“Q said he can help. When is all of this happening?” I ask.
“Toneet,” Cielo tells me. “Sorrrry.”
“No.” It’s inconvenient, but the sooner the better. No one saw us using the portal last time, but I know the risk grows every time he opens one and sets foot in the place from which he’s been banished. “Can I come with you?”
Cielo reaches for me, cupping my cheek, and he nods. “Yes. My Dante. My home.”
I don’t know if he’s calling me his home or Erethar, but in this moment, I’m too afraid to ask. I’ll take either, though. The way he says my name constantly reminds me that I belong to him.
And wherever he is, that’s where my heart is.
That’s all that matters.
As Cielo and I make our way toward the portal, I feel a little bit like a rogue. Like the guys in the romance novels Cielo’s been reading, minus the roguish clothing and swords, of course. And Cielo isn’t a damsel in distress, either, but it could be a fun little scenario for us to play with once everything stops being total and utter chaos.
Ceilo’s tail is wrapped around my waist as we walk down the cracked cement path that leads to the abandoned subway station. It’s rarely used, blocked off by fencing and barbed wire. But it doesn’t keep Cielo out. He stops in front of it and then points to his chest.
I vaguely remember going here the night I was sick, but it’s in bursts and flashes that come and go. It’s like I’m experiencing this for the first time.
“Up.”
I glance up and then back down. “Wait. Do you want me to climb up there, or are you going to carry me?”
“Up…liiiike Niaus.”
My eyes widen, and I let out a small laugh. “Alright. On your back?”
He nods, and I do as he says, his tail wrapping around my waist like a seatbelt, and then he’s scaling it, like a lizard up awall. It’s impressive, really. I knew they were fast, but I had no idea they could climb like this.
When he reaches the barbed wire, he says, “Hoooold on.”
And then he launches himself up and over, falling the rest of the way down. I close my eyes just as we land with a thud, his body taking most of the impact, but it still makes my teeth rattle.
“Shit,” I finally say. “Holy crap. That was…really awesome. And kind of scary.”
Cielo unwraps me, and I step onto unsteady feet. “Youu okay?”
I nod and run a hand through my hair, my fingers getting snagged on the braid. “Yeah, just wasn’t expecting that.”
Cielo pulls me into him and then ushers me forward, into the shadows where we won’t be seen. I know he wants to be quick about this, and I’m holding him up, so I close my mouth and watch as he strides toward the stairwell. It’s there that he reaches into his pocket and pulls out the portal key. It looks like a piece of obsidian, but there’s something glowing within, almost like a heartbeat. I don’t have time to examine it before he slots it into the wall and twists it.
A second later, there’s a flash of light and a low vibrating buzz. Cielo peers over at me, and I nod, holding out my hand. His fingers twine around mine, and we step through together.
It’s jarring, my mind whirling, my stomach roiling, but I manage the vertigo well. Probably all those years of dealing with nerve pain. I’m able to gain stability quickly.
Or at least I fake it until I make it.
“You okay?”Cielo asks.
I nod on a swallow, my eyes taking everything in once more. I vaguely remember this place, but I was in too much pain last time to take any of it in. Most of what I know is from the visions Cielo sent me through the bond.
“Let’s hurry and find your brothers.”
Cielo nods back, still holding onto me and leading me forward. My eyes move to the three moons, the fourth just a sliver in the dark night sky. As we walk, I see twinkling blue plants dotting the edge of the pathway, and through our bond, Cielo tells me they’re morvyn.
“Like a mushroom? Can you eat them?” I ask, and he nods his head, pulling me toward the looming trees, their purple trunks and pink leaves ominous in the darkness.
But Cielo seems to know where he’s going.
