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I’ve no more than slipped it on when the dress slips itself off.

Swiveling to Des, I raise an eyebrow. “Unless you want to break my vagina, I suggest you give it a rest.”

Relentlessis a great way to describe the King of the Night’s sexual appetite. Not that I’m a slacker myself, but even I have my limits—especially when my siren decides to take the night off.

Des appears in front of me, turning my healed hands palms up.

“Are you going to read my fortune?” I tease.

He pretends to peer at them. “You find your soulmate young. There’s love—and it looks like you have a handful of kids—they take after their father, unfortunately. Brats, the entire lot of them.”

I laugh and pull my hands away.

“Oh, and you live a long and happy life.”

I don’t say anything to that. There’s so much uncertainty these days.

I pick the dress back up.

“You’re not wearing that today.”

“Why not?” The moment I ask it, my breath catches. I half expect battle leathers to come raining down from the sky and for Des to announce that, once again, the two of us are training.

Really freaking hate training.

“I could tell you—for a price—”

I groan. “Des …”

A pile of clothesdoescome raining down, but they’re not battle leathers.

“—or you could simply put the clothes on and deduce my plans like the good PI you are.”

I pick up the folded clothing, recognizing a faded T-shirt that I own. There’s a bra, panties, and jeans. A moment later socks and white Converses join the pile. All mine, all unfit to wear in the Otherworld.

My gaze moves to Des. “What do you have planned for us?”

“Wrong question, cherub. It’s notwhatI have planned, butwhere.”

Oh my God. My grip tightens on the clothing. “Where, Des?”

Des gives me a wry smile. “You know the answer to that question.”

I suck in a breath.

Home. Earth.

Traveling on leylines is no longer the confusing experience it used to be. Before, I couldn’t make sense of these magical highways; my magic wasn’t compatible with it.

But now my power recognizes these strange roads that cross worlds. The magic is thick, pulling at me from all sides. It tries to drive me in its own direction, but Des holds my hands and directs me forward, cutting through the ley line’s bizarre compulsion as he leads us on.

Around me, I see landscapes fly by—hills, forests, deserts, oceans, ruins—all of it foreign and fae … until suddenly itisn’tanymore. Gradually it changes to recognizable cities and landmarks. I see Nepal, then Cairo, Berlin, then—finally—Los Angeles.

With a powerful tug, the Bargainer leads us off the ley line.

For a moment, I feel the magic resist, eager to keep us locked away on this odd highway, cursed to forever wander. But the moment passes, the magic gives, and suddenly we’re in Des’s house, in the round room that contains the ley line portal.

I take a shaky step forward, my foot sinking into the soft grass. I touch the wall of the circular room, my fingers brushing against the vines of wisteria growing up it, the plants swaying against a phantom breeze.