Page 49 of Demon's Bane

The amusement vanishes from his face when he glances over my shoulder toward the Veil.

I follow his gaze and swallow around the sudden ball of nerves in my throat. “So, do we just… step through?”

Rhett shakes his head. “Wait here.”

It’s eerie, being here in the light of day with no one else around, and even more unsettling to watch Rhett get close to the shifting opal light, magick pouring over us both in a deluge.

He lays his hand on the side of the stone archway and all that swirling mist inside stutters and ripples, chaotic for a few long moments before it blooms into a deep blood red.

“Now we can step through,” Rhett says, walking back to where I’m standing and taking my hand. “It’s calibrated to take us to the demon realm.”

Another tightening in my throat, and I nod instead of answering him. I let him lead me toward the Veil, but just before we reach it, my step falters. Barely a trip, but enough for him to notice.

“Are you afraid, little mate?”

Little mate.

He called me that last night, too, and I probably shouldn’t let him get away with it. I should probably tell him to cool it with all thematestuff until I can think through it all and get my damn head on straight.

But I don’t.

I can’t.

Not when the sound of those words on his tongue sends a dark thrill all the way down to the tips of my toes.

“No,” I say, though the shakiness in my voice undercuts the denial entirely. “I’m not afraid.”

Rhett moves faster than I can register what’s happening. He reaches down and scoops me into his arms, lifting me into a bridal-style carry that sends my heart leaping into my throat.

“What are you doing?” I squirm against him, trying to get down. “This isn’t—”

“Be still, Joan.” The deep rumble of command in his voice echoes all the way through me. “Remember what I told you before? You’re safe with me.”

I stop struggling and meet his crimson gaze. His expression is grave, serious, like he’s making some kind of vow with the words.

“Alright,” I whisper. “I trust you.”

He leans down to press a soft kiss against my forehead, my cheek, the tip of my nose. Then, holding my gaze and keeping me steady in his arms, he steps into the Veil.

15

Rhett

The inside of the Veil is a nowhere place.

No up or down, day or night, no solid ground to stand on and nothing to do but surrender to the magick of the Goddess.

Even for demons, creatures more than used to traveling by portal, it’s not a pleasant experience.

And for my little human mate? It must be terrifying.

Joan trembles and clutches at the front of my shirt as the Veil’s ether closes over us, and I hold her even tighter.

I meant what I said. Joan is safe with me. Any danger is mine to face, any risk mine to take. We’re headed to my realm now, and it’s my duty to keep her from harm.

Even so, it’s an effort to keep my head up and my bile down as the nowhere of the Veil slowly fades into something resembling reality. My feet hit solid earth, and I walk us forward out of the portal and into the late morning sunshine.

Home.