The Unlikeable Demon Hunter (Nava Katz #1)(47)

Leo shot me a sideways glance before asking, “Still dating Suki?”

A brilliant smile lit up Bailey’s face. She thrust out her hand. “Engaged!”

Leo squinted at the small diamond. “Hmm. Princess cut, nice girth. I grade–”

“H grade,” Bailey corrected.

Leo shot her an appraising look. “Half carat. Payment plan?”

Bailey blinked. I could have enlightened her about the whole goblin thing and their gem fetish, but it was just clicking for me why Leo had always made us swing by the jewelry stores at the mall when we were teens to check out the most jewel-encrusted old lady designs.

“Um, cash,” Bailey said. “Those interest charges will sneak up on you.”

“Find you in a dark alley and try to break your kneecaps,” Leo said, nodding sagely.

Bailey’s mouth fell open in a horrified “O.”

I cut in, leaning my elbow on Leo’s shoulder. She tried to jostle me off, but at five-foot-two, her shoulders were perfect resting height, and there my elbow remained. “You picked a winner, Bailey,” I said. “We’re happy for you.”

The hostess motioned to us that our table was ready, so we said our good-byes.

“You think her and Suki have figured out how to make out like normal people yet?” I asked, sliding into the booth across from Leo.

Leo put in her drink order then leaned toward my face in slow motion, her mouth open wide. “Kiss me,” she said in a weird distorted voice.

“Yeah, baby,” I answered, equally slowly and messed up. Our mouths came closer and we snapped our teeth at each other a few times. Then my anger trumped our jokey solidarity and I dropped the mocking impression, sitting back with a rigid spine.

That set Leo off. “‘We’re happy for you.’ Gawd, you are Rasha. Earnest bitch.”

I slapped my menu down on the green and white marbled arborite tabletop. “All right. You’ve got one chance to stop me from dusting you after I eat. Asmodeus, what do you know?” I figured the Rasha code of silence didn’t apply to demons. Well, not this one.

“Not much beyond he’s big time.” Leo didn’t look up from her menu, but she also didn’t scratch the inside of her right wrist so she was telling the truth.

“Can you get a message to him?”

The waitress arrived with Leo’s Coke and my water, asking for our orders–pulled pork poutine for me because, bad Jew, and a mushroom burger that I know Leo got so that I wouldn’t want a bite. Fungus was a medical condition to clear up with ointment, not food.

Leo took a dainty sip of her Coke. “Are you going to apologize?”

“Why? So you can and it’s all better? It doesn’t work that way,” I said. “You came into my life, into Ari’s life with the intent to cause harm. It’s an unforgivable offense. Plus, you know. Demon. Which, what? Are you glamoured up right now?”

Leo violently crunched a piece of ice. “I’m a half-goblin. From the French fling that led to my existence. Mom still doesn’t know and I don’t have another form I revert to. So no. No glamour required.”

“You’re a PD?”

“Yeah, I’m Pissed. Definitely.” Leo ripped off a chunk of her burger. “Screw you. I’m not practice.”

My best friend from high school was a halfie, a practice demon, though the moment I’d seen Leo’s expression, I’d regretted saying it. “I’m sorry about that but it doesn’t change the fact that you’re a goblin.”

“You’re a lot of things, Nava,” she said, “but I never thought you were prejudiced.”

“I’m Rasha. You’re evil spawn. It’s natural order, not racism.” I traced a line through the condensation in my water glass with intense fascination.

“Good luck navigating the demon world with that attitude.”

“What’s there to navigate?” I toyed with the salt shaker, tilting the salt back and forth between my hands. “Kill. That’s it. It’s pretty black and white.”

Leo plucked the shaker out of my hands, dumped some salt in her palm, and licked it. “Nice try. Also, you’re wrong. It’s all shades of gray. That’s your problem, Nee. You’ve never seen that. None of the Rasha do.”

I slammed my hand against the table. “You lost all rights to that nickname.”

She held up her hands, more warding me off than calming me.

The waitress deposited our food without picking up on the tension.

We ate in silence for a bit.

I stirred a fry around in the gravy. “What do you mean that none of the Rasha see the gray? Is that relevant to Asmodeus?”

“Could be. Even a villain is a hero in his own story.” Leo pulled the pickle off her burger, popping it in her mouth.

I balled up my napkin, frustrated with the lack of concrete information. “The why doesn’t matter. Just the what. So tell me, bestie, what’s Asmodeus up to?”

Leo gave good glare. “It’s not like there’s a newsletter where the members list their current nefarious plots.”

“So much for your stealthy P.I. skills.” There was more bite in my voice than I’d intended.

Leonie hit the ketchup bottle with a hard thwack. “Back off. It pays my bills and tuition. Not all of us have Mommy and Daddy footing the bill for our prolonged adolescence.”