As if sensing that I’ve mentally pulled away, Iceman leans back, allowing oxygen to once again flood my brain and activate my good sense. I can’t help but notice the flicker of disappointment flash over his eyes. “When you’re done, we want to take you to meet a friend of ours. He had a similar not my problem take on guarding his Gate, and we thought it might be helpful for you two to chat.”
“His Gate?” I ask, confused. “There’s more than one Gate to Hell?”
“Oh yes, there are three in the continental US alone. Even more throughout the rest of the world, but don’t worry, we’re just responsible for this one. It just happens to be the most unstable one at the moment.”
I let that information steep for a moment, not sure how it all works, but I suppose I’m about to get a crash course in all of it. I try to swallow back the surging doubt that slams into me, declaring that I’m not ready for this. That knee-jerk reaction isn’t wrong, but who is ready for any major life-altering changes when they move through your life like a wrecking ball? It’s like my kitchen last night—it’s easy to get overwhelmed and only see the disaster that it was, but with a little help and effort, you can uncover the possibility beneath the rubble. I need to focus on that now.
I take my last bite and put my plate in the sink. “Okay, let’s do this,” I announce with more confidence than I feel.
Iceman smiles warmly and offers me his hand. I hesitate for a moment before taking it. “Just remember, Maverick, from here on out, we got you,” he promises.
I try not to let his words coax out too much emotion, but for a couple of seconds, it’s a battle. He pulls me into the living room, and I can’t help but love the feeling of his cold palm against mine. It’s not cold like ice, but cold like a brisk breeze that’s both invigorating and refreshing. I find myself rubbing my thumb against the back of his hand, and I blush when I realize what I’m doing.
Iceman turns to me. “Ready?” he asks, and I can tell that he really wants to make sure that I’m okay with this.
My eyes move away from his earnest gaze, and I double check everything that’s inside of me, clearing away any lingering hesitancy and doubt. My gaze lands on the scythe that’s still nestled together with my umbrella and my recently returned bat that looks pretty damn mangled. I pull my hand out of Iceman’s cool blue grasp and walk over and pluck the Hell weapon from the holder.
“I am now,” I tell him, and with that, he grabs my hand once more.
Abruptly, my living room dissolves around me, and with a pop, my world explodes into sunshine and color.
14
“What the fuck?” I shriek as my cozy house in Sandpiper disappears.
I’m no longer in the safety of my home. Instead, I’m surrounded by knee high grass, funnel-shaped trees stretching high above me, the smell of swamp, oppressive heat, and blindingly bright sunlight.
I shield my eyes, lean against my scythe, and do my best to convince the eggs I just ate to stay in my stomach instead of making a surprise reappearance. “What the hell was that, Rafferty?” I ask, dropping his real name to let him know that was not cool.
“I just shifted us here,” the blue demon explains matter-of-factly, like it’s no biggie that he just up and popped us into existence somewhere else.
I brace the scythe and my hands on my knees, taking in deep gulps of air. “I thought you were just gonna drive us somewhere or something!” I say as I straighten up and look around. I have no idea where we are. “You could warn a girl first,” I scold, the words losing some of my ire as I take in everything around us and try not to admire what he just did.
I wonder if I could learn to do that. I wouldn’t need to buy another moped if I could master this little demon trick. No more traffic jams. I could just click my demonic heels together and appear where I needed to be. I’m about to open my mouth to ask if that’s something all demons can do when the air around us crackles slightly, and then out of nowhere, Crux, Echo, and Jerif pop into place around us.
I stagger back at their sudden appearance, bumping into Iceman’s arm. “Hey, Delta,” Crux greets with a boyish grin that lights up his whole face. I know he’s a demon, but right now I’m getting serious excited puppy vibes. It’s kind of adorable.
Echo rolls his black eyes and then glances over at me. “Crux has been pouting for ages about you quitting. But now that you’ve agreed to check out the other Gates, he’s all smiles,” he says dryly, earning a smack on the arm from his surfer-demon counterpart.
“Well, I figured it’s something I should do,” I say awkwardly, not yet brave enough to look over at Jerif.
“We’re glad,” Echo tells me, and I give him a small smile as he tugs on the collar of his black shirt.
Out of all of them, he looks the most uncomfortable out here in the sweltering sun, his pale skin looking decidedly angry about being away from his shadows.
“So...where exactly are we?”
“Okefenokee Swamp,” Iceman replies.
“Oh-key fuck who-key?” I ask, making Crux snicker and hold up a fist for me to bump.
Echo gives me
