Page 28 of Exorcise Me
He looked unfairly gorgeous this morning, his dark hair artfully tousled, wearing a simple black t-shirt and jeans that somehow looked runway-ready on his perfect frame. The small silver pendant I’d given him for our six-month anniversary—a protection symbol from a tradition much older than Christianity—gleamed at his throat.
“You’re staring again,” he observed, his eyes twinkling with familiar mischief.
“Just appreciating the view,” I replied, buttoning my shirt.
“Save the appreciation for later.” He pressed the coffee and bag into my hands, then straightened my collar. “Today’s a big day. First public lecture as Dr. Callahan, occult studies expert extraordinaire.”
The reminder sent a flutter of nerves through my stomach. After leaving the Seminary, I’d spent months researching and documenting my experiences, with Lucien’s help and insights. The resulting paper—carefully anonymized but groundbreaking in its approach to demonology—had caught the attention of several academics in the field.
One thing had led to another, and now I found myself with a visiting scholar position at the university, giving my first public lecture on “Reconsidering Cross-Dimensional Entities: Beyond the Binary of Good and Evil.”
“What if no one comes?” I worried, taking a sip of the perfectly prepared coffee. “Or worse, what if they laugh me out of the lecture hall?”
Lucien rolled his eyes, guiding me toward the apartment door. “Your RSVPs exceeded capacity three days ago. And while there will certainly be skeptics, no one is going to laugh.” He pressed a quick kiss to my lips. “Besides, I’ll be in the back row, ready to smite anyone who shows insufficient respect.”
“No smiting,” I reminded him, though the image made me smile. “We agreed—no supernatural interventions in my academic career.”
“Fine, no smiting,” he conceded with an exaggerated sigh. “Just menacing glares and pointed questions that expose their intellectual inadequacies.”
I laughed, some of my nervousness easing. “That, I’ll allow.”
As we headed out, I glanced around our apartment—so different from the sparse, impersonal space I’d inhabited a year ago. Now it was filled with life: books overflowing from shelvesLucien had insisted on organizing by color rather than subject; artifacts from his centuries of existence tastefully displayed alongside my more mundane possessions; plants thriving on every windowsill because he’d discovered a surprising talent for nurturing growing things.
It was home in a way no place had ever been for me before.
The past year hadn’t been easy. Leaving the Seminary had meant losing not just my position but much of my community. Father Finnegan had been one of the few to maintain contact, our relationship evolving into something more like equals than mentor and student. He still didn’t approve of Lucien, but he’d come to respect my choice, even admitting that some of my research had made him question certain aspects of the Seminary’s approach.
My new path had brought its own challenges. Building credibility in academic circles without conventional credentials had required creativity and perseverance. And Lucien had been right about resistance from the supernatural world—we’d faced opposition from entities on both sides who viewed our relationship as dangerous or heretical.
But we’d also found allies. Other beings living quietly among humans, other scholars questioning rigid categorizations of supernatural phenomena, even a small network of former Seminary students who’d harbored their own doubts about the institution’s teachings.
“What are you thinking about?” Lucien asked as we walked to my car. “You’ve got that introspective look.”
“Just… everything that’s changed. How far we’ve come.” I took his hand, still marveling at how natural it felt now. “A year ago, I thought my life was over. Now it feels like it’s just beginning.”
His expression softened. “And to think, it all started with a failed exorcism. The Kensingtons would be appalled to know what they set in motion.”
I laughed, remembering the middle-aged couple with their porcelain cat collection and hideous wallpaper. “Maybe we should send them a thank you card.”
“Or a better interior designer,” Lucien suggested, opening the car door for me with a flourish. “Now go dazzle the academic world with your brilliance. I’ll meet you there—I have a small errand to run first.”
I raised an eyebrow. “An errand? Should I be concerned?”
“Nothing nefarious,” he assured me, though the gleam in his eyes suggested mischief of some kind. “Just a surprise for later. To celebrate your academic debut.”
“Now I’m definitely concerned,” I teased, but leaned out of the car to kiss him once more. “I love you, you know. Even when you’re being mysterious and probably plotting something outrageous.”
“Especially then,” he corrected with a grin. “And I love you too, Noah Callahan. More than I thought it possible to love anyone in seven centuries of existence.”
The simple declaration still had the power to take my breath away. “I’ll see you at the lecture hall?” I confirmed.
“Wild horses couldn’t keep me away,” he promised. “Or wild demons, for that matter.”
With a final wave, I drove off, watching him in my rearview mirror until he disappeared from sight.
* * *
The lecture hall was indeed at capacity, faces both familiar and unknown turning to watch as I approached the podium. Ispotted Lucien in the back as promised, his encouraging smile giving me the confidence to begin.
