Page 71 of Darkness

Morrisey closed his eyes again. His insides churned, and he fought down bile in the back of his throat. For a moment, while connected, he thought he’d been in Farren’s head. Feeling Farren’s attraction—for him.

"Since they're gone, can you fill me in on what happened?" Morrisey still held Farren’s hand. He intertwined their fingers together. The connection smoothed out the rough edges of his mood.

“I… I don’t know. I was looking into your memory of yesterday, then it’s like I took a wrong turn. I got lost in your thoughts.”

Oh shit. “You read my mind?”

Farren dragged the arm off his face. “No. It’s more like your mind reached out to mine.”

“What the hell?”

“This shouldn’t happen between a traveler and a human.”

“What shouldn’t happen?” Dread seized Morrisey in a chokehold. Whatever Farren said wouldn’t be good.

“I think we tried to bond.”

Chapter Twenty-three

I think we tried to bond.

Morrisey couldn’t avoid Farren forever, yet he ducked out after work, returning right at curfew. Images still invaded his thoughts when he closed his eyes, unable to sleep in a strange bed with no background noises like cars on the street, a neighbor’s TV, a neighbor calling him an asshole, or even the chink of ice falling into the freezer bin.

Farren’s memories lodged in Morrisey’s head: the strange, overwhelming fear when Farren thought Morrisey was dying in an alley. Fear of rejection once Morrisey learned Farren’s true nature.

Many examples of previous rejections flooded Farren's memories.

Then there was the spark of attraction and the moment when thoughts twisted and turned, leaving Morrisey unable to figure out which belonged to whom. Their two souls tried to bond, according to Farren. What a horrifying, unfamiliar sensation. Yet, those were Farren’s memories and, therefore, special.

But bonded souls? What exactly did that mean?

The sudden insane desire hit Morrisey that he had to be with Farren. Which scared Morrisey more than rampaging killers. But no facing Farren without working some things out first.

Morrisey read through the material Leary provided.

Bonding: When two travelers share a deep, unbreakable connection, able to feel each other’s emotions. While traveler couples can choose to be together, only a small percentage bond through choice, and an even smaller percentage by chance.

Morrisey and Farren’s had been by chance, right? Without a conscious decision on Morrisey’s part, anyway.

His want for Farren grew. Every glance, every touch threatened to send Morrisey over the edge. How could he possibly want someone who lived in a dead man’s body?

But wasn’t one spirit occupying a body the same as another? So confusing. Maybe researching Jessa’s list of dead or missing travelers might distract Morrisey from thoughts he'd rather avoid.

The clock on his phone said 5:30 a.m. He might as well get to work. One good thing about staying on the compound—a two-minute commute to the office.

The reception desk stood empty as he trudged down the eternally gray hallway to his office. So quiet that the hum of a soda machine sounded extremely loud when he stopped by the break room.

He closed his office door and settled behind his desk, energy drink in hand. Captain Gaskins preyed on his mind. It didn’t seem right to simply vanish without a word. But what could he say? After several moments of deliberation, Morrisey began typing.

Captain Gaskins,

I’m sorry I left without consulting you, but I wasn’t really given a chance.

Would Leary even have allowed Morrisey to say goodbye? He’d implied no by saying the FBI would handle Gaskins. Still, didn’t Morrisey owe the guy?

As bad as life was at the precinct, it really went to shit after I left.

Morrisey deleted the words. Under no circumstances could he tell Gaskins. Better for the man to think him a rude, ungrateful sonofabitch.

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