around his sides, up his chest. "Mmm. Feels just like how I imagined you'd look."
When she brushed her palm against his amulet she hissed and snatched her hands back. Her eyes glowed, pulsing red. "Wretched, wretched trinket!"
"Oh, you gotta be kidding me." Dammit. A real she-devil. He rubbed his mouth, trying to wipe away the remnants of her kiss. "And here I thought we had a real connection."
Of course not. That would be too easy. He felt through his pocket for his St. Bridget's cross.
"I hate exorcism on a full stomach," he said. "You have to wait an hour after eating or you'll get cramps. Or was that swimming? Anyway." He thrust the cross up between them, pinning her to the wall. The host twisted her face away, steam rising from her shoulders, struggling like a fly on a glue trap. Holding the cross in his teeth, he pulled out his thumb rings and slid them on before taking the cross in hand again "Had a great time, sweetheart, but too much of a good thing is bad for you."
SO IS THIS. The demon snarled and focused its sullen red stare on the cross.
Wait. It could look upon a blessed object? Not a good sign.
Neither was the smoke that started to leak from the cross.
The relic burst into flame and he dropped it, fanning his fingers. Bad, bad stuff. With a single clap of his hands, he stretched the stream of power between the rings.
THAT WON'T BE ENOUGH TO PROTECT YOU FROM ME.
"That's why I'm here," Chiara announced from behind him.
Chiara? When did she get here? For some reason, he wasn't surprised. He didn't take his eyes off the demon.
No longer held in place, the host stood before the wall, arms bunched, looking like a pro-wrestler, ready to jump off the top rope. Damn shame. He'd liked the taste of her lip gloss.
"Two exorcists, one demon." He clucked his tongue. "You really need to be careful who you try picking up in a bar, sweetheart. Didn't someone teach you about stranger danger?"
He held up his hands, the arc of magic sizzling between his rings. The air tasted like a lightning storm.
"So much for a night off, huh." He glanced over his shoulder at Chiara. The light from his binding rings illuminated the alley, chasing back the shadows. That's what his magic did. It beat down the rising darkness.
"Stay back, kid." He reached for the demon, his smile jagged and humorless. "This one is mine."
The demon snarled, a shredding glimpse of sabre-sharp teeth, and swiped at the wall. Sparks scattered under the tips of its talons. Sullen streaks of light appeared, bleeding through the break in the bricks.
The heat that rushed out caused the arc of magic to sizzle out. His concentration was broken. That was all it took for the spell to falter.
He backed off in a hurry, pulling Chiara away with him. "Bitch can open portals. Get back, Chi—"
The demon pried the edges of the portal back and climbed through the gash. The tattered edges began sealing back up as the portal slowly closed in on itself.
Chiara turned to him, mouth open in protest.
"Aw, let it go," he said. "We need to regroup, rethink what we're up against."
"Oh, Simon." She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "When will you learn?"
She bolted headlong toward the wall, smashing through the nearly closed portal. The rippling edges melded back together and disappeared, leaving no more than ordinary wall.
No portal. No demon. No Chiara.
"Oh, hell." He lit a cigarette. "Women."
Stowing his lighter, he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. Nothing to do but wait.
He didn't have to wait very long. A few moments later, the portal opened in a flash of eerie green light and a pair of people stumbled out. The jagged hole in the fabric of reality snapped shut with a muffled boom that made his eardrums bulge.
He checked his watch. "You know how to keep a guy waiting, don't you?"
The girl collapsed. All signs of demonic possession were gone.
So were signs of life.
Simon knelt over
When she brushed her palm against his amulet she hissed and snatched her hands back. Her eyes glowed, pulsing red. "Wretched, wretched trinket!"
"Oh, you gotta be kidding me." Dammit. A real she-devil. He rubbed his mouth, trying to wipe away the remnants of her kiss. "And here I thought we had a real connection."
Of course not. That would be too easy. He felt through his pocket for his St. Bridget's cross.
"I hate exorcism on a full stomach," he said. "You have to wait an hour after eating or you'll get cramps. Or was that swimming? Anyway." He thrust the cross up between them, pinning her to the wall. The host twisted her face away, steam rising from her shoulders, struggling like a fly on a glue trap. Holding the cross in his teeth, he pulled out his thumb rings and slid them on before taking the cross in hand again "Had a great time, sweetheart, but too much of a good thing is bad for you."
SO IS THIS. The demon snarled and focused its sullen red stare on the cross.
Wait. It could look upon a blessed object? Not a good sign.
Neither was the smoke that started to leak from the cross.
The relic burst into flame and he dropped it, fanning his fingers. Bad, bad stuff. With a single clap of his hands, he stretched the stream of power between the rings.
THAT WON'T BE ENOUGH TO PROTECT YOU FROM ME.
"That's why I'm here," Chiara announced from behind him.
Chiara? When did she get here? For some reason, he wasn't surprised. He didn't take his eyes off the demon.
No longer held in place, the host stood before the wall, arms bunched, looking like a pro-wrestler, ready to jump off the top rope. Damn shame. He'd liked the taste of her lip gloss.
"Two exorcists, one demon." He clucked his tongue. "You really need to be careful who you try picking up in a bar, sweetheart. Didn't someone teach you about stranger danger?"
He held up his hands, the arc of magic sizzling between his rings. The air tasted like a lightning storm.
"So much for a night off, huh." He glanced over his shoulder at Chiara. The light from his binding rings illuminated the alley, chasing back the shadows. That's what his magic did. It beat down the rising darkness.
"Stay back, kid." He reached for the demon, his smile jagged and humorless. "This one is mine."
The demon snarled, a shredding glimpse of sabre-sharp teeth, and swiped at the wall. Sparks scattered under the tips of its talons. Sullen streaks of light appeared, bleeding through the break in the bricks.
The heat that rushed out caused the arc of magic to sizzle out. His concentration was broken. That was all it took for the spell to falter.
He backed off in a hurry, pulling Chiara away with him. "Bitch can open portals. Get back, Chi—"
The demon pried the edges of the portal back and climbed through the gash. The tattered edges began sealing back up as the portal slowly closed in on itself.
Chiara turned to him, mouth open in protest.
"Aw, let it go," he said. "We need to regroup, rethink what we're up against."
"Oh, Simon." She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "When will you learn?"
She bolted headlong toward the wall, smashing through the nearly closed portal. The rippling edges melded back together and disappeared, leaving no more than ordinary wall.
No portal. No demon. No Chiara.
"Oh, hell." He lit a cigarette. "Women."
Stowing his lighter, he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. Nothing to do but wait.
He didn't have to wait very long. A few moments later, the portal opened in a flash of eerie green light and a pair of people stumbled out. The jagged hole in the fabric of reality snapped shut with a muffled boom that made his eardrums bulge.
He checked his watch. "You know how to keep a guy waiting, don't you?"
The girl collapsed. All signs of demonic possession were gone.
So were signs of life.
Simon knelt over
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