Red Blooded

by Amanda Carlson

  Kind of like how I pictured Mars.

  The Princess had doubled her guards for the journey, each of them carrying the bizarre-looking weapons that resembled bazookas. It was night, but the winged devils, and anything else that went bump in the night, stayed well away from us. I was certain the demon bazookas could vaporize anything that dared to bother us, or the demons wouldn’t have ventured here with us.

  “I have not heard the word ‘billboard’ before, but yes, I’ve been told this was used as an advertisement in your world,” the Princess said. “It was the first portal ever into our world, and it was created from the town you refer to as New York City. The witches spelled this”—she gestured to the broken pile of wood barely resembling a billboard—“for some reason. Half of it lies here and half remains on your plane. But as I stated before, the exit location constantly changes. The portal is spelled to go where there will be no witnesses, never in the same place twice. I’ve been told these kinds of boards are common in your world and will not be considered suspicious. Is that correct?”

  I glanced at the sign. “Technically it’s correct. This is an old billboard, likely made circa the eighteen hundreds. If it pops up in rural America, it may be overlooked, but if it lands in the Arctic Circle it may drum up some questions. But the witches chose well. If it did happen to show up in an odd place, people would be curious, but it wouldn’t cause alarm.” Witches were crafty and my mind raced to Tally and I hoped she was all right. I knew whatever had happened to her was tied to what I had done here, and it was hard not to feel responsible.

  “So, um, exactly how does this portal thingy work?” Ray couldn’t help grumbling. “We jump through a busted-up billboard and end up somewhere nobody inhabits on our plane? What if it dumps us in the middle of the ocean?”

  The Princess shrugged. “I do not know. I have never used it.”

  “Don’t worry, Ray,” I said. “You can fly, remember. However, if we end up in the ocean”—I gestured between Rourke and myself—“it’ll be one hell of a swim. So on that note, who wants to go first?”

  “We will,” Tyler volunteered. “I want to go in ahead of you. We don’t know what the time frame will look like once we arrive or what may have happened while we’ve been gone. If I can get back home and secure the area by the time you come arrive, that would be ideal.”

  I nodded once. “That sounds good. You and Danny go first. We’ll plan to meet up at home.” I turned to address the Princess. “Are you positive there’s no definitive way to calculate the time change?”

  She shook her head. “The time is ever-changing. It is because our planes do not relate in time, only in space.”

  The Princess had given me her summoning name before we’d begun our walk here, which meant I could summon her instantly to my plane if there was a dire emergency. I had sworn only to use it if absolutely necessary.

  Two demon guards stepped forward. Tyler and Danny turned so they stood back to back. The demons went to work binding them with the spelled rope. The Princess uttered something harsh in Demonish, then said in English, “Make sure it is secure.”

  These demons appeared comfortable around her. She had chosen only those who had been loyal to her in the past. The Underworld was going to be in upheaval while the reign changed from Prince to Princess. We’d discovered that the demons who had fled the arena had ended up gathering in the square, and the Prince had gone to address them and likely calm them down. The Princess would have a battle on her hands if the Prince tried to fight her to keep his throne. But she hadn’t asked for our help.

  “So now what?” Danny asked. “Once we’re tied up you’re just going to toss us through the advertisement and it’s done?”

  “Nobody is going to toss us anywhere,” Tyler griped, irritated by his circumstances. He was trying not to move too much while they tied him up, but it was hard for him. “We can get close enough and jump through on our own.”

  “I’m not sure jumping will be in the cards once they secure your ankles. We may have to push you through.” I chuckled. “But I promise to do it gently.”

  “One more question,” Danny asked. “How do we get out of this magic rope once we hit our side of things?”

  “Our magic will fade quickly on your plane,” the Princess replied. “It may take a moment or two, so be patient. Make sure you are clear of the portal or the magic may linger for longer. Once it fades the ropes will disintegrate.”

  “That sounds easy enough,” Tyler grumbled. “Just so long as we don’t get dumped into a volcano.”

  “No matter where you end up, I’m positive you’ll find your way home. You have innate wolf senses,” I reminded him. “Plus, the witches had to have put in some precautions. They wouldn’t risk hot lava either. The main objective will be for all of us to make it back to the Safe House. I’ll call there as soon as I can find a phone, you do the same. Make sure Nick or Marcy monitor the office phones at Hannon & Michaels if you make it back before us.”

  “Will do,” Danny said, trying to give me a small salute, but only managing a flick of his wrist since he was firmly tied up. “Just do us a favor and keep yourselves safe. I don’t like that the witches are unresponsive. That spells nasty trouble.” Danny was the head of security in the city. Trouble for the witches meant trouble for the city. “We won’t know what we’re getting ourselves into until we reach home, but that also means we could be plowing headlong into danger.”

  “Jess, Danny’s right. Stay vigilant,” Tyler said. “And I never had a chance to ask you what happened right after I was taken. Did Dad go after the fracture pack? The Made wolves have to be stopped or it could turn into the worst supernatural breach the world has ever seen. From what I saw they had no control, no leadership, and there is no way they can be corralled for long without it being catastrophic.”

  I shook my head. “No, as far as I know Dad hasn’t gone after them,” I answered. “But, like you, I have no idea how long we’ve been gone or what’s happened in our absence. My trip here ended up being… a little unexpected, and I didn’t have the opportunity to check in with Dad before I left.” Rourke grunted at my understatement. “He was sending wolves down to do recon, I do know that.” I actually hadn’t let myself think about the Made wolves, because that situation was another huge complication I didn’t have any no control over while I was here. “But you’re right, whatever is going on with that will have to be our first priority.” Pack came first. Always.

  Tyler nodded. “Making contact with Dad will be the first order of business. I know the Hags will be an issue at some point, but before we help the witches we deal with the wolves.”

  “Agreed,” I said. The sorcerers were going to be another obstacle. They weren’t going to stop their pursuit. I needed them off my back. I turned to the Princess. “Do you know anything about the deal the demons struck with the sorcerers about finding me?” I asked.

  “Yes and no,” she answered. “I was aware of what was happening, and a deal was being made, but I was not consulted on the details.”

  “Is there any way you can offer them another deal or make them back off permanently? Or threaten them in some way? They’re trying to steal my power, just like Lili was, and I need something that will scare them off the chase.” The sorcerers were desperate for a way to increase their magic and they weren’t going to back off without a substantial threat.

  “I owe you a life debt and I will work to see it done,” she agreed. “I gave you my summoning name, but I also want to give you this. It’s called a zplexy zsafy, which translates to ‘scribe stone.’ ” She reached into a pocket of her long dress and drew out a perfectly round, flat stone with a metallic sheen, and placed it in the palm of my upturned hand. “If you rub this with salt while saying only my first name, it will connect us. There are several ways to use the stone, but the easiest way is to place it against what I’ve been told is called a telephone.”

  I couldn’t help but throw my head back and chortle. “Are you really tel
ling me”—I flipped the stone into the air and caught it—“I can make a phone call to Hell with this? That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard. How can that possibly be true?”

  She smiled. Her teeth were not human and it reminded me she was a demon, even though she was cooperating with us. “It works as a transmitter across planes. You can put it up to anything that transmits a sound wave. It took us a very long time to perfect the technology. In the past imps used them with radios until the invention of the telephone. There are spelled metal particles inside that zplexy zsafy that transmit sound waves to our plane. It is not always foolproof, but it will serve in the meantime.”

  “Got it,” I said. The demons were proving to be very technically savvy. “I’ll use it in case of an emergency.”

  “For the journey to your plane you must place it under your tongue or it will be lost. The stone is made up of organic demon minerals, but it needs to be inside your body.”

  “Um, hello, my arms are falling asleep over here,” Danny interjected. “This rope seems a little on the tight side.” He flexed his arms and the bindings didn’t give at all. “I think it’s time to get a move on.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  “They just need to go in,” she said.

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

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

  28

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  Selene’s mouth snapped shut.

  Having a vampire reaper as her guard was the best stroke of luck ever. Well, it was either luck or Fate, and at this point I was betting on Fate. It was hard to know how each and every piece of the crazy puzzle fit together. But I knew that bringing Selene back was the right choice. For now. And having Ray here had been no coincidence.

  “Okay,” the Princess chimed in, this time with exhaustion in her voice. We were all tired. “We are ready. You must go now. It’s been many minutes since your brother left.”

  I inclined my head at her. “One last thing.” I held the summoning stone out to her, my hand stuck between the ropes. The Princess picked it up and placed it under my tongue, nodding her head at me, her pupils expanding.

  “I owe you much,” she said,
acknowledging everything that had gone on between us. “Have a safe journey. I will do my best here with the sorcerers and launch my imp spies. I will be in contact.”

  “Thank you. If I need you, I know where to find you,” I replied. “We’ll be ready to go on three.”

  Rourke counted down as two demons placed their hands on our shoulders, glancing at their Princess for her okay. “One, two… three!” he yelled as they pushed us with enough force to send us flying into the billboard.

  Once we were through, the free fall was immediate.

  It was much colder than the witch’s circle and we began to twist and spin quickly. “Hold on!” Rourke yelled.

  Doing my best, I said internally, keeping my mouth closed tightly, which wasn’t a problem since the force made it difficult to do much else.

  As we twirled through the vortex it began to get hotter and hotter.

  “Jesus!” Rourke roared, his voice echoing in space.

  We were spinning so fast I couldn’t get my bearings. The air around us started to shift and move, hurricane-like winds tearing at our bodies and clothes. The ropes held, but just barely. I couldn’t see or hear anything.

  After a few more minutes, just when I thought I couldn’t take it anymore, we slammed into the ground with surprising force, hitting so hard we broke apart, each of us tumbling in a different direction.

  Once I stopped I couldn’t move for a full minute.

  “Holy shit,” I coughed. I moved my body and cried out. The pain was intense. “I have so many bones broken,” I moaned. “This is going to take a while.” I gritted my teeth as my body began to mend itself. As the bones popped and knitted back together, I forced my mind to think about something nice, like getting my hands on my man again.

  “Christ,” Rourke muttered from a few feet away. “That was the worst way to travel ever.”

  Once the pain had ebbed somewhat, after what felt like an hour but was likely only about three minutes, I finally raised my head up.