The Unlikeable Demon Hunter (Nava Katz #1)(71)

So tempting to slap the re-appearance of rock fuck grin off his face. And hello? How come that grin had never made an appearance with me?

Leo batted her eyelashes at him. “I’m very good at keeping my mouth shut.”

An incredulous laugh that I didn’t exactly turn into a cough escaped me.

That earned me the finger. Behind her back, so her new friends wouldn’t see something so crass. “I wouldn’t do anything to endanger my best friend,” she said. “Even if she is astoundingly annoying.”

Her words made me think of my twin, also astoundingly annoying at times. And the person I wanted most safe in the world. I’d managed to forget about Ace for a quarter of a second and I hated myself for it.

I massaged my temples. “Hold me accountable if she blabs, you know where I live.”

Baruch waved a dismissive hand at my belongings. “This means nothing. There is no such thing as a female Rasha.”

I appealed to Rohan in desperation. “Last night. We talked about your music. About how incredible it was to sit down with the rest of your band and put all your bad feelings, all your dreams into words for the world to hear. What it was like having your lyrics come alive. You’ve got to believe me. We’re wasting time here.”

“Wow,” Leo murmured.

Rohan’s expression shuttered.

“Ro doesn’t talk about those days. With anyone,” Drio said. “Nice try.” He broke out the psychotic smile that tended to precede Torture Time and stepped closer.

My power didn’t convince them. The fact of me living here didn’t convince them. Recapping events of the past few days also a big fail. How could I prove I was telling the truth?

“Ari didn’t have a twin.” Perfect. Kane had shown up, sporting a fine scowl. “I was listening. Might want to do your homework before leading with an easily verifiable lie.”

“I’m not–” I stumbled, realizing he’d used the past tense in talking about my brother. I lunged for him, grabbing his shirtfront. “What do you mean ‘didn’t?’ I want to see his body.”

He took pity at the desperation in my voice though he pried my fingers off him. “There wasn’t enough of him left to see.”

“Ari’s not dead,” I protested. I’d have known. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that Ari, while in danger, still lived. But for how much longer? I had to convince them.

I was about to remind Rohan of how we’d fought together when it hit me. The memory loss. “Asmodeus. He took Ari and he’s the reason you can’t remember.”

“Impossible,” Baruch said.

Somehow the demon had compelled the Rasha to forget me. The same way he’d managed to compel me to, well, forget myself. From Rohan’s thoughtful expression, he was turning the idea over in his head. How was it possible for a demon to alter someone’s memory? Because one, that was terrifying, and two, I was totally going to have words with Ms. Clara about my demon-punching contract not being more upfront about stuff like that.

I kicked Rohan in the head, intending to snap him out of the compulsion like I’d done in the park. It failed to work. He cursed, Drio and Kane tackled me, and I ended up facedown on the floor, sputtering about the demon through a mouthful of carpet.

What Asmodeus had done to me had merely been a taste, weak enough that my anger at Rohan’s assholeness had snapped it. Well, these guys were furious and that wasn’t snapping shit. Asmodeus had baked the memory loss into them.

“Lock them up,” Rohan directed. “Then meet us in the library.”

Drio seized Leo and I each by the arm.

Damn it! Why had I told Asmodeus to come after me?

“As your demon master isn’t here right now,” Drio murmured into my ear, “you’ll have to contend with me.” He shoved Leo and me out the door. “Resist me, access your power, I so much as feel your muscles tense, and I’ll make things very unpleasant for you.”

He frog-marched us down to the Vault.

“Drio,” I reasoned, half twisting around to face him, despite the pain lancing up my arm, “how could I wear this hamsa if I wasn’t Rasha? You think a demon would be able to wear the ring without repercussion? Isn’t the simplest explanation the most logical? That I am a hunter and you’re all suffering from some kind of demonic spell? I’m telling you, Asmodeus did this. You have to believe me.”

He slowed for a second then wrenched my arm up higher. “The simplest explanation is a human obeying a demon,” he countered. “Since female Rasha don’t exist.”

Trying to prove my hunter identity was pointless. I had history and misogyny working against me. I’d have to save Ari another way. Problem was, if everyone believed that Ari was dead, they’d no longer be looking for him.

I had to escape.

Leo broke into a coughing fit halfway down the stairs to the basement. While she looked like staying upright required her full concentration, I’d swear the coughing was fake.

“You okay?” My thoughts were occupied with how we were going to get out of this. Even if I lit up to attack, the chances of Drio zipping away before I could hurt him were high. Payback would not be pretty. I needed to catch him off-guard.

“No talking.” Drio tightened his hold on us.

Leo glanced pointedly down at her bag, slung across her chest. It took me a minute to clue in. The switchblade.