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“Get over it,” Dee snapped at Uriel. “You’re not the biggest dog in the fight.”
Xerxes gave a doggy chuff and lolled his tongue out at Uriel.
Dee turned her attention back to Eddie. “Darling, I would never send you through that portal if I thought it wasn’t safe for you. Is there danger?” Dee nodded. “Absolutely. Do I think you’re strong enough to survive it?” Dee nodded again. “I would not even be thinking about sending you through there if I didn’t.”
“And take this.” Uriel handed her the crystal knife. “It will help even the odds if you need it.”
Eddie eyed the weapon with misgiving. The cuffs and collar had sent electric type shocks through her. “That’s made from the same stuff as the cuffs and collar, right?”
“Yes.” Uriel nodded. “But if you keep your grip on the handle, it’ll be fine. If you were a demon or hell prince, however…” She grimaced.
That handle didn’t seem thick enough to block the nasty tingles. “You sure about that?”
“Just keep the blade from contacting your skin directly.” Uriel tore a strip from Chris’s shirt and wrapped the blade. Then she tucked it into the waistband of Eddie’s leggings. “None of the nasties down there can touch it. It’ll scare the crap out of them.”
Eddie did not like the sound of nasties but she couldn’t feel anything from the dagger. “What—”
“She’ll be fine.” Yesterday dropped from the top of the propane tank and used Chris’s head as a steppingstone. “Because I will be her guide.”
Dee and Uriel stared at him.
Undeterred, Yesterday swaggered over to Eddie’s side. “Yes, I am an imp. Yes, I have been here all this time. And yes”—he jabbed a stubby thumb at his chest—“I know all Eddie needs to know to survive hell.” He took a deep breath and grabbed Eddie’s hand. “You’re going to want to take a deep breath. Now!”
Sooo…this was hell. Who knew?
Not a flaming lake or a fiery pit in sight. Just a lot of gray dusty emptiness. She’d been expecting…more. The ground was gray, the sky was gray, and the silence was absolute. She swore she could even hear the pounding of her heart. “So this is what hell looks like.”
“This is not hell.” Yesterday rolled his eyes. “This is the portal.”
“I thought the hell gate—never mind.” She should quit asking questions. Shit didn’t get any clearer even when she got answers.
Xerxes and Cronus shook themselves and pricked their ears.
“Eddie.” Yesterday dragged out the syllables of her name. “The hell gate is the door, as it were. This,” he motioned the barren landscape, “is the passageway.”
“Oh-kay.” Then there was a doorway around here somewhere. She turned in a circle and took the nothing in. “So where’s the door out of the passageway?”
Cronus took off at a slow lope.
Xerxes nudged her thigh, and Eddie followed Cronus. At least somebody knew where to go. She hoped.
Up ahead, Cronus stopped and turned and looked at her.
And then Eddie saw it, a swirling gray vortex that blended with the landscape.
“That’s the door?” she asked Yesterday.
Yesterday stared at her askance. “Do you see another doorway anywhere?”
Nope. She saw sweet fuck all, but a mouthy imp giving her ’tude.
Before she could think about it, Yesterday grabbed her hand and stepped into the swirling mist.
Sooo…this was hell. Just to confirm, she turned to Yesterday. “Is this hell?”
“This is hell.” Yesterday spread his arms like he was selling real estate.
“It’s…hot.” Humidity clung to her skin. Lush, verdant growth surrounded them. From the dense foliage, creatures buzzed and chittered. The air smelled fragrant of blossoms and spice. A thousand shades of glossy green, blue, and purple rioted through the jungle around them. Eddie had never been to the amazon, but she had a feeling it might look something like this. “And so jungly.”
