Exorcism (For those sticking around after the rescue)
Wasn't the first time he'd had inhumanly strong fingers around his throat. Didn't make the fear any less tangible, but it made it easier for him to deal with. He knew that to keep up the act, he couldn't let the fear show. He was supposed to be trusting that Faith was still in there and that she could take back control, and showing fear would have shot a big hole in that routine. Besides, he didn't want Faith to have the memory of his face twisted in fear like that.
So he just smirked at the demon instead. "Demons lie." It was all he had time for before the knife went up, and a second later everything seemed to change. Her eyes cleared and it seemed as if Faith was suddenly back. Pike had to keep himself from rolling his eyes. God, she was trying this routine? Did she think he was special needs? This was almost insulting. The demon was underestimating him, which was exactly what he wanted.
Which meant he had to pretend he really was that dumb. That was okay. Playing dumb was something he did a lot more than people thought. "Faith?" He reached up to rub at his throat with one hand and cautiously approached her. He reached out one hand, giving the appearance that he was trying to reach for her shoulder to steady her. "I knew you could do it. Just keep that thing down for a second and it'll be all over, okay?" He knew what would likely be coming, and he wished a pummeling from an inhumanly strong opponent wasn't as common a thing for him as it was.