wrinkling in distaste. "Are you kidding me? Heaven was fucking boring and just awful."
Cole hid a smile at her potty mouth coming back in full force... courtesy of the tough-Jane mask she'd worn for so long. The truth was, she was tough. And she'd been tough before she'd been upgraded into a new, fully-loaded demon package. If she hadn't been, the pack never would have accepted her as a leader, mating mark or no mating mark. They would have deserted.
"What?" Jane said, her scowl deepening. "It was boring. It's like the cruel joke of the universe. It was so... plastic. I mean, there were lovely meadows and the sun never set and water so clear you can see miles down to the colorful plant life on the bottom and flowers of every variety you could imagine, but... do you know they have literal streets of gold? I couldn't believe it. Why would anybody care about gold in the afterlife? Who are they trying to impress? There was no challenge there, and it seemed like people were afraid of being thrown into hell. I like Cain's dimension much better. It's earthy and real. I guess heaven or hell is all a matter of perspective. It can't be one size fits all or it's not heaven."
"It sounds like a prison camp," Cole said sarcastically, amused by how adamant she was over what seemed like a world without worry. Wasn't a world without worry a good thing? Especially one so beautiful?
"You have no idea. Husbands and wives didn't have sex or any real physical or emotional intimacy. They lived in mansions next door to each other and waved like you'd wave to a neighbor as he got in his big SUV to go to work. I kept thinking about how sad I would be if you and I had been there together. We would have led lives of quiet desperation... except forever. There is something seriously wrong with the people up there, Cole. I'm not even sure it's the real heaven."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know. I guess I just thought 'is this all there is?' I know people think it'll be great, but you'd have to be a totally different type of being to think it's great. Nothing matters there. I'm just not sure it's all there is. And I get why people choose to come back. That's all I'm saying."
Cole shook his head, intrigued by the insight into the afterlife. It was yet another proof he'd had his head up his ass behaving like some animal since she'd returned. Otherwise wouldn't he have asked about her experience in heaven before now?
He brushed a stray bit of hair out of her face. "You don't have to worry about that place anymore. Does it bother you that you're trapped here and can't go back?"
"If I were powerless, yes. But I'm not powerless anymore."
"And I wouldn't want you to be." For the first time, he meant it.
They walked in a comfortable silence through the forest, their hands linked together, until they reached the portal point. Cole pulled out the talisman, and Jane put a hand on his arm to stop him.
"We don't need that if you're with me, remember?"
The shimmery film appeared when she stretched out her hand, and she pulled him through.
"Remember when I was trying to convince you this portal was safe? And now you don't even need a key."
"I am a key," she said.
"Just don't let it go to your head."
"Of course." She put on the diplomatic Jane face again, then broke into a laugh.
Now she was doing it on purpose. Cole stripped out of his clothes and tossed them at his mate.
She caught them, her brow raising in question. "I thought you said we were going to get the pup." She must have mistook the nudity for an overture.
"We are. I'll race you." He shifted and ran full speed through the cobblestone streets, past the colorful tents and torchlight to reach the portal for Golatha Falls. He couldn't have raced Jane full-out before. There would have been no challenge. No point. Now there was a good chance she could beat him. It was the next best thing to being able to run with her as wolves.
As he ran, Cole looked behind him, expecting to see Jane looking like Jane, or maybe in Demon form if she wanted to have a competitive edge. He was shocked to find a light brown wolf chasing him.
He put on another burst of speed, determined