"Actually," Ben said with a positively distressing amount of enthusiasm, "I think it's a great idea."

I grimaced and looked to Athena for help. She shrugged. "Like it or not, Mistress," she said gently, "Using Detective Donovan as a decoy would solve a couple of problems."

"But..." I started to say.

Ben cut me off. "Athena, please call me Ben. Calling me 'detective' all the time feels too formal."

Athena blushed a little. "All right."

"But..." I started to say again.

"No buts," Ben interrupted me again, smiling. "She's right. It'll lure the ghost to me directly, giving us the opportunity we need to trap it. Taking away her tool could goad Brenna into a direct confrontation and let us deal with her. Even if it doesn’t, it gets that ghost off the street."

"Assuming she's the one who was controlling the ghost," I replied. "Assuming it was being controlled at all."

We were sitting in the cafeteria at New Scotland Yard, talking over lunch. Artemis had padded off to a corner of the room that appeared to be a gathering spot specifically for animal familiars, and was currently rubbing elbows (so to speak) with all manner of police-trained animals. Mostly dogs and wolves, but I saw a few other large cats and several birds there as well. It was kind of nice of the Yard to do something like that, and it spoke very highly of them in my opinion.

"That almost doesn’t matter if we get it to stop killing people. But I think it's safe to assume that this ghost was being controlled," Ben said thoughtfully. "Consider how its behavioral pattern has changed over the past two nights."

I nodded. "I know, I'm just saying...we're making a lot of assumptions with little hard evidence."

"Paranormal investigations can be like that sometimes," Ben assured me. "You follow the evidence until it runs out, then you follow your instincts. Generally by the time you've gathered all the evidence there is to be have, you've got enough of a picture of what's going on to run with it."

I made a non-committal noise and ate the last bite of my sandwich. Turkey and Swiss cheese. It's hard to go wrong with that, but the Yard was getting really top-notch Swiss from somewhere. And the turkey wasn't dry as a bone. "My compliments to the chef here," I said.

Ben grinned. "Better than most institutionalized food, isn't it? Since the Yard is open and there are people on duty 24/7, they make sure we can refuel whenever we need to and that we enjoy it. They're good employers."

"I'll keep that in mind," I smiled, then grew serious again. "How do you want to do this?"

"Well," Ben said, finally setting his fork down. "We need to get Brenna's attention somehow. Do you think she's keeping some sort of surveillance on you?"

"Not before now," I said, "Based on how off-target the ghost's attacks were. But she tried doing it indirectly and failed. Now she might be taking a more direct approach to things."

"Is there some way to find out?" Athena asked.

"There's spells we could use to find out if someone's using magic to track you," Ben replied. "But casting those will definitely alert her to your being aware of her surveillance. And if she's put a more mundane watch on you, someone just following you, they shouldn't be too hard to spot. Better to start with the simpler methods, and to spot someone following you all you have to do is be out in public."

I sensed the direction of his thoughts and tried not to smile.

"So," he said as nonchalantly as possible, "I think we should spend the rest of the day out and about, being goofily romantic and generally trying to make her jealous."

"Sounds like a terrible chore," I joked, my smile finally escaping. "But aren't your superiors going to frown on something like that? Going out on a date when you should be investigating? And when was the last time you got any sleep?"

"I slept from about three o'clock this morning until ten," Ben said with a smile. "Got seven hours, showered, shaved, made myself presentable and met you for lunch."

"You're better about catching sleep when you're busy than our Mistress is," Athena said lightly. "Perhaps you could teach her that?"

I gave her a surprised look. She had never teased me so blatantly in public before.

She blushed. "Sorry, Mistress," she said sheepishly.

"Don't be!" I said quickly, trying to reassure her. "You're not exactly wrong." <> I added silently. <>

Athena gave me a warm smile. <>

Ben smiled. "You two are absolutely adorable."

I'm pretty sure my blush was deeper than Athena's.

"Anyway," Ben said, "No, they won't mind. It's a common tactic when trying to draw out a stalker or a killer who's targeting a specific type of person, actually," he added thoughtfully. "You present them with a target that's simply too good to pass up. The four of us are actually better equipped to handle anything that might happen than most of the people we use as bait in such situations."

Perfectly rational. But I still felt weird about it. "I feel kind of strange about going out on an extended date while there's a homicidal ghost and a potentially psychotic young woman on the loose."

Ben smiled lopsidedly. "If it makes you feel any better, I want to have police spotters watching us the whole time. Or, more to the point, watching for someone else who's watching us."

I stared at him for a long moment, trying to decide if he seriously thought that would make me feel better. I finally decided that he was teasing me a little and replied with appropriate sarcasm. "Yes, because knowing that I have people watching me to see if anyone else is watching me while I'm out on a date with a guy I'm actually interested in dating makes me feel so much better about the situation." I paused for a moment to make sure I'd said that right. "That was confusing to say."

His lopsided smile grew into a genuinely warm one. "You're interested in going out with me again, then?"

Athena smiled. <>

<> "Of course I am." I said both things at the same time. Being in telepathic rapport at all times with my familiars was so convenient.

Ben's smile grew from warm to happy. "I'm glad to hear that. So, shall we go ahead with it? I was thinking about seeing if I could get us all tickets to Cats tonight. I heard that the original cast is back together for a limited run in the West End."

I snorted a laugh. "At least the subject matter is near and dear."

"Cats?" Athena asked.

Ben nodded. "It's a musical based on poems taken from T.S. Elliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats."

Athena's eyes lit up. "Really? I love that book."

She had devoured the book of poetry in one sitting not long after the previous Christmas. It had been one of Mom's presents to her.

<> Artemis asked. All domestic cats were little cousin cats in her mind. Heck, any feline smaller than she was probably qualified. She'd probably call a bobcat 'little cousin.'

<> Athena confirmed.

<> Artemis said as she returned from socializing with the other familiars. <>

"So," Ben said, "An afternoon out on the town, followed by a musical and a late dinner?"

"We're all in agreement. I'd say it's settled, then," I said with a smile. "Give us a chance to go home and dress up a little..."

"Not too much," Ben said quickly. "It's a pretty casual theater."

"It's still theater," I said firmly. "I won't go in jeans."

He chuckled. "All right. Shall I pick you up in an hour and a half?"

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"That sounds fine."

When we got home, I wanted to take a few minutes to find Hollis and fill him in on what we were planning. It couldn't hurt to have my own backup ready and waiting to go at a moment's notice. So I sent Athena to get our clothes together, and followed Artemis's nose to Hollis's office.

I knocked lightly on the door. "Hollis, it's Alys. Are you busy?"

His voice was muffled, but clear. "Not at all, come in!"

I was surprised to find him eating lunch at his desk. It wasn't like him at all...ordinarily, his office was a bastion of carefully controlled order. Today, he sat with papers strewn about and a plate of chicken legs in the center of his desk blotter. I must have looked comically surprised, because he smiled at me a bit guiltily.

"Elsie was going to feed me some organic leafy thing that wouldn't be filling and would leave me hungry all afternoon," he said by way of explanation. "So I sneaked into the kitchen and grabbed some leftovers while she wasn't looking."

I smiled, amused by his antics. "You know she'll find out before long."

He sighed and nodded. "I know. And I'll be in for a tongue lashing about how I'm supposed to be losing weight." His dour expression changed to an uncharacteristically impish smile. "But at least I'll be well fed this afternoon."

I shook my head and chuckled, then quickly explained our plans for the afternoon. As I finished, he wiped his fingers carefully with a napkin and sat back in his chair. "That's a sound plan," he said with a thoughtful nod. "I think it'll work, too." He lifted one finger before I could interject anything. "If you can act the part this afternoon and this evening. From what I've seen, you're not very good at hiding your emotions."

"I..."

"That's not a criticism, dear girl," he said gently, not letting me protest or defend myself. "It's one of the things I find charming about you. You're also not the type to keep secrets, and in our line of work that's positively refreshing. Don't ever change." He paused, then said, "If you don't look like you're having fun while you're out with the detective, the ruse won't work and Brenna will know that you're onto her. The whole plan will come apart."

"But I need to stay alert," I protested, finally getting a word in edgewise.

"Athena and Artemis can do that for you," he pointed out. "You need to look like you're having fun. It's expected that your familiars will behave rather like bodyguards when you're out on a date, watching over you and your companion to make sure nobody interrupts your time together. Plus, you said Ben intends to have some of his colleagues following you as spotters. Your job - and his - is to put on a convincing show for whoever's been keeping an eye on you for Brenna."

"Assuming someone is," I said dryly.

"Assuming that, yes," Hollis nodded. "But I think it's a safe assumption. As you've pointed out yourself in the past, she seems abnormally obsessed with you and the similarities between the two of you. If you're not convincingly smitten with your suitor, Brenna won't think he's important enough to go after." He thumped his fingers on his desk. "You believe she was trying to hurt people you care about, and that the ghost was too negative an entity to seek out positive emotional echoes. You're going to be trying to generate enough of a positive emotional response to make Brenna jealous enough to bring the ghost to heel again and send it after Ben."

"It's a terrible plan," I said tiredly, "But we couldn't come up with anything else on short notice. If we don't get the ghost's attention, we'll never find it before it kills again. It seems getting the attention of whoever was controlling it is the best way to do that."

"It's not a terrible plan at all," Hollis said. "It's a dangerous one, yes. But it's a good plan, as long as you're all careful. Do you want me to stand by in case you need reinforcements?"

"I was coming to ask just that of you," I replied.

"Consider it done," he said firmly. "I have nothing pressing on my schedule for this afternoon that can't be put off until tomorrow."

He was cut off in the middle of the last word by a faint but clearly audible shout from Elsie. "Hollis Ellister! If I find you with those chicken legs, you are in for a world of trouble!"

I was honestly surprised. I never would have guessed that the slightly built, mousy young woman (pardon the pun) could have produced such a stentorian bellow.

"Oh, bugger," Hollis said. "If you don't mind, I'd like to finish these before she finds me."

I smiled and headed for the door. "Good luck."

"You too, Alys."

Athena had chosen a pair of black dress slacks and a green silk blouse for me - perfect for a night out without getting too fancy. I resisted her impulse to have me wear high heeled pumps and insisted on a pair of low-heeled ankle boots instead. Okay, they didn't quite match the slacks, but they were very much me. And if we got into some kind of trouble, I did not relish the idea of trying to run - or fight - in high heels.

As I was getting dressed and Athena was zipping up the bodice of her dark green leather bodysuit with belled silk sleeves, I asked her a question that had been percolating in the back of my mind for some time. "Athena, why won't you and Artemis use my name? You use other peoples' names."

Artemis looked over from where she was sitting on the window seat. <>

Athena paused for a moment, then adjusted her sleeves and reached for the matching skirt. "It's difficult to explain, Mistress. You...you're our Alpha. Calling you by a title just feels natural."

"Your Alpha?" I asked, amused.

She nodded. "You're the leader of our little pride. It's the same reason you call us by pet names sometimes. Are you even aware of doing it?"

I blinked in surprise. "I wasn't until just now," I replied slowly. "Though now that you've mentioned it, I do it on a regular basis, don't I."

Athena smiled warmly at me and sat down to pull on the boots she very rarely wore. "I'm not complaining. It feels good when you use a term of affection for us. But you do it without thinking about it. We call you Mistress without thinking about it."

I sat down to put my own boots on and thought about it for a minute. The relationship between spellcaster and familiar is a complex one. At its core, it is an intertwining of minds and souls, generally on a subconscious level. But, for example, Athena and I were so close that there were times when she was able to speak for me while I was doing something else. Like eating. And there were times when I felt her emotions so strongly that they were practically my own - usually when they matched my own.

Because of the laws involving familiars, they were still legally animals, even the Elevated ones like Athena. Those same laws made them property, though they most assuredly couldn't be given away, sold or taken away once they were bound to a spellcaster.

Well...if we're being perfectly accurate, they could be. But the effect on both spellcaster and familiar would be devastating. When our bond had been dampened by anti-magic restraints a couple of weeks ago I had been so disoriented that it had been difficult to think clearly. I shuddered to think what would happen if I ever lost one of my sweet girls.

I had seen plenty of spellcasters who treated their familiars - normal animal familiars and Elevated familiars alike - as servants. Or, worse, as slaves, though never to the point of actually abusing them. As far as I knew, it was extremely rare for anyone to abuse a familiar. After all, when you could feel their pain as clearly as your own, there was a strong incentive to treat them well.

Sadly though, it wasn't uncommon to see familiars being treated with the same indifference with which employees and servants were treated. I wondered, briefly, what it said about humans that many of us were able to do that to familiars. Perhaps it's because I was raised in a community of druids and was taught to love and respect nature at an early age, but it had never even crossed my mind to be anything other than completely open and affectionate with my familiars. They were more than pets...they were, in a very real way, a part of me.

"I think," I said slowly, gathering my thoughts, "I'd like it if you both called me Alys." I met Athena's eyes for a moment, the same bright golden color as my own (though with slitted pupils like a cat's), then Artemis's blue ones. "Or sister, if you'd prefer. Since that's very definitely how I think of you both." I smiled warmly. "The sisters I never had."

Oh dear. Athena was wiping tears from her eyes as she rose and came to me, but she was smiling and radiating happiness as she hugged me tightly. "Thank you, Mis..." She caught herself and corrected herself. "Thank you, sister."

Artemis padded over and rubbed against my leg. <>

I held onto Athena for a few moments, then reached down to rub Artemis's ears and neck. "I'm sorry it didn't occur to me before now."

"It's fine," Athena said with a smile. "Now, you don't want to keep Ben waiting, do you?"

"No, I definitely do not."

While Athena and I finished getting ready, Artemis slipped silently out of the room. We found her about fifteen minutes later in the foyer, lying on her back and waving her paws languidly while Ben - down on one knee beside her - rubbed her belly.

"Look at you," I said to her, "Behaving like an overgrown kitten. Have you no shame?"

<> She replied firmly.

Ben laughed at the same time. "I'm guessing not. I've tried to stop twice, and both times the claws came out."

I shook my head, smiling. "Oh dear. Artemis, let the poor man stand up."

Artemis heaved a purr-filled sigh and rolled to her paws, rising. Ben rose as well, stretching a little as he did so. He looked good, wearing chinos, a dress shirt and a vest. At a glance, I didn't see any sign of gear on him, defensive or offensive.

"Should I bring my belt, or my staff?" I asked uncertainly.

He considered the question seriously. "I'm tempted to say yes...but I don't think we'll need anything to protect ourselves tonight. Athena will be armed if anything physical attacks us, and you and I are both competent spellcasters even without our foci and equipment. And, of course, Artemis can't actually be disarmed, so there's that."

Artemis purred and groomed one of her fore paws.

Athena finished strapping on her sword harness and slid her shieldblade into its sheath on her back. Then she buckled on her gunbelt, checked her revolver and slipped a leather thong over it to hold it in its holster (and which, from a cultural standpoint, declared her peaceful intentions whenever we went in anywhere).

But I still hesitated. Finally, I said, "I'm going to wear my belt...it's not a stretch to believe a Mage wouldn't want to be without the basics." I unhooked it from where it was hanging by the door and buckled it around my waist. It looked only slightly out of place...even less so when I took off the longer tube that held my staff and put it on the sideboard. "Let me grab one more thing, just in case."

Athena dipped her left hand into one of the pouches on her gunbelt and came out with a flattened, faceted red gemstone about the size of her palm. She deftly flipped it out onto her fingers, rolled it across her knuckles and made it disappear back into the pouch.

I smiled. "Well, aren't we being clever today. Good thinking, Athena."

She returned my smile and bowed slightly, teasing me just a little.

"Was that a ruby? What's that for?" Ben asked curiously.

"It was a ruby," I confirmed. "It's for catching and containing particularly powerful and dangerous spiritual entities."

He nodded. "I see. Good thinking, bringing that along. Part of me actually kind of hopes we'll need it."

I tipped my head and looked at him, feeling my lips curl into an amused little smile. "Hadn't you thought ahead to what we'd do if the ghost confronts us tonight?"

"Ah," he looked around uncomfortably, then gave me a sheepish expression. "Not really? I was rather relying on you, as my specialist consultant, to have a plan. I'm more used to tracking and capturing live people...I did a quick bit of reading on the subject, but..."

Athena coughed something that sounded suspiciously like "lucky."

"Well," I drawled, then decided to let him off the hook. "Since I am sort of the expert in this instance, I suppose it makes sense that you'd expect me to have a plan for capturing and holding the ghost."

"Precisely," Ben said, looking a little relieved. "Well, we've got a few hours before dinner and the show. Have you been to the National Gallery yet?"

"Believe it or not, I haven't," I replied. "I keep meaning to go and never quite get there."

He offered me his hand. "I have a cab outside. Shall we?"

I slipped my hand into his and smiled. "Let's."