Page 57 of Take You Home

Not for the insidious system that bases his worth solely on his lack of hunting blood.

Obie needs to get him out of here. He needs to get Chester out of here and bring him back to Obie’s house and‍?—

His brain screeches to a halt.

That’snew. Obie wants to break the binding spell, obviously, to break the spell and leave the Sanctum and never look back, but‍?—

But he didn’t realize until now that he truly doesn’t want to leave Chester behind. Not anymore. He wants to get this stupid hunter‍—Obie’sstupid hunter‍—out of the Sanctum and show him the wonders of non-communal showering and let him sleep on a comfortable bed.

He wants Chester to defect from the Sanctum. Not to defectforObie‍—not like JJ did for Cass and Roma did for Ez‍—but for himself.

And if he happens to stick close to Obie after he leaves, well, then, that’s his business. Obie wouldn’t protest to taking care of his fugitive ex-hunter for a few weeks while he finds his footing.

Maybe even longer.

Viciously, Obie forces his thoughts away from the strangelyappealing idea of Chester curled up on Obie’s couch, a warm blanket draped over his shoulders and a mug of hot cocoa in his hands. “Well, if we keep the blinds open,” he says evenly, “then I won’t be able to help you anymore.”

Chester’s shoulders relax minutely. “I do this all the time, Obie. I don’t actually need the help. I mean, I appreciate it, but…”

Obie fights back a grimace. “Yeah, I know,” he says, leaning against the wall as Chester starts scrubbing. “I just… get bored.”

But “bored” isn’t the right word for it. Actually, it’s more like Obiewantsto help him. Not to get him back on interrogation duty any quicker, but just‍?—

Just to help for the sake of helping. To do something nice for him. And maybe to repair his reputation around the prison a little faster, so the other interrogators will stop looking at him like he’s the scum on the bottom of their boots.

None of which Obie should care about. Not one bit. And Obie doesn’t care! Really, he doesn’t. He might have bonded a bit with Chester, but that’s all based on their current circumstances.

Once they break this binding spell, all of these mixed feelings will fade away. Obie will move on with his life, and he’ll never have to think about Chester Locke again.

Maybe if he tells himself that often enough, he’ll eventually start to believe it.

18

Trevor hurls his latest bowling ball down the lane with all of his strength, but he’s already throwing up his hands in defeat long before it hits the halfway mark‍—and promptly derails into the gutter. “That’s it. I’m finished.Ruined.Kyle, you’ll have to take my place.”

Chester fights back a grin, patting Trevor’s arm. “There, there. I’m sure you’re just having a bad night.”

“A badnight?”Trevor sputters. “We’ve been having a badmonth,man! The entire team! The entirealley!”

“A month, huh?” Chester repeats, smirking at Obie. “That’s about as long as we’ve been dating, right? I think your perpetual singleness might’ve been holding the alley together.”

“Oh, soyou’rethe cause of our bowling woes?” Sasha asks, wrapping both of her arms around one of Chester’s. “Well, we’ll just have to steal you away from Obie, then. Get our good luck back. Do you prefer gents or ladies, generally speaking? Because there are a variety of other options to‍?—‍‍”

Abruptly, Obie grabs Chester’s arm, pulling him out of Sasha’s grip. “Hands off the merchandise, Sasha. He’s mine.”

Chester determinedly ignores the swoopy sensation in his belly at Obie calling him “mine.” “But it’s for the good of the team,baby,”he needles, raising his eyebrows innocently. “If we have to break up to get the alley’s winning streak back, then I think that’s only fair.”

“Nope. Nuh-uh. Not happening,” Obie says, pulling Chester tighter against his side‍—so tight, in fact, that it’s almost uncomfortable. “You’re stuck with me, puppy. Redwater Bowl will just have to suffer the consequences.”

His shoulders are noticeably tenser than usual. As Sasha jogs towards the approach for her frame, Chester pushes into their telepathic link with a frown.Is this bothering you?

For a long moment, Obie is quiet.

Chester pokes the connection again.Hello? Earth to Nostringvadha?

Obie’s eyes flash towards him. His voice in Chester’s head sounds irritated.Well, I was trying to say “no,” but apparently, that was a lie. So I guess this conversationisbothering me a little. I know it’s a joke, but‍—but how would we even deal with a fake breakup? I’d have to make you invisible again.

By the end, his voice has shifted from annoyed to frustrated. A little bit of the levity in Chester’s chest fades away, replaced by a now-familiar ache.