“He's fine,” Stephen said with a waspish tone. “He's having a slight issue with psychosis. You know, potential psychotic break and all of that. Go back to your praying.”
“Stephen, enough,” Kilian snapped.
An older woman with wide eyes stared at Stephen with such horror that Kilian could imagine the demon was escaping through Stephen's back, his form splitting Stephen's body in half like an overripe melon. But no. Stephen's attitude was fueling his impressive ability to make friends everywhere he went.
“Be nice,” Kilian snapped.
“But I'm not nice.”
Stephen’s attitude worried Kilian, but he had to focus on the mission. “Pretend you are.”
The older woman looked back and forth between them before she decided to focus on Kilian. “Do you need help?”
Kilian shook his head no. “The priest knows I'm here, and he is very aware of the fact that I am not feeling well.” He was also going to be pissed at Kilian forcing himself into a sacred space, but that was a problem for tomorrow. The Army had taught Kilian to worry about today’s problems and put tomorrow’s out of his mind. It was how he finished a mission when every instinct in his body told him to quit.
“You might need a doctor more than a priest,” the woman said kindly. She rested her hand on Kilian's forearm, but the rosary she had been holding brushed against his flesh. Kilian jerked his arm away and nearly fell on his ass.
Stephen pressed into the woman’s personal space. “This is a spiritual problem, not a medical one, so it would be awesome if you would mind your own fucking business.”
“Young man,” she said in a scolding tone that reminded Kilian of his mother.
“Don't ‘young man’ me,” Stephen mocked. “It just so happens I'm older than you. I'm far more well-preserved because that body of yours looks like it is wearing out fast.” Stephen leaned back and studied the woman like a particularly judgmental stylist considering the fashion choices of a colorblind hippie.
“Oh shit,” Kilian whispered.
Stephen gave a smile that could only be described as demonic. Appropriate.
Ignoring his own pain, Kilian straightened up and forced his claws to grow. Exposing his vampire features to the cathedral made him feel raw and bruised, but these people needed protecting. “Stephen, get the demon under control,” he ordered.
The demon laughed. “Oh, Killy-boy, little Stevie hasn’t been driving the bus since late last night. Pretty much as soon as you finished fucking him, he checked out.”
The woman backed away, and several other parishioners were turning, alerted to the danger. Good. Kilian needed them to flee before disastrous turned into fucking catastrophic.
Kilian brought his claws up, and several parishioners stumbled away. They were afraid of him. Ironic.
“Stephen has controlled you before, and he can control you again. Don't force me to hurt you.” Kilian took a step forward, and Stephen danced away.
“It’s amusing how badly that witch miscalculated. She brought Stephen's father in because she thought that love would somehow anchor him to the human race. Did she think that the emotion Stephen associated with humanity was love? His father was a fucking drunk and his mother... well, you know how it ended with his mother.” Stephen leaned forward as if confiding in Kilian. “The misery of having his father around was like a familiar old coat he clung to, or a security blanket. Maybe that's the better metaphor. He was a mewling child holding onto that drunken sot like his binky. But I should thank you.” Stephen threw his arms to the sides in an expansive gesture. “You made him happy enough for him to loosen that control.”
Kilian leapt forward, slicing through the air with his claws, but Stephen danced backwards with a maniacal laugh. The mundanes around them screamed and several were crying, but at least they were doing it while they fled. If Kilian couldn't get his claws into Stephen's body, the demon was going to rip its way out.
Still clinging to the side of the pew to keep himself upright, Kilian stalked his prey. Clearly, the demon had no interest in waking Silas. But if Kilian could get his claws into his sire, maybe Kilian could wake him, even if Silas still had that damn wooden disc on his chest. The two of them might have a chance against the demon.
Stephen chuckled. “All of these Christian icons are fire gnats crawling under your skin, aren't they?” After taking a step closer, Stephen lifted a hand towards Kilian's cheek as though he were going to run his knuckles along his jaw. Kilian swiped the air again, but Stephen laughed and danced away. His speed was annoying, but at least Kilian had kept their dance moving in the direction of the altar. The fifteen feet rule meant that Kilian could only reach Silas if he could maneuver Stephen into position.
Hopefully, the priests would realize that they had a Judas vamp and a demon battling in the aisles of their precious cathedral and they would do something to help. Kilian had to focus on protecting any civilians from the danger. That meant he had to keep the demon focused on him.
“This isn't your world. You have no right here,” Kilian said. He took another step toward Stephen, forcing him to back up towards the altar again.
The demon laughed. “Why can't I enjoy the bounty of this world? It isn't as if humans are doing anything particularly worthwhile with it.”
“Go back to the other side of the veil.”
Stephen shrugged. “I could. There's nothing particularly wrong with the other side of the veil, except it's boring. This world is so much more entertaining.Youare entertaining. A vampire who neutered himself out of guilt for a God he never knew in order to serve a world that doesn't want him. What pathetic little ants you are.” He shook his head, his expression both condescending and fond.
Kilian lurched to the opposite side of the aisle. “What would you do that would be any better? Destroy and burn?”
Stephen got a thoughtful expression. “That would be more entertaining than all the guilt you wallow in.” Stephen grabbed the back of a pew and bent forward. For a moment, Kilian thought he was crouching to launch some counterattack, and Kilian braced himself, his claws in front of him to intercept whatever weapons the demon might bring to bear.
