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“Take us to the labyrinth,” I tell him.
He glances at his watch, a gesture that infuriates me. “Your matching contract ended moments ago.”
Chills claw down my spine on poison-tipped talons. What does that mean? That I waited a few seconds too late?
“Stop stalling,” Mom tells him. “You owe us a ride for the way you conned my daughter, and if the contract has ended, you’ll have no liability or business consequences if something happens to us. Your precious reputation remains intact.”
“Such a smart sorceress.” He smiles, and the curve of his lips transforms his face from pretty to devastating, but handsome doesn’t mean much when he slips on this glamour as easily as I change clothes. “Grab your gear and let’s go. I can’t stand another minute with someone’s guardian demon.” He stares at me.
“Is Oggie okay?” I can’t bring myself to ask if he knows about Leander. Not yet.
“Popping out of corners to cat scream at me has become his latest terrorism tactic. If you hadn’t summoned me soon, I would’ve come anyway to beg you to make him stop. I’ve never seen Oggdalon so attached to anyone.”
Mom puts her hand on my arm. “You didn’t mention your kitten was Oggdalon. Even the most terrible monsters fear that little beast.”
“He’s sweet to me, and he saved me when I needed him.” My eyes go hot. I will not cry again. “I have to get back to Leander, Oggie, and everyone else. Even if it means not seeing my friends again.”
Theo shakes his head. “Val would make me regret my existence if I kept her and her friends apart. You’ll see them again.”
Mom chuckles. “Val is your mate. Oh, you poor cursed demon. Her mother will end you.”
Realization hits me. “You matched yourself to Val? Can you even—”
“Stop talking or I’ll leave you here,” Theo says.
I pinch my fingers over my lips and draw an imaginary zipper, shouldering Mom’s bag. This time, when we teleport, I manage to keep my stomach where it belongs instead of hurtling toward my throat. We land in the library, and I bite back the disappointment. Here, I’d gotten myself ready for magical war, and instead I got books and stuffy furniture.
“Why did we come here?” I ask Theo. Not that I’m ungrateful for the lift, but I need to see Leander now.
“Call your cat demon,” he says.
I don’t have to. Oggie blinks through the double doors as if he’s zipping through air, his black wings fluttering when he dives into my arms. “You were never in any danger at all with that fire, were you?”
Theo scoffs. “Not much can kill a sentinel demon, and he seems to have appointed himself your guardian.”
“No,” Mom argues. “Oggdalon doesn’t simply serve as a sentinel to portals. He guards divine treasures.” She smiles at me. “That includes you.”
“So he stays with me?” I hug Oggie closer.
“As long as you’re in a magical place like this or your labyrinth, he can choose to remain with you forever. He might even be able to travel in kitten form with you through the human world, now that you’re mated.”
Mated. Unless my mate has suffered some awful destruction in the few hours I’ve been gone. Time moves differently in the labyrinth. Faster. What if—? No, I can’t think of Leander’s realm dying. Of him dying. “I’m ready.” At last, I think I might actually be.
“I’m glad,” Theo says. “If I had friends, Leander would be one. He’s the most honorable of us, the poor bastard.”
What an asshole. “You’re too kind.” I hike the bag higher on my shoulder and tighten my hold on Oggie.
Theo takes off his jacket and unbuttons his shirt, slipping it off his shoulders.
“Whoa.” I hold up a hand. “Is there a reason you’re getting naked?” In front of my mother, no less.
“Demon form,” she explains. “With an unknown enemy siphoning powers, we anticipate a fight. So should you. They’ll likely come after you the second we cross over, seeing as how you survived two attacks in the maze.”
“What?” Theo asks. Without his shirt, he’s all muscles and abs and annoying perfection.
“Still alive,” I point out. “We can argue the rest after we save Leander.”
“Fine.” He shifts into a crimson-skinned monster out of nightmares, with massive horns that rival my minotaur’s. “The portal should be open, but we’ll teleport to the other side to avoid those unfortunate side effects that you humans can get from dimensional doors.” He reaches clawed hands for us, and reality shifts again in a blur.
