“Omaha,” I say. “Nebraska.”
“I know where that is. I’ve done some work in Ohio.”
“Nebraska is a lot like Ohio. Similar vibe.”
“Well, let’s have a look at them,” he says, gesturing at my jacket.
I look around the coffee shop. Penelope rolls her eyes and holds out a fist—“There’s nothing to see here!”I take off my jacket.
“May I?” Mr. Bunce asks.
I nod, holding out an arm.
He takes it gently in both hands. “Look at that, that’s beautiful . . .” He twists my arm a bit, so he can see the whole thing. “Huh . . . Mitali said this was a curse. This isn’t a curse.” He looks up at my face. “It’s a handfasting.”
“Dad”—Penelope looks shocked—“I didn’t know you could read Demon!”
“I can’t.” He traces his hand along one of the swirls. “But I can tell from the patterns. You see these same patterns in a lot of ancient marriage rituals.”
“Dad studies marriage and family magic,” she tells me.
“It’s a hobby,” he says.
“We’ve had the contract translated,” she says.
“Have you?” He looks up from my arm.
Penelope elbows me. “Show him.”
I reach back into my jacket and get out the papers.
Mr. Bunce puts on his reading glasses and takes a look. “So you found someone who could translate a Demonic ritual . . . Do I want to know who?”
“Nope,” she says.
Her dad lowers his eyebrows. “Penelope,” he says, like he’s constantly having to lecture her for this sort of thing. Then his eyes get big, and he looks up at me. “Shepard—thisis the summoning ritual you used?”
I nod. “We had that translated, too.”
“So you . . .proposedto a demon?”
“Unintentionally, sir.”
Mr. Bunce turns back to the ritual and shakes his head. “Nicks and Slick, what a predicament . . .” I must look miserable, because he pats my hand and says, “Well. Don’t beat yourself up about it. You couldn’t have known what you were getting into.”
“Well, hedidknow he was summoning a demon . . .” Penelope says.
Her dad shoots her another reproving look. “It’s remarkable that you have a translation,” he says to me. “I’ve never seen anything like this. Do you mind if I take photos?”
“Go ahead.”
He gets out his phone.
“We need to find a way out of this,” Penelope says.
“Yes, of course,” Mr. Bunce agrees. He’s taking very careful photos. “Hold that paper flat for me?” I spread out the papers.
“Dad.”
