He sighed and shook his head. “Nate will be furious.”
She didn’t know about that, but she had to find him and stop this damn death fight if she could.
Aba opened what looked like a cooling unit and got out two bottles of water. He must have stocked up on the Earth items. He handed her one. “Demons don’t generally drink water, but I have acquired a taste for it.”
Right. Ely set her backpack on the chair, unscrewed it, and drank some of the cool liquid, the unease in her intensifying.
“Maybe we should separate? This way, we’ll find him faster?” She set the bottle down.
“Before we leave…” Aba put his bottle and hers back in the cooler unit. “Ely, remember this is the demon world. Unclaimed females are fought for here. May I?” He held out a hand.
She frowned, not understanding.
“You don’t wear Nate’s scent.” He cast her a wry smile. “I mean, you do, but it’s not strong enough to get the demons here to back off.” He drew her into his arms and gave her a hug. “You make him happy, Ely. He just needs a little time to accept this, and he will once he gets his stubborn head back on track.” Smiling, he kissed her brow, adding his scent. He smelled of warmth and toasted cinnamon with a hint of woodsmoke. “I think we should search for him together.”
He meant it would be safer.
She nodded, removed Jaden’s potion from her backpack, and swallowed a little more.
Aba didn’t ask questions as she shoved the bottle into her bag again. Then they left the solitary manor. Ely dematerialized and followed Aba to the town of Ys.
Several searches later, through taverns and brothels, they made their way down the cobbled path as the night grew oppressively dark. Only the subdued glow from the buildings revealed where they were. A small, purple creature—like a cross between a tailless, fat cat and a rodent with six squat legs—waddled past, casting her a woeful look from shimmering pink eyes.
“Oh, he’s cute. What is it?”
“Acarackathus.”
“Sounds like a cat.”
He huffed a laugh. “It’s someone’s pet. Not like the ones on Earth. Their hugs can suffocate you because those short legs can extend if it’s not happy. So, don’t pet it.”
Whoa. Hastily, Ely stepped back. She skirted the dangerous pet and continued down the heat-baked street, the dull lights on building walls casting little puddles of murky yellow. They neared a huge domed building, a club of some sort. Eerie, muted music resounded. The windows were darkened, and in the dim glow behind them, the place appeared as if the denizens were hyped about something.
Two demons clad in green and black shuffled out of the club.
“Azgor’s guards,” Aba murmured, putting a hand on her arm in a proprietary manner. The demons stopped at the entrance. “Wait here. This is not a safe place for females. I’ll check inside. Won’t be a minute.”
Ely nodded and retreated into the shadows as Aba slipped past the guards and disappeared into the club. This wasn’t about her, how powerful she was or wasn’t, or about facing prejudiced demons in a world where females were seen as less than even second-class citizens. This was about finding Nate and talking to him.
She swiped her damp face on the hem of her sleeveless top, grateful Jaden’s potion aided her some while in this infernally hot place.
“The fight tomorrow’s going to be ep-epic,” one of the guards slurred. “The deals and bets are rocketing. Did you wager?”
“Aye,” the taller one rumbled, rubbing the shorn-down spikes on his brow. “Always a guarantee withSicarifighting.”
Who the heck wasSicari? She had to warn Nate.
Aba strode out to her and shook his head, mouth tight. Guess he heard the topic of conversation, too.
“C’mon.” He put his hand on her back, and they headed down a pitch-black, narrow road to a place where the ruckus reached them before the building came into view. Another gathering hole. This one had more red lights than any other building they’d searched.
Aba walked inside, but Ely hesitated in the doorway. The place reeked of sulfur, liquor, and…sex. Not a tavern but a brothel. Or pleasure den, as the demons called them.
Veins of fire lit the walls sporadically, brightening and revealing tables and chairs occupied by demons, and the gods knew what other kinds of entities with their skull-like features and tall, razor-sharp horns, all of them drinking. But most were human in appearance until their eerie stares flashed her way—with piercing red, black, and acidic yellow eyes—making her a little leery. Hell, a whole volcano’s worth of leery if she were honest.
Keeping her breathing shallow, Ely hurried after Aba and tried not to think about why Nate would be in a pleasure den. She wasn’t blind or deaf at the sounds coming from the corridor leading to an archway and the area beyond. Moans erupted, followed by long-drawn grunts—
Her gaze connected with a demon with ebony eyes seated to her left. Cascading silver hair framed his pale and incredibly stunning face. He smiled. But recalling Aba’s warning, she avoided eye contact and searched the packed place. Instinct had her looking to the opposite side. And her heartbeat stuttered.
