The Reaping: Language of the Liar (24 page)

“Stand beside me,” Briar said.  “I want you to try and channel your power into mine.  Our focus is the symbols on the demon’s chain.  Can you still see him, or do you see the human?”

Lennox pulled the blankets back, and Dorian still saw whatever monster was inside.  “Demon.”

“Good.  That’s good.  You need to be able to focus on him and push him back.”  Briar took her wrist and squeezed it.  “You’ll know the spell worked when you see the human form.”

Dorian nodded, taking in a slow breath, and then she looked down at the scratches on the page.  Reaching inside herself, she felt for her magic.  It was there now, strong and pulsing, and she grabbed it.  The images on paper began to reform, shifting into words, and her lips moved over them with ease.

Her magic built, hot and furious in the center of her chest, and as she pushed it forward, trying to control the stream, she gasped.  Coming from her left, she could see the same power pulsing from Briar and Lennox.  There were streams, like spider webs, cascading around the room.  Lennox had threads pouring from his fingers and face, etching themselves into the symbols along the walls.

Briar’s were stronger, glowing fierce and proud as they teemed from her body, into the chains wrapped around the demon’s wrists, neck, and ankles.  They were the perfect focal point, and as untrained as Dorian was, she was able to shift her own power into Briar’s stream.

Hearing a gasp from the other Reaper, Dorian felt a shift when their powers collided.  But it didn’t last long.  The spell worked itself in just a handful of syllables and when the words stopped, the power came crashing back into her chest.

Stumbling back, she hit the floor as a wave of exhaustion hit her, and she felt Lennox kneeling down next to her arm.  “Dorian?”

“Yeah.  I’m fine.”  She waved him off as she stared down at the floor.  She swiped her hand under her nose and it came away tinged with blood.

“It’s normal.  It’ll pass.”  He squeezed her arm, then rose to his feet and she heard him picking up the spell bags from around the room.

She pressed the back of her hand to her nose for a few minutes, and eventually the bleeding stopped.  When she chanced a look up, she saw Briar leaning against the far wall, looking exhausted.  When they locked gazes, Briar gave her a sharp nod letting her know it was all good.

“So it worked?”  Dorian climbed to her feet and saw the body of the man now human, his body almost completely covered by the sheet.

“It worked.”  Lennox blew out a few of the candles as they dropped out of the air.  “He should be good for a while.  At least until the new guy gets here and we can do a proper exorcism on him.”

Dorian felt a chill run up her back knowing that thanks to the type of possession he had, they had no idea if he had a chance to survive it.  Markus might lose a son, and Dorian felt her heart ache at the thought.  As Briar and Lennox finished picking everything up, Dorian crept closer to the bed, bending low to make sure she could still hear breathing.

It was even, if not a little ragged, but he was alive.  Her first spell hadn’t caused any serious damage.  It gave her some measure of relief, and perhaps even confidence.  As she started to step away, however, the man on the bed groaned and shifted over.

For a second, she froze, terrified the demon would come through again, but as the blankets dropped back, Dorian got a good look at his face and the room began to spin.  It had been years.  So many, she thought maybe she was hallucinating.  But there was no mistaking that pointed nose, sneering mouth, and dark freckle just under the right eye.

Grant.

She should have put two and two together, but she never thought it could be possible.  Never thought in a million years that the boy in the foster home who tried to convince her she was possessed by a demon might have known what he was talking about.

She didn’t come back to herself until she felt someone pressing a cool, wet cloth to the back of her neck.  She was sitting on the ground, bent over so far her nose was almost touching her thighs, and her muscles were aching from the strain.

Sitting up, she saw Lennox hovering near her, his face concerned.  “What the hell just happened?”

Gulping, Dorian looked over at the bed, at the still unconscious man.  With a shaking breath, she looked Lennox directly in the eye and said, “I know him.  He’s the boy from the foster home.  The one who tried to exorcise me.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Gulping down the scotch, Dorian felt the warmth spreading through her limbs and the shock of realization was starting to wear off.  She was in the kitchen, at a small breakfast table with Briar across from her, Lennox in the other room on the phone, and the two brothers staring at her from the counter to the left.

No one said a word.  The only sound was Dorian’s glass being raised and lowered as she consumed the alcohol.  It was helping, but not nearly enough because every time she let her mind relax, she went back to that memory.  Of Grant’s laughing eyes and careful words as he explained to her what was wrong.

God.  She believed him too.  He seemed so certain, and years later when she was angry at him for misleading her, for destroying her trust and faith in people, she comforted herself by knowing he was just another misguided, messed up system kid.

And now she was wrong.  Because he
did
know what he was talking about.  At least, he had some idea, and he had been telling the truth.  She had been possessed, and he’d tried to rid her of the demon.

“It can’t possibly be a coincidence.”  Markus was the first to break the silence, and as he did, he took a hesitant step toward Dorian.  “You’re absolutely certain it was him?”

Rubbing her face, she sat back with a flustered breath.  “I mean, it’s been what, six years?  But yeah, I’m pretty goddamn sure it’s him.”

Briar, who had the whole story about Grant, looked cautious as she leaned toward Dorian.  “Do you remember anything strange about him then?  Symptoms of possession?”

Shaking her head, Dorian chanced a quick look at Markus to try and gauge his mood.  He seemed tense, but it was obvious he was desperate for answers about his son.  “I wasn’t looking though, you know?  He didn’t seem like me, if that’s what you mean.  He wasn’t on a ton of meds, no blackouts, no erratic behavior.  He was… fine.  Normal.”  She let out a bitter laugh.  “Or as normal as any foster kid is, anyway.”

Markus flinched and looked away from her.  “So perhaps he recognized the signs in you.”

“But how?” Matias cut in.  “He wasn’t raised in the Community.  His mother…”

“I know what she did.”  Markus broke off and slipped into a string of Swedish, which Dorian had no hope of understanding.  Matias’ cheeks went pink at whatever his brother said, and he bowed his head.  Turning back to Dorian, his eyes narrowed.  “When he wakes, I want you here.”

Dorian felt her heart jump into her throat.  “What? Why?”

“You need to speak to him.  The spell should be keeping the demon at bay, and you need to get what information out of him that you can.  Especially about his past.  How he knew about exorcism rituals, and how the hell he knew you were possessed.”

Dorian’s head was shaking back and forth before she could formulate her answer.  “I can’t.  You don’t understand.”

“But I do,” Markus snapped, looking furious.  “I’m not a fool, little girl.  I understand the potential trauma you suffered and the consequences of a botched exorcism…”

“Is he an Exorcist?” Briar cut in.  “Does he have the power?”

Markus froze, then his head shook just once from side to side.  “No.  He’s not.”

“So what was he thinking?”

Letting out an angry laugh, Markus threw up his hands, turning to his brother.  “That’s what I want to find out!  That’s why I need her.”

Dorian flinched at his tone, hating that he was speaking about her like she wasn’t in the room.  “Fine.”  Her tone came out flat.  She was angry, but what else could she do.  “I’ll talk to him.”

Briar’s eyebrows shot up and she leaned across the table.  “You don’t have to.  I don’t care what he says.  He’s not your fucking keeper.  You have a say in this.”

Briar’s words were a small comfort, but Dorian knew the truth.  She didn’t have a say.  Markus was in charge and in the end, she would do exactly what he was asking, whether she liked it or not.  “Markus is right.”  She turned her attention back to the two older men.  “If anyone’s going to get through to him, it’s going to be me.  So I’ll wait until he’s awake, and then I’ll ask him.”

“Ask who?”  Lennox walked back into the room, his arms crossed over his chest.  His face was a mask of fury, and his frown deepened when Markus explained the situation.

“I need her to question my son.  Alone.  She needs to use what resources she has because there is something going on and we can’t move forward without information.”

Lennox’s face went harder and his jaw was tense as he spoke.  “You and I need to have words outside.”

Markus spread his hands wide in surrender, and shot the remaining group a scathing look as he followed Lennox out of the room.  There was a stretch of silence, then the front door slammed, and Dorian took that moment to let out a long, slow sigh.

After a second, Matias clapped his hands together, making both Briar and Dorian jump, and he chuckled.  “Well, that’s getting sorted.  How about some dinner?”

***

Matias was gone forty minutes and returned with boxes of Chinese take-out.  Markus and Lennox were still missing in action, Briar assuming they’d gone into the woods to work out whatever the issue was.  And while Dorian could appreciate her little team having her back as strongly as they did, it didn’t change facts.  Dorian could probably get through to Grant better than anyone.

If he’d been in the system for years, he wouldn’t trust anyone.  Especially a parent who abandoned him to that life.  And it was possible worse happened before.  She and Grant didn’t talk about life before foster care, so she didn’t know what it was like for him then, but he would damn well know she understood what he was going through now.  Not only with his past, but his possession.

It only made sense.

She’d deal with the emotional consequences when this was all over.

After the food was consumed, Matias went up the stairs to check on Grant, and when he came back, his face was drawn.  “He’s awake.  I’m thinking perhaps bring him some supper.”

Dorian felt her stomach churn with anticipation, and Briar grabbed her arm, speaking close to her ear.  “You can still back out.”

“I know,” Dorian breathed.

Matias fixed a quick plate with rice, noodles, and chicken.  He handed it over with a bottle of water, and smiled at her.  “Do you think he’ll recognize you?”

Dorian gave a half-shrug.  “I don’t know.  There’s no telling what the demon did to his head.”

“But
it
recognized you, didn’t it?” Briar whispered as Matias turned his back to clean up the boxes.

Biting the inside of her cheek, Dorian nodded.  “Yeah.  It did.”  She had a feeling Lennox and Briar were trying to keep quiet about Dorian’s interaction with the thing inside Markus’ son, and she appreciated that.  It was enough dealing with Grant, and the demon’s words were something she could deal with when they got back to their home.

“Why don’t you go get Lennox and your brother,” Briar said after a second.  “I’ll take her upstairs.”

“Are you sure?”

Briar reached behind her and pulled out her second knife.  “Yeah.  I’ve got this, trust me.”

“Of course I trust you, my dear.  But if you need anything…”

“I know the signal.”  Her tone was short and clipped, and neither of the Reapers looked at Matias for a response.  Briar gave Dorian a shove in the direction of the stairs and they started up, stopping when they reached the landing.  “Do you want me in there with you?  I know Markus wants you to do this alone, but I don’t give a shit about him right now.”

Dorian could feel the knife Briar gave her pressed against her side, and her powers were swimming just under the surface of her skin.  “As long as the wards hold and the demon’s pushed back, I’ll be okay.”

“Fine.  But I’m going to be just outside the door.  Armed.  So make sure he knows that.”

Dorian couldn’t help the small, grateful laugh as she turned and reached for the door handle.  It was now or never, and though she preferred the latter, she knew this was her life now.  Nothing she did would let her consider her own personal comfort first.  Not anymore.  This was the life she chose when she decided to let them work their magic on her.  This was the life she chose when she worked at shoving Nic through the doorway and slamming it shut.

These were her consequences.

The bedroom opened with a creaking noise, and the man on the bed shifted.  The light was still dim, and she could see the glimmer of light from his eyes as he struggled to sit up against the chains.

“I brought you some food,” she said as she kicked the door shut with her foot. “Not sure if you’re hungry but you should probably eat something anyway.”

He shifted, turning toward her, and he lifted himself up on his elbow.  “Is this a dream?”

Dorian laughed as she set the food down on the small desk and reached for the chair.  “No.  Why, do you feel like you’re dreaming?”

Grant’s head shook, and she saw dark circles under his eyes.  His hair hung limp over his forehead, and she wondered when the last time he’d done anything normal like showered or had a decent meal.

“Honestly, I can’t tell anymore.  Sometimes I’m here, sometimes I’m there.”

“At the doorway?”  She slid the chair closer to the bed, keeping out of reach, but enough to where they could see each other’s faces.

“It’s endless.”  His hand barely reached his face, but he managed to wipe sweat from his brow.  “There’s so much screaming.”  He shifted, sitting up against the wall, his knees bent toward his chest.  “What are you doing here?”

Dorian smiled and shrugged.  “Seems our paths were meant to cross again.”

His chin trembled as he stared at her.  “You can’t be real.  Seriously.  I thought… it’s been…”

“The Brownes.”  They both shared a small, painful laugh.  “When Markus told me his son was possessed, I didn’t think it would be you.”

His eyes narrowed and she saw a flicker of anger cross his face.  “Is he here?  Is he coming up here?”

Dorian shook her head.  “No.  But he sent me here to get information out of you.”

Grant’s lips thinned and he looked away.  “So you’re working for them now.  Part of the Community.”

“I am.”  She rolled her eyes up to the ceiling to stare at some of the symbols.  She could see the spellwork in them, flowing like a small river along the dark markings.  “Did you know your exorcism failed?  When you tried to cure me?”

Grant’s face cracked and his eyes began to water as Dorian looked back down at him.  “I guess I did.  After you freaked out and attacked me, I figured I fucked it all up.”

Dorian let out a puff of air as she hung her hands down between her knees.  “How did you learn all of that?  Markus said you weren’t raised in the Community.”

Grant sat up a little more, and when he spoke, there was a tremor in his voice.  “When I was about six, my mom started dating an Exorcist named Andy.”  His voice cracked and he paused to clear his throat.  “He had been part of the Community, but he and his partner went rogue a few years before I met him.  He didn’t agree with the way the Community was running things.  He was tired of being shuffled around, tired of answering to the Praetoriani.”

Dorian frowned.  “The what?”

“Praetoriani.  They’re the head guys, I guess.  The ones who give out the assignments to members of the Community.”

“Like Markus’ boss?”  Dorian didn’t know much about the hierarchy yet.  She’d studied some of the history, but everything revolved around the Seekers, Reapers, and the Exorcists.  She was soaking in this information, trying to seem casual, but she was starved for it.

“When Andy learned who my dad was, he said he was going to teach me everything.  All the tricks of the trade.  He taught me how to spot possessions, how to work the spells, all of it.  He said we were in constant danger, especially from people like my father, and I had to know how to protect myself from the monsters under my bed.”  He laughed, the sound angry and bitter.  “When he killed my mom, he was possessed.  I didn’t recognize the signs early enough, and I was too late.  He came after me, but I used a bag of sage ash to drive him back and told him I called my dad and a cavalry was on the way to exorcise his ass.  So he left me alive, and I was there with her dead body and the next thing I knew, I was in some giant room full of beds and angry, mean kids.  I didn’t talk for a year.  They tried to get me to give up family information, but all the documents my mom had on us were fake.”

“Jesus,” Dorian breathed.  “Did you call your dad?”

Grant laughed and shook his head.  “Hell no.  I didn’t want them anywhere near me.  Not that it mattered.  They found me anyway.”

Dorian’s face fell, and her hand twitched like she wanted to touch him.  “Grant…”

“When I saw you, it was the first time I recognized any of the signs of a possession.  Everything you said, everything you told me, it all lined up with what that bastard taught me.  So I thought what the hell, you know?  And it seemed to work.  I didn’t realize…”

“That you were just hushing him up?”  Dorian tried not to sound angry.  It wasn’t his fault.  Grant hadn’t known, he’d been taught wrong.  “Why didn’t you tell your dad this when he found you?”