A Promised Deception by Jayda Blackstone
Chapter 1: How It Starts
I woke up early. A warm body lay twitching next to me; I rolled and faced my partner. Dorian’s eyelids moved and flickered in his sleep. We hadn't labeled what we were, but we were boning—according to the entirety of the Portal Agency. I knew beneath those eyelids were his sapphire blue eyes with those golden flecks I'd noticed when I first saw him. I met him during my panic attack at the office and how kindly he helped me. Flocks of his dark straight hair fell over his face, and I moved it away for him.
I took in a deep breath. Dorian had been my partner for about seven months now, yet Jonah would be back today. A firm vice grip squeezed my heart and gut. I still felt some pangs of guilt flush over me with every thought of Jonah. Could I have helped him? Have the choices I’ve made in my life been right? I know I have a good moral compass and excellent sense of justice. Yet, I broke so many rules. I don't understand this urge of mine; it's like night and day. At least the P.A. doesn't mind workplace relationships—as long as everything is professional at work and reported to human resources.
I rolled onto my back and stared up blankly at the empty ceiling. Dorian’s soft breath tickled my shoulders and rustled my red hair. Deciding not to bother the still-sleeping Dorian, I silently swung my legs off the bed and stood. I looked at the time: 6:06 a.m., about three hours before reporting to work. Work engulfed all of my thoughts, making me restless, and my mind raced.
Lee Carter, the Portal Agency’s head, decided that Jonah and I would be partnered. Dorian would be getting a rookie partner in place of me because Carter wanted me to work with Jonah again. After all, we make such a strong team together: my gun and knife skills, combined with his sword fighting abilities and parkour prowess virtually making him a rock spider. I’ve seen that man reach heights I shudder to even think of. Carter ultimately was right; Jonah and I do make a good team. Yet, to think how I raged when I learned a werewolf would be his replacement. Now, look where I am; in bed with him, a gleeful smile curled up on my mouth. I have to admit, I’m happy with Dorian.
I decided to try and use my magic. So far, it had been the rudimentary magic Dorian knew and had taught me. We’d established my witch strengths were telekinetic, basically being able to manipulate the Earth’s magnetic pull. I’m unsure if I can do anything else. I tried to get my phone from the messy side desk with my abilities. I focused and imagined the phone in my head as it would travel into my hand. I watched the phone from the corner of my eye, squinted. It vibrated and shook and then lifted into the air. I summoned the phone closer, my head aching from the sheer focus it took. I watched eagerly as the phone made its way to me. It did a 180-degree flip, then smashed against the bedroom wall. I sat back down, slightly defeated.
I gasped. Dorian stirred beside me and groaned.
“What… what’s all that noise?” He raised his head a few inches from his pillow, rubbing his eyes, getting rid of the sleep in them. Dorian looked around the room then spotted the shattered phone on the floor.
“Who are you so pissed off at this early in the morning? Damn, Becca…” Dorian flopped back, hands behind his head, resting his eyes, voice still thick with sleep. Knowing how Dorian sleeps—as if he was dead—I didn’t bother answering him. He’d fall asleep quickly again.
I need a new magic teacher. I can't keep going on like this, learning from a werewolf. I decided I would start asking around. Beforehand, I had disdain for the magical, the anomalies—all of it—I hated it. I even hated using magic cartridges in the field. I’d seen the world in a far too black and white perspective; there was a gray area. Not all anomalies were evil. Dorian had shown me that when we met. He exhibited compassion; a thing I never would've thought could come from someone of the magical world. I noticed Dorian had fallen back asleep.
I thought, Now, how to pass this time I have to myself? I felt far too awake to try and go back to sleep. Silently, I got up and felt the sweat drip from my forehead. The humidity was like a thick, weighted blanket. With a sigh, I went to find a book to read; my one escapism. I wanted to not think about my ex fuck-buddy meeting my now boyfriend at work. I curled up in a chair and cracked open the book.
Dorian had sat up in bed. He looked at me with a sly smile and wink. With his index finger, he gestured for me to come to him. I gave Dorian a puzzled look.
“Have you forgotten about our little morning ritual?” he asked, and it clicked. I walked over to the bed, climbed over the blankets, and made my way to him. I sat beside him, placed my hand on his face, and pulled him in for a kiss. Instantly, our tongues had become intertwined. Exploring now familiar territory, my hand lowered from his face to the pair of boxers he had on—morning glory. Playfully, I touched him. He reciprocated by firmly squeezing my breast. We kissed; I don't know for how long; time flew by when it was just Dorian and me.
The rest of the world was locked away, and time lost meaning. I mounted Dorian and could feel the hardness between his legs press against me. I took a moment to catch my breath, and my legs were on either side of him. I allowed my hips to lightly grind against him. Dorian let out a low moan. His tongue was on my neck. He was leaving playful, lustful licks on my skin that made my whole body crave him more. My hands moved to his chest, stroking his skin, and I wiggled myself lower, in the process, pulling his boxers down. My mouth locked on my target as I began to pleasure him with my swirling tongue. I knew every part of his body so well as he did with mine. Each scar, mark, or mole, I knew. His hand tugged gently on my hair to get my attention as I worked his shaft. Dorian sat up, pulling him with me effortlessly.
“I guess to make this fair, I should take my clothes off, too,” I told him, and he grinned in response as he began to help me tug my shirt off while slipping his hand in my panties. A familiar wave of pleasure tickled through me just at the touch of his fingers. He knew where to touch. He pulled his hand out and licked the wetness from me off his fingers. Dorian positioned me, slipped my panties off, and lightly smacked my ass. He stood up, and I watched him. So handsome, the taste of his member still lingering in my mouth. Like a puppet, he bent me onto all fours on the bed. I panted in anticipation. Dorian let himself, just the tip, rub against me. All I could do was try to move slightly closer, eagerly.
I knew he was teasing me. Our bodily fluids now mixed, I felt it. He entered me with a hard thrust. I pressed my face into the blanket, muffling moans. He thrust into me, deep and firm. My inside welcomed him, and how he pounded himself against my body. His hands gripped onto my hips to stabilize me as his speed increased. I felt heat emitting from him and me, enjoying how we fit together like puzzle pieces. Droplets of sweat hit my back, and I knew Dorian was working hard. Our skin rubbed together as we enjoyed each other's bodies, Dorian near animalistic, losing control. His fingernails dug into my skin. I listened to his breaths as they became more labored. His hands tightened on my hips. Dorian knew what to do to make me come within minutes. He began to massage the same spot in me, hitting it over and over. It built like a crescendo, reaching its peak. Within the blink of an eye, my stomach had butterflies, my whole body tightened like a spring, and then I felt like jelly. I breathed hard and trembled, toes curling. Dorian huffed behind me, and I loved listening to his sounds of exuberance. They come out as robust, low growls.
“You m-made… orgasm twice…” I got out as pleasure and warmth flooded my body. Droplets splattered onto my back, and I realized Dorian had finished, too. He grabbed his boxers and offered them to me to clean up with.
“I think I’m just gonna shower; it's almost eight. We need to start getting ready,” I said to Dorian, who helplessly dabbed with his boxers on my back. I kissed him on the cheek and walked naked to the bathroom. The shower felt good with the steam and smell of my raspberry soap. Yet, I was alone with my thoughts again. Cassian. Of course, I’d told Dorian about Cassian, our history. He understood that he’d misled and manipulated me, even using a magic necklace to make me more attracted to him. I swore under my breath and got out of the shower, feeling frustrated. I began to dry myself off, and Dorian walked in, getting into the shower after me. He knew I didn’t like joint showers; that's just asking for a concussion.
I dressed in my usual black, tech gear clothes. I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I decided to skip makeup, it took too much effort, and it would just melt away in the summer heat. As soon as Dorian was ready, we set off for work, walking to the P.A. This time, I held Dorian’s hand and squeezed. The sun beat down on us, and I craved the air-conditioned building. We arrived at HQ; Dorian opened the door for me. A group of unknowns crowded the entrance. Carter yelled, getting the new recruits' attention.
“All of you have been informed who your partner is; someone in a higher ranking position so you don't get killed your first time out in the field.” The crowd began to disperse. Then I saw him, clashingly in P.A. uniform, that he’d modified and personalized with safety pins and iron-on patches.
After all this time, seeing Cassian again made a vice grip on my heart. The training for recruits took place at some unknown location for each new group. Cassian had changed in appearance since I last saw him. He was now heavily tattooed on both arms, blackout tattoos with an intricate Celtic pattern. Yet, he still had that pink septum piercing, a flaming cartoon skull on his neck, and rank of weed and cigarettes. Somehow, the smell brought back a wave of comforting nostalgia. My blood was boiling as soon as I remembered what he was capable of, and I was overwhelmed by a red-hot fury.
“You must be Cassian.” Dorian turned to Cassian, hand extended. Rudely he pushed away Dorian’s hand.
“So, you’re Rebecca’s new mutt?” Cassian responded in a hoarse voice. He didn’t look in my direction. In his eyes, I was a ghost.
Dorian simply looked away, and his expression became sour. I could see he was holding back. Before I could snap at him, a hand pressed down on my shoulder.
“Hey, partner.” It was Jonah, talking in an old Western accent in an attempt to be funny. I turned to him, and we hugged tightly.
“You look so good!” I told him, trying to peek where Cassian and Dorian were in the corner of my eye. He’d been in rehab after being in a coma for so long. He’d built muscle again, and his cheeks were full, eyes sparkling with life. I’d watched him bloom into himself again. From waking up and through rehab, I visited him often, and sometimes Seline would join me, too.
Seline and I had grown close over the last few months. I would even go as far as calling her my best friend, just like Jonah.
Jonah was on the floor, stretching his legs and doing squats.
“Warming myself up before the shitstorm begins,” Jonah explained to me before I could even ask questions. “We better get to my dad.” I grinned back at him in agreement. We hooked arms together and walked to Carter’s office. Behind me, I could've sworn I heard an insult relating to a “shitty, flaming, cartoon skull tattoo.”
Together, we stood in front of Carter in his office. It had been a long time since Jonah stood beside me in this exact place. Carter placed his hands on his desk and gave a deep sigh.
“How do you two feel about kids?” he asked bluntly, then continued, “three children have gone missing in the last two months. They are all under 12, and I need you two to connect the dots. It seems someone is preying on children. So far, no bodies have been found, but we expect them to start appearing soon. It seems whoever targets the children is doing so because they have magical power or potential. Taking these kids down wouldn’t have been an easy task. So far, two boys, one a vampire and the other fae. The girl is… was a siren; she was snatched from the Sky Sea. Start investigating. We might have a massive problem on our hands. The magical community has started to notice, too. Especially because these kids are special. We don't know what our culprit is up to. We’re in the dark here. Start by interviewing parents. Of course, our sister agency has been trying to locate them via various methods, but it’s like they were just no longer there.” He sighed after his little speech.
“Understood,” I responded simply, yet my gut turned. Magical children and anomalies being taken? Disgusting. It's also a well-known fact that the first 48 hours are the most critical in a missing person's case. Every hour that goes by, their chances of survival drop. As each day passes, another life may be getting snuffed out by some sick criminal. I already knew we would be looking for bodies, not children who were alive.
Jonah and I collected the case files and information we needed.
“Head to the portal. Do some work there. Our sister agency is in desperate need of help, so they’ve come to us.”
Jonah nodded; the look on his face was grim. No agent likes to take on a case involving children. Those are the cases that keep you up at night. We left the room, gathered what we needed from the desk, and headed to the P.A.’s direct portal to the other agency.
I hated using the portals; they always disoriented me, flying through, what? Dimensions, other planes of existence, other moments in time—what are we passing? Jonah and I stood side by side in front of the portal.
“It's been a while since I last used one of these babies. I know how much you don't like it. But ladies first,” Jonah added, and then a single hand whopped me on my back into the portal. As my head dipped in, I heard Jonah’s laughter, and it began to fade as I got sucked in.
I closed my eyes and focused on breathing while enduring the unusual, uncomfortable portal travel. I ignored everything around me. My feet were on solid ground again. My eyes opened, and a pair of bloodshot, angry eyes looked back at me. An ork, I realized. They tended to be hardy anomalies, hard-working, and loyal.
“I'm the head here,” he said, no introduction, yet a very welcoming, friendly voice. Jonah toppled in a few seconds later, landing face-first onto the floor.
“Karma, bitch,” I said to him as he raised his head and got to his feet.
“Commanding officer Kellos Gro-Lurag. It's an honor to work with you,” Jonah scrambled as he neatened and dusted off his clothes and straightened his posture. The ork, short and robust with a skin tone of deep maroon, began to belly laugh.
“Come on, Jonah, what's with all the formalities? You know I’m your dad’s best friend. I’ve known you since you were in diapers, my boy. I saw you eat grass,” Kellos replied, shaking his head. Jonah let out a puff of a laugh, and he slackened slightly.
“We made a special place just for you guys, so come along with me.” He turned on his heel sharply and gestured for us to follow. “So, you are Rebecca, one of the top field agents in your district? It's nice to meet you; you are so beautiful.”
I awkwardly thanked the ork, who chatted the entire time as we walked to our so-called special place. I glanced around, and I saw an array of anomalies. Some by desks, others standing by a watercooler. Everything was bright and colorful.
Kellos came to a halt at a very plain door; he opened it and, well, it was fucking fortified. I gasped. On the walls were various guns, blades, swords, kunai, throwing stars—any kind of weapon you could think of was on that wall. Bean bag chairs lined the room's floor. The room's center was occupied by a round table. Files, letters, notebooks, stationery, and what looked like jewelry, had been neatly placed there. There was a massive TV mounted on the wall, and there seemed to be some kind of light coming from it. Kellos began to explain this would be our method of communication with the parents so that we didn’t have to leave the building. The magical world was challenging to navigate because it was ever-changing. It projected a full, real-time, life-sized version of the person and vice versa.
Jonah and I were like children, looking at the weapons and the magic items. We conducted interviews with the parents of the missing children via projection magic. All three couples looked haggard, tired, puffy-eyed, and hope in them had long gone. All three couples searched for their missing children for over a week or more. It was obvious to the parents that we were searching for dead bodies.
We started with the first victim's parents. During their tears, the two vampire women hugged and explained what had happened. They had been drinking wine on the porch and their son, Rin, was playing outside, within their sight the whole time. It was around 1:00 a.m. They said it was as if he had just evaporated.
Unfortunately, most of the information they gave, we already had knowledge of. The novelty quickly wore off in our sister branch, and we worked from there. All the interviews were the same. The parents of the siren girl, Sereith, and the fae boy’s parents, all said the same thing. Same story, same sort of format. The child was there, suddenly gone. All I remembered were sad, glossy, and hollow eyes and words that had been told so many times to the police it seemed irrelevant now.