“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.”
24
Sagitta
It wasthe dawn of our final day together. At least, in terms of my grace period.
My eyes opened blearily to the sight of Chase’s sleeping form. I’d gotten far too used to sleeping beside him, and his warmth and comfort was something I never wanted to give up.
Shutting my eyes for another wink of sleep, I snuggled closer to him. With a soft grunt, Chase lifted his muscular arm and curled it around my shoulders, pulling me against his chest. I relaxed and sighed wistfully.
As I floated off, I thought about how he’d asked me the same question many times. Now, I finally knew the answer.
I knew exactly what I wanted.
“I’m going to quit my exorcist job,” I told Chase over breakfast.
He gawked at me over the table. We were in a cute cafe close to his apartment, and he was two bites into a feta omelette when I dropped the bombshell.
“You—what?” he asked, blue eyes wide.
I took a sip of my coffee, then repeated, “I’m going to quit my exorcist job.”
Chase put his utensils down and leaned forward, whispering over the hustle and bustle. “You can’t do that!”
“Why not?” I challenged.
His mouth remained open, ready to shoot a comeback, but one never came. He sat back in his seat as he mulled it over.
“That’s a good question.” Frowning, he asked, “You’re not quitting because of Faust, are you? Because Hartford said you couldn’t have exorcised him, no matter what you did.”
I shook my head. “It has nothing to do with Faust.”
Chase looked relieved, though still confused. “Why then?”
“Because I want to be a co-owner of the aquarium shop with you.”
For a few seconds, Chase didn’t react. He barely breathed. Then he sat up straighter, a serious expression spreading across his face. He reached across the table and placed his hands on top of mine. I felt a warm spark as his skin touched mine.
“You’re serious,” he said. A statement, not a question.
