Chapter 7 #3
And isn’t that a disturbing thought?
“That means I’ve asked someone to come and weigh in on my theory. Here he is now.”
And sure enough, when I look to the door, the lucifer is standing there. He reminds me again of a neat, unassuming accountant, only slightly more interesting with his gentle smile and the twinkle in his eyes.
“Percy, hey,” Elinor says, sounding surprised. “I didn’t know you were still here.”
“I was supposed to leave hours ago, but one of the human heads of state called in a panic. Apparently news of pregnant couples disappearing is starting to trickle through to the humans.” There isn’t so much as a note of censure in his voice, but I still feel the words like a blow.
“We’ll get right back to work,” I assure him. Fuck, what an idiot I am to make the others waste time trying to teach me to use magic, of all things.
“You can’t work all the time; you’ll burn out,” he says quietly. “I know how many hours you’ve all put in on this, and how many more are coming.” He studies me. “Does your hair do that often?”
Oh, fuck! How embarrassing. I try again to smooth it down, but it’s just not happening.
“Yeah, uh, sorry. I’ve been trying to use magic, and I guess connecting to my inner energy has…
” I give up on both trying to explain and trying to control my hair.
I guess I’m still too in tune to my energy.
“I don’t normally come to work like this, sir,” I promise.
His gentle smile flashes into a grin. “I’m sure you don’t, but it doesn’t matter if you do. And please call me Percy.”
Call the lucifer by his name? “Sure.” I smile weakly. “Uh, thanks.”
Gideon steps forward. “It was your hair that got me thinking, Sam. David, correct me if I’m wrong, but humans don’t usually have that kind of reaction to their own life energy, do they?”
I look at David. They— we don’t?
He makes a face and shakes his head. “Not that I’ve ever heard. Your reaction all around to your inner energy and to magic overall was not quite what I expected.”
“I asked Percy to come and have a look. Because of his position, he’s able to see how magic interacts with beings on a molecular level.” Gideon meets my gaze levelly, and for the first time since our hookup all those years ago, he seems… open. Like he’s not being an asshole on any level.
I turn in a circle on the spot, looking for something I can hold on to. A chair? I would give everything I own for a chair right now.
In the next instant, someone’s shoved a chair at me and Gideon is holding my arm, directing me to sit.
“I don’t understand,” I mutter. “There’s… something wrong with me? On a molecular level ?” I’m not just human, I’m a defective human?
“That’s not what I meant,” Gideon rushes to assure me.
He’s crouched in front of me, holding my hands, and the warmth and rough texture of his skin race through me, giving my stupid hormones the wrong idea.
My dick, which had finally subsided in shock a moment ago, begins to stir again.
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with you.
I— Can we just let Percy have a look? It might be easier to explain after.
I could be completely wrong. You might just need to practice more to use human magic. ”
His dark gaze is locked on mine, intense, earnest, and I slowly nod.
After all, what can it hurt?
Gideon lets go of my hands and stands, and a moment later, the luci—Percy is pulling up a chair and sitting in front of me.
He smiles, and it’s immensely reassuring. “This won’t hurt,” he promises. “You probably won’t even feel it. If you do, it will be similar to the sensation of magic—which Gideon tells me you’re very aware of.”
I nod. “I’m ready.”
“What I’m going to do is look at you through a filter of magic.
It shows me things that my regular eyes can’t see—the genetic markers of your species, special talents and abilities, personality traits.
It’s not something I do often because it is an invasion of your privacy. So I need your permission.”
“You have it.” And I plan to grill him intensely later—politely, of course, since he is the lucifer—and find out all about myself. If I have a special talent I don’t know about, I’m going to learn.
He smiles again, and a moment later I feel the caress of the magic… intensify. I can’t think of another word to describe it.
Percy’s smile dims a little, and then puzzlement crosses his face, followed by concentration. Finally, he sits back.
“Well?” Andrew demands impatiently, and I start. I kind of forgot everyone else is still in the room.
Percy shakes his head. “Sam, in the nicest possible way, I have never seen anyone like you before.”
“It doesn’t matter how nicely you mean it, that still doesn’t sound good.” Maybe I am defective?
“Is there a reason he’s both so aware of and yet unable to manipulate magic?” David asks.
“Yes.” Percy blows out a breath. “He’s… not really human.”
I blink.
Did he…?
What?
The room spins.
“Whoa, Sam!” someone shouts, and then hands grab me and pull me back into the chair I was sliding out of. I shake my head firmly, dispelling the dizzy blackness.
“I’m okay,” I manage. “Sorry. Uh. Just a shock. Could I…?” I swallow. “Could I have some water?”
“Of course!” Lily goes to the sink while Andrew takes my pulse.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Gideon says calmly to him, a steadying hand still on my shoulder. “I wouldn’t even know what a human pulse rate should be.”
“Should he be checking for human or something else?” Elinor asks worriedly. “Sam, what’s your usual pulse rate?”
“I don’t know,” I mutter. I’ve done advanced first aid courses. I know what the baseline is for every species, but for some reason, I never really measured my own. I’ve had checkups before, though, so I assume it was normal for a human.
Which, apparently, I’m not.
“It’s a little fast for a human, but he has just had a shock,” Andrew says, letting go of my wrist. “I have no idea if it should be different, though.”
Lily gives me a glass, and I gulp the water down gratefully. “More?” she asks when I hand the glass back, but I shake my head.
“No, thank you.” I look at Percy. “Could you explain, please?”
He spreads his hands. “I will, as much as I can. But I think we need to be more comfortable. Let’s go to my office.”
I obediently follow along down the hallway toward the elevators, then crowd in.
Percy’s office is upstairs, on a floor that is, interestingly, less secure than the floor the investigators are located on.
I let my mind wander to thoughts of why, mostly so I don’t need to think about the fact that I’m “not really” human.
A hand slips into mine and squeezes.
I jerk my head up and look into Gideon’s face. He’s not smiling, his expression its usual glowering mask, but he meets my gaze, and something there is infinitely reassuring. He squeezes again, and then the elevator dings, the doors open, and he lets go of my hand.
The office assigned to the lucifer is spacious and comfortable, with a living-room-like seating area that can fit us all. I opt for the couch rather than an armchair, so I don’t feel alone. It’s stupid, but I really don’t want to be isolated in any way right now.
Percy settles into an armchair and looks at me. “I’m sorry to have given you such a shock,” he reiterates. “It’s actually shocking for me, too. I’ve never seen any situation like this before.”
I just nod.
“You said he’s not human,” Elinor says, “but wouldn’t we have noticed that? He smells human. He’s been working here for five years. What is he if he’s not human, and how did nobody know?”
“It’s complicated,” Percy reiterates. “Really complicated. He is human… but not really.”
“You’re killing me here, Percy,” Andrew says, and Percy shakes his head.
“I know. Let me try to explain. I’m still getting my head around it myself.” He pauses, looking into the distance as though thinking. “The best way I can think to describe it is that his shifter side—oh, you’re a shifter, by the way—”
“I knew it,” Gideon gloats, while I try to wrap my brain around the fact that I’m a shifter, I’m not human .
“How did you know?” Elinor demands, standing from beside me and planting her hands on her hips.
“Hellhound or felid?” David asks.
“Wait.” Gideon holds up a hand and digs out his phone. A second later, he’s showing everyone something on the screen. Eyes widen, and Lily says, “Oooh.”
“Do I get to see?” I snap.
“In a second,” Andrew promises. “Percy, is Gideon right?”
Are they fucking serious? In a second? This is my identity we’re talking about. Or my alter-identity. Fuck, how does it work? Especially since I apparently can’t shift.
Or maybe I can and I just never have because I thought I was human?
This is too confusing.
“Gideon’s right,” Percy confirms, and Gideon turns the phone in my direction at last. On the screen is a photo of some adorable baby cheetahs, their fluffy hair standing up.
“Does… uh, this might seem like the wrong thing to focus on, but felid shifters don’t have fur that stands on end like that, do they? Is, uh, is mine part of my….” I can’t think of the word I want to use.
“They don’t,” Percy confirms. “At a guess, I’d say your hair is doing that still because of your age. As a shifter, you’re still very young. But as I was saying before, the best way I can think to describe it is that your shifter side is dormant.”
“Dormant?” Gideon’s word is sharp. “Community genes don’t go dormant to human genes.”
I try to remember everything I’ve read on this subject.
When humans breed with any community species, the community genes dominate.
The baby is born without any human DNA at all, which doesn’t make sense logically, but I’m told it comes down to magic.
On the other hand, when two community species procreate, the child can take genetic material from either or both species—for example, a baby born of a vampire and a shifter may be mostly shifter but have a need to ingest blood.