Crux groans. “Don’t freak her out.”
Iceman looks contrite. “I’m not trying to freak her out. I’m trying to prepare her.”
“You said I would be fine,” I say, doing my best to not let panic bubble up inside of me.
“And you will,” he promises, reaching forward to grip me by the shoulders. “We won’t let anything happen to you. But this is Hell we’re going through, and Outer Ring demons are causing more and more havoc every day. Not just by trying to break out of the Gates, but by attacking Inner Ringers. They’re vying for control and power, and you don’t know how to ward yourself yet, so you’ll be visible to them, which means we’re going to stay visible as well. So you need to stay alert.”
“Can’t you just ward me like you ward my house?” I ask.
“Nope,” Crux replies. “Using our abilities on you could fuck with your choices and free will, so we can’t do that. Forbidden is an understatement when it comes to that, and we’re not trying to start a war with the higher ups or have Lucifer on our ass for breaking rules.”
“So we get to do things the old fashioned way,” Echo adds.
I swallow hard, my eyes slipping over to the side to look at Jerif’s face. I can’t chicken out. Not again. I can do this. Worst case scenario, I get scythe happy again. That wasn’t so bad. I’ll just make sure not to keep my mouth open, or lick my lips, or try to make out with anyone right after killing anything.
Thoughts of a nice steamy group shower flash through my mind, and I shake them away. I blame Hell and the impending trip for making my brain go haywire. Yep. That feels like a solid excuse for what’s happening to me.
“Okay. I’m ready.”
Before I can even fill my lungs with non-acidic air, they grab my hands, and that weird vertigo feeling washes over me. One moment, we’re in the Mortal Realm, and the next, we’re suddenly standing in the massive mausoleum that I immediately recognize as Hell’s Embrace.
We’re back.
I don’t stumble or fall this time, and I don’t feel like I need to puke, so I suppose that’s something. I’m still not disintegrating from Hell’s acidic air either—nope, shouldn’t think about that. I’m just breathing normal oxygen. My lungs are happy. And Hell is like my Nana’s house: smells weird, but it’s not so bad once you get used to it. Maybe there’s even cookies down here. I’m sure I’ve heard something about cookies being offered on the dark side.
“You’re still on your feet,” Crux observes, and I can’t help the smile that stretches across my face.
“I’m getting better at that whole realm shifting thing,” I point out.
“Sure are. You’ll be a pro in no time,” he says, squeezing my hand before dropping it.
Jerif grunts irritably and gives both me and Crux a look. “You know as soon as he fucks you, he’ll forget your name and all this kissass bullshit will stop, right?” he tells me coldly.
His words feel like a slap, and I open my mouth to defend Crux, but I stop short. I mean...maybe that’s true. Maybe Crux is only being nice to get in my pants, and once he earns that notch in the ol’ bedpost, he’ll move on. But then again, do I even care? It’s not like I’m trying to wife up.
Trepidation seeps through me like dense fog. I do care about being part of the team though. I don’t want to do anything that could fuck that up.
“You should keep your mouth shut about things you know nothing about,” Crux says coldly as he steps up to Jerif with a furious look on his usually cheerful face.
Iceman steps smoothly between them. “Enough. This is not the time or the place. Everyone needs to focus on getting to the Vestibule and back, and nothing more. Am I understood?” he barks out.
No one says anything, but when Iceman moves toward the arched exit to the left, everyone falls into step behind him. I’m tense as fuck, and I’m not sure if it’s from being in Hell or from what Jerif just said. My emotions immediately jump on the sex would make all of this too complicated bandwagon, and then I promptly shove that all aside and focus on what we’re doing here. Iceman is right, now isn’t the time or the place to worry about it. I have enough to deal with already.
We silently traverse the cavernous room toward the exit, and I can’t help but wonder what I’ll find on the other side of the gargantuan open entryway. I’m both nervous and oddly exhilarated to think about what Hell will be like. Am I going to be traumatized by tortured souls just hanging about everywhere, or is that all done behind closed doors?
I find myself holding my breath as we walk beneath the tall arched stone frame. I’ve no sooner stepped one foot out of Hell’s Embrace and into Hell when a noise that can only be described as a gong rings through the air. I slam my hands over my ears in an effort to keep them from exploding. The noise is so loud and deafening I can feel the vibrations of it in my bones.
I close my eyes and cower away from the painfully overwhelming sound. Arms wrap around me, and they feel both protective and grounding. I snuggle into the chest of whoever is holding me, wishing I could crawl inside of them to escape this fucking racket.
A hand smooths my hair, and I feel another body pressed against my back. I think the gonging noise is getting quieter, but it’s hard to tell because there’s now a steady ringing in my ears that’s competing with the original assaulting sound. I look up to find Iceman staring down at me, his arms vise-like around my shoulders.
“What the fuck was that?” someone whispers, and I turn around and