The Price of Exorcism

by Dakota Brown

  My phone going off startled me and I fumbled my movement, nearly tripping.

  "You okay, dude?" Aaron lowered the practice blade I'd given him.

  "Yes. I was not expecting anyone to call me this early. Especially with Chris out of touch." I lowered my sword and headed for the house where I'd left my phone.

  "Your hearing is amazing."

  I shrugged and he followed me inside.

  The phone had just stopped making noise when I reached it. I unlocked the screen and sighed when I saw Billy's number. It was awfully early for the pizza parlor to need me.

  Aaron glanced over my shoulder and I tilted the phone so he could see.

  "Wonder what they want?"

  "I imagine I'm about to find out," I replied and called Billy back.

  "Hey, Mal. Sorry it's so early."

  "Not a problem," I answered with my best professional shop owner voice. Not that I ever had to deal with employees. That was all Olivia. I liked Chris' people and I didn't want them to think I was annoyed. I wasn't. Not really. "I'm surprised you're awake."

  "Yeah, well, I've been up all night. Mandy went down to Albuquerque to visit her folks and didn't make it back for work last night. That's not like her, so I called her folks and they thought she'd come back here. No one can find her."

  A chill shivered its way down my spine. I did not keep tabs on Albuquerque, and it was entirely possible she'd found what she was looking for and gotten herself into a lot of trouble. There were plenty of other possibilities, too, that were just as grim.

  "Can you do anything? Like, I don't know, use magic to track her down or something?"

  "I can certainly try. Do you know where she lives?"

  "Yeah, she's got an apartment not far from the shop."

  "Text me the address and meet me there in about half an hour."

  "Uh, yeah, okay. But I don't have a key."

  "Does she have a roommate?"

  "No."

  "I don't need a key to get in but having you there would be useful in case someone sees us." I could do a lot about that, too, but since people were looking for Mandy now, I didn't want to raise any suspicions if I could avoid it.

  "Okay, I'll see you in a few. Thanks, Mal."

  "Of course, Billy." I hung up the phone and let lose a string of curses.

  "What can I do?" Aaron leaned against the door frame and studied me.

  "If I have to swing down to Albuquerque, you'll have to be Billy's contact if something happens while I'm gone. Otherwise, I think I can handle this on my own."

  "Sure. No problem."

  "Let me give you Billy's number and you can send him a text, and Aaron...be careful, please. I'm not comfortable leaving you alone with the angels after you."

  "Mandy is in more trouble than I am, at the moment. Get her safe and I'll stick to the property here or work or the pizza shop. Or my car." He listed off all the places I'd warded, except his work. I hadn't figured out how to manage that yet, but the chances of him getting accosted at a government lab were a bit lower. I hoped.

  "Okay." I shook my head and headed for Chris' room to change into street clothing. I'd swing by my place for a few of my tools that I hadn't brought over here yet, and then head over to the address Billy had sent me. And then we'd see.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  "You're sure this is her apartment?" I asked quietly as I studied the plain white door.

  Billy nodded. "We're kind of like family at Prices', if you hadn't noticed. I was over before when she had a bunch of us down for her birthday last year."

  "Okay." I glanced around and didn't see any surveillance equipment. That didn't mean it wasn't there, but from the general atmosphere, I suspected if there had been any, it would have been obvious. I also didn't sense anyone nearby. Most of the occupants were probably at work or school. I still drew on some of my vampire powers to turn any attention away from us.

  Since I wasn't interested in damaging her property, I didn't simply break the lock. I did, however, know a handy spell to unlock almost anything. Pulling a knife out of my pocket, I carved the shape of the spell in my palm, willing my body to wait before it started the healing process, or this wouldn't work. I normally healed faster than I could drag a knife through my flesh.

  "Ow, damn, dude," Billy said, watching over my shoulder.

  "Magic has a cost," I muttered as I finished the spell shape. I drew on my internal storage of power, pushed it into my hand as I quietly spoke the words to the spell, then put my hand on her doorknob. The knob absorbed the spell, and the magic absorbed my blood. I heard the tumblers click as the magic did its job.

  I turned the handle and let my hand heal.

  "That's...badass..." Billy breathed.

  "Lots of practice," I replied, flipping on the lights when Billy shut the door behind us.

  The apartment was sparsely furnished, though there were a few touches that certainly made me think of Mandy. Some whimsical pictures, some a bit more gothic. Her bookshelf had knickknacks on it, and a few paper books. I'd expected more, but she likely had an ereader.

  The couch was second hand, I suspected from its condition, but looked comfortable. Nothing was new, but everything matched in a kind of eclectic way.

  Her jean jacket from the pizza shop was slung over the back of a kitchen chair.

  I pulled my map out of my pocket and unfolded it onto the table. Billy watched as I pulled an old brass pendulum out of my pocket and held it over the map. I put my hand on her jacket, concentrated on her essence, which surrounded us since we were in her space, and asked the pendulum to tell me where she was.

  The response was immediate. She was still down in Albuquerque. I circled the location with a pencil, dropped the pendulum back in my pocket and folded the map.

  "That easy?"

  I shrugged. "It's easy now. When I first started it would have taken me an hour or more to get that clear of an answer. She isn't being shielded magically, which is a good sign, and she's still alive."

  "How long have you been practicing the occult?"

  What was with everyone wanting to know how old I was? I took a breath, not wanting to snap at the poor kid. "A long time."

  "Ah, right. Sorry," Billy replied, running a hand through his hair nervously.

  The hint of fear caught my attention, and I carefully didn't look at him until I got my reaction under control. No reason to freak him out more. It wasn't difficult to control my impulses after centuries of practice, but the predator was always lurking just below the surface.

  I grinned at him. "Relax. Your boss would kill me if something happened to you, and she's way scarier than I am."

  Billy chuckled. "Yeah, okay. Sorry. Uh, how'd you know I was nervous?"

  I debated my answer for a moment before shrugging. "I can smell it."

  He swore under his breath. "Right. Okay. No hiding anything from you, then."

  "It can be done, but it's difficult. Okay, let me text Aaron and then I'll go see if I can rescue Mandy from whatever she's gotten herself into."

  "Should we call the cops? They could be there faster."

  "If I knew she was in merely human trouble, yes, but if she did manage to tangle herself up with something supernatural, it could go poorly for the cops."

  "But you'll be okay? 'Cause Chris will kill us if anything happens to you, too."

  "Yes." I laughed. "I doubt she'd blame you for getting me into trouble. I can do that all on my own."

  "Okay."

  I sent Aaron a quick text letting him know I was heading out.

  "If anything comes up that can't wait for me to get back, call or text Aaron. He's at work, but he might be able to help out."

  "Yeah, he might be done by the time the restaurant really gets swinging. Thanks, Mal."

  "Of course."

  Billy followed me out of the apartment. We were careful to lock it behind us, and as soon as I got in my car, I headed toward the city in speeds that were certainly faster than was strictly legal. Fortuna
tely, I had a few wards on my car that would keep me from getting unfriendly attention.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  I parked my Prius several blocks away from the location the pendulum had indicated. This was certainly not the best neighborhood, and I wrapped a vampiric cloak of anonymity around myself. I didn't want to have to deal with any sort of attention while I was here. I picked up the pace, not sensing any indication that there were other supernatural beings in the area. That didn't mean they weren't here, but I was beginning to suspect this was simple human fuckery. That made it both easier, and harder to deal with.

  The house I arrived at was pretty standard for the area. A little run down, but someone had attempted to make the yard look nice. It was landscaped with native plants and the desert climate in mind. I could sense Mandy and two other humans inside. No one supernatural at all.

  I walked up to the front door and listened. It was locked, but this one I didn't care about breaking, so I gave the handle a swift jerk and listened again. No one responded. The two people I didn't know had slow heartbeats, as if they were asleep. Mandy's raced and I could smell her terror from here. Unlike before, this degree of fear didn't call to the predator I was, it simply repulsed me.

  I slipped inside after a quick scan for any energies that might indicate wards or other traps. Nothing. The house was quiet, and I ghosted through the living room, past two bedrooms with shut doors, and into an interior room with no windows.

  I ducked inside quietly. Mandy hadn't noticed me yet, and I studied her. She was huddled in a corner, one leg cuffed to a bolt in the wall. Clearly this was not the first time they'd done this to someone, and this was obviously not meant to be a fun, sexy type of restraint, either.

  "Mandy," I whispered, nostrils flaring as I smelled blood. I did not, however, smell sex. That was a good sign.

  She jerked, gasping, eyes wide. "Mal?" she whispered. "Mal, you have to leave, they're still here." Her hoarse voice tugged at me, as did her concern for my safety.

  Hurrying to her side, I knelt next to her.

  She flung herself in my arms and I held her while she sobbed.

  "I'm here to rescue you," I whispered into her ear.

  "But..."

  "Shhh. I can handle anything a pair of humans can throw at me." She already knew I wasn't human from those damn angels.

  "Save me," she gasped out.

  "I will. Mandy, what did they want with you? Did they hurt you?" I was getting her out of there one way or another, but if this was what I thought it was, a touch of patience might save more lives.

  "They didn't do anything to me yet. I don't know what they want, but they talked about buyers. Mal, I'm so scared."

  "Mandy. I'll get you out of here now, if you want, but if we can get these two guys arrested, the cops might be able to catch more bad guys."

  "Don't leave me." She clutched at my shirt.

  "I'm not leaving you."

  Something must have woken one of the guys. I tensed as I heard him moving around. The walls were thin. Maybe they'd heard us talking.

  "Do you know what happened to your phone?"

  She pointed over to the table by the door. "They were teasing me with it. Said if I could get it, I could get away."

  I glanced down at her leg. It was torn bloody. The source of the blood smell.

  "I'm going to get your phone."

  She nodded, rubbing at her tear-stained face.

  "I'll text the cops, and I'm going to stay right with you. I will not let them hurt you. If I have to, I'll kill them myself."

  She nodded.

  "But if we can wait for the cops to get here, everything will be a little easier to explain."

  "Okay. What if they see you?"

  I grinned at her. "I promise, they won't."

  She let me release her and I grabbed the phone and faded into the shadows just as one of the men slammed the door open.

  Mandy shrieked, eyes seeking mine for reassurance. I gestured for her to remain quiet, and she turned her attention back to her captors.

  It was only the strongest self-control that kept me from tearing the guys throat out as he leered at her.

  "Have a good night, sweetheart?"

  She whimpered.

  I quickly sent a text to the authorities with Mandy's phone. That they'd added in the ability to text a 911 call made this whole thing easier. I just gave the address and that she'd been kidnapped and her name and a please help. Hopefully, that got them here quickly. I'd have to do something about the two humans to make them easier to subdue. I didn't want the cops to be in any sort of extra danger.

  My plan to leave them alone until the cops came died when he started talking about what they were going to do to Mandy. One, she didn't need to deal with that, two, these fuckers really needed their asses kicked. I'd just have to do it without leaving a lot of evidence. A bit of mind control after beating the shit out of them would help.

  I lunged forward and grabbed the guy by the back of the neck.

  He shouted in anger and I kicked his knee out, before slamming him to the ground.

  His buddy came in just then, gun in hand. I snatched it out of his hand and smashed it into his face.

  Blood spurted, but it had no appeal to me. I wanted nothing to do with anything these jerks were putting into their bodies.

  He gurgled in pain and I slammed him to the ground.

  I heard sirens in the distance, thankfully. Both men groaned, not getting up any time soon, but not unconscious. Yet.

  I snagged the first one by the front of the shirt and dragged his face in front of mine. I grabbed his mind with my powers.

  "You aren't going to fight the cops."

  "No," he groaned out.

  "You were fighting with your friend."

  "Yes. He's an asshole," he slurred.

  "And you'll tell the cops everything."

  "Yes," he muttered.

  "Sleep."

  He passed out.

  I repeated the procedure with the other guy. Then I wiped my prints off the gun and dropped it next to them.

  Mandy's eyes were even wider when I returned to her side. I pulled her phone back out of my pocket and quickly put my phone number in it.

  She stared at me.

  "The cops are almost here. Take your phone. When they get here, ask if you can call someone, and call me."

  "Don't leave," she gasped.

  "I'm not leaving, but I don't want them to see me, okay? I need to search the house and make sure they don't have any recording equipment or anything."

  She nodded.

  "As soon as the cops get here, I'm going to go get my car. Call me, and I'll come and stay with you. They may need to take you to the hospital. I'll follow. I won't leave you alone until you're safe back in Santa Fe or with your parents, unless you want me to leave."

  She launched herself into my arms again. "Don't leave me," she whimpered.

  "I won't."

  "Okay."

  I managed to extract myself and did a quick, vampire speed search of the house. Fortunately, they hadn't upgraded this place to actual video stuff, and I had tucked myself back into the corner where Mandy could see me, just as the cops showed up.

  They knocked on the door.

  "Yell help or something," I encouraged and winced as she let loose with a terror filled call for help.

  That got them to bust in the door, and the rest proceeded fairly quickly. Mandy stuck to the story that the two men had gotten into a fight with each other. The cops got the paramedics called for her, and she told them she was calling a friend to come help her.

  I raced back to my car and answered my phone. I talked to Mandy as if I hadn't just been talking with her, and then to one of the cops to get some instructions, and then after a few more minutes, I was back at her side.

  She clung to my hand while the cops questioned her, and the paramedics checked her physical condition.

  It took a while, but the police were compassionate, and they released
her to the paramedics as quickly as they could. Mandy called her parents and we headed to the hospital, her in the ambulance, me following behind.

  Now I was almost wishing she'd run into a vampire instead. This would have been easier to deal with, at least on my end of things. Still, it didn't get awkward until her parents showed up and wanted to know who the hell I was. I hadn't thought of that complication.

  "Uh, Mom, Dad, this is Mal. He's a friend of my boss."

  They stared at me. Shit, now what?

  "Yeah, Chris is my girlfriend." There was absolutely nothing I could say that would not sound weird, so, sighing, I gathered their minds with my own. "I just happened to be in the area and Mandy needed a friend. Don't worry about me, I'm harmless." She'd already seen me do my mind control thing on the other two, so hopefully she wouldn't freak out.

  Her eyes were a little wide when I glanced at her and mouthed the word 'sorry,' but she grinned faintly before turning her attention back to her parents.

  I hovered in the background for hours while the nurses and doctors checked over Mandy, and the police came back and spoke with her and her parents. I thought about seeing if she wanted me to leave, but every now and again she shot me an anxious look, and I resigned myself to staying.

  Finally, she was discharged, and I followed them back out to the parking lot. Her parents were trying to talk her into going home to their place, but she just wanted to get back to her own home.

  "I'll drive her," I offered. "You can bring her car up tomorrow and spend the afternoon with her. How about that?"

  Her parents considered the idea for a minute with Mandy, who latched onto it with determination.

  Finally, they left her with me, and I walked with her out to my car.

  "Are you sure you don't want to go to your parents' house?"

  "Yeah. I just want to go home. Are you sure you don't mind? You've already done so much for me." She sounded exhausted, and I was surprised she was still awake. The doctor had given her a small prescription to help her sleep for a few days. I suspected she'd need it.

  "I don't mind. I have to head back that way, anyway."