Page 35

My head was a mess of contradictions, arguments about staying away from him versus not letting him die to protect me. This whole situation was fucked. There were too many unanswered questions, and he ran before I could get things straight. The smart part of me said to let him goand whatever happens, happens. But then I thought about the way he gave in to me, the relief I wasn’t sure he even knew he was projecting when he finally let go. He trusted me to take care of him, and the more I knew about his life, the more insane that sounded. Why would he trust me if there wasn’t something there?

Sucking in a breath between my teeth, I shook my head. “Fuck. Where the fuck did he go? We aren’t done talking.”

The old woman was crying, leaning against the demon who had been guarding the door. He looked worried, stroking the woman’s hair, and when I spoke, he didn’t look up to answer me.

“It doesn’t matter. He won’t change his mind.”

Like hell he won’t. I wasn’t sure I even wanted him to yet, but if there was one person who could sway him, it was me. I gritted my teeth, turning to Felix.

“Do you know where he went?”

He shook his head. “No, but why?”

“Because I’m not going to let him kill himself. There’s gotta be another fucking option. Just someone tell me where the fuck he’d go. And get Ollie out of here. I don’t want him somewhere unsafe while I chase this idiot down.”

They all looked shocked, but when I raised my eyebrows, no one could tell me where he went. No one but the old woman. She sniffled a few times, closing her eyes. I could see her eyes moving behind her eyelids, like she was looking at something, and when she opened them again, she let out a long breath.

“He’s gone to the Other Realm. He’s saying goodbye to his mother.”

Another wave of shock. Seriously, this group was not giving me the best impression on being part of Aziel’s circle. It was like they didn't even know him.

“His mother… is alive?” Hendrix asked. He hadn’t moved from the back door, but he watched with a wide-eyed expression from his spot.

The old woman shook her head. “I’m not sure you can consider her alive in her condition. Callum, bring him to the Other Realm. There’s a small house tucked into the mountain. You know the path. You and Aziel played there when you were little. Aziel is there, but he won’t stay forlong. Find him before he goes. If he leaves, you won’t have a chance of finding him before it’s too late.”

Callum pushed to his feet, coming to stand beside me. “Are you sure about this?”

“No. But I’m going anyway. Do I have to do something or–”

Yeah, he didn't wait for me to finish. My stomach dipped and my limbs tingled, but it took less than a second before we were somewhere outside of the city. There was a guard booth and metal poles along a path for a line to form in front of two massive rocks. There wasn’t anyone in line yet, but the guard frowned at us when Callum came rushing over.

“We’ve got an emergency.”

“Last name?”

“Malatesta.”

“Nature of emergency?”

“His mate is in danger.”

He dipped his chin, stepping back. If that was their version of border patrol, it was seriously lacking. Callum didn’t hesitate, dragging me towards the rocks and pushing me between them with a hand on my shoulder. We stepped out on the other side to a world I’d only heard about. It was dark, like the middle of the night, and there were two moons in the sky. I didn’t have a chance to look around more than that because Callum teleported us again to a path at the bottom of a dark mountain. Alarm bells rang in my head about taking the path, since the trees blocked what little light there was and you couldn’t see past them, but Callum nudged me forward.

“I’d fly us, but the trees are thick and we won’t be able to land without injury.” He drew in a deep breath and his horns lit on fire, a lot like Aziel’s did at the park the day I met him. It gave off enough light to see our feet, and with his hand on my shoulder, we took the path through the forest.

“Aren’t you afraid of lighting trees on fire?”

It was a stupid question, but I couldn’t see shit, and it was unnerving. I needed a distraction.

“No. The flames don’t touch anything I don’t want them to. It’s more of a warning to others. If you see a demon with their horns on fire, steer clear. They’re not to be trifled with.”

“Yeah, no shit.”

Callum didn’t have the same trepidation that I did. His footsteps were steady, and he never looked down. It was like the dark didn't affect him.

“Can you see in the dark?”

He glanced down at me. “Better than a human can. We were born in this realm. Our eyes were made for the darkness.”