The Company of Darkness (6 page)

Cady pushed aside the idea of vampire cops and focused on Ethan’s rise through the Company ranks.  “When did you become a reaper?”

“Once I showed a talent for the work.  They paired me up with another reaper for a while and I shadowed him.  He was my mentor, taught me how to track them, trap them.  We worked closely together for about a year before I even got a hint they wanted to try me on my own.  Plus, they had to see if the glyphs would take.  Not everyone survives the process and I was valuable to them by then.”

“It was Rikard, wasn’t it?” Cady said in a sudden burst of insight.  “The reaper you shadowed, who taught you everything you know.”

She’d managed to shock him, his eyes widening.  “How did you know that?”

“Why else would you be friends with such an
asshat?” 

“He used to be a good guy before he became a fixer.  It changed him, made him harder, less of the man he used to be.”

“What’s a fixer?” she asked, though she had a good idea from the conversation she’d overheard. 

“Just like the name implies, he’ll fix a bad situation, take care of any problems and leave them smooth as silk.”

“Like killing people?”

“If needed.”

Her head canted to one side.  “How is that different than what you used to do?”

“My jobs weren’t designed to minimize attention.  I’d go in, take the shot.  Sometimes it left a mess, and there was usually a body, a crime for the police to solve even if the Company made sure nothing ever came of it.  For me it’s not about how to finesse a situation, most of the time it’s a straight up monster hunt.  For a fixer it’s not always killing, sometimes it’s obtaining leverage to keep people quiet, or finding out what someone’s weakness is and not being afraid to exploit it.   But ultimately, the main difference is – sometimes the people he kills are on our side.”

“Oh.”  Cady started to understand why it was a bad idea to attract the attention of such a man.  Still, Ethan must have thought the risk was minimal or he never would have asked her to come over.  She tried to put those thoughts out of her head, focusing on Ethan’s past.  “How long have you worked for them?”

“About, five or six years in the field.  In that time I’ve lived all over the states, not only the ones Detective Lucas pieced together.”

That touched on something that’d kept her up, worrying about the future all alone at night.  “I’ve been wondering about that.  How long do they keep you in one place?”

“It depends on how long I can maintain my cover and how much I’m needed in a given area.  If things go to shit, I move on more quickly.”

“How long have you been in San Francisco?”

“Long enough for them to be thinking about moving me before too long,” he admitted.  “Especially if Lucas keeps pushing.”

She tried not to think what that would mean for them.  Would she leave everything behind for him?  Would he ask her to?  “So that’s all you do, move from place to place, hunting demons or whatever else they tell you to do?”

“It keeps me on my toes,” he said with a faint smile.  “And I’ve learned not to form attachments to things. I can be ready to go at a moment’s notice.”

“Or people?”

“For the most part, yes.”

“Sounds lonely.”

Ethan tipped back the rest of his beer before he spoke.  “You get used to it after a while and you don’t miss it.”

“So you’re saying you wouldn’t miss this?  Me?”

“After a while, no.”

Cady shoved at his shoulder, eyes narrowing to slits.  “You’re not supposed to say that!  You’re supposed to tell me you’d miss me for the rest of your life, or even better, that you’d find some way to come back to me or take me with you,” she scowled, and he gave her a baffled shrug.

“Sorry, I haven’t had a girlfriend in a while.”

“Really?  Couldn’t tell from the sexcapades we just shared.”

“I didn’t say I hadn’t had
sex
in a while.”

“Okay, we can just stop this topic of conversation right there.”  Her hand came up, not wanting to hear another word until she caught the hint of a smile on his lips and she punched him on the shoulder.  “I’m gonna get you for that, just you wait and see.”

“Try it, I’ll be ready.”  His lips curved into a wider grin as he caught her fist and pulled her into his arms, her head lying mostly in his lap as he looked down at her.  “I told you, some things you don’t forget.  But nobody’s been stupid enough to get involved with me, not since I joined the Company.”

“I love your pillow talk, baby.  Especially when you call me stupid.”  She batted her eyelashes up at him.

“And I love you, which makes me the stupid one for bringing you into this kind of a life,” he sighed, stroking the side of her face. 

“Any life with you is worth the risk.”  Cady caught onto his hand, pressing a kiss to the palm.  “What about your family though, have you been away from them this whole time too?  Didn’t they wonder what happened to you?”

“Both my folks died before I finished elementary school.  I didn’t have any brothers or sisters, and my Uncle didn’t seem to care much one way or another if I stayed or left once I finished high school.  It’s probably part of why the Company identified me as a good candidate.”

Cady tried to imagine what it would feel like to be completely alone in the world and came up blank.  Even after their mom split and their father died, she’d always had Ian to look out for her and vice versa.  But where might she have ended up with no one in her corner?  “So you never went home again?”

“Wasn’t anything to go back to,” he shrugged.  Something about the way he said it, as though it didn’t bother him at all, made her heart go out to him.  Instinctively she drew him closer, offering a tender kiss to help erase his pain. 

Ethan gently pulled her into his lap, taking the comfort and making something new between them.  It wasn’t about healing past hurts, but a glimpse of something new – the possibility of a future together.  That hope stretched between them as the kisses grew more ardent, fueled by more than compassion.  Already she wanted him again, and Cady wondered if she’d ever be able to resist him or anything he asked of her. 

Cady stood before the bathroom mirror digging through the bottom of her purse for some concealer.  A touch of redness from the love bites was visible just over her neckline, and she didn’t want to chance drawing any attention to them.  Once again wearing her prim office clothes, she looked none the worse for wear, and certainly not as if she’d spent half the night rolling around on the ground with her forbidden lover.  At least that was the hope.

Though she was tired, there was a glow to her skin, a radiance that took a moment for her to realize was happiness.  Problems?  Yes, they had problems, huge obstacles in fact, but she was in love, and they were together again.  As long as Ethan wanted her enough to risk being with her, it was enough.

Dabbing the makeup over the edges of the marks, she winced, finally getting a good look at them.  She hadn’t come home looking like that since her junior year of high school.  It almost looked as though she’d been attacked.  Ian would freak out if he saw the marks on her, but with any luck he’d be asleep when she got in anyway.

Ethan popped his head into the bathroom to watch, his brows drawing together as he saw what she was doing.  “Shit, I marked you.  I’m sorry.”

“I’m not.  I kind of like them,” she allowed, tilting her head to look at the picture she made.  “I look like a girl who’s got a very attentive boyfriend.”

Ethan stepped behind her and wrapped his hands around her middle, his breath warm on the back of her neck.  “That you do, but it also looks like I got too carried away.”

“Hey, no complaints from me.  I all kinds of enjoyed it.  Besides, I think we all need to get carried away every now and again, don’t you?”

“Your brother might not agree.”

“Hence the cover up,” she smiled, holding up the wand.  She tried dabbing on another blot of color, but his hands kept distracting her.  “You know, if you start that again I’m never going to get out of here.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll be good.”  He let go of her, backing off, his hands outstretched, much to her disappointment.   She could have stood being distracted a
little
while longer. 

It didn’t take long to blend the marks away and brush her hair out, leaving it long since she’d be out on the street soon, and she always felt safer with the security blanket of hair hanging loose down her back.

All the food was put away, the living room restored to perfect order when she came out.  Even her glass of water was washed and put away.  It was like the entire evening had never happened, except for the parts of her that were pleasantly sore. 

A plastic bag of Chinese food cartons sat on the edge of the counter.

“What’s this?” she asked. 

“You hardly touched your celebration dinner.  I thought you might like to take the leftovers home with you.”

That wasn’t strictly true, she’d eaten plenty.  But it hadn’t made much of a dent considering all the different dishes he’d bought for her.  “I think we did a pretty good job of celebrating on our own,” she smiled, at a good height in her heels to meet his lips for a kiss.  “It’ll keep here alright, won’t it?  I’ll come back tomorrow night and we can celebrate again.” 

Ethan rubbed the back of his neck, looking slightly uncomfortable.  “We’ll have to play it by ear for tomorrow night.  You shouldn’t disappear too often or Ian’s going to start asking questions.”

“So, let him ask, he’s not my keeper.”

“But he can make your life more difficult for you, especially if you start acting differently.”

“You’re not helping my ego, you know,” she said, a deep furrow marring her forehead.  “Aren’t you supposed to wait until I leave before you start blowing me off?”

“That’s not what this is.  If I had my way I’d lock the door and keep you cuffed to the bed for a week.” 

Her brows rose at that particular image.  “Could get messy… but I’m not saying no outright.”

That brought a smile to his lips.  “I’m just saying we need to be smart about this.  That means no unexplained absences too many times in a row.  We can work it out, but let’s see how things shake down from tonight before we make solid plans for tomorrow.”

“Okay, I get it,” she sighed, trying to ride out the dip in self esteem.  “Sorry for being such a girl on you.”

“It’s alright, I remember that part of a relationship too.  Only…”

“What?”

“No pet names, okay?  No pooky or snookums or any of that stuff.”  His hands came up as if he expected a blow after such a provocation, but Cady had other ideas.

“I’ll give you pooky,” she growled, pressing close for a long kiss.  When they pulled apart, she had the bag of food and his hand rested on the doorknob. 

“Text me when you get home safe.  Do you need money for a cab?”

“A cab won’t go into my neighborhood,” she scoffed.  “I’ll take the bus.  It’ll be fine.”

“I don’t like you going by yourself,” he frowned. 

“I’ve been doing it fine for years.”

“Maybe I should drive you back part of the way.”  He let go of the door to grab his keys, but she edged closer to the door. 

“I’ll be fine, I promise.  I’m a big girl.”

“
But
you’re
my
girl, I’m entitled to worry.”

It was sweet in a kind of old fashioned way.  “Yes, I am your girl,” she acknowledged with a brief press of lips.  “And I know a thing or two about protecting myself.  You should’ve seen how I got rid of that creep Penny and Kelli set me up with.”

His expression darkened.  “The one with his hand on your knee?  What was his name again?”

“Ha, like I’m going to tell you.  Like I said before, I took care of it.  Now, give me a kiss and say goodnight.”

“You’re pretty bossy, you know that?”  Ethan pretended to scowl.

“But you still love me.”

“Yes, I do.  Come what may.”  Leaning in, he gave her a proper kiss goodnight, long enough to make her really wish she could stay for a week, but it was time to go.

“I love you and nothing’s coming our way.”

They traded texts all the way home, and more than once he surprised her with his sense of humor.  Slowly but surely, Ethan was opening up, remembering what it was like to be a regular human being.  Cady felt like the night was a real turning point for their relationship, not just because of the sex, as awesome as it was, but because of what they’d shared about their pasts, their hopes for the future. 

When she finally locked herself inside the empty apartment, she texted him a final goodnight, knowing it’d be hella hard to get up in time for work in the morning if she didn’t get to bed soon.  She tucked the leftover food in the back of the fridge behind an ancient milk carton so Ian wouldn’t eat it all when he got home, but not before snagging a fortune cookie from the bag.  Tearing open the cellophane, she bit into the cookie, pulling the paper fortune out of her teeth to read –
May you have great luck
. 

Smiling all the way to her bedroom as she munched the cookie, Cady started to dream about the future.  Ethan would get rid of Ash and things would settle down for him at work.  Sure, he’d have to chase demons the next time one came their way, but that could be weeks or even months away from the sound of things.  She’d keep working her respectable job, and maybe sign up for some community college courses now that she had a regular schedule. 

Best of all, she’d get to see Ethan more and more, as soon as he got over his paranoia about the Company.  Rikard would move on to whatever new bit of violence he was assigned to and she’d tell Ian to piss up a rope the next time he asked her where she’d been all night.  They could make this work, she could feel it in her bones.  May you have great luck.  Things were definitely looking up.     

* * *

Darkness.

There was no light, no sound, no stir of life.  In the nothingness there was a sense of peace, but Ash gladly gave it up to dream.  It was all he did as of late.  In dreams he could almost remember the taste of her, the smell of her hair, the thrill of her laugh, the soft perfection of her skin.  His muse.  His goddess divine. 

His ruination. 

But for his obsession with her flawless beauty, he would be free.  Free to feed instead of caught like an insect trapped in amber.  Free to rend and tear, to savor the rapture of quivering flesh and spilled blood.  To revel in the corruption of the innocent, the debauchery of the wicked, it was all the same to him.  It all lay beyond his reach, made impotent and small in his organic prison.  Forever denied the pulse of life. 

And yet he loved her still.  Craved her in the deepest, darkest corners of his soul.  For Asherik had a soul now, he was convinced of it.  Otherwise how could he feel such torment over his sins? 

In dreams, the faces of his victims taunted him.  They were free now, but he was not.  They tormented him with knowing looks and jeers, no longer viewing him with fear or love, not even pity.  Dreams such as these were unbearable, but Ash endured them for the bright shining moments when she would appear. 

Never quite there, always out of reach.  The occasional scent of hair or softness of her voice would waft to him, and for that fleeting moment, he was whole.  Sometimes he could sense others, bound as he was, but they didn’t interest him.  They slumbered, deaf and dumb, unaware.  Perhaps that would have been a kinder prison to endure.  There were times when Ash might have prayed for such oblivion if only he knew who to pray to. 

And then it happened. 

Her cry pierced the darkness, calling him like a siren’s song.  He could feel her there, his senses on overload, breathing her in with every fiber that remained of him.  If he’d had eyes, Ash would have wept for joy. 

“I guess we broke the couch in,”
she said.

“And the kitchen counter.”
  The reaper, Ash was sure of it. 

“Imagine how great it’ll be when we finally make it to the bed,”
she chuckled and suddenly Ash understood the connotation of the words.  She had filled the reaper’s senses with a physical expression of love, and some of that love extended to Ash.  It had to, otherwise – how would he have felt it while the others slumbered on?

“It doesn’t matter where we are as long as we’re together.” 

“I take it back, there’s definitely nothing wrong with your social skills.” 

“There are some things you don’t forget.” 

The light banter between them made him ache to be heard, but Asherik had no voice.  No matter how hard he concentrated, he couldn’t make himself heard.  He focused again and again, but couldn’t so much as move a single muscle of the body he was trapped in.   

“Again?  Already?”

“Just give me twenty seconds to go find another condom and we’ll test the bed out.”

White hot rage consumed Asherik as he understood she was about to give herself to the reaper again.  In that instant he lost all contact, the voices fading, the nothingness returning with an emptiness that threatened to swallow him whole. 
I’m sorry, come back!
Ash tried to say, but she was gone, leaving him with nothing but a hollow ache to keep him company. 

I’ll be good, I promise,
Ash screamed into the void, but he had no voice. 
I only want to love you…