CHAPTER XX

Oh.

It was obvious now.

That smell that had been in his nose for as long as he’d been like this. He’d mistaken it for the stench of evil, but it went beyond that. Beyond him.

It was magic.

Jude reeked of it, Shalia smelled of it, lightly; Rollo was steeped in it, and his magic carried the scent of something foul. Erin had oozed it like a miasma, before he’d driven a holy sword through Morgan’s gut.

Morgan carried the smell as well, whispering in his veins, his blood. Magic, and a promise. His scent mingled with Shalia’s magic, as though he had taken it inside himself when she gave him her blood. It smelled faintly of Jude’s, from when they had spent the night together.

And it was perfumed, as it had always been, with Rafaella’s magic. The magic she had used to rewrite his very DNA on the cellular level. Magic and science, married. It shouldn’t have been possible; this thing he had become shouldn’t be alive. It defied all logic.

And yet.

If blood and life could be shared, why not something else?

Morgan stepped into the circle beneath Rollo’s feet. The scent of magic was strong here, but it didn’t belong to Rollo; it carried Jude’s distinct sage and yarrow. He climbed over furred knuckles. The creature from the sky shifted slightly to make the climb easier for him. It obediently moved its index finger over to make room when Morgan reached Rollo’s muscular neck. And it tightened its grip when Morgan sunk his teeth into Rollo’s jugular.

Rollo’s blood was foul. But it wasn’t the blood Morgan was after; he threaded his own magic into his mouth, his fangs. He wanted the demon – the demonic essence hiding in Rollo’s body. Rollo thrashed, started to scream. Searing heat entered Morgan’s mouth and slid down his throat. Something this weak didn’t have the capacity to hurt him. The demon’s essence beat against his chest, wend its way into his belly.

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The demonic form surrounding Rollo grew smaller. It was slow going, but unmistakeable; the ground was steadily coming up to meet them and the furred hands from the sky had to shift constantly to maintain their grip. Morgan felt something draining the magic from the other end. A presence like sunshine and leaves. The corporal was making the process easier.

When Rollo was almost humanoid in shape, Morgan felt the demon thrashing at his insides. It was a strange sensation, not painful, but like butterflies fluttering in his gut. And then it was done. He pulled his teeth away from saggy, leathery flesh and slid the two feet to the ground.

‘Corporal, anymore and you’ll kill him,’ he said.

Shalia had her hands on Rollo’s shoulders, arms trembling. The light pulsing up her wings was almost blinding. Rollo was unconscious as the last of his demonic form slouched off and vanished. He forcefully pulled them apart when the corporal’s strength failed and gently set Rollo on the ground.

‘Can you stand?’ he asked, keeping a steadying hand on Shalia’s shoulder. When she moved, her wings steadied her, and when they brushed against his knuckles, they left a faint, pleasant tingling in their wake.

Shalia watched Rollo take a few shallow breaths from the ground. ‘We actually did it.’ She sounded awed.

‘Yeah, we sure –’

A wet, ragged cough.

Morgan was crossing Jude’s magic circle and supporting him within the span of a single beat of the exorcist’s heart. The violet light of the magic circle at their feet dimmed as the giant hands retreated back through the circles from where they emerged; those circles too faded then vanished.

Jude slumped, the only thing keeping him upright Morgan.

‘He needs rest,’ said Shalia after she came to join them. ‘And a trip to the hospital.’

Jude weakly waved her off. His voice was hoarse when he said, ‘Nonsense, darling. A shot of vodka and I’ll be good as new.’

Morgan eased the exorcist to the ground. Then found himself on the ground as well, tremors running through his legs.

A laugh escaped him. Another. Then he was struck by a fit of giggling that brought tears to his eyes.

‘Lieutenant…?’

Between bouts of laughter, Morgan extended a hand to her. A moment passed before she took him up on his offer and collapsed beside them in an exhausted heap.

Shalia: ‘We seriously –’

Jude: ‘I can’t believe –’

Their voices were smothered as Morgan snatched them both in a startling embrace and hugged them tight to his chest.

‘Thank God,’ he said.