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I start to let him haul me backward, but the demon places a hand on me and poof.
Just like that, we’re gone.
Chapter Twelve
When I regain consciousness, I have to blink several times to process where I am. Green grass and tree trunks are above my head, and the starry night sky is below my feet … What the hell? What is this? Upside down town?
“What the heck? Why is everything upside down?”
“Do I really have to answer that?” The demon’s voice sounds alarmingly close.
I blink and blink again, putting together that the world isn’t upside down. I am. Because the demon has me slung over his shoulder and is carrying me somewhere.
“Where are we going?” I murmur, my brain fuzzy, probably from being upside down for so long.
“That will be revealed in time,” is all he says as dirt crunches underneath his shoes while he continues to hike toward the unknown.
Fear pummels through me, and I long for my magic wand. Sure, I suck at using it, but if for nothing else, I could stab him with the end of it.
“Are you taking me underground so the demons can drink from me or whatever?”
He chuckles. “Not even close.”
“Are you going to hurt me?”
My body jostles as he jumps over a rock.
He laughs darkly. “If I wanted to hurt you, I would’ve done it already.”
“What about my sister …? I mean, Ryleigh? You said you were going to get her body back.”
“I did.”
My heart leaps with hope. “Then where is she?”
“I dropped her off in your basement.” His hands wander to the back of my thighs, and he grips them tightly as he makes a sharp right turn up a twisting brick path. “Right before I took you.”
“Why have you taken me?” My fingers curl into fists. “This wasn’t part of the deal.”
“It wasn’t not part of the deal, either.”
I frown. “I can’t bring Ryleigh back to life if I’m here with you. And my time is already running out.”
“Don’t worry; time here moves much differently,” he assures me. “You may be here for a while, but when you return home, you’ll probably only have been gone for a few hours.”
“Where is here?” I wonder, lifting my head to peer around at the grassy hills, trees, and brick path. “It looks like a magical forest to me.”
“You’ll find that out soon enough,” he replies with a shrug.
I grimace, beyond frustrated. “Can’t you just tell me the truth? I really need some of that right now.”
“Patience, my little rainbow trout.” His grin is evident through his voice.
I sigh. Damn demons. They love getting their kicks and giggles by playing mind games.
Technically, don’t you, too, since you’re kind of one of them?
“Who are you, anyway?” I ask, trying not to think about what I may or may not be. Otherwise, I might start crying. And while I’m not super in tune with my demon knowledge, I know better than to cry in front of one.
Again, with the one, Eva, as if you aren’t part of their kind.
He gives a drawn-out pause, then, “For now, you can call me Max.”
“Is that your real name?”
He doesn’t answer, leaving me to come up with my own conclusions about who he is, what he is, where in the magical kingdom he’s taking me, and what he’s going to do with me once we get there.
