Demonfire by Kate Douglas Page B

she tried to ease Dax’s pain. If only she had a clue what it was
that she was doing!
    Whatever it was, her touch
seemed to work. After a few minutes, she realized they were actually breathing
in sync. As her heart rate slowed and her breathing calmed down, the same thing
seemed to happen to Dax. She felt the tension flow from his body. The tattoo
was still, his skin cooler beneath her palms.
    “Thank you.”
    She barely heard his soft
whisper as he stroked the back of her wrists with his fingers. “I don’t know
how or why, but when you touch me, the pain melts away.”
    Eddy grinned and pressed her
fingertips against his cheek. “I guess it doesn’t matter, as long as it works.”
She slipped her other hand free of his shirt and fastened the buttons she’d
undone. Her palms actually felt burned, as if she’d touched a hot stove.
    Alton stood by, impatient now
that Dax seemed better. Eddy nodded to him. Without a word, he turned away, and
they quietly hiked down the long tunnel. Voices, faint echoes, could be heard
through the rock. Then the only sound was the steady roar of falling water.
    Only it wasn’t water. It was
the same wall of what appeared to be molten gold. Alton paused near the base,
where the shimmering liquid disappeared into the ground without a puddle or
splash to mark its passing.
    “It’s energy,” Alton explained
in a low voice. “Much like the energy barrier in your cell, except this is a
three-dimensional representation of melted gold. There’s no substance, only an
image disguising the portal between the Lemurian dimension and Earth’s. Follow
me.”
    He stepped through the golden
veil. Eddy held tightly to Dax’s hand as they followed Alton. She recognized
the tunnel they’d followed on their way in, even the spot where they’d paused,
where Dax had kissed her.
    His fingers tightened around
hers, and she glanced up at him. When he smiled, she knew exactly what he was
thinking.
    If only she could be so
certain of her own thoughts. Heat spread over her chest and face, and she
looked away. Alton was already moving on. Walking through the glowing, swirling
light of the portal with a purposeful step, he passed through without pausing.
    Walking away from his home,
away from everything familiar to him. It struck her then, what a huge thing
this was for the Lemurian. By choosing Eddy and Dax over his own people, Alton
had exiled himself from the only life he’d ever known. She let go of Dax’s hand
and rushed to catch up to the tall Lemurian.
    Without hesitation, Eddy raced
through the portal, into the main cavern that was peppered with passageways to
other worlds. Alton stood in the middle, staring at the many shimmering
gateways.
    “Alton? Wait, please.”
    He stopped and turned around.
The expression on his face gave nothing away. “We must hurry, Eddy. We need to
put more distance between ourselves and Lemuria. What do you want?”
    She grabbed his hands in both
of hers. “To thank you. Taron was right. You’re risking everything for us.
Thank you.”
    He flashed a quirky smile, and
she realized again how handsome he was. When he sighed, he looked entirely
human. “Only yesterday I was complaining that my life was boring, that there
was nothing exciting in my world. Nothing to look forward to. It appears my
complaints were too much temptation for my gods.”
    Dax caught up and placed a
hand on Eddy’s shoulder. “It does appear that way, doesn’t it?” His eyes
narrowed. He jerked his hand away from Eddy and whipped around. “Look!”
    Eddy spun about as Bumper let
out a low, threatening growl. The wall across the cavern from them shimmered an
angry red and the surface began to waver. A thick, black smudge of oily mist
reeking of sulfur seeped through the glowing rock. Dax shoved Bumper’s leash
into Eddy’s hands, stepped around Alton, and ran ahead of the small group.
    He stopped directly in front
of the portal, raised his hands, and spread his fingers wide. An icy blast