Page 138 of Darkness

“Oh. So, someone else now wears a Leary suit.”

“You might say that.” Carter gave a head tilt. “A buddy of mine. You can trust Leary 2.0.”

“I’d never heard of you before. I thought Atlanta had the only task force.” But wait. Hadn’t Farren mentioned others?

“We were a well-kept secret. Well, not known to the average human, but it’s only a matter of time. We’ve got the best spin doctors known to man working on that angle. You may not have realized, but Domus Magestra normally kept to their assigned sectors unless asked to assist elsewhere. It wouldn’t have occurred to Austen that you might want to know about other divisions.” Carter let out a massive yawn. “Sorry. I haven’t slept in a while. Anyway. We owe you a debt of gratitude. You realize you’re the highest-ranking traveler in the area, right?”

Rank again. Morrisey scowled. “The highest ranking in Domus means fuck all here.”

Carter flexed a hand back and forth in a so-so gesture. “Some might not see things that way, but yeah, I understand.”

“I’m just a cop. Or was a cop. Now I guess I’m an agent.” If Morrisey ever left his apartment again. Barricading the door and staying put—with Farren—appealed more and more.

Carter’s intense gray-eyed gaze bored into Morrisey. “You can be whatever the fuck you want, so long as you stay on the side of the good guys.”

“I’m too boring to do anything else.” Too boring and tired.

Carter stalled for a moment, aura flickering with indecision. Finally, he said, “We actually have two Princeps in Washington. One is fairly inexperienced, but the other was an elder in Domus even before coming here—in 1962 as part of a diplomatic mission.”

Good. Asher had been wrong about Morrisey being the only one—one of many things Asher had been wrong about. “Good for them.”

“We’d like to arrange for you to spend some time in DC. I understand you grew up believing yourself human and only recently discovered your true nature. Maybe they can teach you a thing or two, and vice versa.”

Morrisey suspected Carter wasn’t using a royal “we.” How far up did this knowledge go? And would associating with the Princeps put Morrisey—and possibly others—in the crosshairs? “I’ll think about it.”

He laid his head back on his pillow, closing his eyes. In the end, he’d met with Craig again, or had he? Didn’t matter. The Craig he’d known and loved died years ago.

Morrisey knew and loved someone else now. He reached out with his senses, touching Farren without waking him, then locating Arianna and Jessa. Various other travelers caught his attention, but he merely observed them and flitted on past. Finally, his senses came to rest on Carter.

Carter was everything he seemed to be: competent, loyal.

And soon to be Morrisey’s boss, apparently. He let consciousness slip. Everyone he cared about was in excellent hands. He vaguely registered Carter leaving the room, then the mattress dipping.

Warmth surrounded him, along with white light.

Farren. They lay in each other’s arms, light and darkness.

Balance.

“Want to talk?” he managed, though the words came out scratchy.

“I can do even better.” Farren nestled close, head on Morrisey’s shoulder. Suddenly, images appeared in Morrisey’s mind: the two of them together, lying in a big bed, sunlight streaming through a window. They weren’t at the gray abyss, Morrisey’s apartment, or even the safe house. They were somewhere else.

Somewhere that felt like home.

A strange gravelly noise made him look up. A gray tabby and a white long-haired cat lounged at the foot of the bed, purring. Though he didn’t know the place Farren showed him, the cats had been Colm’s.

“What is this place?” Morrisey asked, no longer surprised or afraid of Farren sharing his mind.

“A home for us. I’m tired of living at the compound, and who knows what’ll happen to it. I want a place where there’s sunlight and room to roam. A big kitchen to cook in. And I want a car. I’m so tired of driving the task force’s cars.”

Though Morrisey hadn’t thought of buying a house since Craig, the idea held merit.

Especially if Farren would be there.

Any idea held merit if Farren would be there. “Sounds wonderful.” Then Morrisey kissed Farren, pouring everything he couldn’t say into the press of lips, the swipe of his tongue, their mingled breaths.

Worries about the future could wait until later. For now, with Farren in his arms, Morrisey allowed himself a few moments of all being right in the world.

---