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C ouncilwoman Nasir’s voice is hard and her eyes are bottomless. “Explain to me in your own words what happened last night, Gutierrez.”

Roma swallows hard, resisting the urge to fidget. The councilwoman’s office is as cold and foreboding as ever, just Nasir sitting stiffly behind her desk and Roma standing alone in the center of the room, and Nasir’s steely expression doesn’t give Roma any comfort.

The other hunters probably reported back first. Figures. Most of them are mixed breeds, and even though some of them are technically helping Roma with this operation, they’re doing it more for brownie points with the Council than out of any compassion for Roma. And as for the sole purebred among them??—

Well. Roma doubts that Bryant threw her under the bus, but considering how angry she was last night, she probably didn’t protect Roma as much as she usually would.

That means Roma’s defense is entirely on her own shoulders. Taking a deep breath, she decides to go the contrite route. “I believe that I made an error in judgment,” she says. “In my attempts to get close to Jackson again, I’ve found myself mostly targeting the demon spellcaster Esmeralda Laguerre, who’s a… friend of his. However, she’s started to get suspicious of how often we find ourselves in the same vicinity whenever the mega-rifts open, so I decided to manufacture a situation where she would have to respond from a different location.”

“So you had Nehemiah and Chester open a rift on an abandoned street corner in the middle of the night.”

Nasir’s voice isn’t quite accusing, but it isn’t necessarily understanding, either. Warily, Roma nods. “Yes. There are some bars nearby, so we knew it would be reported quickly?—and since the Chain’s Public Safety Department was busy with the rogue summoner, I figured they’d have no choice but to call Laguerre. So Bryant and Chester opened the mega-rift, I ‘responded’ to the situation five minutes later, and we settled in to wait for Laguerre.” She swallows hard. “But?—but then a demon accidentally wandered into this dimension, which clearly wasn’t part of the plan. It was an unrelated demon,” she adds hastily, “not one of the ones whose soul energy Bryant and Chester were using to maintain the rift itself.”

And they’re beyond lucky for that. Not only would Bryant and Chester have been punished for actually summoning a demon to this realm, but, well.

Roma doesn’t know what Bryant’s worst nightmare would’ve been, but she thinks Chester’s probably would’ve looked like one of the demons who murdered his family. Chester is tough, but she knows that would’ve shaken him up.

“So Nehemiah came back to the Sanctum to request further assistance,” Nasir says curtly, “while Chester stayed behind to maintain the rift.”

Roma winces. That was the one part of her plan that she really didn’t think through?—the fact that Chester would be stuck struggling to hold open the rift alone for nearly twenty minutes. She’s pretty sure that he’s still passed out from overexertion. “Right. Once Laguerre showed up, we closed the mega-rift and went after the neophyte ourselves. But by the time Bryant arrived with reinforcements, Laguerre had already calmed the demon down and the police were about to leave, and I…” She shakes her head. “At the time, I thought that ceding the round to Laguerre would ease tensions with the police and potentially make her trust me more. It was a gamble, but?—but I’m not sure if it succeeded.”

“Hm.” Nasir’s lips curve down with displeasure. “It was indeed a gamble, and one that I’d advise you not to make in the future. Although your concerns about the police were reasonable, I will remind you that your mission to regain Jackson’s trust is secondary to the Sanctum’s overall mission of retrieving demons for testing. Do I make myself clear?”

Roma nods once. “Yes, ma’am. I apologize for the error.”

“And, if you’re that worried about Laguerre suspecting you, then I’m sure you won’t protest to other hunters taking your place for the next week,” Nasir continues, and Roma fights back a flinch at the punishment. “We’ve given you considerable autonomy with this assignment, but I can see that was a mistake. From now on, I want reports on your proposed strategy for each coming week, with a particular emphasis on how it aligns with the Sanctum’s goals. I’ll expect the first by five p.m. this Friday, and you won’t be permitted to resume operations without my approval. Until then, you’re dismissed.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Roma repeats quietly, and she backs up, fumbles the door open, and slides it closed behind her, barely daring to breathe until she’s halfway down the hall.

She really hopes this works. Not only did she put herself on Nasir’s radar, but now, the other mixed-breed hunters are going to be more passive-aggressive than ever in “helping” her. Plus, gossip spreads like wildfire in the Sanctum, so everybody will probably be side-eyeing Roma by the end of breakfast. And out of the two people she knows will always have her back, one of them is still unconscious because she pushed him too hard, and the other??—

There’s a low whistle from ahead of her. Roma’s eyes fly up to see Bryant herself peeking out from behind a corner, her eyebrows raised.

Moment of truth. Stomach churning, Roma attempts a smile as she breaks into a jog to meet her, slipping down the side hallway to keep them both out of sight. “Hey, Bry.”

“Hey.” Bryant’s smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “Glad you got out of there in one piece.”

“Thanks.” Roma leans against the wall, straining her ears. She can’t hear anyone else around, but hunters are always listening. “So, uh, you knew Nasir was going to call me in?”

Bryant shrugs one shoulder. “You had to give your mission report at some point. And she mentioned last night that she wanted this handled before breakfast, so it wasn’t hard to guess the time.”

Roma’s throat feels dry. “What’d you tell her?”

Bryant shrugs again. “Just what happened, I guess.”

“Right. And?—and what do you think happened?”

“Like?—?” Bryant lets out her breath in a hiss. “Listen, I get it, okay? I really do. The Gutierrez name has been on thin ice ever since Naomi defected, and getting matched with Kenneth Long could change your future and your family’s future for the better, but you can’t start putting that above the Sanctum’s actual objectives, okay? Even the best marriage prospect won’t fix it if everyone thinks you’re untrustworthy, and??—?”

An incredulous laugh bursts out of Roma before she can stop it. Getting hitched to Kenneth Long is the absolute least of her worries right now. She wants to know if her gamble paid off, wants to know if last night’s neophyte ended up in the prison??—

Wants to know if her worst fears about corruption in the Sanctum are a reality.

But it’s not like she can tell Bryant any of that. “I’m not doing this for the marriage prospect, okay? I’m doing it to get JJ back. To get our friend back. That’s the reason for all of this, and??—?”

Bryant is already shaking her head. “Even if we get Jackson back, he’s not going to be our friend anymore. You know that as well as I do, Gutierrez. He’s not the person we remember, if he ever really was, and??—?”

Something snaps inside Roma’s chest. “I’m not like you, okay?” she bites out. “I can’t?—I can’t just turn my brain off and pretend I never cared about him in the first place!”

Bryant jerks back like Roma slapped her, eyes wide. “Roma??—?”

Horror spikes through Roma. That’s no way to talk to a purebred and fellow hunter, of course, but more importantly, that’s not something she ever should have said to her oldest friend, her best friend??—

One of the few friends she has left. “Sorry,” Roma stammers, looking away. “That?—that wasn’t fair.”

“No, it was fair.” Bryant’s voice is quiet. “I just, um. Didn’t realize anyone else noticed.”

Roma almost snorts. “No one has ever accused you of being subtle, Nehemiah. And?—and you did the same thing when Naomi and Sawyer defected. Acted like you never thought about them, never liked them??—?”

Bryant winces. “Sympathizing with dissidents is a dangerous game as a purebred, Roma. It’s a dangerous game for any hunter, but it’s especially risky for purebreds. It can open us up to accusations that we used our power to help them. Sawyer taught me that,” she adds, a trace of bitterness snaking into her voice.

Roma’s heart hurts. “Ah.”

“And, uh.” Bryant hesitates. “For the record, it’s not turning my brain off. It’s almost like?—like flipping it into overdrive. I have to force myself to forget.” She looks away. “Of course I think about JJ. It’s not thinking about him that’s the hard part.”

A sharp pang twists through Roma. “I didn’t realize.”

Bryant’s lips twitch. “Guess I can be subtle, huh?”

Lightly, Roma punches her shoulder. “Shut up.”

This time, Bryant’s smile is genuine. Relief curls through Roma’s chest. “And I’ll try to tone it down a bit,” Bryant adds. “I didn’t realize it bothered you so much. I knew it bothered Chester, but we just tactically agreed to never discuss anything even remotely related to JJ.”

Roma’s smile falters. “How is he? Chester?”

Bryant grimaces. “Still sleeping off the magic hangover, I think. I’ve knocked on his door and texted him a few times, but no response. He’s lucky he didn’t have work today?—he’d be dead on his feet in the prison.”

Bryant looks fairly exhausted herself. Guilt gnaws at Roma’s belly. “I’ll try to find an easier rift-opening spell,” she says softly. “Something that doesn’t leave you and Chester feeling like death if you have to maintain it for longer than usual. I promise.”

Bryant raises her eyebrows. “Or maybe we can go back to opening them when we know for sure that Laguerre?—or another demon?—is nearby? You said that this was just a test, right?”

If only Bryant knew what Roma was actually testing. She forces a smile. “Well, there’s no reason I can’t do both, right? Choose better locations and make it easier on you guys?”

“Oh, you are speaking my language, Gutierrez,” Bryant says, giving Roma a crooked grin. “So we’re good?”

Roma nods firmly. “Yeah. Yeah, we’re good. Thanks for being here, Bry.”

“Anytime,” Bryant says, and with one last affectionate punch to Roma’s arm, she rounds the corner and jogs away, leaving Roma alone in the hallway.

Roma counts off sixty seconds before walking out after her. Still no hunters in sight?—most of them are probably getting breakfast?—but she still keeps her eyes peeled as she heads towards the basement staircase.

She needs to find an easier rift-opening spell, after all. And that gives her the perfect excuse to head down to the prison. The odds of the neophyte demon already being there less than twelve hours after it was summoned to Earth are slim, but there’s still a chance.

If there’s actually something suspicious going on, at least. And Roma still has no proof that there’s actually something suspicious going on. She scrubs a hand down her face as she strides down the hallway, frustrated. Why does she even care so much about the stupid neophytes and G. Ricci and the entire sordid mystery? If there’s a Chain demon immoral enough to send their own brethren to the Sanctum, then that should be good news. Granted, she doesn’t love that a hunter might be corrupt enough to work with a demon, but if the net result is furthering the Sanctum’s goals, then that’s a win, right?

Roma’s years of loyalty to the Sanctum say yes. Her gut is giving her a hard no. All her life, she’s been taught that demons are the enemy, that they’re less than human, that they’re one bad day away from going on a killing spree, but what if??—??

Unbidden, she thinks of JJ. She thinks of JJ, and for the first time, she lets herself imagine that maybe he wasn’t brainwashed into leaving. Lets herself imagine that he used his fiercely protective nature to care for a little demon girl, lets herself imagine that he truly fell in love with Cassius Chin.

Lets herself imagine that maybe Cass fell in love with JJ, too. Roma isn’t entirely convinced that demons have the capacity for love, but if they do? If they’re really more similar to humans than she’s always been led to believe?

If maybe, just maybe, JJ was right to leave the Sanctum behind?

Roma shoves the thought away before she can follow it any further. No. No, generations of hunters couldn’t be wrong about this. It’s possible that JJ happened to find a few demons who are slightly less sociopathic, but that doesn’t mean the rest of them get a pass.

It certainly doesn’t mean Esmeralda Laguerre gets a pass. No matter how skilled she is as a spellcaster, no matter how well she and Roma work together??—

No matter how quickly she seemed to figure out Roma’s play last night.

Roma tries to keep her body language casual as she jogs down the stairs to the prison, swipes her ID card, and shoulders her way inside. Non-interrogator hunters aren’t forbidden from entering the prison, but it’s not generally encouraged?—hence why she usually has Chester escort her, just for appearances.

But she’s only here for a spell book. Nothing suspicious at all. Roma slows her pace the slightest bit as she passes holding cells and interrogation rooms, surreptitiously glancing into each one. She doesn’t recognize any of the demons, not even the ones from Lakeside.

She pointedly doesn’t wonder where they are now. Doesn’t wonder if they’re even still alive.

She’s just starting to hope that her instincts were wrong when she hears a familiar growl up ahead. Heart plummeting, she strides past a cell with a demon who looks like an enormous housecat?—green-and-orange fur, black fangs, three tails??—

And an honestly terrified expression on her face.

Swallowing hard, Roma stops just out of sight next to the door, grabbing the chain-of-custody binder. According to her paperwork, she was brought in roughly two hours ago by one G. Ricci.

A G. Ricci who, as far as Roma can tell, doesn’t exist in any Sanctum in the continental United States.

Roma’s legs feel unsteady. Carefully, she replaces the binder, ducks her head, and continues towards the restricted spellcasting library, trying to ignore her stomach twisting itself into knots.

What the hell is she supposed to do now?