Page 34 of A Beginner's Guide to Demonic Possessions
Paz turned his hand to hold onto Trent’s, and he replied, “No, thank you, Trent. You gave me more than I could ever hope for. I love you.”
Then Paz used his other hand to pick up his fork, and they both ate their crepes, holding hands the entire time. It was probably the most romantic thing Trent had ever experienced. It was like a mushy scene from a movie, and Trent couldn’t wipe the smile from his face.
The crepes were, of course, amazing. Just like Paz.
They finished eatingand washed up dishes together, figuring out what they were going to do with the day. Trent had off of work for a few more days, and they both wanted to take advantage of every moment together.
They were sprawled on the couch, flipping through streaming services and talking about local outings, when Trent felt a weird tug somewhere in his chest. He was cuddled up next to Paz, and he turned to see Paz get a hazy, shimmery kind of look to him.
“Paz?” he asked urgently. Paz seemed to… fade or something right before his eyes. “Paz!” he cried out again, grabbing onto Paz’s wrist.
It seemed to make Paz solidify again, but his demon was breathing hard, looking wide eyed at Trent.
“What the fuck, Paz. Are you ok?” Trent asked, not daring to let go of Paz’s wrist.
“Yes, I think so,” Paz answered unsurely. “I’m still here,” he responded hesitantly.
“Yeah, you’re still here,” Trent reassured him, using his other hand to rub up and down Paz’s chest. “What happened? What was that?” Trent asked.
“It was… it was a summoning. Someone was asking to be possessed, and I was assigned the ticket,” Paz responded. Trent must have looked confused, because Paz went on to explain, “It’s a whole system, and each possession is assigned a ticket number. Usually I choose which cases to take, but sometimes I’m assigned a case. I thought I would have more time…” he trailed off.
“Does this mean… does this mean you have to leave?” Trent asked, and he knew his voice sounded thick with tears, because he was trying really hard not to cry at the very thought of Paz going.
“I don’t know. Lots of lesser demons go on… walkabout, for lack of a better term. Their summonings are over, and they stay topside for a while, like a little vacation. We work for centuries—a few decades of paid time off ought to be allowed. I thought… Well, I thought I could do the same. I thought I’d have your mortal life span, or many years at the very least, before anyone in management noticed I was gone. Yet it hasn’t even been a day, and I’m getting assigned a ticket? That’s not normal. I should at least have a couple days off before my next job.” Paz sat thinking, but he didn’t let go of Trent’s hand. “Somehow you grounded me here, and I didn’t have to go,” he said, looking over at Trent.
“But what if I’m not holding onto you?” Trent asked.
“I don’t know. I’m not sure what will happen, but I don’t want to leave you, Trent,” Paz admitted.
They both sat, clutching each other’s hands and thinking.
“You know, when I thought you were gone, I was going to go find one of the demons we met or go talk to that Cassius guy. I figured someone would be able to help me find you or summon you back. Maybe we can get help,” Trent suggested.
Paz was staring at him, and he smiled, leaning forward to kiss Trent on the lips.
“Yes, beautiful. Perfect idea. I think we should start with Cassius,” Paz suggested.
Trent groaned. He didn’t really know what Cassius’s deal was, and he was still a little upset over that whole astral plane thing, but if Paz thought that was better than one of the demons, Trent was fully behind that idea.
He would do anything to keep Paz safe. Anything.
Chapter
Twenty
IS IT A RULE THAT SEERS NEED TO BE VAGUE AND ANNOYING?
They called first, and Paz got who he assumed was the purple-haired employee on the phone. He’d asked for Cassius, she put him on hold, and then she came back on the line and said Cassius was expecting them to stop by.
So off they went to the coffee shop, with Paz tucking all his “extra parts” away for public. When they walked in, Cassius was behind the counter, and he came over and ushered them to a side table out of the way of customers where the sound of the espresso machine would cover up their conversation.
Cassius looked completely pleased with himself.
“What the hell has you so cheery?” Trent grumbled.
Paz squeezed his hand. Maybe it was paranoid, but they hadn’t let go of each other since the almost-summoning had occurred, and they sat closely together still holding hands.
“Wow, you’re a grump!” Cassius smirked.
