Magic Undying (Dragon's Gift: The Seeker #1)(4)

I sucked in a steady breath, then darted my hand out, grabbing the dagger strapped to the demon’s thigh. I pulled the wicked-looking blade free. It burned in my palm, but I could hold it.

I jammed the deadly metal into his side.

He hissed, his grip loosening slightly on my thighs. I kicked out, pushing myself away from him. I crashed to the ground, pain streaking through my shoulder.

“What the hell?” the other demon said.

I scrambled to my feet and lunged for him, slamming the blade into his chest. His wide black eyes met mine. I shoved him backward, yanking the blade free. He collapsed to the ground, crashing like a great redwood.

I spun to see the other demon dragging a long dagger from his hip sheath.

His gaze darted to the blade in my hand. “You can’t hold that.”

“That’s what you think.” I threw myself at him, barely dodging the swipe of his blade as I plunged my dagger into his gut.

He grunted. I pushed him back, yanking my blade free and swiping it across his neck. Blood gurgled forth, and his eyes rolled. When you killed a demon on Earth, it went straight back to its hell. I didn’t know what happened to demons when you killed them in their hell, but I didn’t care.

I scrambled off him, calling on my dragon sense to help guide me to the portal. As I focused, I caught sight of the demon I’d stabbed in the chest. He was gasping his last breaths as his gaze met mine.

“He’ll come for you,” he rasped.

I shivered at the promise in his words, but sneered at him. “Whatever.”

I left them lying on the cobblestones and ran, following the pull of my dragon sense. My deirfiúr and I used this gift to find treasure for our shop, Ancient Magic. Now, I used it to find what I valued most.

Escape.

It pulled me toward the castle, of course. Into the lion’s den.

The building loomed ahead, a massive, hulking structure that threatened with its very presence. I sprinted up the expansive stone stairs and pulled on the heavy wooden door.

To my relief, it opened easily. I darted inside, careful to keep myself against the wall. The foyer was grand, a massive space done in rich woods and silk wall hangings.

I reached for my dragon sense, letting it direct me toward my goal. I followed it, skirting around the edge of the foyer to the other side of the massive room, careful to keep my ears alert for the sound of approaching footsteps.

Where was the Warden now? Had the demon found him already?

Windows glinted on the other side of the hall, beckoning me.

Outside, an oasis of a garden spread as far as I could see. Roses and other flowers bloomed in riotous color amongst the lush green, so different than the hellscape at the front of the house.

My dragon sense beckoned me toward the garden. The portal lay within.

A single wooden door caught my eye, and I raced to it, darting out into the garden. The air was cooler here, a delightful contrast to the fiery nightmare that I’d just left on the other side of the castle. The scent of flowers and recent rain permeated the place.

Did this Underworld have two sides—good and bad?—or was the Warden also a gardener? If it had two sides, why did I end up on the hell side? I wasn’t a bad person.

Right?

I dragged my mind from the stupid questions and sprinted across the grass, losing myself in the hedges as I sought the portal. My time had to be running short. The Warden would see the fallen bodies of the demons any moment and know that I was gone.

Rose thorns scratched my arms as I raced by. I winced and kept going, my heart thundering in my ears. I came across a small blue pond. Black swans floated across the surface, their beady gaze clinging to me.

“Nice birdies,” I cooed, eying them warily.

Swans could be bitches. Mean birds, those.

I skirted around the pond, following my dragon sense. Fortunately, the swans didn’t pay any attention to me.

When I reached the other side, the pale green glow of a portal nearly made me weep with relief. I raced for it, not hesitating at the entrance.

I flung myself inside.

And bounced off, landing hard on my butt, the grass wet beneath me.

Pain sang through my face and chest where I’d slammed into the portal. I clasped my hand to my nose, hoping I hadn’t broken it.

“Dang it,” I muttered as I climbed to my feet.

It was locked. I scowled at the shimmering green air that marked the portal, trying to figure out why the heck I couldn’t get through. Most portals just let you through, unless something was wrong with them. I’d seen a broken portal before, and it had caused some serious problems.

“Oh, you idiot,” I muttered. Of course there was something wrong with this portal.

It led to hell. And out of hell. No way it’d be constantly open like a normal one. Demons would be flooding through to Earth all the time, which was totally not allowed. Most of them looked like such scary freaking monsters that they’d alert humans to the presence of supernaturals. No one wanted that.

Which actually made me feel better. If this portal was locked, it probably went to Earth. That was exactly where I wanted to go. Heading to another Underworld would do me no favors. I didn’t know much about them—no Earth supernatural did—but I knew I didn’t want to be in one of them.

So I just had to figure out how to get through this one.

The portal glowed a shimmering green, dense and impenetrable. But it was the edges that caught my eye. They looked almost like seams, glowing a slightly brighter green.