Chapter 18
Idon’t know where to look. I didn’t mean to reveal all that to him.
He’s too observant, too easy to talk to, too personable.
He’s the type to get others to open up without even trying, and I fucking hate it.
Or at least, I hate feeling exposed. I refuse to meet his gaze, though it’s burning a hole in me.
I’ve gotten enough pitying looks over the years. I don’t need another one.
Walking through worlds. He walks through worlds probably as easily as I walk to the mailbox.
He possesses magic I could never dream of.
Hell, most witches have stronger powers than I do.
I can feel it, the magic, sluggishly moving through my veins.
Accessing it is another challenge I don’t have time for.
Envy bubbles within me at his abilities, and I shove it deep.
It’s not his fault he can do a bazillion things I can’t.
Doesn’t stop me from wondering all he’s seen—of wanting him to take me with him.
“Any particular worlds you want to visit?” Dimitri finally asks, breaking the silence.
It’s as if he’s plucked the very thoughts from my brain and handed me the opportunity I’ve craved all my life.
To visit other dimensions? To experience all the places a witch has never been?
To live out a dream I’ve fantasized about since I was a child?
“I wouldn’t know anything about other dimensions. I barely know anything about demons, clearly.”
“No shame in that,” he says lightly as he gathers the dragon egg in his large grey hands.
“Sure. Um, don’t you have to take that back now? It’s getting cold.”
He nods as he gazes at it, pressing his lips together. “Want to go with me?”
My head snaps up and my chest tightens. It takes everything in me not to tackle him. Or scream. Or demand we leave right now. I try to keep my face passive and my voice nonchalant.
“If you need me to.”
He leans closer, forcing my eyes to his. “Oh, I definitely need you.”
He grabs my hand, and we’re plunged into darkness.
A scream sticks in my throat, then dissolves as his arm loops around my waist. I press my face into his chest, focusing on his scent rather than the void of nothingness we’re hurtling through.
Wind whips my hair around us, catching on something before whipping away again.
It’s going to be a bitch to get the tangles out.
“You can open your eyes, spitfire,” he murmurs in my ear.
I lift my head hesitantly, blinking at the strange landscape he’s brought us to.
Glittering specks interrupt the dark night sky overhead along with a small purple moon.
Dimitri tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, and I realize I match the moon.
Or sun. Whatever it is. Black, craggy mountains rise, blocking the horizon.
The breadth of the place is incomprehensible to my witchy mind.
“Is this…”
“The dragon realm. They used to be more spread out. Then—”
“Let me guess, humans tried to hunt them all, and they retreated for their safety?”
He chuckles, and I swear he drops a kiss to the top of my head. When I glance up, though, he’s gazing out at the landscape.
“Actually, they’re in their nesting period. Lasts a couple hundred human years. They’ll go out more again once the hatchlings are born and able to fly.”
He drops his hold on me and grabs my hand. He tugs me toward a large obsidian wall, and I dig my heels in.
“Problem, spitfire? Thought you wanted to meet the dragons?”
“I said no such thing. In fact, this is kidnapping, sir.”
He grins back at me. “If you’d like me to fake kidnap you to get your feet moving, I can certainly do that.”
I narrow my gaze. “I’d like to see you try.”
In a blink, he tips me over his shoulder and takes off for the wall.
I shriek and he shushes me. That more than anything pisses me off.
I hate being shushed. I dig my knuckle into his back, then wince.
I always thought love handles were supposed to be soft and squishy.
Like a little gift to hang on to. His are pure muscle along with his back.
I swear they’re all rippling in front of my face.
“Keep it up, spitfire. I like your sass. Gets me—”
“Do not finish that sentence,” I growl, wiggling. The last thing I need is to be in a foreign land while horny. He chuckles softly, and I crane my neck to take in the area once more.
“Where are we going?” I whisper. I’d rather not attract the dragons’ attention. I wonder if they barbeque their meals before they eat them. Do they just go whole hog? One bite and they’re done?
“Into the horde. Careful or I might feed you to one of them.”
I huff, though I’m not entirely sure he’s joking. I prop my elbow onto his shoulder blade and rest my chin in my hand. It’s not the most comfortable, but at least the blood isn’t rushing to my head. My gut begins to hurt long before we’re close to the wall.
“Don’t freak out,” he mumbles.
I shriek again as wings sprout from his back and batter me in the face.
They dissolve, then reappear, somehow accommodating my body over his shoulder.
My arms end up around his waist, and I scream into his lower back as we lift into the air.
Time warps and my mind shuts off, though my voice doesn’t.
I kick my legs and he grunts, the noise disappearing into the wind.
His feet slam into the rocky terrain, sending shards scattering across the ground like ice skittering across a frozen pond.
He flips me over his shoulder, making my stomach roll.
I won’t feel even a little bit sorry if I puke on him now.
He drops me to my feet, and my body sways.
I swear I feel drunk. It reminds me of last night and the horrid hangover I had this morning.
“Well, at least you didn’t freak out,” he says with a grin.
“A little warning would have helped,” I rasp, planting my hands on my knees. I concentrate on breathing deeply. In through the nose, out through the mouth. I can’t remember what it’s supposed to help with, but I do it anyway.
He rubs my back, still chuckling lightly. “Look at all these firsts for you.”
“If you say ‘I’m proud of you’ or ‘good job’ or any other platitude, I’ll aim toward you when I throw up.”
His fingers slide against my cheeks, forcing me to meet his gaze.
He’s warm. Warmer than he should be after flying through the cold bite of wind.
I wonder if that’s the electricity in him.
Or the heat radiating from the wall. Down here, I can’t tell if it’s too hot or too cold.
It’s like the perfect day. All I’d need is a light jacket to keep me comfortable. Up there, though, is another story.
Yet I’m not really thinking about flying.
Or the weather. Or anything other than his skin against mine and the way he’s looking at me.
Like I’m something special. Something to be cherished.
I wrap the feeling around my heart, letting it heat me from the inside out.
For just a moment, I allow myself to imagine what it’d be like to be loved by someone. Loved by him.
It’s glorious. Oh, it’s glorious. To be seen as my true self? To be seen completely? It’s a gift few in the world experience. And here he is, handing me this present as if it’s nothing. As if he doesn’t even realize how monumental it is.
“You look deliciously ruffled,” he says with a smile.
“I look like I’m about to puke.” Because of course I say the most unhinged thing to push him away.
“You’ll do better next time. Ready?” He strides off toward the wall.
It takes a moment for his words to filter through my muddled brain. “Next time? Dimitri!”
I scramble after him, my toe catching on a particularly large black rock. I’m able to right myself before I faceplant, then freeze, staring at my feet.
“Dimitri,” I call, and he turns. “Where the hell did these boots come from?”
“You realize I’ve got magic, right? Come on, spitfire. They get antsy when you hang around outside.”
My mouth drops open when I spot the opening he’s headed for.
Shimmering silver strands cover a large section of the wall.
They dance along the nonexistent wind, and I swear I hear bells.
Tiny tinkling bells ringing softly through the air.
I tip my head back, trying to spot the top.
It’s lost in a dense fog filled with lightning flashing silently within the clouds.
When I glance down again, my clothes have changed. At least, I think they have.
“Leather? Really?” I snort. I don’t even know the names for half the things encasing my body. The pants are tight, molding to my legs yet still giving me room to move. “A corset? Seriously?”
Dimitri appears in front of me, a grin plastered on his face.
He’s more energetic—healthy—than I’ve ever seen him before.
Maybe staying in Hell, or a dimension close to it, helps.
Maybe he’s not even cursed. Could he just be allergic to Earth?
Is it technically Earth if my world is just another dimension?
I crinkle my nose. Thinking about this stuff always gives me a headache.
I like what I can feel, what I can see. Which is especially hard when one is a witch.
So much of my magic doesn’t have a rhyme or reason to it.
We do things that don’t make sense to create something that does.
It’s probably the reason I’ve shied away from my roots for so long.
Plus, growing up with an aunt who thought the entire universe and every creature within every dimension was after her didn’t help.
“Would this make you feel better?” He snaps his fingers, and he’s dressed in a masculine version of my own clothes—complete with corset.
“I—yeah. Sure.” My mouth waters, and a wave of heat washes over me. A man in a corset never crossed my radar. A demon in a corset even less so. Dimitri in a corset? Yeah, I could definitely get used to this.
I ogle him until my eyes alight on something hanging from his belt. “Is that a dagger? Why do you get a dagger and I don’t?”
He winces, then gives me a sheepish grin. “I wasn’t sure if you’d hurt yourself. Or accidentally stab someone, thinking they were a threat.”
I open my mouth, then snap it shut. He’s right, as much as it pains me to admit.
I’m in a foreign place about to see things I’ve only dreamt about witnessing, with a demon who thinks it’s cute to not communicate fully, probably to catch my reaction.
Normally, I’d be pissed. Right now, I’m too enamored with the demon standing in front of me to care.
“Fine, but if one of them eats me and I don’t have a weapon to defend myself, it’ll be on your head, mister.
” I march past him as if I know where I’m going.
Most of the time, if I act like I know what I’m doing, shit works out.
I tip my chin up, bury my fear under a blanket of false confidence, and keep going.
“Hey spitfire? I admire your gall, but you can’t just walk through. There’s a process.”
I wave my hand over my shoulder. I’m sure I’ll be fine. With confidence and a side of audacity, I’m sure I’ll get through. I’ll show him what happens when you bring a witch along. For good measure, I wrap a shield around myself. It’s easier now that I’ve used the spell recently.
When I reach the barrier, I force my steps to be even.
Energy radiates off the strands, and I have a strong urge to turn around.
Just when I’m about to touch the thick threads, my feet leave the ground and I’m thrown backward.
Time slows and my throat closes as I fly through the air.
With my luck, a sharp rock will impale the back of my head and I’ll die instantly.
In a dragon realm. Accompanied by a demon.
Silently, I apologize to my sister for failing her.
Strong arms fold around me, tucking me against a hard chest. Dimitri’s shuddering as if my life flashed before his eyes, too. I suppose bringing a witch to a hellish dimension and then inadvertently killing them wouldn’t look good. And there’d be a shit ton of paperwork.
It’s not until my feet are planted firmly on the ground again that I realize he’s not shaking from fear or worry. Nope, the bastard is laughing. At me. I scowl up at him. His arms tighten around me, though I’m pretty sure he’s using me to hold himself up. If he says one word…
“So, you need to go through the other door,” he wheezes.
“You could have warned me,” I grumble.
“Told you there was a process. Not my fault you didn’t listen. If you wanna blame me, though, go right ahead.”
“Oh, how kind of you.”
He drops a kiss to my temple, then lets me go.
It’s so quick I barely have time to savor it.
Obviously, he’s made comments—flirted, even.
Now I’m wondering if he meant them. Maybe he’s this familiar with everyone.
The only other being I’ve seen him interact with is Providence, and he was pissy.
Percy doesn’t count since they didn’t say two words to each other.
I’ve almost convinced myself he’s just a playful demon when he grabs my hand and pulls me forward into the unknown.