Darkblood Prison - G.K. DeRosa Page 0,74

“Azara’s mixture of demon along with her inherited magical powers seemed to have heightened some of her abilities.”

“Okay…” Vander’s brows knitted together.

“So, I’ll be providing our portal ride to the human realm.”

Vander’s gentle eyes doubled in size. “You can open portals?”

“She’s damned good at it,” Talon interjected, and I couldn’t help the ridiculous swirl of giddiness his words provoked.

“All right, let’s get going then. To the tunnels?”

I turned to Logan and gave him a mischievous smile. “Actually, I was thinking I could try from in here.”

The warden’s light eyebrows drew together. “Seriously? You think you can circumvent the prison’s wards?”

Magic danced along my skin, eager to break free. I was pretty certain I could do it, but I shrugged anyway. “I’d like to give it a try.”

Talon smirked and lowered himself onto the leather arm of the couch. “Now this I’d love to see.”

The words of the portal opening spell whirled across my mind. I repeated them as swirls of magic expanded in my core. I could feel the darkness of my demon powers twirling together with my mystical abilities. Together, they fueled the storm brewing inside. It churned like a tornado, whipping and whirling until it filled every inch of me.

I threw my hands out and muttered the words of the spell as the power tore my insides apart, my voice barely recognizable as my own. I must have closed my eyes at some point because my long hair lashing across my face finally pried them open.

The brilliant azure lights of the portal lit up the warden’s office, their shimmering glow mirrored off the three males’ shocked faces.

“Shit, Azara.” Talon scrubbed his hand over his gaping jaw.

“I need to strengthen these damned wards,” Logan hissed.

Vander just stared at me, his lips forming a capital O.

The heady powers surged through me, swelling my insides with raw power. I wish GG could see me now. “Let’s go, boys.” I strutted toward the spiraling winds and dove in headfirst.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Maybe I’d been a little overconfident.

The crack of my chin against concrete smacked the arrogance right out of me. Lifting my head up, I pushed myself off the asphalt, grumbling with each move. Of course, Talon and Vander landed in perfect crouches on either side of me. Stupid agile shifters.

The narrow alleyway was dark with only one working streetlamp at the opposite corner. Welcome to New York City. It had been years since I’d been. Mom and Dad had taken me to see Wicked on Broadway for my thirteenth birthday. It had been the best day ever.

Today, we were nowhere near the shimmering lights of Broadway. I glanced up at the tilted street sign and cursed under my breath. We were thirty blocks north of where we were supposed to be on the Upper West Side.

“I guess her portalling powers aren’t that damned good, huh?” Vander shot me a teasing wink, and I returned it with the middle finger salute.

Talon rolled his eyes at his brother and ticked his head toward Amsterdam Avenue. “Come on, let’s get a move on.”

“Can’t you dragon-out and give us a ride?” I asked.

“Right, because a thirty-ton dragon wouldn’t be conspicuous in the middle of Manhattan…”

“But it’s dark out. Couldn’t you fly over the clouds or something?”

“No, Azara, I can’t. Now come on.” His hand wrapped around mine, and he dragged me down the street. “The nearest subway is two blocks away.”

“The subway?” I screeched.

“What’s the matter? Too human for you?” Talon groused.

It simply lacked the magical flare I’d been going for. This was my first real mission. We were supposed to be making a grand entrance to save the guys and now my Fae cousin, Ella, would probably beat us to the punch.

“Can’t I try to portal us there again?”

“We can’t risk your portal appearing in the middle of a public area and outing us to the humans. You know inter-realm travel requires approval. And we don’t have that.”

“Ugh,” I muttered.

“I can shift and keep to Central Park without getting too much attention.” That ring of bright citrine illuminated Vander’s eyes.

Talon shook his head. “Seems a little chancy. It’s not like your wolf can pass for some stray husky.”

“Up to you, boss. It’ll definitely be quicker than the subway, especially at this time of night.”

He was right. The subway ran on a reduced schedule overnight, and at this rate we’d never make it. “Just let him go, Talon. At least he can help the guys.”

“Fine,” he growled. “But be careful.”

“Will do.” Vander bent down and skimmed his