My grin grew wider. Even trapped in the Netherworld I could be at ease with this man. My relationship with him was a great comfort right now, and I was glad I wasn’t down here alone.
“I have an idea to get us dinner,” I told him suddenly. The thought of making a portal to a New York hospital to shove Gage in if he was injured gave me an idea.
He perked up. “Whatever it is. Yes.”
That made me smile. Gage was equally as food motivated as I was.
“Okay, in my experience, it’s easier for me to make a portal into New York than it is to make one from New York andintothe Netherworld. I won’t need a cemetery or a boost from a Shade, and I could open a small portal into a grocery store in New York City.”
“Brilliant. Let’s give it a try. If you keep the portal open the whole time, I’ll run through and grab the food. That way there is no chance we’ll get separated.”
I nodded, my tongue feeling swollen and thick in my mouth for the lack of water. Hopefully it was the middle of the night in New York, because I was about to raid a grocery store and I didn’t want anyone to have a heart attack when they saw a smelly Netherworld portal open up in the middle of it.
Standing, I cracked my neck, closing my eyes to get a visual of where I wanted to portal to. There was a really nice Whole Foods at the corner of 9thAve and 58thStreet that I ate at with Gran once. I could clearly picture it in my mind, the rows of apples and oranges so neatly stacked. The cases of water and the hot food bar. My mouth watered as I pulled on my power and held out my hands.
Gage crouched on his heels, ready to jump into whatever portal I created.
“Just stay calm no matter what happens. I don’t want to be locked away from you,” Gage told me.
I nodded. I found that the best way to stay focused was for me to keep my eyes closed. I did that now, and envisioned the shelves lined with food. Pulling on my power, I breathed in and out slowly.
“You did it. Be right back!” Gage said.
I debated between opening my eyes and keeping them closed but decided not to open them and just focus on my breathing, envisioning the portal remaining open. When I heard a crash, I couldn’t help but look and the portal shrank in half.
“Everything’s fine!” Gage yelled, and my heart hammered in my chest as I peered at him standing over a broken jar of pasta sauce. “Accidentally knocked into it.” He looked back at me.
He had taken off his shirt and made a makeshift mask to cover his face and identity from the security cameras they no doubt had. Clutched between his hands, I noticed he was holding a purple and pink tribal print backpack with the tags still on it as he shoved food into it quickly. It was kind of comical.
“Water!” I whisper-screamed, and he jogged down another aisle while I pumped my purple magic into the portal to make it bigger.
We will totally pay them back for this, I told myself.
One day.
It was dark inside the store, but when Gage disappeared from view I could still hear him rustling around. Finally, after a few minutes he walked toward me with two backpacks full of items slung over each shoulderanda twenty-four pack of bottled water in his hands.
Yes!
Holding my concentration, I sighed in relief as Gage stepped back through into the Netherworld just as an alarm sounded inside the store.
“Close it!” Gage yelled, and I let the vision in my mind’s eye fall away as I retracted my magic.
Gage pulled the shirt off his face and then handed me a bottled water and an identical pink and purple backpack. Reaching out, I unscrewed the cap and chugged the contents, moaning when the lukewarm water hit my parched throat.
Gage watched me, unmoving for a moment, his searing green eyes piercing into me.
“What?” I pulled the water away from my lips.
He cleared his throat. “Nothing. Open your bag. I got you a clean shirt, toothbrush, and some toothpaste.”
I opened the backpack and pulled out the soft blue cotton shirt. Peering down at the bold lettering, I laughed.
Hot Vegan Chick.
Gage grinned. “It’s all they had.”
“Fine, but the second we get back to New York I’m buying a shirt that says, ‘I Love Bacon,’” I told him.
