The Price of Possession by Dakota Brown (universal ebook reader txt) 📗

me. I doubtedMal was even conscious, and the others had no idea where I was. Apparently, Iwas going to find out where chaotic exorcists went when they died a lot soonerthan I had planned.

Well, damn it, I wasn't going down without fucking upas much of their plans as I could.

Pulling on what little of that extra power that flowedthrough me I could grasp–Mal called it magic–I shoved it into my gut. It wouldn'tsave me, but it might stabilize me long enough to cause a last bit of chaosbefore I died.

I turned my head. Fuck that hurt. We were inside acontainment circle and the asshole twat that had stabbed me was drippingsomething, likely my blood, into a bowl. Today she was dressed a bit moreritualistically. Flowing robes and all that shit. Candles flickered everywhere.This floor was stone, or concrete, and it had the feel of a more permanentritual space, as opposed to hijacking Aaron's study.

Though my vision was a bit blurry and pain radiatedthrough me, I tried to focus. I thought I made out one of the pendants they hadbeen binding demons into on the table surrounded by candles and otherimplements of the trade.

I wasn't sure what I could do, but maybe I could pullthe same stunt I had before and just crash into everything. At the very least,it would piss them off.

My vision blacked out and pain seared through me whenI tried to move.

Crap.

More magic. More reserves. I needed them. It was mylast stand, and I wasn't going down without being a giant pain in the ass. I drewon everything I had, pulling it to that spot of agony where my life was leakingout of me far faster than I'd prefer.

There. I could move.

By the time I looked back at the ritual space, thetwat had left the circle.

Damn.

Light flared on the table, some sort of magicalfireworks I'd mostly missed, and the flames on the candles shot upward, growingto nearly a foot of flame each.

"Huh, cool," I grumbled, and forced myselfto move. I nearly blacked out, but I did it.

"I offer you this life in return for yourpresence!" I heard the twat shout and then rage like I'd never beforeexperienced filled the space.

Well, the prince was here. Hope he didn't mind damagedgoods.

I made it to my feet, holding back a scream by sheerforce of will. I did not want to attract attention if she hadn't noticed me yet.Maybe I could disrupt the circle before she contained him in the pendant.

The prince howled something in demonic, but amazinglydidn't outright attack me. Great, score one for the nearly dead exorcist.

"Huh," the twat said.

Sometimes those were famous last words.

Unfortunately, in this case, she didn't really need mylife. The demon was here, and she wasn't bargaining with him.

She yelled out another enchantment, one I wasn'tfamiliar with, and couldn't concentrate on enough to even try to understand.

I staggered forward. My legs gave out. I crashed intothe table, sending everything flying. Maybe if I could get my hands on theamulet long enough to fuck with her spell...

I had no idea where it went, and my time was up. Ididn't even feel the concrete as I slammed into the ground. Hopefully whoevercame to collect my soul had a twisted sense of humor, because boy did I havesome fucked up stories to tell.

Chapter 14

Sabian

Time stopped, and what passed for a heart for anincubus nearly shriveled up and died as I watched Chris fall into the tablethen crash to the ground.

"No! Chris!" This couldn't be happening. I'djust found her.

A flash of silver very near her hand caught myattention, jerking me out of my momentary paralysis. I was certain it was noaccident I noticed the pendant. I could feel the pull of my connection to theprince. We had to get that before the others did.

Acting on instinct, I shouted at Aaron and pointed. "Grabthat!"

Guided by the tiny hellhound, Aaron dashed forward.

Darius fired at the demon possessed men who hadbelatedly realized we had arrived to ruin their party. The bullets hit, andthey must have been blessed, because they slowed the men down enough that theyran instead of staying to fight.

The occultist had split as soon as Aaron had brokenthe circle. Probably wise, though the prince was still contained. Darius chasedafter her.

I hadn't been lying when I told Mal I was a lover, nota fighter. I could take a few hits, but against someone who knew what they weredoing I'd get my ass kicked, so I didn't try to stop any of the possessedhumans as they ran.

Chris was not moving, and the pool of blood spreadingaround her was not promising. I could sense she wasn't quite gone, but shecertainly wasn't going to survive unless we could intervene. I couldn't loseher now. I just couldn't. I needed her.

Where was Mal? I thought they had been together.

I couldn't enter the circle like Aaron or thehellhound could, so I watched anxiously from outside the ring as Aaron snatchedthe charm up, held it for a moment, then bellowed in pain.

Bingo. He had angelic blood. I thought those eyetattoos were more than tattoos. The wing markings on the guy's back were thegiveaway, though.

In this case, it was going to save Chris' life.Hopefully. I curled my hands into fists and tried to fight off the rising panicthat we were too late. I just couldn't lose her.

Silver dripped through Aaron's fingers as the charmmelted. He flung it away from him as light flared around the guy, consuminghim. I swear I saw the outline of wings, six of them, and eyes freakingeverywhere, as Aaron backed out of the circle. He collapsed to his knees,looking a lot more normal, though drenched in sweat, on the other side of thecontainment ring.

The hellhound licked at Chris' face. She really neededto name that thing to complete the bond. I'd actually thought she already had,until he'd come to find us once she'd been taken.

A lot of this could have been prevented if thehellhound had fully manifested into their bond. I cursed myself for assumingshe'd done what most humans did and immediately named a