by Parker Blue
“What’s Fang saying now?” Shade demanded.
I didn’t want to admit to Fang’s potential part in leaving Shade’s sister stranded on the other side. Did you hear the demons on the other side? I asked Fang privately.
NO, BUT I DIDN’T TRY. I WAS TOO BUSY KICKING BUTT ON THIS SIDE.
“He took Max’s word for it,” I told Shade.
Ivy’s eyes widened.
Wild-eyed, Shade leapt to his feet, swirling faster in agitation. “Max is the one who said Sharra was dead. That means she could still be alive,” he exclaimed. “Even more reason for us to mount a rescue operation.”
“You don’t know that. Max might have been telling the truth.”
“And he might have lied to convince us to close the portal,” Shade pointed out.
Ivy chewed her lip. “Sharra’s a shadow demon like you, right?”
“Yes, she’s my twin.”
“Then . . . if she’s still alive, wouldn’t she be able to open a portal on the other side to come back?”
“She can’t come through a portal she created,” I told her.
“But couldn’t she create one to let us know where she is?” Ivy persisted.
“If she can,” Shade said, sounding desperate. “She might be unconscious or too weak.”
He was grasping at straws. “Even if Sharra was alive when she went through, that doesn’t mean she still is,” I reminded him.
“It doesn’t mean she’s dead, either,” Shade said. “What’s Diesel’s number? I want to call him right now and find out.”
“I don’t have it, but Tessa does.” When he pulled out his phone, I added, “You might want to wait to call her, since it’s still kind of early.” Trying to distract Shade and calm him down, I added, “And who’s to say Diesel would tell you the truth even then?” It wasn’t as if Lola could compel him through the phone lines.
Shade glanced at Ivy. “Can your stones tell?”
“Not on the phone—it has to be in person. Sorry.”
Shade muttered some curses under his breath and paced.
PROBABLY WONDERING HOW HE CAN GET TO ALBUQUERQUE AND WRING THE TRUTH OUT OF DIESEL AND MAX.
No doubt. “You’d probably get the truth if Micah asked him,” I said.
“And why would he do that?” Shade asked bitterly. “Micah doesn’t want to do anything that might open the portal.”
“Actually,” Ivy said gently, “I believe Micah is concerned about how safe it is, first and foremost. Your idea is a good one. If hellhounds can sense the presence of demons on the other side, it might help him agree to a plan that includes those abilities.”
Everyone’s gaze turned to Fang.
I DON’T KNOW IF I CAN OR NOT, Fang said, sounding sulky.
I shrugged for Shade’s benefit.
“Then we have to test it,” Shade said.
“How are we going to do that safely? And get Micah’s permission to open a portal to test it in the first place?” Shade was so single-minded, he wasn’t thinking straight.
“What about the books?” Ivy asked. “Would they be able to help?”
Shade shook his head. “I’ve already asked. They can’t. But you—can you help?”
“Me?” Ivy asked. “How?”
“Maybe one of your stones can sense demons in another dimension,” Shade said.
“How would she know that?” I asked him as Ivy shrugged helplessly. I’m sure it wasn’t something she’d ever thought to try.
“We can test that, too,” Shade insisted.
Sighing, I said, “But how will it help to know how many demons are on the other side? Especially since we wouldn’t know the range?”
“I’m sure the Movement will supply people to mount a rescue operation, probably even bring in Lisette’s vamps from Austin. We can make sure we’re not outnumbered and keep the demons at bay. Come on, Val, we have to try.”
Feeling a little guilty that we might have abandoned Sharra alone in the demon dimension, I said, “Okay, if you can do it safely and Micah allows it.”
“We might not need Micah’s permission,” Shade said slyly.
“You think you can get around the last order I gave with it? How?”
“What if you use Lola to force me to open a portal?”
Huh. I didn’t know. Which would be stronger? The command I’d given him using the amulet days ago, or a chakra-binding command with Lola? “I don’t know if that’ll work.”
“But you’ll try, right?”
He sounded so eager, and this was one thing I could finally do for him, after all the crap I’d had to do to him. “If you can find a way to do it safely, without endangering Ivy.” No way was I risking a demon horde coming through here and now.
“Do it now,” Shade urged. “Just to see if it’ll work.”
“Is that safe?” Ivy asked.
“It is if I keep it small so no one can come through,” Shade assured her. “And I’ll make sure it’s a one-way portal to a pocket dimension where there are no demons. Come on, Val. Try.”
Micah hadn’t expressly forbidden us to try this. . . .
THAT’S BECAUSE HE DIDN’T THINK OF IT. TRY IT, VAL. IT’S THE ONLY WAY YOU’LL BE ABLE TO GET RID OF SHADE SO WE CAN BOTH GET SOME SHUT-EYE.
I did kind of wonder if it was possible. I glanced at Ivy. She shrugged. “Since part of the demon in the crystal went into you, it might work.” Quickly, we explained what we thought had happened to Shade.
“So that’s why the last portal on the football field formed so quickly,” he mused. “This should work then. Let’s do it.”
I sighed. “Okay, but keep it as small as possible. And make a regular two-way one so we don’t have to worry about the neighbors.”
Shade stood at one end of the room while the rest of us stood behind him. “I’ll make a tiny one right over the coffee table.”
“Try it first,” Ivy suggested. “See if you can do it without Val or Micah.”
I wasn’t sure I’d encourage that, but Shade raised his arms out in front of him, obviously already trying.
He lowered his arms. “I can’t. Val’s last command is still in place, and I can’t even begin. Try Lola.”
He must be desperate if he was actually asking me to use Lola on him. Slowly, I eased Lola’s energy tendrils into him, trying not to make him feel too much lust. Neither of us wanted to go there. I clamped onto his chakras and said, “Create a two-way portal, Shade. No bigger than a baseball.” I reinforced the instruction with Lola, to force him to do it.
Slowly, a minute green cloud formed. Not as fast as it had on the football field, but apparently, it would work. “Okay, close it down.”
It disappeared immediately. “It worked,” Shade said excitedly. “It was harder than normal, but with Lola’s help, I could do it.” He turned to Fang. “Did you sense any demons on the other side?”
Fang shook his head, so I didn’t even have to translate.
“Does that mean he can’t communicate through a portal?” Ivy asked.
“Not necessarily,” Shade said, sounding overly optimistic. “I chose a dimension without demons, remember? Let’s experiment—”
I held up my hand to stop him. “Not right now. I’m tired. Let me get some sleep first.”
“Then call me as soon as you wake up,” Shade said. “I’ll figure out a way to make sure you and Ivy are safe.”
I glanced at Ivy who shook her head. “I promised your mother I’d come by her store tomorrow,” Ivy reminded me. “Plus I need to do some research to see if there might be any gemstones that have the kind of capability you’re looking for.”
“Then when?” Shade asked impatiently.
I deferred to Ivy, since she was the one with the comm
itments. “How about seven tomorrow night?” she asked.
“Can’t you make it sooner?” Shade asked.
Defending her, I said, “It’s a good time. Austin should be awake by then, and we can plan everything together.” If Austin was talking to me. Heck, I’d make him listen—I didn’t want to give him any reason to get Luis involved too early, or the Spaniard would probably hurt Shade or Micah in his zeal to get answers. I was pretty sure I could count on Austin not to harm them but wasn’t sure about Luis.
“Okay,” Shade said reluctantly. “That’ll give me time to set up a good test. Where shall we meet?”
I thought for a moment. Depending on what kind of portal he tried to open, we might need more open space, not to mention privacy. At that time of day, I didn’t think it was possible. “I don’t know. Let me ask Austin, see if he knows of someplace. I’ll call you.”
“Okay,” Shade said and left, almost bouncing in enthusiasm.
Sighing, I said goodnight to Ivy and headed for bed.
YOU KNOW WHAT YOU JUST DID, DON’T YOU?
Agreed to something I really don’t want to do?
YEAH, AND YOU JUST PROVED YOU CAN GET SHADE TO OPEN A PORTAL WITHOUT MICAH’S PERMISSION. YOU CAN’T BLAME YOUR DECISION TO LEAVE IT CLOSED ON YOUR BOSS ANYMORE—TO AUSTIN OR ANYONE ELSE.
Oh, crap.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Austin
AUSTIN ROSE AFTER the sun went down. A day of slumber had left him feeling more optimistic. Now that they knew what had happened to Alejandro and Vincent, it was far more likely they could rescue the two of them unharmed. If he could just convince Micah and Val . . .
His phone rang. Speak of the devil. . . . “Yes?” His voice came out a little more curt than he’d intended.
“You’re still mad at me, huh?” she asked.
He sighed. In his surprise at Micah and Val’s refusal to let Shade open a portal, Austin had been less than polite. In fact, he’d been downright rude. “You have a right to your opinion,” he said stiffly. Even if it didn’t agree with his. That didn’t mean he had to like it.
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t help you—just that Micah is right in saying you need a plan to deal with the demons that might come through along with Alejandro. In fact, wouldn’t Alejandro insist on that himself?”
Probably. “Maybe.”
“Well, Shade and I talked about it last night, and we did a little testing to see if Fang can detect demons in other dimensions,” she said.
Relaxing a little at this evidence she was trying to be reasonable, Austin asked, “Did it work?”
“We’re not sure and want to do some more testing. We’re planning to meet at seven. Do you know of someplace we can practice undisturbed . . . where there’s enough space to see the portal?”
Austin thought for a moment. “Do you remember the old theater where we first met? Where we held the rally on All Hallow’s Eve?”
“Yes, but can you get it on such short notice?”
“The Movement owns it now, and it’s being repaired, so it’s not open to the public yet. We should be able to use it, no problem.”
“Okay, good.” She hesitated, then said, “Isn’t this the night you have to meet Luis?” She sounded tentative, as if she was trying not to piss him off any more than he already was. He appreciated the thought but wasn’t ready to let go of his mad just yet.
“Yes, unless we can rescue Alejandro before then. But we have plenty of time before that. The traditional time for duels is midnight, and Rosa has set it up for then.”
“Okay, good. We’ll meet you at the theater in an hour. Don’t bring Luis.”
Val hung up, and Austin realized she was right about Luis. If he told the other lieutenant the truth about where Alejandro had most likely gone, he wouldn’t rest until he’d forced the shadow demon to do his bidding. In this case, that meant forcing the leader of the Demon Underground as well . . . not exactly the best course of action for maintaining diplomatic relations with the demons. If the Movement was to survive and flourish, they definitely needed the support of as many people as they could get.
So, he enlisted the help of a few of his followers to watch the outside of the theater without explaining exactly what he’d be doing inside and headed there to meet Val.
He arrived a little early to unlock the theater and turn on the lights. The repairs were proceeding nicely, and the construction workers were gone for the night. There was plenty of space to do their tests, and the stage itself was pretty much free of construction materials. It would work.
Val and Ivy arrived shortly after that along with Fang, and Shade came a little later with Andrew—the redheaded fire demon who had almost burned down the mansion with all the vampires in it. True, he’d been under the influence of a mage demon at the time, but Austin still wasn’t sure he could trust the boy who had no love for vampires.
“Why is Andrew here?” Val asked.
Shade’s voice came from beneath his hoodie and the swirls that made up his face. “We need someone to go through to the other side. I plan to use an unoccupied dimension, but there may be other dangers there. I figure a fire demon will be able to handle himself.”
“Are you okay with this?” Val asked Andrew.
The fire demon shrugged, looking way too cocky. “I can handle it.”
He glanced aside at Ivy to gauge Ivy’s reaction, and Austin realized he was posturing for her. Unfortunately for Andrew, Ivy looked amused.
Austin didn’t have as much confidence in Andrew as the others did but kept his thoughts to himself. “Where’s Micah?” Austin asked.
“He’s working,” Shade explained. “But we experimented a little yesterday and realized that Val can use Lola to force me to make a portal without Micah’s consent.”
Austin raised an eyebrow at Val. Had she changed her mind about supporting Micah? “You mean he doesn’t know what you’re doing?”
“Yes, he does,” Val said defensively. “I talked to him earlier and got his consent after I promised to do this safely.”
It annoyed him that she had to seek Micah’s approval, but it was also the very thing he admired in her—she stuck to her principles, even when it might not be comfortable for her. Too bad it wasn’t comfortable for Austin either.
“Let’s get started,” Shade said, sounding impatient. Glancing around, he said, “Where should I do this?”
“Why don’t you create the portal on stage?” Austin suggested. “It has less construction debris, and that way, we can all see what’s going on.”
Shade went to the stage without answering.
“What’s the plan?” Austin asked Val.
“We want to see if Fang can detect demons on the other side of a portal. That way we’ll know if it’s safe to open one when we look for Alejandro.”
“That’s why I’m here,” the redhead said self-importantly.
Val and Fang rolled their eyes in unison, but Austin wasn’t amused. He just hoped Andrew didn’t do anything stupid while showing off. “Good,” he said aloud. “Having advance notice of your enemy is always a good thing. But what about the issue of time passing differently in the different dimensions? Will that cause a problem with hearing each other?”
“No,” Shade said. “Time syncs while the portal is open.”
Good—that would make it less confusing.
Ivy came forward with a small silk bag in her hand. “Before we start, I have something for you, Val.”
Val pulled a necklace from the bag—an oddly shaped spear of clear crystal and a turquoise nugget set together in a gold wire freeform setting. “It’s beautiful. What’s it supposed to do?”
“The crystal is a shard from the amulet. It’s cleansed now, and I thought it might continue to resonate with you, since you wore it so lon
g. Turquoise helps to enhance communication, so I thought it might help during your tests.”
Val nodded and slipped the necklace over her head. “Can’t hurt. And even if it doesn’t, it’s pretty.”
She seemed very pleased by the gift, and Austin realized he’d never seen her wear any kind of jewelry before. Odd.
“Here’s one for you, too,” Ivy told Andrew. She pulled off one of her rings and handed it to him. “This way, I’ll be able to see if I can communicate with it when it’s in another dimension.”
Andrew nodded and tucked the ring in his pocket.
“I also checked the bloodstone in the athame,” Ivy said, turning to Austin. “It’s more coherent now but seems focused on what the blood demon used it for and Guillaume’s death. I don’t think it’ll be any help in confirming what happened with Alejandro.”
“That’s okay,” Austin said. “I’m confident we know what happened now.”
Fang poked Val’s leg, and she grinned down at him. “He’s telling us to get started instead of standing around BSing.”
“Stay off the stage, please,” Shade said. “I don’t want to get any of you caught in the portal by accident.”
As everyone did so, Val hitched her backpack more securely on her shoulder, then clasped the pendant in her fist and stared at Shade, using Lola, he assumed. “Create a two-way portal to another dimension, Shade. Not the demon dimension—a safe one.”
Austin glanced toward the stage and saw a small green cloud forming in front of Shade. Since it was his normal two-way portal, they didn’t need as much room for this.
“Make it big enough so Andrew can go through,” Val said, obviously concentrating.
Everyone went up the stairs to join Shade on stage, keeping behind him, out of the way of the green cloud that was slowly growing to the proper size.
“Please explain to Andrew what we’re doing,” Val told Ivy.
Ivy smiled at Andrew. “We’re going to test to see if Fang can hear you on the other side. If he can hear you, he can hear other demons as well. Fang will also talk to you, so just keep communicating with him.”
