Chapter 2 Chase #2
His lips pursed into a pout. “We’ve only just met and you’re trying to kill me? I thought you were a protector of the small. Or whatever.”
My eyes widened. Faust must’ve meant when I saved the blue betta last night. Was he conscious during that whole incident?
“Wait, you know about the betta? Where is he?” I asked.
Faust sighed. “He’s possessed by a demon and he’s worried about a fish...”
It wasn’t like I loved being possessed by a freaking demon, but Faust didn’t seem like an immediate threat. He wasn’t forcing me to eat glass or jump off a bridge, so I figured he could wait.
Faust’s image in the mirror disappeared in a puff of purple smoke right before I turned and bolted out of the bathroom.
“Kitchen,” Faust prompted in a sing-song voice. “Like I’ve been saying this whole time.”
I paused, wondering if Faust’s advice was sincere. I risked it. Now that I’d calmed down, I noticed a few items on the counter I’d missed in my initial panic. One was a slice of cake in a plastic container. The other was a handwritten note.
“The cake. Please, eat some. I beg of you,” Faust whined.
I ignored Faust’s plea. Frowning, I reached for the note. It was torn, as if hastily ripped out of a notebook, but the text was clean and tidy, like the author couldn’t help but be precise even in a hurry.
Chase McLeod,
Thanks to your ignorant actions, you are now in grave danger.
If you want to live, find me at The Exorcist’s Temple immediately.
FYI, it’s two blocks behind Dustin’s Donuts.
With great displeasure,
Sagitta Sangkaew
My mouth twisted into a frown. What kind of note was that? And how did this person know my full name?
“You’ve got ID in your wallet, darling,” Faust supplied.
“Stop reading my thoughts,” I growled.
“Would you tell a cheetah to stop running?”
I was about to tell him to shut up again when a realization hit me. My temperature skyrocketed, making my ears feel hot.
Was Sagitta the Hot Stranger?
Phantom sparks of pleasure danced across my lips. I clamped my hand over my mouth.
I’d suspected Hot Stranger—I mean Sagitta—brought me home last night, but this confirmed it. He’d been in my apartment. I’d woken up wearing the same outfit from the party, so he hadn’t stripped me... although part of me wished he had. I certainly would’ve given him permission.
“Interesting. You don’t care that he broke into your apartment,” Faust pointed out.
“He probably used my key.”
Faust scoffed. “Oh, so it’s okay when Hot Stranger breaks in, but when Faust XIV does it—”
I let out a frustrated sound. “It’s not the same. You’re in my body!”
“I bet you wish Hot Stranger was in your—”
“Okay, okay, enough,” I blurted, blushing harder.
I had to think.
Sagitta said I was in danger. He invited me to some place called The Exorcist’s Temple.
Did that mean he could get rid of Faust?
“Not happening,” Faust insisted.
I paced in the kitchen. Even if Sagitta was rude, he clearly knew more about the occult than I did. Maybe he just took his job seriously. Being an exorcist did sound pretty serious.
But what about the blue betta? What had he done with the fish?
Concern for the poor animal swirled in my chest. I couldn’t let it go until I had closure. I had to see my rescue through to the end.
“If you’re going to the temple, you should really eat breakfast first. And by breakfast, I mean cake.”
Why was this demon so obsessed with cake?
Rolling my eyes, I opened the plastic container. A second note fluttered off the lid. I grabbed it and read the familiar writing.
Happy birthday, Chase!
Got you this cake since Jared didn’t bother lol.
BTW you were tucked into bed when I got here. Text me the details abt your date with ur hottie last night ;)
Hugs! Lily
I ignored the warmth gathering in my cheeks at her comment about Sagitta.
“How sweet,” Faust trilled. “Ooh, and it’s chocolate hazelnut flavor? She has good taste. Now, pick up a fork and put some in your mouth, please.”
The gears turned in my head. Lily must’ve dropped by early this morning and left it for me. As my best friend, she was the only other person with a spare key.
Suddenly, I squinted suspiciously.
Did I have my key on me last night?
I ran to the place where I always kept it—not in a bowl by my front door, or hanging on a hook like a normal person. I kept my keys right on my bedside table because I was a dumbass who always forgot them unless they were right in front of my face the second I woke up.
Apparently, my tactic didn’t work last night. My key was still there. I’d forgotten it last night. I must’ve been dreading Jared’s party so badly that it slipped my mind.
Which meant...
“So, Hot Stranger did break into your apartment after all,” Faust mused, loving the drama. “Ooh, how do you feel? Are you utterly betrayed? Or are you secretly titillated?”
“Be quiet,” I ground out. I gave up trying to do damage control on the heat flooding my cheeks and stormed towards the bathroom. “I’m gonna shower. Can you, like, disappear for five minutes?”
“Of course, darling. I have no interest in your naked body.”
That was a relief. Unless the demon was lying.
“I tell only the truth, most of the time,” Faust said, reading my damn thoughts again. “Although—really, Chase? A five-minute shower? You do wash everything, don’t you?”
I stripped while ignoring the nagging demon in my brain, then turned on the water and yanked the shower curtain shut.