by Deanna Chase
“Okay, let’s only do this once then.”
Bea, Kat, and Lailah were sitting at the bar chatting with Charlie, who was busy restocking the liquor bottles.
I waved at Charlie.
“Hey, gorgeous.” She sent me an air kiss and winked, flashing me that genuine smile she reserved for her friends.
“Morning. Looks like a long day ahead of you.”
She shrugged. “Yeah, but I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.” She pumped her eyebrows suggestively.
Everyone laughed. But when I plopped into one of the blue velvet chairs, all eyes landed on me again. “Okay, here’s what’s going on.” I went through the entire story one more time, pausing only to answer a couple of questions. When I was done, no one said anything. I stared at Pyper. Her face was white and she looked like she might either pass out or hit something. “You okay?” I asked her.
She got off the stool, walked around the bar, and poured herself a shot of bourbon. After she downed it, she pierced me with a stare and said, “No.”
Kane was Pyper’s best friend and business partner. They’d known each other since college and he was in many ways a brother to her. “What can I do to help?” I asked.
She shook her head and poured another shot. She held it in her palm for a moment but then put it back down and pushed it toward Charlie. Turning back around, she asked, “Are we going to see him today?”
“I doubt it. He has demon hunter stuff. That’s as much as I know.” She was taking this harder than I thought she would. Kane wasn’t in any real danger. Not if they were just training. But then, I didn’t know anything about her family. Or even if she had any nearby. Kane was likely the only person she’d ever truly relied on.
“When you see him, tell him to dreamwalk me.” She took off toward the office. Before disappearing through the door, she said, “Y’all don’t need me for this, right? There isn’t anything I can do even if I wanted to.”
Bea shook her head. “No, dear. I think we’ve got it covered.”
Pyper met my eyes, waiting for a signal, I supposed.
I nodded my agreement to Bea’s statement. “You’ll be right inside if we need you.”
“Okay,” she said quietly and slipped into the office Kane shared with Charlie.
“She’ll be all right,” Lailah said as she stood.
I eyed the angel, wondering if she knew that from Pyper’s aura or if she was just trying to make everyone feel better. But I didn’t ask. Pyper would be fine. She was tougher than anyone else I’d ever known.
“Let’s get this going,” Bea said as she stood and made her way to the area where the portal would appear. When I joined her, she handed me a small bag. Inside were a few bottles of water, a tin of herbal supplements, and a homemade sandwich.
“That’s all?” I asked, glancing around.
“Put the tin in your pocket. I doubt the rest of this will make the trip, but it’s good to try.”
“But the tin should?”
Nodding, she waved at the bag. “The food items are likely too organic. But the pills are spelled with powerful magic and so is the tin. Cross your fingers they both make it.”
I thought back to the day before when I’d jumped through the portal. Had I lost anything? Was there anything to lose? Not that I could remember. But a paper bag and a bottle of water? Bea had a point. When Kane and I had jumped into Hell, I’d lost some notes I’d handwritten. I took a deep breath. “Okay. I’m going in. Any advice before I go? A spell that might help should I get stuck? Or something to leave with Mati?”
Lailah and Bea shared a skeptical glance.
“There are the ones we talked about earlier, but as I said before, I doubt they’d work in this situation,” Bea said. “Almost everyone is locked out except a few special shadow walkers. Spells aren’t going to change that.”
“That’s what I thought.” Stepping up to the edge of the circle, I closed my eyes, ready to call up the shadows.
“You could try leaving something of yours there,” Bea said, gently touching my arm.
My eyes flew open. “Like what?”
“Anything that’s important to you. It might give Matisse a connection back to this world. Likewise, if she has anything she can give you, you’ll both be linked. Then if we do come across a spell, it should help. At the very least, a connection to you will help her maintain whatever strength she has left.”
I stared into Bea’s worried face. “Have you done this before?”
She shook her head, her stylish auburn hair bouncing around her shoulders. “Not this exactly. But I have dealt with individuals trapped in other realms. Any anchor to where they truly belong helps more than anyone really knows.”
Lailah nodded. “It’s like how when you were in the angel world and you gained strength from the bead you made for your mother. Connections matter. That’s what Bea’s suggesting.”
I felt around in my pockets but came up empty. I had nothing of importance on me. Frowning, I shook my head. “I don’t— Wait. I have something upstairs. I’ll be right back.”
“Jade,” Kat called, but I was already out the door and rounding the corner to fly up the stairs. I had just the thing. A few minutes later I was back in the club with a small smile on my face. “I’m ready.”
Lailah held her hand out. “Give me your ring.”
“What?” I clenched my hand into a fist. No effing way. “I don’t think so.”
Lailah stared me down. “We need to anchor you here. If you have trouble getting back, you’ll need something. And I can’t think of anything more significant to you than your engagement ring.”
I glanced at Bea and Kat. Both nodded.
Oh, crap on toast. I hated when they ganged up on me. With extreme reluctance, I pulled the diamond off my finger for the first time since Kane had slipped it on me. But instead of giving it to Lailah, I handed it to Kat. She was my best friend, after all.
She pushed it onto her middle finger and squeezed my hand. Then she undid her silver necklace that had a tree of life pendant attached to it and clasped it around my neck. “This is to anchor you to us.”
I fingered the pendant, letting my fingers graze over the etched tree. It was silky smooth and felt just as wonderful as it looked. Suddenly Kat’s emotions burst through like a dam, filling me completely with worry, pride, and even a little resentment. Resentment? That she had to be here doing this again? But her eyes flickered to the diamond I’d just given her. No doubt this was about her not being able to be with Lucien.
I crushed her into a hug. And then let her go without saying a word. I didn’t need to. She knew what that was about.
“I’m going now. If I don’t come back out…” I gave them all a cheeky smile. “I’m sure you’ll find a way to drag me back here one way or another.”
“Positive thinking, Jade,” Bea said harshly. “Always assume the best possible outcome.”
“And prepare for the worst,” I quipped.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lailah shake her head, and for the first time in weeks, I missed hearing whatever snarky remark she had going on in her head. She rarely said them out loud, but for a while there I’d had a front-row seat to her humdingers.
Once more, I took a deep, calming breath and let my vision blur. Instantly the portal opened to a bright light of calm. I could still see everyone else, but they were looking around as if I’d disappeared. Of course I had. I was in the shadow world already. Just as well. I didn’t need tear-filled goodbyes or any of them trying to follow me.
“Here I go,” I muttered to no one and jumped.
The world spun around me in a blanket of gray and once again my backside slammed into the hard ground. I stared up into the mist and shivered. It was colder here than it had been last time.
I sat up and tried to peer through the fog, but I saw nothing.
What was that spell Matisse gave me last time? I couldn’t remember exactly. Magic was about intention. I formed a picture of the fog parting in my mind. The grayness faded a tiny bit. Not the best outcome. Time for my sixth sense. Opening my emotional barriers, I sent my probe out. Nothing. A trickle of my own panic filtered through me. “Matisse?” I called. Was I in the wrong place? Had I jumped to some other dimension? Was anyone here? I probed further, desperately reaching to latch on to anyone.
Nothing still. Standing, I focused once again on banishing the fog and yelled, “Matisse!”
The gray wall of fog parted slightly, letting a tiny ray of sunshine through. I stepped forward. “Matisse?” This time I said it tentatively, afraid of what I might find.
But the fog parted again and more sun shone down, leaving a trail on the brick pathway. I followed it. A few steps later, despair prickled against my skin. It was her. I recognized the emotional signature. Running now, I ignored the cold, the fog, and everything about the desolate place except Matisse.
I found her lying shivering on the bank of the river, her eyes closed and her body almost blue from chill. Only it wasn’t that cold here. Not enough to freeze to death. Falling to my knees, I stripped my sweater off and laid it over her.
She didn’t open her eyes. She didn’t even move.
“Oh my Goddess,” I said and glanced around me for my bag and water bottle. It was gone. Damn, Bea had been right. They hadn’t made the trip.
The tin.
I shoved my hand in my back pocket and nearly cried in relief when my fingers hit the cool metal. As I pulled it out, the pills rattled around on the inside.
“Thank you,” I whispered and popped the top. The compartments were labeled. Energy, Nutrition, Hydration, Strength. I pressed the energy pill to her lips first and said, “Matisse, open your mouth. Come on.” When she didn’t respond, I put a tiny bit of will behind my words. Reluctantly she did as I said. “That’s good. There you go. Swallow now.”
I waited until I saw her throat work and then fed the other three pills to her one by one.
After a few minutes, she rolled over and stared up at me. She blinked. “Jade?”
I smoothed the dark hair off her forehead. “Hey there.”
She glanced around and grimaced. “Damn. I thought it was all a nightmare.”
“I’m afraid not.” I scanned her body, taking in her tattered pants and fraying T-shirt. “What happened?”
Mati shook her head. “Nothing. Everything just seems to be deteriorating here. I do nothing but sit and wait. And all the while I get weaker and my clothes start to fray. I feel like I’m in a wasteland.”
Wasteland. That was exactly what this was. And if we didn’t get her out, she wouldn’t die, exactly. She’d just fade away. “We’re working on a plan to get you home. I spoke to your Aunt Dayla.”
Her eyes lit with a spark of hope. “Is she here?” She glanced around, and then the spark dimmed. “She can’t enter, can she?”
I shook my head. “I’m afraid not. But we think someone else you know might be able to. Vaughn?”
She bolted upright, coming perilously close to knocking her head against mine.
I jerked back just in time. “Whoa.”
“No. You can’t bring Paxton here. Absolutely not.” She scooted away as if I were suddenly dangerous.
I sat back and regarded her. “Is there something I should know about this guy? Your aunt said—”
“I don’t care what she said. You cannot bring him here. Got it? The last time I saw him, he almost killed me.” Her voice wavered on the word “saw.” She averted her gaze. “That’s just not an option.”
I gave her a moment to collect herself. When she finally looked at me again, I asked, “What if he’s the key to bringing you home?”
Her mouth pursed with tension and she narrowed her eyes. “Then I will die here.”
Chapter 16
Matisse’s words were full of so much conviction, I wasn’t sure what to say. And when she turned her back on me, I decided it was best to just drop the subject. If we determined Vaughn was the only person who could save her, I knew I’d bring him here regardless of what she’d said. Letting the vibrant young woman perish because of some perceived wrong was unthinkable. But I wouldn’t give her anything else to worry about while she was stuck in such an awful place all by herself, either.
Instead, I unclasped the necklace from around my neck and held it out to her.
She didn’t take it. She watched the glass bead pendant dangle from the chain and then her gaze met mine. “What’s that for?”
“It’s an anchor to our world. We’re hoping that if we can ground you to one of us—and in this case, me—we might be able to work a spell to bring you back to our world.” I quickly scanned her body for any sort of jewelry but didn’t see anything obvious. No necklaces, bracelets, or rings of any sort. Not even an earring. “Do you have anything on you I could take back with me? It’s a bonding thing.”
She chewed on her bottom lip.
After a few moments, I said, “Matisse, please. Even if you don’t have anything for me, this will help. Or at the very least, it can’t hurt.”
Finally her big brown eyes met mine. She reached up with both hands and undid an earring at the top of her left ear that had been obscured by her long hair. “It doesn’t look like much, but it was given to me by someone who was important to me once.”
Her words radiated melancholy and touched me to my core. It was as if she was giving me the only important thing she had left—memory of a loved one. I held my hand out, and she placed it gently in my palm. “It’s perfect, then,” I said softly and handed her my necklace. Not wanting to lose the earring, I pulled Bea’s tin out of my pocket and dropped it into one of the empty pill slots. “I’ll keep it safe for you.”
She nodded and secured my necklace around her neck.
A soft glow of magic radiated from the bead at the same time I experienced a small shock right in my breastbone, where my magic resided. Good, we’d definitely formed a connection. “I made that a while ago.”
“Really.” She tightened her hand around the bead. “It has positive energy.”
I smiled. “I was practicing trapping my magic into glass. I’m glad you can sense it. That means you’re strong. Not everyone can.”
“Well…” Matisse stared at her feet. “I used to be a lot stronger.”
I placed a soothing hand on her arm and was gratified when she didn’t jerk back. She was beginning to trust me. “You’ll be strong again.”
She let out a skeptical laugh. “Yeah, sure. But only if you keep feeding me those pills.”
“You can bet your life I’ll bring them every damn day until you’re home safe.”
She sighed wearily. “I don’t know what’s worse, sitting here waiting endlessly or just fading away.”
She seemed so dejected, so hopeless, I wanted to cry for her. But that was the last thing she needed. I gently grabbed her by both arms. “Listen to me. I will not let you rot here. Not like this. Whatever I have to do, I’ll do it. Understand?”
Her eyes misted and as she nodded, two tears spilled down her cheeks. A pain slashed through my heart for her. How easily this could have been me at her age if my circumstances had been different. How dare Chessandra task her to complete such a dangerous activity on her own? Why had it been so important to get the veil closed now? And by someone who was so inexperienced. Was Matisse that strong? Or was Chessandra just out of her mind? I was guessing somewhere in the middle.
“I need to get back so we can keep working on how to get you out of here. But I’d really like it if you’d try to merge your magic with mine to see if you can cross over with me.”
“It didn’t work last time,” she said.
“I know. But we have a bond now.” I smiled and touched the glass bead arou
nd her neck. “I’m going to focus on my friend, Kat. She has a talisman of mine. I’d like to see how well this might work.”
She waved at the fog closing in on us. “Anything’s better than this.”
I held out my hand, and when she clasped hers in mine, I was overwhelmed with a rush of gratitude and anxiety. She was thankful I was here to help. But also very skeptical that I could be of any use at all. She didn’t really expect to ever get home. The crack in my heart widened. It was awful to see her lose hope. I squeezed her hand. “Just focus on me, or, if it’s easier, my necklace.”
“I’ll try.” Her voice seemed far away already.
I peered at her, my eyesight already blurring, and the world started to tilt. I clasped her hand tighter and yelled, “Hang on!”
But when I landed once again in the club, my hand was empty and the only people I saw were Bea and Lailah hovering over me.
“How is she doing?” Bea asked, clutching the hem of her coral silk shirt.
I glanced around, trying to orient myself again. Kat and Charlie stood near the bar, gaping at me. Besides Lailah and Bea, the place was empty. Disappointment consumed me. “Crap. It didn’t work.”
“What didn’t? The pills?” Bea held her hand out to help me up.
I took it and stumbled to my feet. “Oh, no. Those did the trick. Thank you very much. If it hadn’t been for you…” I didn’t finish, couldn’t finish. Poor Mati. I cleared my throat. “I left my necklace with her and she gave me an earring. I was hoping the connection might be useful enough to bring her back. No go, though I guess I suspected as much. Seems stupid to think that would work.”
“It’s not stupid, Jade,” Bea said gently. “Things carry energy. You know that.”
Boy, did I ever.
“It could’ve worked, but I suspect your power is strong enough that if it was possible for her to cross at all, you could’ve done it on your own.”