Saturday morning, Henry sent Sandy a text and asked if she had plans for the night. She excitedly texted back that they should go out for dinner then go dancing. She said the whole gang would be available and they'd pick a fun club. He realized he had to try dancing at least once, so he agreed to the plan and received several celebratory emoticons from Sandy via text. He assumed that was a good thing.
The next problem was, looking in his closet, Henry realized he had nothing nice enough for clubbing. He remembered how Nate dressed for going out when he first met him in the drug store, and Henry had nothing like that. He wasn't ready to attempt it with his glamor, so he headed over to Manhattan to shop for clothes. While he managed to find a few outfits in the last store he tried, he determined that shopping for clothes was one of his least favorite activities.
This made him feel a little grateful to know that one day he'd be able to integrate any outfit into his glamor
"Where the hell do you hear these stories?" Dayshia exclaimed."It's on the dark web. That's not all the weird stuff that's going on," Roger insisted."None of these stories can be verified. It's just wild fantasy! You're talking about a village in rural China. Who's going to get a news crew to that location to validate the story?" Dayshia challenged him."Fine, that location might be a little difficult to get to but what about that small town in Kansas the US military has mysteriously quarantined? Poison gas? Radioactivity? I call bullshit, and I'm not the only one!" Roger insisted."So what, you'd have someone break into the town based on what? The suspicion that the danger isn't real? Why would they go to this much effort if there was no threat to life or our society?" Tish asked.Roger gaped at her. "You would be ok with someone hiding the truth of extraterrestrial life from you?"Henry was enjoying the spirited back and forth. He decide
A fight suddenly broke out in the crowd behind Henry as passions flared erratically and chaos exploded in the narrow alley.Roger reached forward to take Sandy when Henry pulled her from his chest. The crowd behind him crashed into his back. Hands grabbed him and pulled him into the mass as he watched his friends staring at him in dismay. A fist struck his cheekbone, and he heard Dayshia scream, then he was lost in a sea of jostling, groping, and pushing bodies. Strong hands grabbed his arms from behind and dragged him bodily through the chaos into the deeper shadows.He heard a gate open and close then he was placed back on his feet. He found himself walking unsteadily along a sidewalk; his arm held only to provide support. He looked at his guide and saw Ikehorn glaring up at him."You need to suppress your pheromones!" the Fae growled."How?" he slurred.The Fae stopped to stare at him. "Are you drunk?" he asked incredulously.Henry rocked
He didn't know what they wanted. He couldn't see them and that frustrated him.Why was it so bloody dark?Hunger.That intense impression came from the minds around him. They were starving! The urgency to talk, to communicate with them was driving him to distraction as was the background of desperation he felt in his mind. Some of them were very weak. He moved around the perimeter of the room, but there was no light and no unlocked doors. He needed light as the minds did.The rainbow! He could get some light into the room! He desperately reached towards the wall and used his will to rip space apart in a brilliant flare of multicolored light. He kept up the pressure and the gap widened in the rippling rainbow. The space in the gap filled with yellow skies, a red hillside, and the reddish-orange sun. It was low in the sky and shone its brilliant light straight through the gap to strike the still beings in the huge chamber. Light scattered everywher
The moment the elevator door closed Marisa's smile slipped away, and she pulled Meixiu into the condo and locked the door."What's wrong?" Meixiu asked nervously as they moved to the bedroom.Marisa dropped to her knees next to Henry and put her ear to his mouth. Then she looked to the other woman. "He's breathing, but it's very shallow, and he's not waking up!"Meixiu touched Marisa's hand. "I've seen this before. When he was injured and healing in Sigrid's guest room, he did this!""How did you bring him back?" Marisa asked."I leaned close, and I saidHenry? You need to wake up! Where are you?" she said as she demonstrated. They held their breath as they watched him."Do it again," Marisa said."Henry! Wake up! Where are you?" she said louder.Marisa's cell rang, and she glanced at it and frowned. Sandy? She held up her hand for Meixiu to be quiet."Sandy? What's up?""The Northern Lights are back
Henry looked down at sleeping beauty in his living room, the early morning rays of sunlight shining through her hair. She was breathtakingly lovely, and he felt his heart jump a little in his chest. But that was just a natural reaction to a Succubus, even disguised behind a glamor as she was, so he let it pass.He'd taken off his party clothes and slipped on his white T-shirt and jeans glamor leaving his feet bare. This was a skill he knew he'd have to keep practicing.He went to the kitchen and began the process of cooking breakfast. He was getting better at it. As it was the weekend, he'd make a hearty meal. Bacon, eggs, toast, jam, and orange juice.He was feeling surprisingly good after the rough night before. His face did have some tender spots. Someone punched him? Some moments from last night were still blurry.He puttered in the kitchen, being as quiet as he could, but eventually, he heard stirring in the living room."Hey. When did you get up?" Marisa sleepily said as she app
Henry glared down into tear-filled eyes, but he could see she wasn't so much sad as frustrated. She was glaring back at him but squirming under his body. He'd had enough. "Is attacking me your only response to having your mistakes pointed out-mmmph!"Yuko kissed him fiercely and desperately as he jolted with surprise. He released her hands in an attempt to push himself off, but her arms went around his torso to cling to him. He couldn't prevent his body from responding, but his mind wanted nothing to do with this. She moaned in frustration when he finally managed to pull free.She looked into his confused eyes, pushed clear of him to leap to her feet and ran from his condo, grabbing her shoes on the way. The room fell silent."It's true!" Kali gasped as she climbed back to her feet. "Youcanblock magic!" Her eyes glowed with her excitement. "It was very nice meeting you again. I hope to see much more of you in the future!" With that she turne
"Agreed," Henry said with an emphatic nod. He began taking ingredients out of the fridge and cabinets.Marisa looked at him curiously. "What are you up to?""I'm going to bake some cookies."Marisa grinned and clapped her hands in delight. She sat at the counter and watched Henry puttering around, making precise measurements of the ingredients, following the recipe to the letter. Once the trays went into the oven and he set the timer, Henry cleaned the mess he'd made."Is there a way to do this that avoids this?" he asked with a frown gesturing to the untidy counters.Marisa grinned at him. "Practice."He smiled and nodded as he washed and dried the bowls.Once the kitchen was tidy once more, they moved to the living room and sat together on the couch. Henry's cell rang, and he saw it was Sandy."Hi, Sandy!""Oh good! You're awake! How are you feeling?" she asked."I feel good!" he said, smiling at Marisa.
"Then your choice of pet gave you no perspective for understanding Henry's affection for his companions." She shook her head. "It doesn't matter though, as you've brought me the most excellent news. It concerned me that we might have to use one of his friends from his work. That would have greatly reduced Henry's desperation for our assistance as they have solutions available for them. Now, these pets of Henry's will be our avenue to getting his willful participation in the spell."She paused to take a few shallow breaths as pain shot through her body. Ikehorn caught the slight tightening of her skin at the corner of her eyes. She turned them to him again."It must be this week. Select one of these companions and bring upon them an unfortunate accident or circumstance. It must fall short of death but cause a significant and potentially life-threatening injury that will require Fae assistance to heal. Be precise."Ikehorn looked to Mab in confusion. "Human flesh
They stopped at the guardhouse where a startled looking soldier stared at them, then just waved them through. They returned to the building with the auditorium. The Colonel, the General, Hugh, and the lab coats were waiting for them. Corporal Dane handed the camera back to the technician, who accepted it excitedly. He immediately reviewed the recording and made excited sounds to his colleagues.The General was trying to school his expression but wasn't too successful."How... how are you feeling, son?" he asked softly from his tight throat.The big marine saluted him with a wide smile. "I feel really good, sir! So much better than I was after the explosion and maybe better than my best day."Hugh's expression was satisfied. "I know a lot of other soldiers who might appreciate the same chance."Mick stepped forward. "Sir, what we saw today was just short of a miracle. His body rejected the conversion, and we almost lost him. The injury he sustained created a break in the flow, and he a
Gordon took in the ribbons pinned to the marine's dress uniform. He'd done some pretty impressive things in his career. He stepped forward and returned the man's salute. "I'm Colonel Gordon Crane.""Gunnery Sergeant Christopher Endale."Gordon smiled and gestured to the soldiers, who were now all smiling at him. "I suppose your security clearance has been escalated to allow you to witness this, so let me introduce you to my squad. Up until yesterday, they were a group of highly trained human soldiers. We were charged with capturing a small group of Silver People. Instead, my people got turned into Silver People themselves. They're still the same soldiers, but you can't really call them human any longer. Not that they've complained.""We can run so fast!" Yablonski gushed.The squad burst into chuckles, and the marine's eyes widened at the odd sound."Maybe discipline has been affected," Crane grumbled, and his squad snapped to attention as the argument was over and the two men returne
"I'm not at my peak either. I had to use a fair amount to deal with Carl de Bellisle. But I don't intend to fight Nuru. I don't want her job!" she exclaimed.Sigrid snorted in amusement, and the phone chirped. Camila pressed the button. "Yes?""Your 9 AM is here," Felix said."Thank you. Please send them in."Sigrid stood to face the door as Camila joined her. "Remember our visit to Walter's cavern?" the blond asked quietly, and Camila nodded as she smiled at Nuru, who strode in with her bodyguards at her sides. They shut the door.The waves of energy radiating from the leader confirmed Camila's guess that she'd been overfeeding in preparation for this meeting. She sighed, as in contrast, Camila held back on her output the best she could. She forced a smile onto her lips."Greetings, Nuru Onwudiwe," Camila began and bowed her head to the other woman."Camila Villamor, you are not presenting the excess of power you did the other night," Nuru snapped.Camila looked up and nodded. "As I
Keeping the destination drop zone in his mind, he opened the tear, and Henry fell through to drop three feet to the grass below. The back of his head landed on the small brass commemorative plate bolted to the stone next to the bushes. Xiong winced but quickly closed the tear as he saw the beam of a flashlight approaching.He hoped their friend was okay as they'd asked so much from him. He looked back to the pile of charred remains. Something shiny caught his attention. It was up where Henry's head had been. Xiong reached down and lifted the crystal ganglion from the ground. His body must have rejected it after he was healed.Xiong couldn't inform Henry that he no longer had their transplanted capacity to wield magic. He also had no idea how Henry got it out yet completed his spell.He looked to the others. "We will bury these remains in the forest glade to honor our friend, Henry."A feeling of joy and love washed through him from the others. The Glass People loved the idea, as they
He felt Xiong withdrawing, and through the magic in him, he picked up snippets of a conversation Xiong was having with all of the other Glass People. The volume was a bit overwhelming as there were so many voices, and they were upset. They seemed to be talking about making him a Glass Person because of his injuries. To save him. Xiong was trying to tell them it wouldn't work as he'd already been subjected to the same energies, and he wasn't glass now.Henry was beginning to get seriously worried. How badly was he hurt? He felt someone close by and reached out to the mind. It was one of the Silver People.It physically touched him, and he linked minds with the young female. Concepts and perceptions were flowing through their link. She was sad. She'd heard he was the hero who'd saved all of the people on this planet and many on Earth. He imagined looking through her eyes at him, and she allowed it.He saw his Human glamor, and he looked no worse for wear. That was a relief. He dropped t
Crane shrugged. "I might have gotten more information, but Palmer's team decided to make his attempt at capturing my team.""You informed your team to run. They're now on the loose," Palmer asserted."No, they've gone to ground and will contact me tomorrow. They're still my squad. They remain devoted to the mission, as do I," Gordon asserted."But they won't come in," Baines growled."Yes, they'll come in, but not if they're going to be experimented on. Fully human soldiers would behave the same way under this threat, and there's no need for it. They've already proven they'll tell us everything we need to know." He locked eyes with the General. "Having a squad of bulletproof soldiers able to move faster than we can register with our eyes gives us one hell of an advantage, wouldn't you say? And remember, we know how to make more."That got through to the man."I'd personally like to speak to one of these Silver People," said the man with the crooked smile.Crane nodded. "We saw a repor
"Status report, Mick," Crane commanded through his mic. Their radios were shielded, so they still worked.The sergeant was still a little overwhelmed by the shared emotions, but she pulled it together and answered. "Colonel. The pseudo-clouds appear to be dead. The strike zone of the last prolonged bolt is too energized for us to enter. In the center of this zone is a body. We can't get close enough to make a positive identification or to determine if the person is alive or not. It looks to be a male based on body shape and clothing. The area is sprouting new growth unnaturally fast. Grasses and flowers are actually growing before our eyes. The four Silver People we met in Tennessee were here before we arrived, and they showed us how lightning affects the plant life where it strikes."And how exactly did they do that?" Crane asked, weariness in his tone.Mick felt a little uneasy with what she was about to confess, but she pushed ahead. "Uh, it seems we can speak mind to mind if we ho
As he got closer, he could feel every hair on his body beginning to stand on end. Little sparks were jumping between the strands, and he could taste something metallic. The rain was picking up, as was the wind, and soon he was drenched. The closer Henry got, the brighter the sparks snapping across his body became. It felt like his entire body was being pricked by pins and needles. The woman suddenly looked up at him and stopped with a look of fear on her face, clutching her child to her side.Henry looked closely at her and realized her hair was as soaked as his, but hers wasn't attracting the sparks at all.He looked past the woman and saw the tiny sparks leaping through the gap between himself and the approaching storm. He was a lightning rod! FUCK! He had to get away from her and the children! He spotted two young men running by."STOP!" he roared, and they froze in fear. "Help her get her children to cover!" he ordered, and they rushed to her and got her moving, one pushing her ca
"Shit!" Crane exclaimed.Sam looked at his friends then back to the Colonel. "These things duking it out over a city would not be good. I don't know what effect the lightning would have on people, but I can't imagine it would be good." A sudden pang of guilt made him look to the new Silver People they'd made. "You should know, we get our energy from the lightning. I guess it's how we eat."Jake scowled at Sam, but he just shrugged. He wasn't about to let them starve to death.Brenda and Jeannie went back into the barn and returned with handfuls of the silver strips, handing them out to the soldiers. Brenda took the remaining strips back to the barn when they no longer melted into the soldier's skin."We have to leave," the Colonel said, looking at Sam."That's cool with us. It's up to you what happens to your people. We're just going to keep running as that's what feels best. We won't interfere with you. I'd like to ask that you do the same for us, but maybe you don't have that author