Page 91 of Coerced

She didn’t break eye contact with me as she shook her head. Kerry must have taken that as permission, because he opened the driver’s side door and dove in. Moving closer, she grabbed my coat sleeve - and that was when I realized what she was. The stench of coercion taint nearly overpowered it, but I caught the sweet note of her Divine heritage.

“Help me,” she ground out.

“We’re going to.” I kept my voice as gentle as I could with my ribs throbbing and Diabolical stink going up my nose. “Kerry’ll kill the evil thing. I’m not sure how that will affect you. Might hurt pretty badly and might not.”

The smile she gave me never touched her eyes.

“Yeah, I get it.” I grimaced. “Doesn’t matter much as long as it ends, right? I’m Rome. Rome Aalders. What’s your name?”

She seemed to waver for a moment, and I realized she was weighing how much it would hurt to answer.

“Ope, I’m sorry. Never mind. Wait until you’re free.”

Without warning, her eyes closed, her body slumped, and her forehead thudded against my shoulder. I hastily wrapped an arm around her waist as she continued sliding downward, her knees apparently not functioning at the moment.

Jeez, that hurts!

I grunted, my wounds and broken bits letting me know they weren’t very happy.

Kerry exited the car with his hair defying gravity and his eyes neon. Seeing my predicament, he snickered.

“What was it? Is it gone?”

“A lesser devil.” He waved one hand. “And ’course it’s gone. Why do you think she fainted?”

As he came around the trunk, he did a little stutter-step, then inhaled deeply.

“She’s a neph. I can smell it under the coercion taint.”

“Me, too. I wonder where her warden is.” I hefted the girl up in my arms, despite the loud protests of my ribs. “And her protection bracelet.”

“You wanna turn your eyes on or do you want me to do it?”

Turn your eyes on… Oh. He means x-ray her.

“You do it. Just let me sit down first or I may pass out.”

With the devil’s physical form destroyed, its essence had returned to the abyss, which freed the girl on one level. She’d be something of a zombie, though, until we discovered how she’d been coerced. I sat sideways in the front passenger seat and held her as Kerry ran his spotlight eyes over her, then managed to shift her around so he could sweep the other side.

Through my own haze of pain, I saw his bright lights pause on the small of her back.

“It has a claw in her,” he said. “Let’s take her back to the motel.”

I swung my legs in and held the girl against my chest. He angled her legs in, closed the door for me, and took care of the gas pump before he trotted around the car’s hood. Once he slid behind the wheel, though, he just sat there.

“You do know how to drive, right?” I asked, wondering at the delay.

“I got my driver’s license a few weeks ago.” He stared out the windshield.

“That didn’t answer my question.”

“I just never drove a car this … wide.” He turned the key in the ignition.

“What do you drive? One of those teeny electric cars?” I snorted in derision. “Just go easy on the gas pedal with this old girl. She packs a punch.”

He drove over to the motel and brought us to a smooth stop in the parking space outside our rooms.

“Good job.” I was surprised. “Most new drivers slam on the brakes and the passengers all go flying.”

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