by Emma Dean
Without waiting for the go ahead, she placed it carefully over the bullet hole. For shifters, stitches were rarely needed thanks to the speed of their healing. Especially bullet wounds. They were tiny and easily closed.
Then she grabbed a healing tonic from her pack and opened Aiden’s mouth. She poured it down his throat. Ben lifted him up and she massaged his neck so he was forced to swallow.
“Okay, let’s get him on one of the beds.” Emily waved at Ben and Chance and the two gently transported Aiden. “Strip him out of those clothes and keep the blankets loose in case he shifts.”
Jace went over to help while she watched them work.
They did exactly what she asked without question and Emily was relieved they didn’t plan to fight her on this. She slumped into one of the chairs and sighed.
Today definitely hadn’t gone as planned.
4
Jace
He never thought he’d see her again, but a small part of him had hoped he would. It was why Jace had left her his watch – something to remember him by.
When he saw her wearing it, he’d felt…happy? Jace didn’t really know what happiness felt like, but he assumed it was similar to the positive emotion he’d experienced seeing that sparkly white gold on her wrist – like a mark, a symbol of possession not unlike that of a ring.
And then she’d pointed a gun at him.
Jace sighed.
He shouldn’t have been surprised. Borrowing Kenzie Kavanagh’s portal came with risks, they’d all known that.
But he hadn't expected damn assassins. Were the foxes really that pissed at them? Hunter yes, but Ash? Ash was his brother, even if he was a fox. Jace figured Ash would have at least warned him if he was going to put a hit on his pack.
Jace narrowed his eyes and studied Emily. She was wearing something straight out of a wet dream. All of it was tight and black and showed off every fucking curve she had. But there was something different about her this time.
Ravens were excellent assassins thanks to one of their strange little gifts.
He knew they could turn their emotions on and off at will, but Jace hadn’t expected to see it firsthand.
The Emily he’d fucked on Samhain was not the same Emily that sat at the table, carefully stripping out of her jacket. He smelled the blood but hadn’t asked her about the gunshot wounds he knew she had.
No doubt it would have just pissed her off.
Even now he could smell her irritation as it grew.
Jace had to admit. If he was going to die, he hoped it was by her hand. That’s how fucking hot she was. She had these grey-green eyes and creamy skin. The contrast of her dark brown hair made him want to run his hands through it, grip it tight, and yank her head back to expose that milky throat.
Ever since that night she’d haunted his dreams. Every touch and caress she’d given him was echoed in his sub-conscious until she was all he could think about. Jace had to admit it. He was rather obsessed.
And now here she was.
Emily without her emotions was almost as much fun. Everything in him wanted to push her until she switched them back on and he could see that sparkle in her eyes again, see that broad smile she had that made his heart flutter.
He hadn’t even thought he was physically capable of feeling something so trite and…wolfish.
Wolves mated like something in a sappy rom com. He could watch them with his feet up while enjoying some popcorn any day. It was that ridiculously amusing.
But ravens didn’t mate and raccoons…raccoons mated, but not like any other shifter.
Jace watched as she pulled out the bullet in her abdomen first and then bandaged it like a pro. She didn’t wince or react either. There was no pain on her face or in her eyes. It was like she felt nothing at all except he could hear her heart racing and the slight shudder in her breath as she dug into her own body with those shiny tweezers.
What they did to make ravens into assassins…Jace didn’t know, and he didn’t think he wanted to know after watching her patch herself up.
Then she dug in her shoulder for the second bullet and Jace narrowed his eyes.
Ravens didn’t react to silver. Interesting. Must be something to do with their origins.
And clearly, she didn’t trust them if she refused to ask for help. Jace didn’t think she even trusted Aiden though she did seem to favor him. It was easy to see why. Aiden was soft and gentle, romantic and sweet. He was the glue that held them all together and balanced Jace, Chance, and Ben’s intense personalities.
“So,” Emily snapped. “Are you going to tell me what the fucking hell is going on?” She patched up the last bullet hole and eyed him with distaste in nothing but those leather pants and a black sports bra.
He grinned. She was delicious.
“Be more specific,” he taunted.
Ben gave him one of those looks that was barely even an expression. His second didn’t want him riling her up when she still had a contract to kill him and hadn’t exactly decided what to do about that yet.
But when had Jace ever taken the safe route?
Emily’s ice-cold stare sent a chill down his spine and Jace thought for a second he might pop a boner right then and there.
“Why are there kill orders out on you four?” she asked, pulling out one of the wickedly curved blades she’d threatened the reaper with. A reaper. Like looking into the face of death didn’t scare her at all. “What the fuck is that thing that allows you to open doors between worlds, and why do you have it?”
“Too many questions and I don’t trust you,” Chance stated, stripping off his blood covered shirt. “I can’t believe they hit us when they did. I don’t even have my pack on me.”
Emily threw her knife wickedly fast and it ripped the shirt out of Chance’s hand. The knife thudded into the wall, the shirt fluttering like some kind of flag. “I don’t care if you trust me. I saved your life. I saved his life,” she said, another knife coming from nowhere he could see, and Jace had been watching her closely the whole time. He hadn’t even blinked.
She pointed that knife at Aiden, and then up to Ben. “And then this one shoved me through a portal without my consent. I want to know what the fuck is going on. And then I want you to take me home, right now.”
Fuck, she was vicious and demanding and gorgeous, just like she’d been that night, only a slightly different version. Jace couldn’t pick which he liked best.
Ben was the one who opened his mouth to explain, interestingly enough, and Jace considered his second.
He’d known how obsessed with Emily Ben would be the moment Jace watched him cross that dance floor during Samhain to confront her. Ben didn’t care enough about anything to be the first to make a move. That he had for her—a total stranger? It said a lot.
A distinct pop echoed through the room and Jace was up and moving before he smelled the sulphur. “Get the portal open,” he snarled, picking up Aiden as carefully as he could.
“Hello, sweet Jace. It’s nice to see you again,” the demon said, eyes glowing with hellfire.
Jace laughed. At least it wasn’t the demon he’d been expecting. “Hello, Mephisto.”
5
Emily
These fucking raccoons were going to get her killed.
She could smell the tech magic of the portal as it started up. Jace had Aiden in his arms and she felt a professional level of respect for just how fucking fast the raccoons could be.
The demon eyed Jace. Clearly, they knew each other.
Demons could be killed, but not by anything she currently had on her. Emily grabbed her pack and shirt. The knife she had in one hand wouldn’t do anything but piss a demon off so she sheathed it.
Ben was already moving into position, giving Jace a clear path to where the door would open. But they needed time to get everyone through and close it before the demon caught up.
A true scythe could kill a demon, depending on how powerful that demon was. She could trap one in a pentagram if she had the stored mag
ic, but she didn’t. Chopping off his head would only slow him down temporarily unless she burned the body in hellfire.
Emily sighed and pulled out her last pistol. Three shots in his skull and the demon slumped to his knees. Then she pointed that gun at Jace. “Get us out of here before he heals and I kill you.”
The portal door opened, and she turned the pistol back on the demon. The three holes bled for a moment and he looked dazed, but she could already see him healing. Emily walked backward toward the portal, keeping the demon in her sights.
“Let’s go, Emily,” Chance snapped. “We’re waiting on you, princess.”
Maybe she would kill Jace after all and throw in Chance as a bonus.
The demon snarled and lurched forward. Emily fired three more shots and gritted her teeth.
Eight bullets left.
Someone grabbed her arm and yanked her back. She fell on her ass right as the portal door closed, slicing through the demon’s outstretched hand. The body part thumped to the floor and she kicked it away in disgust.
Then she realized there was something wrong. She could feel it in her gut. “Where are we?” Emily demanded, getting to her feet and dusting off her pants. She checked her wounds. Torn open again of course. She sighed and holstered her pistol. “Someone explain before I kill all of you and steal your portal.”
“We’re back home,” Chance told her. “Let’s go. We have a safehouse right over there.”
Emily followed the direction of his finger and eyed the four of them.
Jace was grinning at her, almost as if he hoped she would try and kill him again. What a weirdo.
“Gonna kill me?” Jace asked. “Or are you waiting for a special occasion?”
Slowly she put her shirt back on. “I wanted to make it special, you know, since it’s your first time dying.”
His quiet snort of laughter had her lips twitching.
Too bad he was so much fun to play with.
In so many ways.
Definitely made it harder to kill him.
Chance led the way with Ben right on his heels.
Something still felt off despite Chance insisting this was home.
“Think Aiden’s going to be mad you left his clothes back in that world?” she asked, relieved to see the smaller raccoon was regaining some of his color.
“Probably, but we have clothes in the safehouse,” Jace told her.
“I still want to know what’s going on,” she muttered, pulling out her phone. “I expect a full explanation and some begging for your life when we get there.”
Emily needed to figure out how bad the damage was before making a plan.
“I expected nothing less,” Jace teased. Why did he look so hot in those stupid glasses?
Emily let him get ahead of her so she could keep an eye on all of them at the same time, but especially the one she’d been paid to kill.
What was she going to do about him? About this whole fucking situation?
Emily hesitated for a second. Then she decided it was worth the risk. Tapping Corbin’s number, she chewed on her lip. He wouldn’t sell her out, but he would give it to her straight. He’d tell her if killing Jace would even matter at this point.
A fucking demon was after them too. Whatever they were into, it was deep.
The line didn’t ring. There was a tone and a voice that stated the caller couldn’t be reached. Emily frowned at her phone and tried another number. That one wouldn’t go through either.
Something was very wrong.
She tried to search for a generic number and then she realized she didn’t have any service at all.
What the hell?
“Uh, the safehouse is gone,” Chance stated. He stood at the top of the hill, mountains in the background. He checked the device again and cursed. “I got one fucking number wrong.”
“Where exactly are we, Chance?” Jace gritted out, readjusting his grip on Aiden. “We need somewhere safe we can lay low. Not knowing where we are isn’t safe.”
Ben ripped the device out of Chance’s grip. His large hands made it look so tiny. “We’re in the non-magical version of our world.”
Fucking fantastic.
“Upside, they can’t track us here,” Chance muttered. “I must have slipped trying to get it open before that fucking demon teleported us.”
“Find us somewhere safe,” Jace snapped.
Fuck she wanted him to yell at her like that.
Emily turned around, pretending to get her bearings. What the hell was wrong with her?
“I’m going to shift and do some recon,” she told them. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
Her heart constricted in that split second before the magic took hold. The relief made her physically sick to her stomach when she launched into the sky with a scream. Her wings were still there, even in this wretched place.
She was magic – in her blood and bones. But still, she’d doubted this magicless place would allow her the only thing she couldn’t live without.
Her freedom.
Emily climbed higher and higher in the sky.
The mountains looked familiar, but she couldn’t quite place them. She flew toward the city tucked right under the largest peak, keeping an eye out for planes and other birds.
It was strange to feel how dead the air was. This place wasn’t just dead though, it felt like a void. There wasn’t a single trace of magic she could feel except the four raccoons behind her.
Circling the city, she spied what looked like a resort. The Broadmoor, the sign said.
So, they were in Colorado Springs.
She veered back toward the location the raccoons were in. Between the five of them, they’d figure out how to navigate this place. Aiden needed to rest while they were magically untraceable.
Then they could figure out what to do next.
Emily cawed in irritation and dove toward the boys.
She would figure out what she needed to do next, not they. But first, she had to find out what the hell the raccoons had gotten themselves into.
Then she could decide whether or not to kill Jace.
“This place is fancy,” Chance begrudgingly admitted. “I’m surprised they let you in.”
Emily bared her teeth at him. If she killed Jace, she was definitely killing Chance too.
Ben gave her a warning look. He wouldn’t like that.
Well, he could go fuck himself too.
“The only reason we have this room is because I was alone. All of you look disgusting.” Emily dumped her pack on the bed closest to the balcony and stretched, feeling it pull at her still-healing wounds.
Aiden was resting on the other bed. He’d managed to shift into his raccoon form in his sleep which was a good sign. Ben and Chance were wrapping the blankets around him and she ignored how cute it was.
There was too much to think about. Too much to do.
Now that Aiden was healing, she could move on.
Being in another world, especially one without magic, pissed her off. She wanted out of here and she wanted to go back to her own world. Or maybe hell, depending on what the intel was on her flock and the raccoons.
Emily needed to know what shit the raccoons had fallen into, why they were on a hit list, why a demon was also after them, and then she could choose. If she didn’t like what they had to say, it would be easy enough to kill Jace and Chance, steal the portal, and leave.
Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Ben sitting on a floral chair next to Aiden’s bed, sharp eyes watching her every move.
Maybe Ben was her favorite.
He was tall, dark, and handsome with a healthy dose of mysterious and a pinch of broody. Ben wasn’t a man of many words, but she would never forget the gentle way his large hands had explored her body.
The beauty spot on his face always caught her eye. He had the face of a gorgeous Roman male, but with shoulders so broad and muscular she knew if he got his hands on her it would be nothing for him to snap her neck.
But only if he got his hands on her.
Emily might feel bad about the grief killing the other two would cause Aiden and Ben, but she would leave them here where it was safe. They couldn’t come after her, which meant she didn’t have to kill them too.
“Someone start explaining,” Emily said, turning back to the large glass doors that led out to the balcony.
The suite was gorgeous and luxurious. Only the best for her.
For the moment they were in the massive shadow the Rocky Mountains cast over everything, right under Pike’s Peak.
Apparently pretty much everything was the same here except there wasn’t a drop of magic.
It was bizarre.
Oh, and the phone service was different.
Emily sighed. Someone needed to invent a tech magic phone that allowed for inter-dimensional calls. Maybe there was a spell for it, but that wouldn’t do her any good here.
“Well,” Jace said. He didn’t hesitate, but he drew out the word like he was hoping to annoy her. “What exactly do you want to know?”
Emily turned around and crossed her arms over her chest, burying the twinge of pain in her abdomen down deep until she could barely feel it. “Everything.”
Ben shrugged as if all of this was no big deal. “We’re trying to save the world.”
6
Emily
Saving the world?
It was the most ridiculous thing she’d ever heard in her life.
“Excuse me?” Emily arched a brow in disbelief. This had to be some kind of joke.
Chance just glared at her; his own arms crossed over his massive chest. He was still pissed at her, though Emily wasn’t sure exactly why. None of the others were. Ben was wary, but both Aiden and Jace had been happy to see her…in their own ways.
“We were hired to procure three items that will help save the world,” Jace told her, the corner of his mouth rising slightly in a half smile. “What exactly is so hard for you to believe about that?”
Emily narrowed her eyes at the three of them. Raccoons were scavengers just like her, but they kept to themselves. They didn’t have the same symbiotic relationship that ravens and coyotes had, or even the exchange ravens had with foxes for their precious knowledge.
