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“I’m an idiot for not saying it and almost losing you, so I’m saying it now. I’m in love with you. You are it for me. And I’m staying with you whether you like it or not.”
“I like it. I really like it.”
Maddox blinked, stunned at her easy acceptance. She smiled and leaned in for a kiss, which he returned thoroughly—and quite desperately—but the zap outside her barrier had them jumping apart. They peeked at the three figures standing outside and looked at each other. He didn’t say a word, but the nod gave her the surge of confidence she needed to face the next step.
Ruby waved her hand until a part of the barrier was open, letting the three Sutton women in. Pearl sprinted toward her at the sight of blood, then let out a sigh of relief upon determining that she was as fine. Sapphire and Emerald took in the saltwater-covered hole, the former in speculation and the latter in awe.
“The Underworld?” Sapphire asked.
“I don’t know. I saw non-demon bodies. Some humans. Limbs torn, some still fresh.”
“Then that was Hellhole. Non-demons would not have survived that long in the Underworld.”
“I saw him. You were right all along. But I had to leave before he could tell me the truth.”
For the first time, the fortress that was their eldest sister stumbled back as if physically punched by the news. Sapphire closed her eyes, absorbing them for as long as she could before she opened them and nodded.
“Then we fix this and find him again.”
The easy acceptance reminded her of her easy acceptance of Maddox’s confession, which in turn made her realize that she and Sapphire were more alike than they thought.
“I’m sorry—”
“Save it for later,” Sapphire said. But there was no heat. “Come on.”
At her gesture, the two women fell into step and got into formation with her. Three hands joined, leaving a space for one. Ruby hesitated, unsure if the black magic would return and ruin everything again.
“I think you got it this time, Ruby,” Maddox murmured.
She looked at Sapphire, then at Pearl, who gave her an encouraging nod. Then her gaze fell on Emerald. The accusing look she expected wasn’t there as green orbs just looked back and…waited. It spurred her on as she finally ambled forward and stepped into the space left. She curled her hands with theirs. This time, no chants were involved as they directed their energies outside, let it form, and nudged it toward the hole.
The water dissipated as their magic took over, covering the hole like a lid before it stitched the edges. Stitch after stitch, the black grew smaller, then winked out of existence. When it was gone, the four of them disentangled their hands, released their magic, and stared at each other in amazement. Pearl grinned.
A boom shattered their ears, and the fire flying everywhere had them flattening their bodies to the ground. She counted the four alive and safe first before she glanced at the source of the explosion and felt her stomach bottom out. Sapphire was the first to scramble up.
“Divide and conquer. Pearl, more potions to thicken the barrier. Close that cliff, too. I will try to reclose the hole. Em, Ruby, don’t give them a chance to escape.”
The command snapped them into motion, with Ruby finding Emerald and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with her. They watched in horror as a demon crawled out before Sapphire blasted magic toward the reopened hole.
“My magic only makes it dizzy.”
“Then let’s make it twice as dizzy,” was Emerald’s reply before she attacked first. When the creature stumbled back, Ruby followed it up with another magic punch. They took turns using the impact to direct the creature back into the hole, which was successful. But in that three-second drop of magic, two more demons had leaped in, and the hole just got bigger.
One demon went for the barrier while another went for them. They repeated their attack from earlier, but the same thing happened every time Sapphire dropped her magic so they could push the demon back in.
“It’s not working,” Emerald said in disbelief.
The demon that had gone for the barrier went for Maddox, who stopped jumping to call its attention and braced. Ruby ran to him and shot magic at the demon while Emerald went to protect Sapphire. But it wasn’t enough, as the dazed demons just kept coming back to life, as strong as ever.
“I need to get out,” Maddox said. “I need to get help.”
Ruby gaped at him, the questions already swimming in her head.Who are you calling to help us? What if they don’t believe you? What if they think you caused this?
The questions didn’t come out as she looked into his eyes and realized she just needed to trust. Without a word, Ruby nodded. She shot another dose toward the approaching demon and tapped the barrier while the creature was still dazed. From outside, Pearl heard it and gave her a questioning look. She pressed her palm on the barrier and waited until her sister did the same.
“Let him out. Two seconds. Then close the barrier again.”
White-gray eyes widened but held the contact. She sighed in relief when Pearl finally nodded, hands moving fast as she tried to nudge the opening into existence. Ruby continued shooting magic at the demon as she watched the opening stretch until it was enough to fit his size.
