Sacrifice (Revelations Book 1) Read online

  His playful tone died on his tongue. "Help with what?" There were only a few reasons a Striga would ask him for help. And none of them were good. His gut knotted. "What sort of trouble have you gotten into, Meri?"

  "Not me. A girl, she's possessed."

  "Then exorcise her."

  She moved closer, running her finger over the top of the dusty table. "We can't, we've tried and nothing works. She needs a holy man. She needs you."

  "I'm retired, remember."

  "Nico, please. She needs your help. We need your help."

  "Let her die or figure it out yourself. I don't get involved." He hoped his voice sounded as cold as his words.

  "Coward."

  "Yes, I'm a coward. I can't help you, I am no more a holy man than you are a saint."

  Her hand shot out but he grabbed her wrist before she could make contact. Meri ground her teeth. "Damn it, Nico. She's an innocent. Will you let her die because of your pride?"

  Yanking her towards him, he whispered, "No one is innocent. Why is she important?"

  The Striga shook her head, as if she shouldn't tell him, but she would. He could tell by the desperation in her eyes. The Striga needed him. "She came to us three weeks ago. Mother did a reading for her."

  He released her arm and blew out a heavy breath. "She came to you? Like a tourist?"

  "Yeah. Occasionally we get college kids and whatnot, kids interested in the occult. They seek us out and try to join us."

  "This girl wanted to be a witch? That hardly makes her an innocent."

  "No, she wanted a reading. She'd been blacking out, when she would wake up everything smelled like sulfur and she’d be different part of town. Things of that nature."

  He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Let me guess, she also had terrible nightmares? Visions of Satan?"

  "Don't be an ass. She was genuinely scared, and no, she's not having nightmares or visions."

  "Well, excuse me. It sounds like some B-rated movie on late night TV."

  "You're such a jerk.” Meri continued, “Anyways, we did the reading. Mother refused to even tell the girl what she'd seen. She sent her away after studying her palm for less than five seconds. Then a day ago we found her out in the desert. Full on possession. We've tried everything, I have no idea what is inside of her but whatever it is we can't pull it out. Mother, reluctantly, thinks you might be better at dealing with whatever has taken over."

  "Of course she does. Gotta send a man to do the heavy lifting, eh?"

  "Oh shut up." She gave a sigh, glancing up at him with her sultry emerald eyes, it must work on most men. Although Nico wasn't most men, he couldn't deny those eyes did work some sort of magick, even on him.

  "Fine. I'll take a look. But you and your mother owe me." He moved across the room and gathered up his tattered bible and adjusted his Roman Collar. "You've tried and failed? Does your mother have any idea of what crawled up inside this poor soul?"

  Meri was busy inspecting his hovel while he was getting ready but absently shook her head. "Possession isn't really a specialty of the Striga. So, she doesn't know what it might be. But it's determined to stay put which Mother says makes it even more dangerous."

  Nico arched a brow. "She said that?"

  "Yep." She met his gaze through her long lashes and batted them unnecessarily. "You're still going to help us, right?"

  He rolled his eyes. "Don't try to use your womanly wiles on me, Meri. Yes, I'm still going to help. I wanted to get a feel for what the old hag might think was going on."

  Meri gave him an exasperated frown. "Do you have to refer to my mother as a hag?"

  "Does your mother have to constantly try to ruin my life and make my existence here a living hell?"

  She made her way to the door and held it open for him. "I suppose I see your point there. But honestly this friction between the two of you is exhausting."

  As he passed by he ignored her comment and called over his shoulder, "Oh by the way, someone was asking about you today."

  It was enough to grab her attention. As he made his way to the car, her voice practically purred, "Really, who?"

  "A wolf in sheep's clothing," Nico quipped.

  Meri cursed under her breath and snapped back, "Should have known you would be at the bar today."

  He held the car door open for her, she slid into the driver’s seat and he made his way to the passenger side. "What can I say, I like the company."

  "Probably because Lobo is the only one who puts up with your surly attitude."

  "Well, yeah, and he's not too hard on the eyes," he paused, "But then again, you'd know all about that."

  "You're an ass, Nico. I don't know why I even consider you a friend."

  He leaned his head back, enjoying the air conditioning as she pulled out of his driveway. "Because I'm the only one around here who won't judge you for being in love with him."

  The prospect of doing an exorcism and the pain over what happened during his last attempt was working overtime on his conscious. He ran his hand over the cool leather seat to ground himself, finding focus in the details of the car. The hand stitching on the seat, the gold accents on the dashboard, the engine that purred like a cat in heat. Meredith, or more accurately, whatever man she conned into buying her a vehicle, had spared no expense. Compared to his beat-up old mattress and walking most places in shoes whose soles wore out long ago, this was the lap of luxury. The drive to the Striga house was the most comfortable ten minutes Nico had experienced in the last ten years. Even with the knot of dread forming in the pit of his stomach and his heightened anxiety, he forced himself to enjoy the ride. He had to suppress a sigh as the car glided over potholes without so much as a shudder.

  He glanced at his chauffeur and glared. "Wipe that smug grin off your face, Meri. It's a nice ride, but it's not orgasmic."

  She gripped the steering wheel tighter and turned into the driveway. "Please, you wouldn't know what orgasmic feels like anymore." As she put the car into park she turned and raised an eyebrow, "You can't even get it up these days."

  He shrugged. "What can I say, I'm celibate by choice."

  "You're celibate by intoxication." She gave him a quick glance and licked her lips, "You strayed off the celibate-by-choice path when you first arrived."

  "Still missing me, huh?" His hand hovered over the door handle. This banter was normal between them and he was more than willing to keep it up if it meant he didn't have to actually go inside the Striga House. He hated interacting with Meredith's mother. In truth, he'd say or do just about anything to avoid the older Striga.

  Meredith laughed and pushed her door open. "Not even a little bit, Father. Now, stop stalling. She's waiting for you."

  He followed after Meri and grumbled. "Which one? The girl or the old beast who threw me quite literally to the wolves?"

  She opened the front door and waved him inside. As he passed by she whispered, "Both."

  Two feet into the house and Nico could smell the sulfur, his nose wrinkled. "Good God."

  Arveda's voice sent a shiver down his spine. "I highly doubt God had anything to do with this, Father."

  "You people do know I have a name, right? Or do you enjoy pouring salt into old wounds?"

  Arveda rolled her eyes. "If it were up to me you would have died ten years ago from those old wounds. God apparently had other plans."

  "Yeah, I remember. Thanks."

  Meredith cleared her throat. "You two need to focus. The girl needs help, she's in here."

  Pointing her manicured finger towards the kitchen she led the way. Nico followed and Arveda did him a favor by giving him a wide berth. Something she never did. The elder Striga usually went out of her way to continue the fight and make him uncomfortable. She never quieted. He paused to stare at her.

  She snapped. "What?"

  "Nothing. It's ..." he paused and eyed her again. "You must be desperate to ask for my help."

  Arveda glared. She was the elder of this Striga Order, the Mother Superior to
her faithful coven, and yet she appeared to be no older than her late thirties. Looks were deceiving. Meredith had told him once her mother was more than two-thousand-years old. He never quite believed the number, assuming the Striga over-exaggerated to add to their legend, but he had no doubt Arveda was older than humanly possible. Her gaze was what gave away her unnatural age, her eyes held time and wisdom far beyond anything he could comprehend. It was probably why they struggled so much. She was something he couldn't understand and he was something she couldn't forgive. She finally spoke, "Well, you seem to be the resident expert when it comes to young girls and demons. Let's hope you have better luck with this one than you did with the last."

  Her words burned through him. His hands shook. He wanted to lash out, banish her, make her pay, but he didn't get the chance. "Mother!” Meri interjected, “Uncalled for. If you want his help don’t insult him, okay?"

  "I was simply—"

  "No," Meredith interrupted. "You need him, this girl is important. So stop fighting with Nico and let him do what he came here to do."

  "Very well."

  Nico blinked, Arveda never allowed her daughter to speak out of turn, let alone defend him. He could be the bigger person here, he had something to prove in all this. A second chance at redemption. "Show me the girl."

  Meredith continued past her sisters who were gathered to watch the fireworks between Arveda and him. As they parted he could see a long wooden table taking up most of the kitchen. A young woman was secured to the tabletop. Leather straps held her arms, legs, and head in place. She was sleeping, or at least pretending to sleep, while a few of the Striga hovered over her. She was practically naked, left only in a pair of panties and a tattered bra. Nico quirked a brow and glanced at Meredith. "Was that necessary, or is the partial nudity for my benefit?"

  "Hardly, it’s how we found her. Someone roughed her up pretty bad before we got there."

  "Probably the former host of whatever demon is inside her." He rolled up his sleeves. "Okay, let's get this over with. Meri, grab me a mirror." He motioned to a couple of the other Striga. "Kara, grab me a bowl of water. Josephine, find me a stake. Preferably Pinus monophylla."

  Josephine stuttered. "What?"

  He glanced up at her unmoving form and sighed. "Piñon, a piñon tree. Go get a branch and make a stake."

  "Oh, okay." She darted for the door as her sister filled a bowl of water.

  He snatched the mirror from Meredith's hand as soon as she rushed back in the room and positioned it over the girl strapped to the table. "Let's see who we have here." He blessed himself and whispered, "Monstra te esse."

  The skin on the girl’s face shimmered and rippled. Her lips turned ashen. Nico repeated himself. "Monstra te esse."

  Finally, the face of the demon appeared. Sunken nose, rotted flesh, and greasy black hair replaced the near angelic face of the woman on the table in the mirror's reflection. Nico snarled. "Brimstone demon."

  Meredith cringed. "Why did it work for you? We tried that."

  As much as he didn't want to admit it, Meredith had been right, they did need him. "Brimstone demons were the first angels cast out of Heaven after Satan fell. They were cast out by the Archangel Michael and therefore can only be brought to surface or exorcised by a holy instrument.”

  Meri’s lips twitched. “And all this time you hated when we called you by your title.”

  “Shut it, I’m not a priest anymore.” He paused and glanced up, “Still, once you are touched, it never leaves you. Excommunication is a human design. Men kicked me out of the church, not God.” A low growl left his lips. “God just decided to not do a damn thing about it.”

  “Face it, Father. This is your calling and this girl needs you.” She cleared her throat. “Now what were you saying about Brimstone Demons?”

  Nico focused on the girl before him. “When Michael cast them out he physically touched them to throw them into the pit of hell. Michael’s action branded them, inadvertently making them the most unholy of the unholy. Which makes them extremely powerful. There is no way you would have been able to pull it out of her."

  "But you can do it, right?" Meredith nervously chewed on her bottom lip.

  Nico nodded. "It'll be rough. She’ll feel every minute of it. But yes, I can do it."

  "Will she survive?"

  "Depends. But I can guarantee she won't last long if we don't try."

  "Then do it." Meredith took a step back and started to shoo her other sisters out of the room. "Do you need some of us to stay and help?"

  "Yeah, it wouldn't hurt to have an extra pair of hands, but only you. I don't need this demon to start jumping from one body to another in an endless game of hide and seek." He gave her a knowing look. "I'll know if he jumps into you."

  "How?"

  Nico winked. "Because I know you in the biblical sense. He won't be able to hide from me inside you." He couldn't help but laugh at the shriek Arveda let out from the next room. "Don't eavesdrop then, you old hag," He called out. Meredith glared at him but kept quiet.

  He worked fast to bless the bowl of water. Next he laid out his tools—the mirror, his bible, a holy cloth, a finger bone from Saint Benedict--now all he needed was the stake. He reached around his neck and pulled out one last ingredient, a Saint Benedict medal. The room shook for a moment. The tremor was all but forgotten as Josephine made her way back inside the house. She handed it to him and paused. "What?" he snapped.

  "It's ... Well..." Her gaze shifted between Meredith and Nico, then glanced towards the room Arveda was in and whispered, "The Wolfman is outside. Pacing. He looks..."

  Meredith clinched her hands at her side. "He looks like what?"

  Josephine met her sister's eyes. "He looks like he's about to change."

  "Shit." Meredith cursed and started for the door.

  Nico snatched her by the arm and pulled her to a stop. "No, let him be. I need you here. Josephine, go with your sisters and bar the door. Meri," he snapped his fingers to get her attention. "Meri. He will be fine, leave him."

  "But—"

  "No buts. Lobo can wait, he's a big boy. Give him some damn credit, he's worried and we both know why. Let's do our job, save this girl if we can, and then you can go tame the Beast."

  "Fuck off, Nico. It's not like that."

  "Sure it is, doll. You're the only one still denying it." He laid the stake down next to everything else and went about reciting prayer after prayer.

  The minutes ticked by. Minutes turned to hours. Almost four hours into the exorcism everyone was feeling the exhaustion. Nico wiped his sleeve over his brow. Chants and prayers were barely budging the demon inside the girl. Occasionally the demon would retreat leaving only the sound of the girl screaming and begging for help, but this time he was close. Nico could feel the surge of demonic energy coming to the surface. He picked up the finger bone of Saint Benedict and rested it on the hollow of the girl’s throat. "In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

  He placed the medal of Saint Benedict on the girl’s forehead and continued, "Most glorious Prince of the Heavenly Armies, Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in our battle against principalities and powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places."

  The demon was clawing its way out. Nico barked at Meredith, "Mirror, now!" She tossed it to him and the second he caught it the demon took form, exiting the girl’s body and reaching for its own reflection. Nico grabbed it as soon as it solidified. He dropped the mirror and grabbed the stake, plunging it into the demon’s chest. It screeched and the windows in the house cracked as the foundation began to tremble again. He still had the demon by the throat. Meredith covered her ears to block out the screeching death cries, but Nico knew it was far from over. Dragging the creature off the table he slammed it into the wall, digging the stake into the drywall to pin it in place.

  He dusted off his hands and walked over to the bowl of holy water. "Time to go
, demon."

  "Go to Hell, Priest," it spat back.

  "Already there, asshole."

  He walked back to the demon and chanted over the bowl as the thing thrashed, cursing and wailing in pain. Nico dipped his fingers into the water, flicking the holy water onto the creature. "Crux sancti patris Benedicti."

  The demon growled. "You have no idea what you are unleashing."

  Nico knew this trick, the demons would talk, try to bargain and threaten their way out of their banishment. It wouldn't work. "Eius in obitu nostro praesentia muniamur!"

  "I'm telling you, I am keeping her alive. You'll regret this."

  "Crux sacra sit mihi lux! Non draco sit mihi dux!" Nico gripped the demon’s jaw forcing it open.

  "There is..."

  Pouring the holy water down the demon’s throat, he recited the last of the prayer. "Get thee behind me, Satan, Vade retro Satana.”

  The demon shuddered, the holy water bubbled inside its mouth and sounded like a fire roaring its way down the abomination's throat, but it uttered one last word before it succumbed to its death. "More."

  Nico let the body fall to the floor. His eyes widened as he spun around to see the girl arching her back, she was speaking in tongues and reciting demonic scripture. Nico took a step back. "There's more."

  Meredith paled. "What do you mean there is more? Inside of her? Can they even do that?”

  He rushed to the girl’s side. "I didn't think they could, but somehow they did." Wiping his hand over his face he gave his tired eyes a moment, closing them so he could concentrate. "Meredith, get me more water. It's going to be a long fucking night." He picked up the stake from the floor and wiped the tip on his pants before heading back over to the table. Taking a deep breath, he began the process over again.

  CHAPTER TWO

  The sun crested over the horizon as Nico pulled the last demon from the woman. He was running on auto-pilot after sixteen straight hours of exorcising demon after demon. None were as strong as the Brimstone but all of them put up a fight. Ten in all. Their charred corpses burned in the living room fireplace. The acrid stench of burning demon flesh was masked by the herbs the Striga packed around the bodies in the hearth. Arveda ordered her daughters to start stoking the fire after Nico had pulled the third demon out. Now the flames were slowly breaking down the remains. Exhaustion took its toll on everyone.