Page 6 of Take You Home (Redwater Demons #3)

“Well, ‘Nostringvadha’ isn’t a sentence on its own, you see.

” Smith’s voice is patiently patronizing, like he’s talking to a very small child, and Chester grits his teeth.

“It’s usually used as part of a saying. ‘Nostringvadha alive,’ ‘Nostringvadha forbid’…

” He leans forward, smiling with all his teeth. “‘Nostringvadha have mercy.’”

Chester ignores the silky threat behind the words. Even though this parking lot is nearly abandoned, he scoped out the property earlier, and they’re directly in the line of the security cameras. Smith won’t risk making a scene here.

Also, a bowling alley? Really? Chester wasn’t aware that demons bowl, but he learns something new every day, he figures.

Before Chester can argue that he was clearly addressing Smith by name, the demon breezily continues, “But, now that we’ve cleared that up, I’ll be leaving. It’ll be bad for my reputation if I’m seen consorting with hunters.”

Chester arches an eyebrow. “Really? Because there sure seems to be a lot of ‘consorting’ on your end lately?—JJ, Roma, Sawyer, Naomi??—?”

The last of Smith’s mocking affability fades. He crosses his arms over his chest, eyes narrowing. “Why are you here? If you want to join a bowling league, you’ll have to take it up with Harper at the front desk. They have purple hair and gauges; you can’t miss them.”

“I want my friends back,” Chester snaps, stepping forward. “I want to know where they are?—and what you did to them.”

Smith slowly looks Chester up and down, and Chester fights back a shiver. Partly because he knows Smith is analyzing him for weapons, for weaknesses, for vulnerabilities??—

And partly because Chester unfortunately wasn’t lying about Smith being attractive.

“I’m sorry,” Smith says at last. “Are you trying to threaten me? Because you’re about as scary as a golden retriever puppy.”

Chester’s temper spikes. “Listen, demon??—?”

“My name is Obadiah, not ‘demon,’” Smith bites out.

“And do you really want to know what Cass and Ez ‘did’ to your friends, Locke? They gave them a home. They showed them how to build a better future, a safer future, for themselves. And they loved them unconditionally for probably the first time in their entire lives.”

“We loved them!” Chester snarls. “Bryant and I always had their backs, just like they always had ours. I’m not giving up on them.”

Smith considers Chester critically. “I’ve been in your head,” he says, and Chester’s stomach lurches at the reminder.

“I know that you sincerely care about them, and I know that this entire episode is coming from a well-meaning place. That’s the only reason why I’m even entertaining this conversation right now.

But if you truly want JJ and Roma to be happy, then you’ll leave them alone.

The Sanctum was?— is? —a poison. It was killing them. We’re their family now.”

Chester’s throat feels tight. “You really expect me to believe they wrote us off that easily?”

He braces himself for the worst when Smith’s eyes flicker. Chester has always treasured the quiet loyalty between him and Roma, and he’s loved JJ like a brother since the very first day they met. He thought those feelings were mutual, but??—

But what if it really was that easy for them to forget about him and Bryant?

“Not quite,” Smith says eventually. To Chester’s irritation, a tight band of tension in his chest eases at the words. “But I think they’d be pretty happy if you joined them on the outside. What do you say? The fugitive life is more interesting than it looks.”

Chester smiles savagely back. “Not on your life. I’m getting them back, Smith. I’m getting them back, and we’re going to undo all of your brainwashing, and we’re going to take them home. Back to their real home.”

Smith’s eyes are as black as an abyss in the moonlight. “You know that the Sanctum killed your family, right?”

Chester is almost startled into laughing. Looks like Councilwoman Nasir was right, not that he ever doubted her. “Okay, serious question?—how did you manage to convince JJ and Roma of that?”

Smith goes still. “What?”

“You know. That ludicrous story about the Sanctum being responsible for the Jackson–Locke murders.” He raises his eyebrows.

“The Council mentioned that your people have been spreading that around. Apparently, the Sanctum adopting the survivors of demonic massacres means that they… caused those massacres in the first place? You really couldn’t think of anything better? ”

Smith’s jaw works. “They managed to spin it, huh? Clever. Then again, I shouldn’t be surprised by how far the Sanctum will go to bury their evidence.”

“Uh-huh.” Chester leans forward. “Last chance, Smith. Where. Are. My friends?”

Smith scoffs. “Cut the crap, Locke. You’ve got nothing, and we’re done here.” Sighing explosively, he snaps open a rift. “So this has been?—what’s the opposite of ‘fun’? That. Stay out of my way, lackey, and stay away from my bowling alley.”

And there’s Chester’s chance. As Smith turns away, Chester yanks up his sleeve to reveal the binding spell he pre-cast on his forearm earlier today, hovering his palm over it.

He’s been practicing the spell for days now, spent hours working through the quirks of the pre- casting process, checked the final incantation against every magic textbook he could find??—

Time for the grand finale. “I bind your will to mine,” Chester snarls, slapping his hand onto his arm to trigger the activation.

It goes wrong, of course.

It always does.