Almost like Jackson was trying to keep her happy. Almost like he was trying totake careof her.
Which is an absolutely ludicrous concept, considering what demons did to his family. Cass can only assume that the hunter was holding her for some kind of nefarious ulterior motive.
But maybe they can figure that out. “Any chance you can sift through her memories for us, Obie? That might show us what’s wrong.”
“You know I can’t just rifle around in her head without permission,” Obie says, and he looks pointedly at the inconsolable child in his arms. “And she doesn’t look to be in a very consenting mood right now.”
“Understatement,” Ez says.
Cass bites back a grimace. Cautiously, he approaches the demon toddler. “Hey, um, Desi?”
She sniffles, peering up at him. “Youlied,”she says reproachfully. “Youliedto me. JJ never lied to me.”
Irritation slices through Cass.Don’t compare me with a hunter.“Yeah, I’m, uh. I’m sorry about that. It was sort of an accident.” He gives her his best smile. “But I know how I can make it up to you! My friend Obie here can see people’s memories. Pretty cool, right?”
She wipes her nose on her sleeve. “I guess.”
“Right,” Cass confirms. “Do you mind if he takes a look at your memories? So he can—” Inspiration strikes. “So we can see what JJ is like?” he finishes carefully.
Desi immediately brightens. Cass fights back a scowl. “Okay,” she says, and she wriggles around to face Obie again. “Hi! I’m Desi.”
“I’m Obie,” he says, throwing Cass a faintly impressed look before holding out his hand. “Can I see your hand, sweetie?”
She obediently puts her little fist in Obie’s big palm, and Obie squeezes it gently. For a brief moment, silence reigns.
And then, all at once, a dozen scenes start playing out in the air around them, projected straight from Desi’s head like movies on a screen?—
—curling up in the makeshift tent in the forest next to JJ while he shows her videos about wyverns and dragons on his cell phone?—
—sitting on JJ’s shoulders while he carries her for hours at a time, listening closely and answering all of her questions?—
—munching on the warm food that JJ brings back for them to share while he reads picture books to her, doing the funny voices and smiling whenever she laughs?—
—learning how to sleep in JJ’s cozy bed while he dozes in a sleeping bag on the floor, so unlike the cold barn where she lived before?—
“Oh,” Cass says weakly. “Oh,crap.”
Jackson’s soft smile hovers in the air for a few more seconds before vanishing. Sniffling, Desi points at where it disappeared. “That’s JJ.”
Ez and Obie look just as stunned as Cass feels. The hunter actuallycaredabout her? He was actually trying to do right by her?
He was actually treating her like a little girl, not a subhuman demon?
No wonder he reacted so violently when he walked in on Cass’s heroic rescue mission. He probably felt like Cass was kidnapping his child. Discomfort swirling in Cass’s gut, he taps Desi’s shoulder. “Uh. Desi?”
She blinks mournfully at him. “Uh-huh?”
“Will you, um. Will you stop crying if I get JJ for you?”
Instantly, her eyes light up. “JJ!Yay!”
Ez and Obie both shoot Cass scandalized looks.
And Cassferventlyregrets every life decision that’s led him to this point.
4
Two days later, JJ is hovering anxiously on the sidewalk outside of an ice cream parlor, shooting furtive glances around. Every few minutes, he compulsively rereads the threatening message that led him here before crumpling it into his pocket again, trying his hardest not to panic.
