the future if he manages to get us again. But if we see this through, maybe we can beat him and end this once and for all.”
My sisters and I pause for a breath, but I feel the answer in our connection before any of us says a word. And really, there was only ever one answer, because running isn’t a part of who any of us are anymore. This is where we’re meant to be. Hell is partly ours, and it’s damn time we claim our place in it.
We all nod and speak at the same time with resolute tones. “We stay and fight.”
27
“Shit.”
I look behind me at Toreon, startled by his curse, only to see him jerkily moving away.
“Toreon?”
He shakes his head as if he’s trying to clear it of something and holds up his hands as I step closer to him.
“It’s Morax’s compulsion,” he grits out as he takes another step away from me. “I think it’s kicking back in now that I’m no longer on the verge of dying.”
“Oh, fuck,” Delta says.
Toreon tries to grab onto one of the shelves, his fingers curling to grip the sides, but his body is at war with himself. “I have to go. I can’t stop it,” he growls, furious.
Vudu grips his arm, holding him in place, but Toreon’s body thrashes against the hold, even as his expression shows how hard he’s trying to fight it.
“We need a plan,” Delta says. “Quick. We need to go make an appearance now, before any more time passes and Morax grows suspicious.”
She’s right. Even though a lot happened, it’s been in a very short amount of time. Hopefully, we can still pull this off. But like she said, we have to hurry and get to the party.
I nod and look over at Vudu. “Can you take care of Shateel? We can’t kill her. We need to keep our disguises.”
Vudu can’t do more than nod, because Toreon starts really fighting against him, the compulsion riding him hard. Vudu uses his massive size and muscles to his advantage, but even he’s straining to hold Toreon back.
“I think Vudu should stay behind too,” Medley declares. At my frown, she rushes on. “We need someone to watch Shateel, make sure she doesn’t wake up and do something to sabotage us, but he can also watch the tunnel for us—closed or open.”
“You’re right,” I agree before looking at Vudu. It will be a good idea to have an escape route. “You okay with that?”
“Yes,” he grunts, just as he takes an elbow to the gut from Toreon.
“Toreon, is the compulsion pushing you to make a portal anywhere in particular? Can you stay down here and get to work slowly on what he’s ordered you to do?” I ask, hoping there’s a way we can all stay together or near each other, somehow, and stall Toreon’s portal making so that he doesn’t drain himself.
“No, I have to go to the Origin Stone in Nihil. That’s where I’m supposed to build my portal,” he informs me, and worry creases Vudu’s brow.
I curse and try to figure out if there’s some way other than just letting Toreon go to execute what he’s being forced to. Maybe I can see if my darkness can shield him too? I dismiss that thought right away, because unfortunately, there’s no time to experiment.
“Let me go. You all know where I’ll be. The quickest way to end the compulsion is to kill Morax,” Toreon states, and the rest of us share a look, time breathing down our backs.
“Let him go,” I agree hesitantly, not seeing any other way around the compulsion until Morax is dealt with.
He immediately releases Toreon’s arms, and then Vudu leans down and places a searing kiss on my lips, surprising me. It doesn’t even last a second, but it brands me. “Be careful, little mate.”
“You too,” I offer, my tone slightly stunned and my hormones begging me to reach up on my tiptoes and get a little more.
Vudu runs his fingers down the sleeve of my dress before he steps back, moving to where Shateel is still unconscious on the floor. He hauls her up and then throws her unceremoniously back into the tunnel where she lands with a satisfying thump. Vudu closes the tunnel off with bars made of the earth itself.
I take a fortifying breath and turn to my sisters. “Let’s go.”
Toreon is already at the door and throwing it open, so we jog to catch up to him. I