The Company of Shadows

Chapter Thirty

  “What did you promise him?”

  Cady sucked in a deep breath, dizzy from the speed with which she slammed into her own body. Ethan stood over her, his brows drawn together into a single, angry line. “W-What?” Her mouth was dry and no matter how much she swallowed, it didn’t seem to help.

  “Dude, chill.” Gobi elbowed him out of the way, a red plastic Iron Man cup in hand. “Here you go, Cady-bear, have a pull on this.”

  “What…” she croaked.

  “It’s just Kool-Aid, man. But I got something stronger if you’d rather.”

  Cady took a sip of the sickeningly sweet punch, moistening her lips. “No, what made you call me that?” she asked when her voice cooperated again. Gobi just waggled his eyebrows at her, a goofy grin on his face.

  Ethan knelt beside her, his face anxious. “Are you alright? Just take it easy, it’s normal to feel a bit loopy for a while.”

  “Yes, I’m fine,” she replied taking another sip. “Listen, I had an idea while I was in there. What if we try to send him home? He said he’d been summoned by a human – doesn’t that mean we can send him back?” It would solve everything, and someone at his Company had to have the know how to pull it off.

  “No dice, it’s way too dangerous.” Gobi made a face and Ethan nodded grimly beside him.

  “Opening a portal between worlds is tricky. You never know what else might come through. No, the only chance is to bind him. Did you find out anything useful about where he is?

  She hadn’t thought of it that way, but from the way they both immediately shot that idea down, she understood it might be more trouble than it was worth. “No, I don’t think so, I moved way too fast between there and here to see anything.”

  “Think back, where were you?” Ethan prompted, helping her up to a sitting position.

  “Ah, it was dark, so I couldn’t see out the windows, but it felt more like a house than an apartment. I can describe the window curtains to you, the color of the couch… but nothing that will tell us where it is.”

  “Did you hear anything?”

  “Not really…” she thought back. “I guess that means it’s away from the street noise.”

  “That cuts out this neighborhood,” Gobi said, picking up his pad of paper and turning to a new page. “Do you mind?” He offered her his palm, asking for her hand.

  “Sure.” Cady drained the rest of the cup, setting it aside to take his hand, watching closely as his pencil moved over the page, his vacant stare unsettling. This time he only spent a few strokes on the loopy coils, immediately sketching clusters of shapes of descending sizes. It was hard to make them out until the fourth or fifth pass and she clued into what they were.

  “Russian dolls,” she called out excitedly. “That’s what those are. I think maybe he was in my boss’s house. He said something before about collecting Russian nesting dolls. I didn’t notice them in the clutter, but that’s what they must be.”

  “Do you know where he lives?” Ethan asked, his body tensing to stand only to be deflated by her response.

  “No, I have no idea.”

  “Shit,” he muttered in disgust. “What good does that do us then?”

  “I don’t know man, I just work here,” Gobi blinked, coming out of it.

  “It seems like we should be able to find a record of it somewhere, he’s a business owner, a regular upstanding citizen,” Cady pointed out, unwilling to give it up so easily. Why was Ethan being so negative? “Maybe he’s even in the phone book?”

  “Alright, we’d better get moving.” Ethan rose, pulling her up beside him and she clung to his arm for support for a moment, her head still wonky.

  “Are you sure you guys can’t stick around for a while? I could make some brownies, the kind you like.” Gobi gave Ethan a conspiratorial wink, his grin making the gesture ridiculous. Ethan ignored it, pulling out a thick sheaf of bills and thrusting it at him.

  “No, thank you. We need to be on our way.”

  “I see how it is, F you very much then,” Gobi shook his head in disgust.

  “Thank you for your help,” Cady offered, feeling awkward with the abrupt exchange. Weren’t they friends? “It was really nice meeting you.”

  “Come back any time, especially without him.” Gobi kicked a foot in Ethan’s direction, but he didn’t seem to mind if he’d bruised the psychic’s feelings.

  “Bye,” she smiled, offering a last wave as she trailed along behind Ethan. He didn’t speak at all, leading her back to the car without stopping for anything. “Where are we going?” she asked when he started the car.

  “To find your boss’s address.”

  “Okay.” She decided to try and draw him out, maybe she’d figure out what had his panties in a wad. “What did he mean about the brownies, the kind you like?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Ethan Shaw, have you been eating magic brownies?” she grinned, poking him in the shoulder. “I never would have guessed you were the type.” Not that she seriously thought he might be a stoner, he was way too focused.

  “It’s not like that,” he muttered irritably. “Sometimes they help with the visions.”

  That made sense, but she continued to needle him, trying to get him to look at her. “Uh huh. Tell me another one, Smokey McPott.”

  Nothing.

  “Geez, and I thought potheads were supposed to be mellow,” she mumbled, giving up. Whatever it was that had him in a lousy mood was catching, and Cady was in a much more subdued frame of mind as they pulled to a stop. “The DMV? Isn’t it a little late to try that? They’ve been closed for hours.”

  “That’s the point.” Ethan pulled a tablet device out from under his seat, tapping the touchscreen with rapid movements.

  Cady gave up trying to see what he was doing on the little screen when he didn’t offer to tilt it towards her one iota, and focused her attention on finding a decent radio station. Peppercorn came on, and she sat back, letting out a long, bored breath.

  “I’ve got his address here,” he reported, handing her the tablet as he started the car again.

  “Awesomesauce,” Cady replied, the boredom replaced by a quiver of anticipation. Was it really that easy? What had Ethan been so grouchy about then? The address wasn’t far, they could be there in less than ten minutes without traffic. “See, that wasn’t so bad,” she ventured, but Ethan resisted the attempt at conversation. Was he trying to psyche himself up for battle? “Hey, what’s going on? Are you alright?” she asked point blank.

  “Nothing, we’re back on track now,” he answered without looking at her.

  “Um, no… we’re not, actually. We’re going in the wrong direction. Fell is that way,” Cady gestured to the south.

  “I’m taking you back to the apartment, you’ll be safe there.”

  “The hell I will. I’m not staying there while you go after him alone.”

  “I’m not taking you with me and I’m not leaving you in the car. It’s far too dangerous.”

  “Yeah, for you. He won’t hurt me, he thinks he’s in love with me.”

  “So I heard,” Ethan muttered.

  “I think we should use that to our benefit, don’t you?”

  “I don’t see how without letting him take you, and that’s far too risky.”

  Cady sat in silence, taking the seeds of an idea and forming them into an argument before she spoke again. “What happens if you find him there tonight?”

  “I’ll bind him and this will be over.”

  “Or he might get away again and we blow our advantage,” she pointed out. It wasn’t like he had the best track record against Ash so far. “Not that I’m saying that will happen, but it’s a distinct possibility, isn’t it?”

  “Is there a point to this, or are you just trying to damage my calm?” he growled, and she held her hands up in a supplicating gesture.

  “Hear me out. I was th
inking. What if I had him in the astral plane, would you still be able to bind him?”

  “How do you mean?”

  “Say I went back to see him again, like I did tonight, only you knew exactly where he was first to mount an ambush. If I had him distracted in the astral plane, would you be able to bind him, or is he separated from his human host when he’s with me?” She had his attention now, she could see it in the way the pinched look faded from his brow to be replaced with a curious pucker.

  “It depends. He’s able to exist without a human host. He could live in an incorporeal state indefinitely if he chose to. But if he’s inhabited a body, then he can send just part of himself to a dream state or to the astral plane to be with you. He would still be tethered to the body if that’s the case. We wouldn’t know until I tried the binding ritual though.”

  “Isn’t that worth trying instead of going up against him like this? If I can distract him…”

  “It might not work,” Ethan said with a shake of the head. “I’m not sure the rusty dagger will hold him if he’s not completely in the host. He might sever all ties with the body and escape if he gets enough notice.”

  “Hence the distracting.” She smiled beatifically, but he wasn’t convinced.

  “We can’t take the chance that he won’t move on to another hideout. I have to take him tonight.”

  “Okay, then let’s do this tonight. I can take it.” The loopy, floating feeling hadn’t lasted long at all, and Cady felt confident she could reach Ash again if only she called. He’d said he would be waiting.

  Ethan pulled into a parking spot a block away from the safe house. “Why don’t you say what you really mean?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You want to see him again,” he said, lips settling into a grim line, his hands gripping the steering wheel until the knuckles stood out white under his skin.

  “What?”

  “I heard you.”

  “I never said I wanted to see him again.”

  “But you promised him you would.”

  “You heard that?” she blinked. Somehow she’d been under the impression that the experience took place in her head.

  “I heard the way you spoke to him, Cady. Every response, every cadence… every word.”

  Cady struggled to remember her half of the conversation, the conflicted emotions she’d felt when speaking to Ash. No, not Ash. The demon. He wasn’t a man, not her dream lover; a demon, pure and simple. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized some of that conflict must have shown in her voice. If it had been enough to convince the demon that he stood a chance with her, she could see how it had convinced Ethan as well.

  That was what had him in such a snippy mood? “You’re jealous.”

  “Why the hell shouldn’t I be?” he retorted. “It’s not every day a guy has to hear his girl make time with another guy right in front of him.”

  “I wasn’t… you said to use his feelings to get what I needed, that’s all I was doing.”

  “Is it? It sure didn’t sound that way on our end.”

  Flooded with guilt, Cady was grateful for the darkened car, the better to hide her shame. What could she say when she’d struggled with those same doubts? “Ethan…” her tongue darted out to moisten her lips. “I’m sorry if I made you feel that way. I don’t…” She let out a long breath. “I’m not going to lie to you, there is something there, some kind of connection between him and me, and I can’t help but feel a little sorry for him.”

  “Feel sorry for him?” His eyes blazed in the uncertain light and Cady recoiled from the vehemence in his voice. “Do you have any idea how many lives he’s taken?”

  “I know, I’m not saying I want to be with him, not at all. I absolutely want you to bind him away where he can’t hurt anyone ever again. That’s the only reason why I’m suggesting this two pronged attack. It’s not because I want to spend more time with him. I want to help you take him down, I swear.”

  Ethan turned away, eyes unseeing. “I just don’t understand how you can feel anything for him at all. I thought you were immune to his influence.”

  “I don’t know if it’s the blood or what, but the important distinction here is, I don’t want there to be a connection between us. The only one I want to connect with is you. Ethan, look at me.” She reached for his hand, peeling it away from the steering wheel. “Trust me, that feeling of disgust you have in the pit of your stomach when you think of the two of us together, I’m right there with you, times ten. I just want him gone.”

  His hand sat dead in hers for long seconds, until finally, his fingers curled around hers. “I won’t let him have you, I promise you that. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll bind him away where he can never reach you again.”

  “I don’t want it to be the last thing you do, that’s the whole point.” She squeezed his hand gently. “Please, let me help.”

  “I can’t do this and be worried about you every step of the way. I have to know that you’re out of harm’s way. Come on, I’ll walk you upstairs.”

  Cady nodded, accepting the defeat if that’s what it took to give him the peace of mind he needed to get the job done. Only once they made it into the small apartment she was loathe to let him go. No amount of racking her brain could come up with a compelling reason to get him to linger though, not without sounding like she wanted to keep him from completing his task. “I guess this is it then, huh? Saying good luck seems like not enough.”

  “I don’t need luck, I’ve got right on my side. We always win in the end.” He gave her a lopsided smile that made her want to weep. Clinging to his hand, she kept him a moment longer.

  “I almost forgot, I can tell you what he looks like. At least, what he looked like when I got there.”

  “Oh right. How could I not have asked you that before?” His eyes closed in self reproach and Cady suppressed a smile.

  “You were too distracted by the green-eyed monster.”

  “I make no apologies. I’m not the type of guy to share, so whatever games you girls like to play these days, count me out.” There was a serious cast to his gaze, despite the tilt of amusement on his lips, that had Cady thinking he meant that more than most guys.

  “Ditto. And that goes double with any female demons, by the way. I don’t care what kind of influence they have, you don’t get a free pass for the demon made me do it.”

  “Fair enough,” he nodded, his smile broader. “So, what does he look like?”

  “Oh, right. Actually… he’s blonde, blue-eyed, about your height, maybe heavier around the middle, but your general size. Do you see where I’m going here?”

  “The police interest in my activities suddenly makes a lot more sense.”

  “Exactly. He could pass for your brother, so be careful if you run into anyone who looks like they could be part of your family tree.”

  “Got it, thanks. Well, I should get going, I want to get there while it’s still dark.”

  “There’s plenty of night left.”

  “Cady…” His head tilted to one side in exasperation and Cady knew she was stalling, but it was hard to let him go.

  “I know, you have to go. Be careful.”

  “I will.” Ethan cradled her cheek with the palm of his hand, bringing her close for a lingering kiss. “Promise me you’ll stay here until you hear from me. Here, take my phone, I’ll pick up another one. I’ll text you when it’s done.”

  “I promise, I won’t set one foot outside this apartment,” Cady agreed readily, trying to let go of the uneasiness that gripped her. Why did she feel like this was the last time she’d ever see him again? Ethan nodded, his hand falling away as he turned to go, and Cady caught hold of his arm. “Wait. There’s something I want to tell you.”

  Wrapping her arms around his neck, she clung to him fiercely, heart pounding. “I um…” love you, she said the words in t
he shelter of her mind, but her mouth wouldn’t cooperate as she chickened out. What if that declaration freaked him out? Ethan had barely gotten used to the idea of having a girlfriend, she had no business giving him a distraction like that before he marched into battle.

  “Christ, this isn’t the time for this,” she muttered, letting go of the death grip she had on his shoulders. “You know what, nevermind. I know you’ll do great. Break a leg.”

  “Alright.” Ethan gave her a puzzled look as he extracted himself from her embrace. “Lock up after I leave.”

  “Stay safe,” she repeated his favorite caution, unable to shake the disquiet that seeped back into her bones the instant he slipped out of sight.