Chapter 5
5
T acos Near Me, JJ’s favorite food truck, is located in the Courtyard at the very center of Redwater. He’s been there dozens of times to grab lunch with Roma, Bryant, and Chester, all of them drawn in by the authentic food and doting owners and hilariously Internet-friendly name.
Going there with Desi wasn’t in his plans for today, though. And going there with Cassius Chin definitely wasn’t in his plans?—for today or any other day, really.
He still can’t believe he’s actually doing this. Granted, he probably should have made better arrangements for his time with Desi, but in his mind, he was just going to bring her to the far end of Lakeside to catch up, watch a few more episodes of Wyvern Academy on his cell phone, and maybe play some tag.
Unfortunately, Cass was right. The majority of Redwater knows JJ on sight as one of the hunters from the “cult on the hill,” and even though most civilians are warily cordial with him, he doesn’t know how they’d react to seeing him with a small child.
He wishes Cass could’ve just put the stupid glamours onto JJ and Desi and let them leave, but he knows that’s unrealistic. Glamours are a notoriously difficult subset of demon magic, and JJ doubts that even famed spellcaster Esmeralda Laguerre could maintain one at distances greater than three hundred feet. Cassius Chin is powerful, but his expertise lies more in fighting than spellcasting. JJ isn’t surprised that he has to stay close to keep their glamours in place.
Still, the ten-minute journey to Tacos Near Me seems longer than ever with Cass scowling away next to him. Desi makes it somewhat more manageable, though. “?—?and then me and Cass went to the mall,” she continues cheerfully. “There are so many shops there, JJ! Can we go to the mall, too?”
“Sure,” JJ says readily, ignoring the annoyed look Cass shoots him. “Do you want to go today or next time?”
She tugs on his locs. “I wanna get tacos today!”
“Tacos first,” JJ agrees. “And then we’ll decide what to do after that, okay?”
She doubles over to put her face next to his, delighted. “We can do more stuff after that?”
“Of course. As long as?—?” Mood souring, JJ glances at Cass. “As long as, um, you’re free?”
Cass’s glower hasn’t faded one bit since they left his safe house. “I’m apparently not doing anything today,” he says curtly, “so sure.”
JJ bites back the bizarre urge to apologize. If Desi has been her usual enthusiastic self with Cass for the past week, then he might actually need a break by now. After all, even though JJ was encouraging Desi to sleep at night back at the Sanctum, he doesn’t know if she continued the habit with another demon who doesn’t actually need to.
But Cass basically volunteered for this. At the very least, he’s getting to spend more time with Desi. “Cool,” JJ says evenly. “Thanks.”
Cass’s expression doesn’t change. “Uh-huh.”
Desi shifts around on JJ’s shoulders. “Cass,” she says, making grabby hands at him, “are you okay?”
Instantly, Cass’s scowl vanishes. “Yeah, I’m okay,” he says, reaching up to squeeze one of her hands. “I just have to concentrate a lot for the glamours. It’s hard to maintain three at once.”
“Okay!” She hugs his arm. “Thanks for coming with us!”
“No problem,” he says, but when his eyes flicker to JJ, JJ gets the unerring feeling that Cass definitely does have a problem.
Specifically, a problem with JJ.
The thought is both irritating and foreboding. Irritating, because Cass was the one who reached out to JJ in the first place, the one who left that semi-threatening note on his pillow and pitched the idea of twice-weekly visits??—
And foreboding, because being on Cassius Chin’s hit list never really bodes well for anyone.
Yes, JJ has been reading about him. After that ill-fated ice cream custody talk, he went straight to the Sanctum’s research library to dig up everything he could find about the demon. Summoned just before the American Revolution, weaseled his way into every conflict on United States soil before expanding his exploits abroad sometime after the Civil War, has been present at basically every single war and genocide since then??—
Always on the side of the oppressed, JJ grudgingly admits. Still, Cass embraces carnage on every continent, and from the reports JJ pored over, it looks like he enjoys every minute of it.
But Desi, apparently, has a different opinion of the demon. “And JJ, I didn’t show you yet! I got so many clothes at the mall! Cass bought me lots of pretty dresses and three pairs of shoes!”
“Why do you need three pairs of shoes?”
“Dunno! Cass said they looked nice, though. He got me all the stuff that looked nice.” JJ glances down at her feet and concedes to himself that the sneakers she’s wearing are nice. Fairly expensive, too. “And then we got big pretzels, JJ! Huge pretzels!”
“Soft pretzels?”
“Yeah! Soft pretzels with cheesy sauce!”
JJ smiles. “I like soft pretzels with cheesy sauce, too.”
Desi bounces excitedly on his shoulders. “Then we should go get some!”
“Maybe next time?”
“Yeah!”
Cass twitches next to JJ, and JJ stifles a wince. Honestly, he’s not sure if he and Desi can go to the mall next week?—not without Cass around to maintain their glamours, at least. The cons of living in a small town like Redwater, he figures. At only two square miles, it’s possible to walk from end to end in less than an hour, and that means cars are scarce, footpaths and bike paths are prevalent, and everybody recognizes everybody. Even if most civilians don’t know JJ’s name, they definitely know his face.
In fact, the only reason why they even have a Sanctum?—and a branch of the Chain?—in such a small jurisdiction is because of the Deep. In JJ’s esteemed opinion, building a town on top of one of the world’s largest magic reservoirs was an awful idea?—it attracts both demons and summoners like moths to a flame?—but unfortunately, he wasn’t alive to give his opinion back when Redwater was founded.
Despite those downsides, though, the upside is just ahead of them. A smile tugs on JJ’s lips as they emerge from the narrow streets into the bright sunlight of the expansive Courtyard, Redwater’s central square. Featuring a variety of niche stores around its perimeter, dozens of picnic tables dotting the cobblestone pavement, and a tiered fountain with gently rushing water at its center, the Courtyard is the perfect place to relax, hang out, and window-shop?—and, of course, to enjoy international cuisine from the handful of food trucks spread out at regular intervals.
JJ homes in on Tacos Near Me, walks to the end of the line, and gently places Desi on the ground next to him, pointing at the menu painted on the side of the truck. “Desi, can you read that?”
“Yeah!” she says, and she frowns. “Not everything, though. I know the word ‘tacos.’ What’s pick-o de gall-o?”
“Pico de gallo,” JJ corrects, and he’s surprised to hear Cass mumble the words under his breath at the same time. “It’s a really tasty salsa. I’m going to get some for my chips.”
She squeezes his hand happily. “Then I’ll get some, too!”
“And how about guacamole? It’s made out of avocados, and it’s really yummy.”
Desi looks delighted. “Yeah! Let’s do that!”
“Cool.” JJ points at the meat selection. “And what do you want on your tacos? Beef, chicken, fish…”
Desi squints at the menu. “Dunno,” she says, and she blinks up at Cass. “Cass?”
“Hm…” Cass’s eyes skim over the options. “You didn’t like the fish I made for dinner the other night, so no fish tacos. You like beef and chicken. Haven’t tried steak yet.”
JJ’s eyebrows shoot up. While he always brought Desi different foods to try at the Sanctum, eating is another human activity that demons don’t actually require for survival. The fact that Cass is also cooking regular meals for her?—and remembering her likes and dislikes?—is a little bit strange and??—
And a little bit heartwarming, too. Firmly, JJ shoves the thought away.
Desi looks intrigued. “What’s steak?”
“It’s kind of like beef,” JJ says. “We’ll get the steak tacos for you, yeah? And I’ll get the beef ones for me, so if you don’t like the steak, you can have mine, instead.”
“Yay!” Desi hugs his arm. “Thanks, JJ!”
“My pleasure.” The couple ahead of them steps off to the side to wait for their food, and JJ walks forward, smiling at the truck’s owner. “Hey, Esteban.”
“Hello, new friend!” Esteban booms, and JJ fights back a flinch. He almost forgot about the glamour. On any other day, Esteban would already know JJ?—and his usual order?—but today, he’s a “new” customer. “Welcome to our humble taco truck! What can I get for you three?”
Three. JJ hastily calculates the cost of three taco meals in his head and figures that he has enough money for Cass, too. “Can I please have a taco meal with steak, a taco meal with beef, and…?” Reluctantly, he looks at Cass. “What kind of tacos do you want?”
Cass looks taken aback. “Ah,” he says, and to JJ’s disbelief, he turns to Esteban and says in flawless Spanish, “Los tacos de pescado para mi, por favor. Y un plato grande de chips con queso, pico de gallo, y guacamole, también.”
Esteban beams. “Por supuesto!” he says, and JJ forces down a twinge of jealousy. He’s always wanted to learn a second language, but that was never a priority in the Sanctum’s curriculum. “The three of you are together, yes?”
“Yeah,” JJ says, and he holds out his debit card. “Gracias, Esteban.”
“Es un placer!”
While JJ waits for his receipt, he turns to check out the rest of the Courtyard, taking stock of how many tables are free. It’s just after eleven a.m., so it’s not terribly crowded yet, but he knows that the lunch rush is going to start soon. “Um, Chin?”
Cass arches an eyebrow. “Um, Jackson?”
Dick. “Do you want to take Desi and grab a table while I wait for the food? Or?—?” He quickly gauges the distance in his head. “Or is that too far away for the glamours?”
Once again, Cass looks strangely bemused by the question. “Oh,” he says, and he peers at the closest tables. “No, that should be fine. Good idea.”
“Yep,” JJ says awkwardly, and he ruffles Desi’s hair. “Be good for Chi?—for Cass, okay? I’ll be over with tacos soon.”
“Tacos!” Desi cheers, and she hugs him around the waist before taking Cass’s hand and trotting away.
Letting out a slow breath, JJ turns back to the counter. Esteban hands back his card and receipt, smiling. “Your daughter is precious. What’s her name?”
“Oh?—?” JJ feels an irrational sense of pride at the compliment, like she really is his daughter. “Desi. Her name is Desi.”
Esteban looks pleased. “She seems like a very happy child.”
“She is,” JJ says. “Or I?— we try to keep her that way, at least.”
Esteban laughs. “And your partner?—he is from Argentina, maybe? I couldn’t place his accent.”
JJ’s brain short-circuits. “Uh.”
Partner? Really? Granted, JJ doesn’t know what he expected after buying lunch for another man and a little girl who could probably be their daughter, but??—
But “fake-dating a demon” definitely wasn’t on his wish list for this stupid co-parenting experience. Or on his wish list ever, actually. “He’s from the States,” JJ says, forcing a smile, “but he’s?—he’s spent a lot of time abroad. Lots of countries in Latin America. Spain, too.”
He knows that much, at least. Even without his current encyclopedic knowledge of Cass’s movements since he was summoned to Earth, the turmoil in Latin America and Europe during the twentieth century basically guaranteed that the demon spent years there. It makes sense that he’s fluent in Spanish with a mismatched accent.
“A- ha!” Esteban says triumphantly. “I thought I detected a hint of Spaniard in there. Very good, very good.” His sister and co-owner, Lucia, appears at the counter with three orders of tacos and a hefty serving of tortilla chips, and Esteban places them on a tray for JJ. “Buen provecho, my new friend. And what is your name?”
“Julian,” JJ says, a pang twisting through him. It’s been years since anyone called him by his first name?—anyone outside of the Council, at least. Even when his family was alive, he always insisted on “JJ.”
If he keeps up this charade with Cass, then he might end up being known in the Courtyard as a completely different person. Somehow, the thought feels more freeing than he expected.
Like he can build a new life for himself.
For two days a week, at least. JJ forces a smile, dropping a few dollars into the tip jar. “Gracias, Esteban.”
“Gracias a usted!” Esteban waves before turning to the next person in line, and JJ carefully picks up his tray, turns towards Desi and Cass’s table??—
And starts with surprise, staring at Cass.
He doesn’t look stiff and uncomfortable anymore. In fact, his shoulders are relaxed and his eyes are warm as he listens to Desi’s rambling, nodding encouragingly in time with what she’s saying, occasionally gesturing with his hands as he answers her many questions??—
He’s smiling. JJ hates to admit how good it makes him look. Taking a deep breath, he crosses the last dozen feet to the table and sets their tray neatly in the center. “We got a big plate of chips, too! Desi, do you want to try some chips?”
“Chips!” she cheers, and she grabs a handful to munch on.
Gingerly, JJ pushes Cass’s tacos closer to him. “Looks good?”
“Looks good,” he says, and he picks one up, briefly meeting JJ’s eyes. “I didn’t bring cash with me, but?—but I’ll pay you back at the house.”
Awkwardly, JJ waves him off. “They were only a few dollars. It’s whatever.”
“Hm.” Cass takes a bite of his taco, scrutinizing JJ closely. “Also. Partners?”
All the blood rushes from JJ’s head at once. “What?”
Cass jerks his head at Tacos Near Me. “Heard you talking to Esteban.”
“How did you?—??” JJ cuts himself off, cursing under his breath. “Demonically enhanced senses. Right.”
Cass’s eyebrows climb towards his hairline. “So?”
JJ scowls. “It’s not like we have many other options. Two guys carting a little girl around the Courtyard?—what was I supposed to say?”
“Brothers, Jackson,” Cass says emphatically. “Brothers or cousins or something. I specifically glamoured us to look alike so we could claim to be family.”
Heat flames into JJ’s face. “You didn’t tell me that!”
“I thought it would’ve been obvious, lackey!”
JJ is just about to protest when Desi gasps. “JJ! Tacos are so good! I love them! Cass, can we have tacos every night?”
“Sure,” JJ and Cass say in unison, and they glare halfheartedly at each other.
It’s not even noon yet, and JJ can already tell that this is going to be a long day.