“Like crazy.” And the smile she offers me is indeed a bit off kilter. “It’s been a long week.”
“I know.” I drop my arms from around her. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. For everyone.”
“Uh, you were kind of busy, destroying the darkmudangand all.” Then her beautiful face crumples. “I heard about Draco. I can’t believe they’re gone.”
“They were good and brave till the very end.” I offer her a tight smile, because if I let a single tear fall, I might never stop crying. “You would’ve been so proud of them.”
“Damn it all to hell,” Jihun shouts, flying through the portal. “That male is too proud for his own good,not to mentionmy sanity.”
My heart drops to my toes then bounces straight into my throat, choking off my breath.
“I’m guessing he forced you to go ahead of him?” I drawl to hide my dread. “Because, of course he—Watch out!”
I tackle Jihun away from the portal as a black tentacle snaps toward him. The Shin’gwangdo is in my hand before I even realize I summoned it, and I slash clean through the swinging arm of darkness.
“Oh gods,” Hailey breathes. “The Amheuk reached the Kingdom of Mountains.”
I stumble back from the portal with a hand to my forehead, my sword arm hanging limply at my side. “E-Ethan.”
“Get everyone off this pagoda,” Jihun barks.
“We have to close the portal.” Keeper Bae rushes toward it. “Haesan, help me remove the tree.”
“No!” I step in front of the glowing green portal and spread out my arms. “Not yet. Ethan hasn’t come through.”
“We are all dead if the Amheuk reaches the Kingdom of Sky,” the keeper says, regret in the lines of his grumpy face.
My fist tightens around the hilt of my sword.I’ll take down anyone who tries to—I blink in shock. Keeper Bae is not the enemy. I deliberately sheathe the Shin’gwangdo.
“You’re right. You have to close the portal,” I say as a calm settles over me. “I’ll go to the Kingdom of Mountains and bring him back.”
“You will need a token.” Keeper Bae breaks off a small branch from the giant tree and hands it to me.
Jihun looms in front of me. “You are not going anywhere.”
“I’ll stave off the Amheuk and bring Ethan back before you can say,Damn it, Sunny.”
“Damn it—” Jihun doesn’t get a chance to finish yelling.
“Close the portal, Keeper Bae,” I shout and leap for the green light.
I fall through the portal and keep falling. I swallow the scream building in my chest. Too late, I remember this particular portal opens up to the middle of the sky, and ... I can’t fly. My body hurtles through the sky, tumbling out of control.
I have to slow my descent.
Focusing on the pull of gravity and the rush of air against me, I figure out which way is up and which way is down. I press my flailing arms against my sides and press my legs together. Then I reposition my body so my stomach faces the ground, goal posting my arms above my head and bending my legs toward the sky.
Now what?
I’m still falling. Not at the same dizzying speed, but the end result will remain in thesplatcategory.
“Cocksucker,” I seethe through clenched teeth.
“I love that foul mouth of yours.” Ethan’s warm breath brushes my ear as he scoops me out of the air. “I love everything about you.”
Ethan.
There are no words to describe how I feel, seeing him at last.At. Fucking. Last.With a heartfelt moan, I crush my mouth against his.
