The Purple Flame (A Mephisto Pheles/Blue Exorcist Romance Novel)

Chapter 61

I walk all the way home.

Cars continue to bypass me, and I see some of them peering over from their seats just to stare at me for a few moments longer.

If I were them, I'd do the same thing.

After all, I do look half dead.

Bella and I split ways a little after our blunts burned out, but something inside me tells me she's still following me.

She probably isn't, but I have a tendency to feel anxious around her.

I'm not exactly sure what I feel anymore. About her at least.

I'd like to think the fight we just had was our last, but that would insinuate that we've somehow become... friends.

I exhale deeply.

It's confusing, still.

But what confuses me even more is how I'm going to get past Mephisto like this.

If he sees all of this blood and my wound, he's going to have a rampage. Literally.

And he probably won't trust me to go out on my own anymore.

I sigh.

All I have to do is get in the shower and rinse off the blood, cover my cuts with my hair, and wrap new gauze around the wound right under my chest... it'll look like it's just a part of my central stomach scar.

But he's probably going to be right at the front door once I walk in.

And then the idea finally hits me.

I pull my phone out of my pocket, my eyes widening at the fact that there's no scratches to be seen... even after all that's happened tonight.

I quickly open it and call Kaji's number, my heart racing as it dials.

"C'mon, pick up already, Kaji..." I say to myself.

And the beeping suddenly stops.

"Kaji Soto speaking,"

I sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness... I was so scared you weren't going to answer."

"... Judi? Is that you?!" I hear him shouting through the speaker. "Oh my gosh, you've been gone for forever! Mr. Pheles is worried sick about you, Judi! I'll call him right away-"

"No, stop!" I quickly shout back.

"Hm? What's wrong?"

"Listen, don't let Mephisto know I'm almost there. I need you to do me a favor and get him out of our room and keep him away from there until I call you and say it's okay."

"Wait... why? Has something happened?!" He asks frantically. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine! I just... please. Please do this one thing for me. Distract him for another... 30 minutes. That's all I need."

He exhales deeply.

"Okay. Fine. But... Judi, are you sure you're alright? Your breathing is kind of-"

"Kaji, I promise you I'm okay. Nothing happened to me, I just need to-"

"Then why do you not want Mr. Pheles to see you?"

I clench my throat.

"I'm... I'm sorry for being so persistant, it's just that Mr. Pheles has asked me to be more cautious with you." Kaji says softly.

I raise my eyebrows. "Is... is that so?"

"Mhm. I'm not sure why, he didn't really tell me... but I'm just following through with Mr. Pheles' orders." Kaji adds. "But... I'll distract him."