“Like we’re missing something?”
“Yeah. Or maybe not really missing it, just not understanding. When I said something to Pru about the hellfire backfiring, she claimed it was because she had agrimony in her pockets. Agrimony will deflect a minor hex or spell, but there’s no way in hell it deflected a stream of hellfire at point blank range.”
“Are you saying it was Pru herself who actually turned the hellfire?”
“I don’t know. It could have been some outside force, I guess.”
“Like a guardian angel, maybe?” Wolf asked.
“If she had a guardian angel, she sure wouldn’t need us.”
“True.”
“Hey, guys!” Pru’s voice called from upstairs. “You might want to come take a look at this.”
Pru and Rena were huddled over the computer monitor when McCoy and Wolf entered Pru’s bedroom. It was McCoy’s first time in the room, and he was struck by how normal it looked. He didn’t know what he had been expecting—posters of monsters and ghosts covering the walls, perhaps? But it probably looked just like every other teenage girl’s room.
“We’ve found something on Asmo—the demon,” Rena said excitedly.
“Yeah,” Pru added. “Have either of you ever heard of something called the Book of Tobit?”
“It’s a religious text, I think,” McCoy said. “Part of a Roman Catholic Church canon. I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never studied it in detail.”
“Well, thanks to the Internet, I can give you the Cliffs Notes version,” Pru said. “Asmodeous is a major player in the story. See, he was in love with this woman—Sarah—and every time she got married, Asmodeous would kill her husband before…the honeymoon. Like seven different husbands. So anyway, this guy Tobias fell in love with her and decided to marry her, but he knows about Asmodeous, right? So an angel, Raphael, tells Tobias how to banish Asmodeous.”
“So we need an angel to tell us how to banish the demon?” Wolf asked.
“No, silly. It tells right there in the story. Raphael had Tobias burn a fish’s liver and heart. The smoke drove Asmodeous away, and he never returned.”
“Interesting,” McCoy said. “So, you’re telling us that all we need is a fish, and we’re golden?”
“That’s what it says here,” Pru replied. “If it worked for that ancient guy, it should work for us.”
“So, who wants to go fishing?” Wolf asked.
“Hold it,” McCoy said. “It can’t be that simple. Pru, does it say where the fish came from?”
“Ummm…hold on. Here it is. Tobias caught it in the Tigris.”
“Does it say what kind of fish?”
“No,” Pru said. “Only that it was a large fish. Tobias and Raphael ate it, but Raphael told Tobias to save the gall bladder, heart, and liver.”
“Okay,” McCoy said. “Odds are, we need to catch a large fish from the Tigris, eat it, and then burn its liver and heart for this to work. I just can’t see filleting a smallmouth bass and having this work. It’s never that easy.”
“Who’s to say?” Pru countered. “Maybe the type of fish doesn’t matter at all. It’s worth a shot, don’t you think?”
“It might be worth a shot if we weren’t dealing with such a dangerous entity,” McCoy said. “If we try this and it doesn’t work, someone is liable to get killed.”
“What are our other options?” Wolf asked. “Asmodeous will know where we are, and it’ll be here soon.”
McCoy thought about it. “Any banishing ceremony powerful enough to bind an archdaemon is going to require plenty of specific items. Maybe a few we could find in town. The rest…”
“That means we have three choices,” Wolf said. “Number one, we stay inside the house until Asmodeous gets tired and gives up. Number two, we send someone out to get what we need, or have it delivered. That could take weeks. Or number three, we get a fish. Seems like we ought to at least give it a try.”
McCoy shrugged. “All right, then. Pru, call your mother and tell her we’ve decided on fish for dinner.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“But Mom,” Pru said into the phone. “It has to be a whole fish. With the guts and everything, yeah.” She listened and rolled her eyes. “Okay, Mom. Great. Love you, too.”
“What’s the verdict?” Wolf asked as Pru hung up the phone.
“We’re having fried chicken. She says the stores here in town don’t sell whole fish, only fillets. And she’s not driving fifty miles to find fresh fish.”
“Wonderful,” McCoy said. “I guess we’ll move on to Plan B.”
“Do we have a Plan B?” Wolf asked.
“Not yet. Wait a minute. Pru, are there any pet stores in town?”
Pru snapped her fingers. “The hardware store sells goldfish and minnows.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Wolf said. “You expect us to dissect Mr. Bubbles the goldfish and extract the heart and liver? We’d need a microscope.”
“You got a better idea?” McCoy asked.
“Actually, I might. Pru, surely you and Rena know some local boys who fish.”
“A lot of guys around here fish,” Pru said.
“Okay, so give them a call. Use your feminine wiles. Surely you can talk one of them into catching some fish for you.”
Pru looked doubtful. “What are we supposed to say? The first one that brings me a fish can be my boyfriend?”
“If that’s what it takes,” Wolf said. “You can always break up with them tomorrow.”
“Wolf, that’s cruel.”
“Would you rather fight the demon again?”
“I’ll do it,” Rena piped up. “I’ll bet I can have a fish here before dinner.”
“That’s the spirit,” Wolf said. “All we need is one good-sized fish.”
Rena picked up the phone and began dialing. Wolf turned to see McCoy giving him a shameful look.
“What?” Wolf asked. “It’s not like I’m asking her to do anything immoral.”
“I know,” McCoy said. “I’m just kind of embarrassed I didn’t think of it first.”
***
True to her word, Rena soon had several young gentlemen, all vying for her affection, promising to bring a fish within the hour. Pru continued to treat the whole affair as a joke, and one in poor taste, at that. But McCoy and Wolf could tell that she was actually jealous of Rena’s ability to pull it off.
“You know,” Wolf said as he followed her into the kitchen. “We all have our talents. Rena may be good at making boys fawn over her, but your own talents are quite unique.”
“Yeah. She’ll be going to the senior prom with the captain of the football team, and I’ll be in the corner talking to ghosts. It’ll be a hoot.”
Wolf shook his head. “There’s someone out there for everyone. Quantity doesn’t matter. It’s the quality that counts.”
“Says the hero who looks like a tall, young John Stamos,” Pru said sarcastically. “I bet you’ve never been turned down for a date in your life.”
“Actually, I have,” Wolf said, pulling out a chair and slipping into it. “Remember Carrie, the girlfriend I lost? She turned me down twice before finally agreeing to go out with me.”
“Then you must have been a real douche bag when you were younger.”
Wolf laughed. “I don’t know. Maybe I was. I guess I was a bit cocky back then. But you know what? When she said yes that third time, it was the greatest feeling ever. It meant more to me than any other acceptance I’d ever had.”
“Because you had to work for it?”
“No. Because she was the only one that I ever really wanted to say yes.”
Pru was silent. She walked to the refrigerator, opened it, and got a can of soda. She offered one to Wolf, who shook his head.
“She was someone you really cared about,” Pru said at last.
“Yes. I was going to ask her to marry me. I was saving up for a ring.”
“I lost my Dad a few years ago,” Pru said. “The one thing I
remember people telling me at the time was that it would get easier. Well, it hasn’t for me, anyway.” She took a drink of soda. “Does it ever get easier, Wolf?”
Wolf thought before he answered. “No. I don’t think it does. You know what helps me, though? I try to live my life in a way that Carrie would approve of. Every day, I try to do something that would make her proud of me. As long as I do that, she’s still in my life. She isn’t completely gone.”
“That makes sense,” Pru said. She gave Wolf a mischievous grin. “So, she would approve of you getting a girl to play a bunch of boys, just so we can get a fish?”
Wolf smiled. “Hey, I never said she’d approve of everything. Plus, I have my bad boy image to uphold.”
“What are you two in here conspiring about?” McCoy asked as he entered the kitchen.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Pru teased, obviously in better spirits. McCoy raised his eyebrows at Wolf, who merely winked in return.
“I’ve been thinking,” McCoy said. “I think we’re going to need a diversion.”
“What for?” Pru asked.
“Well, sooner or later some pimple-faced kid is going to show up with a fish. If the demon is watching the house—and I assume it is—what’s to keep it from swooping down and grabbing both the kid and the fish? Demons aren’t stupid, and Asmodeous might know what we’re up to.”
“I hadn’t thought about that,” Wolf said, obviously unsettled. “I don’t want to put innocent people in danger.”
“Here’s what I’m thinking,” McCoy said. “When we know someone is on the way, I’ll go into the back yard and set up a circle of protection, like I’m going to attempt another summoning. It should draw Asmodeous’ attention away from the front of the house.”
“Not a bad plan,” Wolf said. “But I see one small problem. If the demon does take notice of you, how will you get out of the circle and back inside?”
“More than likely, I won’t” McCoy admitted. “But I’ll be safe inside the circle. It will be up to you guys to perform the ceremony with the fish.”
Wolf shook his head. “You’re better at that mojo stuff. I’ll go out and make the circle. I’ve done it before.”
“I have more experience at it,” McCoy countered.
“I can handle it. I did four years in the United States Army. I think I can handle a simple protection circle. Besides, I wouldn’t know a fish heart from a fish liver.”
McCoy sighed. “Okay. But remember, you’ll probably be out of action until the spell is complete. You leave the circle, that thing is going to try to tear you to pieces.”
“I realize that. I’ll be fine.”
“Oh my God!”
They all turned as Rena came rushing into the room, visibly excited.
“Nat Hamilton has a fish already! He’s on his way over.”
McCoy turned to Wolf. “Well, that was fast. I guess you’re up, big guy. I have some spray paint in my knapsack.”
“I’m down to one blessed dagger,” Wolf said, raising his shirt.
“Stay in the circle and you won’t need it. I’ll give you some powdered lavender, too. You’ll need to be quick about drawing the circle, and make damn sure it’s solid.”
“I got it. It’s not my first rodeo.”
“I’m just trying to make sure it’s not your last,” McCoy said. “I’ll cover you with my pistol until you finish the circle.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Wolf said. He stood and looked at the others. “Let’s do this.”
McCoy nodded and went to get his knapsack.
***
Wolf opened the back door and crept quickly to the center of the yard. Uncapping the can of spray paint, he began to make a large circle in the grass.
From Pru’s bedroom window, McCoy looked down upon the back yard, 9mm in hand. If the demon was watching, it was choosing not to show itself. That was good for Wolf, but McCoy would have preferred knowing the demon’s exact whereabouts.
Wolf finished the circle and walked its circumference, inspecting the paint to make sure there were no breaks. Satisfied with his work, he stood in the circle and surveyed the yard. Nothing moved.
If the demon was as smart as McCoy seemed to think, it might see through their ruse. Wolf supposed it was possible that the demon had returned to the trestle to lick its wounds, but he highly doubted it. His gut told him that it was close by, watching.
Wolf knew that he needed to get Asmodeous involved before the kid with the fish showed up. He waited a few more minutes, and when the fiend failed to appear, he decided to turn it up a notch.
“Asmodeous! I know you’re here. Afraid of a little chat?”
“What the hell’s he doing?” McCoy muttered. He leaned out of the window. “Psssstt!! Knock it off. You don’t want to antagonize it.”
“Yeah,” Wolf continued, ignoring McCoy. “I can’t say that I blame you. That face-plant you took after I doused you with holy water was pretty brutal. Funny, but brutal.”
“You liked that, did you?”
Wolf turned to see Asmodeous approaching from the rear of the yard. It had once again taken the form of the old man.
“Pretty much,” Wolf admitted. “One of the best laughs I’ve had in weeks.”
“Do you know what would be even more amusing?” the demon asked.
“What’s that?”
“Watching you choke on your own blood after I rip your throat out.”
“Aw. Now you’re just being mean. And here I was thinking we could make up and play nice.”
The demon stopped at the edge of the circle and regarded it. “Make a break in this circle, and we’ll play, all right. I promise you that.”
“I don’t think I’m ready to be so intimate,” Wolf said. “Let’s get to know each other first.”
“But I know enough about you already. And, speaking of intimate, here’s one for you.” The demon’s form began to shimmer, and then the old man was gone. In his place stood a young woman in her early twenties. She had long, brown hair and was wearing a denim jacket and jeans.
“You wanted to be intimate with me, remember?” the demon purred. “But we never got the chance, did we? I died in the hospital, my heart and lung turned to jelly from that bullet in the back. You died, too. I thought we would be together forever, but you left me. Why did you leave me, Anthony?”
“Oh, shit,” McCoy said from his perch in the window.
“Nice try, peckerhead,” Wolf said. “But Carrie never called me Anthony. Only Wolf.”
In an instant, the girl was gone, replaced again by the old man. He shrugged.
“Can’t blame a guy for trying. Why don’t you just give me the girl? She’s nothing to you.”
“You know better than that. I’m sworn to protect her.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know. At all costs, right? You protectors are so righteous. I’d have better luck with a handler. How about it, McCoy?”
“How about you kiss my ass,” McCoy replied from the window.
“How about I take his head,” the demon pointed at Wolf, “and shove it so far up your ass that he’ll be able to see your tonsils from the back side?”
“Now you’re just being silly. I had my tonsils taken out when I was twelve.”
“Give me the little bitch!” Asmodeous roared. Its form changed from the old man to the wolf/dog hybrid. “Give her to me, or I’ll kill you all!”
“Hmmm. You’re scaring me pretty bad,” McCoy said. “Hold on a minute. I’ll talk it over with Pru. Just hang tight and get to know Wolf better.” He disappeared from the window.
The demon turned and glared at Wolf, who smiled sweetly from within the protection of the circle.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“A catfish,” McCoy groaned as he saw what Pru was holding. “Do you have any idea how bony those things are?”
“Beggars can’t be choosers,” Pru replied. “Besides, they’re really good if you cook them right.”
“Can you find the heart and
liver?” Rena asked. “Because this had better work. I have to go to the movies with Nat this weekend.”
“I’m a fish cleaner from way back,” McCoy assured her. “Stand back and watch the magic. We need to hurry. I don’t want to leave Wolf out there alone.”
“This is as close as I could come to a filleting knife,” Pru said, handing McCoy a long, slim blade.
“It’ll do,” McCoy said. “Do you have any charcoal lying around?”
“There’s a bag in the back room. I’ll go get it.”
McCoy went to work on the fish, being careful to keep the organs intact as he extracted them. After he had what he needed, he sliced several nice fillets, cleaned them, and threw them in a skillet. Since consuming the fish could be part of the ritual, he wasn’t taking any chances.
“I don’t have time to season them,” he said as Pru returned with the charcoal. “They’ll be edible, but watch the bones. Don’t want either of you choking to death.”
“What about the charcoal?” Pru asked.
“I’m going to use it to burn the heart and liver. Find me a metal pan that your mom won’t kill us if we ruin.”
Pru rummaged through the cabinets and produced a shallow metal pan. McCoy placed several charcoal briquettes in the pan and set it aside. He then took a piece of chalk and drew a circle of protection on the floor.
“I want you two to stay inside the circle at all times,” he told the girls. “If things go bad, it won’t be able to get to you in there.” He checked the frying fillets. “After we eat these, I’m going to light the charcoal and let the demon in.”
“But you won’t be in the circle,” Pru protested. “You won’t be protected.”
“I’ll be fine. It will be concentrating on you. Now, here.” He hurriedly slid the fillets onto a plate.
“Eat up.”
***
“I can’t imagine what’s keeping them,” Wolf said politely. “I apologize for the rudeness.”
“Do you think me a fool?” the demon growled. “I’m sure McCoy thinks he has something up his sleeve. But no matter. He hasn’t the skill to defeat me.”
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