The portal split wider with a deafening crack. The apartment floor shook violently beneath us. Nina grabbed my arm. “Okay nope. I officially choose survival.”
The younger brother grabbed Nina at the exact same moment she grabbed me.
Then Anderson grabbed all of us.
And the apartment disappeared behind us.
Chapter 16
Eva POV
The feeling of moving through the portal was nothing like falling.
It felt worse.
Like the universe grabbed every atom in my body individually and rearranged them out of spite. Cold air slammed into me first. Then heat after it. My stomach lurched violently while red light flashed across my vision in broken pieces.
Somewhere beside me, Nina screamed continuously without breathing. Which, considering the situation, was completely reasonable.
Strong hands caught me before I fell, fingers tightening briefly against my waist like letting me fall had never even been an option.
My demon steadied me carefully against his chest while the world stopped spinning around me. For one deeply humiliating second, I just stayed there gripping the front of his coat like my survival instincts had made ridiculous decisions without permission.
“You alive?” Nina asked weakly from somewhere nearby.
“Emotionally no,” I answered automatically.
“That’s fair.”
When I finally dared to look up, I completely forgot how to breathe because Hell was nothing like I'd imagined.
The sky stretched endlessly overhead in deep shades of black and dark crimson, glowing faintly like embers trapped beneathsmoke. Massive buildings towered above us with sharp gold-lit windows carved into black stone, while bridges curled impossibly between enormous structures hanging over glowing rivers far below the city.
Everything was ancient, beautiful, and dangerous in a way that made my entire body instinctively understand why humans were never supposed to come here.
Fire burned from iron lanterns lining the streets, but even the flames seemed wrong. Silver instead of orange. Moving too slowly. Crowds filled the streets around us.
Demons. Hundreds of them.
Conversations across the street stopped almost after we appeared. Then more heads turned. And more. An uncomfortable silence spread outward through the crowd while every demon nearby stared directly at us.
More specifically, at my demon.
The atmosphere changed instantly around him. People moved aside automatically. Some lowered their heads. Others avoided eye contact entirely. And I understood something horrifying.
On Earth, he’d been the demon making coffee in my kitchen and reorganizing my spice cabinet. But here?
People were afraid of him. The realization hit hard enough that I unconsciously moved closer beside him. My demon noticed my reaction and without even looking at me, his hand brushed lightly against the small of my back like reassurance. That helped for now.
One glance from the younger brother was enough for his expression to collapse into disgust. “Oh this is unbearable.”
Nina finally straightened beside him while staring around Hell in complete disbelief. “Okay wow. This place looks expensive.”
“That is your first reaction?” Anderson asked tiredly.
“What else am I supposed to say? Congratulations on the horrifying architecture?”
The younger brother was delighted instantly. “I like her.”
