“Dimitri,” I call, and he turns. “Where the hell did these boots come from?”
“You realize I’ve got magic, right? Come on, spitfire. They get antsy when you hang around outside.”
My mouth drops open when I spot the opening he’s headed for. Shimmering silver strands cover a large section of the wall. They dance along the nonexistent wind, and I swear I hear bells. Tiny tinkling bells ringing softly through the air. I tip my head back, trying to spot the top. It’s lost in a dense fog filledwith lightning flashing silently within the clouds. When I glance down again, my clothes have changed. At least, I think they have.
“Leather? Really?” I snort. I don’t even know the names for half the things encasing my body. The pants are tight, molding to my legs yet still giving me room to move. “A corset? Seriously?”
Dimitri appears in front of me, a grin plastered on his face. He’s more energetic—healthy—than I’ve ever seen him before. Maybe staying in Hell, or a dimension close to it, helps. Maybe he’s not even cursed. Could he just be allergic to Earth? Is it technically Earth if my world is just another dimension? I crinkle my nose. Thinking about this stuff always gives me a headache. I like what I can feel, what I can see. Which is especially hard when one is a witch. So much of my magic doesn’t have a rhyme or reason to it. We do things that don’t make sense to create something that does. It’s probably the reason I’ve shied away from my roots for so long. Plus, growing up with an aunt who thought the entire universe and every creature within every dimension was after her didn’t help.
“Would this make you feel better?” He snaps his fingers, and he’s dressed in a masculine version of my own clothes—complete with corset.
“I—yeah. Sure.” My mouth waters, and a wave of heat washes over me. A man in a corset never crossed my radar. A demon in a corset even less so. Dimitri in a corset? Yeah, I could definitely get used to this.
I ogle him until my eyes alight on something hanging from his belt. “Is that a dagger? Why do you get a dagger and I don’t?”
He winces, then gives me a sheepish grin. “I wasn’t sure if you’d hurt yourself. Or accidentally stab someone, thinking they were a threat.”
I open my mouth, then snap it shut. He’s right, as much as it pains me to admit. I’m in a foreign place about to see things I’ve only dreamt about witnessing, with a demon who thinks it’scute to not communicate fully, probably to catch my reaction. Normally, I’d be pissed. Right now, I’m too enamored with the demon standing in front of me to care.
“Fine, but if one of them eats me and I don’t have a weapon to defend myself, it’ll be on your head, mister.” I march past him as if I know where I’m going. Most of the time, if I act like I know what I’m doing, shit works out. I tip my chin up, bury my fear under a blanket of false confidence, and keep going.
“Hey spitfire? I admire your gall, but you can’t just walk through. There’s a process.”
I wave my hand over my shoulder. I’m sure I’ll be fine. With confidence and a side of audacity, I’m sure I’ll get through. I’ll show him what happens when you bring a witch along. For good measure, I wrap a shield around myself. It’s easier now that I’ve used the spell recently.
When I reach the barrier, I force my steps to be even. Energy radiates off the strands, and I have a strong urge to turn around. Just when I’m about to touch the thick threads, my feet leave the ground and I’m thrown backward. Time slows and my throat closes as I fly through the air. With my luck, a sharp rock will impale the back of my head and I’ll die instantly. In a dragon realm. Accompanied by a demon. Silently, I apologize to my sister for failing her.
Strong arms fold around me, tucking me against a hard chest. Dimitri’s shuddering as if my life flashed beforehiseyes, too. I suppose bringing a witch to a hellish dimension and then inadvertently killing them wouldn’t look good. And there’d be a shit ton of paperwork.
It’s not until my feet are planted firmly on the ground again that I realize he’s not shaking from fear or worry. Nope, the bastard is laughing. At me. I scowl up at him. His arms tighten around me, though I’m pretty sure he’s using me to hold himself up. If he says one word…
“So, you need to go through the other door,” he wheezes.
“You could have warned me,” I grumble.
“Told you there was a process. Not my fault you didn’t listen. If you wanna blame me, though, go right ahead.”
“Oh, how kind of you.”
He drops a kiss to my temple, then lets me go. It’s so quick I barely have time to savor it. Obviously, he’s made comments—flirted, even. Now I’m wondering if he meant them. Maybe he’s this familiar with everyone. The only other being I’ve seen him interact with is Providence, and he was pissy. Percy doesn’t count since they didn’t say two words to each other. I’ve almost convinced myself he’s just a playful demon when he grabs my hand and pulls me forward into the unknown.
Messing with Mari is quickly becoming a favorite pastime. Could I have been clearer about things? Sure, but what’s the fun in that? Besides, I followed behind her, caught her before she hurt herself. Not that she can die here. It’s one of the few dimensions one can visit without truly perishing. She’d be sore for a few days, that’s all.
I probably should tell her.
“Hand here,” I say, pointing to an inconspicuous spot on the wall. She narrows her gaze, then hesitantly does what I said.
A doorway shimmers to life, large enough to accommodate most beings, including dragons. Her gasp is delayed, though I wonder if it’s more for dramatic effect than genuine surprise. I gesture for her to go first, and she raises a single eyebrow.
“You think I’m walking in there after the stunt you pulled? Nuh-uh. You go first.” She crosses her arms.
I grab her hand and yank her through. This time her gasp is real. I suppose I don’t know what it’s like to go through a magicaldoorway as a witch. The dragons have magic nothing else does. They protect their own with a fierceness I’ve rarely seen before.
“Why?” she whispers harshly. “That was fucking cold.”
“No one with ill intent can pass through either doorway, including other dragons. A millennium ago there was a rogue dragon who fancied himself king of them all. When he met resistance, he gained access to this world. Destroyed an entire clutch of eggs. It took a long time for them to regain what they lost.”
She’s quiet for a long time as we travel through the dark. There’s just enough light for us not to trip into the cavern on either side of us. I’d bet all the magic in my veins she hasn’t noticed yet. Maybe her witch eyes can’t see. Or the dragons put in place a hallucination to make other beings feel better walking this narrow path.
