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acted up, who knows how this would have ended? With lots of broken windows?

      â€œYour turn,” he said, interrupting that dangerous line of thought. “You’re the one who kissed me. Why?”

      I squirmed at his bluntness. “Isn’t it kinda obvious?”

      Another ghost of a smile. “I didn’t make you guess what I was thinking when I answered you.”

      No, he sure hadn’t. I looked away, unable to reply while on the receiving end of that deep blue stare. His gaze was too probing, too knowing, and yes, still too enticing.

      â€œI shouldn’t have,” I said at last. “That makes me a tease, I suppose, but I felt so...free, right before I kissed you.” I let out a choppy laugh. “Guess it made me forget all the reasons why I’m not.”

      â€œIvy.” The way he said my name forced me to look at him. When I did, he pulled me into his arms before I even realized that he’d moved.

      â€œAdrian—”

      â€œShh,” he murmured. “I don’t think I’ve ever just held you before. I was always pushing you away, and the one time I didn’t, we were also in this car.” His lips brushed my hair. “Did you know that old Challengers were your aphrodisiac?”

      I laughed, relaxing at his loose embrace and his light, bantering tone. “What can I say? I’m into vintage things.”

      His chuckle rumbled against my back. “I’ve missed you, Ivy. All of you, so don’t think you’re not free around me because you are. That means kissing me isn’t teasing. I want to do truly filthy things to you, but I can wait. If Zach hurries his Archon ass up, I won’t even have to wait long.”

      I had to say it. “You do know it’s extremely twisted that you need an angel’s help to hook up, right?”

      This time, his laughter had an edge. “I never have before, but with Zach, I can give you the guarantee that you demanded.”

      I didn’t remind him that I’d only promised him a chance, not a sure thing. “How does Zach factor into you proving that you can beat your fate?” I asked instead.

      He tensed, but then relaxed almost as fast. “It’s complicated, so I’d rather show you than tell you.”

      â€œThat’s what my prom date said right before I cracked a beer bottle over his head,” I replied, my tone dry. “You told me no more secrets, remember?”

      He angled his head so he could look at me, and his expression was serious. “I don’t want to tell you right now. That’s a choice, not a secret, and yes, there’s a difference.”

      Not in my mind, but I’d given him an ultimatum—a huge one—and he’d sworn to meet it. I still didn’t think that it was possible, but I had to admit—the idea was starting to appeal. And if it was possible for Adrian to prove that he could beat his fate without having to wait until the end of this war, how could I refuse to honor the only stipulation he’d given me?

      â€œFine,” I said. “You’ll tell me, or show me, when Zach does what you want him to.” If he does, I silently added. Then I changed the subject. “So, the staff’s not here. What’s next on our list of places filled with unexplainable natural weirdness?”

      â€œIt’s...” His voice trailed off, then he almost shoved me away. He was out of the car before I could ask what was wrong, but one look around answered that.

      When I’d glanced out the window moments ago, the sky had been bright blue. Now, it was deepest indigo that was fast turning to black. With all the crazy lightning, I would’ve thought a storm was rolling in, except there were no clouds.

      Adrian jumped back into the car, slamming it into gear and hitting the gas. The instant velocity knocked me against the seats hard enough to risk whiplash.

      â€œCall Costa.” His tone was urgent. “Tell him to aim for the lightning and get out of here, now.”

      I began to tear through my purse looking for my cell phone. “What’s going on?”

      Lightning continued to flash on every horizon, until the perimeter of the landscape was bathed in strobes of dazzling white. At the same time, the sky turned pitch black, and more terrifying, somehow looked like it was starting to fall.

      Adrian floored the gas. “This area is being swallowed by a demon realm.”

       CHAPTER TEN

      I’M THE FIRST to criticize when people ask dumb questions during a crisis. Seriously, I can’t count the times I’ve thought, Just shut up and run! while watching a horror movie. In reality, stupid-babble was a side effect of shock, and despite all that I’d been through, I still wasn’t immune to it.

      Take me saying, “What? How?” while dialing Costa’s cell phone with shaking fingers.

      Adrian didn’t take his eyes off the nearest lightning storm, which he was driving us straight toward.

      â€œTold you, demon realms are created when they cause parts of their world to slam into ours. I’ve seen it done before, and this is what it looked like.”

      Yes, he’d explained realm creation to me months ago. Not that understanding it helped when a nightmare-black sky was bearing down on us like a giant foot about to squash an ant. Costa answered on the second ring, and I didn’t wait for him to say hello before blurting out Adrian’s instructions.

      â€œDrive for the lightning. A realm’s coming down on us!”

      â€œWhat?” Costa demanded. See? Stupid-babble.

      â€œA realm is about to swallow us,” I yelled. “The only way out is through the lightning, so drive, drive, drive!”

      I heard Costa shout something to Jasmine, then the line went dead. I checked the phone. No bars. With two worlds about to collide in the same space, that wasn’t a surprise. Darkness had now completely enveloped the area around us, making it difficult to see the bands of lightning we were headed toward. Without our headlights, we’d be driving blind, and we needed to see or we’d crash into one of the area’s many boulders. When we’d gone on our joy ride, we’d driven well away from the bus, not knowing that there would be any consequences. Now, I only hoped that Costa and Jasmine were closer to the lightning belts than we were, because despite Adrian pushing the muscle car to its limit, the horizon around us was turning completely black.

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