We didn’t have guest quarters in the temple. But Chase didn’t have to know that. As long as I acted natural, he wouldn’t suspect anything was wrong.
Because it wasn’t. Everything was fine. I would fix this mistake and get rid of the demon before anyone found out about my slip-up.
As we stepped out of the chamber into the outdoor halls, I felt a prickle at the back of my neck. We were being watched.
Of fucking course we are.
“Chase,” I said calmly, “follow that hall all the way down until you reach the end. Your room is the last one on the left. Wait for me there.”
“You’re not coming with me?” Chase asked, sounding vaguely disappointed.
He didn’t seem to notice the interloper. The person watching us was well hidden. Lurking in the shadows, as usual.
“I’ll be right there,” I said, then manufactured an excuse he’d find believable. “I have to return the prayer beads to the storage room.”
“Oh, uh, sure. See you soon.”
He turned to leave, then hesitated—as if hearing the blasted demon’s voice—but he didn’t disobey my request. Soon he’d disappeared around a corner, and I was alone with my brother.
“May I help you, Cygnet?” I asked, a sharp edge to my tone.
Cygnet’s black robes billowed as he stepped out from behind a wooden pillar. The layers of dark fabric made him look biggerthan he was, although his short stature had never made him any less intimidating.
“Sounds like you needmyhelp, Sagitta,” Cygnet said sharply back.
I bit my tongue. At twenty-four, he was younger than me by five years, but he’d stopped addressing me with the proper respect for an elder a long time ago. I was used to his haughty attitude by now. At least, that’s what I told myself as a brace against his stinging remarks.
“Not at all,” I replied. I forced a confident expression that I didn’t necessarily feel. “I’ve got everything under control, so you can return to your business.”
Take the hint and quit stalking me.
But Cygnet didn’t blink. When his black eyes narrowed with suspicion, my skin crawled like I was an insect and he was the needle pinning me in place.
As soon as Cygnet was old enough to train at the temple, he’d followed in my footsteps to become an exorcist. And unlike me, he was an instant genius. The difficult skills it took me hundreds of hours to learn were trivial to him.
I was proud of him, of course. But it was also frustrating. Especially because he was such a sore winner.
Honestly, I was tired of our rivalry. I didn’t even want one in the first place. I just wanted to be normal brothers again.
When Cygnet didn’t reply, I sighed. “What do you want? I told you, I’ve got everything—”
“That man is still possessed, isn’t he?” Cygnet asked.
It took every ounce of willpower to keep my face from cracking.
I should’ve lied to him the same way I’d lied to Chase. But I didn’t want to lie to my younger brother. Not even in this awful situation.
“That is not your concern,” I said instead.
Cygnet didn’t buy it. “Not my concern? It is when you let ademonwalk free!”
“It’s not walking free,” I insisted, a bit coldly. “It’s contained. He’s staying overnight in the temple.”
“Overnight? Where?”
I exhaled from my nostrils.
“My room,” I admitted.
