This is Herman. Hana’s boyfriend.
JJ’s heart swells. Of course Cass knows all of Desi’s little dragon plushies by name, and of course he memorized all the little personality quirks Desi gave them.
He’s good like that. Especially with Desi.
JJ has adored Desi from the start, and Desi was the one who loved Cass first. Maybe, in the end, that’s the biggest reason why JJ’s chest feels warm whenever Cass is nearby.
Swallowing hard, he hovers a hand over his steaming sandwich. “Fresh out of the frying pan,” he says, giving Cass a tentative smile. “Can’t wait to try it.”
Cass smirks. “Prepare yourself foractualhome cooking, Jackson,” he says, walking back to the kitchen to grab his own sandwich. “I’ve had over two hundred years to hone my craft.”
“Cass is a really good cook!” Desi says brightly, standing up on the couch cushion and stepping onto JJ’s knees to face him. “His grilled cheese is the best!”
Hastily, JJ catches her hands, trying to balance her on his legs. She giggles as she wobbles back and forth. “Oh, yeah? What else does he cook for you?”
“Lots of things! Do you like cooking, JJ?”
“I—” Why iseverythingreminding him of his childhood today? “I used to. I made tacos a lot.”
Desi looks delighted.“Tacos!”
“Really?” Cass asks, giving JJ a skeptical look from the kitchen.
“Yes, really,” JJ says defensively. “I would pan-fry the chop meat with lots of different spices—cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder. They were—” He hesitates, considering. “Well, I’m not sure if they were actuallygood,but my parents pretended to like them, at least.”
Desi pitches forward. JJ wrestles her hands back to steady her. “We should have a taco party, JJ! You and Cass can cook together!”
JJ’s heart nearly jumps out of his chest. Fleetingly, he imagines standing shoulder to shoulder with Cass in the kitchen, mixing together spices and cutting up vegetables for Cass to sauté and relaxing into the warm domesticity of it. “Well, I?—”
“Nuh-uh,” Cass says, waving his spatula warningly at Desi.“Iam the master chef in this household, thank you very much. I can’t let JJ steal my title.”
“But he won’t be as good as you!”
JJ gapes at her, appalled.“Hey!Why can’t I be as good as Cass?”
Desi laughs. “Because?—”
But JJ never gets to hear Desi’s explanation, because at that moment, there’s a flash of purple-gold in the center of the room. JJ jerks to attention, yanking Desi into his arms as the blur of magic solidifies into a rift?—
And as an unfamiliar demon steps out of that rift, blowing his bangs out of his eyes. “Yo, Cass, Gregorio said you wanted some forms? I figured I’d—” He stops dead when he sees JJ, eyes widening in shock.“What the?—?”
17
JJ reacts just as quickly as he did the first time he saw Ez and Obie. He’s on his feet and away from the couch in a flash, Desi hugged tightly to his side and an escrima stick held aloft in front of him, keeping the weapon between them and the threat.
The threat, of course, is just Micah Devereux, and shit,shit,why the hell didn’t Cass specify what Gregorio meant by Micah “dropping by his house”? Cass figured he’d just leave the documents in Cass’s mailbox, or at leastknock!“Micah, wait—” he begins, stepping forward.
Micah, though, is still gaping at the hunter across the room. “You’re—you’re JJ,” he stammers, and Cass freezes, his heart stuttering. “Julian Jackson. From the Sanctum. What are you?—?”
How does Micah know JJ?Swallowing hard, Cass turns to JJ. “Jackson, stand down,” he orders. “Micah won’t hurt you.”
JJ doesn’t move. Desi has gone utterly still against his side, her face tucked against JJ’s scarf as she peeks at Micah.
“JJ,”Cass hisses.
“Um.” Deliberately, Micah backs away—away from JJ and Desi, towards Cass. “I’m just, uh. I’m just here to drop off some paperwork. For Cass.” He holds up a manila envelope as evidence, his incredulous eyes flickering to Cass. “And, um, I shall take my leave once I’ve dropped off said paperwork.”
If anything, the words make JJ look even more uneasy. Cass fights back a groan. “JJ, step away from the door,” he says, and he jerks his head at Micah. “Devereux, come with me. We need to talk.”
