Cygnet laughed. “Wow, that’s intimate. You must really like him. Do I need to remind you that exorcist-client relationships are forbidden?”
I wasn’t in the mood for his not-really-jokes.
“Enough,” I said.
“Where are you going to sleep? The storage room where you keep your prayer beads?”
“Cygnet,” I warned.
He could tell he’d touched a nerve, so he finally backed off. “I’m just saying. Don’t get caught with a client in your room. I won’t tell, of course.”
He veered in a swirl of black fabric and walked away. Even his footsteps against the polished wood floor sounded judgmental.
Before Cygnet disappeared around the hallway corner, he called, “I’m trusting you,pîi chaai.”
I winced. The Thai term for ‘older brother’ sounded sarcastic coming from him. The worst part was that it didn’t used to.
Swallowing a sigh, I went to find Chase.
5
Chase
The temple was a maze.It was beautiful, but it all looked the damn same.
I’d followed Sagitta’s instructions, but either he gave me the wrong info or I’d fucked it up somehow because I found myself in a different outdoor courtyard. Manicured shrubs surrounded me, along with a second pond and waterfall piece. The landscaper for this place must’ve been loaded from all the temple’s business.
“I still say we walk out,” Faust suggested. In my mind’s eye, I got the impression he was casually examining his fingernails.
“I’m not doing that,” I grumbled. “Sagitta told me to stay put.”
“You don’t have to listen to everything he says. It’s not like you’re married.”
I blushed. “Will you cut it out with the stupid remarks?”
“Ooh, that got you riled up. Could Hot Stranger eventually become Hot Husband?”
I jabbed a finger into my own forehead. “Shut up, or else I’ll choke down thirty of those weird glowing arrows, and then you’ll be sorry.”
“I’m positively quaking.”
“There you are,” Sagitta called.
I spun around to greet him. His face looked drawn and tired. Did he have some kind of meltdown in the storage room?
“Taking it hard, huh?” I offered. “It’s okay, dude. We all mess up sometimes.”
Sagitta’s brow ticked with annoyance. “Do you find this amusing? Because I don’t. You are possessed by a demon, Chase. This is a serious problem.”
“Yeah, I know. But I’m not gonna sit around and cry about it. We’ll try another exorcism again tomorrow, right?”
The tautness in Sagitta’s face went slack, as if he hadn’t expected me to be patient with him.
“Yes.” He blew out a soft sigh. “That’s a good attitude.”
He was quiet for a moment, so I scratched the back of my head and said, “Uh, I got a little lost.”
The corner of his mouth curved into the slightest hint of a smirk. “I can see that.”
