he got sick at the reminder that Sissy had had that thing in her hands for how long today?
“You wrote all that,” he muttered.
“Yes.” The demon frowned. “And I seriously did not appreciate Eddie stealing it from me. He thought he could use it to get you back. Didn’t work then, did it.”
But Eddie had ended up saving him in the end. Still, “If that’s true,” he said, “why do you need it now?”
Colin spoke up, his English accent clipped. “Because she’s going to try to create a portal. Aren’t you.”
Devina shrugged. “You were the ones suggesting we work together. Do you have another solution in mind?”
“Shit,” Adrian breathed.
“What’s a portal?” Sissy looked over at Ad. Stared at Colin. “Well?”
When no one spoke up, Adrian did his best to pace around the parlor. It was like trying to motivate a Model T with a broken axle, but staying still wasn’t an option. And he wasn’t the only one getting serious, either. Colin had braced his head in his hands, and even Devina had dropped the petting act with Jim; the demon was as motionless as a statue, staring off into space like she was doing long division in her head.
Or maybe calculating the very good odds that this was going to fuck all of them in the ass.
As nobody else was going to answer the question, Adrian figured, What the hell. “There are two portals that we are allowed to use—and both were brought into existence by the Creator. One leads to Heaven, the other to Hell. They’re how we go back and forth—how she gets down and back.” He stopped and faced the fireplace even though there was no flame in it. No logs to watch as they were consumed. No heat to warm his cold hands and feet. “For us to try to make one? For our own purposes? It’s a violation of the laws of the universe.”
Devina shrugged. “What’s the Creator going to do to us?”
“Not sure I want to find out,” Ad bit out. “Not sure we got a choice.”
“This could indeed get us into serious trouble,” Colin tacked on. Then he looked at Ad. “It’s on a magnitude of the stunt you pulled that got you punished.”
“Which one.” Adrian shrugged. “And I don’t know why you’re giving me the hairy eyeball. I don’t have that kind of power—that shit is going to need to be between you and her.”
Colin glanced at the demon and muttered something unintelligible under his breath. And yup, she looked equally disenchanted.
At least they were taking the risks seriously.
Devina nodded over at Sissy. “Open to page three hundred forty-one and a half.”
Sissy flipped pages back and forth. “Okay.”
“What does it say?”
“Which passage?”
“Start from the top.”
Sissy opened her mouth and started reading … but fuck all if Ad could understand what she was saying. The words were gibberish—and not any kind of Latin he recognized. Hell, he’d even been around when the guys in togas and sandals had been doing their jam, and whatever was coming from between her lips? Not it.
When she finally stopped, Devina nodded. “So I’m correct.”
“Yes,” Sissy said. “I think you are.”
In the silence that followed, Colin looked over pointedly, but Ad had to prioritize panic buttons at that moment—he couldn’t worry about whatever connection the two females in the room might be forging. “Look,” he cut in, “I don’t have a clue what you just read. But the portal idea, while batshit crazy, is probably our only option. If we can create a portal and keep it open long enough … maybe Jim can jump back.”
“But wait,” Sissy said. “If he killed himself to get over there, doesn’t one already exist?”
“It’s not one that is open to free use,” Colin said. “That particular portal is regulated by the Creator, and He has been very clear about its purpose and its restrictions.”
Ad glanced at Sissy. “Yeah, the Big Guy ain’t too happy with the idea that someone would disrespect the gift of life. You take
“You wrote all that,” he muttered.
“Yes.” The demon frowned. “And I seriously did not appreciate Eddie stealing it from me. He thought he could use it to get you back. Didn’t work then, did it.”
But Eddie had ended up saving him in the end. Still, “If that’s true,” he said, “why do you need it now?”
Colin spoke up, his English accent clipped. “Because she’s going to try to create a portal. Aren’t you.”
Devina shrugged. “You were the ones suggesting we work together. Do you have another solution in mind?”
“Shit,” Adrian breathed.
“What’s a portal?” Sissy looked over at Ad. Stared at Colin. “Well?”
When no one spoke up, Adrian did his best to pace around the parlor. It was like trying to motivate a Model T with a broken axle, but staying still wasn’t an option. And he wasn’t the only one getting serious, either. Colin had braced his head in his hands, and even Devina had dropped the petting act with Jim; the demon was as motionless as a statue, staring off into space like she was doing long division in her head.
Or maybe calculating the very good odds that this was going to fuck all of them in the ass.
As nobody else was going to answer the question, Adrian figured, What the hell. “There are two portals that we are allowed to use—and both were brought into existence by the Creator. One leads to Heaven, the other to Hell. They’re how we go back and forth—how she gets down and back.” He stopped and faced the fireplace even though there was no flame in it. No logs to watch as they were consumed. No heat to warm his cold hands and feet. “For us to try to make one? For our own purposes? It’s a violation of the laws of the universe.”
Devina shrugged. “What’s the Creator going to do to us?”
“Not sure I want to find out,” Ad bit out. “Not sure we got a choice.”
“This could indeed get us into serious trouble,” Colin tacked on. Then he looked at Ad. “It’s on a magnitude of the stunt you pulled that got you punished.”
“Which one.” Adrian shrugged. “And I don’t know why you’re giving me the hairy eyeball. I don’t have that kind of power—that shit is going to need to be between you and her.”
Colin glanced at the demon and muttered something unintelligible under his breath. And yup, she looked equally disenchanted.
At least they were taking the risks seriously.
Devina nodded over at Sissy. “Open to page three hundred forty-one and a half.”
Sissy flipped pages back and forth. “Okay.”
“What does it say?”
“Which passage?”
“Start from the top.”
Sissy opened her mouth and started reading … but fuck all if Ad could understand what she was saying. The words were gibberish—and not any kind of Latin he recognized. Hell, he’d even been around when the guys in togas and sandals had been doing their jam, and whatever was coming from between her lips? Not it.
When she finally stopped, Devina nodded. “So I’m correct.”
“Yes,” Sissy said. “I think you are.”
In the silence that followed, Colin looked over pointedly, but Ad had to prioritize panic buttons at that moment—he couldn’t worry about whatever connection the two females in the room might be forging. “Look,” he cut in, “I don’t have a clue what you just read. But the portal idea, while batshit crazy, is probably our only option. If we can create a portal and keep it open long enough … maybe Jim can jump back.”
“But wait,” Sissy said. “If he killed himself to get over there, doesn’t one already exist?”
“It’s not one that is open to free use,” Colin said. “That particular portal is regulated by the Creator, and He has been very clear about its purpose and its restrictions.”
Ad glanced at Sissy. “Yeah, the Big Guy ain’t too happy with the idea that someone would disrespect the gift of life. You take
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