Page 57 of Darkness

He held his glass up, watching the liquid shimmer in the low light. How strange to talk to a woman… err… succubus… who looked different each time. “If a traveler possesses a body, and the asshole who summoned them takes it back, then are they repossessed?” He laughed, though the play on words only seemed funny for a minute.

“Actually, yes. Whoever is behind the body shuffling can not only summon, but they can banish, too, which is a talent usually reserved for Magestra. I think Princeps might have the capacity, but they think themselves above such unpleasantness, and no self-respecting cop would harm another unlawfully. Magestra have so many fucking procedures to follow. I mean, those guys are so rigid on rules I’m surprised they don’t break.”

Morrisey thought back to some less-than-scrupulous cops he’d known over the years. “Yeah, but some human cops don’t have a whole lot of self-respect.” Though he didn’t consider himself particularly unscrupulous, he mentally raised a hand. His self-respect had taken several hits over the course of his life.

“Even though I don’t trust them, I’m glad you’re with the task force. It’ll give you a better opportunity to find out what happened to my friends and stop a major asshole.”

“I haven’t yet had time to look into the matter.” Nor had Morrisey decided if he’d look into the matter. Not with Farren staring over his shoulder. Time for a change of subject. “You don’t trust Farren.”

"I'm skeptical of most of FAET, but the one who calls himself Farren..." Jessa looked askance at the books on Morrisey's bookcase. “Mary calls him a Boy Scout. Though she didn’t really explain the name. After all, he’s no longer considered a boy, right? Sharing a body means I only access memories my host allows. I don’t trust him yet, but maybe one day.”

“I understand.” Sort of. Morrisey had gotten the impression of Farren being somewhat of a rule-follower, with just a touch of bending those rules when necessary.

Yeah, a Boy Scout.

Or an angel.

An idea crossed Morrisey's mind. “Can you exist outside a body?”

“I can survive a day or two floating around, but it’s disorienting.” Jessa stretched provocatively, grinned, and changed the subject fast enough to induce whiplash. “Got any good porn?”

Morrisey nearly clutched imaginary pearls. “I am not watching porn with you.”

Jessa pouted. “Spoilsport.”

“I thought you and Mary were going out.”

“Yeah. I promised her. You get some sleep. I think you might need eight hours or so of good shut-eye.” Jessa scrunched her nose. “Shower first. You reek.” She left the nearly empty tequila bottle on the coffee table and sashayed out the door.

Morrisey perched on the couch for a few moments, finding his moorings. What a whirlwind of a woman. He polished off his drink—Jessa bought the good stuff—and lay back on the couch, kicking the rest of the debris off the cushions to get comfortable.

He’d just close his eyes for a bit, then take a shower and climb into bed. In just a few moments…

Morrisey dreamed the landline rang.

Jessa answered.

While Farren poured Morrisey a shot of tequila.

Naked.

***

Once more, Morrisey found himself in some sort of void, with nothing to see but darkness. “Hello!” he called. Nothing. Silence. Not even an echo.

A shining being slowly approached, floating, two shapes to the side of the figure slowly flexing. Wings?

The being stopped before Morrisey. "I don't know if I'm summoning you or you're summoning me, but this seems impossible. You’re human.”

That voice. Farren’s gentle tenor. “Where are we?" Morrisey shifted his gaze side to side, then up and down, but couldn't make out anything but the two of them.

“We’re in the place between realms.”

“Why are we here?”

“I don’t know, but you shouldn’t be here. I’ve never seen a human here.”

Why Morrisey said the words, he’d never know, but they came out anyway. “Maybe I’m not human.”

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