Sin Eater: Complete First Season Read online

  by

  P. K. Tyler

  and

  Jessica West

  SIN EATER is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real people, places, or events is purely coincidental and not the intention of the authors.

  No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without the proper written permission of the appropriate copyright holder listed below, unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal and international copyright law. Permission must be obtained from the individual copyright owners identified herein.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  SIN EATER copyright © 2015 by P. K. Tyler and Jessica West

  Cover Art Design copyright © 2015 by P. K. Tyler

  Table of Contents

  Episode One

  Episode Two

  Episode Three

  Episode Four

  Episode Five

  Episode Six

  Episode Seven

  Sin Eater

  Season One

  Matthew 17:18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly.

  EPISODE ONE

  Chapter One

  Nik ordered a vodka on the rocks with the last of his cash until payday. He felt the familiar pang of uncertainty on spending his last dollar but pushed it down. He needed the release, the oblivion of a drink and a good fuck.

  He moved further into the club, past the press of grinding male bodies, and found a seat at the bar overlooking the dance floor. His gaze roamed over the gay men lingering nearest the stage moving to the thump-thump of the bass-heavy dance music. They were typically the most eager for a bit of action. He'd peruse the selection then make a beeline for that area himself, once a suitable target had been acquired.

  Nik lit upon a fine figure in tight jeans and an unbuttoned black shirt. The tall man's dark hair curled around his face. He gripped a pair of slim hips and ground against them to the beat of the music. The way he moved mesmerized Nik, so fluid and strong like he knew just how to hit all the right spots. The man’s broad shoulders rolled with his rhythmic thrusts. His partner bent forward, his hands on his knees for leverage.

  Nik's mouth watered. He couldn't get a good look at his face because of the angle and the other dancing bodies blocking his view, but he managed to sneak a look at the man behind him. He was hot. Nik licked his lips as he traced the lines of the guy's muscles up from the waistband of his pants, across the hard planes of his abs. A spray of dark hair spread across his chest.

  Nik expected the guy's chin to be pointed down as he gazed upon the man he ground into. Instead, he faced in Nik’s direction.

  That was just fine by him.

  The guy could have been a modern reincarnation of Michelangelo’s David. Gorgeous, full, fuckable lips.

  A brief fantasy of joining the couple and seeing what kind of sin the three of them could create together had him hard before his drink arrived.

  His eyes…

  Ah, shit.

  Not so fuckable after all. The endless depths of those eyes gave away the demon within. The vodka must have dulled the telltale throb behind his temples when a possession was nearby.

  How could he have missed it? The hell ridden spirit didn't even try to hide what he was. But here, in the dark corners and swirling lights, it was easy to overlook details. Besides, it wasn't like anyone really stared deep into each other's eyes at Fubar. Attention tended to be trained on matters further south.

  Nik stared at the demon and the fucker grinned. Notorious exhibitionists, demons always gave themselves away, they couldn’t help themselves when it came to showing off. Nik nodded his head at the possessed man. Maybe if he could lure him away from his partner he could make short order of exorcising it and still salvage his night. With his long hair and solid build, Nik knew he was attractive even if he still thought of himself as the skinny kid who’d get his ass kicked at the group home. And the demon had no way of knowing who Nik really was.

  The demon bent his head to whisper in his dance partner’s ear, leaning close enough to be heard over Fubar's pounding bass. They left the dimly lit dance floor, arms wrapped around each other’s waists and headed to one of the private spaces lining the club's far wall, perpendicular to the stage.

  Nik watched through the throng as bodies danced in time to the lights pulsing with the beat of the music. The dull pounding behind his left eye intensified the longer he watched the beast possessing an innocent man’s body. It demanded he fulfill his duty as a Sin Eater, a saver of souls, an exorcist born into this freak show of demons and evil. He looked around the club, wishing he could just walk away. He’d given his whole life to this fucking mission.

  The demon led his partner around the edge of the room, parting privacy curtains and peeking into three spaces before finding an empty room. He pulled the heavy, burgundy velour drapes wide and left them open. Taking a seat in the middle of the curved sofa, the demon kept his gazed locked on Nik as he spoke to the man with him.

  The man looked over his shoulder and searched the bar until he spotted Nik. When they made eye contact, he gave Nik a grin as wicked as the demon's had been. Perversity didn't only belong to the spirits of hell. Nik wouldn't have minded a little back room deviance himself tonight, but his plans had clearly changed.

  The demon unzipped and pushed his pants down to his thighs, lifting his ass off the duvet just enough to free his dick. Only then did he return his attention to his partner, who knelt down in front of him.

  Nik sat at the bar, barely thirty feet from the backroom action. He craned his head but couldn't see the demon's cock in the guy's mouth. The head bobbing up and down painted a clear enough picture. He knew he should act, separate them and get on with sending the demon back to hell and saving the man he possessed, but he was just so tired of having to sacrifice his life, his body. What he did was good, he knew that. Things were getting worse in the battle over souls; it seemed he couldn't go anywhere without running into one of these assholes anymore. The fatigue of what he did and the limits it placed on his life wore him down. He was 24, for Christ’s sake. He should be out partying, not chasing demons to kill his headaches. This sin eating shit was getting old. Lost sleep and too many quick, shitty meals left him feeling like he was slowly disappearing. For a moment, he considered just letting this one get away.

  The man on his knees started with slow, long strokes, then picked up the pace. When the demon's hands fisted in his hair, the man slowed down again: a pro at drawing out the pleasure.

  Getting head was one thing: getting good head...

  Fuck, that's hot. It had been a while for Nik. The demon came first, naturally. Demons weren't known for their generosity. He shuddered and bucked on the decadent lounge, straining and stretching for anyone who cared to look. His eyes locked onto Nik's as he came in his lover's mouth with a moan.

  No one else watched. No one but Nik. He swept the crowd, somewhat astonished that he was the only one staring. Everyone else focused on just trying to get laid, too busy to care about some backroom hookup unless it involved them. He'd come for that too, until spotting the demon...

  The man between the demon’s knees climbed into his lap, blocking Nik’s view of those abysmal eyes. The demon leaned forward to whisper in his lover’s ear before shoving him off his lap with a visible laugh.

  The demon fixed his pants and said something else to the man before heading toward the back exit. He stopped with his hand on the push bar that would open the door and looked at Nik over his shoulder.

  He beckoned toward t
he door with a quick motion of his head, then winked and left the bar.

  Nik slammed his drink down and pushed off from the bar, heading toward the demon. He elbowed through the crowd, but bodies and eager offerings slowed him down.

  Nik disentangled himself, leaving behind a few offended queens, but he couldn't let himself care. He had a demon to expel and, as far as Nik knew, he was the only one who could stop these fuckers once they possessed someone.

  Outside, the city night had chilled. Nik ran out the door, still wearing his leather jacket. Manhattan in November usually thrummed with life and lights, but the alley behind Fubar might as well be at the end of the world. Nothing existed but him and this evil sonofabitch. He looked down the alley just in time to see the possessed man turn left into the darkness. Demons felt a certain kinship with the darkness, perhaps recognizing the taint on their souls on a subconscious level. But dark itself wasn't evil, simply an absence of light. Nik learned long ago that all the dark did was make these creatures easier to see. In contrast to the darkness of shadows when the sun drops beyond the horizon, the moon or passing cars cannot penetrate the completely black eyes of these monsters. Their souls cannot even reflect a pinpoint of light. The inky depths made for small targets, but it was enough.

  He ran after it, not worrying about the sound of his heavy leather boots against the pavement. The demon had no clue what he’d gotten himself into when he invited Nik outside.

  Nik turned the corner at a run and almost slammed right into the possessed man.

  The thing leaned against the brick wall with his arms crossed in front of his brawny chest and a smirk planted on his face. The man was stacked, almost as tall as Nik and nearly twice as wide. Goddamn, if he wasn’t exactly Nik’s type. In other circumstances, he’d love to be back here with exactly this man doing anything else, preferably having his brains fucked out. The dark shadow of a stubbly beard outlined a strong, chiseled jaw.

  “I was hoping you’d find your way out here,” he said with a red glint in his eye. The blackness of his pupils didn’t reflect the small light above the back door the way a normal human’s would. Instead it swallowed the illumination, leaving nothing but blackness and death.

  Nik smirked. “I bet you were.”

  “Now that you’re here, why don’t you come closer?” The larger man pushed off the wall and approached Nik. He placed a hand on Nik’s bicep and pulled him close. “Mmm, you are a delicious little thing, aren’t you.”

  “Not so little,” Nik challenged before pressing himself against the demon until he’d backed him up against the wall.

  Still thinking he was about to get laid, the demon chuckled and ran his hands over Nik’s sides. “I bet you’re not.” He licked his plump lips and angled his head up toward Nik’s tall frame.

  Before the demon had a chance to move in for a kiss, Nik shuffled back and pressed his forearm against the demon’s neck, holding it in place with the force of his attack.

  “What the fuck?” The demon choked out, but when Nik smiled a look of fear overcame his face. “What are you?”

  “Isn’t that what people usually ask you, hellbeast?”

  The possessed man’s pulse quickened and he wrenched away from Nik’s hold, but he didn’t get far.

  Nik clenched his fist, muscles primed and aching to attack. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  The demon backed away and narrowed his eyes.

  Back-alley fights and hours training at the boxing gym had toughened Nik over the years. Even though he retained his thin physique, underneath, he was solid muscle. He’d taken his share of beatings from humans and demons, but now he was in full control of his body. When Nik swung, his fist connected directly with the man's jaw, sending him to the ground.

  He hated to hurt the guy, it's not like the body who would feel the ache tomorrow had done anything wrong, other than being a little weak-willed. But the demon inside had to be subdued.

  The creature pulled to his knees and hissed, his eyes flashing to all black, the whites obliterated as the evil within swelled like a posturing animal.

  He lunged and Nik spun around as the demon dove past instead of into him. Using his momentum, Nik aimed a kick at the back of the demon’s head.

  But the demon had dropped low as he sailed past, anticipating Nik’s move. He rolled to the side and regained his feet, spreading his arms wide as though he would take flight. He raised one hand high and curled the other into a fist.

  Nik stopped and waited for the inevitable attack.

  The demon closed the distance and swung one fist while raising the other.

  Nik easily dodged the swing and dropped into a low roundhouse kick, catching the demon at its middle.

  The breath of the demon whooshed out in a rush and he stumbled forward. Unable to keep his footing, he pitched forward, face-planting the concrete.

  The demon’s landing likely did more damage than Nik’s kick had, but he’d take any advantage he could get. He turned the man over onto his back with a well-paced kick into his ribs.

  Still struggling to catch its breath, the demon’s mouth gaped open.

  Nik straddled the demon and dropped onto his knees, landing on the demon’s shoulders and pinning it down.

  It bucked beneath him.

  Nik grabbed a fistful of hair and lifted its head, slamming it back onto the ground.

  It moaned, briefly dazed, but locked its fierce gaze onto Nik once more. Its strength was fading, the whites of the possessed man’s eyes seeping back in. Still the demon glared at him.

  “Tu xlaswylz qedd ojyfry ty.”

  He couldn’t be sure what the demon said, they never made sense with their nonsense language he wasn't even sure was a language, but was fairly certain it wasn’t just whistling Dixie. It was a last ditch effort to keep the host alive; to save what it considered its own life.

  Nik had seen this before. The moment when the evil within clung to its host even though hope was lost. Men like this sometimes foamed at the mouth, or spoke the language of the damned, trying to frighten off some half-wit priest who thought exorcisms were something that could be taught in seminary.

  Nik was no priest. He knew better.

  He kneed the demon in the gut, cutting his words short and immobilizing the possessed body long enough to grab the bottle of holy water from his jacket pocket and flip off the top with his thumb. He held it over the mouth of the struggling man, forcing the holy fluids into the possessed body. "This is the fountain of life, water made holy by the suffering of Christ, cleansing all the world. You who are washed in this water have hope of entering Heaven's kingdom."

  Nik pressed his hand against the demon's forehead and said, "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

  The man's forehead smoked, burning the evil within.

  The demon screamed, his back arched so his bellow aimed up into the sky. Perhaps a prayer of his own, but Nik knew God wasn't listening.

  Nik traced the symbol of the cross, an ancient symbol of sacrifice and enlightenment, onto the man's forehead, leaving behind red skin that bubbled and burned in its wake.

  "I exorcise you, evil Devil, enemy of truth."

  The man's legs gave out, and Nik relaxed a bit on top of him, the worst of the physical fight over.

  The demon screamed. Black oily smoke pushed out of the man's nostrils.

  Nik removed his hand and watched as the man clutched his throat, the darkness within forcing its way out of his mouth.

  The man writhed as the smoke thickened. It slid from his throat, over his teeth, until finally a mass of putrid evil hung in the air above his gasping body.

  Nik reached out and gathered the mass, the Sin, into his hands. The smoke tried to wisp away from his grip but couldn’t escape Nik’s hold.

  "Forgive me Father, for I have sinned," Nik said before stuffing the blackness into his own mouth and swallowing it whole.

  A familiar burn churned through his system.
/>   The thick taste of evil spread across his tongue and oozed down his throat. He gagged, the taste pungent and bitter.

  He slid off of the man and crawled away.

  The man on the ground moaned, his eyes rolling in his head. He rolled over onto his side just as Nik heaved.

  Nothing came at first, it never did.

  Nik recited the rites of exorcism, again and again, whispering. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath through his nose. When the heat in his belly cooled, he opened his eyes to see the exorcised man holding his head in one hand and leaning on his other elbow. He was coming around just as Nik finished up.

  Aside from these exorcisms, Nik hadn't done much praying in his life. But as he started heaving again, he repeated the prayer burned into his memory at Catholic School long ago.

  "Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name."

  Nik heaved, feeling as if an invisible hand pulled the contents of his stomach up through his throat.

  "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done ..."

  He heaved again while the guy next to him regained his senses and stood.

  "On Earth as it is in Heaven."

  "Heh, buddy... take it easy. I'm feeling it too, but it's early still to be that drunk." The guy stumbled back into Fubar and left Nik to empty the contents of his stomach, ignorant that his very soul had just been saved.

  "Amen." Nik heaved one last time and thick, black goo slid up his throat, out of his mouth, and dropped into a tiny puddle at his feet. The tarry goo bubbled and hissed, steam rising as Nik recited the exorcism rite yet again. It dissipated and returned to its rightful place within its master's domain.

  Aside from a slight tar flavor on his tongue, Nik was no worse for the wear. Just another day at the office.

  He checked his cell phone: only 10:30 PM and even though the demon hadn’t been much of a fight, his stomach churned and he longed for bed. Nik turned to re-enter Fubar and exit back out the front, but flashing red and blue lights at the end of the alley stopped him.