Heart's Redemption (MxM)

Chapter 11 ~ Ian

"Hell no," I object, shaking my head. "You're not using Sam as bait."

We've retaken our seats on the tattered sofa, and Sam is sitting as close to me as he can without actually climbing into my lap. The fear in his eyes when Toni proposed a trade—no charge for the work on my truck if we helped her catch some demons—had broken my heart a little. It was clear he'd expected me to jump at the offer. Why wouldn't he, when his own mother had given him to a stranger for some cash? The only reason we're still here, still listening, is that part of what she's saying makes sense.

"Think of it like this," she says, "you risk a small amount of danger now, and a much bigger danger goes away. Don't you want those guys off your trail?" She looks at Sam, and he nods. "So help me take them out."

"You still haven't explained how you know about Sam in the first place," I point out.

She's still leaning against the desk, arms crossed, watching us with a keenly observant gaze.

"As I said, Karin's well-known in certain circles. Up until a few years ago, he was hardly a threat—a persistent but minor nuisance. Then suddenly, he's big news: gaining power and followers, controlling high-level entities, making deals with devils. Eventually it got out that he had some sort of 'demon on a leash'—something he was using to fuel spells and trap other demons."

She straightens, pushing herself away from the desk to pace the short length of her office. Carlos sits in a folding metal chair, with the chair facing the wrong way and his arms folded across the top of its back. Next to him on the floor is an old leather backpack—the 'kit' Toni had told him to fetch.

"Eventually, word got out that the 'demon' was called Sam," Toni goes on, "but while there are plenty of demons with 'Sam' in their names, no one had ever heard of this one. More than a few exorcists tried summoning it, hoping to steal it away from Karin, but none ever succeeded. Now I understand why."

She looks at Sam with a professional interest I dislike; as if she sees a curiosity and not a person.

"Then, about two days ago," she continues, "there's a big spike in demonic activity and, word is, Karin's pissed. He's sending demons, hounds, spirit spies—everything he's got—out looking for something. If you're his Sam, that explains it."

"I'm not his Sam," Sam spits, showing some anger at last. "I'm not his anything."

"Good," she nods. "Then you shouldn't mind helping me help you keep it that way."

He pales, and I put my arm around him. He hasn't told me much about what he experienced as Karin's prisoner, but it's obvious some bad stuff happened. I want him to be able to forget about it, to leave it behind and move on, and be happy. I'm no angel, but if I can help him do that, I want to try.

"Alright, let's say we agree to work with you. What's it in for you?" I ask. "Why are you so interested in getting rid of Karin's demons for us?"

She pushes herself away from the desk and walks around it, opening a drawer and pulling something out. She hands it to Sam, and I see it's a framed photo of two women. One is a younger version of Toni. The other is a little taller, with long dark hair and a pretty smile.

"That's my sister, Sonja," Toni says. "Carlos's mom. She was a Gifted medium—could channel spirits, human and otherwise—and speak to the dead. Trouble was, she had a bad habit of getting herself possessed."

Sam looks up from the picture in surprise. Toni takes it back from him and studies it herself, pressing her fingers to the glass over the other woman's face.

"A few years after Carlos was born, she decided she'd had enough, and started looking around for someone who could help her put an end to it, even if it meant giving up her Gift. She said she had a lead on something promising, left Carlos with me, and headed west. We never heard from her again."

She puts the photo back in the drawer and shuts it, then resumes her place leaning against the desk.

"The police never found a trace. I came looking myself, followed her trail to this area, and then—nothing. I've always suspected Karin had something to do with her disappearance, but I've never found any proof. He ever say anything about it to you?" she asks, looking at Sam.

He shakes his head. "No, but it sounds like your sister and I have something in common. I got possessed a lot, too, before I became what I am now. Maybe I wasn't Karin's first attempt at using an open vessel to summon demons," he says. "It went wrong with me, so it wouldn't surprise me if it went wrong before."

She holds his gaze for a beat, and then shrugs. "Anyway, that's why. I've hated Karin for a long time, and I hate demons. Any excuse to hit 'em where it hurts is good enough for me."

"Not all demons are bad, you know," Sam says. "People group them all together, but the different kinds are as different from one another as they are from humans."

Toni shrugs. "Maybe so, but they all look the same to me."

Carlos has been quiet this whole time, watching from his backwards chair with interest, but now he speaks up, addressing Sam.

"What kinda demon are you, anyway?" he asks.

"I'm not—" he begins but stops, and I can tell he's thinking of the unexpected change we'd discovered that morning. "The demon side of me is an incubus," he says, and his cheeks flush that adorable, cherry-blossom shade of pink.

Carlos whistles and looks at me with raised brows. "Luck-y" he sings.

I feel my own face grow hot, but before I can react, Sam interrupts.

"I don't need human energy anymore. I'm half-human myself."

I'm not sure he's entirely right about that, after what happened earlier, but Carlos looks suitably disappointed, and I don't voice my thoughts.

Instead I sigh. "Alright, here's the deal. You tell us your plan, we listen. Then, Sam decides. Whatever he wants is what we'll do. If he says no, I pay you, take my truck, and we leave. No argument, no trying to stop us. Okay?"

Toni stares at me, eyes bright and hard. "Okay. Deal."

The plan turns out to be a pretty simple one, actually. We'd get word back to Karin that Sam is here, set up some traps, and catch whatever comes for him. Then Toni would do her exorcist thing, and send the demons packing. Whatever hold Karin has on them would be broken, and he'd have a hell of a time—literally—getting them back again.

When Toni finishes speaking, I turn to Sam.

"Well? What'll it be—hunt some demons, or hit the road?"

I can tell he's scared, but there's also a determined set to his chin and a glint in his dark eyes. "Let's do it. I want a chance to get back at Karin, too. He took my life—twice, you could say—and my freedom, and he made me do bad things. If I can take something away from him, I will."

Toni nods. "Carlos?"

He bends down and opens the leather sack beside his chair, pulling out a jar with darkly tinted glass bound with twine, and hands it to her.

"We caught this little guy last night, snooping around. It's one of Karin's, I'm almost certain. With any luck, if I let it go it'll fly straight home and tell him everything it's seen."

"It didn't, like, hear everything we just said?" I ask, thinking it might be a bad idea to release a demon that's been hanging out in the room with us while we discuss our plans.

"No, it can't sense anything through the glass," Toni answers. "Come on, outside."

We follow her out and back around to the front of the shop, and she gives the jar to Sam.

"Wait until we're out of sight, then let it go," she says.

His hands tremble slightly as he takes it, but he nods firmly.

We retreat around the side of the building to wait. Apparently, the small entity in the jar is some sort of 'spy spirit' that doesn't do much except look for things and then report what it's seen to its summoner.

A moment later, Sam joins us, empty jar in hand.

He looks grim and pale, but he gives us a small smile.

"No going back now," he says.