The Most Magical Halloween

Chapter 2-2

Kellan opened his eyes. There was a sense of disorientation. He looked all over the room. It took him a moment to realize he was lying on his bed inside the bedroom of his rented apartment. The next thing he heard was the sweet sound of the birds chirping outside. He fully expected to feel lethargic after his nightmare, but he was surprised to discover he felt fine. In fact, he felt invigorated. It was as if the horrible dream had never occurred, and he had experienced the most wonderful sleep ever.

He continued to lie down on his bed for several minutes longer before sitting up and stretching both arms above his head. It was time to shower and get some breakfast into his growling stomach. He was filled with a sense of euphoria. It lasted all through his morning shower and breakfast. When he arrived in the office, Darwin stared at him with a hint of suspicion, which would usually irritate him, but he was in an incredible mood. He was determined not to let his best friend spoil that for him.

Darwin had brown hair and a pair of beautiful hazel eyes. The man was good-looking, standing at six feet tall and weighing one hundred ninety pounds of sculpted muscles. Kellan had the worst crush on Darwin, and he was more than willing to give up one of his balls, or even both of them, if his best friend would just reciprocate his feeling. It wasn’t as if Darwin was a heterosexual male. Aside from their supernatural abilities and their constant interactions on a daily basis at the agency, they also bonded instantly all those years ago when they came out as gay men to each other on the first day they met.

Kellan glanced at his reflection in one of the glass walls. He was an inch taller and fifteen pounds heavier than Darwin. His muscles were much bulkier than Darwin’s. He didn’t think he was as handsome, but he had received enough compliments from his past one-night-stands. They loved his dark blond hair and green eyes. They thought he was cute. He wished Darwin would give him a hint of possibly being attracted to him. They spent a ton of time together. Officially, they worked side by side five days a week up to ten hours per day. However, their line of business meant they were on-call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

In addition, they got together outside of work often enough. They would eat most of their meals together and hang out at the bars after work or on their off days. They also hit the gym together at least five times a week. They had seen each other naked or even half-hard while showering or changing in the locker room of the gym. However, Kellan didn’t have the guts to ask Darwin out. Not only were they excellent work partners, Darwin was also his best friend and confidant. He was terrified of losing Darwin in case the man didn’t feel the same way about him. He could only suffer in silence. No matter how much he yearned to have a romantic relationship with Darwin, it wouldn’t be worth losing his best friend over if the man simply viewed him as a friend and nothing more.

His wonderful mood dissipated a few minutes after lunch when Darwin knocked on his office door. He noticed the grave expression on his partner’s face immediately. He had a sinking feeling he was about to receive horrible news. He beckoned Darwin to enter and take the seat across the table from him, and his partner did so before heaving out a sigh and remaining silent for a while. He and Darwin shared a small office space in the suburb of Los Angeles. The place they rented was nothing fancy. It was big enough for them to have their own tiny offices, separated by a glass wall, along with a sitting room right by the main entrance where he and Darwin could chat with potential clients who visited them instead of calling or e-mailing them.

He faced Darwin and raised his left eyebrow at his partner and best friend. “Out with it.”

Darwin appeared to hesitate for a moment before placing his forearms on the desk. “Lucinda is dead. Magdalene contacted me a few minutes ago. Apparently, Lucinda called Mag yesterday evening and made an appointment for this morning at seven o’clock. Mag rang the bell at Lucinda’s house multiple times, but there was no answer. She got an abrupt vision of blood and scratches a few seconds after that. That was when she dialed 911. The police found Lucinda dead in the kitchen with scratches everywhere on her face and body. Lucinda had bloody, gashing wounds everywhere.”

Kellan gaped at Darwin in shock. “She…she was fine when we left yesterday.”

“Mag told me an evil spirit got to Lucinda late last night. I believe Mag. She’s one of the most powerful psychic friends we have.”

Kellan opened his mouth before closing it again, and it took him a while to get the words out. “I don’t doubt Mag. Her ability is genuine. What are we going to do?”

Darwin shrugged. “I’m certain the police will want to talk to us soon. Mag said not to worry, though.”

“Huh?”

“Apparently, one of the detectives used to work for a supernatural division for the FBI.”

Kellan was even more astounded now. “The government has a supernatural division?”

Darwin chuckled. “I know, right? Shocking.”

“You can repeat that.”

Darwin snickered. “Anyway, there’s something we can do in the meantime.”

“What’s that?”

“Mag has given me the address of one of her friends.”

“Another psychic?”

“An exorcist.”

“Real or insane?”

Darwin shot Kellan a withering gaze. “Mag will never deceive us, K.”

Kellan heaved out a sigh. “I know. I guess I’m still shocked by Lucinda’s sudden death. I’m not thinking clearly at the moment.”

Darwin smiled. “I’m as surprised as you are. Let us pay Mag’s friend a visit. It will at least get us out from the office for an hour or two. Mag promised her friend knows we will be stopping by.”

Kellan grinned. “That sounds great to me. What’s the name of the exorcist?”

“Endymion Vano.”

Kellan snorted. “Endymion? Like the one from Greek mythology?”

Darwin chortled. “I had the same reaction when Mag told me. Anyway, let’s get going. I’ll drive.”

“Of course, you will. You’re a control freak.”

Darwin glared at Kellan. “No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are, but that’s okay, D. I like you just the way you are. Besides, I don’t want to hear you ranting nonstop about my driving skills all the way to Endymion’s place. My eardrums are important. I also treasure my sanity.”

“You’re already certifiable. What’s new?”

“f**k you.”

“I don’t think you can do that, man. That half-inch stump on your crotch can’t do the job properly. I’ll pass.”

Kellan laughed much louder now. “f**k you, asshole. My d**k is much larger than that minuscule toothpick inside your pants.”

“Whatever lie you need to tell yourself to help you sleep better at night is fine by me. Come on. Let’s go.”

Kellan guffawed and mock-punched his best friend, who smirked at him in return. His mood lightened up considerably after that. He was thankful he had someone like Darwin by his side. His job would probably not be the same without Darwin as his partner. As the two of them made their way to Endymion’s place, they continued to joke around and tease each other. The day was turning out all right in spite of the horrific news about Lucinda.

Kellan decided to put the woman’s death to the back of his mind for the time being. Instead, he was going to enjoy this impromptu trip out of the office with Darwin. Moreover, they were about to meet up with an exorcist. Endymion wouldn’t be the first exorcist they had the opportunity to interact with, but first meetings were always fresh and exciting. Anything would be better than sitting in the office and waiting for the police to come knocking on their door. That would be too depressing, especially on a day when he was in such a joyful mood. He hoped this trip to Endymion’s place would turn out to be fruitful.