Michelle was in the car doing something on her tablet when I came up with my new friend following me.  She had the response I expected.  With a shriek I could hear outside the closed Miata that startled Dani, who reared up, wings flaring to help her keep her balance on those delicate rear legs. 

                “Whoa, calm down, both of you,” I shouted over Michelle, laying a few tendrils on Dani to calm her down.  “Michelle, she’s a friend, not a hazard.”

                “I can be hazardous,” my new friend said in a most unhelpful manner.

                “I don’t think I signed up for this,” Michelle whispered, hazel eyes growing wide.  “What even is she?”

                “I don’t know,” Dani and I said together.

                “I was once an owl, but I don’t remember how I became this,” Dani went on, ruffling the feathers on her wings.  She was agitated, frustrated, parts of her thoughts locked away deep in her mind.  “I was supposed to do something, but I don’t remember what.”

                “I think that’s a trauma response,” I said as I looked into her mind.  “Not sure from what but I do know she’s not a threat to those on Team Psyche.”

                “I would not harm the one who saved me from the darkness that eats all things,” Dani informed us.  “Nor would I harm her friends.”

                “Boss Man is going to love this,” Michelle muttered, referring to Zothie.  She’d taken to calling him Boss Man and he seemed to like it.  “Where is our new friend going to stay, Cass?”

                “Cass?”

                “My name among the mundane is Cassandra Elder, but I am the Psyche,” I informed Dani absently.  “Normal humans don’t know who we are.  Michelle here is a Deep One, one of my Family here in the Bay Area.”

                Dani nodded then looked up, gazing at what she could see of the night sky through the light pollution of the city.  “I had forgotten what the stars looked like.  Oh, and the moon is so beautiful, she’ll be full tomorrow night.”

                “She won’t fit in the Miata like that,” Michelle informed me, hoping that however we got Dani in the car she didn’t muss the leather seats. 

                “She shrinks to owl form,” I told her, looking two seats of the Miata.  Maybe we should have taken the Jeep.  “I can hold her in my lap on our way to the hotel and we’ll have her fly up to the balcony.  We’ll have to put the top up though.”

                “That sounds interesting,” Dani said with a nod.  The outline of her body rippled as she took her other form, an owl with huge eyes.  She’d fit in my lap, barely. 

                “Looks like one of the owls from The Fourth Kind,” Michelle said, pale under her tan.  “But ok, sounds like a plan.”

                Dani seemed fascinated by the way the roof of the car closed and then let me pick her up by her belly to hug her close as I slid into my seat.  I buckled up and slipped some of my lower tendrils around Dani to keep her close to me, whispering reassurances as I did so.  Safety was important.

                Being able to hear the thoughts of the drivers around us as Michelle took us back into the city proper reminded me of this. 

                Zothie was out when we arrived at the hotel, so I just let Dani into my room, bid Michelle a goodnight as she left for her hotel and ordered room service for my new companion and I.  It ended up being a lot of all sorts of things because Dani couldn’t remember what she liked and I liked all sorts of food.

                My brother found us at our banquet table, mouth dropping as he watched the clawed hands Dani had formed on her forelimbs pick up a piece of sushi.  He looked from her to me, and I could feel the cool touch of his mind across mine as I opened up, showing my memories of the evening.

                “You don’t do anything half ass do you, little Psyche,” Zothie said with a wry grin.  “Well, hello Dani, companion to my littlest sister.”

                “Companion,” she asked.      

                “You are hers and she is yours, in that ride or die companion-friend kind of way,” he explained, popping a California roll into his mouth.  “Though we can’t take her to visit Grandmother tomorrow, Psyche.”

                “My Psyche,” she whispered, looking at me.  When I nodded, her eyes flared with black sparkles like mine did when I was using more than just my mind reading powers. 

                “My Dani,” I answered and felt my own eyes sparkle in return. 

                “You’ve had a productive day,” Zothie noted, taking a seat across from us at the table.  He started picking up pieces here and there from the various dishes, just like Dani and I were.  Family style dinners for the win.  “I saw the email for the bid on the building.  I spoke with the realtor on my way back here, its been accepted.  We’re doing a short close, so should be able to move in the next three weeks.”

                “Excellent,” I said with a grin.  I looked to Dani.  “It’s got a garden with high walls you can use to access my apartment from.  I have a ground floor unit that’s got access to the garage under the building as well.”

                “I saw that on the walk-through video Michelle sent me,” Zothie said.  “I’ll take one of the top floor apartments, that way we’ve got sky and ground coverage.”

                “You think we’ll be attacked here in the city?”

                “Between the families that are loyal to our father and those that made you, it’s not outside the realm of possibilities,” Zothie mused.  “Unlikely though, as I’ve made my presence clear to our Family and had them get the word out that the Bay Area is ours, others enter only at our invitation.”

                “That sounds way more fucking formal than we usually are,” I noted.  “Speaking of invitations, do we actually have one from Grandmother or are we showing up unannounced?”

                “I’m her favorite, or was last I heard,” Zothie said with a shrug and a wicked grin.  “Ready to live dangerously, little Psyche?”

                “Don’t call me little.”

                “That’s my favorite sister, now lets go visit Grandmother.”

***

                “Wait, before you go,” I called to Gwen, putting up a hand to stop Zothie from releasing them back to their physical bodies.  “Um, Gwen, can we be… What I mean is do you want to be my….”

                “Family,” she supplied, looking up at me.  Why’d I have to be so fucking tall.

                “Yeah, that,” I whispered, looking away from her.  Not wanting to see if she didn’t want to be my family.  Desperately wanting her to do so. 

                “We already are, Psyche,” she told me with a smile that lit her green eyes.  She pulled me into a fierce hug, which I admit startled me.  “You gave me an incredible gift.  You obviously care about me, even though I’ve never met you.  Love and family are important to me.  I’d love to have you as part of my family, niece.  Ok, that last feels weird, we’re too close in age.”

                “I call Zothie my brother,” I admitted, trying not to cry.  I did not want to cry, damn it.  I felt a tear slide down my face and pushed it away with a tendril.  “We could be sisters?”

                “Works for me,” Gwen said.

                “I need to send them home,” Zothie said and I could see the strain in him.   “I’ll show you how to visit her dreams, little Psyche.  Then you can contact her whenever you both like.”

                “We’ll swap numbers,” I assured Gwen as her nose wrinkled over the thought of night time visitors.  “I don’t want to intrude.”

                “Sounds good, little sister,” Gwen responded.  She and Peter began to fade into faint outlines and then all together as Zothie sent their minds back to their bodies.

                “Well, that was educational,” I summed up, looking at Zothie.  

                His gaze went from me to our Grandmother’s temple.  “Quiet.  Now lets go before she decides she needs to start mate shopping for us.”

                I shuddered and put my hand in Zothies so he could take us home.  I wasn’t sure I wanted a mate but if I ever did, it would be one I chose.  And had to be someone who could handle being around Dani.  

                No Psyche nookie for the weak of will, nope.