enough to ask. When she’d first joined them, Yasmine had expressed interest in him—only he’d already started to fall for Charity. Now that he and Charity were openly together, Yasmine seemed to have withdrawn from the pack somewhat, but Devon was confident she’d find her new normal in time. Now was clearly not that time.
“There are levels within the levels, but the overall power scale goes to six,” Barbara replied. “Six being Lucifer himself, the most powerful demon in the worlds. He stands alone on his pedestal. So you can see that even a lower level four is reason to bring extra underwear.”
Yasmine crinkled her nose.
“And…how do you know this?” Macy asked, not doing a great job of hiding her suspicion.
If Barbara noticed, she made no sign. “I have regularly lent aid to packs combating demons. An experienced pack of our size would be facing a tough fight. Healing time would be plentiful. This pack, however, protecting someone unconscious…” She met Devon’s eyes. “We’d take losses. Healing time would be extensive.”
“Healing time we don’t have.” Frustration burned through Devon, and he couldn’t help flicking his eyes to the van, where Charity lay sprawled out on the seat, her breathing shallow and forehead probably still burning up. “Fine. Dillon, call around and get us rooms. We need to get in contact with Roger and figure out what happens next. We’ll probably need to move portals, and to do that, someone needs to alert Emery.”
“Shouldn’t we—”
Devon took three fast steps and grabbed Dale by the throat. He no longer worried that he didn’t have what it took to take the new pack member down. He didn’t worry about taking damage, either. For Charity’s sake, he needed this troublemaker subdued, and he wouldn’t back down until that happened.
Dale’s eyes widened as his back hit the van. Devon’s power pumped out around them as he leaned into Dale hard, staring into the other shifter’s muddy-brown eyes with an intent born of power and authority. An intent demanding submission.
He didn’t say a word. He didn’t explain his position. He didn’t need to.
The silence stretched. A tense moment ticked by. Devon’s power beat onto Dale, daring him to turn. Promising him he’d pay if he continued to challenge Devon’s authority.
Finally, with a release of breath, Dale dropped his gaze. He bowed submissively.
Devon didn’t dwell on it. He didn’t have time.
Macy and Rod were already bent over their phones, looking up hotels online.
“Load up,” Devon barked, not worried about volume. They’d be gone before the demons ran over to scout them out. “I’ll contact Roger on the way downtown. Let’s try to get rooms in a populated area. There’s less chance of this host, or another, combating us there. I realize the demon earlier walked down the middle of the street, but it was a very bad part of town where I doubt people rushed to call the police. A smaller town in a nice area is a different ballgame.”
“We hope,” Andy said, now on his phone too.
“We hope,” Devon agreed, swinging into the back seat before greatly slowing down, not wanting to disturb Charity’s slumber. Hopefully, she was just healing, like shifters did. Hopefully, her body was using this downtime to rejuvenate. Because at this rate, he wouldn’t even be able to turn her over to the elves to save her life.
Emery crouched within the magical flowers, looking down the cobblestone lane at the Realm side of the portal he’d chosen. More flowers bloomed along the way, a spray of cheerful colors and complementary fragrances. Gold filaments softly tumbled through the air, the perfect temperature for his light green jacket and matching pants. Then again, magic ensured the Realm was the perfect temperature for any attire. Lollipop trees, like a kid might draw in a picture, stood behind three benches off to the side of the portal, along with a magically tended hedge.
It was a lovely, picturesque scene that did not belong in this area of the wilds, with its naturally scraggly bushes, trees with gnarled and reaching branches, and plentiful gray rocks. Not even his dual-mage partner, Penny, could find merit in such stones.
Two months ago, when Emery had scouted this location as a possible entrance point for Charity, before Roger had even approached him to serve as her guide, the portal entrance had been as run-down and decrepit as the rest of the surrounding area. Thieves used this portal. Traffickers selling magic into the Brink. Goblins and other unsavory characters rolled through here, knowing