Only the Devout

by Amanda M. Lee

“I hate that now I have to actually arrange for her protection. She’s the devil.”

  “She is,” I agreed. Really, no one could meet the woman and say she was pleasant. “It’s good that you’re being the bigger person, though.”

  The statement elicited an eye roll from Aisling. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I already said I would call my father and arrange for her protection. There’s no reason to lay it on so thick.”

  This time my smile was too strong to fight back. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  CILLIAN WAS SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE GATE ROOM. At least that’s what the text from his father read. We parked behind the building to avoid the circling cult members and went in through the back door.

  “I can’t go in there,” Aisling announced at the threshold of the room. She looked frustrated but resigned. “I promised Griffin I wouldn’t.”

  I took pity on her. “Do you want me to get your brother so he can come out here and talk to us?”

  Aisling worked her mouth but didn’t immediately respond. I had a feeling I knew exactly what was bothering her, though it seemed a risky proposition to bring it up.

  “You promised Griffin,” I reminded her, opting for the easier conversation. “He’ll be upset if you go in there.”

  “Yeah.” Aisling nodded, and rubbed her cheek. “The thing is, I’m kind of afraid to go in there anyway. Even though I promised him, that wouldn’t really stop me if I wanted to do it. Right now I have this feeling.” Her eyes were wide when she turned them to me, and I could feel the fear rippling through her. “My heart is pounding. My palms are sweaty. I’m afraid ... and I hate being afraid.”

  This was a side of her I wasn’t used to seeing. The Aisling I’d been introduced to wasn’t afraid of anything. Her vulnerability somehow made her more endearing. “Nobody could go through what you did and not be frightened,” I said. “You crossed over. No matter how brave you are, you had to be terrified that you weren’t coming back.”

  “Actually, I didn’t let myself think about that.” Aisling’s smile was rueful. “I’m not good with fear. I knew if I let it in, really thought about never seeing Griffin and Lily again, it would paralyze me. I decided to pretend it wasn’t a possibility.”

  “Denial is a powerful motivator,” I acknowledged. “You don’t have to be embarrassed about feeling what you’re feeling. I get it. You don’t have to go in there. Griffin doesn’t want you in there anyway and, say what you want, he’s still struggling occasionally too. I think it’s okay to give him what he wants in this instance.”

  “Cillian is here,” Aisling argued. “That means he must have something to tell us. I don’t want to miss out on the information. You know I have FOMO.”

  That was a Grimlock response. Even when they were irritated with one another — which happened frequently — they still wanted to be involved in every aspect of each other’s lives. They were codependent on a massive scale, and yet they somehow muddled through in a manner that made them impossible not to love. It was hard to fathom.

  “Well ... .” I grasped for a solution. “What if you’re in the library? There’s a back way in there now. We lock the door, but I can open it. You would be well removed from the gate room and we can go into the library to exchange information. How does that sound?”

  Aisling brightened considerably. “Really? You would do that?”

  I nodded. “You’re part of the team, right? You’re my backup. I would definitely do that.”

  “Then we should do that.”

  I let Aisling in through the back door — she was familiar with the hallway because she’d been forced to escape down it when hugely pregnant with Lily not long after we first met — and left her to make the trip on her own. When I walked into the gate room, I wasn’t surprised to find Cillian studying the shimmering surface that separated one world from the next as Oliver and Paris toiled in the background.

  “Anything good?” I asked as I strolled in.

  “All our souls are on time and accounted for,” Oliver replied. “The cult is still in the parking lot being annoying.”

  “I know. Aisling and I were just up there.”

  Oliver snapped up his head, surprise washing over his handsome features. “You and the Grimlock girl were hanging around with the cult?”

  I nodded. “Yup. It was a long afternoon.”

  “Why?” Oliver made a face. “I can’t understand why you would want to spend time with them.”

  “It’s not about wanting to spend time with them. It’s about trying to figure out what they’re up to. They’re obviously not telling us the truth, and after last night ... .” I trailed off, the memory of the man slitting his own throat causing me to shudder.

  “That’s one of the reasons I’m here,” Cillian offered, dragging himself away from the gate. He glanced between faces for a bit and then frowned. “Where’s Aisling?” He looked worried.

  I inclined my head toward the library. “She’s in there. She promised Griffin she wouldn’t come in here. We thought that might be an acceptable compromise. I promised her we would go in there to share information.”

  Cillian looked relieved at the explanation. “Oh, well ... good.” He immediately started in that direction. “I’ve never known Aisling to willingly hang out in a library, but she should definitely stay away from the gate.”

  He was the quietest Grimlock by far. He had a hungry mind and was more sensitive than the others. He was often rational to the point of distraction. In his head, he had to know the odds of the gate malfunctioning again while Aisling was present were small. He wouldn’t risk her for anything, though, just like the rest of his family. They were loyal to a fault.

  “Hey.” Aisling was looking around the library when we walked in. She seemed impressed with what she saw. “This place is really shaping up, huh? It’s no longer gross and dusty like it used to be.”

  “They’re going to use it as a research space for reapers in training,” I replied. “I don’t know how I feel about students traipsing in and out of here, but I understand wanting them to learn close to the gate. It’s a little daunting to think about, though.”

  “It’s more annoying than daunting.” Aisling slid into a chair next to Cillian, who was already opening his laptop. “What’s up with you?”

  Cillian slid her a sidelong look. “What do you mean?”

  “You have your serious face on.”

  “According to you, I always have my serious face on.” Cillian pursed his lips and made a face as he focused on his sister. “You look happy. Did you have fun messing with the cult members?”

  “I did.” Aisling enthusiastically bobbed her head. “Izzy made me look like Angelina, and I told everyone about my pimp.”

  Cillian furrowed his brow. “That sounds ... weird.”

  “That’s how I live my life.” Aisling turned serious as everyone else settled at the table. “Do we have any new information?” I didn’t miss the fact that she’d positioned herself in such a way that she could see the gate through the library door. She wanted to keep an eye on it without being too close.

  “There is something, which is why Dad sent me out here to serve as additional backup,” Cillian replied. He took a breath and turned his eyes to me. “The body from last night is gone.”

  My heart did a long, slow roll. “Define gone.”

  “It’s not there,” Cillian replied. “We’ve double and triple-checked. Braden said it was the Warren house, and he would know. We toilet-papered that big tree a million times when we were kids.”

  “The wife kept calling the cops on us. She said we were delinquents,” Aisling explained.

  “To be fair, we were sort of delinquents,” Cillian added. “Braden was sure it was that house and I know exactly what tree he was talking about. The body is definitely gone.”

  “And we’re sure the police didn’t show up to take it away while we were asleep?” I pressed.

  “I don’t see how. They would’ve taped off the area and kept it that way f
or days so they could gather evidence. There’s nothing to indicate the police have been there. If they were involved, they would be questioning the neighbors.”

  “So, what do we think?” Frustration bubbled up as I fought to remain calm. “Are we assuming that the other two chanters circled back, collected their friend, and took his body back ... here?”

  “I don’t know if they brought his body back here or not, but I think they definitely came back for the body,” Cillian replied. “That seems to indicate that they want to keep things as quiet as possible. They could’ve called and tipped off the cops that we knew something about that guy’s death, but they did the exact opposite.”

  “That makes them even creepier than we first thought,” Aisling lamented.

  Cillian automatically moved his hand to her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. He was good when it came to comforting her. “They’re definitely creepy,” Cillian agreed. “I have no idea what happened to the body. We don’t even have a name to try to track this guy through other methods. I’m guessing it would be a mistake to demand answers from Titus at this juncture.”

  “He won’t answer any questions we throw at him,” I said. “He’s playing a game with us — and apparently he’s good at it.”

  “Yes, well, that’s another problem.” Cillian tapped a few keys on his computer. “I can’t find much about this cult. They have no online presence, which is frustrating to say the least. Most of these groups put up websites and have mission statements. This group is flying completely under the radar. The only thing I have been able to ascertain is that they seem to have ties to another Michigan cult from about fifteen years ago: The Chosen Ones of Twilight.”

  Paris, who had been largely silent since I showed up for my shift, stirred. “How did you tie this cult with that cult?”

  Her reaction intrigued me. “Do you know something about that cult?”

  Paris didn’t immediately respond, instead keeping her focus on Cillian. “You must’ve found something to tie them together,” she pressed.

  “I did.” Cillian’s reaction was similar to mine. He recognized the change in Paris’s demeanor for what it was — a dead giveaway. “I ran all the members from Titus’s family tree that I could find. His sister was a member of that cult, and apparently died during some mysterious fire at their compound.”

  Paris made a sound deep in her throat, reminding me of a wounded animal. “Oh, geez.”

  “What do you know?” I demanded. “What aren’t you saying?”

  “I know of the cult.” Paris looked to be choosing her words carefully. “I know them better than most, because I was technically a member of that group.”

  My mouth dropped open. “Are you kidding me?”

  She shook her head. “No. I ... it’s a long story.”

  “I think we should hear it,” Cillian countered. “If you have inside information, now would be the time to share it.”

  “Yes, we all want to hear about your time with the cult,” Aisling drawled. “Were you, like, one of ten wives for the leader or something? I hear most of these cult leaders do it for the sex.”

  Paris shot her a quelling look. “That’s not why I was involved. It’s hard for me to explain all of this because I’m not the only one involved. I had friends who were there the day things ended and ... part of this story is theirs to tell and they’re never keen to share it.”

  I thought about her conversations with Sami. Paris had been purposely vague when it came to talking about her past. Sami was powerful. I’d felt wisps of power emanating from the girl over the video calls she shared with Paris. The key to this story was obviously the parents. Aric and Zoe. That’s all I knew about them. Their names.

  “You have to give us something,” Cillian insisted. “You’re the only one who has any insight so far.”

  “I ... .” Paris blew out a sigh and rubbed the back of her neck as she stared at the ceiling. “In a very vague nutshell, I was feeling adrift after college. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. I had magic, but not much, and I’d lost my best friend.

  “There was no malice in her being secreted away,” she continued. “It was for her protection. Still, I was feeling sorry for myself when I met Quinn Redford, the leader of the group, at a particularly vulnerable time. He convinced me that I needed to find a specific book. It was called the Archimage, and it was supposed to give the person who wielded it immense power.”

  I was intrigued by the story despite Paris’s discomfort. “Did you find it?”

  “Yes. I also found old friends. I ... don’t know how I’m supposed to tell you this story without hurting people I love. I can’t turn on them.” She was adamant. “I’m sorry. I just ... they’re my family.”

  I wanted to push her for more — I was convinced that if I ordered her to tell the tale she would acquiesce — but that seemed somehow unfair. “What if you contact your friends, tell them what’s going on, and ask if you can share their story with us?” I suggested. “That might be a way to solve this problem.”

  Paris slowly nodded, her eyes clouded. “I can ask, but I don’t think they’ll agree. They’re very private.”

  “Then tell them what’s going on here.” I refused to back down. “I get that they want to protect themselves, but this is a big deal. Titus is a threat. These people are a threat. We already have two dead people — an innocent girl and one of the members — and I think more bodies will drop if we don’t find a way out of this. Can you live with it if another innocent girl dies?”

  Paris’s expression darkened. “That’s a manipulative thing to say.”

  “It is,” I agreed, “but I’m not sorry. The longer this goes on, the more dangerous it gets for all of us. We need information, and while I admire the loyalty you show for your friends, something tells me they’re stronger than you let on. They’ll be okay sharing this information with us.”

  “You’re probably right. I have to talk to them first, though.”

  “Then talk to them.” I gestured toward the open door to the gate room. “We’ll wait here so you can make your call in private.”

  “I would like to eavesdrop, but I promised to stay away from the gate, so I can’t risk trying to listen in,” Aisling said. “It’s kind of a bummer, but it is what it is.”

  Despite the serious nature of the conversation, Paris cracked a smile. “I’ll see if I can put together a running play-by-play of the conversation for you after the fact.”

  Aisling beamed at her. “That would be great.”

  Eighteen

  Paris’s conversation was short, but probably not sweet. By the time she set up the video call in the library so all of us could participate, she was a bundle of nerves.

  “This is Zoe and Aric,” she started by way of stilted introductions. “They’re my best friends.”

  The blonde on the other end of the call was hard to read. Her expression wasn’t exactly unfriendly. It wasn’t open and gregarious either. The man who sat next to her on the couch was handsome to the point of distraction. He had broad shoulders and serious eyes. For some reason, I liked him instantly. I’d heard him interacting with his daughter a time or two during Paris’s calls with their daughter, Sami, and knew he was a diligent father. He looked to be an intense individual.

  I waited patiently as Paris went through the motions and introduced the rest of us. Zoe’s gaze lingered on Oliver the longest.

  “You’re a vampire,” she noted once Paris finished.

  Oliver looked taken aback. “I am. How did you know that?”

  “I’ve dealt with my fair share of vampires.”

  “As friends and enemies,” Paris interjected quickly. “We’ve fought with vampires toward a common goal, so we’re not anti-vampire.”

  Paris’s nervous reaction was enough to elicit a genuine smile from Zoe. “Yes, we like some vampires,” Zoe agreed. “If Paris says you’re okay, I believe her.”

  “My wife has always had a soft spot for vampires,” Aric sai
d. “It’s annoying, but you look okay. You’re not tan, so that’s a bonus.”

  Oliver frowned. “Tan? I don’t understand.”

  “Ignore him.” Zoe waved her hand dismissively. “We need to get into things. We don’t have much time before Sami gets home from school.”

  Zoe had provided the opening, so I decided to walk through it. “Paris says you have knowledge of a cult from fifteen years ago. Something about a group that wanted a magical book.”

  “The Archimage,” Zoe confirmed, ignoring the twisted face her husband made. “They thought it could give them ultimate power. To be fair, all of these groups are full of complete and total morons who believe the most ridiculous nonsense. I liken it to Small Penis Syndrome, but that’s just me.”

  “I like her,” Aisling announced out of nowhere. “I’m usually anti-blonde, but she’s cool.”

  I fought to maintain my composure. “She’s lovely,” I confirmed. “We need to know about the cult. Paris is reticent to tell us because she believes to do so would be disloyal to you. I understand, but bad things are happening here. We need information.”

  “Paris is sensitive on this particular subject,” Aric supplied. “She should be.” His gaze momentarily darkened and then he sighed. “It was a long time ago. What happened then ... it’s in the past. Paris says you’re good people. We have faith in her, which means we have faith in you.”

  “And we’ll be in town in a few weeks, so we’ll be able to judge for ourselves,” Zoe added. “Sami can’t wait to see you, by the way. She says we’re the worst parents ever and wants to cry on your shoulder. I look forward to dumping her on you for a few hours.”

  Paris’s grin was pronounced and I could almost see her relax, one muscle at a time. “I’m looking forward to seeing you guys, too. For now, they need to know about Quinn.”

  “Your ex-boyfriend?” Zoe’s face lit with wicked amusement.

  Aisling was horrified. “Your ex-boyfriend? You dated a cult leader? That’s the absolute worst. I mean ... the worst. What were you thinking?”