The Price of Exorcism

by Dakota Brown

  If Ezra ever wanted to put some effort into actually winning over Mal, I'd suggest that as a strategy.

  What the hell was I getting into?

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  I went to bed with just the fluffy hellhound for company. Mal was buried in one of his occult books but exhaustion tugged at my eyelids. Trouble was, once I got into bed, I couldn't sleep. Mal had promised to join me before long and my thoughts drifted to Aaron. I'd offered to share a bed with him more than once, but he seemed oddly reluctant. I was pretty sure it wasn't me for once. It was something I'd have to explore later at this point. Hopefully, there was a later.

  I wasn't sure how long I lay there before my door opened. Mal could move silently when he wanted to, and I didn't hear anything but a whisper of clothing hitting the floor before he crawled into bed with me.

  "Still awake?"

  "No, I'm completely asleep right now," I grumbled.

  He pulled me against his chest, and I snuggled against him. "Find anything?"

  "Not enough to make it worth leaving you alone tonight," he replied. "Take some holy water with you, if you can swing it, and that ceremonial knife I made for you. That and your innate abilities are your best protections. We'll just have to trust that Ezra has your best interests in mind, because I don't know what else to do except go along and I don't think that will work."

  "I don't wish I could take you, because I don't want you to have to go to hell, but… I wish I could take you."

  Mal chuckled. "I understand."

  That did remind me of something, though. "Hey, any chance you'd be willing to be a point of contact for the shop? I haven't been out of touch since I took over the place from my parents."

  "Of course."

  "Great. Quote night is coming up. You'll have to brush up on your eighties pop culture."

  "I spent most of the eighties trying to avoid the eighties," Mal admitted after a moment of silence.

  "Then what are you doing with me?"

  He chuckled. "You were barely even born in the eighties."

  "Shh, don't tell anyone. That's a secret. Besides, I may as well have totally been an eighties child. It's my favorite decade."

  "I can tell," Mal said dryly.

  "You can't disappoint the team for quote night. It's important," I insisted, a little ridiculously.

  The vampire sighed. "I will do my best."

  I really hadn't completely dealt with the fact that I'd basically died a few weeks ago and avoided whatever afterlife awaited me. Probably hell if I was being honest. There was no way I would be considered good enough or pure enough for heaven. And now I was actually going to semi-voluntarily walk into hell? I was definitely losing my mind.

  Mal tightened his arms around me, somehow knowing just what I needed.

  He kissed the side of my head, almost nuzzling me.

  "You want me to hold you, or…" he trailed off suggestively.

  "Mmm, maybe just hold me right now. We'll see about the rest."

  The vampire chuckled. "Now I know you're nervous about tomorrow."

  "Ah, yeah. The weird tug Ezra has on me is distracting, too. Not sure I want to be dwelling on him when I should be lost in you."

  Mal kissed me instead of answering.

  I sighed. "I know Aaron is fine with whatever, but you're clearly not. What can I do to fix this?"

  Mal shifted until he had me trapped between him and the bed. I let him control me. I'd have let him do anything at that point. I just wanted everything to be okay between us before I left.

  I let myself sink into his liquid brown gaze.

  "Just come back to me, Chris. Everything else we can work through and I promise I'm not going to let Ezra get between us. He's necessary." Mal smiled. "If he gets over wanting to keep you all to himself, I think I might even be able to like him, and I am grateful he went out of his way to keep you alive. I know it was at Sabian's insistence, but he didn't have to agree."

  "He's not used to sharing," I replied.

  Mal kissed me gently. "He'll have to learn."

  "You're sure?"

  He kissed me again and I opened for him, managing to lose myself in his embrace, the dance of our tongues as we kissed, and the feel of being possessed by this vampire.

  "I'm sure," he answered me.

  "I feel like I'm working toward securing an alliance, mate," I admitted, laughing.

  "Basically," he agreed. "So, as long as you come back to me, everything else is okay. Now, do you want to keep talking about Ezra?" He shifted his weight as if to move off me.

  I grabbed his shoulders, digging my fingers into his bare skin.

  "No. I'm pretty sure you're up to the task of distracting me."

  "Only pretty sure?" Mal grumbled playfully. "I'll have to try harder."

  Before I could reply, he captured my lips again, devouring me, claiming me. He slid his hand up under my sleeping shirt and kneaded my breast, rolling my nipple between his thumb and finger until it was a hard point.

  I moaned as we kissed, pressing against him and wishing there was less clothing between us. He hadn't gotten dressed in sleeping clothing, but I was wearing a shirt and underwear. I took advantage of his state of undress and slid my hand down his side, dragging my nails over his skin before sliding my hand between us and stroking his hard velvety length.

  He rumbled appreciatively, moving from my lips to kiss gently along my jawline, before nibbling at my neck.

  I tilted my chin, giving him full access and he took advantage, gently sucking on my skin at the base of my neck before biting me, hard enough to bruise but not enough to break skin. Someone was marking his territory. I could hide the bruise with a T-shirt, but it would be there for a few days. I didn't mind one bit.

  I'd gotten distracted from what I was doing with my hand, though I still had my fingers wrapped around Mal's wonderful cock. I gave him a few more strokes before he had me distracted again. This time, he peeled my shirt off over my head, making me give up my grip.

  He worked his mouth lower, focusing on my breasts, worshiping each one of them in turn while I writhed in pleasure, my fingers buried in his shoulder length hair.

  Mal was so good at making you feel like you were the center of the world, and he was making me melt. I really could not picture my life without him in it, even after the short time we'd known each other.

  Fuck, was this what falling in love was like? If so, I guess I was well and truly fallen. I was too afraid to say anything, though, so I just lost myself in the sensations of Mal's expert love making.

  He truly enjoyed making my body sing, especially as he could feel my reactions to a degree a human wouldn't have managed.

  My stomach tightened as he kissed his way down toward my clit, each press of his lips sending jolts of pleasure rocketing through me. I arched my back, groaning as Mal licked along my folds, tasting me.

  "You're so wet," he murmured, pleased. It almost sounded like he was talking to himself.

  I didn't reply, just riding the pleasure as I built up toward my release. He teased my clit, sliding a finger into me and fucking me with his mouth and his hand until I was just on the edge, then he eased off.

  Whimpering, I tightened my grip in his hair. He laughed and climbed up me until his thick length was against my opening.

  I tilted my hips and pressed into him.

  Knowing it would drive me crazy, he pushed into me slowly and I was panting with need by the time he had buried himself.

  Reduced to soundless gasps of pleasure, I trembled as he pulled back out. Fortunately, he took pity on me relatively quickly and increased his speed. I enjoyed the pleasurable torture, but I was so close to spilling over the edge.

  He thrust into me a few times, bringing me again to that brink of sweet release, before backing off.

  "Mal," I groaned. "You're killing me."

  "Quite the opposite." He nibbled on my throat and I squirmed. "So impatient," he chastised.

  "It's a weakness..." I managed to get o
ut before he thrust into me hard, and I cried out in surprise.

  I trembled as he pounded into me and I came so quickly it startled me as I shattered around Mal.

  He followed a moment later, groaning as he thrust a few more times before he went rigid with his own release.

  "Oh, Chris," he murmured. I thought he wanted to say something else, but I had no idea what and he didn't continue, just held me tightly as we both swam through our releases.

  "Make sure you come back to me," he whispered after he had held me for a few minutes.

  "I will, Mal. Promise."

  He kissed me and then took a deep breath. "Perhaps we should shower and let you get some sleep."

  I nodded, the air conditioning kicking on and cooling my heated, sweat drenched skin. Mal helped me out of bed, as I was still a little wobbly, and he tenderly washed me in the shower, even doing my hair. Then we fell into bed, and Mal ran gentle fingers over my back while holding me tightly against him. Satiated, and feeling safe, I drifted off to a deep sleep.

  Chapter 5

  Price

  "We should swing by the pizza parlor," I decided after eating one last delicious meal courtesy of my vampire. "Let Billy know you're in charge in case he needs help with something. I would imagine the most you'll have to do is hang out on quote night, but it never hurts to have someone to hand really unruly customers off to. Just in case. Or, you know, if something makes it past the wards."

  "Yes, we should make sure he has my number. Do you have a way to contact Ezra and let him know to meet us there?"

  "Uh, no." I frowned, then shrugged. A deep seated and slightly disturbing feeling letting me know Ezra could probably find me wherever I was. "I think he'll know. Somehow."

  Mal tightened his jaw before nodding. "Likely."

  Aaron came into the kitchen and gave me a lingering hug. I leaned into his warm embrace before tilting my head back for a kiss.

  "I wanted to see you off," Aaron said. "I told everyone I'd be a little late today."

  "Thanks. We're heading over to the restaurant. Want to come?"

  "This early? I didn't even think it was open yet."

  "Ahh, no. Billy should be there today, though. Our supplies come in and he'll be dealing with all of that."

  "Then count me in."

  Aaron and Mal traded some sort of meaningful look that I couldn't interpret. Probably some sort of possessive guy thing. Aaron grabbed a protein shake from the fridge and gestured that he was ready.

  Mayhem trailed along behind me, and I wondered if his powers were good enough to get through airport security. Come to think of it, I needed to make sure my jacket didn't have anything suspicious in it. I'd do that at the shop. The holy water and my ritual knife that I hoped to smuggle into hell with me were stashed in my bag already. I was going to have to check it. It had been so long since I'd been on an airplane.

  Mal touched the small of my back and I took a breath, calming myself.

  Aaron got the door for me and grabbed my bag. "I'll follow you two," he said. "Then I can head to work and Mal can drive your car."

  "Sounds good." I tossed the keys to the vampire who caught them and gave my beast of a car a dubious look. He drove a hybrid. I drove an old ass tank with a massive air conditioner.

  "You can handle a larger vehicle, mate?" I nudged Mal in the ribs with my elbow.

  "Yes." He shook his head. "If I must. Parking that downtown will be interesting."

  "You can always park it at your house and walk."

  "I may have to."

  "Oh, it's not that bad." I got into the passenger seat and Mayhem hopped onto my lap.

  Aaron threw my bag into the back seat and leaned over, giving me another, more involved kiss.

  "I'll miss you, Chris. Please be careful."

  "It's just a car ride in separate vehicles. I'm sure Mal will get me to the shop safely."

  Aaron narrowed his eyes in mock annoyance.

  "I mean, you're going to see me again in a few minutes."

  "I'm just worried, Chris."

  "I'll be far more careful than I usually am, how about that?"

  Aaron relented with a chuckle, his deep voice making me sigh with enjoyment.

  Mal got in and moved the seat back. He wasn't tall by today's standards, but he was taller than I was. Once he had the mirrors adjusted, he backed us out of the drive. Aaron followed.

  I put my hand on his leg, just to touch him and we drove to the shop in relative silence, the drone of the air conditioner lulling me into a semblance of calmness. It felt strange to be in the passenger seat of my own car, but I trusted Mal.

  He put his hand on top of mine and squeezed gently, driving one handed.

  I did see Billy's car in the parking lot, along with two others that I thought belonged to Rebecca and Mandy. They'd be helping with the incoming order which should be here pretty soon. I used to come down for this, but I'd handed more and more of the daily tasks off to Billy. He seemed to like it, and it freed me up to deal with this demon stuff. Not that I'd ever really anticipated getting back into it, but here I was, neck deep and soon to be submersed.

  Mal parked and we got out. Aaron pulled in right after us. I left my bag in the car and Mayhem trotted on my heels as we all headed inside.

  Billy looked up from the table he was sitting at, going over the order invoice with the delivery guy. He raised his eyebrows in surprise and held up a finger. I nodded and sat down at another table with Aaron and Mal while Billy finished his task.

  After a moment he accepted the documents and the delivery guy headed back to the kitchen where I suspected Mandy and Rebecca were already working on getting stuff into the freezer.

  "What's up, boss," Billy asked, sitting in the chair I kicked out for him.

  "I unexpectedly have to go out of town for a bit. I will be out of touch completely at times. Didn't want to leave you without backup, so if you need help with anything, call Mal."

  Billy looked even more surprised. "Out of town?"

  "Yeah, Sabian needed some assistance with something. Gonna go help him out."

  "Oh. Demons?" Billy straightened, before his gaze flicked from Mal to Aaron then back to me. He knew Mal was involved in the occult, but he didn't know much about Aaron.

  I cleared my throat. "Yeah. We're forgetting about demons, right?"

  Billy chuckled. "Sure, right, boss." He gestured at the shop logo, recently redesigned into a pizza with an upside-down pentagram on it.

  I shook my head. "Anyway, Mal's going to help out. He'll give you his number in case you have a customer you need help with."

  "Is he coming over for quote night? You're always here to judge that."

  Just then the 80's pop we all loved blared to life. Louder without the extra background noise.

  Mal winced. "Death by stereo," he muttered.

  Billy and I both gaped at Mal for a moment before bursting out laughing, though probably for slightly different reasons since Billy had no idea Mal was a vampire. Mal looked a little embarrassed, but he smiled.

  "Quoting that movie is nearly cheating," Billy declared after a moment, gesturing at the vintage eighties movie posters, several of which featured that particular gem.

  Mal grinned and Aaron just looked a little confused.

  "You're going to have to bring Aaron for quote night, Mal," I suggested. "He needs a bit more indoctrination if he doesn't know what movie that is from."

  Mal sighed. "I'll inflict it on him while you're gone."

  "Hey!" I punched him lightly on the arm. "It's one of my favorites."

  "I know." He shook his head, amusement glinting in his eyes.

  "Mandy really wants to know if vampires are real, by the way. She keeps bugging me to ask you," Billy added.

  I groaned. "I'm not answering that."

  Billy laughed. "I keep telling her she doesn't actually want to meet one if they are."

  "Truth, mate." I doubted most of them were as good natured as Mal was. I really did need to q
uiz him some more about vampires in general, but it hadn't come up with everything else going on.

  "Okay, next question. Are you going to be back in time for the party?"

  "Aww, fuck," I muttered. "That's next week, isn't it?"

  "Yeah, boss."

  We had a party for the staff every few months. I'd cook all the pizza and they showed up and ate it. We would clear a space on the floor and we'd all rock out to the music and generally have a good time.

  "I don't know. Mal is a hell of a cook, though. I bet he could handle a pizza oven."

  I glanced at the vampire. He looked dubious.

  "Have you ever even tasted a pizza?" Billy asked Mal.

  Mal's eyebrows rose. "Uh."

  Shit. That question caught us all off guard. I'd really hoped they hadn't paid enough attention to notice that Mal never ate any of the pizza whenever we were here.

  "I'm pretty sure I can take a few lessons from the staff if it looks like Chris won't be back in time. I'll manage. Aaron can help."

  "Hell, yeah," Aaron agreed.

  "It won't be the same without you, Chris," Billy lamented. "I'll just tell everyone you're off fighting demons though and they'll be cool with it."

  I sputtered.

  He winked at me as if he were joking, but I knew he wasn't.

  Speaking of demons, that insane tug toward Ezra flared up full force and I twitched and glanced at the door moments before the bells chimed.

  He had dressed down slightly for the first time I'd ever seen, wearing black jeans and a deep red silky looking button-down shirt I kinda wanted to run my hands over. He held sunglasses in his hands as if he'd just taken them off, and when his gaze met mine, I tried not to get lost in his eyes.

  My ovaries clenched and I had to fight to get a breath. Down girls, I thought to my traitorous parts. You've seriously got enough dick already.

  Clearly, they disagreed, and I shifted uncomfortably.

  Mal put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed gently in support. I appreciated it.