Satyr Play 02 Pt. 01

"Is everyone ok?" he asked instead.

"Yes. We got Nate away from the Marquise. Camila, Marisa, and Siobhan are all good. A few cuts, some bruises. Roy called in a Council clean-up team. Mahati received a statement to share with us. The team left the scene with enough clues to give a reasonable and mundane cover story to explain what was found, including the death of the Marquise and the ship's crew."

"They're all dead?" he gasped.

Sigrid nodded sadly but held off on telling him his part in the death of the Marquise. "The clean-up team killed the crew to eliminate loose ends." Sigrid hated the Council's team default solution.

"The story is that she, and her friend Chantelle, both known for the escalation of their thrill-seeking, borrowed the yacht to sneak into New York City to kidnap the child of one of the city's crime syndicate families. Documents hinting at this were on the ship. The stunt went bad, and the target family took their revenge. They torched the yacht with the Marquise's body chained to the bed."

"What if they ask the families?" Henry asked.

"None will admit that this could happen to one of their children and all could have done what happened to the Marquise. They'll all believe one of the other families did it so they'll all maintain their innocence but not vigorously. Since no one will claim it, they'll all use the story to their advantage and as a warning."

Henry rested back against the pillows, stunned by the viciousness of the solution. "This all happened last night?" he asked cautiously.

"Yes- oh! Roy called in the middle of the night. Apparently when he licked your wounds to seal and heal them..." she paused when she saw Henry's horrified expression. "Oh stop it! Werewolves have all kinds of healing capabilities. Besides, you can't catch anything from him. Anyway, while healing you, he got a mouthful of your blood. The Wild Magic saturating it knocked him out and when he woke he'd changed."

Henry gave her a worried look. "Better or worse?"

She smiled. "Roy said better. He hasn't called me back yet so I don't know what the changes are." She saw Henry was still worried so she ran her fingers through his hair. "He didn't sound upset. It's good."

He smiled for her then his eyes slowly shut while she enjoyed his soft hair. Soon he was breathing deeply with a gentle smile on his lips.

Meixiu looked at Sigrid's matching smile then followed her out of the room.

As they made their way downstairs Meixiu caught Sigrid's eye. She'd explained the events of the night to Meixiu in great detail. "Why didn't you tell him he killed the Marquise?"

Sigrid frowned unhappily. "Henry's a gentle soul. That information would make him very upset. I don't think he was aware of what he was doing by the time he ran over her. It was an accident. There's no need to tell him as it would just cause him pain."

Meixiu thought about that and nodded to the tall blonde. She was such a good judge of people. Far better than Meixiu who'd been sheltered for so long her ability to empathize with others sometimes felt like it had atrophied from lack of use.

She liked Henry. He was kind. She remembered when he was Stanley Garin, a much smaller man and it pleased her that, even with his larger body, he hadn't changed inside.

Marquise Oletha Thanemark sounded like a very bad person to Meixiu. She felt like the universe was balancing itself by having such a good person remove the bad. There were a lot of bad people out there in the world. It made her feel better when good triumphed. She allowed herself a little smile. Sigrid called her a romantic.

Maybe she was.

She couldn't wait for Henry to get better. She wanted to show him just how much of a romantic she could be.

Chapter 19

Nate stretched his arms above his head and yawned mightily. The night before had been amazing! Camila was an exciting and skilled lover. Sex with her, both times last night, had been better than his one experience with Oletha. He frowned as he recalled that woman's gruesome end. He gave himself a little shake. He wouldn't let himself brood over that as the night's ultimate resolution was so much better than finding himself on his way to England to be a slave.

Like his time with Oletha, he didn't feel like he'd fed. The sex had been amazing, but it was just that, sex. Not that he was in any way disappointed! Camila claimed to have received energy from it, so she was happy.

He looked around the stylish and expensively furnished room and smiled. Certainly more comfortable than his rented bedroom in Jo's apartment. His happiness immediately dimmed again as he recalled the words of the lovely brown skinned woman last night. Stay away from Jo, she'd said. The blond was his best friend! He didn't want to lose her!

"What's that frown for?" Camila said as she entered the bedroom.

"Not for anything you did!" Nate said, replacing his expression with a smile.

She raised an exquisite eyebrow as she held his eyes and Nate shrugged gently. "I was thinking about my friend Jo. That woman last night told me to stay away from her but- I need her. She's my friend."

"So keep her as a friend. Just be cognizant of the dangers you potentially represent for her. Henry has a small circle of Human friends. They're precious to him."

He winced again when he heard her mention humans. She even said 'human' with a different emphasis than he did. "Sorry for screwing up last night when I mentioned Jo wasn't like us."

"That brings me to a question I have for you. You were unaware of your true state until last year, yes?" He nodded. "During your life did you ever spend time with a little old Slavic woman in a peasant's dress?" Nate slowly shook his head as he couldn't recall such a person. Camila continued. "A very grumpy, unpleasant woman-"

Lights came on behind Nate's eyes. "Oh! There was that one time back on the night with Oletha. A woman matching that description walked up to me, scowled at me strangely for a moment and said 'Shit!' before walking away. She made an impression, but I haven't seen her since. I don't recall seeing her before that day."

Camila nodded as she pondered that. "That was probably her. She's the one responsible for pulling Henry from the past. Like you, he grew up believing he was Human and learned nothing of how to disguise his true nature as he was unaware of it. Unlike you, he lived with the crone. His introduction to the Hidden Races was not smooth."

"I'd like to get to know him," Nate said.

"You should. Henry could use a friend to pull him out of his solitude. A male friend especially," Camila said. "You need to get cleaned up as I need to take you to the office today to speak with Mahati Chandra, the lawyer you met last night. You'll also need to meet with the heads of the Hidden Races Council as you represent another 'Wild Card' for them. You need to be on their good side as we all depend on them for our continued existence," she finished.

Nate looked at her in trepidation. "That's not intimidating at all!"

She nodded. "It helps to maintain that caution. Remember, the Hidden Races are greatly outnumbered by Humans who, for the most part, would hunt us to extinction if they knew we existed. Secrecy means our survival. That can't be over-emphasized. Tremendous effort is made to ensure any hint of our existence is eliminated, sometimes fatally, as happened with the ship's crew from last night."

"What?!?" Nate gasped.

Camila nodded. "The crew I met were showing signs of mental distress. Oletha abused their minds on the trip over to New York. She overfed which was why she was so strong. Who knows how damaged she would have left them after the return trip." She frowned sadly. "The clean-up team took the expedient course of action and killed them, using their deaths as part of the cover story."

Nate stared at her in surprise. "That's... frightening!"

She nodded. "The Council takes our safety and survival seriously. You'll need to prove you aren't a threat to that-" When Nate made a noise of protest she held up her hands. "We'll help you as we helped Henry. We're the best ones equipped to deal with this, and we're in your corner. Make no mention to anyone about your link to the realm of Wild Magic, nor it's transformative effect on others." She gave him a sympathetic look as she saw the lost look on his face. "Your new life isn't as bad as it may seem at the moment. There are many amazing aspects you have yet to discover. You have to learn a new set of rules. You're already an expert at the most critical one."

He looked at her curiously.

"How to behave like a Human. You and Henry do it far more comfortably than us," she said with a smile. "Now, go get ready. I washed your clothes, but you have no shoes or socks. When you're finished in the washroom, I'll show you how to include clothes in your glamor."

He smiled and slipped out of bed. He walked up to her and gave her a sensual kiss. She smiled and gently pushed him toward the door.

"That was lovely, but we need to move!" she said with a smile.

He double timed it to the washroom she mentioned and took a quick shower. She met him in the living room with a magazine open to a picture of an ad with a well-dressed male model.

"You'll need a visual aid at first, and it might take a few tries to get it right, but you'll get it. First, drop your glamor," she instructed.

He did and smiled at her.

She lifted the magazine and held it before him. "Now, look very carefully at the image. Make a mental note of the style and design of the shirt, the jacket, the slacks, the shoes, and socks. Absorb all of the little details of his outfit. See yourself in those clothes. Imagine how they feel and move on you. Keep looking at the picture and keep it in your mind as you engage your glamor."

Nate was suddenly human again, but this time he had clothes on- minus the shoes.

"You stopped thinking about the shoes," Camila said with a smile. "Once again."

It only took two more attempts with him staring intently at the picture to get it right, and Camila praised him for the success. She tore the page from the magazine and stuck it in her purse.

"Until you can do it without the visual aid and it's second nature, stick to real clothes if you are going to hang out with Humans as no one can afford a constantly changing wardrobe. You need to maintain a fixed set of clothing. I've been doing this long enough that I keep a wardrobe set in my mind."

"Right!" he nodded. That made sense to him.

They made their way down to her car for the drive to work. As she drove, she glanced over at him to catch him admiring her.

"I have another question for you," she said. "And I want you to think carefully before you answer. The Council may ask you the same question, and you'll need an honest answer."

Nate was still feeling a little nervous about meeting this group, but he nodded to her. "Shoot."

"What do you want out of your life now that you're aware of your true self?"

Nate's eyebrow rose. "What do I want?"

"Yes, what does your life look like to you now? How do you envision your life going forward? Give it some thought." Camila concentrated on getting them through the busy morning traffic as Nate sat quietly thinking.

He knew he couldn't do anything with his new state that would attract any attention. It was a colossal secret that he couldn't share. So really, it came down to what did Nate the human want? The answer came to him quickly. A soul mate. Like his dad found with his mom. He knew he couldn't have that with a human. He now knew he was a slow acting poison for humans. In a physical relationship at least. His platonic relationship with Jo hadn't caused her personality to warp.

He suddenly realized he hadn't checked on her and the guilt slammed down. "I need to call Jo. Make sure she's ok. She was taken back to her apartment last night, wasn't she?" he asked as he searched his pockets for his cell. Then he recalled these clothes were just a glamor but didn't recall the phone being in his other pants.

Camila nodded then caught his frown. "What's wrong?"

He looked at her. "I think I lost my cell! What if it was on the yacht?" he asked anxiously.

Camila shook her head. "The clean-up crew doesn't make mistakes. Besides Oletha wouldn't have allowed you to keep it. It was likely destroyed to keep you from being located by it."

Nate slumped back in his chair. "Another reason to hate her, as if I didn't have enough." He saw Camila's sympathetic smile and sighed as he collected his thoughts. He considered the woman beside him. From her condo and her car and her role as CEO of her own company he knew she was successful and wealthy. Things he aspired to be one day. But she lived alone. He was deeply curious about that.

"Maybe I should have asked this before we enjoyed ourselves last night but, is there a Mr. Villamor?" he asked.

She snorted softly. "No, I'm not married."

"Is there a reason? I understand there aren't many Incubi. Is that why?" he asked.

She gave him a curious glance. "Succubi and Incubi don't typically stay with one partner for very long." She paused as his question exposed a significant gap in his knowledge about their kind. "You probably haven't been told this yet, and I'm sorry to tell you so bluntly." He looked at her nervously. "One of the important things to know about Succubi and Incubi is that we have very long lifespans. Barring accidental death, we can live for hundreds of years. Spending that much time with one partner would be difficult. It's just not in our natures. Our longevity also means at some point you'll have to end your relationship with your Human friend before she realizes you aren't aging as she is. I'm sorry."

Nate stared out the windshield at nothing at all while Camila's words circled in his mind. It was both amazing and depressing news. He'd received the gift of living to see the future, but he wouldn't be able to share it with Jo or bring her with him. To hide his secret, he was going to have to abandon her. The shock deepened as he thought of his gang of friends from high school and college; Joey, Dave, Jeff- shit.

He returned to the present when Camila touched his arm. He glanced around and saw they were parked in an underground parking lot. "Oh! We're here?"

She nodded. "I'm so sorry to hit you with that information unprepared."

"No, I was going to have to learn sometime. It's good. I mean, some of it is good. The other part..."

She nodded. "Without knowing from the beginning, of course, you'd form strong relationships with your Human friends."

The unfairness of it filled Nate with a directionless rage. "We can't tell anyone?" he blurted.

"No. Never. You'd be putting their lives and ours at risk. The Council takes steps to ensure the secret remains protected," Camila explained carefully.

"Right. I get that." He sighed wearily. "I mean, I knew I'd be saying goodbye to them eventually but... I thought I'd be able to grow old with them. Share all that crazy old man shit with the guys."

Camila just waited patiently.

He ran his hands over his face. "Right. OK. I got this. Let's go meet the lawyer."

They got out and made their way to the elevators. Nate's mind was taking him all over the place. He had so many questions.

The elevator took them up to the top floor. Nate eyed the two large men standing by the doors in the elevator lobby, and they eyed him as they nodded to Camila.

He spotted the nameplates for the executive offices as they walked down the hall and he paused next to one. "Henry Gable, CIO," he read aloud. Camila smiled at him. "That guy is a CIO? He can't be much older than me!" he blurted.

"He may be a little younger," Camila replied with a smug little smile. "Marisa is his Executive Assistant." She glanced in the door, but her daughter wasn't in yet.

"How did he land the CIO gig?" Nate asked.

Camila gestured for him to follow and led him down the hall to pass before the windows of a server room. Nate admired the flashing lights. The room was visibly a server room, a very neat and tidy one with lots of hi-tech looking equipment inside but he knew close to nothing about computers. "Very nice."

She smiled and motioned for him to continue following her. They entered a waiting room with a good looking man behind a desk.

"Good morning, Felix! This is Nate Walker." The two men nodded to each other with a smile. "Has Ms. Chandra called yet?" Camila asked.

"Good morning. Ms. Chandra called to say she would arrive in," he glanced at the clock on his screen. "...fifteen minutes."

"Thank you. I'll be with Nate until she arrives." Camila nodded and walked over to open the door to her office. With a nod to the man behind the desk, Nate followed.

He looked around as she closed the door behind them. He was impressed with the luxurious appointments of her corner office.

Camila walked behind her desk to take her seat while gesturing to Nate to take a seat before it. "While my door's closed and the privacy ward is active, you may speak freely about anything. She started up her PC and brought up a picture on the large screen, swiveling it to show him. The image was of a dark and decrepit space filled with old computer racks. Dust, mess, and loose cabling abounded. "This is what we had before Henry arrived. Actually, at that time his name was Stanley, and his glamor presented him as a much smaller man. A professor friend of mind at a local college taught him and determined he had savant level talent with computers. I interviewed him and offered him the position. In a very short time, he took us from that to what you saw in the hall."

Nate nodded in appreciation. "How did he go from this small man to the one I saw last night?"

Camila sighed. "Most of the story is top secret by order of the Council, but I can tell you he came to need a new glamor as his old one... became cursed. Don't ask me or anyone for that matter about the curse. We can't give you details. His new glamor looks more like his true shape and size, minus the non-Human aspects."

"What is he?" Nate asked.

"That's one of those questions you just don't ask-"

"Right! Sorry!" he blurted as he kicked himself mentally.

"Not to worry. We'll teach you how to behave. We helped Henry."

Nate thought about how Stanley had done the work, and now Henry was continuing it. "How did you explain Henry taking over Stanley's job?"

Camila smiled. "Henry looks like Stanley's older brother, so the cover story is that their mother put them both up for adoption. They met in Ireland recently but Stanley 'died' in an accident while there. Henry came back to the States, and as he had similar skills, we offered him the job. He also lives in the condo Stanley rented from VRL. The tricky part was reintroducing Henry to the friends he made in the building. I understand so far, they've accepted him."

"Hidden Race or human?" Nate asked.

"Human."

Nate frowned crossly. "How is he going to deal with the aging issue? Is he going to have to abandon them as I will mine?"

Camila gave Nate a sad look, and he sighed, holding his hands up indicating she didn't have to answer that. She did anyway. "Henry isn't like us. He's unique, and we don't know how long his life span will be. That said, if he shows no signs of aging while his friends do, he'll have to leave them behind too."

"Sorry, that anger just crept up on-" Nate began then Camila's intercom buzzed. She gestured that she understood as she answered.

"Yes, Felix?"

"Ms. Chandra, Mr. Duncan, and Ms. Gunderan are here."

"Please send them in," Camila said, unlocking the door.

Roy was the first one in and immediately grabbed two extra chairs to set them beside Nate who'd stood to greet the new arrivals. Roy shook Nate's hand. "Roy Duncan, Security Chief."