The Price of Exorcism by Dakota Brown (sneezy the snowman read aloud .txt) 📗

"No, though I canin some instances. I can, however, sense your tension. You're usually prettyrelaxed and I made a few assumptions."

I took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay. Thanksfor the reassurance. You do think she's okay?"

"Ezra will keep her safe. We just have to hope thatif he's up to anything nefarious, Chris will be strong enough to resist him. Ifhe's not, well, then I guess I hope he stays on our side."

I nodded. "I'll try to stop thinking about it. So,what else are we up to, today?"

Mal chuckled. "Your eighties education and then Iguess we head over to the pizza parlor."

"Wait, that's tonight?"

Mal nodded.

"I'm more of a nineties kid myself."

"So is Chris. She just doesn't want anyone toknow."

I laughed. "Okay. So, what did you think of theeighties?"

"I was lost in a particularly deep study of somethingor another and missed a lot of it. By the time I surfaced in the middle of theeighties phenomena, I was mostly just confused. Took me a few years to getcaught up, and by then it was the nineties."

I burst out laughing. "For real?"

Mal nodded, looking a little embarrassed. "I hadto confess some of that to Chris. Fortunately, she was understanding. Well, sheacted understanding, anyway. Maybe she was just distracted with the idea ofgoing to hell."

"Is it impolite to ask how old you are, anyway?"

Mal smirked and for a while I didn't think he wasgoing to answer, but finally he shrugged.

"I think the phrase is old enough to know better,still too young to care?"

I shook my head. "I get the impression you'reolder than that."

He nodded. "Old enough. I prefer not to dwell toomuch on the past. It can get a little depressing."

"Gottcha. I'll try not to ask again, but I'm sureyou have some fascinating stories."

"Occasionally I get in the right mood andovershare my past," Mal said. "Stick around long enough and you'llget subjected to it."

"I'm sure it's not going to be torture," Icountered.

Mal shrugged and I shifted the focus away from him.

"Okay, so, what does my education consist oftoday?"

"There's a particular movie you have to watch andthen I guess we'll just hit the internet for inspiration."

"Movie date with the vampire," I said,winking at him when he glanced at me.

"It's a vampire movie, too."

I laughed. "Even better."

Mal shook his head. "I will try to refrain frompointing out every inaccuracy in the entire film."

"I feel you there. Almost all science-basedfilms get me going."

"I promise, there is no science in this movie."Mal laughed. "But it's Chris' favorite movie, so you should watch it."

"Hopefully soon we'll get to have a movie nightwith all of us. I know Sabian will be down. Think Ezra likes movies?"

Mal got a calculating look in his eye before he smiledslyly. "Maybe we should make a list of things to subject him to. Could befun."

"A little hazing to join Chris' harem?" Isuggested.

Mal tilted his head. "Harem, I guess that's kindof what this is, isn't it?"

"Uh, yeah. Though you might have a very differentperspective on the use of that word than I do."

Mal nodded. "Yes, but it's accurate enough."

"Still can't believe you're willing to share her."

Mal shrugged. "If living for as long as I havehas taught me one thing, it's that life is short and getting hung up about theway things should be is pointless. Chris has enough affection to go around, andwe all want to love and protect her. She's going to need us."

"I don't know, man. I think I want her to protectme."

Mal burst out laughing. "Well, yeah, there isthat, too. Mutual protection?"

"Let's go with that."

Mal gestured to the sword. "Show me the form onemore time and then we'll go watch a movie."

I took a breath, settled into the stance he had taughtme, and let myself flow through the movements. I'd never thought I'd belearning to use a sword, especially from someone who had likely learned to use oneas a life necessity instead of simply a hobby. If anyone had told me a fewmonths ago that I'd be hanging with demons and vampires, not to mention acertain exorcist, I'd have laughed at them, but here I was. And I wasn't goingto lie, the sword felt good in my hand. Natural. Learning the forms had almostbeen like learning to speak. I had always known how, I just needed someone toshow me how to shape the movements. Mal suspected, and I agreed, that it wasprobably something to do with my unusual genetics. Some sort of built-inability that I simply had to hone. I'm sure it didn't hurt that my teacher wasa total badass, though.

I focused more deeply on the movements when Malcorrected my stance slightly. Just because it felt natural didn't mean I didn'thave to concentrate.

∞ ∞∞

"Ready for this?" Mal asked hours later.

"I feel armed with an unusual knowledge base ofeighties pop culture, and I have a strange desire to listen to shiny men playsax on the boardwalk. Let's do this."

Mal laughed. "I feel we'll still be completelyout of our depth. I get the impression the regulars take this quote war nightvery seriously."

"I'm more worried about the employee pizza partynext week," I said as we got into Mal's hybrid. We'd picked it up from theshop and I squeezed myself into the passenger seat.

Mal glanced at me and raised an eyebrow. "Wouldyou rather we take Chris' beastly car?"

"Um, well, I'd fit better."

He climbed back out of the hybrid and I unfoldedmyself from the passenger seat.

"Thanks."

"Of course."

Though Mal didn't really like the large vehicle, itwas nice not to have my knees up around my ears.

We headed out and Mal gritted his teeth.

"Nervous?"

"Maybe a little. I feel like I'm going to end up thecenter of attention, and that's something I typically try to avoid."

"You're welcome to throw the attention on me. I'mused to being the tall, awkward dude at parties."

Mal laughed. "I'm glad we're getting some time tospend together, Aaron. I like you."

"Dude, you have no idea how relieved I am to hearthat because you're one scary S.O.B."

Mal glanced at me before refocusing on the road. "Whenprovoked. Usually, I'm just a mild-mannered occultist."

I snorted. "Okay, Superman."

He laughed.

We rode in