Chapter Thirty-Two Sunny
Chapter Thirty-Two
Sunny
I silently inch closer to Keeper Bae and press into his side. He leans on me without acknowledgment, other than to grunt in relief. He looks ready to keel over as he shouts instructions to Haesan and Keeper Choe as they carry the enchanted tree toward the portal opening.
“No, not there.” He leaves the you idiots unsaid, but it’s heard as clear as a bell. “Position the token vertically at the left corner. The portal will be more stable that way. You should know this, Choe.”
“I do know,” the younger keeper wheezes, readjusting his grip on his end of the token. “Why don’t I stand over there and scream at you on how to properly maneuver a giant tree?”
Keeper Choe proved himself useful when he took over enchanting the tree from an exhausted Keeper Bae. Even so, he is in no position to mouth off at anyone.
“Shut up and work, Inmate Choe,” I warn. “The moment you step out of line, Captain Seo will throw your ass back in prison so fast you won’t even get a chance to pout before the door slams on your face.”
“You mean in my face,” he grumbles, shuffling to the left as instructed.
“Nope.” I shake my head. “I meant on your face.”
Morning has dawned without my permission, and I’m this close to crawling out of my skin. Jihun left hours ago. If I have to wait another minute for the portal to be opened, I might lose my mind.
“Keep an eye on that one, Haesan.” I push away from the pagoda railing, too restless to stand still. “If he so much as sneezes funny, knock him out. I’m not saying you should break his nose.” I narrow my eyes at Keeper Choe. “But I’m not saying you shouldn’t.”
“Break his nose if he sneezes.” The in’eo nods earnestly, adjusting his hold on his end of the tree. “Got it.”
“I . . . You . . .” The keeper sputters, his legs shaking under the weight of the gigantic token.
Haesan speaks over the whiny male. “Right here, Keeper Bae?”
“Yes.” The older keeper gestures with his hands. “Vertically.”
Haesan picks up the giant tree and shakes off Keeper Choe from the other end. Then, with a strained grunt, he heaves and props the token up at the left corner of the opening.
I stop breathing, and Keeper Bae tenses at my side. As we watch, the small green light expands, encompassing the giant tree, then the portal . . . flares wide open. I shield my eyes with my hand.
After a few seconds, suhoshins and seraphim fly through the portal, carrying shinbiins in their arms. One by one, they drop off their passengers and jump back through the portal.
Finally.
“Everyone coming into the Kingdom of Sky,” Keeper Bae booms, “proceed through the left side. Everyone leaving, proceed through the right side. Tell those at the other end. We need order for this to work.”
I break free from my paralysis and run to the portal. I help the people coming through—even though they aren’t the ones I’m waiting for—because every life is precious. And to somebody, these people are the ones they are waiting for.
I wipe my damp forehead on my shoulder and glance at the sky. The sunlight fades into a burnt orange as the moon makes its slow ascent. I continue passing out water to the exhausted shinbiins and seraphim evacuating the Kingdom of Mountains.
“Thank you.” A seraph soldier accepts a cup of water from me and throws it back in one gulp. The teacup immediately refills with water, and she drinks all of that too.
When she turns back toward the portal, I stop her with a hesitant hand on her arm. “H-have you seen the King of Mountains?”
“His Majesty is hard to miss since he seems to be everywhere, all at once.” A tired smile tugs at her lips. “The Kingdom of Mountains is fortunate to have such a dedicated king.”
“So he . . . he’s okay?” I clutch a fistful of her sleeve. Catching myself, I relax my grip and drop my arm to my side. “He isn’t hurt?”
“He seems exhausted but otherwise unharmed,” the seonnyeo says kindly. “I must return.”
“Of course. Sorry for delaying you. Th-thank you,” I stutter, my knees weak with relief.
I keep my head down and provide much needed water to the people coming through. I am grateful for something to do. And soon, the seraphim and suhoshins collapse onto the ground instead of leaping back through the portal.
It’s almost done. Ethan is coming.
When Jaeseok comes through the portal, I run up the pagoda steps with an undignified squeak.
“There’s my favorite gumiho.” He pulls me into his arms, laughing and ruffling my hair.
“I’m the only gumiho you know,” I mumble, too happy to slap his hand away.
“Like I said, my favorite.” The dokkaebi sets me away from him and flashes a grin I can’t help returning.
“Sunny!” Hailey literally flies into my arms, straight out of the portal.
“Whoa.” I stumble back a step before I regain my balance. Then I hug her so tight that she might not be able to breathe.
She doesn’t seem to mind and squeezes me equally hard. “You’re here, Sunny.”
“I am.” I laugh. “I guess that means you missed me.”
“Like crazy.” And the smile she offers me is indeed a bit off kilter. “It’s been a long week.”
“I know.” I drop my arms from around her. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. For everyone.”
“Uh, you were kind of busy, destroying the dark mudang and all.” Then her beautiful face crumples. “I heard about Draco. I can’t believe they’re gone.”
“They were good and brave till the very end.” I offer her a tight smile, because if I let a single tear fall, I might never stop crying. “You would’ve been so proud of them.”
“Damn it all to hell,” Jihun shouts, flying through the portal. “That male is too proud for his own good, not to mention my sanity.”
My heart drops to my toes then bounces straight into my throat, choking off my breath.
“I’m guessing he forced you to go ahead of him?” I drawl to hide my dread. “Because, of course he—Watch out!”
I tackle Jihun away from the portal as a black tentacle snaps toward him. The Shin’gwangdo is in my hand before I even realize I summoned it, and I slash clean through the swinging arm of darkness.
“Oh gods,” Hailey breathes. “The Amheuk reached the Kingdom of Mountains.”
I stumble back from the portal with a hand to my forehead, my sword arm hanging limply at my side. “E-Ethan.”
“Get everyone off this pagoda,” Jihun barks.
“We have to close the portal.” Keeper Bae rushes toward it. “Haesan, help me remove the tree.”
“No!” I step in front of the glowing green portal and spread out my arms. “Not yet. Ethan hasn’t come through.”
“We are all dead if the Amheuk reaches the Kingdom of Sky,” the keeper says, regret in the lines of his grumpy face.
My fist tightens around the hilt of my sword. I’ll take down anyone who tries to—I blink in shock. Keeper Bae is not the enemy. I deliberately sheathe the Shin’gwangdo.
“You’re right. You have to close the portal,” I say as a calm settles over me. “I’ll go to the Kingdom of Mountains and bring him back.”
“You will need a token.” Keeper Bae breaks off a small branch from the giant tree and hands it to me.
Jihun looms in front of me. “You are not going anywhere.”
“I’ll stave off the Amheuk and bring Ethan back before you can say, Damn it, Sunny.”
“Damn it—” Jihun doesn’t get a chance to finish yelling.
“Close the portal, Keeper Bae,” I shout and leap for the green light.
I fall through the portal and keep falling. I swallow the scream building in my chest. Too late, I remember this particular portal opens up to the middle of the sky, and . . . I can’t fly. My body hurtles through the sky, tumbling out of control.
I have to slow my descent.
Focusing on the pull of gravity and the rush of air against me, I figure out which way is up and which way is down.
I press my flailing arms against my sides and press my legs together.
Then I reposition my body so my stomach faces the ground, goal posting my arms above my head and bending my legs toward the sky.
Now what?
I’m still falling. Not at the same dizzying speed, but the end result will remain in the splat category.
“Cocksucker,” I seethe through clenched teeth.
“I love that foul mouth of yours.” Ethan’s warm breath brushes my ear as he scoops me out of the air. “I love everything about you.”
Ethan.
There are no words to describe how I feel, seeing him at last. At. Fucking. Last. With a heartfelt moan, I crush my mouth against his.
He holds me in his arms, hovering in the sky, and returns my bruising kiss, groaning deep in his throat. He dips his tongue into my mouth in a rough sweep and claims me. I claim him right back, licking, biting, and suckling.
I can’t get enough. The taste of him . . . the smell of him . . . the feel of him.
Home. I’m home.
“Sunny,” he whispers before pressing another kiss to my lips, nibbling my bottom lip, then sucking it into his mouth. “Don’t ever leave me again.” He punctuates his plea with more kisses. “It nearly destroyed me. I don’t want to exist another second without you by my side.”
“You won’t have to, Ethan. I lov—” My backs arches as pain lances through every cell in my body, and a tortured scream erupts from my mouth.
“What’s happening?” Ethan cups my face and scans every inch of my body with frantic eyes. “Tell me, baby. What can I do?”
“Blood . . . oath . . .” I hold out my left palm, blood gushing from the mark of the oath, then cry out as agony slashes through me, my body jerking in his arms.
“That motherfucker,” he hisses through gritted teeth, understanding immediately. “My father made you vow never to return to me?”
“K-Kingdom of Mountains. Never r-return.” I writhe as pain threatens to shatter my mind.
“I’m getting you out of here.” He streaks through the sky toward the portal. “I have a token. You go back first.”
Miraculously, I haven’t dropped the tree branch that Keeper Bae handed me. I wave it in front of Ethan’s nose. “Me too. T-together.”
“Thank gods,” he breathes.
Unfortunately, his relief was premature. A black tentacle shoots up from the ground like a giant beanstalk with deadly intent.
“Look out!” I shout.