Chapter 3 Chase #2
In the depths of my mind, I felt him grinning. All of his teeth were sharp and pointed. “Let’s make a deal. I repeat what I said in exchange for one donut.”
“Fine!”
“Thirty feet behind you, on the right—one assailant with a long-range weapon. A bow, I’d guess. Then another human forty feet behind us in the other direction, armed but not wielding, watching closely.”
My blood ran cold as Faust’s intel washed over me.
How did he know all that?
And why was I being watched by people with weapons?
As indecision gripped me, my body turned to stone. I didn’t know whether to run or yell for Sagitta louder. Did he know there were assailants in his temple?
“Oh, you sweet summer child,” Faust cooed.
The demon in my skull was no help at all. I glanced to the exit, the same way I’d come in. I could make a break for it.
A second later, Sagitta emerged from behind a thick wooden pillar holding up the slanted roof. Although his expression was guarded, I felt a rush of warmth when I saw him. And I wasn’t thinking about it on purpose, but I couldn’t help remembering our kiss.
“You came,” Sagitta said in a clipped tone.
“Not yet, he didn’t,” Faust interjected.
“Will you shut up already?” I hissed under my breath.
Sagitta tensed. He clicked his tongue, then slowly folded his hands behind his back.
“Chase. You made a wise decision visiting the temple,” Sagitta continued. Even from a distance, his black eyes pierced me like knives. Then he shot a brief glance across the courtyard before pinning his gaze back to me. “What do you remember about last night?”
“Uh, Jared’s shitty party.”
Sagitta’s eyes narrowed. “What happened at the party?”
I blinked back at him. He was fishing for information, but what was his angle? I didn’t know him well enough to get the hint, so I went with my favorite event of the evening.
“Our kiss?” I offered.
Sagitta stiffened. His gaze blew wide open before he coughed and composed himself.
“Not that,” he ground out through his teeth.
I shrugged. “You weren’t very specific. And everything else that happened sucked. Like Jared trying to sacrifice a fish for a stupid demon summoning ritual.” I furrowed my brow. “By the way, that’s why I’m here. What happened to the betta?”
Sagitta paused as confusion washed over his face. Then, beneath his serious scowl, I swear I saw a hint of gentleness.
“You... came for the fish?” he asked.
“Yes, dude. He’s not at my place, and I know you dropped me off there. So where is he?”
“I—” For the first time, Sagitta sounded unsure of himself. “He’s safe.”
“Promise?”
“Yes.”
Something about his conviction soothed me. My gut said he was telling the truth.
I relaxed. “Okay. Now we can discuss all the other crap.”
The serious edge returned to Sagitta’s face. His eyes sharpened and he straightened his posture.
“There’s something you should know about that black book,” Sagitta said gravely. “It was an authentic grimoire. It shouldn’t have been in the hands of civilians. I don’t know how Jared got it, but the ritual—”
“Sorry, wait, I forgot to tell you something.”
He seemed annoyed that I’d interrupted. “What now?”
“I dunno about the book, but I know the ritual worked. There’s a demon in me,” I explained.
Sagitta looked like he was about to pop a blood vessel. “Why did you not say so earlier?”
“There was a lot going on, okay?”
“How certain are you?” Sagitta asked carefully.
“Well, he won’t shut the fuck up about donuts, so a hundred percent.”
In my mind space, I felt Faust roll his eyes, but for once, he didn’t have a snide remark. Maybe he was too entertained by the external drama to comment.
Sagitta glowered at me. He wasn’t amused. “If you’re telling the truth, then you’re quite cavalier about your demonic possession.”
“I mean, he’s not shooting lasers or setting shit on fire. He’s just annoying.”
Faust scoffed. “I do not shoot lasers. That is so pedestrian.”
“See? Did you hear that?” I blurted, pointing at my forehead. “He just said something!”
Sagitta stared at me with an unreadable expression.
I felt a hot flash of embarrassment. I hoped I hadn’t made an ass out of myself.
But if anyone could help me deal with the demon, I figured it was Sagitta.
He was knowledgeable, and he’d invited me to this mystical temple.
Hell, even that Fairfax guy sang his praises. He must be good.
“You can help me, right?” I asked, pleading.
Sagitta spoke slowly and deliberately. “Yes, Chase. But first, I must confirm.”
“Confirm wh—”
I couldn’t even get the word out. Fast as lightning, Sagitta whipped out a polished wooden bow and fired a bright, glowing arrow directly at me.
My brain and body were too slow to react. There was no time to get out of the way.
The arrow was about to pierce my chest.
“Ugh. Speaking of pedestrian weapons...”
Faust’s voice rang in my head, a crisp bell that soothed the pounding blood in my ears.
I lost control of my body.
As it moved on its own, I felt like a car passenger strapped into my seat. But when I commanded the car, it drove like a beat-up old sedan.
When Faust took over, it moved like a Ferrari.
With supernatural speed, my body ducked out of the arrow’s path. It struck a garden rock behind me, and the arrowhead disintegrated into a burst of light.
My body lurched. I was in control again.
I gasped for air, chilled by what just happened.
“What the fuck?” I asked breathlessly.
Sagitta stood dead still as he stared at me. He muttered a curse, then pinched the bridge of his nose.
“You are possessed,” he stated.
I wanted to snap that I’d literally just told him that information, but I was too shaken to respond. It wasn’t often that control of my body was totally wrenched from my grasp.
On one hand, I wasn’t a huge fan of somebody else driving my flesh-machine. It was my body, dammit.
But on the other... The fact that I could move with so much speed and power was awesome.
“Fun, isn’t it?” Faust asked with a wink.
I didn’t respond because the bastard could read my thoughts. He knew my opinion pretty damn well.
Sagitta stalked towards me, his bow still grasped in his fist.
I backed away. “Oh hell no.”
Sagitta arched a dark eyebrow. “You’re afraid of me?”
“You just shot me with an arrow!”
Faust gasped like a teenage girl engaged in some juicy gossip. “Ooh. Tell me, Chase. Do you find Sagitta even sexier now that he tried to kill you?”
I groaned. “Faust, will you shut up for a second?”
That name stopped Sagitta like a puppet whose strings had been cut. His eyes widened, and a shadow of dread fell over his face.
“What was the demon’s name?” he asked quietly. Almost like he was trying not to be overheard.
I didn’t understand his over-the-top reaction. Faust sounded like a typical demon name. Weren’t they all named, like, Alister or Lucifer or some shit?
“Uh... Faust?” I replied at normal volume. “Faust XIV, to be exact?”
“Aw, you remembered my full name!” Faust said chipperly.
As if he’d just received terrible news, Sagitta dragged a hand down his face.
“Chase,” he muttered. “Of all the named demons from Hell... Faust is the most infamous.”