“No.”
“You should,” Chester says, and he taps the image. “This is the summoner you killed at the end of December—the one with the militia near the Redwater–Kingsborough border. The little girl is his daughter, Lila. She died of leukemia last October. The demon he summoned took on Lila’s appearance as her human façade.”
All at once, the world goesveryquiet around JJ.
Chester watches JJ’s face. “But you never saw this kid, did you? When you fought your way into that barn, the demon was already in its true form. Then, once you offed her summoner, you were suddenly faced with a girl who lookedjustlike your little sister. Almost like the demon poked around inside your head to find the form you were least likely to hurt.” He raises his eyebrows. “Tell me I’m wrong.”
JJ’s heart is pounding in his throat. He doesn’t answer.
“So the little demon manipulates you into sparing her,” Chester says, his voice sharp and precise, “and then Chin gets involved. What’d he say? That you could still visit her if she stayed with him? That you could raise her together?” He hesitates. “And then he changed tactics, right? Said that he’d take care of you if you defected? That the three of you could have your own little family on the outside?”
Well, that’s easy. Defect from the Sanctum and come live with us.
“And then you’d be completely reliant on him. Entirely under his power. He’d cut you off from us, from the people who care about you, and trap you somewhere you couldn’t escape. He could do whatever he wanted to you, and you wouldn’t be able to stop it. None of us would.” He takes a deep breath. “And I researched what he might do to you, too. Have you ever heard of a soul bond?”
“No.” JJ’s voice sounds numb in his own ears. “I haven’t.”
“In its most basic form, a soul bond is a connection between two souls. Remember from spellcasting class that human souls have higher energy, but demon souls are more powerful? Well, demons can harvest a human’s soul energy through one of these bonds to vastly increase their own power. But it’s a spell that generally requires both parties to consent.” Chester pauses. “So it’s also known as the most common reason for a demon to seduce a human.”
JJ tastes bile. Swallows hard.
Chester keeps talking. “Usually, the demon consumes the human in one shot. Energy flows quickly from the human soul to the demon soul—high energy to low energy—so unless they’re working with an especially skilled spellcaster who can break the connection in time, the human almost always dies. And that—that’s honestly the best-case scenario. Hypothetically, a demon could feed off a human’s soul for decades, always letting them recoverjustenough to replenish their energy before draining them again.” He hesitates. “Chin’s friend Esmeralda Laguerre is a skilled spellcaster. And Obadiah Smith has been alive for long enough to know how to drain a human without consuming them. So that’s probably what they’d do to you.”
JJ’s heart feels raw. “Chester?—”
“Tell me I’m wrong,” Chester repeats. “Cassius Chin might be a master manipulator, but JJ, this istextbook.This is exactly what a demon like him would do—whatallof them would do.” He leans forward. “They already tried to kill us once. Don’t let them finish the job.”
And JJ?—
JJ takes a shuddering breath, squeezes his eyes shut, and thinks.
Thinks about the obvious dislike on Cass’s face when they first met in DJ Ice Cream, and how long it took for that hatred to wane.
Thinks about the way Cass walked straight into enemy territory when Desi had her nightmare, and how sad he looked when he said that she feels safest with JJ.
Thinks about Cass’s unsure expression when he invited JJ for a movie day at his house, and how that discomfort relaxed over grilled cheese andWyvern Academyreruns.
Thinks about Cass teasing JJ about the strawberry incident and wearing the pocket watch JJ bought him and giving JJ his last churro and?—
Could Cassius Chin be an especially cunning con man playing the long game? Maybe. But that contradicts even the Sanctum’s own records about him, the ones that emphasize how he attacks first and asks questions later—and tacitly show that he always fights on the side of the oppressed. And, above all, Cass couldn’t fake how deeply he cared about Desi.
If nothing else, he wouldn’t hurt JJ because that would hurt her. “You’re wrong,” JJ says quietly, and Chester flinches. “I know you don’t believe that, but—but you’re wrong. And—” His throat hurts when he laughs. “And let’s be real. They’re executing me tomorrow no matter what I say. And I’m not saying anything else about them.”
Chester’s breathing sounds shaky. “JJ,” he whispers.“Pleasedon’t make me do this.”
“I’m sorry, Chester.”
“So am I,” he says, and he picks up a scalpel.
23
First question,” Ez says, scowling at the hunter across Cass’s kitchen table. “How in Nostringvadha’s name did you find us?”
Roma scowls back. “Tracking spell. Wasn’t hard.”
Cass’s eyebrows shoot up. “You got past Ez’s anti-tracking spell work?”
“Likehellshe did,” Ez snaps, crossing her arms over her chest.
