Page 31 of Forbidden! Exorcist Roommate
He blinked a few times before sitting upright. Without thinking, I put my hand on his shoulder to steady him. It was common for clients post-exorcism to be dizzy, or even faint.
But suddenly, Chase’s eyes flew open and his cheeks flushed pink.
“I’m not doing that,” he snapped, as if arguing with the air.
My heart dropped.
The demon was still inside him.
Realizing the truth, Chase released a groan. “Fuck.”
I felt like I was sinking into a swamp of despair. I’d failed twice in a row against the same damned demon.
Who evenwasI anymore?
“Sorry, dude,” Chase mumbled. “I know you really wanted this to work. Hell, so did I.”
I sank to my knees. This couldn’t be happening. Not only would my reputation be ruined, but there was still a fucking demon on the loose.
My colleagues couldn’t find out about this. Nobody could.
But especially not Cygnet. He was a ruthless demon hunter. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust my brother, but accidents happened. What if, in his zeal to exorcise Faust, he forgot to attach his protective rosary to his blade? The unhinged anxious thought filled me with alarm.
Chase watched me, his brows knitted in sympathy and concern. He was ignorant, loud, and at times utterly intolerable, but I didn’t want any harm to come his way. Despite all his flaws, I found myself strangely endeared to this stupid jock.
What could I do? My bristling pride wouldn’t let me hand his case over to a different exorcist. No way. But that meant I had to figure this out on my own—and fast.
As if the heavens had parted above my head, I realized I still had a grace period.
Of course. It was a routine procedure for exorcisms involving higher-ranked demons.
My heart pounded. One week to follow up with Chase. One week to ensure the demon was truly gone. It was exactly the opportunity I needed.
I had an idea. A really terrible one. And it required Chase’s cooperation.
“Chase,” I said slowly. “How well can you lie?”
He cocked his head. “Uh...”
“Uhis not good enough,” I said urgently. “I need you to lie, and it needs to sound convincing.”
Chase pulled a face like I’d asked him to write a ten-page essay. Then he paused, staring into nothingness.
By now I recognized that dumb expression. He was listening to the demon whispering in his ear.
“I’m not a great liar,” Chase began, “but I know somebody who is.”
After running to my room and packing a quick bag, I rejoined Chase. We set out in a brisk but unbothered pace towards the front gate. Rumour had spread that I’d exorcised a high-rankingdemon, so we got a few admiring looks, but nobody stopped to question us. After all, why should they? I was damn good at my job. They all assumed Faust was gone and Chase was demon-free.
And yet, it was only a matter of time until a certain somebody stopped us.
“Where exactly are you going?”
Cygnet’s cutting voice came right on cue. He caught up with us right before we reached the front gate.
My heart flipped, but I remained calm.
“Out,” I replied.
