Allison Brennan - Carnal Sin

“He just gave it to her?” Moira grabbed a water bottle off the top of the dresser. It wasn’t until she opened it that she noticed the Enjoy me for five dollars label.

“I was skeptical,” Jackson continued, “but then I called a friend in public records and he confirmed the corporate records and lien amounts. She owns her house outright. It’s worth at least two million dollars-the Hollywood Hills is a coveted area.”

“She bought it?”

“No. Three years ago, she was engaged to a popular rock star, Kyle Dane. He bought the house, but had her put on the deed with right of survivorship when she moved in. When he died, his insurance paid off the mortgage. It’s hers, free and clear.” Jackson sat at the table in the corner, his gaze sweeping the room and pausing on the salt traps and strategically placed crucifixes.

Rafe sat across from Jackson. “How did he die?”

“Heart attack, after a concert. He’d been ill for weeks and his doctors advised him against touring-this was all in the major papers, I did a Google search.”

“So it was no big surprise when he dropped dead,” Rafe said.

“Except,” Moira interjected, “he was engaged to a witch who summons demons.” She didn’t dare sit for fear her exhaustion would overpower her. Instead, she leaned against the dresser.

“Where does Lust come in?” Rafe asked.

“I wish I knew,” Jackson said. “But since succubi are sex demons and Lust by definition feeds on the human sex drive, they must be connected.”

They had to be, but Moira didn’t know how. “Do you have a picture of the chalice you mentioned on the phone?”

He unfolded a computer printout. “I got this from a friend of mine in London. This is what I think Wendy has.”

It was a detailed drawing of a squat, bowl-like chalice with a glass ball nestled in the shallow curve. The base was wider than the cup and curved upward.

“Such a chalice is often used in sex magic. If there’s no demon involved, the glass ball isn’t necessary. The witches will collect bodily fluids-blood, semen, saliva-in the bowl and offer it up. They are essentially asking for favors, more like a prayer than an order. But with this specific chalice, the blood of the victims is dripped into the base. The glass is essential to open the doorway to Hell. When the demon is first summoned, it’s brought through the chalice-”

Moira said, “Like Fiona used a human vessel to bring forth the Seven Deadly Sins.”

“Right,” Jackson said. “But a succubus ritual isn’t usually quite as deadly-or dangerous. With the right ritual, the chalice becomes a mobile doorway to Hell. The demon comes in, is channeled into a woman-or if an incubus, a man-and goes about the business of stealing the marked soul.

“The thing is, when the soul is claimed, the demon is supposed to leave the human vessel and snap back into the bowl. The coven then completes the ritual, and the demon goes back to Hell.”

“Something went wrong with Wendy’s ritual this time,” Rafe said.

“Damn straight,” Moira said. “We have to be prepared. If the demon left Nadine’s body because it was being drawn back into the original gateway-the chalice-that means it could still be at Wendy’s house.”

“Are you certain this is the demon Lust?” Jackson asked.

“There’s no other explanation,” Moira said. “The marks on the bodies too closely resemble the marks left by the demon Envy.”

“But I’ve heard that demon marks are common when practicing black magic,” Jackson said.

Moira didn’t respond, and Rafe knew she was upset. She’d been marked by a demon once, and it had nearly killed her. The mark was gone, but it still affected her. She never talked about it with him, and he realized that at some point he was going to have to get her to tell him exactly what happened all those years ago.

“These marks,” Rafe said when Moira didn’t respond, “are unique. They look more like birthmarks, with a thin dark red line inside forming a satanic mark, similar to what you see in occult rituals, but at the same time different than anything we’ve seen before.”

Moira said, “Other demon marks are small, simple brands. The Seven Deadly Sins mark their victims with far more elaborate designs.”

“If the demon is trapped in the chalice, we can put it in a vault, correct?” Jackson said.

“It would be unstable,” Moira said. “We need something sacred to trap it completely.”

Jackson said, “I brought an iron box with me; it will hold the chalice.”

“If it’s all we have,” Moira said.

“There’s another idea-something more permanent than storing it in a vault.”

Moira and Rafe both looked at Jackson. “We’re all ears,” Moira said.

“In theory, if the demon is trapped in the chalice, it should go back to Hell. At that point, while it’s trapped, we melt the chalice and that portal will be closed forever.”

Moira frowned. “That destroys the chalice, but are you certain it will also destroy the demon?”

“I don’t see why it wouldn’t.”

Moira was skeptical on that point, and Rafe asked her, “What are you thinking?”

“This is the demon Lust we’re talking about. It’s not going to let itself get melted.”

“It may not have a choice.”

“We need to talk to Anthony before we do anything like that,” Moira said. “And if the demon is out and about somewhere? Not trapped in the chalice?”

“I don’t know.”

“So we can’t melt the vessel until the demon is trapped.”

“Maybe we can-maybe that would kill it.”

“More likely, if you destroy the portal, its bonds are broken and it’s free.”

“We can use traditional exorcisms,” Rafe said.

“Without the chalice, there’s nothing keeping the demon here. It can go anywhere, do anything, kill anyone,” Moira said.

Jackson said, “I found an exorcism that will draw back the demon and close the portal.”

Moira held out her hand. “Let me see it.”

Jackson reluctantly handed it over. She read it, shaking her head. “No, no, no!”

“But it’s the only way-”

“Moira?” Rafe said.

“It’s a spell, not an exorcism. Exorcisms work one way-sending demons to Hell. Spells summon the demon to you.” Moira was agitated.

“But it could save someone’s life!” Jackson said.

Moira threw up her hands. “You of all people should know better! I don’t care how good or noble our motivation is in stopping this demon, I will not resort to spells and witchcraft to trap it. It can only end in blood.”

“So we wait until the coven calls the demon back?”

“I’d say yes, but that means letting someone else die. Maybe more than one person. I can’t do that. The only thing we can do is control the chalice. Get it away from Wendy and her coven. Then, find who the demon is possessing and perform a real exorcism. An exorcism will force the demon back into the chalice, and then we can lock it up or melt it.”

She glanced at her watch. “Anthony should be in Italy soon. We need his input. I don’t know anyone else who’ll know where to get the answers about whether we melt the damn thing with the demon inside or not, or what we can use to imprison Lust. Anthony can be a jerk, but he knows more about specific demons than I do. All those books he reads.”

She was trying to make light of the situation, but Rafe felt her concerns. He strode to the dresser and stood with her. Moira needed to know he was with her one hundred percent.

“Wendy will protect that damn thing with everything she’s got,” Moira said, changing the subject.

“How will we know if the demon is inside the chalice?” Rafe asked.

“The glass changes color,” Jackson said. “But that’s also easy for a witch to fake.”