Page 23 of Cast in Shadow (Drenched in Darkness #1)

23

Nguyen had a singular kind of presence. It wasn’t quite the showstopping, everyone-in-the-room-turns-to-stare kind of magnetism that Emerson possessed, but it was close. In all my years, he’d been the only other man who might have had a chance of chipping away at my walls enough to get to know the real me.

And he’d made some progress on that front. We were close, once. I would even go so far as claiming him as one of my dearest friends, but that was all we were.

Had I thought about what it might be like to get to know him on a more intimate level? Yeah, for about a minute. His heated glances and the gravel in his voice when we were alone in a room might have sent a flicker of awareness through me once or twice, but it was nothing.

A fraction of what I knew was possible.

A fraction of what Emerson could elicit without even trying.

Nguyen propped his boot up on his opposite knee, his dark eyes gleaming with something that had my shoulders tensing before he even spoke. “If you’ve been around that long, how long ago was your affair with the demon?”

Low blow.

His words were a blade to the back, but I’d spent over a century learning how to bleed without letting anyone see. Despite the fact that every muscle in my face wanted to glare daggers at him, I didn’t so much as blink.

He knew I hadn’t told anyone else at Lexa about the depth of my connection to Emerson. And he’d just used it against me. Out of spite.

“Your what ?” Shay squeaked.

Letting the ice in my veins bleed into my voice, I gave him the truth. “I ended things with Emerson three years before I wound up in the Alius.”

Surprise flashed in his expression, washing away some of his cockiness.

That was another reason I’d refused to let anything more grow between us over the years. Confidence could be an incredibly attractive trait, but it could also be the thing that turned a person ugly. Nguyen liked to play jump rope with that line.

Dennis raised his hand, drawing my attention. “Hold on. If you’ve done what you think Megan is trying to do, why would we need anyone’s help?”

I cast him a grateful look for the change in direction. “Realistically, we should be able to handle her on our own. The tricky part will be if she manages to touch the veil and something in the Alius reaches back.”

Dennis’s eyes darted around the room, his long fingers twitching with the need to research something. “Are you sure?”

“About her plan? I’d say ninety percent. About what’s waiting on the other side? That’s a solid one hundred.”

“Maybe she wants to be possessed?” Shay asked .

I gave my head a small shake. “I doubt she even knows it’s a risk.”

“She wants power,” Nguyen answered.

I gave him a little nod. “The Alius is like the holy grail of power. Tapping into that magic is a whole different level.”

In theory, it would make her one of the most powerful witches in our realm.

In reality, that wasn’t how it worked. The realm itself was dripping with magic, but a person couldn’t just touch the veil and absorb that power.

When I’d reached out, passing through the veil hadn’t been part of the plan. Hell, I hadn’t even known it was possible for a human to cross that barrier. I’d acted out of a desperate need to stop feeling hollowed out inside. And yes, I was secretly hoping the magic of the veil would just sort of take me. I had this vision in my head of it breaking me down into my base elements and returning me to the universe like scattering stardust.

If I’d known the real danger, I never would have risked it.

Or, hell, I might have tried it sooner. It wasn’t like I was in my right mind back then.

“If I’m right about what she’s up to, with the way her humanity is slipping, we’re all in trouble.” I went on. “The demons on the other side are powerful. Enough so that some of them could give the Brethren a run for their money. And they have all the time in the universe to watch and wait for someone foolish enough to make contact.”

They were all watching me now, listening in rapt silence.

“If one of them manages to dig into her mind when she’s in the throes of the spell, it could use her to claw its way into our world.” I tapped my temple. “Like an anchor.”

“But didn’t you say you went through the veil the other way, into the Alius?” Shay asked. The amount of awe in the question was a little worrying .

Swirling my whiskey, I took another small sip. “I did, but only because the demon that was waiting for me couldn’t get in my head.” When it tried, my instincts rebelled at the intrusion, doubling down on my internal walls.

That demon hadn’t just pushed and nudged the way Emerson did either. It stabbed and clawed ruthlessly at my mental barriers, trying to thrash its way into the very core of my being. I had experienced some truly terrifying moments in my time but never anything so uniquely violent as that battle.

“It took everything in me to hold it at bay. The creature wouldn’t let me go. No matter how hard I fought, I couldn’t break free. But I knew I couldn’t let that thing loose in our world.” I might have been a miserable, heartbroken, shell of myself at the time, but that wasn’t the world’s fault.

“You drove it back through the veil,” Nguyen said. At least now there was no ire tinting his brown eyes. Just cold, hard understanding.

I nodded once. “Megan is already losing the fight to keep the darkness she summoned from consuming her. You can see it in the footage. She might still be wrestling for control, which Emerson thinks is the case, but even if she gets a handle on it, I doubt it’ll be enough to stop what’s coming if she makes contact.”

“Why not?” Shay asked uneasily.

“Because I’ve been in that battle. Magic alone won’t be enough. Our best bet is to lure her somewhere isolated and end her before she reaches out to the Alius.”

Nguyen finally grabbed his whiskey neat off the table and held it up by the base of the glass, looking at it thoughtfully. “What happens if we don’t get to her in time?”

“That’s where things get a little less clear. If a demon does come through, some ancient texts say the witch will essentially become a sacrifice, feeding the demon. Others say the demon will take the witch’s body as host, subsuming her soul and magic. I can’t say for sure. I’ve never known anyone who’s seen it happen.” Like so many other nightmares in my world, I’d only ever heard stories.

Dennis let out a sharp breath. “A demon with the magical abilities of a rogue witch?”

I shrugged. “It’s one possibility.” And not much of a stretch considering what Emerson and some of the others could do.

“Can you pull it out of her?” Shay asked. “If the demon takes over her body, is there a way to pull them back apart?”

“Maybe. If it works like possession, then yes, but separating a demon from a human requires a stronger demon.”

“Which is why you want Emerson involved,” Shay said, nodding. “But if he’s that strong, why wouldn’t he just kill Megan with the demon inside her?”

I sat with that for a beat as I drank more of that rich amber liquid. “One, because we don’t know what would happen to the demon. It might be drawn back into the Alius, or it might be set loose to roam free in our world.” I hesitated before adding, “Or it might try to jump to the nearest living magical body.”

Nguyen leaned back in his chair, lacing his hands behind his head, watching me. “What’s number two?”

“The Brethren have more experience taking out powerful witches than anyone else in the world.” The truth tasted like ash on my tongue, but facts were facts. If Megan had managed to grow stronger than me, having Emerson there as backup was the smartest play.

Nguyen’s expression darkened. “Is that what they do when they aren’t torturing 18-year-old girls?”

I got up out of my chair, brought the heel of my hand to my chin, and pressed, tilting my head until my neck gave a much-needed pop. “Phineas broke the code, and I’ll make sure he pays for that mistake.” Though, whether Emerson’s team or mine would be the one to exact justice was still up in the air.

Nguyen’s big chest rose and fell. His nostrils flared. No doubt he was thinking about the torture he’d endured and the torture he’d witnessed at Shay’s expense. Unfortunately, a quick glance at Shay told me the discussion wasn’t going my way.

“I appreciate that this doesn’t seem like a good idea after what Phineas did to you both, but it’s the best option we have,” I said firmly.

She rolled her eyes before letting out a shuddering breath. “What’s your plan?”

Hope flickered for a beat, but I kept the reins firmly in place. No point letting my relief run free until I knew for sure. “Are you going to be okay working with Emerson?”

Shay chewed on her bottom lip and cast a worried look at Nguyen. “I remember him and the other guy coming in and stopping Phineas. They seemed pretty pissed.”

Turning to Nguyen, I arched a brow.

“I don’t like it.” He swirled his whiskey in his glass. “I want that on the record.”

“Duly noted. Are you in or out?”

“I’m in.”

“Thank you.”

He took a long drink, holding my gaze as he did, and I got the message loud and clear. He was upset. So was Shay, and they had every right and reason to be.

Dennis cleared his throat. “Do I get a vote?”

“You do. This is all or none, not majority rule. If you veto working with?—”

“I’m in too,” he said, but then he held up his index finger. “As long as I get to be part of the mission that takes down Phineas.”

“Same,” Shay added quickly .

I cast a glance at Nguyen. “I’m assuming you also want in on that one?”

His answer was a steady stare.

Of course he did. If I were in his shoes, I’d be champing at the bit to go after that evil prick.

“Then it’s on to step two.” Drawing in a bracing breath, I closed my eyes and opened my mind to Emerson.

“They’re on board, but only as long as they can be involved in handling Phineas.”

“That can be arranged.” His voice filled my head, and it took entirely too much of my self-control to keep my expression neutral.

“They’re my people, Emerson. The closest thing I have to family.”

Seconds ticked by before he answered. “Then they will be treated as such.”

It was a cold response, devoid of emotion. Truly, I felt nothing coming through the link, and it had me second-guessing what I was about to do. We needed to collaborate in real time to work together. That could be done over screens, if needed, but something like this was always better handled in person.

“What do you need to find me?”

“I know where you are.”

My eyes snapped open. My skin prickled. My magic surged in warning, and the next instant, he was there.

Nguyen shot to his feet with a growl. Shay let out a yelp that tore a hole in my heart as she tried to disappear into the corner of the couch. And Dennis, bless his heart, stared in shocked silence even as he angled himself in front of her.

I put out my hands, one toward Nguyen and one toward Shay and Dennis, as I stepped in front of Emerson. “He’s here at my request.” Though, I’d been hoping he would walk through the door like a normal person rather than appearing out of thin air.

“Emerson,” Nguyen said his name more like a curse than an acknowledgment.

“Bear,” he replied, again without a hint of emotion. But standing this close, I could feel the frustration rolling off him in waves.

I shot him a look. “Family.”

His expression tightened. “Even him?”

“Yes. He’s been my right hand for over a decade.”

“From the way he’s looking at you, he’s been more than that.”

Was he really pulling the jealousy card?

I was too tired to keep hiding. If he wanted the truth, he would get all of it. “There hasn’t been anyone else since you.”

Scorching heat rolled through our connection. He licked his lips, and something dark flickered in his blue eyes before his expression went business-like. “Agent DeBruin.” His voice was clipped, unreadable, but through the link, I felt the fire still burning.