The Price of Exorcism

had much luck with anyone finding out I had weirdabilities. Usually drives people off."
"It's likely we're going to end up even deeperinvolved with the demons than we already are," I said. "It's going toget dangerous."
"It's already dangerous. Hell, you've alreadydied once." Aaron shuddered.
"Yeah, exactly. Coulda been you."
"You want me to walk away?" Aaron crossedhis arms.
"No. I really don't. I just want you to be sureyou want to stay involved."
"Then I'd rather be with you, and Mal, and Sabian,than on my own in all this and I'm sure I'm going to be involved one way oranother. How many Nephilim do you think are wandering the earth?"
"Not many," Mal interjected.
I nodded. "Okay then. Well, let's finish dinnerthen go summon an incubus."
That seemed to settle everything. I was sure it wasn'tthe last discussion any of us would have on the topic, but for now, everyoneseemed happy.
∞ ∞∞
Mal triple checked the sigils he'd traced on myconcrete floor both inside and outside the protective circle. "I think we'reready, but we should deal with this other demon first," he said.
Mayhem woofed softly from the corner of the room he'dcurled up in to watch us.
"Yeah, good idea." I glanced at Aaron.
He tilted his head, then shrugged. "If you wantme to melt the charm, I will."
"Hurts though, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, but it's really not that bad."
"I don't have the stuff for the ritual and Ezranever got a chance to teach me the easier way."
"I believe I could come up with a crystal tosacrifice," Mal offered. "I'd just have to go get it."
Aaron shook his head. "No, this is fine. It'spainful but I should get more used to doing stuff like this. You know, using mypowers and all. Even if this one is kind of passive."
"Okay. So, you should be immune to possession.Just stand in the circle and don't mar any of the sigils and stay there onceyou release the demon," I ordered him.
"Should be?" Aaron cocked an eyebrow.
"Well, according to Ezra you are. Would take onehell of a demon to possess an angel."
Apparently, Aaron trusted me, because he stepped overthe circle and, after making sure he wasn't touching any of the markings, heput his hand out to grab the charm and glanced at me.
I nodded that I was ready.
Aaron grabbed the charm and hissed as it meltedbetween his fingers. He held his hand over the table and the molten metallanded on the slate top.
The charm's destruction released the demon in aswirling vapor of visible energy. It was tinged red, and it howled in anger,swirling around the containment circle before zeroing in on Aaron.
"Just stay put," I warned, and hoped Ezrawas right.
Aaron nodded, eyes wide, breath coming fast.
As the swirl of angry demon energy zeroed in on Aaron,my half angel began to glow. Almost imperceptibly at first, but then withincreasing intensity. As the demon approached, Aaron emitted a harsh, whitelight.
Mal shielded his eyes and stepped back. I squinted andthe demon recoiled.
Aaron's glow faded enough that I could look at himagain.
"That didn't happen last time," Aaron declared.
"Yeah, maybe because the demons weren't actuallygoing to hurt you. This time, I'm sure that was the plan."
The swirl of energy stayed on the far side of thecircle and seemed to turn its attention to me. Obviously, this was a demon thatneeded a host to properly manifest. I kind of wanted to know what kind of demonit was, but I also kind of didn't.
"You ready to go home?" I asked the swirl.It was a rhetorical question. There was no way it would be sticking around.Still, it seemed polite to warn the creature first.
Whoa, Price, getting polite with the demons now?Seriously?
I sighed. It didn't act like it was objecting, so,forgoing the normal squirt of holy water, I began the exorcism. "Exorcizamuste, omnis immundus spiritus..."
The energy signature of the demon shivered as my wordscompelled it, but it didn't fight me, and as I spoke the last words of therite, the demon vanished with a small clap of displaced air.
"It's so much easier when they don't fight,"I said, not even experiencing the normal wave of tiredness I usually got afteran exorcism.
"Is it safe to come out now?" Aaron staredat his hands, which, like the rest of him, were no longer glowing.
"Yeah, you're good."
Aaron carefully stepped over the chalk drawings andbreathed a sigh of relief once he was clear.
I went over to him and wrapped him in a hug. "You'repretty amazing," I stated.
He hugged me back. "Thanks," he replied, hisdeep voice rumbling through me. "So are you."
I didn't reply, uncomfortable at the praise I didn'tfeel I had earned. I pulled Aaron back over to Mal's side and we looked at thevampire. He was the one in charge of the summoning as he'd done most of theresearch. I knew what we were up to, tonight, but he was more expert in thisarea of the occult than I was. Not that either of us had ever summoned a demon.Mal had summoned helpful spirits from time to time, so that put him far aheadof me.
My old crowd had wanted to get into demon summoning,but I'd backed out before they'd gone that far. I just hoped they'd been smartenough not to go down that path. Their intentions had been far less pure thanmine tonight.
Mal nodded that he was ready, took a lighter from myother workbench and set about lighting all the candles he had placed around theroom. Then he flipped on the lamps he had brought down and turned off theharsher overhead light.
I shivered at the, well demonic, ambiance.
Aaron blew air out between his teeth. "Well, itcertainly feels like a demon summoning," he breathed.
Mal nodded and took his place around the circle. Ifell in where he directed me, and Aaron did the same.
We were too far apart to physically join hands, but weheld them out, palms up. If we were closer to each other, we would have beentouching palm to palm.
Mal started the incantation. It was in Latin and Ifollowed along as he set the expectations of the rite with his initialstatements. I could feel the energy that responded to his commands flow