Cygnet let out a mirthless laugh. “Think that, if it makes you feel better.”
I frowned, not knowing how to respond. It was true I’d only known Faust for a few days, but they were a pretty damn intimate few days. Yet Cygnet—the guy who had nearly offed me with a sword—was implying Faust had done something so horrible that even Hell wouldn’t put up with him anymore.
My head hurt. At this point, I didn’t know what to believe.
I wanted to ask Cygnet for details, but he looked ready to abandon our conversation.
“Before you leave, I have a question,” I said.
Cygnet huffed. “What?”
“If you’re such a good exorcist, why don’tyouexorcise Faust from my body?”
His dark eyes widened. He clearly hadn’t expected such a blunt demand. Then he scoffed.
“Believe me, I would if I could,” he muttered. “But Sagitta is a senior exorcist. It’s against our code to interfere with a senior exorcist’s active case. It’s grounds for expulsion from the temple.”
“If you care about the rules so much, then why’d you swing your sword at me? Isn’t that considered interfering?”
“Because I care about killing demons more,” he spat. “And I was pissed that you both lied to my face. Besides, nobody saw that except you two.”
“And Hartford,” I corrected.
Cygnet rolled his eyes like the doctor wasn’t even in the equation. “He won’t tell anyone.”
Maybe they were closer than I realized.
“I could easily assist you, but Sagitta is too stubborn to ask for my help,” Cygnet went on, clearly miffed. “He’d rather fail on his own.”
I bristled, feeling defensive on his behalf. “Listen, he’s doing his best. Didn’t you say Faust was an infamous demon? Of course the exorcism’s gonna be difficult.”
Cygnet’s eyes burned. “I could do it.”
“Really? How?” I asked, genuinely curious. I didn’twantCygnet to be my exorcist, mostly because it would hurt Sagitta if I went behind his back. I’d put my trust in him, not anybody else. But if Cygnet had any ideas, I wasn’t opposed to hearing them.
“You have to be ruthless. Cut them down before they can worm their way under your skin,” Cygnet growled.
“What if the worming’s already done?”
Cygnet’s face turned colder. “Then I don’t trust you. And my brother shouldn’t, either.”
He turned around, his black robes fluttering around him like bird wings. “He was distraught when I attacked you. I haven’t seen him like that since our dad died.”
A sharp, tight feeling knotted in my chest. I didn’t know I was that important to Sagitta.
“But none of it’s real. I know he’s being manipulated by that demon,” Cygnet muttered.
“What?” I asked. “How could you possibly know that?”
“That’s what they do, idiot! They twist your feelings until they get what they want!” Cygnet snapped. “I don’t like you, and you don’t deserve my trust. Not until that demon is dead and gone.”
I winced. I knew Cygnet was deep in his feelings, but it still felt like a kick in the balls.
“I’m not trying to hurt Sagitta,” I promised. “I care about him.”
“Sure you do,” Cygnet said coldly.
I bit my lip so I didn’t argue. He was in no state to listen to anything that came out of my mouth. I doubted he’d even look me in the eye until I was no longer possessed. There was nothing I could do about that, except maybe have more sex to encourage Faust to leave. But I wasn’t about to say that to Cygnet’s face. He hated me enough already.
