Page 99 of Fool Me Twice

It’s not that Naomi and Sawyer are bad people. Ez is reserving judgment on that front, at least until she knows them a little better. But they’re both decidedly subpar spellcasters, and Ez isn’t used to working with subpar spellcasters. She’s used to working with someone who knows what they’re doing, used to working with someone who understands the intricacies of magic‍?—

Used to working with someone who’s intimately familiar with Ez’s spellcasting style. Determinedly, Ez shoves the thoughts away. “‍—‍close what once was opened!”

“‍—‍command you to close!” Naomi adds, a few beats late.

The mega-rift evaporates in a shimmer of purple-gold. Ez lets out her breath slowly, bracing herself for the next rush of power.

None is forthcoming. After a few seconds, Sawyer jumps in. “Break time? It’s almost noon, after all. We should grab some lunch.”

Ez shakes her head. “This break is only going to last for two or three minutes. We have at least another hour before our next long one.”

Naomi looks appalled. “Seriously? I’mstarving.”

“Maybe we should get some food anyway,” Sawyer says, stepping subtly closer to her girlfriend. “I can take overspellcasting for Naomi while she eats, and then she can take over for me whileIeat. Yeah?”

Ez scowls back at her. “So when am I supposed to eat?”

“You don’t need to eat.”

“Doesn’t mean I don’twantto,” Ez says waspishly, but she waves open a rift to the Courtyard. “Here. Go nuts.”

Naomi gives her a tight smile as she steps through, and Sawyer’s polite nod is just as distant. Ez resists the urge to heave a sigh as she follows them, snapping the rift shut behind her.

It’s only been three days since her sunset counterspell attempt with Roma‍—and everything that happened afterward‍—but it already feels like a different lifetime. Unfortunately, despite Ez’s most fervent prayers that the universe should be giving hersomekind of break by now, the universe hasn’t been forthcoming.

Namely because the mega-rift epidemic is still in full swing. The attempted reversal didn’t affect it at all, and since Ez is the primary demon in charge of closing said mega-rifts, she wasn’t about to call out sick.

Even if she was sorely tempted the day after everything went south.

Instead, though, she left Desi in Cass’s care, threw a glamour on JJ, and dragged him out to take a shift with her. Despite JJ’s long history with Roma‍—or maybe because of it‍—he didn’t mention her name once, for which Ez was eternally grateful.

And she was pleased to see that JJ’s spellcasting wasn’t as terrible as she expected. There was definitely a learning curve with the blocking spell, and timing his incantation with Ez’s didn’t come easily to him, but by their second day together, they’d fallen into a surprisingly smooth rhythm.

It was almost enough to let Ez forget about Roma for a few minutes. Almost.

But Ez doesn’t want to rely on JJ for the counterspell. He might be a competent spellcaster for basic and intermediate magic, but to stabilize the Deep, she wants to have options‍—specifically, options with fully human souls.

So, much to Cass’s relief, she left JJ at home today and commandeered Naomi and Sawyer, instead. It’s a decision that she’s been mostly regretting ever since. It’s not that they’rebadat spellcasting‍—Ez would describe them more as inexperienced than anything else‍—but‍?—

But, if she’s being honest with herself, she’s snappish and irritable with them for reasons beyond their control. Reasons relating to Roma, and Roma’s complicated feelings towards them, and Ez’s instinctive protectiveness over Roma’s feelings.

Which makes Ez evenmoresnappish and irritable, because she shouldn’tcareabout Roma’s stupid feelings anymore. Fighting back a scowl, she follows Naomi and Sawyer to Tacos Near Me, where she notes with some satisfaction that Esteban is deep in conversation with Falafel Nick.

Maybe someone’s love story has a chance of working out, after all.

Esteban beams when he notices them approaching. “Hello, new friends! Welcome to our humble taco truck!”

Naomi and Sawyer look visibly startled before schooling their expressions into careful neutrality, and Ez almost facepalms. That’s the problem with convincing glamours: even the people wearing them forget about them sometimes. JJ had a similar reaction when they got falafel nachos yesterday.

A reaction that Nick clearly remembers. He squints suspiciously at Sawyer. “Hm… Julian? Is that you, bud?”

Naomi whistles quietly.“Yikes.”

Sawyer looks affronted. “Excuseyou?”

“No, no,” Esteban says earnestly to Nick. “Julian walks differently, you see. It’s thewalkthat gives him away.”

“How does hewalkdifferently?” Nick demands. “Does he do something like‍—‍?” He sashays away from Tacos Near Me, swinging his hips and expertly putting his skinny jean–clad butt on full display, before raising his eyebrows over his shoulder at Esteban. “Like that?”

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