed legs seemed to fuse together, lengthen, and take on a silvery sheen, reflecting what little moonlight there was. She had a… tail. She really was a Mermaid like she claimed. For a long moment I just sat there silently and stared.

~Are you feeling okay?~ Alice asked. ~I know this is all probably a pretty big shock to you. You’ll get used to it all. There’s far stranger things than us out there.~

I shook my head. “I don’t know, tonight set the bar for weird shit pretty high.”

“No kidding,” Erin agreed. “Just tonight we’ve learned about the existence of demons, merfolk, mages, and whatever Raven is supposed to be. How the hell do normal people not find out about all this? And why are we not freaking out worse than we are?”

Alice’s musical mental voice offered the answer for that. ~For the most part humans see what they want to see. Many of us just want to live normal lives and have ways of blending into human society. My mom and I talk telepathically with other Paranormals but with humans we have to use sign language, we all adapt. As for your other question, it’s because I’m talking to you. A Mermaid’s mind voice has a calming effect, and our physical voices help heal mental trauma.~

I had absolutely no clue how I could blend in and live a normal life now, even if Alice and her parents seemed to think it was possible. “What about those who can’t hide their differences like you can?”

Alice’s father leaned back in his seat as he contemplated how to answer. Finally he said, “Lila and I work for the Paranormal Defense Agency. It’s a covert government agency that not only polices the Paranormal, but also offers various services to help those of us that desire it to live normal lives. The PDA has an office in every major population center in the country and offers counseling, medical services, job placement services, legal services, and assistance with special needs.”

“Paranormal Defense Agency?” I asked. “I’ve never heard of it.”

“Nobody has, unless they have a good reason to,” he replied. “Only those in the highest level of government know about us and there is no mention of us in the budget. We get our funding through a company that acts as a front, and the government funnels money into that company via federal business grants and other sources. Practically every nation in the world has agencies like the PDA, to police the Paranormal and keep us secret from the general population.”

“Okay, I get why you’re telling this to Raven, those wings are going to be hard for her to hide, but why am I here?” Erin asked. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll blab about your organization?”

He shook his head. “If we were concerned about you telling others, we would get a PDA psychic to alter your memories of tonight. I believe this concerns you as well Miss Ross. What do you know about magic?”

Erin looked thoughtful for a moment. “Judging from what went on tonight, I’m going to take a stab in the dark and guess that it’s real. My people are more into spirituality than magic, but they could be interchangeable I guess. My grandfather was a Shaman for our tribe.”

“Did your grandfather ever mention anything about the paranormal or magic?” he asked.

“He told me that I was close to the spirits, and that he wanted me to follow in his footsteps. He taught me some before he died and left me his journals, but I didn’t take the old beliefs as seriously as I probably should have.” She looked away and sighed before continuing, “I thought I took them seriously, but I guess I didn’t really believe in anything I couldn’t physically see and touch before now. Are you trying to tell me that I’m a Mage like you?”

“No, I don’t think you’re a Mage Miss Ross,” he replied. “Mages are humans aligned to one or more of the ten elements. Those elements are Water, Earth, Fire, Air, Metal, Lightning, Wood, Ice, Divine, and Death, which the politically correct folks call Dark. You’re different; you seem to be connected to the spirit world instead of one of the elements. If you were a Mage I would offer to have one of the PDA Mages aligned to the same element as you train you, but since you’re not you’ll probably have to find a Shaman to do it, or develop your abilities on your own.”

“Or I could just go on with my life and forget this ever happened,” Erin countered.

~That would be difficult,~ Alice’s mom pointed out. ~You Manifested tonight, and once you’ve rubbed the lamp it’s hard to put the genie back inside. You have abilities now, untrained abilities, and untrained paranormal abilities could be dangerous to you and everyone around you.~ The rest of the ride to my house was spent in silence as both Erin and I considered the Mermaid’s words.

We were all just getting comfortable in my living room. In the light I was able to get a much better look at the three who had saved us. Jake MacArthur was a tall skinny man with a swimmer’s physique and red hair. What I had thought was a wet suit in the dark actually turned out to be a form fitting body armor, which matched that worn by his wife. Lila was tall and slim, with violet eyes and long coral colored hair. Alice on the other hand, wore her bright green hair in a short and wild style. Her eyes were bright amber and the bikini top and wrap she wore were of a similar shade as her hair.

Lydia arrived shortly after we were settled, and I looked up from where I was sitting on a stool when I heard the door open. “Now that we’re all here maybe you can start answering some of my questions Lydia,” I said once she had joined us.

My servant got comfortable in one of the armchairs. “I’ll answer anything you want to know, it’s about time you found out about who and what you are.”

“Let’s start with that then. What exactly am I?” I asked.

“You have mixed blood,” she replied. “Your father was a half Demon and your mother claimed to be a Valkyrie. Mixed Paranormals often have a lot of complications, as a result of the blending of the different physiologies and inherent magical qualities. Almost half suffer from some sort of physical deformities when they Manifest, and close to twenty percent are born Manifested like you were instead of Manifesting during puberty like most other Paranormals.”

I blinked in surprise. “I was born this way?”

She nodded slowly. “Your mother was a powerful user of Divine magic. She wanted you to be able to live a normal childhood and come into your abilities during puberty, like other Paranormals. So she decided to seal you not long after you were born, and then break the seal when you were in your teens.”

“Why did the seal break tonight if she wasn’t here to break it?” I asked.

Lydia nodded again before continuing her explanation. “As I said, she intended to break the seal when you were sixteen, but she always took precautions. She was worried that Baerahn’s cronies might come after you some day and she knew if that happened you’d only be able to protect yourself if you had your abilities, so she rigged the seal to break if you were ever attacked by a Demon.”

It seemed like every question I got answered was leading to more questions. “Who is this Baerahn, and why is my blood so important to him?”

“Baehran is an Archdemon with a lot of followers and a mad on for humans,” she explained. “Seventeen years ago he tried to bring a Demon army into our world, and a PDA Hunter team was sent to seal him before he could do that. That team was led by your parents. I helped them get close to him, but then everything went south. Their entire team was dead or dying, but before your mother succumbed to her wounds she was able to form a powerful seal using the blood of Baehran’s own son. Only the blood of Baehran’s family line can be used to break that seal.”

“Why the hell are his people after me then?” The irony of that phrase was not lost on me.

There was a heavy silence before Lydia replied. “Remember how I told you your father was a half Demon? He was Baehran’s son.”

“Well if gramps wants me so bad why doesn’t he come after me himself?” I asked, crossing my arms in annoyance.

~There are two types of seals,~ Lila MacArthur explained. ~The first type is a minor seal like the one used on you, we also use it to permanently seal the special abilities and magic of less dangerous Paranormal criminals, this essentially makes them no different than a normal human. The other type of seal is a full seal which seals both the Paranormal and their abilities in a pocket dimension. We use full seals on criminals too powerful for minor seals to effect. The type of seal your mother used on Baehran was a full seal. His followers need your blood to break that seal and return him to this plane.~

“And just what makes this house so safe from his followers?” I muttered. “The security system isn’t that good.”

“When you were born your mother placed powerful wards against Demons on this house and the grounds. Demons have no chance of getting past the wards she put up. Your mother made sure only three beings with demon blood could get past these wards; your father, myself, and you.”

“You’re a Demon?” I stared at my long time caregiver not willing to equate the sweet old woman who had raised me with something like that.

“My real name is Lydaethilia,” she explained. “I’m an Imp, and I am bound to serve you and your descendants until my death.”

“Bound? Do you mean you’re a slave?” Did that mean she only stuck by me and cared for me because she had no choice?

The Imp got out of her chair and knelt before me, taking my hand. “I am bound by my own choice and my blood. I swore a life oath to your father, and all his descendants, when he prevented Baehran from killing me. Nick was the bravest man I have ever known. Before they sealed Baehran , Nick and Siv ordered me to leave the battle and to care for and protect you if they didn’t make it out alive. I would have died for them. I kept you here to keep you safe, because I wasn’t powerful enough to protect you out there. Imps are shape shifters and spies, not bodyguards. I have been watching you in various forms since you started school, ready to call the PDA if you got into any trouble. You are the most important thing in the world to me.”

I could feel tears coming to my eyes. “I’m s-sorry,” I sniffled as I buried my face in her shoulder. “I left without any thought of how it was going to hurt you, I thought I knew what I needed better than you.”

“You’re grown up Raven; you needed your own life. I couldn’t keep this from you forever.” She held me tight until I stopped crying. She seemed to sense when I stopped and pulled away, “Do you have any other questions?”

I thought back on the events from earlier before nodding. “Why did the Demons panic so badly when the seal on me broke?”

Lydia grinned and let out a chuckle. “They were minor Demons, little more than errand boys. You are the product of a Valkyrie and Baehran’s son. Mixed abilities are unpredictable, but if you are anything like either of your parents, then at full power you would have wiped the floor with them.”

I frowned at the idea of being related to such an evil Demon. “If he’s so bad why didn’t they just kill him?”

Jake MacArthur mirrored my frown as he replied, “Demons are resilient bastards. Those as powerful as he is are damn hard to kill, and even if they had, his followers would have likely just collected his black soul and placed it in a new vessel.”

I sat there for a time going over everything in my mind, trying to think of more important questions to ask, when Erin asked what was quite possibly the most important question of them all. “What happens to us now?”

~Neither of you can return to school right now,~ Lila warned. ~Baehran’s followers will still be after Raven, probably in greater numbers, and they will be after you as well Erin. You stood up to them tonight, and lived to tell the tale, and that’s probably pissed them off since they saw you as just another human. They also know you’re close to Raven, which will give them even more incentive to get to you. Right now you’re both in danger if you leave this house without protection.~

“Not that I could leave the house anyway looking like this,” I grumbled. Not only did I have the wings to worry about, but also my fangs and inch long black claws in place of my finger and toenails.

“True, we’ll need to find a way for you to hide those wings of yours,” Jake put in. “You and Erin will need to be taught more about the paranormal as well.”

Lydia shrugged, “Nick and Siv both had the ability to hide their features and appear human, it’s common among Demons and I don’t know much about Valkyries, but Siv seemed to do it naturally as well. I would imagine that Raven has that ability to some degree. I would teach her, but Imp shape shifting is different, we have no set form like the rest of you and our shifting is closer to magical transformation than to actually changing shape. Also, staying in a specific shape for long periods of time is uncomfortable for us.”

~I could try to teach Raven how we Merfolk shift our tails into legs,~ Alice offered. ~The basic idea is the same and it might work for her to be able to retract her wings.~

“We have plenty of space if you want to stay here while you teach me,” I replied. “We can get the guest rooms set up for you and Erin. Is there anything we’ll need to do other than stay here and safe while I learn to hide these?”

“We’ll have agents go to collect your things from your dorm rooms and come up with a cover story for why you’re leaving school. We can work out the details on that tomorrow morning,” Jake said. “We’ll need to bring you in to the local PDA headquarters anyway to get your documentation sorted out, run some tests on the two of you, and figure out what you’re capable of. That way we can find out what you’ll need to do to learn to control your abilities. We can have a truck come by with your possessions, and some of the things Alice will need while she’s here, in the evening. We’ll also try to keep a few agents watching the house, in case Baehran’s followers get clever and try to send something other than Demons after you.”

“That all sounds good,” I said, trying to stifle a yawn, “but how do you expect to get me to this headquarters of yours without being seen.”

~We’ll send Alice in a delivery van with tinted windows,~ Lila offered. ~You can ride in the back, and when you get there she can pull up to the rear entrance.~ Her eyes closed for several seconds and then she smiled. ~The other two members of our team are outside and in position to watch the house while you sleep. Now that they’re here, we will leave for the night and start making the necessary arrangements .Try to get some rest girls, you’ll both have a busy day tomorrow.~

“I’ll try to, but what if that asshole tries to get into my dreams again? I asked.

“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Lydia put in. “The wards should prevent any intrusion like that from Demons.”

Our three rescuers took their leave for the evening after that, leaving Erin and I alone with Lydia. I had more that I wanted to ask the Imp, but Erin and I were both exhausted from our encounter and what had followed. I remembered her leading us upstairs, but nothing after that as I quickly fell asleep.