“I see. Sorry,” I said.
Murder was the first actually demonic thing I’d known Faust to do. If I didn’t trust him, I’d be terrified. Suddenly I was intensely glad I could trust him.
But that was in the past, right? Maybe he was different now.
I coughed and joked, “We’ve all been there.”
Faust’s eyes crinkled, and for a moment, he looked oddly fond of me. “You don’t have to pretend for my sake, Chase. You’re a good lad. You should stay that way.” He patted the top of my head. “Now, hurry along and get back to your boyfriend. You two have a beautiful life ahead of you.”
Everything had happened so fast. The past week flew by in a blur. I’d wanted Faust out of my head and body, but now that my wish had come true, it felt bizarre that my thoughts would be mine alone again.
“What about you? Are you going to just leave? Where will you go?” I asked.
Faust winked. “I’ll be around.” He blew a kiss. “See you, Chase McLeod.”
Before I could say anything else, he dissolved into a Faust-shaped cloud of purple mist. Its shape melted as it flowed through the air like smoke, spiralling around me. It seeped over my shoulders and into my pockets, like one last embrace. Then it was gone.
I stood there for a few minutes. Except for my own thoughts, my mind was truly empty. Faust had moved on. He was gone.
“See you, Faust,” I murmured.
I walked back to Sagitta. He was waiting exactly where I’d left him. His face lit up with a smile when he saw me, which brought out a smile of my own. The pace of both my legs and heart sped up. I crashed into him, gripping my boyfriend in a big hug.
“You were gone for a while. What was that all about?” Sagitta asked.
“Faust was saying goodbye. He left my body.”
Sagitta’s eyes widened. “He’s gone?”
I spread my arms out wide. “I am officially no longer possessed.”
“Why?” Sagitta blurted. “After all that effort, he just up andleft? What is his problem?”
I chuckled. Even his outrage was cute.
“Faust wanted us to fall in love. Which we did. He wasn’t lying about that. Once he was satisfied, he moved on,” I explained.
Sagitta exhaled a heavy sigh and rested his head on my shoulder. “None of this makes any sense.”
“Yup,” I agreed.
“But I’m glad you’re not possessed anymore.”
“It’s gonna feel weird for a while, but I’m glad, too.” A realization hit me. “Hey. This means you fulfilled your task. You technically exorcised the demon.”
Sagitta raised his head, wearing a thoughtful expression. Then he snorted. “Faust gave me the win after all, huh?”
“He’s a pretty nice guy. Except for murdering the mayor of Hell.”
Sagitta slowly raised a brow. “Excuse me?”
It was a long story. I recounted it as we walked home, hand in hand.
26
Sagitta
It was judgment day.My time was up.
