Magic Undying (Dragon's Gift: The Seeker #1)(31)

I shrugged, though I didn’t believe it. That cloud had felt familiar. And if that wasn’t a weird sentence, I didn’t know what was.

“What happened with the demons?” I asked.

“Killed most of them before the Ubilaz demon escaped. He had a transportation charm.”

Damn. “It’ll take him time to collect another army, right? He only had a couple dozen.”

“Yeah. We’re good to recover for the night, then start tomorrow. He’ll have more on his side, but we should be able to handle it.”

“Not like we could handle him now, anyway.” My whole body ached. Roarke looked pretty beat up too. I rubbed the tracking bracelet on my wrist. “Then you tracked me here?”

He nodded. “To Dartmoor. Then the dogs met me.”

“How’d you get to Dartmoor so quickly? Was there an entrance to the Underpath at Tintagel?”

“No. But I made one.”

Wow.

I was about to ask how when the barkeep approached. “What will you have?”

“Whatever she’s having.” Roarke took the stool next to me, grimacing as he sat.

We were going to need a bit of recovery time before we picked up the hunt again. He accepted the beer from the barkeep, but his movements were a bit stiff. Again, the barkeep turned down payment.

“You okay?” I asked.

“Just a flesh wound.”

“Okay, Monty Python.”

“It’ll heal quickly. I just need to sit a moment.”

“Advanced healing?”

“A bit.”

“Nice.” Some supernaturals had the gift. I wished I did. But Roarke’s powers seemed to hang out in the realm of super strength and physical superiority, so it made sense that he had it.

“So, exactly how many did you off?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Maybe a couple dozen.”

“All in a day’s work.”

“Exactly. Though I’m concerned. He accumulated a larger following than I would have expected.”

“He’s strong. And smart. He trapped us there.”

“Yeah. He knew I’d come for him.”

“Smart, powerful, and popular,” I said. “Among demon-kind, at least. Dangerous combo.”

“Yeah.” He drank half his beer in one long gulp. “They call them Cat 5s for a reason.”

I flinched, guilt streaking through me. I’d let that demon escape. Using powers I didn’t understand. I didn’t love that the Order was so suspicious of unknown magic, but they had a good reason. I hadn’t even intended to cause problems with mine, but look where it’d gotten us.

Roarke finished his beer and stood. “All right. Let’s get out of here.”

“How?” I polished off the last few sips of my own ale and hopped off the barstool, wincing when I hit the ground.

“I’ll create an Underpath entry.” He glanced around, his hand still pressed to his side. “I find I’m keen to return home.”

“Nuh-uh,” I said. “No way I’m going back to the Underworld with you.”

“My home isn’t in the Underworld. I live outside Magic’s Bend. On the river.”

A memory tugged at my mind. “Wait, you mean the house near the portal in the woods?”

“Yes. I commute to the Underworld for work.”

That was way less creepy than I’d thought. “I still don’t want to go there. I don’t know you. I’m not going to a strange dude’s house. I’m going home. Tomorrow, once we’ve recovered, we’ll start the search again.”

Understanding lit his gaze, and he nodded sharply and turned for the door. I followed him out into the dark night, both of us limping slightly. He walked to the edge of the building.

Tombstones stuck up out of the uneven ground within a small, fenced area. A graveyard.

“Is there an Underpath entrance here?” I asked.

“Not yet.” He held out his hand, and I took it, trying to ignore the shiver that ran up my arm.

The wind whipped across the moor, blowing my hair away from my face. This time, when Roarke held out his hand to create the passage, the magic that surged from him almost made me stumble. It was stronger than before, probably because there hadn’t already been a portal here.

He reared his arm back, then punched the air. His fist stopped dead, like it was hitting a wall, and a burst of light exploded as he ripped into the ether. The air glowed with light, and Roarke tugged me forward. I stepped in behind him, immediately caught by the rushing train feeling of the Underpath. Gravity disappeared and my head spun as we were sucked through space. I squeezed Roarke’s hand. He squeezed back.

Seconds or hours later—I couldn’t tell—Roarke tugged me out onto a dark city street. I blinked until my vision cleared, leaning on Roarke’s arm.

“That went better,” I said, though I was still a bit queasy. At least we were back in Magic’s Bend in the gross alley near Mad Mordecai’s. “Thanks for bringing me here.”

“No problem.”

We left the alley and exited onto the bustling street. It was night here, too. We needed to stop hopping from continent to continent and avoiding daylight.

On the way to the car, Roarke moved more slowly, his limp more pronounced.