Page 149 of The Bonds of Indigo

“Time to tell them,” she says, waving her hand in front of her face. That soft gold light swirls between her fingertips. “Do you promise?”

I swallow. “Yes. If you don’t mind me asking a favor. It’s sort of a big one.”

The smile she gives me is more of a grin, her perfect teeth gleaming beneath the fluorescent lights. “I promise it won’t be too much. Nothing is for someone like me. After all, everything else seems trivial when you’ve killed Gods.”

My eyes widen. There’s no way she just said that so casually. “I…”

I don’t think I’ve ever been speechless before.

“Now, tell me how I can help you,” she says warmly. “And then I’ll tell you what I am.”

Chapter 38

The moment I’m through the door, I lose my grip on Amarah’s hand. I spin so fast I nearly give myself whiplash, ready to hurl myself back through.

Before I even make it one step back, she’s coming through. There’s nothing visible behind her; it’s like she’s emerging from a waterfall of ink held perfectly still.

I let out a heavy breath of relief, grab her by the shoulders, and pull her close beside me.

I tilt her chin up so she has to see me. She looks a bit stunned, and a sharp stab of guilt hits me because this is my fault.

The moment that Grimhorn grabbed her, all I saw was red. Everything else bled away the instant she vanished. I ran toward her without a second thought, but it all happened so fucking fast. One second, she was there, the next I was staring into those wrought-iron gates leading to nothing but darkness. And I didn’t hesitate to follow.

I swear I won’t ever hesitate to go after someone I care about ever again.

I ended up thrown into a hallway similar to the one we just left when a door opened, and I scented my little slayer instantly. Again, without a single damned thought, I went straight through.

I’m not usually the type to swing at a woman, but I couldn’t stop myself. I didn’t know who that Azahara person was, and she was the only one near my girl. The thought that she might be tormenting Amarah hit me like a blade to the throat, and all I wanted was to tear her apart.

Obviously, that was unnecessary, and thank fuck for that. Once we’ve got Lucifer, I’m hog-tying Amarah until she explains what’s going on with these Grimhorns.

“Are you okay?”

She pauses for what I feel like is eternity before saying, “I’m fine.”

Her pupils have returned to normal, and the color is back in her face.

I drag my thumb across her cheek and lean in to place a kiss against her forehead. “Good. Let’s go.”

“She instructed me to tell you something. That it should be you that opens the door. Apparently, your intentions on where you want to go will lead you to Luce.”

“Was she, like… a Succubus or something?” I ask. It’s rhetorical—I don’t actually expect an answer.

When Amarah huffs, I raise a brow. “Because she’s pretty?”

I’m not about to admit I barely remember what Azahara looked like. Other than the blindingly bright red hair, I didn’t take in much. But if I say that, Amarah will probably think I’m lying.

“Not quite. I’m asking because how does she know so much about this place?”

She steps away from me, her hand sliding from my arm to my wrist as she pulls me along. The silence stretches, and for a second, I worry my answer wasn’t what she wanted to hear.

“Seems like she has a connection to a God, like I have with Vendra,” she finally whispers. There are a few people scattered around this room—a place I’d easily classify as a doctor’s office waiting area. No one pays us any attention, flipping through magazines or scrolling on cell phones. Honestly, it’s strange. If I hadn’t just jumped straight through the gates to the Beyond, I’d swear I walked from Demour right back into Calysera.

“I trust her judgment on this. Guess that’s what matters.”

“And I trust you.”

She turns her head just enough to look at me over her shoulder. A soft pink dusts her cheeks as she smiles. “Thanks.”