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

"Fuck me, mate." I fell to his side, feelingeven worse about the delays that had kept me from coming for him right away.

The incubus groaned again, rolling over and looking atme. His amber eyes were dulled, and he looked at me without apparentrecognition.

"Oh, no you don't," I muttered though I wasn'tsure who I was admonishing.

I grabbed Ezra's power. If the demon prince couldrecharge me, he could recharge his demons. I hoped.

The demonic presence watching was even more alarmedand I felt it try to block me, but this connection was deeper than what hecould prevent, and I shoved energy into Sabian.

His back arched and he cried out in pain, but it wasworking, and before long the incubus looked much closer to normal. He was stillthin, and hungry, and staring at me like he might eat me, but I could tell herecognized me now.

"Sabian…"

"Chris!" He launched himself into my arms,tackling me to the floor and pressing his lips to mine.

I relished the feel of my incubus devouring my lips,letting him feed off of my lust, groaning as he pressed into me, hard and readyto go.

While I didn't normally mind an audience, I wasn'tabout to perform for this one. Once Sabian felt a little less fragile, I pulledback. "Gotta breathe, mate."

"Right. How are you here? Why are you here? Youneed to leave, you're not safe." As Sabian babbled, he looked around franticallyas he became fully aware of the situation we were in.

"Yeah, that's the plan. I'm leaving with you."

Mayhem growled a warning, and I scrambled off thefloor, Sabian standing next to me.

"My, my, you are full of surprises, Chris Price,"a voice hissed before a figure stepped out of the shadows.

A chillingly familiar figure.

This demon actually looked like a demon, not just ahuman with horns, though he was still humanoid in shape. Flames burned like litcoals in the pits of his eye sockets, and thick, snake-like ropy strandswrithed where a human would have a head of hair. Ram's horns curled out of hisskull. His skin was a sickly puce color, and scales covered sensitive areas forprotection down his spine, across his shoulders, and back. He had powerfulshoulders, and more muscles than a human could even possess.

That thick ropy hair covered his lower half and bothhis hands and feet ended in vicious claws.

They scraped the stone as he stepped closer, and Iplaced myself in front of Sabian. Lott would not have my incubus again. Sabianlet me protect him, though his hands settled on my shoulders, tighteningpossessively.

"It would seem Ezra has been a bit naughty,"Lott hissed. "Sharing his powers with you. I wonder what it will do to himwhen I kill you, anyway." His laughter felt like razorblades on myeardrums, and I shuddered.

Lott stalked closer and I stood my ground. He sniffedthe air around me, wrinkling his nose. "You reek of him. Maybe I'll haveyou myself before I kill you."

I pulled the collar of my T-shirt down, exposing themark Lucifer had left on my skin.

Lott tilted his head as if thinking, before helaughed. "I serve a different master now," he hissed.

"I'll kill you first, mate," I snarled inreply. Ezra had told me to summon him, but I wasn't entirely certain he'd letme get away with killing Lott if he were here.

"Mmm, but I know your weakness."

"Say what?" I didn't like the sound of that.Sure, I had them, but what could he possibly exploit here?

"You gave me his name, and with that, you gave meyourself." Lott, certain he was on to something, chuckled.

"Hah! Now you're really dead." Fuck, I hadforgotten the whole name bullshit. I slipped the holy water out of my pocketwhile Lott laughed his sorry ass off and squirted him in the mouth.

It hit him like acid, especially potent in the depthsof hell. His laughter turned to a gurgling scream.

"Chris!" Sabian shouted, but I needed himgone.

"Sabian, go to Ezra!" I shouted the lastwords of the exorcism rite, fairly certain I didn't need the rest, and used mypower to shove at Sabian.

He shouted as he vanished, and I'd just exorcised himtwice now. I hoped he forgave me later.

You'd better catch him, asshole, I sent to Ezra, unreasonably annoyed with the prince.

I sensed his assent along with his frantic desire tobe at my side.

Tuning Ezra out, I pulled out my ritual knife. I mighthave to get Mal to make me another one. Technically, you weren't supposed touse ritual tools to fight.

Lott, full of his own power and in his own domain,recovered from my first attack, just as I launched my next one. Knife, straightinto the heart. Were he human, anyway. He dodged at the last minute, and Igrazed his ribs instead. As the knife met demon flesh, I poured my magic intoit. The demon screamed, swinging and catching me with a backhand.

I flew across the cavern, not looking forward to theconcussion I was going to receive in mere seconds. Fortunately, my hellhoundlet me crash into him instead.

Mayhem rolled out from under me and threw himself infront of the blast of sand that swarmed toward us. The hellhound's chestexpanded as he sucked in the likely extremely unpleasant spell. Fire flared inhis eyes and he started to glow.

Damn, I loved that dog.

"Abyss take all of Ezra's hellhounds," Lottsnarled and lobbed another spell, but I was ready for a magical battle now.

Mayhem sensed it and stepped aside, letting me takethe hit on my hastily erected shields while I centered myself for my nextattack. Exorcising Lott here wasn't going to do me a whole lot of good, but ifI could tie him up long enough, I could stab him again.

I held the knife in front of me, drawing a bindingsigil in the air with the tip.

Lott either didn't recognize it or didn't think Icould use it against him. He charged forward, abandoning magic in favor of brutestrength. A better plan on his part.

I shouted the words to the spell, the demonic languagetearing at my vocal cords as I forced them to speak words not meant for humansto utter.

Energy poured through my hands and into the sigil justas Lott crashed into