The Price of Possession

by Dakota Brown

  That was all it took for the restaurant to clear out while the demon stared at me.

  Billy came up next to me. "Discount code demon?"

  "Um, well, uh, yeah. Just, uh, make sure it gets honored, okay?" I should have picked a better discount code. "And maybe get..."

  "You will come with me!" The demon pointed at me.

  "Go fuck yourself."

  It howled in anger and all of the pitchers of liquid exploded upward. My poor staff. The ones who hadn't already been covered in pizza sauce were now soaked with pop or water.

  "Listen, asshole. There's no exorcist here, though clearly you need one. The cops are on their way, and you're going to jail if you don't get out of here now," I yelled, jabbing my finger at him. I fished around in my jacket pocket, grateful I'd left it on. My dedication to the look, despite the temperature, was paying off because I still had a small squirt bottle full of holy water tucked in there. I stalked across the table so I was closer to the possessed human.

  A moment before he raised the energy, I saw him focus his attention on my vintage movie posters.

  "Oh, hell no!" I whipped the bottle out and squirted him full in the face.

  He screamed, clutching at his eyes.

  "Price," the demon hissed. "You will help us."

  "You come in here and destroy my shop, attack my staff, and expect me to help you? Hah!" I squirted him again, enjoying his agonized scream a little too much.

  "What the hell is that?" Billy asked, voice tight.

  "Holy water," I grumbled.

  "Wait, really?"

  "Yeah. Fucking demons. I don't help demons, you asshole. I banish them, now get the fuck out of my restaurant!"

  He picked up a chair, probably intending to toss it at me. For someone who said he wanted my help, he was really bad at acting like he actually wanted it.

  "Exorcizamus te," I started.

  He howled, dropping the chair, and doubling over in pain. "You must release us!"

  "Trying, mate. Omnis immundus..."

  The demon screamed in fury, but whatever he was now howling at me was in a language I didn't speak. It grated on my ears and I shouted the exorcism rite over the top of his cries of rage.

  This one wasn't nearly as easy to release as the one at the stripper bar had been. He was clearly trying to get a message to me, but I wasn't having any of it. No one got to destroy my pizza shop and get my help. Also, I was pissed and horny, and I really wanted to kick the shit out of something.

  In the end, the demon really had no chance. I was so fired up about everything, it simply didn't have the power to resist as I shouted out the last of the exorcism.

  The human collapsed to the ground and I winced as his head smacked the bare floor. That wasn't going to feel good when he woke up. Of course, he probably wouldn't notice over the rest of his aches and pains.

  "Go back to hell and fucking stay there!" I shouted as the demon was sucked back into the abyss.

  Sucking in breath, chest heaving, I glared at the unconscious human, daring the demon to try and come back.

  Nothing.

  Exhaustion washed over me, but I was angry enough that I pushed the weariness away.

  "Um, Chris?"

  I jumped. I'd forgotten about Billy and the others for a moment.

  "Yeah, Billy?" I asked trying for innocent nonchalance as I hopped off the table.

  "What the hell just happened?"

  "You know, just dealing with unruly customers." I shrugged.

  He gaped at me.

  I ran my hand through my hair. "Yeah, so, uh, let's just not talk about that ever again, huh?"

  "Did you just exorcise a demon?" Mandy rushed over.

  Sabian and Rebecca came out of the kitchen, surveying the mess. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the incubus.

  "No, that's ridiculous," I protested weakly.

  "You saved us from the skinwalker," Rebecca whispered.

  I gave in. There was no covering this up from the staff. "Demon, mate. Not a real skinwalker. Not sure I have the chops to take on one of those."

  She simply stared back at me.

  "Yeah. Okay, so, um, we're closed for the rest of the day," I raised my voice so everyone who wasn't right here could hear me.

  "If you want to leave, you can. There's a big bonus in it for anyone who sticks around and cleans this place up. Also, you'll get your normal wages, so, uh, yeah, thanks and all." I clenched my jaw. "If you could keep quiet on all this, that'd be great."

  The door chimed before any of them could answer. Deputy McClellan and another cop came in.

  "This is becoming a habit," she declared.

  "Hey, if I gotta do your job for you..." I grinned to take any sting out of the words. There was no way they could handle the demons normally.

  She smiled back. "We appreciate it. What's the story with this one?"

  "Uh, came looking for..." I glanced around at my staff before sighing. "Came looking for me. Wanted help with something. Unfortunately, demon picked a bad day to ask me a favor and, well, went about getting my attention the wrong way."

  She raised her eyebrows as her gaze swept the disaster that was the restaurant. "If you figure out what it wanted, please let me know."

  "Will do."

  They took the guy into custody and left me with my bewildered staff.

  "Yeah, like I said. Let's just not talk about that. And, uh, get this place clean. I'll make sure this doesn't happen again."

  "For real?" Stacy stared at everything before turning her attention back to me.

  "Yeah. I got a friend who's good at warding places. I'll get him to hook us up with some great demon preventatives." I grinned, trying to ease their fears.

  "You're an exorcist," Stacy stated.

  "Yeah, I guess." I cleared my throat.

  "That's so cool," she breathed.

  "Uh..." I had no reply to that. Why were they not freaking out more? Maybe they were in shock.

  Sabian came up and put his arm around me. "It is kinda cool."

  His heat lit me up and I groaned, leaning into him for a moment. Fucking incubus.

  "Yeah, so, you heard the boss. Let's get you all cleaned up, and then get this place cleaned up." Billy clapped his hands together.

  That got them moving with a chorus of agreement.

  I cocked my finger at Billy, gesturing for him to follow me back to the office.

  "That's going to take forever." I groaned as I viewed the destruction in the kitchen.

  "Yeah. We'll get it done."

  "Great, mate. So, pay everyone… twenty an hour to clean this mess up. Yourself included, on top of whatever they normally would have made. And… is five hundred enough of a bonus to keep mouths shut and keep people from quitting?"

  His eyes widened. "Yeah, that's really generous. Hell, we'd probably do it if you just threw us all one of the jean jackets." He referred to one of the merch items we sold occasionally. We had shirts and jean jackets with the pizza logo on the back.

  I raised my eyebrows. "Yeah, you all can have one of those, too. Get one for everyone, even if they weren't here."

  "So, you're really an exorcist," Billy said.

  "Yeah. I was. Had given all that up. Events are chasing me back into it, though."

  "So, demons are actually real."

  "Yeah."

  He paled a little. "That's going to take some getting used to."

  "Try not to think about it. Not something you want to get caught up in," I cautioned.

  "Right. So, what do you think that was all about?"

  Clearly not taking my advice.

  "Probably related to the events trying to drag me back into the occult. Best to leave it at that. Hate to leave you with all of this, but I need to go check some stuff out. Call me if you need anything."

  "Sure, Chris. I know you hate to clean."

  I laughed. "Yep. Also, I really do need to check into a few things. Probably urgently."

  Billy smiled and followed Sabia
n and me back out into the dining area where the team was hard at work cleaning everything up. Wide eyed stares followed me as I headed toward the exit.

  I hurried outside into the afternoon heat. My car was parked in a small degree of shade, but it was still going to be hotter than hell in there. Still, the leather jacket would protect me from burns, so I left it on despite the sweat that beaded my brow and trickled down my back.

  Sabian and I got in my car and dropped the windows while the AC cranked away. I still couldn't touch the steering wheel without it burning my hands, but I needed to get out of there. I needed to call Mal. Damn it. At least this time I had an excuse other than that I wanted to get laid. Felt a little less desperate, though the thought of running my hands over those firm muscles of his was making me pretty happy. Was it just Sabian's influence? Or was there something else there that was drawing me to the vampire?

  The trip home didn't take too long. I shed my boots at the doorway in case I had sauce on them that I didn't know about and hung my jacket on the hook.

  Sabian did the same with his shoes and followed close on my heels. I was practically vibrating, and I really needed some release. His presence behind me was like an electric charge and I wanted to throw myself against him.

  I pulled out my phone and stared at Mal's name in the contacts before taking a deep breath and hitting call.

  He answered quickly.

  "Chris, how are you?"

  Lord help me, he sounded really happy to hear from me.

  "Oh, all right, I suppose. Hey, so we had a demon show up at the pizza shop. I was wondering if you might be willing to help me with some wards later?"

  "Of course. Is everything okay?"

  "Great, and yeah, I got it taken care of." I clenched my fist. I really needed him now. I did not want to beg.

  "Was there something else?"

  Sabian grabbed the phone out of my hand. "You should come over now," he ordered before I snatched it back, glaring at him as I put the phone back to my ear.

  "Should I?" He sounded amused. "Is your incubus hungry?"

  "Maybe."

  "She's hungrier," Sabian shouted, a grin on his face.

  My cheeks heated, and I continued to glare at the demon.

  "Oh? Sabian not enough to keep up with you?" He sounded genuinely surprised.

  "Wait, what? I'm not sleeping with Sabian," I protested.

  "Why not?"

  "I didn't..." I trailed off, dumbfounded.

  "Chris, I wouldn't leave anyone alone with an incubus and expect them to keep their hands off him. How have you managed?" The amusement was back.

  "Not well. Broke the damn vibrator. It's been two days." Now I sounded desperate.

  "I imagine Sabian feels about as desperate as you do."

  Sabian hadn't complained about being hungry the last couple of days. He'd acted content with feeding off the energy I generated with my solo party times, but Mal was probably right about how Sabian felt. I glanced at the demon. He glanced away, as if not wanting me to feel bad about it. So we both needed Mal. Damn it. After the demon incident at the strip club, I hadn't taken him back, afraid to push my luck with Andi.

  "Are you not going to come over?" I about cried.

  He chuckled and I groaned, crossing my legs before collapsing onto the couch.

  "Of course, I will," he purred. "I am tied up at the shop for about another hour."

  I might have whimpered at the thought of him all tied up. Or me all tied up. Maybe Sabian should be the one tied up. I bet he liked that sort of thing.

  As if sensing where my thoughts had gone, Mal laughed. "Chris, why don't you and Sabian enjoy yourselves. I'll join you as soon as I can."

  "Are you sure?"

  "That I'll join you soon? Of course, I'm sure. I've missed you."

  "You have?" My chest clenched and I wasn't sure if the thought of Mal missing me had me in a panic or if that was the feeling of melting from affection.

  "Yes."

  "Oh, but, Sabian?"

  "Ahh, I see. Chris, I don't own you. I'm perfectly happy to share your affection with our incubus friend, if that's what you needed to hear."

  I swear Sabian just sighed in relief, but by the time I twisted around to look at him, he had a neutral expression on his face, and I couldn't tell if he had actually overheard the vampire or not.

  "So, like, you come over in an hour and we're in bed, you're not going to be mad?"

  "No. Of course not."

  "That's...unusual."

  I could almost see him shrug. "As I said, I do not own you. Also, I would certainly have to make some sort of allowance for his nature if I were going to be possessive of you. And truly we have not discussed any aspect of our relationship beyond that I hoped you would call me. Why would I expect you not to sleep with Sabian?"

  I didn't have an answer to that.

  "Perhaps you should stop torturing yourself, and when I arrive we can see how you feel. If you're up for more, I'll join you. If not, we'll discuss the new aspect of your demon problem."

  "Join us?" I squeaked and I swear my ovaries might have done a happy dance right then.

  He laughed. "Sure, why not."

  I literally couldn't speak for a moment. "Yeah, that sounds great," I gasped out. "I'll leave the door unlocked for you."

  "I'll see you soon." Mal's voice was full of promise and I sort of melted into the couch.

  "Good."

  The phone went dead, and I stared at it before glancing over at Sabian.

  "You get all that?"

  He winked.

  I was not used to being such a slave to my hormones, and I knew Sabian's presence had something to do with it, but damn it, I was getting myself a demon and a vampire today.

  Before I could say anything, Sabian came over to me and picked me up off the couch. Holy crap, he was strong.

  "If you hadn't told Billy you were available by phone, I'd steal that away from you," Sabian said.

  He was such an interesting mix of serious and child-like enthusiasm. Right now, he was leaning more toward the serious side.

  I'd been considering leaving the phone in the living room, so I was grateful for the reminder. Instead, I clutched it as Sabian carried me toward my bedroom. His light amber eyes glowed faintly in the dim light.

  "Mmm, your desire is delicious," he purred, his voice full of sexy, panty melting lust.

  I groaned, squirming in his grasp.

  "We're almost there," he chided me gently.

  Once we were inside, I dropped the phone on my nightstand as soon as Sabian set me down on the bed.

  He didn't waste any time, pulling off his T-shirt. I wiped away a little drool as I took in his defined muscles. And there went his pants, and I certainly needed a change of clothing as my ovaries wept in joy.

  Sabian walked over to me and I got up on my knees on the bed, pulling my shirt off and unhooking my bra while he presented himself to me as if for inspection. Or maybe he was just reading my mind, because holy crap I wanted to suck him off badly.

  I grabbed his hips and pulled him close before running my fingers down his large cock.

  He purred as I teased him a little before taking him into my mouth. There was no way I could fit all of him, but I did my best. He tangled his fingers in my hair and I worked my mouth down his hard length, tongue flicking at the tip, tasting salt. He thrust gently as I really got to work on his magnificent dick. Sabian's reactions to my attention were perfect, amping me up even more as he rumbled in pleasure, fingers tightening in my hair, thrusting more urgently.

  "Chris," he gasped my name.

  "Mmm," I managed around his cock.

  He shuddered and stiffened, spilling into my mouth with an ecstasy filled groan. I swallowed him down. Once he stilled, I leaned back, grinning up at him. He was still hard, and I figured he probably had similar stamina to the vampire.

  Sabian's contented and lazy grin went straight to my core and I fumbled at the button on my jeans. He helped me undr
ess the rest of the way, but before he could dive in with his tongue, I grabbed his shoulders and pulled him to me.

  "Just fuck me. We can get to the rest later."

  Sabian grinned. "Anything you want, Chris."

  He obliged, pressing into me.

  It occurred to me that we hadn't discussed condoms or anything, but at this point I didn't care, and I guessed I was probably safe. The implant would save me from accidental pregnancies if that was even possible.

  "Same as Mal," Sabian whispered, having read my surface thoughts as he did sometimes. "No diseases, and breeding takes special circumstances."

  "Oh, good." Well, that was handy.

  I tilted my hips and wrapped my legs around him while he slowly entered me, stretching, filling, making me see stars and I hadn't even gotten off yet.

  Sabian got in as deeply as he could and pulled back out. I was nearly crying at the slow pace he set, but when I tugged on his hips, he refused to speed up, a mischievous grin on his face. He tortured me for a few more slow thrusts before picking up speed. I cried out as my entire body trembled with the need for release. Pressure built in my core and I clawed at Sabian's back, gasping out his name. He rumbled in pleasure.

  When he finally took me over the edge, my life flashed before my eyes as I crashed into a powerful orgasm.

  Sabian rode me through it, enhancing the pleasure as he came right after I did, dragging me into another orgasm. I suspected demonic powers because it was just as strong as the first one. That took my breath away, and when I finally caught it again, Sabian held me tightly against his chest, both of us laying on our sides, much as Mal had. I tangled my fingers in Sabian's short brown hair and kissed him.

  Speaking of, the vampire leaned in the doorway, arms crossed, lust filling his liquid brown eyes as he stared at us.

  He'd said it was okay with him, but I still felt uncomfortable, like I'd done something I shouldn't have.

  Well, I mean, there was a pretty strong school of thought that you shouldn't have sex with demons, but I felt I got a pass. It was a priest that had left him with me, after all.

  Malak sauntered forward, a hand straying to the button on his shirt. He tilted his head slightly, questioningly. I nodded and his lips curled into a smile. I wasn't even sure I saw him get undressed, because the next thing I knew, he was pushing me back into Sabian's broad chest, lips pressed to mine. I opened for him and he took my breath away with his kiss.