Chapter 15 #2
“So, they are stable enough to mirror spirits. Cognizant enough to plan attacks. Patient enough to see them out.” December handed me a phone with my oldest sister, Dawn’s number already dialed and ringing. “If that’s not water above our heads, I don’t know what is.”
I flinched but accepted the phone. There’d been no chance in hell of me leading a successful charge in solving this case.
And yet, knowing that left me wanting to shrink into something microscopic.
No one I knew would be enough for the job, and yet, I still needed to reach that impossible standard.
Know how to fix a problem that hunters decades my senior hadn’t gotten close to mending.
“Hey, how’s it going, Rae?” Dawn’s voice was high, as if she’d just gotten off the tail end of laughing.
I wiped the back of my hand across my mouth. And here I was, back to square one. Not able to implement solutions I swore up and down I could.
“My current job involves a demon.” There was no use in beating around the bush. “It nearly choked my client to death tonight.”
Dawn cursed. The mic knocked against wood before she responded, “You’re on speaker. Eve and Opal are here.”
“I thought you said the whole reason you quit the Guild was because it was too dangerous. And now, you’ve found yourself a demon and need Guild members’ help?
” Eve joked flatly. The twisting of the charm bracelet she fidgeted with twenty-four seven chimed in tandem with her voice.
There was always rhythm to her words, melodic cold judgment.
“I never said it was too dangerous. I said its blind following of old beliefs would be dangerous—” I stopped short when December waved her hand at me. She held up my laptop where she’d enlarged the font on her warning,
DO NOT ENGAGE. GET THEM TO FOCUS.
“How about we dive into philosophy after I figure out how to fix this demon problem?” I muted myself for a moment to breathe out a sigh.
“Are you still at that horse ranch?” A frown laced itself through every word Opal spoke.
“Elmwood,” I provided.
December whispered, speaker and I did as she requested.
Dawn’s muffled voice asked, “Walk us through what happened.” She’d undoubtedly rested her head on a table for focus, like she’d done every time any of us offered her new information. I started from the top, my throat tightening as every red flag from the moment we stepped on the ranch was relayed.
“Damn it, Rae,” Dawn said once I finished. “I wish you’d called sooner. We just accepted another job.”
“That’s fine.” The heaviness of my team’s collective gaze weighed down on my skin. “We just need the extra brainpower. A new perspective because after tonight…well, we’re shot.”
Recovery time for hunters was practically nonexistent. But I knew enough about psychology to understand my team would need more than a few minutes to jump back into productive problem-solving. If we continued to push forward on our own, this case would stretch into an infinite abyss.
Or is it just you who can’t hack it? Who needs to depend on backup because your mental barriers are nowhere near what a professional’s should be?
You’re a runner. Or a talker. Neither of which is cut out for the most important parts.
You can pretend that all the talks and books matter, but when it comes down to it, it’s the people doing the actual work who are vital.
And if I lacked vitality, then…what was the point of me taking up space here? At what point did I become less of a driving force and more of a roadblock on the way toward excellence?
“I’ve looked at what’s in the database,” I said in a low voice.
“The last entry’s from 2003,” Eve said. “Why do you think that would help you?”
“Hope,” I said through gritted teeth. “Trying to find something between the lines.”
“The database is a waste when it comes to anything to do with demons,” she said. “They won’t approve any additional information without peer reviews unless you’re a subject matter expert.”
“So why aren’t we prioritizing peer reviews?” Jonah asked, too quiet for them to hear.
I chewed on my bottom lip because the answer was as frustrating as the result. “Can’t offer peer reviews if there aren’t many peers. And the peer list won’t grow unless the Guild pays a living wage to hunters to study demonology.”
“And so, the cycle is endless.” Nico got out of the passenger seat to join December and me at the table.
We’d arrived at the town’s inn. Jonah parked us in the farthest space from the front office.
Octavia’s truck sat right out front. She hadn’t moved from her seat; the outline of her and her brother lingered in the cabin.
“There’s no “official” data.” Nico picked up the phone, holding it closer to his mouth. “But we still have a couple of researchers, right?”
“Three,” Dawn confirmed. “And there lies another hurdle.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. Of course, we couldn’t just phone a friend after this hellish night.
“Two of them are on active jobs,” Dawn said. “There’s been a lot of activity in Europe. I can call and get some information from them, but they won’t be able to come on as consultants. Shit’s gotten dark over there.”
Dawn was friends with older experts in the Guild.
At forty, she’d been around long enough to remember a time when the Guild’s subject matter experts intermingled far more often than at the bi-annual Guild “town hall meetings.” We Joneses were spirit experts.
The Byeon family had deep knowledge of shifters and vampires.
Other hunters took the pick of their paranormal poison.
And only three walked against the stream and hunted demons.
“Where’s the third?” I asked.
There was a pause before she said, “His name’s Daylan Burrow. He’s been on indefinite voluntary leave.”
Nico switched the phone from one hand to the other. “Why’s that?”
“He’d been hunting the same demon for a couple of years.” A chair scraped on their end. Dawn sounded farther from the mic. December and I had to lean in to hear her. “A few months ago, he caught up to it, or it caught up to him, who knows. And it did what it does best.”
“It got in.” The little food in my stomach churned.
“He was possessed?” Jonah’s voice was high in dismay. “And survived?”
The survival rate for possessions was less than 1 percent.
There were no confirmed exorcism methods.
Most hunters put the victims out of their misery.
The one recorded account of a survivor in the Guild’s records showed there had been little of anything left of the mind once a demon vacated.
It was as if they took everything, including the person’s soul.
“What shape is he in?” I caught movement outside the window. Octavia hopped out of her truck, heading inside the inn. My feet were restless with the need to follow her behind its white doors. The more we spoke, the less I wanted her out of my sight.
“He can talk and remember everything,” Dawn said. “It’s impressive, but he’s not the same. Daylan’s brilliant, but now all his decisions are based on fear.”
She said it like it’s such an embarrassment. Disgraceful. I straightened in my seat, trying to make sure my voice didn’t sound as deflated as my lungs had become.
“He barely takes my calls or responds to emails anymore,” Dawn finished.
“So, where does that leave us?” I scratched my eyebrow; remnants of today’s brow pencil caught underneath my nails. “Do we not call him?”
I could respect the space he needed. It was common courtesy among hunters to leave one another the hell alone if we expressed the need to step away.
On the other hand, Daylan was one of only three demon experts. And he was the only one in the country right now. Since the other two were on active jobs, it’d be impractical to hope and pray they’d find time to lend much-needed brainpower.
“Oh, we’re calling,” Dawn promised. “But there’s no guarantee he’ll answer or be willing to help. He’s on quite the individualist kick, last I heard.”
“Better to take the shot and miss,” I said.
“Exactly,” Dawn agreed. “You guys bunker down as far away from the active site as you can.”
“Already done,” December promised.
“Perfect. Don’t go back until we figure out how to proceed,” Dawn said.
“I’m going to call Daylan. I’ll pass on your info if he answers.
If he doesn’t respond in twenty-four hours, I’ll call you all back, and we’ll switch gears.
Plan B will be to contact an elder from the Guild.
There may not be any other demon experts, but—no offense—there are hunters with far more expertise than you four who will be better equipped to handle it. ”
“And what about you guys?” Nico’s forehead creased. “Can you come out?”
“We’ve got a case.” Eve’s tone was dry and clipped.
“People who really need us here,” Opal added in a softer tone. “Sorry, guys.”
“Not even one of you?” December chewed on a pen cap. “For just a day. It’d really help us…you know, feel better.”
Safer. Braver. More hopeful because I hadn’t fostered the security that could withstand this burning unknown.
“You all have time.” Dawn sounded sure. “There hasn’t been a possession, correct?”
“Correct.” I barely opened my mouth, images of the thing next to Octavia at the gravesite bouncing through my mind.
“Then there’s no need for physical reinforcements. Hold things down until we get some answers,” she said. “It’s what you signed up for.”
The inn had plenty of vacancies for the night. But instead of booking rooms like Octavia and Wilson, we thought it best to camp out in the RV.
“It’s difficult to talk freely in places like this. We’re trying to keep up the friend story for you,” I told Octavia when she asked about our room assignments. “We work longer hours when a case gets this…intense. So, it’s best we have our privacy.”