“So Gyun, you’re single now?” I quip to break the tension in the air.
“Yes.” A ghost of a smile touches the judge’s lips. “Why do you ask?”
“If we survive the apocalypse, I might have the perfect gal for you.” I wink, then abruptly sober. I miss Hailey so much.
Is she okay? Is everyone okay?
“How long do you think she’ll keep us waiting?” Haesan tips his chin toward the keeper, who has her back turned to us a few yards away.
“Not long,” the judge says. “She is good at her job once she puts her mind to it.”
As soon as the words leave his mouth, Keeper Bang walks back to us. “Come with me.”
“And I’ll take your leave here.” Gyun gives my arm a gentle squeeze. “Good luck, Sunny. You have more good in you than you believe. Trust yourself.”
What does he mean? How could he know?But the Judge of Tenth Hell is gone before I can ask him.
“Well, are you coming?” Keeper Bang asks over her shoulder as she climbs up the volcanic mountain.
“Sunny?” Haesan swallows.
“Coming,” I yell and tug on his arm. “Stop being a baby. It’s not like she’s going to push us into the volcano.”
Famous last words.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Sunny
“Okay.” Keeper Bang turns toward us at the top of the volcanic mountain, lava bubbling behind her, and hands each of us a vial of water. “Throw the tokens into the volcano and jump.”
Haesan shoots me an accusatory glance.
I attempt a nonchalant shrug. “She’s notpushingus. We have to jump.”
The merman narrows his eyes at me even more. I don’t glare back at him because I have to admit it’s a very slight difference.
“We can do it together.” I take the vial from him and hold his hand tight. “On three. One. Two.Three.”
“Wait.” Keeper Bang waves her hands in alarm. “You don’t actually have to ...”
I don’t hear the rest of her sentence as I throw the vials into the molten lava and jump in after it. And Haesan has no choice but to follow because I have an iron grip on his hand. Luckily, a swirly blue portal opens up inside the volcano, and we fall through it.
Shit.
We hit the water with a sizzling splash, and I scramble to get the clothespin out of my pocket. But my jeans are plastered against me, thanks to the water, and I struggle to stick my hand inside the pocket.
I arch my back the best I can to give my hand better access to my pocket, and I barely get the tip of my middle finger inside. The skintight jeans seem to have fused onto my legs.Where did I even buy these?
I glance around the water, but I don’t see Haesan. I start to panic as my lungs burn, and I kick my legs a little too hard.
“Sunny.” Haesan grips my shoulders. “I’m right here. You’re okay.”
I have no idea how he’s talking underwater, but I came to terms with knowing nothing when it comes to this fucking realm.Gods, the water is so cold.I nod at him and dig into my pocket.
Jagged pain splinters through my chest as I use up the last of my oxygen. I rush to fish out the clothespin with numb, fumbling fingers, only to lose hold of it in the water. Air escapes from the corners of my lips. The clothespin floats away from me, and my vision narrows as I fight for consciousness, my body begging me to inhale.
Haesan lunges for the pin and pinches my nose with it—just as I take a heaving breath, not caring that I’ll inhale a lungful of water. But it’s ... air.Thank gods.I greedily gulp in more air, but my limbs flail like I’m drowning, my panic still not spent.
