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“Oh yeah, of course,” I reply, pulling out the small coin and placing it in his outstretched hand.
He squeezes his eyes shut and beams with pursed lips as he clutches his token, doing a little sway of happiness. I have to say, it’s extremely cute.
“It’s so good to have my token back,” he sighs and slips it inside his pocket for safekeeping.
He pulls the sheet from my dad’s body and pops open one of the bottles, before pouring what looks like green paint over his skin. He rolls up his sleeves and begins rubbing it in. You know your life has taken a turn for the surreal when you find yourself standing in a room while a half demon is massaging your father with green paint. However, there’s no doubt this isn’t paint. It solidifies into a skin-like substance, sort of like a face mask.
“What is that stuff?” I ask.
“A demonic healing lotion. It will extract all of the evil from your father’s pores. I know it simply looks like he’s been burned, and he has been, but that’s not the whole case. The blisters are a symptom of the infestation.”
“Infestation?” I squeak.
“That’s right. Any human who spends time in hell becomes infected by its atmosphere. As I mentioned before, human constitutions are not made to survive there, in any alternate dimension in fact.” Edwards turns to Finn and Ira. “Boys, you wouldn’t mind turning him over for me, would you?”
They both do as he asks, rolling my dad over onto his front. I choke down the urge to gasp in horror when I see his back, because branded into his skin are the numbers 666.
“Jesus H. Christ,” Finn swears, taking in the sight before him.
Edwards picks up another bottle, this one with blue liquid, and pours it directly onto the numbers. “Those appear more sinister than they are,” he explains. “When the dimension cottoned on to the fact that I was trying to take your father home, it marked him to make things harder for me.”
“How would that make things harder?” Finn asks.
“Imagine it like an infernal tracking device. With the mark on him, Martin couldn’t be moved without the dimension knowing about it.”
“So how did you manage to move him then?” I put in.
“Ah, now that would be telling. All of us demons have our tricks.” He taps the side of his nose.
The blue liquid sizzles into the numbers and they disappear. “You see,” says Edwards. “Easily reversed.” He pauses and frowns. “It’s saving his mind that’s going to be the hard part. Tegan, this might be difficult for you to hear, seen as you’ve only just had him returned to you, but I may need to bring Martin to England with me for a time. If I can’t heal his mind here then I’ll need better resources, and I only have those kinds of things back at my home.”
I absorb this information and steel myself. I don’t want Edwards taking my dad all the way to England, but if it means he’ll get better then I’m all for it. “Whatever it takes,” I say to him.
“Very good. Could you have his passport ready for me, just in case?”
I shake my head. “I don’t know where any of his things are. He sold our house before all of this happened. I have no clue where he was living before he got taken for the ritual.”
“I can help you out with that,” Finn pipes in. “I know a fella who knows a fella. I’ll get a new passport sorted for you.”
I smile at him in thanks, even though I know I don’t deserve his help. I hate it when people are too nice for their own good, because it always makes me feel like a user.
We all watch in silence as Edwards finishes smearing various kinds of liquids over my dad. I bring him a towel to wipe his hands off with once he’s done. I cover my dad’s body again with the thin sheet. His breathing is deep now, as the healing lotions work their way through his system.
“Tegan, would it be too much trouble for you to arrange a place for me to stay tonight? If there’s no room I can find a hotel, but I am very tired.”
“Are you serious? It’s no trouble at all. After everything you’ve done for me I should be putting you up in a golden palace. We don’t have any free rooms here, but do you remember my vampire friend, Ethan?”
“Cristescu, I do indeed,” says Edwards with a nod.
“Well he happens to have a spare bedroom going, and he lives just across the street. I’m sure he won’t mind putting you up.”
Edwards seems delighted with this and we pack up his things, before Delilah and I escort him over to Ethan’s. I’m glad Delilah’s around to let us into the house, because I’m a little embarrassed to see Ethan. Just thinking about what happened last night makes me blush.
Thankfully, Lucas is the one to answer the door. Delilah flounces in by him, showing Edwards to the spare bedroom. I stand in the hallway as Lucas regards me with a smirk.
“What?” I narrow my eyes at him.
“Ethan was looking for you.”
