Page 16 of Forbidden! Exorcist Roommate
I could not believethis was happening.
Not only did that idiot disregard my words at the party and drag us both into this mess, he justhadto do it with Faust, of all possible demons. How ignorant could he be?
After taking a moment to compose myself, I glanced at Chase, who was engaged in a heated argument with thin air.
With Faust XIV. The demon who had been banished from Hell.
Apparently, the answer wasvery ignorant.
Suddenly, the hairs rose on the back of my neck. Not because of Faust’s inherent danger, but a different threat altogether.
My gaze lifted across the courtyard. Hidden in the shadow of a jagged garden stone, Cygnet crouched low to the ground, shrouded in his usual black robes. My brother’s narrowed eyes were as dark as his expression. And brimming with judgment.
I ignored the discomfort creeping along my skin. Cygnet and I could talk later. Right now, I needed to deal with the situation before it got any worse.
“Chase,” I called.
He stopped mid-sentence, in which he was referring to Faust as a ‘donut-loving son-of-a-bitch’, and spun in my direction. Ashe turned, his dirty blond hair flopped across his forehead like the silky coat of a golden retriever.
“Yeah?” he replied.
“Come with me.”
I gave him no time to think. Without wasting another second, I turned on my heel and stalked deeper into the temple’s halls. A moment later, I heard his sneakers squeaking against the polished wooden floor behind me. The sound grated on my nerves, as did everything else about Chase.
Yet I couldn’t shake the thought that he was kind of charming. In a dumb, oblivious sort of way.
I pushed the thought away. I had to focus on my job. Most client work was simple, but this job wasn’t going to be easy.
I recalled everything I knew about Faust. A few months ago, an ancient black grimoire was discovered on our side of the veil. Demonology researchers suspected it was the key to summoning Faust. Professor Fairfax was one of the key researchers involved.
But the grimoire should’ve been locked away under maximum security. I still didn’t understand how a stupid frat boy got his hands on it.
After the grimoire’s discovery, Fairfax put a private lecture together for selected senior exorcists, myself and Cygnet included. He taught us everything he knew about the demon Faust—he was brutal and ruthless, a terror even to his fellow demons. Apparently, he was so vindictive and violent that the denizens of Hell chased him out and sealed him in that grimoire. The cursed book was supposed to remain in Purgatory, between the two dimensions, but clearly something went awry.
Aside from that knowledge, the lecture wasn’t very informative. It was mostly a chance for Fairfax to gush about his demon fascination.
I respected that man greatly. But he was definitely a weirdo.
In any case, exorcising a demon of Faust’s calibre would take my full focus. My skills and experience would be put to the ultimate test.
And I didn’t even want to imagine the consequences of my failure.
That won’t happen. I’ve never failed before. Why should I start now?
I led Chase deeper into the temple to one of our exorcism chambers. It was a private, silent room lit only by rows of flickering candlelight. Chase paused by the threshold, hesitating to come inside.
I narrowed my eyes. Did the demon sense his impending doom? Had he taken control of Chase’s body and stopped him from taking another step?
“What’s the matter?” I asked. My hand itched to reach for my bow.
Chase frowned. “It’s really dark in there...”
I arched a brow. He was afraid of thedark?
“You are ridiculous,” I said. “Step inside. Hurry. There’s no time to waste.”
Still pouting, Chase inched forward on his squeaky shoes until he stood inside the chamber. I shut the door behind him and locked it.
