The Reaping: Language of the Liar

by Angella Graff

  The demon let out a peal of laughter. “And how did that feel, my dear? To have such control over such a powerful Prince? Do you think you can take all of us on now?”

  Dorian shook her head. “You obviously know I’m new at this, and that’s not what I’m after.”

  “Obviously.” The demon sat up a little straighter as it regarded her. “So what is it you are after?”

  “Information. I happened to overhear a pair of demons talking about a deal they made with one of my kind. Over a spell. One that would open up all humans. Not long after, a friend and I were attacked by another pair of demons right out in the open. I want to know why. I want to know who they are, who the human traitor is, and where they’re getting that kind of spell.”

  The demon’s eyes flared wide. “Is that all?” His face remained impassive, unreadable. Then, giving her a physical start, the demon threw its head back and laughed. The sound was loud and piercing, making her ears ring and rattling the glass in the high window. Dorian found herself scrambling back before regaining her composure as she climbed to her feet.

  “Enough!”

  The demon’s laugh died to a low chuckle, and it shook its head as it shifted forward. “I wonder if your beloved knows this.”

  “What? About the attack?”

  Its grin spread wider. “About the insubordination.”

  Dorian froze, her eyebrows dipping low. “What are you talking about?”

  With a tiny sigh, the demon sat back and crossed its arms. “My name is Suc’nesh. I’m sure Nic told you all about me?” When Dorian shook her head, its eyes flared bright yellow. “How unkind.” There was a moment of pause before it shrugged its shoulders. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. He’s constantly calling me a barbarian. Accusing me of the most heinous crimes against his kind.”

  Dorian, who was pacing just outside the spell line, stopped. “You’re not with him?”

  “With Nic?” The creature laughed again, red tears forming in the corner of its eyes. “I’m not with him, no. Although if he had listened to me only once, perhaps this entire mess might have been avoided.”

  “You’re the one exterminating his people.”

  In a flash, Suc’nesh was pulling forward, the chains giving a hard clink as it leaned forward as hard as it could. “He is the one killing us. We merely asked for sanctuary and he set nine realms on my people!” Its voice came out an angry hiss, spittle flying from its lips. “We were dying and he set them upon us!” Its roar rattled the room, making the very foundations shake, and Dorian took an involuntary step backward.

  Her eyes darted down to the failsafe, a spell bag with a concoction which would throw the demon back from the body long enough for Dorian to break the spell and reset the wards should it become too powerful. But after a moment, the trembling stopped and she tried to regain her composure, to appear braver than she felt.

  Suc’nesh watched her for a moment, then smiled again. “I don’t mean to scare you.”

  “Yes you do,” she countered. “You all mean to scare me. Into submission, into doing your bidding. It’s all you’ve ever done.”

  “Not I, my love. Not I. I only meant to see you. When we found this boy, the one who tried to help you, I knew he was the key to finding you.”

  Dorian’s tongue darted out and wet her bottom lip. “Why?”

  “To warn you. There’s dissent in the ranks, demons turning against demons, and there are factions getting ready to stage a coup.”

  “So?” Dorian squared her shoulders, crossing her arms tight over her chest. “Why the hell should I care?”

  “Because as you said, they’re plotting against humans. It goes further than possession. Deeper and more dangerous. There will be hell on earth if they complete this spell.”

  “And why should you care?” Dorian took one step closer, peering at him hard. “Why would you bother warning me?”

  Its head cocked to the side and its grin widened. “How’s that father of yours?”

  Dorian frowned. “I never knew my—”

  “Father Stone, was it?”

  Dorian felt a rush of cold hit her face, and she swallowed. “What of him?”

  “Oh, you know.” Suc’nesh laughed again. “Yes. You know.”

  “Know what? What’s he got to do with this?”

  “I shouldn’t stay, I really shouldn’t. I’m sure you have more spells to do, more humans to protect from the big, bad demons. If you see Nic again however, please… send him my regards.”

  As Suc’nesh’s eyes rolled back in Grant’s head, Dorian leapt forward, grabbing him by the shoulders. “No!”

  There was a power surge, and the face wavered between demon and human for a moment. Then, in a split second, the eyes flared wide and yellow. Claws sank into her shoulder as a fanged mouth closed over hers. Dorian let out a muffled scream as something hot and furious ripped through her body. Before she could fight back, before she could draw on her magic, everything went black.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  It was the pain that woke her, thumping in her temples, and she tried to open her eyes but found it impossible. Fear gripped her, and she tried to sit up, but strong hands gave her a shove back against what felt like her own bed.

  In fact, everything felt like hers. The smell of the room, the feel of the blanket on top of her, the sounds of a computer humming in the corner. Her limbs felt heavy, but she managed to reach up and touch her face, finding a wet, cool cloth pressed over her forehead and eyes. Peeling the rough washcloth back, she blinked against the soft glow of the desk lamp and found Lennox hovering at her side.

  She was in her room, tucked into her bed, and exhausted. “What am I doing here?”

  Lennox’s face was hard, furious, and he sat back, letting his grip on her shoulders go. “Briar brought you in last night.”

  Dorian gasped, her head turning up toward the window and saw a thin strip of light. The digital clock beside the bed read seven-oh-two, but she wasn’t sure if that was in the morning or evening. “What happened?”

  Lennox’s jaw clenched and he crossed his arms, leaning forward with his head bowed toward the floor. “I was hoping you might tell me. Briar let me in on your little plan, but when she broke the door down in the room, you were already unconscious.”

  Her head was fuzzy, clouding the memories of the night before. She remembered going into the room, laying the spellwork to bring the demon out of Grant, but the rest was…it was like staring through fogged glass.

  “I um…” This time she managed to sit up, bracing herself against the headboard, and she took a few breaths as a dizzy spell hit her. There was a bottle of water on the nightstand, and she grabbed it. Her fingers were weak, but she managed to break the seal and take down half the bottle in a few gulps. “Jesus, my head feels like it weighs a thousand pounds.”

  “You were given a sedative on Markus’ orders,” Lennox said after she set the bottle down. “It’s why you feel like this.”

  Dorian frowned. “What the hell? Why?”

  “Because you went into a seizure on the fucking living room floor, Dorian,” Lennox bit.

  She heard the fear in his tone and she felt a wave of guilt. “I…”

  “I should have stopped you. This was my own fault. I knew what you two were up to but I wanted time alone with Dash. I never thought…”

  Leaning forward, Dorian gripped his upper arm. “I’m fine.”

  “Fucking hell you’re fine! You didn’t…” He stopped and shook his head. “I thought you were dying.”

  Taking a breath, Dorian leaned back, closing her eyes as she tried to remember. She walked herself through the steps, through the foggy memories. She was in the room, painting the chains, casting the spell. She felt the magic pouring from her fingers, and then there were the eyes. Yellow and angry, and the fanged smile.

  It came back to her in a flood, the conversation, the information, the veiled threats. She tried to stop him from leaving the body when she knew he had m
ore information about Father Stone.

  “Father Stone!” The words tumbled from her lips as she sat up.

  Lennox looked over at her with a deep frown. “What of him?”

  “There’s something.” She paused, her head shaking. “He didn’t tell me.”

  “Who?”

  “The demon. Called himself Suc’nesh. He said I knew about Father Stone.”

  Lennox leaned back on the bed, his elbow supporting him, and he put one hand on her outstretched calf. “We’ve got IT on that. You know that.”

  “I know,” Dorian said from behind a breath. “But I think we need to look into it more.” She took a few moments to relay the conversation to Lennox whose frown grew deeper and deeper with every word. “Whatever’s going on, it’s more than just a war between demon races.”

  “You know he was probably lying,” Lennox replied. “That’s what they do.”

  Dorian gave a slow nod. “Yes. Only… I’m not so sure he’s lying at all. Manipulating others with the truth might be more accurate.”

  Lennox shook his head. “Don’t let them fool you, Dorian. You don’t understand what they can get you into.”

  Dorian let out a bitter laugh as she moved away from him, swinging her legs over the bed. “I’m already in, Lennox. Deeper than I thought I could get. There’s something strange about my powers, something different, and everyone knows it.” She paused and turned toward him. “And so do the demons.”

  She saw the tops of his cheeks go pink as he sat up. “What would you have us do?”

  “We need to change things up. It’s not enough anymore to just exorcise humans and close doorways. That’s not going to stop them if they manage to find the power to rip open every human. The demon warned me, there would be an army put inside my head if they manage it.” It was then Dorian froze, realizing something. The thing who had been talking to her the first time, just before she found out it was Grant, that wasn’t the demon she spoke to the night before. “Oh God.”

  Lennox looked up, his eyes wide. “What?”

  “I just…” Trailing off, Dorian rubbed her hands down her face. “How much does Markus know? Did he find me there? Is he here now?”

  “Yes,” Lennox said, his words slow and deliberate. “He’s downstairs with the new guy. And I haven’t said much, but he obviously knows you two were up to something. Briar found you passed out on top of Grant who still hasn’t come out of it.”

  “Jesus.” Dorian nodded. “Okay. Can we put a pin in it?”

  “A pin in it?” Lennox barked out a laugh. “Lass, if you think Markus is going to walk out of here without some sort of answer…”

  “I’ll give him something,” she said, waving her hand. “But the four of us need to have a private chat. Private.”

  Lennox pursed his lips and breathed through his nose. “Fine,” he said after a second. “I’ll back you, but don’t expect Markus to go easy. He’s not happy.”

  “Yeah well, his happiness is just about the very last thing on my list of priorities.” With that, Dorian walked out of the room and down the hall to the bathroom to clean herself up. Her hands were still stained with the lamb’s blood from the spell, and she felt grimy, like she’d spent hours at the gym.

  She had no time for a proper shower, so she scrubbed her hands and face, wiping down with a cloth, then taking the brush to her hair. It wasn’t perfect, but she needed to look put together. She couldn’t look like a mess when she was trying to convince Markus that everything was fine.

  Lennox was waiting for her in the hall, an apprehensive look on his face, and Dorian rolled her eyes. “What? Like I was going to try to escape out of a second floor bathroom.”

  “It’s not that. Just… never mind.” He shook his head and beckoned her along, not finishing his thought.

  They walked down to the living room where Dorian could hear quiet conversation. She could make out Briar’s voice, her snapping tone and laugh full of disdain. She could hear the exasperated words from Markus who sounded like he was pacing, and then an unfamiliar baritone who had to be the new Exorcist.

  She should have questioned Lennox on him a bit more, but she didn’t think about it. She’d get a better impression anyway when she got to meet him face to face. They walked around the corner into the dimly lit room, and Dorian froze when all eyes fixed on her.

  “Glad to see you up,” Markus finally said, though his tone was far from genuine.

  Dorian gave him a courtesy nod before turning her attention to the new guy. He was on the couch next to Dash, and he looked just as she expected. Hardened around the eyes, short dark hair, wearing a t-shirt and jeans. He had a few scars littering his arms and one across his neck, saying he’d been through enough with the Community.

  Dorian did her best to read him, but she got nothing. It was disconcerting, but that wasn’t her priority either. Right now she had to get the people she trusted alone in a room. She had to tell them everything she knew. Right now the clock was ticking, and she wasn’t sure how long they had before the demons could carry out their plans.

  “Dorian, this is Andrew. Andrew, our newest Reaper.”

  Andrew gave her a nod, his face unmoving until he said, “Heard plenty about ya.” His voice was tinged with a heavy southern slang. The deep south kind, from the backwoods of Alabama.

  “I guess my reputation precedes me.” She stood there feeling awkward until Dash pat the cushion beside him.

  “Come on love. Won’t bite.”

  Feeling a wave of relief, she hurried over as Lennox took a chair near the wall where Briar was leaning. As Dorian sat, she caught the other Reaper’s gaze and Briar gave her a comforting nod. The twitch of her lips told Dorian she was in a safe space. At least, as safe as they could make it.

  “I’m going to make this quick,” Markus said, standing in front of the group. “Normally we’d have a bit more ceremony when it comes to placing a new Exorcist in the house, but we haven’t the time. I’ve had to up the guards at the safe house,” Markus’ angry gaze fixed on Dorian, an accusatory frown on his lips, “so suffice it to say, welcome to the west coast, Andrew. I’m sure you’ll be happy here.”

  “I’m happy anywhere I can shut those fuckers out,” Andrew said.

  Dash gave a small snort under his breath, and Dorian fought back a giggle. Markus seemed unamused, however, and he fixed his gaze back on the rogue Reaper. “And you. Would you care to share what the hell you were thinking last night? You had explicit orders.”

  “I know,” Dorian said, her cheeks going red. “I thought maybe I could get into Grant’s head and see where the damage was. See what his chances are to survive.”

  Markus flinched and rolled his eyes away from her. “Yes well, you almost killed him.”

  Dorian’s breath caught in her throat and it took her a moment to answer. “I didn’t mean…”

  “Oh we all know you didn’t mean,” Markus sneered. “But you did. You’re unskilled, untrained, and unfocused. These two,” he pointed between Briar and Lennox, “should have damn well not let you go on your own, so they’ll be paying their own price for their negligence. However, you are on probation.”

  Dorian’s eyes widened. “I’m on what?”

  “Pro-ba-tion,” he said, drawing the word out as though she was a young child. “No spells, no exorcisms, no participation until I deem you fit to work.”

  Dorian leaned forward, prepared to defend herself, but Lennox held his hand out. “It’s only fair. And you have my most sincere apology. I was… distracted.” He glanced over at Dash who had the decency to blush.

  Markus’ face softened just a fraction and he nodded. “Mistakes happen. I understand the situation is delicate and personal. However, it doesn’t give you the authority to allow your new Reaper to go rogue.” A silence settled over the room before Markus turned back to Dorian. “So now let me ask, did your misguided mission find anything?”

  Dorian shook her head, trying to meet his gaze with steady and calm. “No.
I was able to push the wards back so I could look inside but… there was nothing.” She hadn’t ever been the best liar, but lately she had been picking up some skill. She waited, her breath stuck in her chest, until Markus gave her a short nod.

  “Fine. So we’re back to square one. Assuming, of course, your spell hasn’t done even more damage.”

  “I…”

  “I’m sure he’s fine,” Briar said, stepping forward. “We’ve never had a spell like that damage a human. Even when the spellcaster is an amateur.”

  Markus’ jaw clenched, then he reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys. “I trust you to follow protocol. To work with your new Exorcist on the necessary spells so you’ll be prepared for Friday.”

  Lennox nodded. “Absolutely.”

  “I’ll be in touch with the exorcism location soon. We should be receiving the conclave members within the next few days.” And that was his goodbye. Turning on his heel, he left the living room and a moment later, Dorian saw headlights flash through the living room windows as his car turned and headed for the main road.

  Letting out a sigh, Dorian slumped as Dash yanked her over and he pushed her head against his shoulder. “Not exactly the welcome I was hoping for,” he said, giving her a nudge to the ribs. “Had to go and do something like this.”

  “I’m sorry. Really,” she said, her voice miserable.

  “Ah love, don’t think on it. That’s why I like you. You’re a rebel.”

  “Oh lord,” Briar said. “I’m going to grab dinner and head upstairs. Tell me you all don’t plan on initiating this dude tonight?”

  “With my jet lag, no way sweet thing.”

  Briar’s eyes narrowed as she rounded on Andrew. “I am neither sweet nor a thing. Best for you to remember that.”

  When she stepped out of the room, Andrew let out a low whistle. “What is it with these female Reapers? Gotta act like hard asses so we’ll take them seriously.”

  Lennox hummed, his eyes narrowed. “Yes. If only hyper-masculine Exorcists didn’t see the need to give them reason for it.”