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But in the monster realm, I thrive.
“I understand,” he says, dipping his head. “And I’ll do everything in my power to get us to your mates safely, even if they’ll want to kill me for it.”
“I’m pretty sure they’ll be so relieved to see you’re alive that they won’t care.” I shrug, thinking of Elio and how crushed he was by his friend’s hypothetical death. “Plus they have thousands of Malevs they can tear apart. They can take their anger out on them.”
To my relief, Ignatius laughs, and we down the rest of our lunch. He changes clothes, dressing all in black with combat boots and glittering spikes around his knuckles. I don’t think hand to hand combat is his style–he can rely on his magic to avoid that–but he looks ready to kick some ass. I can’t help but be impressed.
“Damn, Nate,” I tease, looking him up and down. “Now I see what has Darius so stricken.”
His pale cheeks blush. “Thank you. Did you want to borrow more of my clothes or…”
“I have plenty of clothes at the apartment if we can swing by there first,” I assure him, knowing it will be a little weird for my mates to see me wearing another man’s clothes. Even if that man is gay and there’s nothing going on between us. “Do we have time?”
“We’re not exactly on a schedule.” He smirks and gestures toward the front door. “But I can’t teleport us because I’ve never been there before, so we’ll have to drive.”
“Can you drive?” My brows hike up, but I don’t know why I’m surprised. Both Elio and Azarius can drive–though I’ve heard one is much better than the other–so it shouldn’t surprise me that Ignatius has a car.
“Of course.” He looks rather proud of himself, and I’m feeling confident until he opens his mouth again. “Whether I can drive well or not is another matter.”
Fucking great.
I guess if it’s too bad I can tell him to pull over and swap seats with me, but as long as we make it there in one piece it’ll be fine.
“I’ll keep my eyes closed,” I promise.
Without another word, we step outside into the bright afternoon sun. My heart is beating in my throat, adrenaline thrumming through my veins.
In a few short hours I’ll be reunited with my mates, and I’ve never been so ready for anything in my life.
ChapterTwenty-Nine
DEVYN
After a terrifying car ride and a quick sprint through the apartment to change and grab everything I need, I’m dressed in jeans and my best pair of running shoes. I pulled on a long-sleeved shirt over a T-shirt despite the warm weather in the monster realm because it felt like the right choice, and tied my blonde hair into a tight knot on top of my head.
As much as I’m hoping we won’t run into trouble once we step through the portal, I’m bracing myself for the possibility of a fight.
“We’ll teleport to the alley,” Ignatius says, pushing himself off the couch and joining me in the middle of the living room. “Then I’ll open a portal.”
He offers me his arm, and I hesitate before taking it. If there’s one thing I like as little as flying, it’s teleporting. The sickening rush, popping in and out of existence, having to regain my bearings afterward. It’s safe to say I’m not a fan.
“Why can’t you make the portal here?” I ask, still staring at his outstretched arm reluctantly.
“Do you want to risk monsters coming through into this apartment if they’re waiting on the other side?”
Fuck.I hadn’t thought about that. Elio and Azarius probably wouldn’t be too happy about that. “No.”
“We portal next toThe Ch?teaubecause it’s a hub for all kinds of monsters and paranormal creatures,” he explains. “Just in case anything comes through the portal that shouldn’t, or if there are any issues with it, there are plenty of us nearby to handle it.”
“That makes sense,” I say, shifting uncomfortably on the spot as I remember what happened the last time I was nearThe Ch?teau. “What if… what if someone recognizes me?”
Ignatius’ expression softens and he pats a comforting hand on my shoulder. “You’ll be safe with me, Devyn. Besides, you’d probably be fine in the daytime. The nasty monsters like to come out at night.”
I know his words should comfort me, but they don’t. Not enough anyway. The memory of me running away from the club, away from the shadow monster who’d been following me, sticks in my mind like glue and it’s hard to forget.
If it hadn’t been for Ignatius…
“Let’s get this over with then,” I say, eager to change the subject. I’m on a mission–I have to make sure my mates are alright–and nothing is going to stop me. Not even the fear crawling up my back.
