“Demons, and they’re about to send us to Tech Duinn.”
“Where’s that?”
“Donn’s realm.” I tried to reassure them, but I knew my expression betrayed my fear. “Donn can manipulate the environment there. He’d send hellhounds if their boss allowed it.”
“Can you get us out of here?” Miles asked.
“They’ll follow wherever we go. They know our souls now.” The only one who could save us was Elliot. Without help, finding us would be next to impossible.
I tightened my grip as the shadows closed in and surrounded us. The world went dark and stayed that way. The only sounds I heard were my own breathing, Joel’s whimpering, and Miles’s cursing. Joel shook against me. “Don’t let go.”
“We won’t.”
“We should have brought a flashlight,” Joel whispered.
“If only we’d known the demons would send us to hell.” Miles was very good at sarcasm. “Dumbass.”
“This isn’t hell,” I whispered.
“Well, it feels an awful lot like my version of it.” Miles had a death grip on my arm. “I hear something growling at us.”
I heard it, too. Since I’d never been to Tech Duinn, I didn’t know what it was or what it wanted from us. But I had a feeling we were about to find out.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Elliot
The castle shifted as soon as we entered. And I mean shifted. One second, it was gray brick, and the next, it looked like a countertop on a home improvement show. It might have been marble. Probably.
The landscaping also shifted. Neat little decorative shrubs were shaped into animals along a walking path.
I chuckled when I saw a perfectly formed green, shrubby turtle.
Cael sighed, shaking his head. “Dad is redecorating.”
Was this how a god redecorated? By wishing the changes into existence? That must be nice, but it could also get boring after a while.
“He went this way.” Cael turned onto the path, and I followed him.
“I’m nervous. I’ve never met a god before. Well, except for you.”
“I’m only half.” Did Cael dislike being a god?
“Dad is... I wanted to say harmless, but that’s not true at all. He’s not easygoing either. But he’s friendly, at least until hedecides he doesn’t like something. If he doesn’t like you, then we’ll need to worry.”
No pressure to be likable or anything. How bad could a god who made animal bushes be, right?
“Do you think he’ll like me?” I’d never had a problem with that , but then I’d never had to talk the love god into fighting Donnie Death before.
I could almost hear Morgana in my head saying, “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. No one wants violence, Elliot Coyne.”
Cael shrugged. He seemed very unbothered.
The path led to a large garden full of flowers. The colors were fantastic. A man sat on a bench. He wore white pants and a white shirt. No shoes or socks. He seemed to wiggle his toes as he stepped onto the grass. He smiled as he looked at it.
“Make your feet bare. Feel the grass.” He looked younger than Cael, but he definitely had the same vibe. The mob hitman thing was alive and well, but Aengus looked like a hitman on vacation. He was also attractive in a more traditional sense. The resemblance was there in the strong jawline and sharp green eyes.
Cael stood there, unfazed by the request. I immediately took off my shoes and socks, then stepped onto the grass.
