“I’m sure the demons tied it tight so you wouldn’t be lost in the vortex forever, Daniel Walker,” I replied. “And I’m thinking that’s a good thing.”

“That may be so,” he chuckled, “but if all my limbs fall off between now and then it’s going to cause some egregious problems.” He and Tyler were as close as they could be to the portal.

“I hear you,” I said as I walked up to them. “Safe travels, boys.” I kissed both of them on the cheek, Danny preening a little more than necessary. “Stay safe and we’ll see you when we get home.”

“Did you see that, cat?” Danny said, peering around me and waggling his eyebrows. “She gave me a kiss. It was a wet one too.”

“If you weren’t like a brother to her, I’d kill you right now just for enjoying it,” Rourke rumbled. “But as it stands, I see that as a pity kiss. I feel sorry for you two. A couple of guinea pigs in wolf clothing. If we see flames erupt out of the portal, we know to go home a different way. And Danny, I want to personally thank you for trying it out for us like a champ. That takes guts.”

“There aren’t going to be any bloody flames!” Danny retorted, turning to crane his neck back at the Princess. “Right? This is a safe way to travel. You said so yourself!”

Before she could respond, Rourke chimed in, “She also said that if you weren’t the right species, you’d be ripped apart.” He was clearly enjoying himself. “So I hope for the love of everything holy, you are.”

“What do you mean by ‘the right species’? Shifters have human DNA, just as witches do. It should be safe enough, right?”

The Princess was clearly bewildered by the banter. From what I’d seen, demons didn’t have much of a sense of humor. “Just ignore them,” I urged her, waving my hand. “So, I just shove them forward? No need to say anything special?”

“They just need to go in,” she said.

“Okay, boys, this is it,” I said as I shoved. “See you on the other side.”

As they fell forward Danny screamed, “Please be kind to me, portal gods! I love each and every one of my parts!”

28

Eudoxia went next. She flung herself through without looking back. It was agreed that Rourke and I would go next, followed by Ray and Selene. The demons were in the process of tying us all up at the same time. Rourke and I faced each other, Ray and Selene were back to back.

Rourke’s hands slid tightly around my lower back, edging me closer. “Make sure you tie it extremely tight,” he growled to the demons. “I want every body part firmly connected.” His eyes shone as he gazed down on me. “There’s no room for error.”

I could sense his unease. It fluttered through me like butterfly wings stuck in my veins. My hands tightened around his broad neck, my fingertips pressing against his skin. “Don’t worry, we’re going to be fine. I just really hope we don’t end up out to sea. That would really suck.”

“This portal doesn’t look like it’s been used in a hundred years or more,” he murmured quietly. “We’re taking a big chance doing this and I don’t like taking unknown risks.”

“If I thought the Princess was leading us astray, I’d agree with you. But like it or not this is all we’ve got. No witches on our plane means no circle. It’s either this or stay, and I’m not a fan of sticking around in hopes the witches come back. The tides could turn easily if we stayed.”

“I’d like to think there’d be a few more options if we searched harder, but I agree, we don’t have time to figure them out.” His voice held frustration. My man was not used to being at anyone’s beck and call. Being with me was a decidedly different life for him, and in the scope of things, he was continuing to handle it like a champ. “I just want us back on our plane, our feet firmly planted on the soil. This is the first and last trip we’re ever making to the Underworld.”

“I agree with you a thousand percent,” I said. “Hell is not becoming our next vacation spot.”

“Are you both ready?” the Princess gently interrupted. “We can move you through now.”

“Yes,” I said, craning my neck to the side. “Ray, make sure you touch base with me as soon as you can. If Selene gives you any trouble, feel free to rip whatever soul she has left from her body. She’s going to atone for her misdeeds once we get home.”

“I’m not an idiot,” Selene countered. This was the first time she’d spoken since the long walk here. “I have nothing left, so why bother fighting the inevitable? The witches can roast me at the stake, and I hope they try. If I die, it will be far better than whatever life I’m going back to without my magic.”

“Selene,” I said. “You should be thankful you’re even coming back. Fate is involved and you should count your blessings. If you hadn’t lost everything, we would’ve left you here to rot. You might want to try and act a little grateful.” Naomi was going to have something to say about my allowing her archnemesis to come home. I had a lot of explaining to do.

To make the news easier to swallow, I planned to put Naomi in charge of Selene’s punishment, at the very least.

“Grateful is not a word I have in my vocabulary,” Selene snipped. “Everything I’ve gotten in life I’ve fought tooth and nail for. I’ve earned it. There were no handouts, nothing to be grateful for.”

“Maybe that’s where you got it wrong,” Ray interrupted. “You should’ve been less of an asshole and more of a nurturer. Maybe then you’d have some people who actually cared if you lived or died—people who’d fight for you, people you could depend on.”

“Nurturer?” Her voice was nothing short of aghast, and I bit my tongue trying not to laugh. “I’ve never needed anyone to fight for me. I can do that myself. I will make it my life’s goal to regain my former status—or I will die trying.”

“You’re already dead, lady,” Ray snorted. “Remember? And if that doesn’t make you change your tune, nothing will. Your stubborn soul is hanging on by a single thread. The demons couldn’t kill you because they couldn’t take your soul, but I can. It may do you well to remember that.”