Chapter Thirty-six

Leary burst into Farren’s office. “What the fuck is happening?”

No way could Farren answer. Agony skewered his skull. He sprawled on the floor. Still, he screamed, curling into a ball. How could anyone hurt so much and live? Every nerve ending burned.

Suddenly, the pain stopped as quickly as it started. Farren lay on the drab gray carpet, gasping, a concerned Leary staring down at him. His muscles spasmed. What the ever-loving fuck?

Through pained breaths, Farren got out, “I… I’m fine. Go check on Arianna.” He closed his eyes, tracking Leary’s footsteps down the hall. At least Arianna no longer screamed. Farren would go check on her—after he rested. He panted, exhaustion pulling him down. Every part of him hurt. What caused that? Was it simply him and Arianna, others in the building, or all travelers?

Leary didn’t seem affected, but even a tornado would swirl around Leary, too afraid to come close.

Farren’s desk phone rang. He pulled himself up, reaching blindly for the speaker button. “Austen.”

“Are you all right?” Sykes asked, sounding somewhat winded.

“I’m fine. Leary is looking after Arianna. I take it you felt it, too?”

“Yeah, and Waverly. Whatever it was only affected us travelers. We’re fine now. Any idea what happened?”

“No,” Farren replied, though a sneaky suspicion said he did. “It’s like when part of our realm vanished, though nothing so severe.” He’d thought at the time he’d felt his family and lover dying.

“I felt something similar before several times, but like you, never bad enough to put me on the floor.” Sykes switched the phone to speaker, letting Farren hear Waverly’s moans.

”Hang in there, Wave,” Sykes crooned, voice receding from the phone. “You’ll be okay in a minute or two.”

Farren spoke louder so Waverly and Sykes could both hear. “I haven’t felt anything like this since arriving in the human world.” Powers willing, he’d never experience anything so agonizing again.

“Me either.”

Leary appeared in the doorway, leading a shaken Arianna. “I think…” she began, stopping to pull in a strangled breath. “I think our realm just fell.” A sob tore from her throat. She clung to a startled Leary.

While Leary squirmed a bit in her grasp, he didn’t let go. Not that letting go would help when she’d latched on tighter than an octopus.

“Did you hear?” Farren said into the phone.

“Yeah.” The call clicked off.

Farren crumbled onto the ugly gray carpet, staring up at the ceiling. Was Domus truly gone along with any hope, no matter how faint, of ever seeing home again?

“Are you certain your realm is gone?” Leary asked from a chair he’d pulled close to Farren. He’d taken Arianna to her rooms while Farren made a few phone calls.

Farren sat on the floor, back to the wall, somewhat shaky from his earlier ordeal. “I heard from fellow travelers of my acquaintance. They all said the same thing.” Colm’s words held the most weight when he’d somehow found a phone to make a call. Though he’d promised never to do so again, he’d tried—and failed—to conjure someone from Domus.

No one answered Farren’s call.

“I don’t know what it means for those of us here. Certainly, there should be no more inbound travelers unless they come from another realm.” If anyone Farren knew had survived until the end, they didn’t now. Had any crossed during the last moments, were even now roaming the streets, searching for a host body? While the highest concentration of travelers he knew of in the US was in and around Atlanta, he wouldn’t mislead himself into believing other cities didn’t have their own influx of otherworldly refugees.

He’d manifested in LA, after all.

Leary drummed his fingers on the chair’s arms. “Do you think this has anything to do with Morrisey James’s disappearance?”

“I don’t know.” Jessa mentioned this Asher guy wanting to control Morrisey. Had he somehow used the Tenebris to bring about the end of Domus? “I’d feel much better if I knew where he was.” The agents watching Morrisey’s apartment had seen nothing. No one named “Asher” appeared in any agency reports, canvassing the bars led to no sightings of Jessa. Nor had the missing person’s report turned up anything.

A full week’s worth of wondering and waiting. Farren no longer seemed able to reach Morrisey mentally. Farren even tried calling twice, before remembering Morrisey’s cell phone now nestled in a desk drawer. He wandered the stars alone night after night in his dreams, searching fruitlessly.

Leary arched a brow. “Are you sure you don’t want to go to your apartment and lie down? I’ve given Arianna and the other travelers the rest of the day off.”

How could Farren rest, not knowing Morrisey’s fate? “I’d rather keep working.” Idleness would give him too much time to think. Memories of what he’d lost would mingle with his host’s even if he managed to sleep. During sleep, the former human Farren occasionally made himself known, synapses in the brain mingling the old and the new occupants of the body.

Those dreams always left Farren disconcerted and sometimes aching for friends and loved ones he’d never actually known.

Leary rose, offering his hand to Farren.

Farren reluctantly accepted the offer, allowing Leary to hoist him to his feet. He stood with his back against the wall, the solid mass a comforting presence.

Leary sucked on his lower lip, sinking down into a chair. “We don’t know for sure if someone took James. Just our luck, the security camera in his building hasn’t worked for three years. What was he doing at his apartment instead of staying here?”

Farren remained standing. “Sometimes he felt the need to check on his belongings.” Now wasn’t the time to tell Leary about Morrisey’s connection to Jessa or what Farren and Morrisey got up to on Morrisey’s couch.

Leary slammed his hand down onto the desk, face an alarming shade of purple. “Damn it! This wouldn’t have happened if he’d stayed here.”

I will not flinch, I will not flinch…“Even he didn’t know the truth back then.”

“How can you be so sure?” Leary’s glare nearly had Farren backed into the wall. Never had the boss shown such hostility.

I know him? Not an acceptable answer. “Because I couldn’t sense him.” Nothing but darkness.

“Are you sure?” Leary narrowed his eyes. “How do I know you two aren’t in cahoots? How do I know all of your kind aren’t in cahoots?” Spittle flew from his mouth.

Cahoots? Farren’s anger boiled to life. “Because you know me. I’m sworn to protect this realm and its occupants, be they travelers or humans.” He threw the very words of his FBI agreement back at Leary. No matter how many years passed, no matter how much Farren sacrificed, he still met with suspicion every step of the way.

He’d about had a-fucking ‘nuff!

Leary dropped his head into his hands, scrubbing his face. “I’m sorry. I’m tired and I don’t know what the hell’s going on. I hate like hell not knowing.”

Farren softened his tone. “I know, sir. Morrisey didn’t leave by his own power. If he could, he’d be here.” While sworn to uphold the law, how comfortable would Leary, and even Leary’s bosses, be knowing of Farren’s growing abilities, or the abilities this Asher might awaken in Morrisey? After all, Asher had defied all attempts to locate him.

“You say James doesn’t know of any special powers he might have.” Leary sounded defeated.

“He didn’t last we talked.” No telling what transpired after Morrisey’s kidnapping. Sometimes powers manifested during times of stress, and the communing with the dead thing didn’t need mentioning at the moment.

“What abilities are possible?” Leary now sounded weary, defeated.

But still loud.

“Identifying a traveler in a human body, which we already know he’s capable of. The rest depends on his heritage, which tier he’s from, and his parents’ abilities.” If Leary knew the full scope of possibilities, he’d make recommendations for extermination.

“Gimme the worst-case scenario.”

“That’ll be hard to do since I don’t know any Princeps in this world.” At least, not since Farren banished the Princeps who’d tried to body snatch in the middle of a crowded bar. “Most travelers can feed on human emotions, but the treaty with your government prohibits us. Law-abiding travelers don’t.” If Farren mentioned the darkness, would this world make the same mistake as the other realm and kill Morrisey, no questions asked? Farren voicing niggling suspicions right now, without proof, might mean a death sentence.

“Anything else?” Leary tapped his index finger against his lower lip. At least his face lost its purple hue. For a while, Farren feared he’d have to put some of his required first-aid training to use. While he could deal with a heart attack in other ways, best not to tip his hand too soon.

If only Leary would stop with the tapping. So annoying. Farren offered a bit more information. “Along with the capacity to feed off emotion is the ability to read emotions. Which would give Morrisey an advantage, letting him know what other travelers are thinking.”

“Like a human, I mean sorta human, lie detector test?”

“Something like that.” Simplistic analogy, but close.

“I’ve got an ABP on him.”

“My informant said he was fine a week ago,” Farren said, “but wouldn’t tell me where he is, though she confirmed he’d been abducted.”

Leary raised a brow. “Who is this informant?”

“A specialized traveler who feeds from readily available emotions and isn’t a threat.” Farren didn’t like exposing Jessa. Some found succuba exotic, seeking them out for the thrills they could bring, never considering the cost. “A traveler who feeds on lust.”

“I thought you said law-abiding travelers don’t feed from human emotions.”

“This one was summoned and is bound to do the summoner’s will, which I intend to address. We can’t have travelers forming their own crime families.” Oh, fuck. Farren had said too much.

Leary scrambled to his feet. “Crime families? What the hell are you going on about? The president himself has a team in place working out relationship details. Laws for travelers, representation. Eventually, the news will get out. I only hope we’re ready when that day comes. To be honest, you and others like you are the main reason full rights for travelers are even being considered. Plus, it’s nearly impossible for humans to tell humans from travelers. Especially when travelers can access their host’s memories.”

“Not all can. Not all want to. Some consider humans beneath us.”

Leary huffed out a massive sigh. “Some humans think the same of travelers. And it’s not like we can stop you from coming here.”

“I’m convinced my former realm winked out of existence. There will be no more. But how do you feel?”

“What?” Leary gaped. “Landed bass” wasn’t a good look for him.

He’d danced around the question before. Farren needed to know his true feelings. “How do you feel? I’ve worked under your direction for years, as have others. How do you feel about what you repeatedly call my kind?” Farren doubted Leary’s motives from time to time. Then again, if outsiders had invaded Domus, they probably wouldn’t have been welcomed with open arms either.

Leary paused for a few moments before answering. “I understand trying to save your lives, but some of your ki… travelers are taking bodies from their owners. That’s murder.”

Farren wholeheartedly agreed. “Some tiers call it survival. Would a human kill another to save themselves? If we find ourselves in this world, we only have a limited time to find a body. Otherwise, we disappear.”

“Where do you go?”

Farren flexed his aching shoulders, but the stress remained. Damn, but he was tired. “No one really knows. And most of us aren’t in a hurry to find out.”

“Survival.” Leary barked a laugh. “That kind of thinking’s going to lead to shoot-on-sight orders.”

Farren tightened his jaw, barely keeping his anger in check. “You still haven’t answered my question. How do you feel?”

Leary stared at the blank wall for a small eternity before finally saying, “Like many others, I’m terrified of what travelers could do to humans. I trust you. I’d like to think you trust me, but do you trust all humans?”

“No.”

“And I don’t trust all travelers.”

“Fair enough. I hope you’ll at least give Morrisey a chance before condemning him.”

“Only if you tell me anything, no matter how small, anything you’d call a threat.”

“You know I will.” Though “threat” might be subjective. Farren’s phone rang. “Sorry.” Before he could answer, indescribable pain lanced through him, flames of agony licking over his skin even worse than before. He staggered toward the desk, shrieks tearing from his throat. Shit! He couldn’t breathe and vaguely registered sinking to his knees.

Leary’s concerned face came into view. “Austen? Are you okay? Damn it, Farren, talk to me!”

Using his first name struck Farren as odd, a moment before pain came over him again. From a distance, he heard pounding footsteps, then a frantic, “Something’s wrong with Arianna. And the other demons.”

“We’re not demons,” Farren ground out from between clenched teeth. His voice came out hoarse, his throat as raw as his nerves.

“Hush!” Leary shouted to whoever entered his office, “Get the medics!” He lowered his voice to a growl at Farren. “We’ll talk later.”

Slowly, the pain ebbed to the point of Farren noticing Leary clutching his hand. Maybe the boss didn’t hate travelers after all. Farren lay on his back, for once appreciating the softness of the ugly gray carpet.

“What happened?” Leary asked. “Are you okay?

“I… I think so. I don’t know what happened, but seems the others felt it, too.”

A medic with a stretcher appeared at the door.

“I don’t need medical attention,” Farren snapped. “See to Arianna and the others.”

“You’ll go with him.” Leary put an edge of steel into his order, helping Farren stand on shaky legs with perhaps a bit too much force. Farren nearly fell twice during the four steps to the gurney, but Leary’s death grip on his arm kept him upright.

Once the medic strapped him in, Farren counted overhead lights in the hallway as they whizzed by. “Where are we going?” He tried not to panic at the lack of mobility created by the straps.

Leary trotted beside the gurney. “To the clinic.”

“The clinic?” The one down in the basement most agents didn’t even know about? Why were they going there? To use one of the bodies? Or to… Farren braced himself to show a skill he’d hoped to keep hidden. His heart hammered. He ripped the straps holding him down and rolled off the gurney. They were taking him and the others to the basement. Did anyone actually think the shared experience meant some kind of doom to humankind?

He staggered to his feet, turning on Leary. “We’re not a threat. We won’t hurt you.”

“Then what the hell was that?” Leary stood by the gurney, hands on his hips.

“I… I don’t know.”

“Then you go with the others and stay there until we figure it out.”

“No. I’m of more use to you here.” Not to mention, Farren could be made to disappear with no one the wiser. The travelers employed here all lived on-site, with no social lives to speak of. Being made to leave the area where they acquired their bodies to keep the former occupant’s families from…

No. Not to help the former families, but to keep the travelers from putting down roots, telling anyone of their existence, so they wouldn’t be missed if…

Farren whirled, catching the medic’s wrist, stopping the hypodermic on its downward swing. Without knowing quite how, he managed to open his mind, feeling the other agents fighting their own battles and Devon hiding Arianna in the supply room.

Their fear, rage, and betrayal all came to him loud and clear. He couldn’t feel the Nutrix in the clinic. With any luck, she hadn’t been in the compound.

Farren reversed the direction of the syringe, sinking the needle into the medic’s arm. Leary barreled down the hall, weapon raised. What the hell? Farren wasn’t wearing his.

Leary took a shot.

The bullet ricocheted off an invisible wall. Farren and Leary stared at each other, eyes wide. What the fuck? Farren turned and ran, mentally screaming, “Get out!” to the other travelers. He’d have to come back for Arianna. He sent her assurances and dashed up the stairs while trying to recreate the mental wall that had withstood a bullet. Talking to the others in his mind. Stopping bullets. Those talents were new.

And might prove useful.

The lights flickered and went out.

One of the other traveler agents must’ve killed the power. Good. Elevators were now disabled. With the bit of extra time bought, Farren darted to the supply room. “Come on, Arianna, let’s go.”

Eyes wide, she peered out from behind a bank of file cabinets, grabbed his hand, and ran, throwing off her high heels.

She didn’t ask questions. Didn’t need to. He could tell by the fear thrumming through her she knew the danger they faced.

Whatever had caused the pain hit all the travelers in the building. Leary must now think them all interconnected, a hive mind, which could indeed be a threat, though Farren didn’t feel any of the travelers outside the complex. Maybe they were out of range.

He slowed on the first basement level, somehow knowing he’d find the others there.

“What happened?” Arianna asked, face a mess of tears and running makeup, visible in the low emergency lighting.

“Don’t know. Whatever it was, it can’t be good.”

The other agents met them outside the stairwell, along with a cafeteria server, two guards, and a janitor. “Any humans here?”

Agent Sykes stood off to the side, all tall, handsome, broad-shouldered linebacker. His host had been an NFL hopeful until a motorcycle ended his career—and his life, though most humans didn’t know the truth. “No. They’re all on lockdown. What the hell was that? Felt like I was dying.”

Or something was dying. Farren’s mouth felt dry. “The realm is gone. I think the Princeps closed the rift, which might have been the first pain. The second must have been our realm dying.” Without being there, he couldn’t say. Deep in his heart, soul, magic, or whatever, he knew.

Sykes closed his eyes, letting out a pained moan. Arianna sobbed quietly against Farren’s shoulder. They all expected the end to happen someday. Someday finally arrived.

Most of them probably had family who hadn’t made the journey across. No way to know.

Farren’s phone rang. Not now! It was probably Leary, anyway. Wait! No, that was his personal phone. He snatched the thing out of his pocket and answered, “Agent Austen.” While he didn’t recognize the number, he answered anyway. Maybe some traveler with his number needed him.

“Farren, it’s Morrisey!”

Oh, thank all the deities of all the realms. “Morrisey! Where are you? How are you?”

“Do you have the Three Little Words app on your phone?”

“Yes.” Farren found the app useful for navigation. Locations were assigned three words that could indicate precise locations to within ten feet.

“Type in pulse, dressing, goals. I have no idea where I am. All I see is trees and a mansion I hope to never see again, but the phone I borrowed has the app, and this is what it says.”

Farren heard distant sirens through the phone. “Are you okay?”

“At the moment.”

Morrisey’s husky timbre didn’t sound quite right. Farren took him off speaker. “Is anyone else there?”

“Two injured travelers, one dead human in the mansion. We’re going to need ambulances.”

Farren repeated everything for Sykes and the others. “Sit tight.” He wasn’t sure how, but they’d get there. He wanted to say so much more, but not here, not now, especially not in front of others. “Don’t trust anyone from the compound but me, okay?”

“I’ll see you when you get here.” Nothing in Morrisey’s voice said I’ve missed you.

Damn, but Farren missed Morrisey. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Me too.”

Before Farren hung up the phone, Morrisey added, “We need to talk.”

“Morrisey, something happened—”

“I know.”

“Leary is trying to capture all travelers in the building.”

Morrisey let loose a string of curses even Farren wasn’t familiar with. “Then get here. Now. There’s a café on the corner. Meet me there.” His voice sounded hoarse, broken.

Farren’s heart broke a little too. “I don’t know if I can meet you. We’re on lockdown.”

“I’ll get us out,” Sykes said. “I’ve even got us a safe house.”

“What? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Sykes’s shrug didn’t appear nearly as casual as he probably intended. Now simply wasn’t the time for casual. “You were too close to Leary. Now, c’mon.”

Farren felt a trickle of hope for the first time today. “Hang on, Morse. I’m coming.”