Chapter 23 Chase #2
Sagitta’s face screwed up in confused anger. I was just as shocked to see the doctor standing there. Had he summoned the goat demon?
Hartford blew out a drag and snapped his fingers. The demon pinched between Faust’s claws wilted like a dying plant and disappeared in a puff of smoke. It was like it had never been there at all.
Faust put a hand on his hip and waited for Hartford to approach us. I took his nonchalance as a good sign. If the demon controlling my body wasn’t worried then I wasn’t, either. But I didn’t get a bad vibe from the doctor, even if he was gruff and slightly off-putting.
“Did you do this?” Sagitta demanded.
Hartford’s reply was as laid-back as his body language. “Yup.”
“Why?”
Hartford’s gaze slid from Sagitta to Faust. He pinned the demon—and by association, me—with a long, hard look. The warning in his gaze would’ve made me shudder if I was in control of my own body.
“Wanted to see what the demon would do,” Hartford replied, as if he was discussing the weather. He tilted his head. “You in there, Chase?”
To my surprise, Faust let me answer in my own voice: “Yeah.”
Hartford chuckled and took another drag of his cigarette. “I’ll be damned. The demon lord actually shares.”
“Wait... demon lord?” I asked.
“Demon lord?” Sagitta sputtered.
Hartford took his time putting out his cigarette. “Yes. Faust XIV is a demon lord,” he confirmed.
The colour drained from Sagitta’s face. He spoke slowly, like the bombshell had rattled him. “Professor Fairfax never mentioned that in his lecture. How do you know that?”
Hartford snorted. “What, you think Fairfax is a fucking encyclopedia? Give me some credit, kid.”
Sagitta shuffled his feet. He looked slightly embarrassed. “But... he is a demonology professor. He taught me everything I know.”
Hartford let out a derisive snort. “He doesn’t know everything.”
That was weird. Did I detect a hint of beef between the prof and the doctor?
“Anyway, when you dropped Faust’s name, I had a hunch,” Hartford went on. “Suspicious, right? Demon kicked outta hell suddenly possessing an average jock? So I did some digging. And unlike pasty little researchers who spend all day reading books, I actually get my hands dirty.”
Yup. There was definitely beef.
“Oh, the irony,” Faust said in our shared mind so only I could hear him. “The drama-loving doctor is involved in his own fair share of drama.”
Sounding concerned, Sagitta asked, “What did you do?”
Hartford shot him a mirthless smirk. “Trust me, Sangkaew. You don’t wanna know.”
“Actually, I do.”
“Well, tough shit, ‘cause I ain’t telling.”
Sagitta pulled a deep frown. “This isn’t very professional, Dr. Hartford.”
“Neither is fucking your client.” He grinned wolfishly. “Let’s call it even, eh?”
I chuckled as Sagitta pouted. Then he shook his head. “I—I knew Faust was powerful, but I had no idea he was...”
Hartford crossed his arms. “I didn’t want to tell you boys since it might give you stage fright. It’s not every day an exorcist deals with a demon lord. Not that you’d ever win that fight, of course.”
Sagitta blinked slowly. It looked like a million thoughts were racing through his head. “Then... you’re saying it was all moot? That I wouldn’t have been able to exorcise Faust, no matter what I did?”
“Nope,” Hartford agreed.
“And Cygnet wouldn’t have been able to do it, either?”
“Highly doubt it.” Hartford glanced at Faust. “Anyway, I summoned that demon to challenge you. After you protected Chase in my office, I figured you were just shielding your host. I assumed you’d let Sagitta eat shit if it meant saving your own skin.”
Hartford’s steel gaze didn’t waver as he stared Faust down. “If that happened, you’d be a proven danger to humans, and I’d be forced to intervene.”
Faust smiled.
Hartford smirked back. “But you didn’t abandon him. You actually saved his life.”
From Faust’s peripheral vision, I saw Sagitta looking at him. At us. Gratitude shone in his eyes.
“Hold on. You knew Faust was dangerous, but you let him walk around anyway?” Sagitta asked.
Hartford shook his head. “I never said he was dangerous. Not all demons are malicious. That’s why I tested him. I wanted to know the truth.”
Faust’s tail flicked back and forth. “My, you are knowledgeable, aren’t you, doctor?” he asked, amused.
Hartford winked. “I know a thing or two.”
Squeezing his eyes shut, Sagitta pinched the bridge of his nose and blew out a long breath from his nostrils. “If you’d told me a week ago that demons could be anything other than pure evil, I wouldn’t have believed you,” he mumbled.
Faust broke into a toothy grin. “And now, darling?”
“It’s no question that you’re annoying,” Sagitta said. “But I’m starting to change my mind.”
Hartford put out his cigarette. “To be frank, it’s good you were the one Faust picked to bother. Cygnet wouldn’t have accepted this so easily. He’s too set in his ways.”
“Yeah,” Sagitta agreed, sighing. “I know.”
Hartford rolled his shoulders. “Now what, o demon lord? You gonna hand over that boy’s body, or keep taking it for a joy ride?”
Faust scoffed. “Joy ride? Please. I barely got to have any fun. He wouldn’t even let me eat all the donuts I wanted.” He gestured to Sagitta. “Besides, I was barely around since all these two did was have sex. So shameless!”
Instantly, Sagitta’s face flushed pink. “Faust!”
“And the poor guy probably still had a boner during that entire goat demon altercation—”
“Okay, that’s enough, thanks,” Sagitta snapped. “Can you bring Chase back out, please?”
Faust winked. “Since you asked so nicely.”
My reality tilted. One second, I was a disembodied voice in my own mind, and the next, I was thrust back into control of my body. In the blink of an eye, Faust’s demonic features receded, leaving me as a normal human again. It was disorienting, and I swayed as I came to.
Sagitta rushed over to support me. I leaned on him gratefully.
“Hey,” I said, grinning.
“Hi,” he replied with a shy smile.
“How d’you feel?” Hartford asked me.
I looked myself over. My body was as ordinary as ever, which felt surreal after having purple skin and bat wings.
“A bit confused,” I admitted. “But overall, pretty good.”
Hartford nodded. Apparently satisfied with that answer, he turned to leave. “I better go find Cygnet before he has a fit tryin’ to hunt you two down.”
“Wait,” Sagitta called. When Hartford paused, he asked, “What about me? I never exorcised Faust, and my grace period is over tomorrow. Is it okay to just... leave everything the way it is?”
I felt sympathetic for Sagitta, but at the same time, I was proud of him. He took solace in being in control and knowing the answers. For him to be open-minded towards the unknown was a big step forward.
“Hey, no harm, no foul, right?” Hartford said. He looked at me, although his words were directed at Faust. “Anyway, I suppose it’s all up to the demon lord. What’ll it be, Your Highness? If you don’t skedaddle from Chase’s body, our boy Sagitta might be out of a job.”
“Wow, just like me,” I joked.
Sagitta rolled his eyes, but I sensed the amusement he tried to stifle. “There’s worse things to be than jobless,” he conceded.
Hartford let out a husky laugh. “That’s the spirit.”