The Monsters In Our Heads (Book 7 Arrow/SPN Crossovers)

Old Lives New Habits

A day of research got us an amulet that somewhat muted the blade's influence, an actual conversation with Jacob but nothing all that much more about the blade or the Goddess. Sam and I managed to distract the blade enough so that Coyote could ask Jacob some more questions that pretty much validated her theory that the blade needed another kill to go dormant. That had been an interesting few hours. Once Sam had found the warding spell Coyote had the idea to test it on Jacob first to see if it would get the blade unhooked from him enough to let her try a soul retrieval. We cobbled together an amulet made of cardboard and rope and put it around his neck, nothing changed. So Sam had the bright idea to have he and I wear it, open the box again and see if that distracted the blade enough to let Coyote do anything. If it hadn't been eight hours into researching Coyote and I probably would have put up more of a fight but by then she and I were both restless, tired of looking at books and not actually doing anything. Which is probably why we tend to get into a lot more trouble on hunts and in life then we should, after awhile we just say screw it and plow right into things.

"Just remember Sam, this was your idea," I told him when we walked into the room.

"Seeing as how I came up with less idea less than an hour ago, don't think I could forget, but thanks, really."

Krissy was stationed just outside the door with her taser that she carried when she was in places she couldn't have a gun. Her job was to knock one of us out if we got out of hand. If whoever wasn't convulsing on the floor went for the other one she had full permission to shoot that one, just preferably aiming for center mass or a leg.

I stayed by the door this time, Sam went to the drawer, "Ready?" he asked.

"As I'll ever be."

He nodded, pulled open the drawer and opened the box. I felt something, but it wasn't as strong. It was more of compulsion to take the blade somewhere then actually be sacrificed or kill someone, but I could handle it.

"Sam?" His eyes were locked onto the box, his hands tight on the lid. He took his right hand off the lid and it started moving towards the blade. "Sam!"

His hand stopped, "I'm...good." His right foot slowly moved back a step, he shifted his weight, pulled his hand away and forced his eyes to meet mine. I knew that look all too well, he was barely holding on, fighting it, but he's always been stronger than most people, including me tended to give him credit for. That was why I let him take the lead this time. One thing the Mark taught me, I'm just too cozy with violence. I'd spent a lot of time over the last year thinking about that and had come to terms with the fact that it's just who I am. I'll never know if I'm a born killer, I don't think that's a thing but I do know that I've always tended to speak with my fists first, unlike Sam. I think if I'd been the one that got the demon blood the Apocalypse would have ended a lot differently, a lot bloodier.

I raised my voice but didn't look away from him, "Coyote? Go, we'll hold out as long as we can." Krissy had an open phone line to Coyote who was in another room with Jacob.

"Got it," I heard her voice come back to me. Then she must have muted her phone because I didn't hear anything else.

"Sam, stay focused on me."

"Trying..."

Sweat started breaking out on his forehead, the compulsion had started getting stronger in my head too. "All right, next step." It seemed stupid when I'd suggested it, I said it as kind of a joke but Coyote thought it could work so Sam and I had decided to try. I made a toss off comment about exorcisms and chanting them and she pointed out that when she has anything psychically assault her that by repeating various chants she's learned over the years it gives her mind something to focus on that's all her. She pointed out that exorcisms are all about sending evil things away and we believe in them so they could help us fight the blade's influence and buy her some extra time to work with Jacob. So we figured what the hell and decided that if we manage to not be immediately blown away by the blade we'd start reciting the exorcism and see if it helped.