The Company of Darkness (28 page)

Virginie waved that concern away.  “You won’t need to, I’ll do it for you.”

“But I’m trying to learn, right?”

“Oh, but it takes lots and lots of practice to get it right.  Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you,” the dreamer smiled, leaning back into the chair, her eyes already drifting shut.  The technician held out the cup, offering her a noncommittal shrug.  Cady took the pills in hand, but only put one in her mouth, swallowing it uneasily. 

The lack of any protective symbols or black salt or any of that stuff made her even more anxious, but maybe the whole place was spelled to keep bad things out?  Or maybe this dream sending thing wasn’t as dangerous as astral projection?  Or maybe the dreamer had her own protections she was weaving on her own?  Or maybe…

Cady swallowed, her thoughts starting to lose their cohesiveness.  Maybe she was worried about nothing?  The Company seemed far too interested in her to let anything bad happen, and she clung to that thought as she drifted off.  One moment she lay there, thinking about the tiny hole in the stitching on the arm of the chair directly under her fingers and the next she was back in her own apartment, brushing out her hair. 

“I like your place.  Especially the movie posters,” Virginie said, stretching out on her bed.  “I miss going to the movies.”

“Why don’t you go sometime?  Or do you have to stay here all the time?”

“No, they brought me here for you.  Most of the time I live in L.A. with my handler.”

“Your handler?  What’s that?”

“She’s kind of like a babysitter,” Virginie said, her face scrunching up with distaste.  “But she takes care of me and deals with all of the Company business so I don’t have to mess with it and I can spend my time dreaming.  She took me to see the Beatles play once though, that was pretty groovy.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty groovy,” Cady murmured, thinking Ethan was right – the girl didn’t seem to have any connection to real life.  The Beatles had been gone for how long?  And Virginie didn’t seem too interested one way or another how long she’d been working for the Company or how restricted her life was.  “Should we um, maybe be going soon?  We’re supposed to get into that guy Foster’s dream.”

“Oh, that’s right, I almost forgot,” she said with a sunny smile.  “Sometimes I’m a little forgetful at first until the trip starts to fade some.”

Another reason why Cady didn’t want to touch the drugs.  “How do we get there?  The balloon thing?”

“Here, give me your hand, I’ll take us there.”

Cady took her hand in the dream, wary about leaving her fate in the hands of a girl who seemed so scattered.  But in the next moment they stood in the gym watching Foster running on the treadmill like a machine.

It took Cady a second to orient herself after the swift change, and she had to wonder – were they still in her dream?  It seemed too fast to have found Foster in his.  “Wait… I thought we had to drift and find the right stream?”

“I did.  I just know how to do it better than most because I spend so much time in it.  Next time I’ll go slower and show you how it’s done if you like.  But you probably won’t be able to do it on your own without casting unless you have a demon bound to you to boost your strength.”

“Ah, okay.”  That made sense.  Of course Cady never intended to have a demon bound to her, but suddenly she wondered how many the dreamer beside her had.  They still held hands and Cady extended her senses, picking up four distinct energy signatures.  “Wow, you have four demons bound to you?”  Why hadn’t they asked her to try and communicate with hers?  She certainly felt more of an affinity to Virginie than Foster or Rikard.

“Yes, I do,” the dreamer smiled.  “Another reason why I was able to get here so quickly.  I only have to think it and it happens, but don’t feel bad if it takes you a lot longer to master.  Dream sending can be tricky at first, but now, it’s as easy as breathing.”

It still wasn’t enough of an endorsement to willingly let a demon into your body as far as Cady was concerned.  “I guess I should get started, right?  There’s Foster.”  Still running on his treadmill.  “He’s like the most boring guy on the planet, even his dreams are dull,” she sighed, watching the rhythmic pounding of his feet on the machine.

“Here, let’s see if he likes this better,” Virginie said with an impish grin, and the scene shifted to a tropical island, the pair of them wearing bikinis and sarongs.  Foster halted, a momentary flash of disorientation on his features before he regained his stride and took off running down the beach. 

“Awesome.  Now we have to play catch the monkey to get him to cooperate.”  Not Cady’s idea of a good time.

“I’ll get him back.”  Virginie’s face shone with confidence, and in the next instant he was running toward them instead of away. 

“I’ll take it from here, thanks.”  Letting go of her hand, Cady stepped in front of Foster, prepared to block his path if he didn’t stop for her.  He did, recognition settling over his face as he came to a stop. 

“This is the next trial?” he asked, not even out of breath. 

“Yep, this is it.  So stand still for a sec, okay?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

It was easy to find his bound demons this time, now that she knew what to look for, but there still wasn’t any sense of consciousness to them, not like with Ash.  After trying for only a few minutes, Cady was ready to declare that part of the experiment a failure. 

“Okay, you’re good.  The Company thanks you for your cooperation,” Cady said with mock formality, giving him a brief salute.  To her amusement he saluted back and continued on running down the beach.  Walking back to where Virginie sprawled sifting her fingers through the sand, she crouched down beside her.  “So much for that.  How do we get back from here?”

“Oh, let’s not go back yet.  There’s so much I want to show you,” Virginie said with sudden enthusiasm, scrambling to her feet.  “Not only can we make this dream anything we want it to be, we can also make him show us any past memory we want to see too.”

“I’m not so sure I want to see into his past all that badly.  Can’t we hijack this sucker and go to Disneyland instead?  Force him to ride the teacups while we explore the park?” 

“I’ve never been to Disneyland, is it fun?”

“You live in L.A. and you’ve never been to Disneyland?  We have got to get your priorities straight, girl,” Cady laughed, picking up her hand again.  “Come on, I can show you.”  It’d been years since she’d last been to the amusement park, but Cady was pretty sure she could represent at least the high points for some fun. 

“Wait… we can go there next, but first, I want to show you how this is done,” Virginie insisted, pulling her along by the hand.  At the same time, Foster ran toward them again, slowing to a walk as they approached.  The dreamer laid her hand atop his shoulder, still holding tight to Cady with the other one.  “Show me your last mission.  Take me through the resolution.”

Cady felt a flare of energy but she had no idea which one of them it came from, and then they stood inside the living room of a middle class house.  It was dark out but the front yard was illuminated by the moon well enough, despite the dense covering of trees that obscured the road. 

“Show me,” Virginie repeated, her voice commanding, unlike her usual soft lilt.  “Show me everything.”

Foster gave no sign that he’d heard her, but he turned away, producing a gun from a holster that hadn’t been there a moment before and a black dagger in the other hand, like the one Ethan carried. 

“Can we um… can we be hurt in a dream?” Cady whispered as Virginie followed along behind him as he roved deeper into the house.  “Because I’m thinking he’s not on the trail of a pack of rogue puppies.”

“We can feel pain, but it won’t hurt our physical bodies, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Good.”  Cady breathed a touch easier after that.  “So that thing where if you die in your dream you die in real life is a pile of crap?”  That’s what she got for watching those
Nightmare on Elm Street
movies. 

“No, that’s not true at all.  The only way you can die is if someone deliberately cuts the cord between your astral self and your body.”

Cady froze.  “And we’re not worried about that?”

“No, not in a dream.  It’d be different if we were seeking a real demonic entity, but this is just a shadow of what’s already come to pass.  It can’t hurt us, not really.”

“Oh, okay,” Cady nodded, trying not to flinch when she heard an ear piercing shriek from the next room.  “Good to remember.”

“Come on, I don’t want to miss it when he binds him.”  Virginie tugged her forward, her face alight with anticipation.  Cady followed along, completely unprepared for the carnage that lay ahead.  It was like stepping into a horror movie, only on some level she knew it was all true.  There were bodies strewn around the room, pieces of them; it was hard to identify how many as some were partially liquefied.  As she watched in revulsion, the demon threw down its gooey feast and shrieked at Foster, baring misshapen teeth in a mouth that no longer looked human.  

“Ick.  I don’t want to watch this.”  Cady let go of Virginie’s hand, backing away from the slaughter.  The dreamer didn’t take much notice, her attention fixed on the battle between demon and reaper, but Cady wanted out of the sickening room, gagging at the stench that hit her all at once.  She stumbled away, out of the house and into the cool night air, only then drawing in a breath.  All she had to do now, was figure out how to get home, or at least someplace safe where she could try and unsee those disturbing images.   

With a lurch she floated free, drifting into the air.  It didn’t bother her though; she knew it was only a dream, and she’d had flying dreams before.  In fact, the farther she got away from the demon house the less she worried about anything.  Higher and higher she drifted, thinking about the currents Virginie mentioned.  How could she find them?  Could she slip into Ethan’s dreams if she wanted to?  Letting herself go, she closed her eyes and let the wind take her where it would, her body unraveling as she spiraled higher. 

And then bam, Cady felt her spirit coalesce into a version of her own body, feeling solid and more herself.  She stood looking out the window of a high rise apartment.  Her bikini and sarong replaced by her usual sleep shorts and a tank top as she got more comfortable in the space.  Was she back in her own dreams again?  If so, that meant Ethan would be in the bedroom, but she stayed by the window a moment longer, trying to recognize what city she was looking down at. 

She heard him approach, saw the pale reflection of his bare chest in the window before he wrapped his arms around her middle and kissed her neck. 

“Hello, luv.  Couldn’t sleep?”

Cady tensed as she heard Rikard’s voice, not Ethan’s.  Stranger still, he spoke with the lilt of a British accent. 

“Ooh, look at you all tensed up,” Rikard kissed her neck again, and down her shoulder.  “I can fix that,” he rumbled against her skin and Cady pulled away from his embrace, trying to figure out if this was her dream or his. 

“What’s with the accent?” she said, taking in the boxers he wore and nothing else.  Was this his apartment?  It was Spartan, like Ethan’s tended to be, but nicer, more expensively furnished. 

“You said you liked my accent.  Sexy as hell – is I think what you called it,” he chuckled.

Ick…
It had to be his dream.  “I would not say that.”

Is this what he dreamed of?  A life with her?  Or was this a random coincidence? “Come back to bed, it’s late.” He reached for her hand and Cady avoided his grasp, tucking her hands under her elbows. 

“It’s later than you think.” 

His face lost the playful cast, concern etching his features.  “Are you worried about Ethan?” 

“What about him?”

He stepped closer, rubbing her bare arms soothingly.  “I told you, you don’t have to be afraid.  I won’t let him hurt you.”

Cady turned away, refusing to accept his false comfort.  “Ethan would never hurt me.”

“You can’t keep thinking about him like he used to be.  That man is gone now.  But I’ll keep you safe.” 

“You want to keep me safe,” she deadpanned.  The man who’d tirelessly stalked her, interrogated, kidnapped and dragged her into the Company’s clutches cared about her wellbeing? 

“Course I do.  It’s why I brought you here.  You know that.”  His brow puckered with worry for the first time.  “Are you feeling alright?”

Cady looked out the window again, still no closer to telling where the hell they were.  “Where is here exactly?”

“You’re really out of it, aren’t you?”  He shook his head, moving in close to wrap an arm around her waist.  “Why don’t you come on back to bed and let me make you feel better?”

“I’m not going to bed with you.”  Throwing off his arm, she backed up, hitting the window with the back of her head hard enough to make her teeth rattle. 

All at once worry set in, his features hardening.  “What’s the matter?  What’s happened?”

“I don’t know how to feel about all of this, if it’s some random dream or if this is normal for you, but it’s freaking me out a little.”  Cady backed away from him, trying to sort through what was real and what wasn’t. 

“How do you mean?”

“This – you and me playing house.”  She gestured between them.  “This isn’t reality.  Am I supposed to believe this is something you want?  Or like some kind of weird conquest thing?”

“I don’t understand,” he said, his brows drawing together into a single dark line.  “You wanted this too, you chose me.”

“I didn’t choose anything.  I just fell in here by mistake.” 

“Fell in where?”

“It’s a dream, don’t you get it?  None of this is real.”  Maybe that was a
faux pas
, but she was tired of playing games with him.  It was creepy to think he might’ve built this whole other dream life with her and she’d known nothing about it. 

Rikard’s gaze left hers, taking in their surroundings with new eyes and she saw the understanding dawn there, his jaw tightening in what could be anger, embarrassment, or both.  “I wasn’t aware I was scheduled for your session tonight.  They’re monitoring us then?”  He lifted a pair of jeans from the back of a chair and pulled them on. 

“No, you’re not.  Like I said, I ended up here by accident.  So you can relax, your love nest or whatever this is can be our secret.”

“That’s not…”  He stopped himself, running a hand over his closely shorn hair.  “Look, it’s just a dream. It doesn’t mean anything.”

“Fine by me, I’d rather forget about it myself.”  Was that all it really was?  Cady wanted to think so, but the more agitated about it he was, the more it made her think she’d seen something he’d rather have hidden.

“You shouldn’t be here.” 

“Why not?  I already saw the embarrassing stuff.  I might as well try the rest of the experiment now, right?”  Besides the fact that she had no idea how to get back to her own body at this point.  “Let’s just focus on the job.  I made a real breakthrough with that Foster guy, and I’d like to see if it works on you, okay?” 

“I didn’t agree to this,” Rikard scowled, but he let her come closer without stalking away.  “Alright then.  Do what you have to do and get out.”  His accent was gone, replaced by a normal white-bread American one, but she decided not to call him out on it. He was probably embarrassed enough.

“Be quiet then and let me get to work,” she retorted, picking up one of his hands and closing her eyes.  It was warm, like last time, only now she felt the thrum of his energy, and so many pinwheels of power… it was dizzying.  Cady kept losing count whenever she tried to identify them separately.  “This can’t be right.  How many demons do you have bound to you?”

“Why, how many can you sense?”

“I can’t even keep them straight it’s…”  Her eyes popped open, really noticing the tattoos for the first time.  The one that went from the back of his hand up to his shoulder was identical to Ethan’s, marking him as a reaper.  There was the lizard looking one that sat on his bicep and another on his chest.  That only made two glyphs.  Letting go of his hand, she stepped around him to look at his back.  The same sigils Ethan had down the center of his spine marked his skin, but on either side were two neat rows of glyphs, five on each side. 

“Twelve…” she breathed, her fingers reaching out to trace over them without thinking twice about it.  His skin rippled under her touch as his muscles bunched and shifted, but he made no sound.  “So many…”

“It’s not any more than I can handle.”  His voice sounded strained and she pulled her hand away, stepping back guiltily. 

“And it doesn’t bother you?  You don’t feel any different?”

“I feel strong,” he shrugged, stooping to pick up a discarded t-shirt.  “I feel alive.” 

“So it’s not the reason you’re kind of a dick?”

“No, that’s just me,” he chuckled and Cady couldn’t help but notice he had a nice smile when he wasn’t being a bastard.

Shit
, she shouldn’t be thinking that.  “Look, I don’t mean to pry, but… when you mentioned Ethan before, what did you mean he’s not the same man anymore?”

“It doesn’t matter.  Like you said, none of that was real.”

“What did you mean by it though?” she pressed. 

“It’s not important.”

“It is to me.”

Rikard paused, letting out a long breath before he spoke again.  “Ethan was gone, completely taken over by the subject.”

“Can that happen?”

“With a bound subject, no, absolutely not.  Then again, they’re not supposed to be able to influence us at all and that’s clearly happening.”

Cady paused to let that sink in for a moment.  Could it be a real possibility or was it only Rikard’s subconscious trying to work out a logical reason for a booty call?  “Do you think that’s where we’re headed?  Ash gets stronger and stronger until there’s no Ethan left?

“No.  They’ll offload the subject before they allow that to happen.”

“Then why…?”

“It’s a dream, remember?  Who knows why the mind dredges up this crazy shit,” he muttered, swearing under his breath when the pack of cigarettes on the coffee table turned up empty.  Cady knew she had the power to give him another pack but she didn’t, hating the nasty habit. 

“Alright, well, as long as I’m here I should try to touch you.  I mean the demons.  I should try to reach them.”  He was going to make her pay for that slip of the tongue.

Sure enough, his smile was back, cigarettes forgotten as he approached her with arms stretched wide.  “Touch anything you like.” 

Cady grabbed his arms, pushing them down to his sides.  “To make contact with them, I mean.  That’s what I’m supposed to be doing, trying to see if I can communicate.”

“By all means, do what you gotta do.”  Rikard loomed closer than was strictly necessary and she took a half step backwards, finding his close proximity too distracting. 

What happened to do what you have to and get out?  “Just give me your hand and don’t look at me like that.”  Her lips turned down in disapproval as he edged closer, eating up the space between them that she’d deliberately placed. 

“Like what?”

“Like you’re enjoying this.”

“It’s my dream, shouldn’t I get to enjoy it?”  His head dipped lower – was he smelling her?

“It may be your dream, but I’m on the clock, so knock it off with the bedroom eyes and let me get to work.  I’m not interested.”  It was hard to sell when she picked up his hand at the same time she said the words, especially when her heart beat faster at the tingle of energy there. 

His lips curved into a smile despite her carefully placed scowl.  “I think you like me.”

“I think you’re an asshole.”

“I think you like me
because
I’m an asshole,” he grinned, tugging her closer by their joined hands.  “I’m not afraid to say what I think, and take what I want.”  His free arm snaked around her waist, hauling her up against the hard length of his body.  “And right now, what I want is the one thing I’ve been dreaming about since I met you.”  

“I don’t want…” Cady swallowed, the words failing her as he affected her more than she liked, and she tried again.  This was wrong, no matter how much her body tingled pressed up against his.  “Rikard…”

“My name is John,” he whispered, his lips bare inches from hers. 

“Let me go or I’ll…”