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The falling seemed to last forever, and at the same time, it was over in the space between one heartbeat and the next. I felt it when we passed through Heimdall’s wards on the god plane, like pushing through a stretchy rubber membrane. Then more falling, through the space in between, until I felt a warm, prickling tingle over my not-quite formed body that I immediately identified as Dumuzi’s—Derek’s—wards.
My body materialized, suddenly feeling heavy and off balance, and the demon’s arm tightened around my waist. I dimly registered Orion scrambling to catch Chike. Rhys hit his knees and made a weird, choked sound. The vampire lifted his head and his pale green eyes flashed as his inner power tried to equalize. “Fuck,” he muttered. “Let’s never do that again.”
I nodded in agreement and tried my best to tap into my power and my belief, even though the room was still spinning a little. “We won’t ever have to,” I said firmly. Then I pressed a hand to my mouth, hoping I wasn’t about to puke. The guys all seemed to be adjusting rapidly to being back on Earth. Meanwhile, I hadn’t been as bad off as them initially...but I was feeling worse with every passing heartbeat.
I flushed when I realized I was still clinging to Derek White, my body pressed to his rippling muscles and broad chest. It was disorienting, realizing that I could recall exactly what his naked body felt like, if I tried hard enough, and yet I felt like I was clinging to a complete stranger. I stepped back, pressing a hand to my gut as the nauseous feeling intensified.
Orion glanced at me, then he gasped and dropped Chike, leaving the mer to slump against the nearby desk. “Her aura! They’re trying to pull her back!” The incubus lurched toward me, wrapping a hand around my wrist as he wrapped his magical lure around my aura, pulling me toward him, calling me, trying to make me stay.
Derek gripped my shoulders, his eyes glowing red and his face grim. “I can keep you here. I can protect all of us.”
I knew what he needed. I stared into those glowing eyes and nodded, letting the warm gold of my godspark reach out to him and infuse him with light. “Of course you can. You’re stronger than the gods,” I said, my voice barely a whisper, but carrying the force of every ounce of power I possessed.
Derek closed his eyes and started whispering, chanting something under his breath as he pulled on his own magical abilities. He seemed to swell, to grow in height, though I knew it was just an effect of the power around him. The air seemed charged, crackling with magic that wasn’t native to this plane. This must be where the stories of summoning demons came from, I thought distantly. If a stray human just accidentally managed to pull a demon across planes, this display of vastness would leave them reeling. I felt Derek extend his aura and I watched wide-eyed as I realized his wards—the protections that had kept the entire county safe—were a part of him. He didn’t just cast a spell, he reached out and wrapped a part of his aura—his very essence—around the ones he protected.
His dark power settled over me like a black, lacy veil, dramatic and effective, but lightweight. In the space between one breath and the next, the sensation faded, his protections soaking into my aura. Then he reached for Orion, cupping the back of the incubus’s neck as he cast his protection over him as well. When he gestured to Chike, the mer hesitated, looking to me with suspicious lavender eyes.
“I would never hurt someone so dear to her,” Derek said. His deep voice could have been rough from the strain of using his newly bolstered abilities, but I didn’t think that was it. It...hurt him that Chike didn’t trust him. That someone so close to me wanted nothing to do with that part of my life.
Chike lifted his head and met Derek’s eyes, pushing off the desk to come stand closer to the demon. He had to tilt his head back to look up at the towering demon lord. “You might not hurt someone she loves,” he promised, “but I would. If you ever betray her, I’ll find a way to end you.”
My fierce, stupid best-friend-turned-lover. It was almost sweet. Except now was really not the time for hesitation. Once the gods realized they couldn’t pull me over to their realm, they’d definitely start trying to snatch the people I loved to use as leverage. “Chike.”
He sighed and gave a shrug, as if it was no big deal. “Protect away, oh, Great and Powerful Asshat.”
Derek raised one eyebrow at him but didn’t comment as he reached out and gripped the smaller man’s shoulder. Chike shuddered and Derek stepped away to reach for Rhys. The vampire didn’t hesitate or pitch a fit the way Chike had. He just gave the demon a tired smile as Derek squeezed his shoulder. “Thanks, boss man.”
Derek shook his head at the stupid nickname, but did his thing, placing protections over the vampire. Then he went to the center of the room and kicked back the expensive looking rug to reveal a diagram etched into the shiny floor. He knelt and placed both hands in the center of the design, doing more of that chanting thing. Power flared, surging around him, and the lines of the diagram flashed, glowing briefly before fading once more.
“What is that?” I managed, afraid to get too close to the pattern or the demon and mess something up.
He lifted his head, looking like those big, twisting black horns were suddenly too heavy to hold up. “The protections that cover Ontonagon.” Then he fell backward, plopping his perfect, bossy, powerful ass on the floor in an inelegant sprawl, exhaustion etching lines into his handsome face. “I think I’m going to...faint?”
Then he toppled over, flopping on the floor with a thud. I lurched forward, but Orion beat me to it, hitting his knees and pulling his employer’s head into his lap. “He exhausted his magic reserves,” the incubus said, anxiety lacing his silky voice. “The fool.”
I sat beside them, feeling stupidly self-conscious as I reached out a hand to press my palm to Derek’s chest, over his heart. I used what little of my own reserves existed to feel along his aura. His power was diminished. It was a shock to feel the powerful man so weakened. But he was alive and there was no pain or sense of imminent danger. I sent a trickle of healing energy his way, then removed my hand from the demon. Glancing up at Orion, I shaped my face into what I hoped was an encouraging smile. “He’ll be okay,” I said, my voice starting to slur. “S’just...tired.”
I blinked as the room kind of...sparkled. “Fuck! She’s done it too.” Chike’s voice seemed far away. Then I realized I was falling forward. I dimly registered that I was now draped awkwardly over the unconscious demon. Then, my brain shut down.