Her breath hitched as I took hold of theempty glass and pulled it away from her.
“I’m ready to go now.” She hopped off thestool. I grabbed her elbow when she swayed briefly. “I didn’t drinkthat much of it,” she murmured.
“More than enough,” I replied and refrainedfrom telling her she’d consumed almost an entire glass.
She grinned at me. “It was really good.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle as I slid my armaround her waist. “I can tell.”
“I have to say good-bye.”
Despite the heightened color in her cheeksand the slight sway when she rose from her stool, her gait wassteady as she made her way to where Hawk, Erin, and Vargas nowstood by the piano. Bale and Corson remained by the bar talkingwith some of the skelleins when I followed River to the piano.
“You were amazing!” River said to Erin.
“It made me think of you,” Erin replied.“For when you’re on your way back to us tomorrow.”
For a second, tears shimmered in River’seyes again. “Works perfectly.”
Erin placed her mug on the bar and turned tohug River. She stood awkwardly for a minute before she lifted herarms to embrace Erin back. River stepped away from her and gave abrief wave to Vargas and Hawk before turning away from them.
“I have to speak with the other demons,” Itold her as I led her down the stairs toward the exit. “To let themknow what will be happening tomorrow.”
“I’d like to lay down,” she said.
Glancing at her, I noted the weary slope ofher shoulders as the world settled onto them once more. The effectsof the mjéod were wearing off far faster than I’d anticipated. Ididn’t want to let her out of my sight, but I wasn’t going to makeher stand through a meeting with the demons, not when it couldpossibly end up lasting all night.
Stepping outside, River inhaled a greedygulp of fresh air as she soaked in the light of the stars and themoon. The vehicles parked around the edge of the clearing and thepeople sleeping in the center of it were easy to see beneath theradiance of the full moon. Patrols of humans and demons moved backand forth at the edge of the trees while some of those not onpatrol sat around campfires playing games.
I watched as a smile played across River’sface and some of her weariness diminished. The easier flow of lifeaway from the pit imbued and fed her like the sun fed the trees.The gateway and being so close to Hell may not be as taxing to heras it had once been, but it still took its toll.
And you’re going to let her walk into ittomorrow.My grip on her elbow tightened.
“Everything will be fine tomorrow. I’ll befine,” she said without looking at me. “Stop worrying.”
“I have to worry. Look at what being closeto the edge of Hell does to you. You feed on life, River. There isnothing but death within that pit. Going in may be a hugemistake.”
“There is still a form of life within it,and I am able to draw from that. It may not be the same, but I’madapting to it. Staying here for much longer may be a biggermistake. We’re only giving Lucifer more time to gather his troopsand plot some way to take us down. I may not be able to go that farinto Hell, but we won’t know until we try.”
“And if you are able to go in and you loseall connection to the Earth?”
Her hair danced around her face as itstirred in the breeze. She turned over the hand I held in my graspand squeezed my hand. Sparks arced across her fingertips and ontomine.
“You’ve always been my biggest source oflife and power. I’ll be fine if you’re there,” she said.
Grasping her nape, I pulled her against mychest and held her close. “I’d give anything to keep you fromhaving to go in there.”
“I know,” she whispered as she wrapped herarms around me and dug her fingers into the flesh of my back. “Butour lives were never ours to control, not really. Destiny took themover years ago.”
My body stirred at the feel of her lushbreasts against my chest and the potent scent of her growingarousal. The need to ease her body caused my cock to swell inanticipation. The door to the bar opened. Corson and Bale steppedout to stand behind us on the porch. Gritting my teeth, I mademyself step away from her before I couldn’t.
“Gather the others and tell them I mustspeak with them,” I said to Corson and Bale. They nodded and strodeaway as I turned my attention back to River. “I have to dothis.”
She brought her hands forward to run themover my chest. “You do,” she agreed. “I’ll stay near you, but Ihave to… to rest for a bit.”
“I understand.”
Keeping hold of her, I led her down thestairs and over to the truck we’d driven in to get here. Steppingback, I opened the door for her. She crawled inside and rested herfingers briefly on the head of the angel sitting on the dash. Ihated that angel figurine, but she insisted upon keeping it and hada strange affinity to it for some reason.
