“Sorry. Continue. Are you dating anyone?”
“No, I’m not. Stay on track.” I take a deep breath to un-fluster myself. “Are we sure Matteo didn’t invite this demon into himself? It’s happened at some of the other enclaves.”
Diego shakes his head. “Matteo wouldn’t do that. He’s way too stubborn to let anyone else pull his strings.”
“Except he’s letting your mom push him into marrying Caro.”
“I’m not saying he isn’t ambitious, but he would never hand over total control of his body. He’d be too worried about the demon skipping leg day.”
“Well, thank Sol for your brother’s gym routine.”
Diego ignores my sarcastic remark. “Let’s brainstorm a plan of attack.”
“Simplest is usually best.”
“Like your idea that we should pretend to be hooking up,” he says, and I don’t think I’m imagining the spark of heat in his eyes.
“I don’t know that I’d call it an idea,” I mumble. “It was spur of the moment.”
“You were always good at thinking on your feet.”
“I—thank you.” The easy praise makes my cheeks warm, but Diego keeps going.
“How did you know Matteo was possessed?”
“I used my empathic powers. The same ones I use when I’m designing clothes.”
“Huh.” Those dark brows draw together. “I thought you used alchemy for that?”
“On the fabric, yes. But I start out by tapping into the person’s hopes and dreams for the event. I take how they want to feel and enchant the garment to help them achieve their goal.”
His expression softens. “Hey, you remember when you made my mom that dress?”
“How could I forget? It’s the only reason you won the valedictorian spot.”
“No doubt. Well, I never told you, but it was an amazing design. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so happy, before or since.”
“Oh. That’s…that’s nice to hear. Wait a second, how did you know? About Matteo.”
He scoffs. “Trust me, I know my brother. It was clear something was wrong, so I did a subtle revelation spell that showed me he’s possessed.”
“Makes sense. Your spells are nearly undetectable.”
His lips curve. “Was that a compliment, Cat?”
“Don’t let it go to your head,” I mumble.
“All right,” he continues. “You said you used your empathic powers to read the demon inside Matteo. So what does it want?”
I shiver at the memory. “Power. I’ve never felt anybody want something that badly.”
“Well, it’ll have shitloads of it if we can’t stop the wedding. Got any ideas?”
“I’m…a little rusty.”
His brow creases. “You don’t use magic in New York?”
“Never.”
