Tainted, Book One: Possessed

39. It Had Babies?!

Kerry

"Do we need to contain the soul somehow?" Jax chewed the edge of his thumb. "Won't it leak out when we kill this thing?"

"Yeah, and we want it to. So Chessie can do her thing."

I leaned my hip against the hospital bed and frowned down at the kid. She was in rough shape.

"What if she can't?" Gigi glanced over at Chessie. "I'm not doubting you. I'm just wondering what would happen if a freed soul can't find its body."

"Don't ask that if you don't wanna know," I warned her.

"I want to know."

"It'll make a nice snack for a lucky predator."

"But if it is untainted and, by some miracle, survives the Principalities of the Air," Chessie interrupted, "it can make its way home to Heaven."

That would take a miracle, but whatever they need to believe to sleep at night.

"What if the body is too far away?" John asked.

"Hank, you got a pyx or something on you?"

"Here." Earl reached inside his suit coat and brought out a round wooden box, then tossed it to me.

I fumbled it as it burned my fingers, but managed to chuck it to John without dropping it.

"This is a pyx. I dunno what churches use it for, but you can hold a soul or a demon in it." I blew on my fingers and waved Gemma back when she tried to heal them. "There are other things you can use, too."

"Like reliquaries, monstrances and lunettes," Jax butted in. "Ms. Chapman did a unit on sacred vessels last month."

"Being the principal isn't enough?" I asked. "She has to teach, too?"

"Only senior-year mission skills."

"Can we do the Q and A later?" Gemma stomped one foot. "I want to heal this little girl!"

"Okay, Short and Sweet." I patted her on the head.

She turned so red with temper, I was surprised steam didn't lift off her skin. The good side of my mouth quirked up in a half-smile. The morning was suddenly looking a lot brighter.

"I'm gonna pull it off now." Then I stopped and thought about it. "Wait. I'm gonna put a shield around us first. I don't want it to have any chance of escape while you newbies are taking pot-shots at it."

I heard a few grumbles, but ignored them as I put a shield around the whole room and added a ceiling. I doubted it would head underground; bigger and badder things than ticks lived there. Still, desperate prey did dumb things.

Aw, I'll be here. I won't let it slink down the sewer drain.

"Gemma, Chessie, you're limited to this room, but it's plenty big. Pick a corner and stay there."

Bracing my feet, I flooded my arms with power, headlocked the tick, and wrestled it down. I had to put some muscle into it before the head came free with a disgusting sucking sound. Long strands of shiny soul dripped from its tongue like spit, and it kicked and bucked to get away. As it snapped its mouth pincher thingies at me, I changed my hold on it so I could lift it over my head, then glanced at Gemma.

She didn't waste any time. Brushing against me, she scooped the kid up in her arms and bolted, Chessie and August at her heels. When they were clear, I looked at the others.

"Who's first?"

"You're just going to hold it there?" Gigi scowled.

"Well, I was, but the way you said that makes me think you don't want me to?"