Demonsense (Demonsense series Book 1)

by Sara DeHaven

  A denial sprang to Bree’s lips, but died there. If she was completely honest with herself, she had to admit her read had been that there was at least some small truth to Franchesca wanting out. She wanted to deny it, wanted to see Franchesca as wholly bad.

  “Maybe some part of her does, Daniel,” she finally replied carefully. “But I don’t think it’s the greater part. She’s up to something, something involving a need for your hiding spell. I just don’t see how she would have said what she did in front of those other two if she really was trying to get out.”

  He looked away at that, and she got the sense that he didn’t believe her. He wanted it to be true that Franchesca had some good left, and that he could help to save her by getting her out of the Keltoi. Surely he should know better, but this was probably an area where he couldn’t think clearly.

  One thing she had gathered from last night’s encounter was the fact that Franchesca wasn’t only his best friend from childhood. Clearly they had been lovers. She felt sick to her stomach as the image of Daniel kissing Franchesca intruded into her thoughts. It may have been Gelsenim in control, but she’d still had to watch. She shook her head and made the decision to let it drop for now. She doubted she could persuade him of anything on that score anyway. “Do you really think that man is Hunter’s biological father?” she asked.

  “It’s certainly possible.” He sat back again and finished the last of his coffee. “My biggest fear is that he’ll take Hunter out of town, go underground with him. That could make him very hard to find. But somehow, I don’t think Franchesca will allow it.”

  “Because of her secret heart of gold?” Bree asked caustically, in spite of herself.

  “No, because she won’t want to let go of the advantage over me that Hunter gives her.” Irritability was creeping back into his voice.

  “If that’s the case,” Bree replied, hope rising, “then maybe they’ll try to exchange Hunter for you. And if we’re prepared for it, surely we can find a way to get Hunter back without giving you up.”

  “It's possible that it would endanger Hunter to do anything but what they say. If they want to make the exchange, I may just have to go with them and see what I can do to get away later.”

  Bree felt the impulse to argue with that, but she couldn’t, not really. She glanced across at him, to try to see how he was feeling about the prospect, and his grim, angry expression gave her stomach another twist. She couldn’t stop seeing the demon in his face. This was what she’d warned Steve against last night, why she didn’t want him to see Kevin possessed. She wondered how long it would go on like this, flashbacks to Daniel being possessed. She assumed that over time it would happen less, but for now, it was damned disturbing. It added another complicated layer to her already complex feelings about Daniel.

  She thought about how frightened he’d looked last night when he came in after the exorcism, likely wondering if she’d survived, and how relieved he’d been when he caught sight of her. It had been the reaction of someone who cared, a lot. Not to mention that he’d risked himself in asking Gelsenim to possess him in order to save her. As all this flashed though her mind, she had to admit to herself that it mattered to her that he cared. She wasn’t convinced it was love, as Franchesca had said, but she was drawn to him, powerfully.

  He got up to pour more coffee, doubtless in part to avoid her reading him. And just as quickly as her feelings had warmed to him, they cooled. She understood he was tired and unnerved, but was there some other reason he didn’t want her to read him? She sighed. She’d woken up at least a little refreshed, but that had melted away. Her own emotions were tiring her out already, and she’d been awake less than an hour.

  Daniel sat down again and said abruptly, “I think I should call up Gelsenim and see if he knows something about where they took Hunter.”

  “Oh, no way,” Bree responded instantly. “You are not risking another possession, do you hear me? My God, you just had taint cleared! You know that puts you at higher risk than usual for attracting a demon for at least another couple of days! Besides, what am I supposed to do if it does take you? I don’t have a second, I don’t have my exorcism kit…”

  “Joe probably still has a kit. Besides, it wouldn’t take much to assemble one. And anyway, I really don’t think there’s that much risk you would have to use it. I was able to master him last night when I was under a lot more stress.”

  “It’s not worth the risk!” Bree exclaimed in frustration. I almost lost you once already leaped out of her unconscious and nearly came out of her mouth, but she bit it back.

  Daniel slammed his cup down, spilling some coffee onto the table. “Damn it, Bree, don’t you want to find Hunter?”

  “Of course I want to find Hunter! I can’t even bear to think about how terrified he must be! But this is just crazy, after all the effort we went to last night to keep everyone safe, after you agreed to let me monitor you, how can you just…”

  “If you would let me finish,” Daniel interrupted, voice tight with reined in anger, “I have the ability to make Gelsenim look for Hunter. There really is a chance it could help.”

  “But at what cost?” Bree cried. “If you’re taken by Gelsenim, if another possession puts you over the edge, you won’t be in any condition to make the exchange if they are willing to trade you for Hunter!”

  Daniel leaned back in his seat and said, “You’re just scared, aren’t you? You don’t want to have to face Gelsenim again.”

  That brought Bree up short. She felt herself flushing, and not with anger. Dear Lord, there was some truth to it. She didn’t want to see Gelsenim, or feel his presence. She didn’t ever want to see Gelsenim looking out of Daniel’s eyes again. Her anger dropped right out of her, replaced by shame. So much had happened in such a short period of time that her usual defenses crumbled and the truth came pouring out, more truth than she liked to tell anyone.

  “I’m always afraid,” she told Daniel, voice shaky with repressed, embarrassed tears. “I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t afraid. Some of my earliest memories are of sensing demons and being scared out of my mind, and everyone around me acting like I was crazy. I hate having Demonsense. And I never wanted to be an Exorcist. After Seth died, I finally had an excuse to stop, one everyone would understand, instead of knowing me for the coward I am. But it didn’t work. Not using my power didn’t work either. I felt half dead, and I tried to convince myself it was all just the grief. But it wasn’t." She drew in a shuddering breath. "And last night, doing the exorcism, I really thought I was going to get burned, just like Seth. In fact, I still don’t know why I didn’t. That was the biggest demon I ever took on, and the exorcism spells were only half cast at that point, and not by me.” As she spoke, she found her shame receding as her confusion about last night stirred.

  “I think you have more power than you know, or frankly, than you want,” Daniel replied. He was less angry now, but he wasn’t soft either. “And you’re hardly a coward, I think you proved that last night, multiple times. As for the exorcism, I wasn’t there, so I can’t be sure what happened. But I do know that the best Exorcists have a power akin to that of a Demon Master. They may not be able to call a demon, or have full command of one, but they have such a fine ability to sense demonic energy and direct it that they can control demons to some degree. There’s such a taboo about being a Demon Master that Exorcists don’t like to think of it in those terms, but it’s true.”

  Even as Bree acknowledged that Daniel was likely right, she felt queasy at the thought that some ability of hers might run so close to the line of Demon Master talent. Maybe it ought to increase her sense of safety, but instead, it made her feel contaminated. “We’re getting off the subject,” she finally responded, battling to put her unease aside, and trying to be less reactive, think more clearly about what Daniel had said. “You want to call Gelsenim and get him to look for Hunter. And yeah, you’re right, that scares me. I’m feeling like I’ve had enough of demons. But I guess I'm
desperate enough to find Hunter that I'm willing to hear you out. Go ahead and tell me how that would work. Don’t demons have all kinds of limitations when they’re disembodied?”

  Daniel spoke quickly in response. “Most do, but the stronger, higher level demons have some way of traveling in whatever realm they normally inhabit and listening in to our space at specific locations. So Gelsenim’s abilities make him a good spy. The trick is to command him with the right restrictions that I don’t leave loopholes for him to twist it in some evil way.”

  "Why have I never heard about this? It seems incredibly risky, trying to get a demon that strong to do something that specific."

  "It's a Keltoi technique, used by Demon Masters. So I'm not surprised you've never heard of it. I came across it a number of times in my work as Keeper, and I can assure you, it works. It may not always net you exactly the information you're looking for, though. Demons have a tendency to either not really understand what you want, or else they twist the command in some way and bring you information you don't need just as a way to mess with you."

  "Have you done it before?"

  "No. I was tempted a couple of times, but no. Though you may have a hard time believing it, I really do try not to use my Demon Master talent."

  Now that her initial defensive resistance was waning, Bree had to admit the technique sounded somewhat promising. “Is this more likely to be of help than a finder spell?”

  He sat back a little in his chair. “A really good finder spell, one with enough complexity to work around some of the ways the Keltoi might be able to block it may have a better chance. But it would take a long time to prepare and cast, at least a day, and probably two. And to do the best possible job, I’d need to get to my house for supplies. Calling Gelsenim is something I can do now.”

  Damn the man, why did he always have to be so logical? Bree drank some coffee, which had gone cool during their argument, buttered her toast and took a bite as she gave herself time to take in what Daniel had said.

  He got up for what had to be at least his third cup of coffee, which Bree couldn’t help feeling was a mistake in his ragged, jumpy condition. He gave her cup a warm up shot while he had the coffee pot in hand, then started cleaning up his breakfast dishes. She couldn’t help but appreciate a man who did dishes when he was stressed, although she was half braced for him to break something, given how clumsy he tended to be. She was also grateful that he was giving her time to calm down and think. She barely tasted her cold toast as she did just that. She made herself take some more Ibuprofen now that she had some food in her. He had just sat back down again when she said, “Okay, if we do this, there are some problems. First off, how could we hide what we’re doing from Joe? If he can clear taint, he’s got Demonsense.”

  “I can hide Gelsenim’s presence for a short time if I have to. It’s rather like the hiding spell I use on myself. It’s what I used when I would call demons on my own, when I first started researching all this.”

  “You’re really kind of scary, you know that?” Bree responded, eyes wide.

  She’d been going for humor, partly to draw attention away from the bout of vulnerability she’d just displayed, but Daniel seemed to be fresh out, because he didn’t crack a smile. “It’s a logical extension of the hiding spell.”

  “We won’t have an outside Warder if it’s just you and I,” Bree continued on, subdued. “If you have to concentrate on maintaining wards and on mastering the demon, it’ll likely be a strain.”

  “I’ve done it before,” Daniel responded shortly.

  “Yes, and having done it before, you decided you needed monitoring, and I’m it. So let me monitor. I need to read you before I’ll agree to this.”

  Daniel’s expression closed down even further. His whole posture said “No” but he took a careful breath and said, “All right, but can we avoid a deep read? There’s been a lot, I mean with what happened last night, I…” he stumbled to a stop, then started over. “A lot that touches on my personal life is up for me right now. I know reading isn’t mind reading, but a deep read comes pretty close. I need a little privacy right now. It’s not my usual way to open up on that level with someone I don’t know well. It’s not that I don’t…”

  “I understand,” Bree interjected. He didn't want her to know his feelings about Franchesca. The thought gave her pain, but she pushed her reaction aside. “I mostly just need to see what effects the possession and the taint from last night had on your base energy. I wish I had more clarity about what I’m looking for, but the way I’ve conceptualized the monitoring, I’m looking to see if you still feel like you. I’ve got to figure that if your mind is breaking down the way they say happens for Demon Masters, I’d feel the difference in your base energy. I can try to make it fast, and I’ll do my best to target just the read of your base.”

  Daniel nodded, but couldn’t seem to meet her eyes.

  “Okay then, why don’t we both go meditate, then I'll do the reading. If that checks out, I suppose we look for a moment when Joe is either out of the house again or occupied with something.”

  “Agreed,” Daniel replied, then banished the sound stop spell with a gesture, and left the table to go back upstairs to the room where he’d slept. Bree watched him go with feelings so mixed she hardly had names for all of them.

  Chapter 17

  After finishing breakfast, Bree did some meditation, then checked in again with Joe, who was in charge of getting updates about Hunter.

  "Sorry to say, they haven't found hide nor hair of him yet," Joe told her. He had sad eyes, and he looked tired. Bree wondered how all this might be affecting him. Based on the room she'd slept in, he had a son himself. And she imagined it wasn’t easy to retire as a Keeper, especially in the same city where you had served. There were never enough Keepers or Exorcists, it seemed, so there was always pressure to pitch in.

  "Keepers aren't sending anyone here to guard you two, since it looks like the Keltoi don't know you're here," he continued. "I've done a sweep twice, and there's no one around, not even normals. It's a risk, but Ortiz thinks it best to keep all available Keepers out looking for the boy, at least this morning."

  "No argument from me," Bree replied.

  "Well, all you got is me, so I'll keep patrolling. You two ought to try to get some more sleep. You won't be much help with all this until your power is back up. And I doubt it is. You both still look done in, and you feel done in."

  "I know, you're right. But you will wake us if there's any news?"

  "You can count on it."

  Bree looked at the ground as she continued. She hated lying. "I had nightmares last night about the demon we encountered. Is there any chance you have a crucifix and some holy water, or any other exorcism supplies that I can have nearby? It would just make me feel more secure."

  "Yeah, I can arrange that." He came back in a moment with a powder blue make-up case and handed it over to her, saying gruffly, “It was my wife’s exorcist kit. She passed last year.”

  "My husband passed as well, year before last," Bree told him. She felt that rush of relief she’d felt since Seth’s death whenever she encountered someone else who’d lost their partner. It felt soothing in some strange way to know someone else really understood what it was like.

  Joe nodded and patted her shoulder. "You try to get some rest."

  Bree thanked him and headed back upstairs. She found Daniel waiting for her in her room. He was sitting on the bed, and he regarded her gravely as she came in. Like her, he seemed to have benefited from meditation. She could read right away that he was more composed. And in turn, Bree found she could look at him without imagining his features shifting to those of the demon’s. He just looked like Daniel, worn around the edges, but strong, capable, and defended in some indefinable way.

  Bree put down the kit and sat down next to him on the bed, one knee pulled up so she could face him, and he moved to do the same. “Joe’s outside, patrolling,” she said. “I don’t know for how long
. He knows we need more sleep, so unless there’s some big breaking news, he probably won’t come up and bother us for awhile.”

  Daniel merely nodded, then got up to do a quick warding and a sound stop spell. As he sat back down next to her, she took a deep breath, and continued, “Look, just so we’re clear, I want your agreement that if, after I read you, I don’t think you’re in shape to do a big working, you won’t run off and try to call Gelsenim on your own. You’ll wait, get some rest, then let me read you again.”

  After a telling hesitation, he replied, “Okay, I can agree to that. But Bree, just remember that as long as my base energy and will energy are in reasonable shape, I can do this thing. I’ve mastered demons under battle conditions, on my own, with no help. A short working is not going to be that dangerous.”

  “It’d better be a short working. I don’t think my nerves could take a long one.” She leaned forward a bit and reached for the buttons of his shirt without thinking, then pulled up short in embarrassment. A tiny smile ghosted across Daniel’s lips, and he reached for the buttons himself. The soft, chamois cloth shirt was rumpled and gave off a mild odor of sweat. Bree imagined he was probably longing for clean clothes as much as she was.

  As Daniel bared his chest for her read, and she placed her hand against him, she felt an inconvenient flash of desire. For God’s sake, she thought to herself, what does it take to beat this attraction out of you? She took refuge in closing her eyes and focusing on the read. She was careful to be true to her word, and went only for an energy read. Neither his base or will energies were as high as they’d been last night before they called Gelsenim at Bruce and Sophie's, but they weren’t bad. In fact, Daniel with relatively low energy read as strong as most people who were the picture of health. She put out her Demonsense, and while he read as someone recently tainted or possessed, he clearly wasn’t either at present. With a certain disappointment, she opened her eyes and ended the read, returning her hand to her lap. “You read relatively strong,” she admitted. She pulled her other leg up onto the bed, then crossed both of them, fluffing her dress out to fully cover herself, and faced him as he buttoned up his shirt. “I didn’t read any more than I said I would. But Daniel, there was something amiss on the deep read last night.”