The Company of Darkness (27 page)

“Relax and open yourself up to me.”

Her eyes popped open to fix him with a withering stare.  “Ick, you wish.”

“Sometimes,” he admitted with a half smile. 

It was no use – the longer she sat there with him, the less relaxed she became, overly aware of her hands in his and the rough texture of his skin. 

“You’re trying too hard.”  Rikard got up and scooted his chair closer, without the table between them, his voice pitched low and soothing.  His thumbs circled over the backs of her hands and then higher against the inside of her wrists.  It distracted her, but not enough to lose the current of frustration over failing to contact his bound demons.  “Feel my breath, the beat of my heart.”  He took her hand and placed it over his chest. 

“Do you think that will help?”

“It couldn’t hurt,” he said with a straight face and that was the only reason she didn’t pull her hand away.  “Now close your eyes and concentrate.  Can you feel my energy?” 

Cady felt a tingle of something, but she couldn’t say if it was his “energy” per se.  She closed her eyes, focusing on that tingle between them.  “I guess so.”

“Good, now breathe with me.”  His chest swelled higher.  “In… and out.  There’s a good girl.  In… and out.  Feel the power there, the strength, feel where it comes from.”

All she could feel was the surface, the fact that he had a powerful chest because of all the muscle there, nothing that lurked beneath.  Then again, she’d never been able to feel anything from any of Ethan’s tattoos either.  “This isn’t working,” she muttered.

“Maybe we should try this instead.”  Rikard laid his hand over her heart.

“What do you think you’re doing?”  Her eyes flickered open again to find his closed, a curious half smile on his lips. 

“Trying to forge a connection between us.”

“By feeling me up?”

“No, that’s just a fortunate happenstance.” 

Ick
.  Cady didn’t care if he seriously thought it would work or not, she wasn’t about to be groped for a stupid experiment.  She shoved his hand away and followed up with an open handed smack to his jaw, hard enough to split his lip.  “How’s that for a connection?  I feel annoyed, you bleed.  Works for me, how about you?”

Rikard laughed, the action pulling at the split lip and his tongue flicked out at the cut.  “I deserved that, I suppose.  Sorry, I guess I got carried away in my zeal.  Nice shot though, for a girl.”

Cady’s eyes narrowed at him.  “Are you
trying
to make me hit you again?”

He laughed again and she could see the cut was nearly gone, much faster than Ethan’s cuts and scraped healed.  “Maybe we can try that later.”

The door opened, and Alma stood there looking none too pleased by his amusement.  “If y’all are done playing I think it’s time to move on.  Would it be safe to say you were unable to establish contact with any of his bound subjects?”  Rikard rose to his feet when Alma appeared, his expression reserved, any hint of playfulness gone. 

“That’s a big negative.  I got nothing from him,” Cady replied coolly.  “Of course that could be because my own natural aversion kept me from wanting to reach out to him in any way.”

“We had the same thought.”  She flicked her wrist and another man entered, tall, powerfully built, with dark hair and eyes.  He was attractive enough, but there was no spark of life in his eyes.  He waited for instructions blankly, like a robot, his gaze straight ahead.  “This is Foster, you’ll try with him next.  He shouldn’t give you any trouble.  You…” she said, her eyes swinging to Rikard, “wait for me in my office.”

“Okay, but again, I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to be doing.  This is all probably a big waste of time.”

“Even negative results are results, Cady,” Alma offered with an encouraging pat to the shoulder.  “I’m sure you’ll do fine.”

“If you say so,” she said dubiously as the door swung shut and she flashed a nervous smile at the new guy, Foster.  “Have a seat.”  He did as he was told, those dark eyes regarding her steadily, but there was nothing in his face to indicate what he might be thinking. 

“Are you a reaper too?”

“Yes,” he replied, offering nothing more.

“I ah… guess we’ll start with holding hands.  Don’t worry, I won’t bite,” she smiled.  He shifted his hands closer to her, palms up, but there were no other visual cues that he’d heard her words at all.  His hands were much cooler than Rikard’s, almost chilly.  “Cold hands warm heart, huh?”  Nothing. 

He didn’t want to chat?  Fine.  In fact, she preferred it, it made it easier to let go of some of her annoyance with Rikard and try again.  Rikard… there was a guy she didn’t understand one bit.  But Cady tried to force thoughts of the fixer from her mind, concentrating on the task at hand. 

Oddly enough, Rikard’s earlier direction helped her focus, and she almost immediately sensed the energy within the man opposite her.  Within the general nimbus of power, she felt three distinct hubs of energy.  She wasn’t sure what else to call them.  They each burned like little spinning lotus fireworks, her favorite as a child.  How come she hadn’t been able to see them in Rikard?

“I feel three… you have three demons bound to you, is that right?”

“Yes.”  He made Ethan sound chatty by comparison.

“I can feel them there, three distinct spots of energy inside you.  They feel…”  It was hard to articulate.  They each had a different energy signature, but she couldn’t get more of a sense of them other than that they existed.  There wasn’t any personality or emotions like she associated with Ash.  Just hubs of power.  “Hello?” she tried out loud, feeling like a complete and utter dork when he replied. 

“Hello.”

Shaking her head, she tried again inside her mind, but didn’t get even a flicker of a response.  “I got nothing.  I can tell they’re there, but that’s about it.”  Cady let go of his hands settling back in the chair.  “So you’re a reaper, huh?  Do you know Ethan?”  He didn’t respond, just held that thousand yard stare.  “Hello?  Earth to robot… am I coming in loud and clear?”  She waved her hand in front of his face and he focused his gaze on her, his expression unchanging.   Talk about creepy.  It was like there was nothing there, no personality, nothing but duty. 

Alma appeared at the door, in good spirits from the look of it.  “That was just fine.  You can go on back to your training now, Foster.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied woodenly, rising with fluid grace to depart.

“What’s wrong with that guy?” Cady couldn’t help but ask as soon as he was gone.

“Not a thing.  He just ain’t the sort for chit chat.  That’s what we love about him, he’s like a machine, but adaptable.”

Was that what they wanted?  An army of perfect machines?  “So um, I wasn’t able to contact the bound subjects at all, sorry.”

“But you were able to sense them individually, that’s more than anyone’s been able to do before.”

“Really?”

“Oh yes, we’re very encouraged for the dream trial tonight.”

“I’m not going to be stuck with Rikard again, am I?” Cady asked, her stomach curdling at the thought, but Alma shook her head with a smile. 

“No, I think it’s pretty clear the two of you are incompatible.  You’ll be going into Foster’s dream with Virginie as your guide.  Actually, I’d like you to spend some time with her this afternoon.  She’ll teach you a few exercises that should make the process flow smoother.”

“Oh, good.”  Anything to keep from having to be drugged again was awesome in her books.

“In the meantime, I’ll have the cook prepare something special for you and Ethan to eat in your cabin at lunch.  Would you like that?”

“Yes, thanks, that sounds nice.”  Was that supposed to be a reward for performing on cue?  She hoped they ponied up with chili dogs then.

“We want you to be happy here, Cady.”  The smile Alma gave her was probably supposed to be warm and motherly, but it came out as forced, as though the sentiment didn’t come naturally to her.  Stifling the retort to let her see her brother, Cady responded with a wan smile, getting out of there before she said something to hurt those chances.  The truth was, Cady wouldn’t be happy until she and Ethan were safely away from Alma’s perfectly manicured clutches. 

It wasn’t hard to find Ethan, he was in the gym doing those dip things that made his arms hard as rocks.  She spotted Foster doing leg presses and ignored him the way he ignored the rest of the world.  Rikard was nowhere in sight, and she took that as a good omen.  For a few minutes she watched Ethan work out, admiring the quiet strength there. 

She missed being able to touch him, other intimate stuff too, but mostly being able to reach out and touch him whenever they were together.  He looked up then and their eyes locked.  He dipped, holding her gaze, and again, and again… his movements slow and controlled.  Damn, she was getting turned on just by watching him work out.  A faint smile curved his lips and he hopped down, catching up a towel to wipe his arms down with. 

Cady approached, wondering if he could tell how sexy hot he looked to her in that moment.  Was that what put that smile on his face?  “Hey, want to go for a walk before lunch or do you have to spend more time getting sweaty?”

“I’d much rather spend time getting sweaty with you, but until we lose my extra passenger, this is what I’m stuck with.”

“Hmm, that leaves me with a cold shower since I’m not into the gym stuff.  Unless there’s dancing.  I don’t suppose the Company goes all dance party on Friday nights, do they?  A disco ball in the cafeteria?  Your pod of casters throws down with some rhymes?  No?” 

Ethan smiled, tossing the towel aside.  “You’re in a good mood.  Did your session go well this morning?”

“Eh, yes and no.  What to come for a walk and I’ll show you?”

“Show me?”  His eyes dipped to take in the length of her body.  “Is this something
I’m
going to need a cold shower for?”

Cady laughed, tugging at the bottom of his t-shirt.  “I want to show you what I learned how to do today.” 

Ethan followed without another word.  As they walked she saw his hands ball into fists a couple of times, but whenever she looked up at him, his face betrayed nothing.  She couldn’t tell if it was Ash providing a running commentary, or some other impulse he was trying to deny.  Whatever it was, he kept a good hold over it as they ventured deeper into the woods. 

“So, what was it you wanted to show me that we need privacy for?”  Ethan stopped walking when they got to the clearing where he’d first shown her the sigils to work on. 

Cady stood right in front of him, getting close enough to feel the heat from his body.  “Close your eyes.”

“Isn’t that defeating the purpose of showing me?”  He raised a single brow.

“You’re a regular comedian today, aren’t you?  Close your eyes and let me try something.”

“Alright, I like the sound of that,” he agreed easily enough, his eyes sliding shut. 

It was so tempting to kiss him when he stood like that, lips parted in anticipation.  But she had to push that aside, hope that her feelings for him didn’t block what she was about to attempt, the way it had with Rikard.  Taking one hand, she concentrated on finding his energy, surprised at how quickly it thrummed through her, much stronger than it had with Foster.  How had she ever missed it before?  “One, two three… four, five and Ash…” she murmured, identifying the separate pinwheels of power inside of him. 

“What are you doing?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. 

“Shhh, relax, I’m trying something,” she scolded lightly, trying to focus again.  Laying her other hand over his heart, she caught a flare of something more – surprise… delight…pleasure… 

Ethan caught her wrist and pulled her hand away before she could delve deeper and her eyes snapped open with a question.  “Please don’t encourage him.  It’s bad enough I have to listen to him mope about you, it makes it worse when you seek him out.”

“So he could feel me then?”

“He always feels you now, but especially when you touched his glyph.  I wish you would’ve warned me you were going to do that,” he said, the furrow between his brows deepening.

“I’m sorry, but isn’t that kind of neat?  Alma says nobody’s been able to sense the distinct subjects before.  And later on Virginie’s going to show me some exercises to make it easier to get into people’s dreams.  Or at least I think so, I didn’t get too many details, but it should help with tonight’s experiment.”

Ethan took a step back, his head canting to one side.  “Alma had you dead to rights, didn’t she?  Dangle a crumb of knowledge in front of you and you’re all in.”

“I’m not all in, I’m just taking advantage of the time I have here to learn something useful.”

“You think it’ll be useful to sense demons and slip into people’s dreams?  Before you know it she’ll have you bound as a dreamer.”

“Oh, hell no, that’s not going to happen,” she insisted hotly.  “All I’m doing is learning a few exercises, there’s no way I’m letting her brand me with a demon.”

Ethan took another step back, his hands coming up, but he let them fall in frustration.  “I… I wish you could see it.  I’m not trying to be condescending, I swear, but I know it’s hard for you to see where the path you’re on leads sometimes.” 

“And you’re thinking with a clear head?  With Ash influencing your thoughts?” she retorted, her temper kicking up a notch.  “Or is this another round of poor Cady must be shielded from everything harsh in the world?  All I’m doing is learning to develop these skills that I already have.  How can learning control be a bad thing?  I didn’t sign up to be a killer.”

“None of us do, that’s what I’m trying to tell you,” he scowled.  “Do what you want, you always do.”  Ethan stalked off, turning around only to get in a few parting words.  “Ash happens to think it’s all peachy keen, by the way.  As far as I’m concerned, any plan that Ash is on board with, it’s a sure bet you should do the opposite.”

Part of her wanted to yell at him to come back and part of her wanted to flip him the bird and let him go.  She was still trying to decide which side would win out when Rikard stepped out into the clearing from behind her.  Cady whirled around at the movement, her shoulders bunching with tension when she saw who it was.

“Jesus… is there ever any part of my life you’re not stalking?”

He spread his hands, circling around her, but not coming any closer.  “Just looking out for you.  There are predators in these woods.”

“Right, the squirrel over there almost killed me,” she muttered.  Not wanting to be stuck out in the woods with him all alone, Cady started walking back to camp.  Of course he fell into step beside her, which defeated the whole purpose. 

“You’re funny.” 

“Really?  ’Cause you’re obnoxious.” 

He smiled at that.  “Be that as it may, you shouldn’t stay out here for too long by yourself.  You never know what might want to snap up a tasty little morsel like yourself.” 

“Okay, look.”  Cady came to a stop, giving him her full attention.  “I know you think you’re being cute or whatever, but it’s coming off as kind of douchey, and I’m already one over my stalker quota.  Some chicks are into that, but I’m not one of them.  I happen to be in love with Ethan and he loves me, so you can drop your misguided attempt to look out for me, or whatever it is you’re doing out here.”  

“And yet, he’s left you.  Again.”

“Whether he has or not, that’s none of your business.  Or did Alma sic you on me as some kind of protection deal?”

“No, actually, she’s asked me to cut you some slack.”

“This is you cutting me some slack?”  Her brows rose in disbelief. 

“No, this is me out for a hike.  It’s a public trail, you know.  You’re the one having a lover’s quarrel in the middle of it.”

“It’s not a lover’s quarrel.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

“That doesn’t sound hard to do,” Cady muttered walking again, she couldn’t care less if he followed or not.  He did. 

“For what it’s worth, I think you should take any chance at knowledge you can get.  You never know when you’ll have use for a skill.”

“Did I ask you?”

“A piece of unsolicited advice from someone who’s been around the block once or twice.  I figured you for a smart enough girl to seize an opportunity when it presents itself.”

Cady stopped again, watching him as kept walking down the path.  Did it make her a bad person to side with the demon and the killer?

* * *

“Think of it like… there’s a balloon floating over your head, over everyone’s heads, really.  And if you try hard enough, you can put yourself into the balloon and float away on the wind.  You can go anywhere you want to, the string just gets longer and longer, keeping you tied to your body.”

They lounged underneath a gnarled oak, Virginie looking up at the pale blue sky and Cady lining up the tops of acorns, like tiny hats, along the edge of an exposed root.  It was peaceful and calm out, the birdsong less prevalent than in the mornings.  Cady could almost pretend she
was
at summer camp, hanging out with a girlfriend, only the dreamer was still a stranger to her. 

“Sort of like astral projection?” Cady asked.

“Yes, exactly like that!”  Virginie’s face lit up, her flaxen braids flying as she turned to look at Cady in excitement.  “Alma said you didn’t know anything about this stuff, but there you are, an old pro.” 

“I don’t know about being an old pro,” Cady shrugged.  “I haven’t done it all that much, but I know what it is.”

“Dream sending is just like astral projection, only instead of opening yourself to the universe, you catch hold of people’s currents.  Once you find the right one, you follow the current right into their dreams.” 

“And what do you do once you get there?”

“Anything you want.  You can watch and listen, or you can give them a message, though it usually takes a few tries to get through to them on a conscious level.  You can even shape the dream to fit whatever you want, but you already know how to do that.”

The girl seemed so young, so unspoiled by the violence and darkness that marked most of the other people she’d met in the Company.  Then again, she also seemed distracted, as though she always kept one foot in reality and one foot rooted in dreams.  “Have you always been able to do this, or did they teach you here?”

“Oh, I’ve always been able to share dreams, ever since I was a little girl.  But the Company taught me how to shape them and how to bring others into them with me.”

“Ever since you were a little girl?  And how long have you been with the Company?”

“I’ve been doing this for a long time.”

“How long is a long time?” Cady pressed, wondering why she seemed so imprecise in her answer.  Or had she been ordered not to give too much information on her background? 

“I forget.  Years and years though.”

“Virginie, maybe this is too personal of a question, but how old are you?  You really don’t look like you’re much more than sixteen, seventeen, tops.”

“I’m…”  Her eyes clouded for a moment, a pucker appearing on her brow before it smoothed away again.  “I’m not sure exactly, lots older than that though.”  She seemed not to care one way or the other exactly how much.

“How is that possible?  Did they recruit you out of elementary school?”

“No silly,” she laughed, high and sweet.  “It’s the demons I have bound to me.  They not only make me stronger, and boost my gifts, but they stop the aging process.”

“Shut the front door…  Are you serious?” Cady gaped.  Why hadn’t Ethan mentioned that before?  No wonder he looked pretty good for twenty-eight.  “All of you who have bound demons are like this, or only some of them?”

“Oh, it’s all of us, I think.  I never stopped to ask, but it seems like we’re all the same.  It’s hard to tell.”

“And you never age at all?”

“I’m not sure.  Is it important?”

How the girl could not care was beyond Cady, but she shook her head.  “No, I guess it’s not.  So, tell me about what happens after we get into the dream…”

* * *

The room with the dentist’s chairs didn’t look quite as scary anymore, especially when no one tried strapping her down like last time.  Cady lay back in the chair chatting easily with Virginie, who might’ve been older than she looked but still sounded like a flaky teenager for the most part.  Alma was nowhere in sight, though Cady was willing to bet she watched the process from somewhere in the house.  A random tech guy came in to stick the electrodes to them and she didn’t object, at least until he offered her a petite paper cup with two pills in it. 

“I don’t want any drugs,” Cady declared, the monitor beeping faster as her heart rate went up. 

“It’s only a mild sedative,” the tech guy said, but she didn’t want any of it.

“I don’t care, I don’t even like to take cold meds when I’m sick.  Hugs not drugs, okay?”

“It’ll be easier to find the right stream, trust me,” Virginie smiled, eager to take the offered pills.  She swallowed them like a champ, opening her mouth to show they were gone afterwards.

Never mind the fact that she’d taken a cosmic brownie from Gobi without thinking twice about it, she didn’t trust whatever they might put into the yellow pills.  “It’ll be harder for me to concentrate if I’m high.”