Page 90 of Forbidden! Exorcist Roommate
How did I feel about him?DidI love him?
The question made my face heat up. It seemed illicit to think about that, but at the same time, I felt like the answer was right on the tip of my tongue...
I closed my eyes and dozed off.
20
Sagitta
I hada nightmare about my father.
Standing from a distance, I watched the car wreckage burn. Dark smoke choked the air and flames licked the black night sky.
I knew it wasn’t real. It was not a memory. I’d never visited the scene of the accident. But my vivid imagination wouldn’t let me forget it.
I had another nightmare about Cygnet berating me.
The intoxicated driver survived, but our father did not. Cygnet was convinced the other driver was possessed by a demon. In my dream, it was Faust.
When I told my brother that wasn’t true, he argued with all his might. He called me a failure of an exorcist. That the accident was my fault.
In my dream, I started to believe him.
It bled into a third nightmare, where Chase was no longer possessed by Faust and Cygnet’s attack sliced him open before I could stop it.
I roused, but a cry was trapped in my throat. I wanted to wake up, to be fully conscious and in possession of my own actions, but sleep and the lingering nightmares still had their claws in me. When I tried to gasp, it came out as a low moan.
“It’s okay.” It was Chase’s voice. Real. “You’re good. I’ve got you.”
His strong arms wrapped around me. They were real, too.
Chase’s warm breath touched my ear. “You’re okay.”
I shuddered, then relaxed. If he was here with me, speaking to me and touching me, then I was awake. I was in the real world. The nightmares were over, and I didn’t have to think about them anymore.
A long, shaky breath left me. I was immensely grateful to feel Chase’s broad back pressed against me, and to have his forearms draped across my chest.
“Are you okay?” Chase asked.
I swallowed past the dryness in my mouth. “Yes.”
I shuffled around to face him, then nestled into his neck. His soft warmth and familiar scent were comforting.
“Bad dream?” he asked.
I nodded.
He threaded his fingers through my hair. “Sorry. I hate those.”
I nodded again.
“What time is it?” I rasped when I could finally speak.
“Two PM.”
That nap went way overboard. I would’ve groaned if I had the energy, but I couldn’t muster it.
“Don’t beat yourself up about it. You were really tired,” Chase explained.
