firepit facing a lake surrounded by mountains. Adare stepped away and shook his head. His mouth moved as if he was talking. He bent over at the waist and sucked in air, letting his mate easily slide off his back.
Then sound roared in. Heavy boots running, a couple of shouts, Ivar’s breathing above her.
She blinked. Soldiers dressed in full combat gear, armed with sleek rifles, ran in directed chaos along the lake, obviously securing the perimeter.
Ivar hugged her close and turned her toward the building, which was a rustic example of a beautiful Frank Lloyd Wright–style lodge. “Welcome to demon headquarters,” he said.
The doors opened, and a large male dressed in all black stalked out with a gun strapped to one thigh and a knife to the other. He tossed guns toward Adare and Ivar, and they caught them easily. His black hair was tied at the nape, and his green eyes sizzled. The jaw was familiar—he looked a lot like Logan. He reached her. “Hi. Zane Kyllwood. I need your help.”
Pain lashed into her temples.
Ivar pulled her back into his body. “Shield, Professor. You can do it. Grab my hands and draw strength.”
She did so, mentally imagining those shields slamming into place.
Zane frowned. “I didn’t attack her mind.”
She blinked, her heart rate slowing back to normal. Well, slightly above normal. “You can teleport.”
He nodded.
Garrett and Logan popped up on their right, and a second later, Mercy and Faith appeared on their left.
Promise barely jumped.
Mercy grinned. “You okay? Covering your brain?”
“Yes,” Promise said. The shielding was actually becoming easier to accomplish.
“Good,” Mercy said. “What did you think of teleporting? Of there being nothing?”
Promise frowned. “I’d like to do it again. But there wasn’t nothing.” How could any of them think that? “We were there, so there was something. And there was a path, so again, something.” It appeared that the immortals hadn’t spent the time in their long lives studying physics. It was a pity, really. “Even at a reduced energy level, fluctuations occur in the quantum vacuum of any space,” she said.
Zane lifted his eyebrows and looked at Ivar.
Ivar leaned down. “One thing at a time, Missy.”
Oh, yes. That was right. She looked up at the demon leader. “You said you required my assistance.” Too bad it couldn’t be to discuss and study physics at the moment.
Faith looked around. “Hey. Where’s Ronan?”
As if on cue, Ronan and Benny slammed down, cracking the asphalt around the firepit. They had icicles in their hair and covering their boots.
Faith gasped. “Where did you go?”
Ronan shoved away from Benny and started picking the ice out of his black hair. “Greenland? Arctic Circle? Russia?” He shook his head. “Next time somebody else goes with Benny.”
Zane’s gaze sharpened, making him look frightening. “Long story short. We have the leader of the Kurjan nation’s kid in our possession. We’d like to give him back, but there’s a great chance we’re about to be bombed instead. Promise, I thought you could talk to the guy since you’ve had the most recent contact with him. According to my brother, it was a friendly meeting.”
Promise drew in air, trying to fill her lungs. “I’m the only one who’s met him?”
Faith shook her head. “Nope. I met him, and he handed me over to a psycho Cyst who wanted to cut me apart and study me.”
Promise gaped. “Were you, I mean, are you—”
“Oh, I punched him in the eye and then Ronan ripped off his head.” The neurologist grinned. “Good times.”
Promise’s legs weakened. “All right. So he truly is a bad guy.”
Faith frowned. “Didn’t you know that? I heard you screamed for Ivar when Dayne was in your office.”
Promise swallowed, her head still aching a little. “I decided to trust Ivar, and he said the Kurjans were dangerous and were the enemy, so I yelled for him when the time came.”
Zane’s chin lifted. “I like you.”
“She gets that a lot,” Benny said, shaking ice out of his shirt.
Ivar growled.
The sound brought everybody back to the present. Promise nodded. “I’m happy to speak with him. It’d probably be beneficial if I could see for myself that his child is here and is safe.” She looked up at the clear blue sky. How would bombs be delivered? Did the Kurjans have missiles, or would a plane provide warning?
Benny chucked Garrett on the arm. “While they deal with this, why don’t you and I run over to Realm headquarters? My nephew Chalton is there, and your mama is there, so let’s go visit.”