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Up front? Withhim?

The thought was both exciting and terrifying.

I had no knowledge of this portal he spoke of—the one I knew of was across the sea—and I knew the hunter would get to the portal whether I cooperated or not. The question was whether I could slow him down.

“Swear to me you won’t destroy it,” I demanded, chiding myself a moment later. A human’s word meant nothing.

“Or,” he said, pointing over my shoulder, “I could dump your ashes in that field.”

“So all this really is, is a death threat disguised as some kind of a good deal, which it is not.”

His eyebrows pinched together. “You’ve been here too long.”

But I had formed my own plan. “I accept. You have my word I won’t kill you or try to escape... ormisbehave,” I added with a curled lip, “provided you take me to the portal.”

Since my debt already forbid me from killing or abandoning him, I wasn’t giving anything up. We’d go to the gateway together, and rather than letting Asher destroy the portal, I would simply force him to cross over with me. I almost smiled at the thought of out-tricking the trickster. Once we were back in Abyssos, I’d strike a deal with the primus dominus that would allow him to live... albeit in the Dungeons of Furor.

I could keep my oathandsave my species.

My pride didn’t last a heartbeat. The way I’d tricked him felt upsettingly duplicitous. Upsettinglyhuman.

Without another word, Asher turned and strode toward the convenience store.

“Five minutes, Lana,” he called over his shoulder. “I’m grabbing a hotdog, get what you want.”

He just... left me.

I glanced around, wondering if this was another ploy.

Likely.

It didn’t matter anyway. I’d made my decision.

As quick as I could, I returned to my original skin, running my hands through my hair and over my clothing, before heading toward the convenience store. I glanced at Asher’s car as I walked. I had to get back in the thing after this. And not just for a couple of hours, which was bad enough. Central America was a far distance from here. It would take days.

My stomach clenched just at the thought.

I pushed open the door and slipped inside the store, where Asher already was picking up supplies. As soon as he caught me staring, he gave me another one of his stern warning looks, daring me to put one toe out of line and suffer the repercussions.

I didn’t bother glaring back at him.

A human food store. It captivated me completely.

Slowly I walked down the first aisle, taking it all in. It wasn’t that I was unfamiliar with convenience stores. I traveled topside too many times for that. It was just that they never ceased to amaze me. I stretched my arms out, letting my fingers brush against all the pretty packages. This was how humans ate. They walked into a store, headed down a certain aisle, and grabbed exactly what they wanted.

The food was evenwrapped.

And the flavors!

I began grabbing things, largely based on how striking the wrapper was, or how strange the item inside looked, or how brightly colored the food was. Soon I couldn’t hold everything I wanted. I dropped it on the ground, gaining the attention of the cashier, who watched me with narrowed eyes, and Asher, who just looked heavenward, shaking his head.

Ignoring them both, I went back to the front of the store and grabbed a plastic basket before returning to the aisle and dumping all my booty into it.

Moving onto the next aisle, I hesitated, catching sight of a large metal machine. My first instinct was to edge away, but I was too curious. Warily, I crept in closer and peered at it. A small window had been fitted to the metal front, and through it I could see some bright red liquid churning. Too bright to be blood. I read the label.

Slurpee.

A picture showed a woman drinking this Slurpee.