Guess that’s what comes from being in the army or whatever the hell he's a part of. What surprises me, though, is the choice he made for my attire. Comfortable, almost too comfortable, which makes me unsure whether I should be offended or impressed. It’s exactly what I would’ve chosen for myself. Throwing a few last-minute things into my bag, including my e-reader. Kai leans in the doorway, arms crossed over his broad chest, a few strands of his dirty blond hair slipping from his bun and falling into his eyes. He watches me, bored, the black mask covering the rest of his face.
“I doubt that thing will work where we’re heading,” he comments indifferently, voice deep enough not to come out muffled.
“Do you even know what it is?” I ask, raising an eyebrow as I zip up my bag.
“A reading device.”
“So, how can it not work? Are we about to venture into the multiverse or something?”
“Or something,” Kai replies, a note of exasperation creeping into his voice. He rubs his eyes. “You may have thesight, but you truly know nothing of our world.”
My curiosity is now piqued.
But the way he says it, like I’m some naïve child, only serves to frustrate me more. “Our world? You meanyourworld. Are we seriously talking about a multiverse?” Kai exhales through his nose like he can’t believe he’s stuck explaining this tome.
“No, Princess. Notmultiverse. Try to follow. We’re crossing the veil. It separatesyourworld, the mundane one, from the actualimportantones. Elgar. Netherworld. Heard of them? No? Shocking.”
I narrow my eyes. “Wait… what?”
He rolls his. “The universe isn’t just one. It’s fractured into realms. Each with their own Gods, rules, and physics. But they all echo each other, bleed into one and another.”
“Is that where those norr-somethings are from?”
“Thenorousand yes, they’re from Netherworld, but there are worse creatures than those. More terrifying demons are in the service of Nekros. You’re lucky. The strength of those demons is in their number; it’s strange that it was alone.”
“Lucky me.”
“Anyway, when you enter the realm, the magnetic field from passing through the veil messes with technology from the Mundane World,” he continues, like I’m supposed to soak up all that info-dump. Kai pushes off the doorframe, and his eyes frown at my half-packed bag as if it personally offended him.
“What are you doing? We’re not going on a vacation. You’ve got two minutes, move it.”
I mutter under my breath, “You move it,” mimicking his stupid tone as I finish packing. Just as I’m about to zip the bag shut, Kai snatches it from my hands in one swift motion.
“Hey!” I snap, reaching for it, but he pulls it over his shoulder, out of my grasp.
My irritation flares, “You’re not in charge here.” He raises an eyebrow, eyes twinkling with challenge.
“We’ll see about that.”
Who am I kidding? I’m definitelynotin charge.
He strides out of the room without a glance back, “We need to leave. Now.” My mouth pops open. Kai shouts over his shoulder as if anticipating it, “Save your questions for later.”
In black leggings and a dark grey sweater, I dart down the stairs, struggling to slip on my boots as anxiety floods me. I rush outside to find him waiting by a bike, helmet in hand.
“I’m not getting on that,” I say firmly.
“Suit yourself,Princess, but I’m your only way out of here.” Both of us lock eyes in defiance, the air charged with unspoken tension.
“Fine, but Iswearif you do anything stupid, you’ll regret it,” I warn him. Reluctantly, I grab the helmet and slide onto the bike.
“Hold on tight,” he calls over his shoulder, amusement slightly lighting his voice.
“Yeah, in your dr—,” but before I can finish, he revs the engine, forcing me to cling to him for dear life, swallowing down my scream.
6
Avilyna
