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“Not necessarily.”

“Um.”

“I’ve been here before, in Peter Pan. It was right after I was left in Peter Pan alone. Look,” I pointed to the flying ship, “the Jolly Roger is right there.”

“Oh…still don’t understand the funny. Are you sure you’re okies? Maybe the portals are scrambling your human brain.”

Humming, I turned inward, assessing my mental faculties. It was then that I realized my error.

“Shit,” I grumbled and rubbed my temples. “I forgot to focus on the bond.”

“That’s okies, Meeky. As long as we’re not there anymore,” Huff said as he shivered.

Suspicion nudged my brain. It wouldn’t surprise me if he knew exactly where we first ended up but I honestly didn’t want to know.

“Now what?” the Heechu questioned.

I shrugged. “Well, Monstera said to focus on the bond, so, I might as well check it to see if there is any change.” Closing my eyes, I pressed a palm between my breasts and waited. No significant changes that I could detect occurred from when I stood in the library. “Good news, I suppose. There’s no change.”

“Try again,” Huff suggested. “Remember, think about Bane and your connection to him only.”

I nodded and slowly blew out a breath. “Third times the charm, right?” I asked Huff, inserting the key into oddly thick air. Tilting my head to the side, I perceived the sense that the air changed, adjusting itself to the presence of my magicked key as soon as I removed it from my pocket. Strange.

My head shook as I rid myself of errant thoughts, gripped the mate bond, and opened a new portal.

At the last second, my thoughts blipped to Bane’s demons and how they told me I was his mate.

“Shit. Shit, shit, shit.” I already knew I messed up before Huff’s worried gurgley-growls registered. Opening my eyes, I stared at my reflection in the portal.

“Meeky, is it justs me or does that look like a mirror?”

“It does,” I whispered shakily, unable to rid myself of the remembered panic clouding my mind when Bane and I faced the demon mirrors. “Nope. Fuck this.” Holding my breath, I jammed the key back into the lock and waited…and waited. Nothing.

“Why won’t you work?”

Huff cleared his throat. “I think we will just have to go through it.” My leg shook as I tried to find another solution. “Common, Meeky. It’ll be okies. I’m here.”

I backed up a few steps, then sprinted through the portal, running face first into another mirror and landing on my ass. My head throbbed as I blinked, desperate to dispel the residual dizziness twirling my eyes inside my skull.

Goosebumps spread along my forearms, raising the fine hairs as a shrill shriek rent the air, followed by multiple cackling voices. “Huff, does everything look muted to you?”

“What do you mean?”

I observed the room from top to bottom, my eyes widening as they zeroed in on the violet fire dancing merrily over the logs in the hearth. “Aside from that,” I hooked my thumb over my shoulder at the fireplace, “is everything discolored? Like someone went overboard with editing the world and lowered the saturation too much.”

“Oh, that. Yepp, I agree.”

“You sound oddly calm about that. His tails waved lazily, tickling my neck. “There’s purple flames in the same hue as our Heechu magic. That has to be a good sign. I loves purple, it’s my favorite color.”

My hand sunk into sumptuous black leather as I shoved against the arm rest, hauling myself to my feet. I stared at the gothic-looking armchair, from the ornate carved legs to the overall unique shape of it that bespoke of antique Victorian furniture. In fact, the entire room was decorated with the trappings of a nineteenth century manor house.

“I believe this is a cigar room. Is it possible that we traveled back in time?” I asked Huff offhandedly, not really expecting an answer. “No. Mo would have mentioned that if it was a possibility.”

Something moved in the corner of my eye, and I sucked in a breath, whipping my head in that direction and glaring at the damn mirror that essentially bitch slapped me.

I should make a new portal immediately, just as we planned, but something about this place fascinates me. It’s as if I’m exploring the height of Gothic interior design in it’s prime. I should’ve packed my sketchbook.

Moving closer to the mirror, I adjusted my glasses, staring into it. Suddenly, an inhumanly handsome, grinning face appeared. Despite the fact that he was very obviously not human, what with the horns and row of razor-sharp teeth, I couldn’t help but compare his strikingly similar features with Bane.