[Charlie Rhodes 06.0] The Incubus Impasse

by Amanda M. Lee

  “You, however, are completely different and yet look the same. You won’t make it easy. You’ll fight … and I do love a good fight. I haven’t had one in decades. I need you for my work.”

  “Your work?” My stomach turned at the thought. “Is that what you call it? You seduce women and steal their essences to live.”

  “It’s not my fault. I was created this way. I cannot change. Every creature in the world has the compulsion to survive. I’m no different. I’m not truly bad. I’m just a survivor.”

  “Oh, really?” I was done playing games. “Then what about the trapped souls you’ve left between Boston and here? You’ve anchored them to the water, forced them to look at a world they’re no longer a part of, and made it so they can’t interact with each other or their surroundings. That’s evil on a level that’s hard to even grasp.”

  He couldn’t hide his surprise. “How ... ?” He trailed off. “You really are a magical being, aren’t you?”

  “I’m more than one thing,” I replied, clenching my fists at my sides. I was going to have to move without Jack. It was probably better this way. “I can’t let you leave. I’ve come to the conclusion that the only way to free those souls is to kill you.”

  He tossed back his head and barked out a laugh that was eerie enough to chill me to the bone. “I’ve been around for centuries, little girl. Do you really think you have the strength to stop me? Let me save you the trouble of over-taxing that simple brain of yours. You don’t have the power. I am forever ... and you are no more.”

  As if to prove it, he lifted his hands and let loose a wisp of magic. I couldn’t really see it, but I could feel it. There was a lullaby woven into it, a soft song meant to soothe any impulses I might have to fight. That’s how he got the women to open their windows. He parked outside, used his magic and convinced them it was a good idea to let him in.

  Well, no more. I wouldn’t allow it to happen again.

  “Close your eyes,” he instructed in a voice as soft as cotton. “Listen to the beat of my heart. Let your heart join it.”

  That sounded like the most ridiculous thing I’d ever heard, but I played along. I needed to draw him in.

  “Do you hear that?” he asked. He was closer now. I had to use my senses to keep track of him. He thought I was under his thrall ... but he was wrong. “That sound is forever beckoning. It’s quiet ... and peaceful ... and sounds like the ocean. That’s the happiest place in the world, you know.”

  For a moment I could almost see myself in his version of utopia. The lulling waves, the saltwater scent. It was majestic. And then I pictured Jack sitting on my couch as we argued over pizza toppings ... and the way he snored when he slept ... and the way his stubble tickled me when we cuddled in the morning. The ocean might be his happy place, but Jack was mine.

  When I felt him finally move into my space I used my magic to tap into his head. He was so far gone into what he was doing he didn’t even feel me. Instead, he focused on what he was doing and ignored the signs that he was failing.

  “It’s almost time, Charlie,” he whispered.

  “There’s no almost about it,” I replied, my eyes popping open as I extended my hands and pressed them into his chest. “It’s definitely time.”

  I poured all the magic I could muster into him at the same moment he realized I’d fooled him. He gasped, tried to twist away, but the magic was already entrenched inside him.

  “What are you doing?” He writhed, lashed out with hands that somehow resembled claws. I expected the attack and held him back. “Stop that. It ... burns!”

  “It’s supposed to burn,” I replied dully. The amount of magic I was expending was tremendous, but I knew better than to stop. “I’m cleansing the demon out of you. It’s not a picnic in the park.”

  “Stop!” He was getting desperate now as he fought against me. “I’m not done yet. I can’t leave them unfinished. The pentagrams, they need to be finished. I ... stop!” Now his cry was anguished. That only caused me to add to the magic.

  “The world is better off without you,” I murmured as his cry trailed off and he began to sag. “No one will mourn you. Most won’t even know you ever existed. The world will go on without you ... and we’ll be just fine.”

  I poured the last of my magic into him and then sank to the ground. I was exhausted, empty, and all I wanted to do was sleep. I dully heard voices approaching. One of them belonged to Jack. I felt him before I even heard him ... and then his arms were around me.

  “Charlie?” His worried eyes swam into view as I smiled at him.

  “He’s gone. I burned him away.”

  “Baby.” He stroked his fingers down my cheek as he held me close. “What do I do? Do I need to take you to the hospital? Are you okay?”

  “I’m okay,” I promised him, my words slurring. “I just need sleep. Take me to bed. I’m ... okay.”

  The last thing I heard was him crying out as he swung me up into his arms. Then blissful sleep washed over me. Even then I could feel it. The demon might’ve emptied it out of me, but Jack was replenishing all of it.

  We’d figured it out ... and we were okay.

  Twenty-Nine

  Jack sat vigil until I woke the next morning. The relief on his face was palpable, and it reminded me of another time he had done the same thing. That was before we admitted our feelings to each other, but I was pretty sure the roots of what we were growing were already there. Just like then, I’d never been so happy to see anyone in my entire life.

  “What happened ... after?” My voice was raspy as he fetched a bottle of water from the nightstand. I couldn’t remember anything from the previous night after Jack arrived.

  “Rick came. I had to call him because ... well, because it was the right thing to do.”

  Fear washed over me as I propped myself on the bed to accept the water. “Is he coming to talk to me?”

  “No, baby, he’s not.” Jack shifted from the chair he’d situated so he could watch me the entire night and slid in next to me, being gentle as he brought me to his side. His lips were warm against my forehead and his proximity allowed me to let loose a pent-up shudder.

  “Don’t you be afraid,” he whispered. “He’s not coming for you. There’s nothing to be afraid of. I promise.”

  I pulled myself together. I was still shaky, weak, but I was markedly better than I had been following the incident. “What happened?”

  Jack was calm as he filled in the gaps for me. “Liam and Alexander were with me when I got to you. They heard what you said but assumed you were confused because you’d been hurt. Er, well, I thought that’s what Alexander assumed. He said the right things, but … well … it became clear pretty quickly that he was covering for you.”

  “Why would he do that?”

  “He understood that you didn’t kill Samuel as much as you killed the creature that took his face. He’s known for some time that Samuel was gone, almost from the start. He grieves for the young man he knew, but is thankful for what you did.”

  “And Liam?”

  “Liam doesn’t believe you ended the incubus.” He was obviously choosing his words carefully to keep me calm. “He says that he thought he killed the incubus but it somehow managed to escape, jump bodies so to speak, and he’s going to keep watching. He thanked us for our help and hoped you would feel better soon, but he plans to move down the coast to keep looking.”

  “That’s a waste of time, Jack.”

  “I know, but ... there’s nothing I can do to change his mind.”

  “I could try telling him the truth.”

  “I would prefer you didn’t. He’s too excitable. And, while I don’t like the idea of him chasing a creature that no longer exists, I think he needs to come to that conclusion himself. He’s not ready to give up the fight because it’s all he’s had since the death of his sister. When no more murders pop up, he’ll be forced to deal with what’s really bothering him ... that he’s alone. We can’t fix that for him.”

/>   It was a fairly profound deduction. “I still feel bad.”

  “Hey.” He tapped my chin to get me to look into his eyes. “You’re the hero of this story, Charlie. You saved the day last night. You took on that creature by yourself — and I’m still kind of angry about that, by the way, but you get a pass because you scared the dickens out of me. You freed all those souls.”

  I stirred. “How do you know that? Did you see them leave?”

  He shook his head. “No. Harley stopped by to check on you. She was ready to influence the fight but didn’t get to us in time. She said she had a job. She was angry — hopping up and down mad — and I think her boss has been getting an earful. She checked for me, though, and she didn’t even try to make a deal. She volunteered before I could ask because I knew you would want to know.”

  “She checked all the places?”

  “She did. They’re all gone.”

  “They’ve been released.”

  “All but the one who belonged to Harley. She said she managed to reap her soul and that her business in Charleston was concluded. She said she would be in Boston to see us in a few weeks, when I make good on her dinner.”

  I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing at his mournful expression. “I’m sorry. You only made the deal to protect me.”

  “I would make a lot more deals like that — and probably worse — to protect you.” He lowered his mouth to mine and gave me a kiss so sweet it was almost aching. “You scared me.” He rested his forehead against mine. “You have to stop doing that.”

  “I told you I would be okay. I was just drained.”

  “I know but ... you were so pale ... and quiet ... and you wouldn’t open your eyes. I had to sneak you in here and put you to bed so the others wouldn’t ask too many questions.”

  Uh-oh. That begged another question. “What do they know?”

  “The official story that we told the police is that Samuel was a normal man who went on a killing spree,” Jack replied calmly. “Rick helped fill in the blanks. I think he knew something big went down, but he was so thankful it was over he didn’t question anything when it was time to fill out the report. Alexander lying was a benefit, too. Who is going to challenge an eighty-year-old reverend who was close with the dead guy?”

  “But that doesn’t make things right for the real Samuel. He wasn’t a murderer.”

  “No, but Alexander said he would be okay with how things went down. He was once a good man who wanted to do right by the world. Somehow he got twisted throughout the years. If he was a good person, the incubus wouldn’t have been able to invade him the way it did.”

  “Still ... .”

  “We can’t always have everything we want, Charlie.” Jack was firm. “I’m sorry. I know you don’t want to hear it, but it’s the truth. We can’t sew this up neatly and put a bow on it. We’re lucky that Alexander is helping us at all.”

  “What did he say?”

  “Not to come back to his church.”

  Jack’s response, and especially the way he delivered it, would’ve been funny under different circumstances. “Seriously?”

  “Pretty much. He was there because he’d overheard Samuel taunting Gretchen. She’s apparently off her rocker and Alexander promises to get her help. He decided to take on Samuel himself. That bag he was carrying had a crucifix, holy water from a neighboring church, salt because he saw it on a television show and a Bible. He was going to take him down with his faith.”

  “I don’t think that would have worked.”

  “You can’t tell him that. But it doesn’t matter. What matters is that the incubus is gone.”

  “What about Samuel’s real body? It’s out there somewhere.”

  “It is, and I don’t know how that’s going to be dealt with. There’s nothing we can do about it but wait.”

  That wasn’t my strong suit, but I was too tired to press the issue. Instead, I snuggled closer to Jack. “And our group? They know which version of the story?”

  “That Samuel was evil and tried to hurt you. That during a struggle he keeled over and didn’t get back up. There were no marks on his body. I’m guessing, when they conduct his autopsy, they’ll find the same compound that was in the women. I think he creates it when he ... has sex with them.”

  That was a disturbing thought so I made a face and focused on something else. “So ... they think I fainted during a fight with a serial killer.”

  “They think you were brave during a fight with a serial killer and then, yes, fainted. I’m sorry. It’s the only thing I could come up with.”

  “Ah, well. I guess it could be worse. I’m sure Laura will be laughing about it for weeks.”

  “Who cares what she thinks?” He tightened his arms around me. “I know the truth. You’re a hero and ... I’m really proud of you.”

  I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat. “Thank you.”

  “I’m also really angry because you allowed yourself to get separated and took on a monster by yourself. We’ll argue about that later, though.”

  “That sounds like a good plan.”

  “I thought you would like it.”

  We rested like that for a good twenty minutes before I stirred. “You know what?”

  “Hmm?”

  “I make enough money to buy you dinner when we get back to town. What do you say to a fun night of fish and chips, and a walk on the beach?”

  “That’s the best offer I’ve had all day.”

  WITHIN THREE HOURS, CHRIS MADE the call. We were heading back to headquarters. Our work in Charleston was done. As usual, Chris was disappointed. Hannah was already consoling him, and I figured his bad mood wouldn’t last.

  I spent time on the balcony searching for signs of the ghosts, but they were indeed gone. That was a relief. I could leave with less weight on my shoulders, although the idea of the real Samuel going down as a murderer was an ache I couldn’t quite shake. Jack was right, though. We couldn’t have everything.

  By the time we made our way downstairs with our luggage, only Casey remained. I thought he would’ve hitched a ride with Laura’s group when they left for the airport.

  “Are you riding with us?” Jack asked as he carried our bags, making sure to keep one eye on me should I threaten to topple over again.

  “I am,” Casey replied. “The other vehicles were kind of full. Laura manages to take up two seats because of her mouth.”

  “Yeah. Get used to that.” Jack flicked his eyes to me. “I’ll take the bags out. Can you do a swing around the living room and kitchen to make sure we don’t leave anything behind? I’ll be back to help you to the car in a few minutes.”

  “I can walk to the car myself.”

  “Except you won’t. I get to take care of you all day today ... and tomorrow ... and through the weekend. That’s all there is to it. I don’t want to hear any argument.”

  I offered up an exaggerated eye roll but didn’t fight him. There was no point.

  Once he was gone, I flashed a small smile for Casey’s benefit and started the search. He followed me, which I found weird. The more time I spent with him — which admittedly wasn’t much at this point — the odder I found him.

  “I don’t see anything, do you?” I asked to break the uncomfortable silence.

  “No.” Casey leaned against the wall and folded his arms over his chest. The gaze he shot me was piercing. “So ... you used your magic to take out the incubus. You should probably learn to regulate your energy output. You don’t have to put that much effort into a spell. Still, it was pretty impressive … at least I gather that because I couldn’t get too close.”

  I had no idea what to say. “W-what?”

  His smirk was smug. “Did you really think I didn’t know? The others might believe that story Jack told, but it was so full of holes it should’ve been on a Reuben sandwich. I mean ... come on. I guess it was the best he could do on the fly, though.”

  I fervently wished for Jack to return as my cheeks
burned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “And we don’t have much time, so lies are really unnecessary. Jack will be back any second. I wanted to ride to the airport alone with you, but dislodging that guy from your side is pretty much impossible.”

  Suspicion grabbed my heart and squeezed. “Who are you?”

  “Do you really not know?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “I’m your brother.”

  I thought I was going to pass out again. I had to extend my hand to brace myself against the counter. I saw black spots whirling in my peripheral vision. This made no sense.

  “You’re not my brother.” The words were strangled as they escaped my mouth. “You’re ... something else. Did Laura put you up to this? That would be just like her.”

  Even as I said the words, I knew they couldn’t possibly be right. Laura had no idea who I was or what I could do. If she had, she would have blurted it out to the others a long time ago.

  “Laura is not really a part of this. Well, other than getting me the job. She did prove useful on that front. This isn’t about her. It’s about you and me. The reason I know what you can do is because you’re my sister. I wasn’t lying.”

  He had to be lying. There was no other explanation. “I don’t know what game you’re playing ... .”

  “I’m not playing a game. Far from it. I’m here to talk to you. You’re the only reason I joined this idiotic outfit. Now, I don’t expect you to believe me. You would have to be stupid to believe some random guy you just met. While you’re naive, you’re not stupid. I’ll submit to a DNA test. The faster we can get that done, the faster we can move on to Phase Two.”

  I had no idea what Phase One was, let alone Phase Two. I didn’t really want to know. “I don’t think ... .”

  “It doesn’t matter what you think.” He was no-nonsense. “This is happening. It’s real. We have a lot to talk about. We can’t move forward until you have your confirmation. That’s simply the way it is.”