I nodded, understanding that she did not want me to confide anything to her that Rewsna shouldn’t know.
It was a little awkward, both wanting to talk, neither wanting to say something that could bring Renswa’s wrath down on the other. Absently I asked, “So do you remember Dakota from the nursing home?”
She looked puzzled and asked, “What do you mean?”
“You remember my boss, Randy?” She nodded that she did. “He and Dakota are married. He told me she was a nurse at the nursing home when you were in a coma. I just wondered if you remembered her?”
Lauren shook her head that she didn’t. I could see she was thinking about something, but I didn’t press her. Finally she said, “Dakota is on the Cabinet, right?”
“I guess so.”
“Mike told me that the Cabinet members weren’t exactly human. Do you suppose she’s a shape shifter like Samael?”
“I don’t know. Samael didn’t go into that kind of detail with me.”
“Dakota couldn’t have been one of my nurses, because Samael didn’t know where I was staying. She’s married to your boss? That guy we met in a coffee shop right before Paul was murdered?”
Paul, was a friend of Lauren’s who was killed right in front of her. Executed is more like it. “Yeah, Randy said that Dakota and he met shortly after our camping trip. She was a nurse at the nursing home where you were staying.”
Lauren stood up from the couch, looked out the window into the yard, hesitated briefly, then stepped to the front door. I could hear her nearly bellow, “Dakota, could you come here for a minute, please?”
Although Lauren’s words were cordial, her tone didn’t match her words. I couldn’t see the front yard from my vantage point on the couch, but I could hear Dakota entering. Lauren cut right to the chase, “Dakota, why are you here?”
“I was worried about you.” The two stepped from the hallway and Lauren motioned for Dakota to sit down. Dakota looked around, taking in the room quickly. She saw her answer did nothing to satisfy Lauren’s curiosity. “You know who I am, yes?”
Lauren shook her head and responded with, “I know you’re married to Max’s boss. For some reason Max thinks you were a nurse that took care of me?” Dakota nodded that this was indeed the case but offered no other words.
Lauren eyed Dakota carefully, “How is that possible?”
“I’m a Registered Nurse; I work wherever I am needed.”
“But you’re a Cabinet member? You are a follower of Samael?”
Dakota’s voice was very stern when she answered, “Is that something you heard from Samael or Rewsna? Samael doesn’t have followers. He’s not a deity. Let me guess, the Cabinet is full of monsters that are out to hurt you. I bet that’s what you’ve heard!”
Lauren nodded. It looked like someone had lit a match under Dakota. She was pissed. “Lauren, I represent Doubt. I influence doubt in people who need it. That doesn’t make me a bad person. I am the reason people make good decisions.”
Lauren looked a bit confused and I knew the feeling – from Samael’s description earlier. Dakota continued, “If you knew you had a job interview tomorrow, it would be my voice that you would hear that tells you your clothes are not right, your resume is not thorough enough, that you do not have the necessary experience. When I come on too strong – and I’ll admit that sometimes I do – a person may be unwilling to take a risk because of their doubt. In many cases, whatever I successfully talked them out of was not something they should have done anyway. In the vast majority of cases, my words of doubt make sure that a person is thoroughly prepared for whatever it was they were contemplating. My doubt is often what makes good things happen in people’s lives. How is that hurtful?”
In a quiet voice Lauren responded, “I guess that isn’t really hurtful. So what is Samael to you?”
“He is a part of the same universe. I know him, very well in fact. Do I follow him or does he follow me? No. Do other Cabinet members get together to discuss strategies for taking over the world? Swaying you to help them? No. We do not operate that way. We are autonomous. We are aware of what others are doing.” Dakota took a deep breath. I think she realized that she was getting frustrated with the wrong people.
After she had calmed herself back down, she continued, “I came here today because I knew the Council was meeting here to kill Max. I knew what that would do to you. I also knew what your repercussions against the world would be. The Council are too stupid to realize they cannot kill Samael. They’ve been trying to eradicate his kind for centuries. We on the Cabinet have embraced his kind, not out of fear but because we know he too has a purpose. The goody-goody Council members regularly do more harm than good.”
“Samael has been chasing me since I awoke. Rewsna and the Council came together to try to protect me from him. Do you mean to tell me that Samael is no threat to Max and me?”
Dakota shook her head slightly, “Samael is a demon of sorts. He is capable of horrific things. But he has spent much time as a human, and as a result is capable of profound humanity. I believe if he meant you dead, you would not be standing in front of me right now.”
Dakota turned her attention from Lauren and looked at me. Her eyes narrowed a little, then she asked, “Max, I am sorry to meet you under these circumstances. Samael has taken refuge in you. I will allow you to make the choice for yourself. I have located a host for Samael. If you want me to, I will try to persuade him to leave
