Page 9 of Fool Me Twice

Chester’s jaw tightens. “But that doesn’t change the fact that only demons should be affected by it. Not humans. NotJJ.”

Roma winces. “Well, we’ve known from the start that Chin must be manipulating JJ somehow, right? Get him invested in the little demon girl, seduce him, and cut him off from the rest of us. Make him feel like he can’t come back. And I can’t think of anything more isolating than a spell to make it so he can’t even touch us.”

Esmeralda Laguerre herself probably came up with it. Roma fights back a scowl at the thought.

Bryant looks away. “I’m not so sure. JJ was always softer than the rest of us. Maybe hewantedto leave, and Chin was just his ticket out. Maybe the corrosion vulnerability is less to keep him away from us and more to keepusaway fromhim.”

Chester stiffens. “He wouldn’t do that to us. Not after everything we’ve been through.”

“Well, maybe JJ isn’t the person we thought he was,” Bryant says shortly.

Hastily, Roma cuts in. “Regardless,” she says, “the Council wants him back. I’m not sure if it’s for testing or to see whether they can undo Chin’s brainwashing, but either way, I’ll have to earn his trust again to bring him home. Bryant, Chester, do you two really think you could pull off a false flag operation like that?”

Bryant and Chester glance at each other, eyebrows raised, and Roma breathes a quick sigh of relief. She knows that the two of them would defend each other to the death, but that would only be if they didn’t kill each other first.

And this particular tension feels familiar. Almost nostalgic. With a start, Roma realizes that they fell into these exact same roles after Naomi and Sawyer defected‍—Chester insisted that they must’ve been manipulated somehow to take away the sting of abandonment; Bryant immediately wrote them off and demonized them to distance herself from the pain. Roma was a mess, of course, drowning in the fallout from losing her sister, her mentor,andher family’s reputation in one fell swoop, and JJ‍?—

JJ made it a point to check on Roma every single day. Her chest aches at the memory. He might’ve been soft for a hunter, but sometimes, Roma really does think he was the best of them.

Not that it matters now. She forces herself back to the present just as Chester nods firmly, turning to face her. “I think we could pull it off. You’re our best spellcaster, of course, but with a bit of practice, I think Bryant and I could throw on some cloaking spells and open some rifts.”

“We’ll just have to get the Council’s permission first,” Bryant adds, and she squares her shoulders. “Want me to pitch it to them? They might take it better coming from a purebred.”

Roma chews on her bottom lip, considering. “No. No, I’ll pitch it. If the mission goes wrong, I don’t want it circling back to you. But‍—‍” She takes a deep breath, meeting their eyes. “But could both of you come with me? Just to show the Council that we’re still a united front?”To show that JJ leaving didn’t break us?

Chester gives her the ghost of a smile. “Always, Gutierrez.”

“We’ll go right after lunch,” Bryant agrees, and she shoots Roma a smirk. “For now, though, let’s get back to training. You owe me a rematch from last week.”

Roma grins back. “Bring it, Nehemiah.”

And, as the three of them stride over to the nearest sparring mat, Roma has the feeling that this is the beginning of something huge.

5

Esteban,” Ez says, leaning imploringly over the counter of Tacos Near Me. “Love of my life. Star of my heart.Pleasetell me your fish tacos are back in stock.”

Esteban looks devastated. “Esmeralda, mi amor, I wish it were true, but alas. Supply chain disruptions continue to plague us.”

Ez groans, burying her face in her hands. “You’re killing me, man.”

He pats her shoulder sympathetically. “Lo siento, amiga. You want chicken tacos, instead? Lucia makes great chicken tacos!”

“I suppose,” Ez says grudgingly, and she hands over her credit card. “Besides the unfortunate situation with the seafood, how’s business?”

“You know us, Esmeraldita. Never a dull moment.” He hesitates, lowering his voice. “And, ah. Speaking of which, I have a question for you. About what happened at Lakeside the other day.”

Ez’s heart stutters. It’s been exactly one week since she and her friends responded to the rift in the middle of Lakeside, andfrankly, she was hoping most civilians would’ve forgotten her role in it by now.

She should’ve known better, though. The Redwater Food Truck Association has a long memory, and they’re also notorious busybodies. Ez shudders to imagine the scandals that probably erupt in their group chat daily. “Sure,” she says cautiously. “What’s up?”

“It is about your friends, Cassius and Julian,” Esteban says. “When are they getting married?”

Ez gapes at him, appalled. “Seriously? A rift to another dimension opened right next to Currywurst To Go, and you’re concerned about Cass and JJ’s love life?”

“But they are such a lovely couple! And their daughter is precious.” His eyebrows knit together. “Where did they find Desi, anyway? Did they adopt her? Kidnap her?”

“A little bit of both,” Ez says. “And, despite appearances to the contrary, they’ve only actually been dating for, like, three weeks. I don’t think marriage is even on their radar yet.”

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