Page 117 of Fool Me Twice

“Nine against thirty,” Cass says, smirking. “I like these odds even more.”

Roma’s heart swells. She has Ez next to her, clearly braced to blast everyone away with magic; JJ, Cass, and Obie are on her left, all of them trusting JJ’s opinion of Roma; on her right, Naomi, Sawyer, Micah, and Gregorio are all prepared to throw down for Naomi’s sister‍?—

They came back for her. Even though she gave them the chance to leave her behind, even though shetoldthem to leave her behind, they still came back for her.

And that’s worth everything. Roma steps forward, holding her ax at the ready. “Like I said,” she says, and she lights up a magic strike in her opposite hand. “Last chance to walk away.”

Hawthorne sneers. “You’rewayout of your depth here, Gutierrez,” he says, and his eyes cut to Bryant. “Nehemiah, orders?”

The rest of the hunters fall into place behind him, dropping into their fight stances, and around Roma, her new family does the same. Naomi plucks her bow and arrow out of a gap in spacetime, aiming a shot directly at Hawthorne; Sawyer whips out her escrima sticks, mirroring JJ precisely; the demons allstart shifting into their true forms, power rippling through the air‍?—

Except for Ez, who shifts instead into her spellcasting stance, her eyes focused and her hands glowing with magic. Ready to cast spells right by Roma’s side, just like she always is. Roma takes a deep breath, braces herself for the battle ahead‍?—

“Fall back,” Bryant says suddenly.

Roma jerks around to stare at her, stunned. Hawthorne looks just as incredulous.“Fall back?”he repeats, outraged. “Nehemiah‍?—‍”

“That’s anorder,”Bryant snaps, and her considering eyes slide slowly over Roma’s allies. “I think we have more than enough to report to the Council for one day.”

Out of the corner of Roma’s eye, she sees Sawyer’s eyebrows lift in silent surprise. It’s a good tactical call‍—facing down five powerful demons and four trained ex-hunters is far more than this strike force prepared for‍—but it still sends unease twining down Roma’s spine.

Roma loves Bryant like a sister, but she’s notoriously hotheaded. Frankly, the only reason she’s survived so long on a strike team is because her purebred status insulates her from the consequences of all but her most egregious blunders. If evensheis choosing to retreat rather than attack‍?—

Well. Roma doesn’t think that bodes well for any of them.

Her new friends subtly close ranks around her as the strike force slowly disappears, one row at a time, slinking back to their Sanctum trucks and vanishing like they were never there in the first place. Bryant is the last to leave, her calculating eyes making Roma’s stomach twist, until she steps into her own utility vehicle. Even after the last one disappears from sight and the sound of its engine fades, none of them truly breathe easy until Obie nods. “The ones in the back are gone, too. We’re alone.”

The atmosphere visibly relaxes. Roma finally lets her shoulders slump and her ax drop back into its gap in spacetime, unspent adrenaline making her jittery and tired all at once. “So what now?”

“Now,”Cass says, grabbing JJ’s arm, “my boyfriend and I are taking a circuitous route around the world back to our house, where our daughter is waiting for us. You should all take equally circuitous routes and meet us there. We’ll order tacos.”

And, without waiting for a response, he slices open a rift, drags JJ through it, and disappears from sight.

Obie grimaces after them. “I feel like they’re about to have averylong conversation about JJ putting himself in danger again.”

“But you both signed off on it, apparently,” Ez says. She looks almost impressed. “He’s just that convincing, huh?”

“It was an easier sell once you were back here, too. Couldn’t leave your dumb ass alone,” Obie says, and his eyes slide to Roma. “Gutierrez, you come with me and Ez. Micah, Gregorio, take Sawyer and Naomi and meet us at Cass’s place in about thirty minutes.”

“He had us at ‘tacos,’” Micah says, and in the blink of an eye, he opens a rift for them. “Naomi? Sawyer?”

Naomi briefly meets Roma’s eyes, her lips twitching. “Good job, kiddo,” she says, and Sawyer gives Roma the ghost of a smile before they disappear through the rift, Gregorio snapping it shut behind them.

Obie turns back to Roma and Ez. “You two ready?”

Ez gives Roma a small smile, holding out a hand. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m ready.”

Roma is just starting to reach back when she realizes it. Wincing, she pulls away. “Sorry. Sanctum enchantments. I can’t‍?—‍”

An indecipherable expression flashes across Ez’s face before smoothing over. “Right,” she says, and she just stands close next to Roma as Obie peels open a rift. “One problem at a time.”

And, as they leave the empty street behind, Roma feels a happiness settle into her bones that she never thought she’d feel again.

She has Ez by her side, and right now, that’s all that matters.

49

Thirty minutes later, Ez unceremoniously flops down on her usual cushion at Cass and JJ’s house. “Well?” she demands, squinting suspiciously at JJ. “Where are my promised tacos, human?”

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