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I looked through the haze as Ren walked slowly towards me. “Are you good?”
“Yeah,” I answered, and my hearing started working right again, but my head pounded and my arm felt like roots were digging into my bones. I pushed the pain away and let Ren pull me to my feet. “What happened?”
“Not what, who.” He pulled a piece of cement off Mia and then Kate. “We have to go.”
Kate slowly stood, and Mia glanced at me. “What was that?”
I didn’t answer. “Is everyone okay?”
“No,” Bree answered. “The whole backside of the building is on top of the others.” She glanced at Ren. “They’re dead.”
I felt sick. All of this, every life that was gone here, was my fault. It was always my fault. “It’s him, isn’t it?”
“We need to move,” he said, reaching in his pockets and pulling out the two potions he had left, handing one to the girls. “If we get separated, just use it and get back to Lexa.”
Bree took it and shook her head. “We’ll be better together.”
“I don’t disagree, but just in case,” he said, looking back at me.
“He’s here for me,” I said. “How did he find us?”
“The protection neutralized the magick,” Bree said, shaking her head. “I should have realized.”
“It’s not your fault,” I said. I glanced at Ren. “Can we use the potions to get out of here?”
“Not in here. We’re going to have to get out of here first,” he shrugged. “But I don’t think he can get in here.”
“Good,” I said and looked at the girls. “You wait until we get him distracted and then get as far away as you can. Then use the potion.”
“Lexa,-“
“Lexa said you were my responsibility. So you will do what I say and not be a hero. You already did enough,” I said, hoping she’d actually listen, but something told me that fire she had for magick wasn’t just that. It was her, and that was dangerous. Not just for others, but for her.
She didn’t say anything but nodded in agreement. Ren stepped in front of me and pulled his sword. I still never understood why that was his only weapon of choice. He glanced at me with a wide smile. Oh God, he really did love a fight.
I sighed and followed him up the stairs, praying somehow the dam of magick would break just this once and maybe I could actually kill this asshole. The moment we pushed the last of the wreckage of the building from the stairs, I realized he’d come on his own. That was a first.
“Where is he?” I whispered. Ren shrugged, motioning for the girls to come up. “Something’s off.”
“Isn’t it always?” Ren answered, and the girls ran past us towards another area of the little town.
I watched them get out of sight and just hoped they would actually listen. “Once they get out of here, we should too.”
“Agreed,” Ren said, but before I could say anything else, I was pushed away by a gust of air and fell on my ass.
I rolled, so I was on my knees, but I was way too far to get to Ren quickly. That’s when I saw him standing over Ren, his sword crashing down on him, but Ren was fast; he already had his own sword up to block. I patted my body to find any kind of weapon and then I felt the dagger I’d stolen from Kalerian. I pulled it free and ran at them, but Ren was already on his feet, blocking every blow Kalerian threw at him.
My feet moved quickly over the wet road, and I swung the dagger at Kalerian while he was mid-hit to Ren. He saw me coming and avoided the impact, but grabbed my arm and yanked me to the side. My back hit the ground hard, and I rolled so I could keep my eyes on the fight.
Ren glanced at the road and then at me. I jumped to the edge of the street where it was dry and felt the air charge with electricity before I watched the bolt wind down the blade of his sword and strike the water.
Kalerian stumbled, but the shock didn’t do much. It was enough to reach for Ren’s hand, but just as I was touching his fingers, magick pulled me back and I hit the side of the building, knocking the wind out of me.
“That’s not happening a second time,” Kalerian said, keeping his eyes on Ren before sliding them back to me. “This world has some useful magick,” he said before roots pushed through the cement at Ren’s feet.
He swung his sword at them, but they kept winding around his legs and up his body, pulling him into the concrete. If there was ever a time for my magick to actually work, this was it. I reached for a thread of my magick, anything. The mark on my flared to life. Pain pushed through me, but I ignored it.
Then I felt it. The small flicker of power. The smell of wet dirt and flowers in spring. The feeling of an earthquake you can’t outrun. The ground under Ren collapsed.
Fuck.
Kalerian reached for me and grabbed my throat, forcing me to the ground. “Why do you insist on fighting me?” His eyes drifted to the black mark on my forearm, and she laughed slightly. “Interesting turn of events.” He held me there for a moment, as if he was trying to decide if he should tell me a secret I should already know.
I glanced past him to Ren climbing out of the hole I accedently made, his eyes looking bluer than they had before. His grip on his sword tightened at the scene he was walking towards, and he swung his sword for Kalerian.
Kalerian turned and raised his hand, his own twisted brand of black lightning heading straight for Ren’s sword. The moment it connected, the metal turned to ash and disintegrated. He looked back at me. “I’m tired of these games, Saki.” He turned towards Ren one final time to push him with air, and he landed on his back hard about twenty feet away. “These people, they will never accept you once you come into your power.” He kept his emerald eyes locked on mine. “You are not like them.”
“It doesn’t matter what you say to me, I’m not going to join you,” I spat. “You already tried that, remember?”
He smirked. “When your friends are lying dead in front of you, you will.”
“Are you always this chatty?” A voice said from across the street. I slid my gaze to Bree, standing there as if she were bored. No wonder Ren liked her so much. She was a mini him.
He turned towards her and cocked his head. He released me, and I reached for the discarded dagger.
I felt the surrounding air warm and realized what she was about to do. Kalerian must have too, because he stopped and watched her for a moment. “A phoenix, huh?” He laughed and glanced back at me. “Was that your big plan?” He turned back to her and shook his head. “What a waste.”
She didn’t wait for him to say anything else. All I saw was a wall of fire heading straight for him. He didn’t even hold up his hand; he just smiled, and the fire stopped, like it was frozen and just building on itself.
He shook his head. “You humans have no idea what you’re dealing with.” He didn’t move, but the fire pushed back at her, hitting her and not just engulfing her, but going inside her body and building.
I jumped to my feet and ran at Kalerian. I wasn’t losing another person. Not to him. Not in this war. I dragged the dagger across his back, and he faltered, stepping forward a step before spinning on me. “No one else is going to die because of you.” He shook his head, taking a step towards me.
I glanced behind him and saw Bree lying on the ground, her chest still rising with each breath. I turned to Ren who was pulling himself to his feet and back to Kalerian. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the two girls standing in the distance, their hands locked together before there was nothing but heat and fire all around us.
A wall of fire sparked between us and went for Ren. He grabbed me and pulled the potion out of his pocket. “We have to get Bree.”
He grimaced but nodded, and we ran to her, Kalerian still trapped in a shrinking circle of fire. I put my hand on Bree, and Ren looked at the pair of girls controlling the fire. They let the fire go, and we watched them disappear. I slide my gaze to Kalerain. The air thinning. He was going to yank me away again if we didn’t get out of here right now. Ren broke the bottle at the same time I felt the pull, but I was able to hold on to Bree. I closed my eyes and thought about Sophie. She was the only person that might be able to put Bree back together. I just hoped I wasn’t too late.

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Sam

“What the hell is this?” I glared at Lynn. If she were here, Kalerian would be right behind her. “You’re going to ruin everything.”
“Sam, we need Sophie,” Lynn said. “I’ll leave as soon as she’s okay if you want, just get Sophie.”
My gaze dropped to the girl between them. She was red and blistered, like she’d been in the sun way too long. “Who is she?”
“She’s a friend,” Ren said, pushing past me into the cave where Sophie and the others were.
“You’re going to be okay, Bree,” Lynn whispered, holding her hand.
“What happened?” I asked, softening my tone. I’d never seen Lynn this rattled. She was always making bold choices and never taking no for an answer. She looked almost broken in a sense.
“Kalerian,” she said simply. “He tried to kill her.”
“You stopped him?” I asked, kneeling down to her.
She glanced my way and shook her head. “I couldn’t.”
I looked back at the girl. She was young, maybe eighteen. “Why did he want to kill her?”
“She’s a phoenix,” she answered simply. “She was helping me.” She shook her head. “It’s my fault.”
I sighed as Sophie rushed to the girl with Ren trailing behind her. “We can’t stay out here in the open. The cave has some protection.”
Ren didn’t wait for me to finish before picking up the girl and carrying her into our cave base.
“Come on,” I said, glancing at Lynn. “You need a minute.”
She shook her head. “No, you’re right. Kalerian will follow. He always does.” She turned and stared down the mountain. We were close enough to the portal to see it, the giant hole in the earth that rumbled from time to time. Right where Old Faithful once was. “We have to finish this.”
“Tara’s ready,” I said, crossing my arms.
“You don’t know everything,” she said, turning to me, and I watched her. “It’s not just her blood that you need.”
“No, she said it was her blood that made her able to close that door,” I countered.
“No, it’s her life.” She kept her eyes on the portal. “To close the door, she has to die.”
I felt my chest tighten. There were many things I was willing to do for this cause. I wasn’t above sacrificing a person, but a child, that was too far even for me. “There has to be another way.”
“I thought there was, but Kalerian ended that,” Lynn said. She turned to me. “We have to leave. Run as far as we can. You have to keep them alive. I’ll keep Kalerian off you as long as I can.”
“As much as I want to agree with you, I don’t think that’s going to solve our problems,” I grumbled.
Footsteps caught my attention, and I glanced at the cave. Sophie was heading towards us looking weaker than I’d seen her in a long time. She stopped next to me, and I reached out to steady her.
“She’s going to be okay, but it was close,” she said, and Lynn’s shoulders dropped in relief.
“Good, the sooner she gets back to her people, the better,” she said. “Where’s Ren?”
“He’s with her.”
Lynn nodded and glanced at me. “You know I’m right. Ren and I will leave as soon as Bree is able to use a potion.”
I didn’t say anything. Everything inside me was screaming to let her go. It was the smart thing to do tactically. She walked past me to the cave.
“What’s on your mind?” Sophie watched me with those dark and beautiful eyes. She always knew when something was wrong, even if I didn’t tell her.
“She said we have to kill the kid to close the door.” I took a breath. Even saying it out loud was almost too much. After everything I’d tried to put behind me, all the damage I did on the other side of this fight and I was right back to this choice. I was right back to holding someone’s life in my hands.
“We can’t do that,” she said simply.
I kept my eyes on her and smiled. “I know.”
“Good. Then we find a different way.” She cocked her head and wrinkled her nose. “What?”
“Nothing,” I said and pulled my gaze away. “Lynn wants to run.”
“If we run now, we will never stop running,” Sophie said. I watched her expression change. She glanced past me towards the path. “Someone’s coming.”
“Kalerian?”
She shook her head. “No.”
I stepped in front of Sophie and peered down the path. Two girls were walking towards us. One with short blond hair and the other with dark hair pulled back into a ponytail. They looked at me and then past me to Sophie.
“Who are you?”
They glanced at each other and then back at me. “We’re looking for Lynn,” the blond said. Her voice was laced with an English accent, and I glanced at Sophie. She shrugged.
“I’ll get her,” Sophie said.
“Who are you?” I repeated as Sophie disappeared behind me.
They looked at each other. Finally, the dark-haired girl spoke. “I’m Mia. This is Kate. Lynn came to our help.”
I nodded. “More fighters are always welcome.”
Mia smiled slightly. “She said we had a choice.”
I watched her.
“We want to fight with you,” Kate said. “I’m a phoenix. So is Mia.”
My eyes drifted between them.
“Maybe together we can close the door,” Kate finished and glanced at Mia, who smiled back at her.
Maybe we have a chance, after all.

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Ren

I sat on the edge of her bed, waiting for her to open her eyes. This kid was my responsibility. I’d encouraged her to fight when maybe she wasn’t ready. This was as much my fault as it was Kalerians.
Her hand raised to her brow, and I took in a breath, leaning forward.
“Don’t move around. You were hurt badly,” I said, and her brown eyes blinked before looking my way.
“What happened?” She asked, letting her hand fall onto her chest.
“You were attacked, but you’re okay now.”
“My head feels like I was hit by a bus,” she said. “Wait, are you and Lynn okay?”
“We’re fine thanks to you,” I said with a smirk. “I told you, you were a fighter.”
She laughed slightly.
“Maybe next time don’t be one against a literal king of hell,” I said, putting my hand on her shoulder. “Rest for now. You’ll need to get back to Lexa as soon as you’re able.”
“Why?” She turned her head to look at me. “What are you going to do?”
“Just rest, kid.” I stood and glanced at her.
“No, I want to help,” she sat up and grimaced.
“I told you, we don’t need your help, but Lexa does.”
“Lexa never lets me do anything,” she said. “I have all this firepower, and she always puts me back to protecting the camp.
“Maybe she needs someone she trusts to keep people safe?” Bree dropped her gaze. “Since you think you’re good enough to sit up, then maybe you’re good enough to travel back.”
She glanced at the table with the three potion bottles. “I don’t know how to use that stuff.”
“I’ll take you,” I said. “Maybe I can smooth things over with Lexa.”
She raised her eyebrows. “I doubt it. Lexa hates everyone.”
“She acts like she likes me,” I said, slightly offended. “I mean, I know I’m a powerful witch who mastered electricity, but it can’t be that bad.”
Bree snickered. “You are so full of yourself.”
I shrugged. “But it’s true.”
She grabbed my hand, and I swiped the bottles from the table, sliding all but one into my pocket. Bree squeezed her eyes shut, and I thought about Lexa before breaking the bottle against me. God, I hoped she wasn’t going to rip my head off. Bree was alive, and I was bringing her home. I couldn’t say the same for the others, but at least she was safe.
I felt the ground under me push back and opened my eyes. We were standing on the edge of Lexa’s camp. Everything felt lighter here, like the war was just a memory, even though it was just north of our position.
My gaze shifted to Bree, who was still a little wobbly but seemed to be getting better by the minute.
“I’m okay,” she said.
“You sound just like Lynn.”
She furrowed her brow.
“Always saying you’re fine when you’re not.”
“I am fine,” she said, pulling away from me. “You did your job. You’d better get back to Lynn.”
I watched her. “I will once you’re back with Lexa. She needs to know what happened.”
“You’re just going to go in there and tell her Kalerian killed all the girls who could have closed the doors?”
“Well, I’m not going to say it like that.”
She walked past me towards the camp. “You really want Lexa to kill you, don’t you?”
I snickered. “She’s not going to kill me, right?”
Bree didn’t answer, and I felt myself getting a little uneasy. Lexa was a beast. She held this place together long before Bree and Hope were in the picture. Her presence commanded people without her even trying, something I’d only seen a few times before.
I walked without saying anything until we made our way into the camp, but something was off. People were looking at us as if we were the enemy.
“What’s happening?” I whispered.
“I don’t know,” Bree said. “The people don’t look happy to see us.”
Bree hesitated at the entrance to Lexa’s tent, so I pushed past her and walked in. She glanced up from the table she was sitting at, which had maps and pens on it.
“What the fuck happened?” She spat.
“What do you mean?” I shrugged, playing it cool. She couldn’t have known about what happened in Rye.
“The entire south end of England knows what I mean,” she said, standing and crossing her arms. “All of them?”
“Mia and Kate are alive,” Bree said. “Ren and Lynn did what they could.”
“It will take years to recover from this.”
“I didn’t know the place was so well protected it would break my shield on Lynn.” I sighed. “I never meant for anything to happen to them.”
“You should go,” Lexa said. “We’ve got hellhounds and monsters breaking through our defenses left and right. I don’t have time to deal with this right now.”
“I get it,” I said and glanced at Bree and then back to her. “Just take care of the kid, huh?”
She snapped her gaze back to me. “I take care of everyone under my command.”
I stepped forward and dropped some potions on her table. “Just in case.”
“Ren wait,” Lexa said, walking to her left and into another room. She came back carrying a beautiful silver hilt with lightning bolts engraved in it. The handle of a Katana wrapped in blue fabric poked from the top. I glanced at it and then at her.
“What is this?”
“When you helped Bree, Hope had it made.” She held it out to me. “It’s Fae steel.”
I reached for it, and as soon as my fingers felt the hum of the metal; I realized how special this was. “I didn’t think they’d make weapons for humans.”
“They don’t, but Hope has some pull,” she said. “Now get out of my tent.”
I smiled and nodded. “Thanks, Lexa.”
She motioned for me to get out again, and I glanced at Bree and smirk on my face. “See, she likes me.” I broke my bottle on my body and let my thoughts slip to Lynn.
She needed more than just a fancy sword and some electricity powers, but I was what she had, and I wasn’t letting that bastard hurt her again.

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Lynn

“We’ll have one chance at this,” Sam said, pointing at the tactical map Cam had drawn up for her. “We’ll have to defend the door long enough for Mia and Kate to destroy it.” She glanced up at the group of people watching her. Their faces were dirty and battle-worn. I didn’t envy what she was carrying right now. Knowing that some of them were not going to make it.
“I’ll keep Kalerian busy here.” I pointed to a field not far from the action, but far enough that it would keep him away from them.
“You can’t hold him on your own,” Ren said from the back of the room. “He beat us together, and you think you can hold him alone?”
“I can handle keeping his eyes off the portal.” I licked my lips. “Whatever happens after is out of my hands.”
“We need to talk,” Ren snapped. “Privately.”
I glanced at Sam and sighed.
“Get a good night’s sleep. We’re doing this at dawn,” Sam said. “Dismissed.”
I walked to Ren, leaning on the far wall by the communication machines. He grabbed my arm and pulled me further into the cave. Deeper than any of the others really liked to go.
“You’re just going to let him take you, aren’t you?” He was more serious than I’d seen him in a long time.
“No,” I said simply and pulled my arm free. “But he needs to think that he can win.”
“He can win,” Ren said. “You know that.”
“Not if the portal is closed,” I countered. “It will only be him we’re dealing with. If any of the others are freed, we’re fucked.”
He stepped back. “Others?”
“His brothers,” I said. “He wants to bring them here.”
“You know about his brothers?”
“Why are you being weird?” I said, crossing my arms. “What are you not telling me?”
He sighed. “I didn’t want to tell you,” he said.
“You knew.” I shook my head. “You knew and lied to me.”
“I didn’t lie. Past life stuff is complicated,” he countered. “We’ve done this dance with Kalerian before.” He kept his eyes on me, but didn’t go further.
“So, you were just going to let me think I had information that could help even though you already knew?”
“I am letting your memories come to you in your time,” he said. “That’s something that can’t be rushed.”
I pressed my lips together. He was right. When I was young, before leaving my father’s home, I was getting snippets of past lives, but was never taught about what it meant.
“You need me. I’m going to help you with Kalerian.”
“You aren’t. You’re going to protect Tara,” I said.
“Absolutely not.”
“There is no one I trust more to keep her alive.” I said, stepping closer. “For me.”
He set his jaw as if he were going to counter it, but didn’t. “If Kalerian takes you again, I’m going to come after you.” He leaned in. “So, don’t let him.”

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Kalerian

“They plan to close the portal at dawn.” Liam glanced from me to Mara. “They have a pair of Phoenix.”
“So, they aren’t choosing to kill the child,” I said, my lips curling upwards. “Kill the child.”
“Are you sure that’s the right move?” Mara crossed her arms.
“Why doubt my commands?” I looked at her. “Killing that girl sends a message. It breaks them.”
“Whatever you want, Kalerian,” Liam said. “It should be easy enough.”
“What about Ren?”
“He’ll be guarding the child. Do you want me to end him?” Liam watched me.
“No, I want Lynn to watch me kill him, and when I toss his body into the portal, my brother will rise from it,” I said.
“And me?” Mara asked, glancing at me and Liam.
“You’ll kill the Phoenix.” It would take years for new ones to grow, giving me all the time I needed to raise my brothers and destroy the witches rebelling.
“One other thing,” Mara said, “we captured a few stragglers from the camp. I transferred them to the California headquarters because their powers were interesting.”
“That’s a torture and work camp,” I said. “Why?”
“The woman is one of Lynn’s inner circle,” she smiled. “And the best part is, they don’t even know where she is.”
“You want to torture information from her?” I nodded. “Good. And the other?”
“He can sense people’s intentions. It’s an interesting power, but I may turn him, given some time,” she said.
“Excellent,” I answered. “Much better than what happened with Ren.” I turned back to Liam. “You should get back before they realize.”
He nodded and broke a potion on his chest and disappeared.
“I almost forgot,” Mara said, running behind me to catch up. “I was able to save a human.”
“He was dead,” I said. “No saving that.”
“Not unless you have a necromancer on your payroll,” she countered, and I stopped.
“Where did you find one of those?” I asked. “I would have felt their magick.”
“Right under our noses,” she said with a smirk. “I told you I could do anything that Lynn could do.” She let her hand run over my chest, and I glanced down at it.
“You don’t have the power she will. No human will,” I said, pulling her hand away from me. “And it’s mine.”

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Lynn

I walked from the warmth of the cave and into the darkness on the side of the mountain. Everyone was resting or making peace with what was about to happen. None of us has any idea if this would work.
Two barely trained Phoenix magick users, a small group of military defectors and a handful of powerful witches. And then there was me. I could fight, but my magick was still weak. Why didn’t Page actually teach me something? I took a long breath, trying to force myself to remember something, anything that could help us, but nothing came.
“It’s not safe out here on your own,” Ren’s voice said behind me.
“Nowhere’s safe,” I countered.
He stepped past me and dropped his gaze to the giant hole in the ground just down the mountain where the portal sat, its angry moans and growls weirdly louder than ever before.
“They’re getting stronger,” I said, glancing at him. “We’re getting weaker.”
“Let’s concentrate on one thing at a time,” he said. “There are more of us out there.”
“But we’re scattered. Each with our own mission and portal to keep safe or close.” I kept my eyes on him. “How many did you see?”
“Just the one in England before Bree destroyed it,” he said, meeting my gaze.
“Was it hard to close?”
He looked away. “It nearly killed her.” He sighed.
“But she lived. There’s hope then.” There had to be. The idea of so many people dying because of choices I made, choices I didn’t even know would be worth it. Someone had to live.
“There’s always hope,” Ren said with a smirk. “After you left Japan, I wasn’t sure I’d ever see you again.”
“But you did,” I said, lightly hip-checking him. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“I’ll always be here,” he said. “Kind of have to be.”
I gave him a look, and his smirk widened.
“Who would keep you from doing stupid shit?”
“Not you,” I countered. “You just like to remind me of it after.”
He snickered, but his smile slowly faded. “I don’t like you taking him on alone.”
“If you show up, it’ll make it worse,” I said with a sigh. “He won’t kill me.”
“I know, but what he could do is much worse,” Ren crossed his arms.
My gaze fell to the blade on his side, and I cocked my head. “That’s new.”
He glanced at the sword and smiled wide. “It’s a gift from Hope. She works with the Seelie Court.” He pulled it from the sheath and held it out for me.
The metal was polished and beautiful. Each of the lightning accents seemed to have its own energy to it, like it wasn’t just a blade, but a channel and magick of its own. I slowly touched the metal, but pain shot through me. Like I’d stuck my hand in a light socket. I flinched and pulled my hand back.
Ren watched, his eyebrows knitting together. “That’s weird.”
“I guess it’s just for you and no one else,” I said with a slight laugh, rubbing my hand.
He put it back in its sheath and shrugged. “I don’t understand anything the Fae do.”
“At least it’s not news to you they’re real,” I said. My mother mentioned things like the Fae and hell-hounds when I was a kid, but I never paid much attention. She was the witch, and I was just a kid.
“Do you have a plan for tomorrow?” Ren asked.
“Just keep him busy. Sam and the others can deal with that blond bitch,” I said. “The guys should be able to hold the line long enough for Mia and Kate to close the door. Then you guys can get the hell out of here.”
“How are you going to know when it’s over?” He cocked his head. “If we all leave.”
“You can come make your grand entrance as usual,” I joked.
“And kill him,” he finished. “If the portal is closed, maybe he’ll be cut off from the power source.”
“That’s the hope,” I said. “Since witches get their power from the earth, we should be able to take out any stragglers.”
“And close the other doors,” he said with a nod. “This one is the worst.”
“Hence, why I wanted to take it first.”
“It’s a good plan,” he said.
“It’s Sam’s plan,” I said. “She’s better at all this.”
“Maybe,” he said, “but you carry a lot more of this than anyone.”
I didn’t say anything. If I acknowledged he was right, then I’d have to face that, and I wasn’t ready. I wanted it over. I wanted my life back. Even if that wasn’t something I was going to get right away.
“We should get some sleep. Tomorrow is a big day,” I said, forcing a smile.
He nodded and turned to head back in. I watched the flickering of the lights inside the portal for a moment longer before following him.
This was it.
The end, finally.

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Sam

I sat on the cold cave floor and looked at the map again. Every entrance point needed coverage. If they tried to swarm us, we would need time to get out. We’d need time for the girls to close the portal. I sighed and glanced at the map again. The valley was pretty isolated from the force of the portal opening six years ago. Rocks had found homes around the opening itself except at two very distinct points.
That was where each of the girls could stand and do whatever magick it was that closed it.
“You should be sleeping,” Sophie said, standing on the other side of the map, a smile on her perfect lips.
I glanced at her and shook my head. “I have to make sure every possibility is covered.”
She walked to my side and sat beside me, her dark eyes fixed on the map. “So, where are the weak points?”
I glanced from her back to the map. “I’ve got all the entrances to the valley covered, and there seem to be two points that lead to the edge of the portal. If we can hold them here at the closest opening, they should have enough time.”
“So, you already have it covered then,” she shrugged. “Why are you going over it again?”
“Because if I’m off, even a little, everyone dies or worse,” I said.
“I know all about the worst thing,” she said. “It will work.”
“It has to,” I finished. “You’re going to be safe here with Tara, Cam and Trevor.”
“I still think you should take Cam with you.”
“I’ll be okay. I still have my powers if I need them,” I mumbled.
“But you never use them,” she said, putting her hand on mine.
I tensed at the touch, surprised by it.
“Promise you will if you have to,” she said, and I turned to face her. Her eyes were tired, and her dark hair was pinned back the best she could. I reached out and touched her dark curls before realizing what I was doing and pulled back.
“I will.”

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Lynn

My hand slid my hands around the blades Sam handed me, cocking an eyebrow. She shrugged.
“I like to be prepared,” she said. “And you are insanely hard to kill.”
I laughed slightly. Maybe she wasn’t so bad. “Thanks. I’m going to need them.”
“Just keep him occupied. If he gets wind of the girls, they’re dead.”
“I know how to keep him busy,” I said and glanced at Ren.
He was leaning against the cave wall with Tara next to him. His arms were crossed while he watched me chat with Sam. She glanced at him.
“Oh, he’s pissed.”
“Yeah,” I said. “He doesn’t like my doing this.”
“Can’t blame him. I worked under Mara, and she was bad enough,” Sam said.
I dropped my gaze to the stone cave floor. She didn’t know the half of it. I’d been running from him for the last six years, but having dreams of him for most of my life.
“Let’s just get this over with,” I said, and she handed me a travel potion.
“When the fight is over and the portal is closed, get the hell out of there,” she said. “Don’t wait.”
“Where are we going?”
“Sophie says the next lowest portal is in Iceland. We’re headed there to regroup and help them,” she said.
“So, even if we close this, they could still get out?” I hated this more and more.
“No one knows for sure.” She sighed. “Let’s hope we don’t have to find out.” She walked away, leaving me there, wishing I hadn’t asked.
I walked over to Ren and glanced at Tara. This was the first time I’d really taken the time to look at her. She was so young, maybe ten, and all this was happening around her. I felt a tinge of pain in my chest. She was just like I was young and my mom ran.
“Hey,” I said with a little wave.
She looked up at me and smiled. “You’re Lynn.”
I nodded. “Yep. Are you doing okay?”
“Yeah, Cam and Ren have been great. He saved me, you know,” she said with a bright smile.
“Yeah, he does that,” I said, glancing at him. He didn’t say anything, but gave me a look. “Take care of him for me, okay?”
“Me?” She glanced at Ren and then at me. “You bet.”
“I’ll see both of you later,” I said, glancing back at the girl before turning and walking away. I swallowed my guilt and picked up my pace, past the groups of military guys checking weapons and packs. They didn’t pay any attention to me as I walked past.
The trail to the little clearing just to the west of the portal wasn’t long, but it was more travel than the others would do. It was enough time for Kalerian to sense me and track my location. Even if he knew it was a trap, he’d come. His arrogance was stronger than any need for safety.
I walked into the clearing and took it in. Everything was peaceful. The overgrown grass smelled sweet, covering the stench of burning flesh from the portal. The trees danced and swayed when the breeze picked up. There were trees lining most of the clearing that moved with the grass in the most peaceful way. I’d stay there forever if given the choice.
Blinding pain ran down my arm, and I flinched.
“Are we still playing these games?” He said from behind me, close enough that it made me nervous, but I shoved it down and turned to face him.
“No more games,” I said, pulling the daggers and waiting.
His gaze fell on the sharp points, and he smiled. “So, a fight, then.” He laughed and circled me. “I doubt you’re ready for that.”
“I guess we’re about to find out,” I snapped, and he stepped back, waiting for me to make a move.
And I did.

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Sam

I slid the long hunting knife I’d swiped from the weapons table into my left pocket and adjusted the body armor Cam insisted I wear. It wasn’t like they were going to send the humans at us, but when he said how many times he’d lost an ignorant friend to not wearing one, I shut up and took it.
“Don’t worry, Mia is the best I’ve seen with her magick,” Kate said, her blond hair bobbing as she walked.
“This isn’t like practice. There won’t be any second chances,” I said, and they both looked at me. “There’s only so much time we can buy you.” I glanced at the ten other solder types that were depending on me to keep them alive and do something to change the tide of this war.
“We know. We’re ready,” Mia said, glancing at Kate, “no matter what happens.”
We walked further down the rocky path until it opened into an area with jagged rocks and dirt. There was almost no cover here, which made me nervous. “We can use the rocks over there if we need cover,” a dark-haired buff guy, whose name I never bothered to learn said. It was almost as though he’d read my mind.
The portal roared just on the other side of a second group of jagged rocks. “Go save the world,” I said, sliding my eyes from Mia to Kate with a smile.
They snickered at the joke and walked away. It would only be a matter of time before they got here, and they needed every second they could get.
I turned back to the others, and we set upright between the first set of rocks. The group of men barely got their weapons ready when they heard the snarls.
“They’re here,” I said and pulled my own firearm, my hands shaking. The same dark-haired man put his hand on mine and looked at me.
“Steady,” he said. “Take a breath. You don’t want to pull the trigger too hard. Gently.”
I nodded. “I wish I’d made more of a point to go with you guys to practice,” I admitted. “I never thought I’d be in the field.”
“Just stay low and fire when you see them,” he said. “Even if you miss.”
I watched the edges of the dirt, rock-filled area for movement, but nothing was coming. The snarls were waiting on the edges of our vision for something or someone. Then I saw her. A tall woman with bleach-blond hair pulled tightly into a ponytail on the top of her head. She was dressed as though this was less a fight and more a party. Dark jeans, a slightly loose-fitting dark top and boots with heels I’d never want to wear out here.
“Do we really have to fight?” The blond said, looking at us standing there with our weapons pointed at her. “We could do so many great things together.”
That’s when I realized who it was. Mara. “Not with you,” I snapped.
His lips curled into a smile. “Sam, it’s been so long.” She stepped closer.
“What are you waiting for?” I snapped, adrenaline pushed through me, and I took in a sharp breath.
“I’m waiting for your choice.” She took another step. “Surrender and join us, or die.”
I swallowed hard. What was she planning? It didn’t matter what happened to us. As long as the girls got the door closed. That was all that mattered.
And I pulled the trigger.

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Ren

I glanced at Cam holding his weapon at the ready and Sophie sitting with Tara on the floor of the cave. My head shook at the ridiculousness of my being here. Cam was completely capable of keeping these two safe. The only reason Lynn wanted me here was to keep me out of the way.
“This is stupid,” I said, and Cam glanced at me.
“We’re following orders,” he said.
I snickered. “You’re following orders. I’m not under Sam’s command.”
“Lynn wanted you here,” he countered, and I cocked my head.
“Do you really think I do everything she wants me to?”
“You’re the one standing here. You tell me.” He raised an eyebrow, and I turned my gaze to the kid. She was sitting there messing with some coloring pages and half-used crayons.
“She says she trusts me,” I said without thinking.
“She wants to keep you safe,” Cam said with a slight smile. “You’re the last connection she has now that Miles is gone.”
My gaze snapped to him, and a tinge of pain pushed through me. I nodded. “I don’t think she realizes I want her safe too.”
“You know how she is,” he said, and I smiled at the phrase. She’d said the same thing about me to Lexa.
The dude they called Trevor came rushing into the cave. “The fight’s starting,” he said.
I glanced at Cam. “They’ll come for her now if they’re coming.”
“Agreed,” he answered and checked his weapon. “But I’m ready for it.”
I hesitated and paced the floor, pushing my gaze from Trevor to Cam and then to Sophie. “Do we really need this many people here?” A part of me hoped they would agree to let me leave. Lynn could be in real trouble, and I wasn’t there. “I know she wants to keep me safe, but she’s not ready to face him on her own.”
“You should go,” Trevor said with a nod. “Lynn will forgive you.”
I hesitated, looking at Cam, and he shrugged. “I think me and Trevor are more than capable of protecting Tara.”
My hand reached into my pocket and pulled the little traveling potion out. It was the only one Sam gave me, but Lynn would have one to get us out of there when it was time. Something felt off, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. It didn’t matter; Lynn needed me.
I broke the bottle on my chest and thought of Lynn, just as a smirk came to Trevor’s face, but the world was already falling away.

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Lynn

I lunged forward and swung my dagger at his face. He sidestepped me and grabbed my wrist, giving it a twist, but I brought the other one upward, slashing his back and shoulder. I winced as hot pain surged through my body in the same spot.
He took advantage of my momentary shock and pulled me forward, knocking me off balance. I hit the ground hard. My ears rang at the sudden impact, and I couldn’t catch my breath.
“Always rushing the enemy. You haven’t learned anything,” he said with a chuckle. “Still the same careless fighter you were back then.”
I rolled onto my back, but he was circling me like a predator. Even sitting up burned my lungs struggling to take in air, but I wasn’t about to let him see me weak. I pushed myself to my feet and steadied myself. My daggers were long gone, but I still had the one I’d stolen from him before and my magick. I wasn’t powerless, like he wanted me to believe.
“At least I don’t have to sell myself to some human I think is beneath me,” I spat. His emerald eyes held mine, but he didn’t move. “If you were so powerful, you wouldn’t need him, would you?”
“You act like I don’t have my own plans.” He stepped closer, and I backed up a step. “I have so many plans for this world, for you.”
“I don’t want anything to do with your plans,” I snapped.
“You say that as if you have a choice.” He stepped closer, and I held my ground. “Every choice I’ve made since I saw you, was for you. For what we could be together. Your power is so much more than any human on this earth has.” He closed the distance between us and almost gently held my chin. “And it’s mine.”
The world swirled around me weirdly. Memories flooded my mind.

I stood in the center of a fighting area, but nothing around me was the same. The air smelled like blossoms, and the sounds of others sitting around us watching and whispering filled my ears.
I glanced at the others, and they straightened up like they couldn’t cause trouble or something might happen to them.
“Your turn,” his voice said. I turned my head to Kalerian standing in front of me, his sword not even pulled. His stance was casual, but the spark in his green eyes was familiar.
I lunged at him with my daggers, and he sidestepped it, grabbing my wrist and locking me to him. My other elbow went back into his ribs. He buckled, but only slightly.
“If you want to defeat your enemy, you must learn how they think, Saki.” He pushed me forward, and I stumbled slightly.
I spun and waited for him to attack, but he didn’t. He just watched me, waiting.

I stepped back.
“You remember us,” he said, smiling. “You remember when I took you under the blossom trees.”
I stumbled and fell flat on my ass. The truth was, I didn’t know what the hell I saw or what I remembered. It was pieces of memories. The fight was the clearest one, but there was truth to what he was saying.
He grabbed my arm and yanked me to my feet. “I’m sorry for this.”
I pushed back against his grip before the air was sucked from my lungs.

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Sophie

I watched Tara coloring in an old coloring book someone had picked up on a supply run once. There weren’t kids here anymore. Not after the last raid on the camp. They’d moved to some place further from the fight. Someplace safer. Hopefully, Tara could go there at some point too, but it was safer for everyone to keep her close until the door was closed and she wouldn’t be needed anymore.
“Everything good?” Cam said, watching Trevor. Getting Ren to leave might not be the best idea. He was the only one besides me who had any magick, but my magick was pretty limited. I could heal people, not fight with mine.
“It is now,” he said, and my skin prickled.
Fuck.
Cam grabbed his weapon and held it at the ready, and Trevor just watched him.
“What, are you going to shoot your old friend?” He smiled as he spoke. “I just don’t like that Ren guy.”
Cam didn’t answer, but everything about the way he was standing told me he was ready for anything. “You’re not acting like yourself,” he said.
“What does that mean?”
“You’re more disciplined than this.” Cam watched him. “What happened to you?”
“War happened,” he answered simply.
“You’re a soldier. You’ve been in wars for a long time,” Cam answered, shifting his grip on the rifle.
Trevor sighed. “You got me.” His gaze drifted to me, and I pulled Tara a bit closer. Trevor stepped forward faster than I’d ever seen him move and grabbed the barrel of the rifle. He pushed it down.
Cam let the butt of the rifle go and punched him in the side of the face, hard. Trevor stumbled back, but before Cam could react, he pulled a pistol from his side and fired into Cam’s chest. The impact knocked him back, and Trevor rushed me.
I pushed Tara to the side and kicked at his knee. He fell forward a step before dropping the pistol and grabbing me with one hand and Tara with the other. The face of the man I’d trusted since I’d gotten here melted and another I didn’t recognize took its place. He had dark hair and dark blue eyes. His jaw was harsh, and he looked to be close to forty. Before I could react, we were falling, and I hit the ground hard, dirt billowing into my face. I glanced at Tara before I realized we were in the middle of the fight.

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Sam

My heart pounded right as the first of their own soldiers reached us. Humans, who’d sold out all of us to stay alive. Bullets were flying in all directions, barely missing me. I pulled back behind the nearest large rock and tried to catch my breath. Why weren’t they letting
“We won’t be able to hold them long,” the dark-haired man I’d talked to earlier said.
I kept my eyes on him. “What’s your name?”
“My name?” He looked confused for a moment. “Ben.” A bullet tore through his neck a second after he answered me, his blood splattering the rock and ground when his body fell. It happened that fast. One minute I was talking to him and the next we were lying in a heap of blood on the ground.
This wasn’t supposed to be me. It was one thing to run a war from a secured location, or be a spy embedded in a group of people. This was death, right in front of me. This was blood coating dirt and rocks.
I glanced at the others. Several had already fallen, but another man I barely knew caught my gaze, and he shook his head. We weren’t going to last like this. They were all going to die today, and I didn’t even know if closing the door was going to work or if it would protect the people I wanted it to.
Then the bullets stopped.
“Sam, this is your only way out. You’ve lost and your friends are dying around you,” Mara said.
I carefully peeked around one of the boulders and saw her standing there with three very decked-out military guys around her. I blinked, and another man was standing next to her, but what got my attention was Sophie and Tara on the ground in front of him. I pulled back and glanced at the others. They all waited for me to make the call. Do I let Sophie and Tara die or surrender and become a slave again and doom any hope this world had to be free?
I’d underestimated them, and it was going to kill us.
“We can come to an arrangement. You’re quite useful, Sam, and from what I hear, Sophie here is a talented healer,” Mara said. I could hear the smirk in her voice without even seeing her.
I pulled the rifle strap free and set it down. There was no way I was going to let her kill Sophie. At the very least, I could buy us all some time. I stepped out from behind the boulder with my hands up and took a step towards Mara.
“Let them go,” I said, and Mara laughed.
“Why would I do that?”
“You don’t need Tara, and Sophie isn’t as good a healer as you think.
“She kind of sucks at it, really,” I said, taking another step. My gaze slipped to Sophie, and she shook her head. I glanced up at the man standing behind her. I didn’t recognize the face, but something felt familiar. He smiled, and his face melted into another. One I knew all too well.
“Liam,” I whispered, and he smiled wide.
“Hello, baby sister.”

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Ren

The sting of heat from the portal threw me off. Lynn was not supposed to be this close. She’d managed to somehow pull out of Kalerian’s grip, but didn’t have any of her weapons on her.
I ran, lungs burning with each step, avoiding the little rocks that threatened to trip me. My sword was already in my hand when I got there, and swung it between them. Kalerian seemed to see it coming, but Lynn just looked at me like I’d come out of thin air.
I guess I kind of did.
Kalerian raised a hand, and I flew a few feet back and landed on my back. I rolled to the side and pulled myself to my feet just as he was swinging his sword down on my head. I blocked it and let my blade scrape along his to spin away.
“You are annoying,” Kalerian said, and I smiled widely.
“It’s what I do,” I said, and he narrowed his eyes at me.
“You’ve always thought you were capable of killing me, but never could,” he smirked. “You even lost her all those lives ago.”
I set my jaw. “Only because she saw something in you. Doubt that will happen again.”
His smirk grew. “She remembers.”
I knew better than to take my eyes off of him, but I glanced at Lynn for a second. She was picking herself up from the dirt. She looked as though something long buried was finally reachable. Something she didn’t want to face.
I didn’t react in time and felt the cold steel of his blade push into me. Pain pushed through my side, and I stepped back. He cocked his head and barely moved, but I few into the boulders at the edge of the portal. Hot blood oozed from the wound, and I held my hand over it to slow the bleeding.
This was not how things were supposed to end.
I reached for my magick, but it only sparked at my finger tips. I was losing too much blood.
I was losing her.

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Lynn

My arm burned in pain. The weird ooze tattoo I’d gotten from cutting the rune pulsed to the point I wanted to cut it off. I couldn’t move my arm without shots of pain pushing into my bones.
Kalerian walked past me towards Mia, who was closest to us. I pushed through the blinding pain and ran up behind him, kicking him in the back of his knee. He buckled forward, but spun on me and grabbed my throat.
“I’ve been patient with you, Saki, but it only goes so far,” he pushed me back. “That rune still works.”
This time I recognized the name with a tug of pain in my gut. Something I wished I could forget. But the pain that put me on my knees pushed that away.
He leered over me and smirked. “You’ll stay until I’m done here.” He glanced at Mia. “No more Phoenix issues.”
I couldn’t move without pain pinning me to the dirt. Even breathing threatened to rip me apart. My eyes closed, and I pulled at my magick. Every inch I could reach and let the pain fuel me, let it give me more power than I’d ever had. My blood warmed under my skin, and the air tingled against me.
I pulled myself up and let go. The earth rumbled and groaned and shook beneath me. Kalerian was right behind Mia. She had no idea he was standing there ready to kill her. I pushed the magick at him, and he stepped to the side just as a sharp rock shot from the boulder and right into Mia’s back.
My breath caught, and the fire radiating from Mia fell away. Sound went muffled. Someone screamed, but it was far away, and I fell to my knees. My ears rang loud and high-pitched, like I’d just been in a field of firecrackers.
Kalerian walked back towards me and kneeled down. “Maybe you are ready.”
I looked at him, and all my anger flooded me. He smiled and stood, taking long strides towards Ren.
It was never going to stop. He was never going to stop hurting people, killing people. All because he was obsessed with a twisted love story that happened a thousand years ago. One I barely remembered and what I did, I wanted to forget.
The blade I’d stolen from Kalerian buzzed with power at my side. There was only one way out of it, but it had to be my choice. My choice was to save the people I loved and maybe myself.
I pulled the blade from my side and glanced at Kalerian’s back. He was almost to Ren. It was now or never. My hand shook as I pulled the edge of the blade across my wrist. White-hot pain flooded through me, and I switched hands carefully. The blood made it hard to grip the dagger handle. Again, that white hot pain, but the look on Kalerian’s face was all the reward I needed.
He turned and looked at me, blood dripping from his own wrists, his face twisted in a mix of pain and disbelief.
“Binding rune. It goes both ways,” I said with a laugh and let myself fall back, looking up at that clear blue sky and then letting my head fall towards the portal. I’d failed to close it, but at least this would give the others a fighting chance.
My blood drained from my body, the air around me turning metallic. My blood inched further away from me while my body grew colder but closer to the portal. I blinked slowly, watching it flow over the edge.
A dark hand grabbed the edge, digging its fingers into my blood like a lifeline. The large figure pulled itself from the portal and stood at the edge as if it were breathing for the first time. It was larger than Kalerian, less human and more demon. Long claws for hands and short horns on its massive head, but it was the red glowing eyes that chilled me. Those eyes I remembered from my nightmares.
It walked to me, power dripping off of him. This thing was stronger than Kalerian and it knew it. The demon stood over me and grabbed my wrists, shaking its head. “Stupid girl.”
I blinked but I couldn’t move, even if I wanted to. I felt ice running through my veins and screamed internally. It dug into my muscles and bones and prickled the skin on my arm. The moment it let me go, I took a sharp breath and glanced at my wrists. They were still covered in blood, but the wounds were closed.
It grabbed one of my wrists and dragged me to where Kalerian was rising to his feet and dropped me in front of him.
“Send her to our brothers. She’ll come back and thank you for it,” the demon spat.
Kalerian looked down at me and then back to the demon and grabbed my arm, pulling me to my feet. I met his gaze. There was almost hesitation in his eyes, but he pulled me to the edge of the portal, my back to it. My eyes fell to Mia, still propped up by the stone spike coming through her lifeless body, and then back to Kalerian.
“When you come back, you’ll understand,” he said, his eyes taking me in with something beyond the control he normally had. Something almost like sadness. Then it was gone and pushed me back. I wildly grabbed the air for anything to keep me from falling, but there was nothing. The hot air from the portal rushed at me and my skin burned like I’d just gotten the worst sunburn of my life. My arm screamed in pain and pushed up my shoulder.
Then it was only darkness and falling.

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Sam

I glared at my older brother and that smart ass grin. He knew exactly what he was doing. “What do you want?”
“I want you to come home.” He glanced at Sophie. “You can even bring her with you.”
I shook my head. “That’s not happening.”
“Even if it means I take her pretty head?” He watched me. The years we’d been apart hadn’t treated him well. He looked much older than the mid-thirties he should look.
“If you do that, then I won’t have any reason not to kill you,” I countered, and he laughed. It was chilling how dark he’d gotten.
“Like you could.” He stepped closer, and I tensed. “We’re family. We belong on the same side.”
“Tried that, didn’t really like it,” I said and suddenly realized why Lynn used snark as her primary language. It shielded her, and right now it was doing the same for me.
Mara glanced at Liam and shrugged before reaching down and sending a shockwave of pain through Sophie. She screamed. Her fingers dug at the ground, and she leaned her body as close to the dirt as she could.
I tensed and took a short breath. All because my brother, whom I once worshiped, wanted me to come back. To fight with the very people who’d destroyed so many lives.
“These people don’t have to die,” Liam said through Sophie’s screams. “Just come home.”
I almost didn’t notice Sophie reach up and grab Mara’s hand, but when she did, it was like her hand aged rapidly. Sophie turned and stood, still holding her hand. The color drained from her arm now and moved up.
“Let the hell-hounds free!” Mara managed, pulling back just enough to get out of her grip.
I grabbed Sophie and pulled her and Tara towards cover, hearing the snarls of the hounds running full speed for us. Their dark-muscled bodies moved faster than any dog from our world. The closer they got, the more I realized how large they were. The damn things were at least four feet tall and had a mouthful of fangs.
I glanced at Sophie, who looked past me at the approaching creature ready to rip our heads off when strong arms pulled them further behind the bounders. My eyes met Cam’s, with his rifle at the ready. He fired on the hell-hounds and they whimpered as the bullets hit them.
“We have to give the girls more time.” I said, and Cam shook his head, nodding over to the portal.
“They’re dead, Sam. It’s over.” His eyes fell before he fired some more shots at the other creatures heading for us. I stared at the edge of the portal where Mia was, a stone spike through her. Kalerian had Lynn at the edge. She looked as defeated as I felt. It was like she’d seen everything we were fighting for and realized we didn’t have a chance. Her head turned towards Mia, and Kalerian gave her a hard shove. She fell back. I gasped and slid down the edge of the boulder, keeping us only a step away from the hell-hounds that were trying to rip us apart.
Not even a moment later, I watched Ren run full speed over the edge after her, and every shred of hope I’d managed to pull together vanished. We were done. Two of our best fighters were gone, Mia was dead, and the portal was still open. I fought my own fear when the ground rumbled and shook. The blue sky faded to blood red.
And two more demons pulled themselves from the portal.
“We have to go now,” Cam said, grabbing me and shaking me out of my fear. “Use the potion.”
“And go where?” I said.
“Anywhere,” he snapped.
I grabbed Sophie, and she put Tara in her arms, and I broke the bottle in my free hand. I thought of the only place I knew was safe and closed my eyes.

My eyes flew open to birds flying overhead, and I felt the lap of water hitting my legs. I sat up and looked at the water hitting me. I was on a beach. The bright sun here made me blink, and I held up a hand to shield my eyes.
“Where are we?” Sophie asked from my right. I glanced at her and Tara, standing now in front of her.
“The only place I knew was safe,” I answered.
“This is the safe zone,” Cam said. “You brought us to Japan. The last place on earth that’s free.”
“The only one that is.” I dropped my gaze to my still-shaking hands. “Paige told me to come here if I needed to hide.”
“So did Ren,” Cam added. “But why?”
“This is where Lynn’s dad is.” I glanced at Cam as I spoke. “If we want any chance of stopping this now, we need him.”

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Ren

The falling and the heat were the easy part, it was catching up to Lynn I was worried about. My side throbbed, and I kept reaching for her, knowing she had to be here somewhere. Finally, my fingers felt hers, and I grabbed her and pulled her to me.
It was too dark to see anything with only faint flickers of red from somewhere. But her arms wrapped around me and held tight.
The red lighting got brighter until we were falling towards what looked like a field of ash. I rotated myself the best I could to take most of the impact and dark dust flew up when I landed in it. I moved my body to check and make sure everything was okay, and nothing screamed I’d hurt myself in the fall.
Lynn lifted her head and pulled herself back from me, sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest, tears filling her eyes. “I killed them.”
I pulled myself into a sitting position in front of her. “You didn’t.”
“I did,” she repeated. “I killed them.”
“They knew what they were getting into,” I repeated, and her dark eyes burned into mine.
“I killed Mia with my magick.” She shook her head. “I ruined everything.”
I let my gaze drop. “We all failed.”
She took a breath and wiped the tears from her eyes. “Where the hell are we?”
I paused and watched her for a moment. All that pain was still there; she was just holding it back like always. “Lynn.” I wanted to pull her into my arms and let all of what happened fall away.
“Ren, I can’t do this right now. I have to have something to focus on. Please.”
The tears threatened to take over her again, so I nodded. “He threw you into the portal.”
She furrowed her brow and let her hand run over the ash we’d fallen into. “Like hell?”
“I guess. It’s where they were imprisoned.”
“How the hell do we get out of here?” She wiped her eyes again and pulled herself to her feet.
I shook my head and shrugged. “I have no idea.”
Out of nowhere, we were circled by hell hounds and dark armored soldiers pointing their swords at us. I held up my hands without thinking. If this were hell, it meant all of these guys were as skilled or more so than Kalerian.
The circle opened to let in two large figures. Both obviously demons with dark burned skin and clawed hands. They glanced at each other and then at Lynn.
“We’ve been waiting for you,” the bigger one said before looking over at me, his eyes dropping to the sword next to me. “This one has a Fae sword.”
“The Fae Queen will be pleased to take that,” the smaller one said.
“Who are you?” Lynn said, watching them.
“We’re the ones you’re going to lead to Earth.” He smiled, and the look of his fangs on us made me cringe. “So we can destroy it.”

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