“So, I suppose if there’s nothing else?” Maria said.
Dorian got up from her seat and shook her head. “Just sleep. And maybe tomorrow we can talk about when I can get out of here.”
Maria’s eyes went narrow. “We’ll see. Brian’s right outside to take you to your room. Get some good rest.”
“I will. Thanks, Maria.” And with that, Dorian was out the door and following the young orderly back to her room.
Though there was the sound of a lock sliding into place, Dorian got into bed feeling like maybe, just maybe, she’d get lucky.
***
A hand clamped over her mouth and Dorian woke with a startled gasp. She struggled against the person holding her until her eyes adjusted to the dim light from the hall. She could barely make out the wide eyes and narrow nose of Lennox, who was holding a finger to his lips. With a muffled hum, she nodded her head at him, trying to tell him she was okay. When it became clear she recognized him, he let his hand slip from her mouth and she let out a little cough.
“You scared the shit out of me!” Her voice came out an angry hiss, and she struggled against her blankets in an effort to sit up.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t sure if you’d be drugged or possessed.” He offered a hand out to help her get up, and she straightened out her pajamas. “We need to get the hell out of here. Dash is outside with the car, and we have about three minutes before they realize someone’s broken in.”
Glancing around, she realized she had none of her personal effects in the room, so she left everything behind, following him out into the corridor. He moved expertly, making her wonder how often he’d broken people out of hospitals before, but there was no time to really worry about it. He pulled her along, ducking out the emergency fire exit at the far end of the patient hallway. She expected the alarm to wail, but it remained silent as they crept around the side of the building to where Dash sat in the car.
“That was fast,” he exclaimed as Dorian slid into the back seat and Lennox jumped into the front. “No one saw you?”
“No, but I had to cut the wire on the back door’s alarm so they’re going to notice that here in a second.” As Lennox spoke, the building’s side door flew open, and Dash let out a cry, jamming on the gas. The car wavered as it jumped forward, and Dorian was sure it lifted up off two of the wheels as he tore around the corner.
Still, they were in the clear as far as she could tell. They were only a few miles from the apartment, but after a minute, she realized they weren’t heading in that direction. “Um, thanks for the rescue and all, but where are we going?”
“We got booted,” Lennox explained as he reached between his knees and tossed a zippered carry bag at Dorian. “Apparently your little priest friend had you tagged and followed. The day after you disappeared, cops raided our place.”
Dorian clapped her hand over her mouth. “Holy shit,” she said, her voice muffled by her fingers. “Did you guys get arrested?”
“Briar was the only one home, and she managed to scream legalese at them until they backed off. Apparently they didn’t have a warrant, but both our names got flagged for green cards.”
Dorian put her head on the back of Lennox’s seat and let out a frustrated sigh. “I can’t believe he’d do this. I can’t believe Nic wasn’t lying.”
“What do you mean?” Dash asked, his tone dark.
“He said Father Stone was working against me. He didn’t give me a lot of details, but if he wasn’t lying about that…” She took a breath before finishing her thought. “He had my body for two weeks, and I had no idea. He said he needs my help.”
“Don’t let him fool you. That’s what they do,” Lennox warned. “Drop a bit of truth here and there in their lies so you start to question what’s real and what isn’t.”
Rubbing her face, Dorian sat back and inspected the bag in her lap. It was a handful of clothes and a couple amulets, and a pair of running shoes she realized had come from her things.
“Lennox managed to sneak in and nick some of your cases,” Dash explained. “We’ve got a new set-up and it’s well guarded. Doubled up on the wards and everything.”
Dorian managed to wriggle out of her hospital sweats and into the fresh clothing. It didn’t erase the feeling of being locked up for as long as she had been, but it took the edge off. “Thanks for getting to me so fast. I wasn’t sure you’d get the message.”
“Going for Markus was very clever,” Lennox replied with a wave of his hand. “You want anything done quickly, you get him involved.”
Dorian clasped the necklace around her throat, wincing at the burn, but she appreciated them bringing backup. Whatever Nic had pressing against her head was shoved back for the moment, and it brought her some relief. “He was the only one left in my phone. My therapist all-but wiped my contacts clear. Either way, I owe him a huge thanks.”
“Well, get through the next couple of nights, and you can do so in person. He’s coming over in a few days to get things sorted.”
The car fell silent for the next half hour, and Dorian felt both fear and relief that they were heading out of the city. The new place they’d set up was in a small suburb about twenty miles out, closer to the coast. All the streets were dark save for a few porch lights, and the place seemed more fitting for a family rather than a handful of Exorcists and their house Reaper.
But it was a good cover, she figured, so long as the neighbors weren’t too nosy. The house they chose was on a cul-de-sac, directly in the middle. The yard was trimmed but undecorated, and the garage they pulled into was completely empty save for a few empty tote bags piled near the door.
Dash closed the garage as he shut the car off, and Dorian climbed out, her limbs still numb and achy from the regiment of medication the hospital kept her on. She used Lennox’s arm to keep herself steady as she climbed the three steps. It led to a wide kitchen, and beyond that was a living room with no furniture save for a tattered old bean bag chair and a TV propped up on green milk crates.
“So, not planning to stay long?” she asked as she looked around. The white walls were adorned with the rust-red warding symbols, and it made the air pressure in the room a little higher. It was a comforting feeling now though, and she felt her guard drop a little more.
“We’re not sure. We need to see what happens after your exorcism,” Dash replied as he threw his keys on the granite counter top. He went to the fridge and pulled out a couple beers, handing one to Lennox and offering the other to Dorian.
“Can’t. Still got a ton of drugs in my body. I need to detox for a few days.” She poked at the injection site on her hip which still held a fresh, dark bruise. “They weren’t wasting any time getting me re-assimilated.”
Lennox’s face went dark and he shook his head. “Probably best you detox another day or so before we try anything. Briar’s out getting what we need since we had to scarper without taking a lot.”
“I’m so sorry,” Dorian began, but Lennox held up his hand to stop her.
“Don’t be. You didn’t ask for this. You didn’t know. Hell, we had no idea you were being tailed. I can’t even begin to imagine what that means.”
Dorian didn’t want to think of the implications either. For the moment she wanted to revel in the fact that Nic couldn’t touch her here, and she was away from anyone who meant her harm. Although she’d been warned by both Nic and the Father that these men were only going to hurt her, she couldn’t bring herself to believe it. It felt too right. She felt too at home.
She was drawn from her thoughts by Dash’s arm going around her, and he pulled her toward the stairs. “We’ve only got one room set up, and you’re welcome to it. Get some rest. Some real rest. There will be breakfast in the morning, coffee, and hopefully more information to go on so we can move forward.”
Dorian allowed him to take her up the carpeted stairs, down the hall and into a room with a large bed covered in blankets. It looked like heaven, and curling up in the familiar smells of the spell herbs,
she realized it was the only place she wanted to be.
Chapter Seventeen
With morning came the familiar hang-over of the drug detox. It had now been over twelve hours since she’d had anything, and her body felt shaky and tired. She stumbled from the bed and into the bathroom where she contemplated a shower, but decided caffeine and food would best suit her needs.
Downstairs in the kitchen, she saw Briar sitting at the table with her hair down, head hanging low, but she gave Dorian a wide smile when she walked in. “I was hoping you’d be up soon.” Briar jumped off her chair to grab a mug for coffee. “The boys are out and about getting a few things for tonight.”
Dorian licked her lips, feeling her nerves kick up. “Tonight? The exorcism?”
“We’re hoping. Trust me, the quicker we get this done, the better for you. The more Nic climbs into your head, the more he can hold on and I want you to have the strength to fight him.”
Stirring sugar into her coffee, Dorian stared over at the Reaper. She realized in that moment, Briar had gone through everything she was about to. She’d suffered through possession, exorcism, and had come out the other side. She was looking at living proof that it was possible to survive. If you were strong enough.
But the idea that she was as strong as Briar made her want to laugh. She’d spent her entire life weak and terrified. It didn’t matter she hadn’t become a catatonic mess from the possession, she still jumped at every shadow, panicked at the threat of an impending blackout. How was she supposed to fight the thing clawing its way into her head?
“When you were possessed,” Dorian said, her voice slow and careful, “what was it like? Do you remember your demon?”
Briar pursed her lips, then shook her head. “No, not really. Most of the time it was blackness. I’d wake up to find out days had passed.” She lowered herself into the chair after pushing a plate of toast across the table toward Dorian. “I think I saw its face once, maybe twice.”
Dorian’s brow furrowed as she twisted her coffee mug in her hands. “So he…it…didn’t talk to you? Try and convince you to let it stay? Give it help?”
Briar leaned across the table. “No. It didn’t. The only thing I remember is it trying to drag me though the doorway. The claws…” She trailed off with a shudder, her head shaking.
She let out a puff of air and stared at the Reaper, feeling her stomach sink. “So that’s not normal? Trying to get me on its side?”
“Dorian, what’s going on?”
Wiping her hand down her mouth, she sat back in the chair and gave a weak shrug. “The demon, Nic, he’s trying to convince me to let him use my body. He swears up and down if I help him fight this war, he’ll leave me intact.”
“He’s a liar,” she snapped.
Dorian held up her hand. “I know! I don’t believe him but… I just want to know why me? Why does he have his claws in me like this? Why is he talking to me? He says he’s been there since the day I was born, and you know what, he was! The memories are all still there.” She went quiet for a few moments. “When I was about seven, I was sent to this really nasty foster home. They were this really religious couple who liked to take in troubled kids, the ones with medical problems. They got an extra bonus for that, for taking on kids who needed extra care. Anyway, I found out about a week in they followed that passage in the bible, spare the rod, spoil the child?”
Briar’s face went still and her jaw tensed. “Yes. I know the one.”
“Anyway, after a particularly vicious beating, I remember laying in my bed trying not to cry because if I woke any of the other kids, I just got hit again. My shoulder was dislocated but they didn’t want to take me to the hospital so I had to stay in bed until the foster mom’s brother, who was a paramedic, could come over and pop it back into place.” Dorian saw Briar’s hands clench together on the top of the table, but she didn’t say anything so Dorian went on. “I was laying in the bed and he was there. Nic. He was singing me this lullaby and whatever it was, it made the pain go away. He held my hand and made the hurting stop. Told me he loved me and would always take care of me.”
“Dorian,” Briar breathed.
“After that, I had so many blackouts and violent outbursts, even that couple couldn’t handle it. They sent me back with a recommendation for a lobotomy—which of course didn’t happen, but my therapist at the time put me on about seven different kinds of medication. They wanted to drug me until my phase passed or whatever. It’s all in my file.” Dorian paused to take a drink of her coffee. “Because of the meds, I couldn’t see him anymore, but for years I knew he was there. Watching me, singing me to sleep, taking away the pain. I think they were spells to heal my body. Whatever this thing is, he wants me, and I don’t think he’s going to go easy.”
Briar stared at her for a long moment before getting up and walking around the table. She put her hands on the sides of Dorian’s face and held her fast and hard. “I don’t care why he wants you, or how badly. We are getting this thing out of your head and you are walking away from this. Alive. You belong here with us, and just like that monster inside you, we’re not giving you up without a fight.”
Letting her go, Briar turned and stormed out of the room, leaving Dorian alone with her thoughts and fears. She knew it was going to happen, whether she liked it or not, and she could only hope to tap into the strength Briar had, and the will for herself to go on living.
***
Dorian was just getting up from a nap when she heard Dash and Lennox return from their errands. The digital clock by the bed read eleven-thirty, and she shook her head as she got up, trying to chase away the groggy. A shower sounded wonderful at this point, but before she could look around for her things, the bedroom door swung open and Dash walked in.
“Morning, Sunshine. Are you just getting up?” He crossed the room and threw a zippered tote on the bed.
“No. Had some breakfast with Briar earlier, but I needed a nap. Trying to sleep off these drugs.” She rubbed at the injection spot on her side. “It’s taking longer than I thought to get this crap out of my system.”
“That’s to be expected. The warding spells muck about with things like that. I wouldn’t worry too much.”
“Except,” Dorian said as she watched him digging around in the bag, “don’t you think it’ll lower my defenses during the exorcism?”
“I doubt it. If anything, it might help keep that demon more docile. Maybe not much, but enough.” He found what he was looking for, a small charm hanging from a chain, and he shoved it into his pocket. “Anyway, Lennox is getting the basement ready for you. He anticipates a long one, but Briar’s on the warpath. I’m telling you, I’ve never seen her so determined to pull someone out of an exorcism before.”
The thought was a small comfort, and Dorian let out a breath of relief. “Well that’s good, I guess.” She spotted one of her suitcases in the corner of the room and hurried over. The familiar smell of her things as she opened it was almost too much, and her throat tightened for a second. Clearing it, she asked, “Mind if I shower? Or do we need to get stuff done like now?”
“Go for it, love. We’ve got a lot of prep work to do. We have to lower the wards on the house so we can draw that demon in here, and that’s going to take ages.”
“Okay.” Her voice sounded small, betraying her fear, but he gave her a small smile and a wink. She gathered up a change of clothes, her bag with her toiletries, and headed for the door. Before she walked out of the room, she turned back to the Exorcist. “Oh, there’s something I need to tell you guys, too. After I’m washed up, can we do a little house meeting? Nic had some interesting info.”
Dash frowned, but eventually nodded and waved her off. “I’ll let everyone know. You go get sorted.”
With his blessing, Dorian hurried down the hall to the bathroom and found it equipped with towels, soaps, and a wide shower with tall glass walls. The house was surprisingly nice, nicer than any place she’d ever stayed, and a tiny piece of her started w
ondering all the ways she could make it feel more like home if they were going to stay. If she was going to survive.
The thought giving her chills, she turned the water on as hot as she could stand it, and stood under the stream until her skin turned pink. It felt rejuvenating, and after she washed up and got out, the groggy feeling had faded to a faint annoyance.
Dressing, she put her hair back in a braid to keep it out of the way, and stepped back to look at herself in the mirror. She had a sudden, morbid thought that this could be the last thing she ever wore. This could be what she died in. But as much as the thought should have bothered her, she felt stronger. She felt a drive to get through this night. Nic was a liar, he was a demon, and she wouldn’t be swayed.
As she turned away from the mirror, she felt a chill on the back of her neck, like someone breathing, and she spun around but the bathroom was empty. Knowing he couldn’t get to her, not completely, she pushed the thought away and headed downstairs where she heard Briar and Lennox having a low, furious conversation.
“I think this is the worst idea,” Briar hissed. “It’s one thing for the two of you to exorcise some drooling mess you found on the streets, but you can’t handle this on your own. He speaks to her. He actually engages her in conversation. Do you realize the implications of that? Her demon is trying to make a deal with her!”
“And if you would stop and think for only a moment,” Lennox bit back, “you’d realize if that’s the case, if what you’re saying is true, he won’t want her to die. Exorcised or not, if she lives, she’ll be a Reaper. Meaning she’ll still be able to see him and speak to him if she chooses. He won’t let her die.”
“I think you’re projecting too many human emotions onto this thing. If it’s love, it’s not love the way we feel it. These things are monsters and the two of you…”
The Reaping: Language of the Liar Page 13