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

As exhausted as I was, my sleep was broken. I kept getting my wings tangled in the sheets, lying on top of one, or finding a dozen other ways in which having a nearly twelve foot wingspan could make for an uncomfortable sleep. At some point during the night I threw off my covers and lay on my side. In that position, with my wings spread out behind me, I finally managed to sleep until the smell of coffee and frying bacon woke me.

I sat up in bed and tried to rub the sleep from my eyes, ignoring the protests from my stomach. There was a kink in my back, from my various awkward sleeping positions during the night, and I stretched in an attempt to work it out. This of course, caused my wings to unfurl and knocked the lamp from my bedside table, sending it to the floor with a crash. I heard movement in the guest room across the hall and a moment later my door was thrown open to reveal Erin, still clad in the white mini dress from the night before, with a look of concern on her face. “Raven are you okay?!”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I replied while trying to give her a reassuring smile. “I’m just not used to these yet and knocked over my lamp. How are you this morning?”

“I guess I’m okay. I was a little confused waking up in a strange room. I would ask if last night really happened, but I can already see the answer to that question.” She came into the room and sat on the foot of my bed. “How do they feel? Are they heavy?”

I shrugged, causing the appendages in question to move again. “They’re not really heavy,” I admitted after a moment’s thought. “It’s more that I’m not used to having the weight there, and it’s throwing off my balance a bit. They feel weird, kind of like having an extra pair of arms that I have no idea how to use. They’re sensitive too.”

“Could I… touch them?” she asked. She quickly looked away, embarrassed. “Never mind, you probably don’t even want to think about them right now, let alone have people pawing at them.”

“It’s kind of hard to ignore them, and I think I’m probably going to have them for the rest of my life, so I should probably try to get used to them.” I attempted another smile as I moved closer to her and took her hand, raising it to my right wing “You’re my best friend Erin, it’s okay if you’re curious, I know I would be if our positions were reversed.”

As I let go of her hand, she tentatively touched the black feathers. Uncertain, she looked to me for approval and when I nodded the tentative touch became a soft caress. “They’re so soft.” I shivered at the caress and she quickly pulled her hand away, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine; it just feels weird having someone touch them. It’s kind of like a shiver running down my spine, but it’s not my spine.”

We sat there for a moment with her staring at my wings and gently moving her hands along one. Suddenly she broke out into a fit of giggles. “I guess your name is more appropriate than I thought.” I stared at her in confusion wondering what exactly had set her off. It must have shown on my face, because she was quick to explain. “Sorry Raven, remember when we first met and I told you that I was trying to see the God Raven in you?”

I nodded slowly, “You said everyone sees him differently because he’s a reflection of ourselves or something, and none of our friends could see me as a mischievous and selfish lecher. I may have the wings for it now, but I don’t think anything has changed up here,” I said tapping my forehead.

“No, I think you’re still the same girl you were before, just with a few new additions. I also said that some people saw him as a magician, creator, and transformer, and you have been transformed by magic in a way.” She sighed as she stood up, suddenly serious. “We’re in over our heads right now Raven. We both need to learn as much as we can, and soon.”

“Hopefully those people can help us with that. Maybe they can get a Shaman to teach you,” I suggested hopefully.

She shook her head sadly. “I doubt it. Grandfather told me that Shamans of different tribes are usually competitive with one another, and they don’t trust outsiders. They don’t share their secrets with anyone but their successors. Hopefully I can learn what I need to from my grandfather’s journals.”

“Where are the journals?” I asked as I got off my bed and walked to my closet.

“Remember that old chest at the foot of my bed?” she asked. When I nodded she went on to add, “Everything my grandfather left me when he died last year is in that chest.”

“Good, that means you can start studying as soon as they bring our stuff here. Let’s find something to wear. I didn’t leave many clothes here when I left for school, it’s mostly summer stuff, but hopefully we can find something that works. I don’t know about you, but I never want to see these costumes again.”

We managed to find a hunter green ankle length skirt and a cream colored silk blouse that fit Erin, while I opted for a pair of tight jeans and an aquamarine halter top that didn’t bother my wings. Once we were dressed we left my room and headed downstairs to the kitchen, where Lydia was setting the table for breakfast. “You two are just in time, breakfast is ready and the MacArthur’s just phoned to let us know that Alice should be here with the van in half an hour. I was about to come and wake you. How did you sleep?”

“I had some bad dreams, but the bed was very comfortable thank you,” Erin replied.

“I was too tired to dream I think,” I put in. “It was nice to not have nightmares for once. When I finally found a position that was comfortable for my wings I slept like a log.” I took my seat at the table and looked at the breakfast. “Thanks Lydia, you always make a great breakfast.” Erin sat down beside me while Lydia sat across from me, and we all ate in silence for several minutes before it started to get to me. “You said last night that Imps get uncomfortable staying in a specific form for a long period of time?”

The Imp nodded. “Yes dear, we get uncomfortable staying in specific forms for lengthy periods, though most of us have a type of form we prefer over others and that we are relatively comfortable in. It’s sort of a signature form, never exactly the same twice but usually with similar age, gender and other variables.”

“Is that your preferred type of form?” I asked. When she shook her head I frowned at her. “You don’t need to pretend to be my elderly nanny any more if it’s uncomfortable for you; I want you to be free to be yourself.”

“You might find my preferred form difficult to adjust to,” she said with a shake of her head.

“You do realize that is only going to make us want to see it even more,” Erin stated between bites of toast. “So what is it, some kind of Demon? Alien? Talking Platypus? Don’t leave us hanging.”

Lydia rolled her eyes but raised her hands in surrender. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Her features became fluid and she seemed to shrink until finally the flesh colored blob resolved itself into an adorable little girl in a denim romper over a white t-shirt. She was maybe six or seven years old with big blue eyes and her blonde hair was tied up in pigtails. Prominently displayed on the front of the romper in a white circle was a hand displaying its middle finger, it was the last thing I had expected.

Apparently Erin felt the same way. She just stared for a moment before finally managing to utter, “I… I think you broke my brain.”

Little girl Lydia giggled and grinned at us. “I told you so.” Then we all returned to eating breakfast while she explained what would be happening. “When you leave with Alice in the delivery van, her parents and their team will be following you in another van while I keep watch from the air. As a last resort, I’ve placed cans of para-mace in your purses.”

“Para-mace?” I asked. “And how did you manage to get our purses? We forgot them at the party last night in all the confusion. I wouldn’t have been able to get in the house last night if I hadn’t remembered where we keep the spare key.”

“When I went to pick up your car last night I went in to the party disguised as you, to get your purses and tell your roommate that you and Erin were leaving,” she explained. “I couldn’t copy you perfectly, but it was good enough to fool a bunch of drunk university students. Para-mace is like pepper spray, but for use against some of the nastier Paranormals; Vampires, Demons, rabid Werefolk, and the like. It contains garlic, vervain, sea salt, silver nitrate and wolfsbane, and it’s enchanted with Divine magic to give it a little extra kick. It won’t do any permanent harm, but it hurts like hell to anything aligned with Death magic.”

“I’m part Demon Lydia,” I pointed out, “what if I’m aligned to Death magic?”

“Try not to use the mace unless you have to,” she replied with a shrug. “Hopefully today we’ll find out more about you, and that should give the PDA a baseline to work from.”

It was then that the intercom for the front gate buzzed. After making sure it was Alice, I activated the gate to let her into the grounds and then Erin and I grabbed our purses and went out the front door. A worn looking beige van was pulling up the driveway and when it stopped in front of the door I could see displayed on the side in faded lettering, Werehouse Imports and Exports. “Funny name,” Erin said with a chuckle, “I wonder if it was intentional, or if it was just a typo and they ran with it.”

~It was intentional,~ Alice supplied with a grin as she opened the rear doors and gestured for me to get inside. She was dressed in a black leather vest and boots, torn jeans and a t-shirt displaying a heavy metal band logo. That, the piercings in her ears and eyebrow, her amber eyes, and wild green hair gave her a decidedly punk look. ~The founder of the company the PDA uses as a front was a Werewolf. He figured if we can’t laugh at ourselves, who can we laugh at.~

“That’s a good look on you,” I commented as I climbed into the back. Once I was fully inside, settled on some cushions with my wings clear of the doors, Alice closed the rear doors and she and Erin climbed into the front seats.

As she settled in and started the engine Alice smiled at me over her shoulder. ~When you have green hair and amber eyes, people don’t give it another thought if you’re dressed like this. It sure beats dying my hair and wearing contacts.~

The drive to the PDA headquarters was long and uneventful. We wound our way through the streets of the west side, over Burrard Street Bridge, and then through downtown Vancouver until we reached a large run-down warehouse on the waterfront, and near the docks, with an attached office building and a sign matching the faded lettering on the van. “I have to admit, this is the last place I would look for a covert government agency,” I said as Alice backed the van up to the delivery entrance.

~The warehouse itself and the first floor of the office building are exactly what they appear to be,~ Alice’s musical mind voice noted as she turned off the engine. ~It’s a fairly profitable import/export business from what I’m told. In its official capacity this warehouse and office employs a large number of Paranormals, and humans who are in the loop. Also, some of the imports are unusual or hard to find items that Paranormals need to live somewhat normal lives, or equipment for the PDA itself.~

“I guess the PDA uses the upper floors for the covert stuff then?” Erin asked uncertainly.

The mermaid shrugged. ~Yes and no. The remaining floors are for PDA business. All registration and government services are located on the second floor, the third floor is dedicated to counseling and medical services, and the fourth floor is for helping Paranormals find employment and homes suited to their needs, and for recruiting specialized Paranormals for emergency work. The real covert stuff, policing Paranormals and damage control when the humans see something they shouldn’t, goes on downstairs. There is a large complex beneath the warehouse and office building that contains the policing department, training facilities, and special equipment for the PDA Hunters.~

Erin and Alice opened their doors and came around to the back to open the rear doors and usher me inside the busy warehouse. The mermaid’s parents fell into step with us and guided us, through the crates, workers, and occasional forklifts, to a side door that led to the attached office building. That door let out in an empty room with only a door leading to the rest of the first floor and an elevator. Lila pressed the button to the elevator and we all climbed inside, where she then swiped a key card and pressed the button for the basement level one.

“Normally we have new Paranormals go upstairs to meet with our doctors and counselors and to get registered,” Alice’s father said, “but since you’re a special case, I’ve gotten the Chief’s permission to get it all done downstairs where things are a bit more secure. Only PDA Agents with key cards, or those accompanied by them, are allowed downstairs.”

“Umm… thanks… I think,” I responded as I felt us begin to go down.

Once we were downstairs we were led to an office with four desks, each with a computer and one of which had various papers strewn across it. Alice’s father continued to explain, “Almost this entire floor is offices and the crime labs. The training facilities are downstairs, and we’ll take you there later to test you for abilities. This is our team’s office; I thought it would be more comfortable discussing things here until we get to the testing.”

“Is Alice part of your team too?” Erin asked.

The Mermaid in question shook her head. ~No, but I do want to join a Hunter team someday, so I’m sort of a trainee. Also, Mom and Dad thought you both might be more comfortable with someone your own age who has been through a sudden Manifestation. I only Manifested last year when I was eighteen. Usually Merfolk Manifest between twelve and fourteen years old, when puberty starts. I had pretty much given up on it happening and planned on going to college. Then it happened while I was swimming with some human friends at the beach one night. We had to get a PDA Psychic in to rewrite their memories about me. I couldn’t really hang around my old human friends anymore, they’re not in the loop about us and there would be too many questions about how I lost my voice and my sudden change in style.~

“I’m sorry it had to happen to you that way,” I said to the now sad-looking Mermaid, “but it’s nice to know we’re not alone in this.”

“Yup, misery loves company and all that,” Erin agreed, putting an arm around both me and Alice.

Erin and I both got a photo taken and then took a seat while Alice helped us with the paperwork for our PDA registration cards, which we would be issued later in the day. While we were filling those out, we discussed with the MacArthur’s the cover story the PDA would use when it went to collect our belongings. The plan we finally came up with was for two agents to go in posing as Lydia and a mover. The one posing as Lydia would be a psychic, and she would reinforce the story they would give in the minds of our friends, deal with administration, and handle any other unexpected difficulties.

The story that the one posing as Lydia would tell our friends was that I had had a nervous breakdown and decided to quit school and go somewhere to get away from it all. Erin had suggested her family cabin in the woods on Haida Gwaii and offered to stay with me until I was feeling better, with the idea that we could both return to school next year. I had then booked a plane to fly us to the islands and instructed Lydia to hire a mover and retrieve our things from the dorms. Erin and I also wrote handwritten notes to our respective roommates to add to the believability. It was hard for us to write those notes, hell this whole plan was hard to accept, but we also knew it was necessary if we didn’t want our friends getting accidentally dragged into all of this.

Once our story was set and the agents were on their way, one of the PDA psychological team was brought in to talk with us and see how we were coping. Dr. Maher was a short and slightly chubby man with curly brown hair and green eyes, who preferred being comfortable to wearing a suit and I liked him immediately. He had a way of putting me at ease, and there was no doubt that he cared about his patients. When I mentioned that, he told me that Empaths can’t help but care about how others feel. Overall, he thought we were both adjusting as well as could be expected, but he advised us that he and other psychologists were available on the third floor if we ever felt that we needed somebody to talk to. He also gave us his business card with his phone number and email address, in case we felt that need.

When Dr. Maher was finished with us, the MacArthurs escorted us to the crime labs and medical area, where a slim woman with greying brown hair and wearing a lab coat was apparently waiting for us. She looked up from her computer as we entered and smiled, her eyes settling right on me. “Ah! You must be Nick and Siv’s daughter! I’d recognize those wings anywhere.” She hopped off her stool and slithered over to enthusiastically shake my hand. I thought at first that my eyes were playing tricks on me. but there was definitely a snake’s tail under that lab coat instead of legs.

Noticing the direction of my stare the woman chuckled, “Forgive me dear, I forgot that you must be new to all of this. It gets uncomfortable maintaining a human form all the time, so a lot of us here work in our natural forms if possible unless we’re out on an assignment.” She seemed to grow taller as her tail split, brown scales fading to the natural olive color of her skin, as the two halves of her tail became legs.

“I am never going to get used to that,” Erin muttered beside me.

Jake laughed at that, “It does take a while, but you will in time. Girls I would like you to meet Dr. Sylvia Jennings. Sylvia, as you guessed, this is Raven Demarco and her friend Erin Ross.”

“It’s nice to meet you Dr. Jennings. Did you know my parents?” I asked as I thought over what she had said.

“As well as I’ve known any of the Hunters working here,” she replied. “I’m the one who patches up all the injuries our people get out in the field. I never had to do much with your parents though, Siv was pretty resilient and Nick had that Demon regeneration of his.”

I hoped that this woman could tell me at least a little about my parents. “You said you recognized my wings, did one of my parents have wings like this?”

“Don’t be silly, your mother’s wings were white,” the doctor said. “I recognize your wings because I was there when you were born. Let me tell you, those wings, even though they were relatively small at the time, did not make your birth easy for poor Siv. She took it like a champ though. She had a feeling that you were Manifested in the womb and she knew that meant there was a possibility that you had wings, but she still delivered you naturally.”

Dr. Jennings then took me to the examination room and had me undress and change into a paper gown. Once I was changed and sitting on the examining table, she came into the room with a clipboard. “I’m going to give you a brief physical, and once I’m done with you Jake and Lila will take you downstairs for a more thorough testing while I examine your friend. I usually use this room to patch up injured Hunters, but I have everything I’ll need here to examine you.” I nodded mutely and let her get to work.

She began with all the usual stuff; reflexes, blood pressure, breathing, heart rate, and checking the eyes, ears, and mouth. After finishing the gynecological exam she went on to ask if had been having any troubles or if anything had felt wrong since the seal had broken, other than having wings. The only thing I could really think of was the fact that I didn’t seem to know my own strength. I had shattered three glasses at breakfast that morning just trying to pick them up for a drink and considered myself very fortunate that I hadn’t cut my hand or something. I had also snapped more than a dozen pens in half while trying to fill out my PDA paperwork before Alice took over writing for me.

Finally the Lamia finished the examination, well most of it, and smiled at me. “Well Raven, you seem to be in very good health. Your canines are larger and sharper than a normal human’s but that's not too surprising given your mixed physiology. I’m also concerned about your weight; you’re about 20 kilos heavier than you should be at your size, even taking your wings into account. Now I’m going to try to take some blood, so we can run some tests on it. I want to make sure you don’t have any genetic defects due to your mixed parentage.”

“I hate needles,” I muttered, and closed my eyes as she moved the offending object toward my arm.

“Well I guess that’s one question answered,” I heard the doctor mutter. I opened my eyes to see that the needle she was holding was bent. “Damn, that was one of my good tungsten needles. Just a moment Raven, I’ll need to find one of my enchanted ones.”

“What’s wrong?” I asked as she searched through a metal cabinet.

“Your skin is too tough for the needle to penetrate,” the doctor replied as she found what she was looking for and turned back to me. “It’s not surprising; Siv’s skin couldn’t be penetrated by much except enchanted weapons. The only times I ever saw her in here were when there was magic involved, or some sort of internal injury like broken bones or a concussion.” She jabbed me with the new needle and managed to get it to pierce my skin.

When she figured she had enough blood she pulled out the needle and carefully watched the wound. “Hmmm,” she murmured, “I need to test something else. This might sting a bit, but I’m going to use one of my enchanted scalpels to make a small incision in your upper arm. Is that alright with you? You can close your eyes if it makes it easier.” I nodded my consent and closed my eyes tight. A moment later I felt a sharp sting in my arm followed by a tingling sensation. When I finally opened my eyes Dr. Jennings was wiping a little blood off my arm with a disinfectant wipe. “It seems you got something from your father other than those claws and teeth after all.”

I looked over my unmarked arm in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Most Demons have a form of high speed regeneration, its part of what makes them so difficult to kill, their wounds heal very quickly. Your father had it, and it seems that you do too. I don’t think you heal as fast as Nick did or full blooded Demons do, but it’s pretty damn close. That, combined with your mother’s hard skin, is going to make you damn hard for anything to hurt or kill.”

I gaped at the older woman in shock. “Are you saying I’m indestructible?”

The question caused Dr. Jennings to laugh as she replied, “Hardly. Your parents both shared a vulnerability to magic and enchanted weapons. There are probably quite a few things that can hurt you and I doubt, even with that regeneration, you’d live through something like decapitation. Still, you’ll be able to take quite a bit of damage if my guess is right. And as sharp and strong as demon claws tend to be, you should be able to give as good as you get.”

“Oh,” I replied, not sure whether I was relieved or disappointed. “Are there any other tests you need to do?”

“No, I think I’ve got everything I need from you. You can get changed while I go take this blood sample to the boys in the lab for analysis. Please send Erin in on your way out and ask her to get changed into a gown.” She smiled at me as she turned and left, closing the door behind her.

Once I was back in my clothes and Erin was in the room awaiting her own exam, the MacArthurs led me back to the elevator where we went down to the sub-basement. ~This may take a while,~ Lila said to her husband as we stopped at a door to the right. ~Did you want to take Alice to the shooting range for a bit? It’s a good chance for her to get some practice in.~

Jake nodded. “True, we don’t all need to be in there and Alice and I don’t get to practice together much. We’ll come join you once we get tired of putting holes in things. Come on Alice; let’s see if you’ve improved any since last time.”

~Sure Dad, that sounds like fun.~ She turned and waved as she and her father went further down the hallway. ~Good luck Raven.~

Lila opened the door and held it open for me with a smile. ~Let’s go see what you’re made of.~