She brushed off one shoulder, then the other. “Just let me do like I do.”

Unfortunately, the portals had turned out to be trickier than she’d suspected. Each one was ensconced in stone, with etchings all around the opening. In Deep Place, clouds and vines were depicted, indicating a heaven plane. The one in Inferno was surrounded by dripping fangs, as if the opening were a ravenous mouth.

Should be a no-brainer—I’ll take the heaven plane, Alex—but then, this was Pandemonia. Could be a trick or a test.

Worse, they were old-school portals, basically huge vacuums, which meant she couldn’t dip a toe and then return.

Worse still, she couldn’t steer them. Even though she had the keys, those portals were permanently pointed in one direction like subway tubes—and she had no idea where they led.

“I can’t believe you’ve seized these.” Thronos reached for her chain, raising the keys. He inspected the engraved ends, one depicting dripping fangs and one those vines. “Why do you remain here? Were you . . . had you been coming back for me?” The hopefulness in his tone tugged at something inside her.

She snatched her keys back. “Nope.”

Scowl. “Then why are you still here?”

“Because the portals are more complicated than I expected.” Not because she hesitated to abandon Thronos on a hell plane.

Not at all.

“I don’t want to rush anything.” She might be better off in the Zero-G Glade for another day. She might be better off waiting to create her own portal.

She gazed past him. Dawn was finally breaking. Her crime-playtime was over for the day. In any case, before she made another foray into either camp, she should probably recharge. Remarkably, she hadn’t tapped out her persuasion, but a top-off wouldn’t go amiss.

Without a word, she headed back toward the glade.

“Where are we going?” he asked as they neared the brush.

We? Optimist. “I just burgled the two most valuable possessions in this realm.” She cast a wary glance over her shoulder. “Eventually those demons are going to want them back. I’m returning to the glade.”

“I’d fly you there, but the dragons will be out foraging soon,” he said. “I’ll guide you back.”

“Clearly, I don’t need your help.” No sooner had she said that than they reached a junction where the path forked out three ways, engraved stones marking each. She didn’t remember this from before.

Mental shrug. Eeny, meeny, miny . . . She turned toward the one all the way to the right.

“You don’t want that one.”

She faced him with pursed lips. “Why not?”

“The marker reads: The Long Way. Which doesn’t sound very promising.”

“And the other ones?”

“One reads: To the Frozen Lake. The other: Hell Beast Trail.”

She headed toward the frozen lake, intending to step off the path as soon as things got close to chilly.

He remained by her side. “Melanthe, I need to talk to you about what you told me. About my brother.”

“You’ll find out the truth for yourself soon enough. Everything I’ve told you can be verified.”

“You were young, and it was so long ago. Perhaps you mistook him? Aristo’s talons are silvered—his wings would be like any other knight’s.”

“He used to swig from a golden flask.” When Thronos paled, she said, “Oh, so you remember it? Even if I could forget his face, I’d never forget his gold.”

Thronos swallowed. “Maybe he didn’t mean to hurt you in that haystack.”

“After my hand got stabbed, the next pitchfork jab nicked my ear. Before another one could land, Sabine ran to distract them. If not for her, your brother would have gored me to death. Look, I don’t care if you believe me—”

“I . . . believe you.”

“You do?” In spite of how gut-wrenching that must be. “Then do something about it. You should go to the Skye—and clean house.”

“I intend to. I will make my brother see reason when we return.”

She stutter-stepped. She didn’t know which part of his statement mystified her more—the fact that he still intended her to go with him, or that he planned to rehab Aristo. “I hate to tell you this, but your brother is evil. EVIL. The kind you can’t rehabilitate. Face it, Thronos—in the brother department, we both lost out.”

“Do you expect me to kill Aristo without trying to reach him? I also thought you were evil, but decided not to harm you.”

“He’s not going to turn out like me. You’re setting yourself up for disappointment. Which is your business. I just want to return to my home.” She started forward again. The brush began to thin. In the distance, she could see a field.

He walked backward to keep his gaze locked on hers. “I can’t allow that. We will not be parted. After this long without you, how could I release you now?”

She waved a hand shining with blue energy in front of his face. “You won’t have any choice.”

He glowered at her hand. “Melanthe, just stop and discuss this with me.”

“The same problems as before apply. When you can see past my number, then maybe we’ll talk.”

“So if I could see past it, you’d come with me to the Skye? Then use your power to make me forget the men you’ve been with,” he said, as if he’d just lit on the idea and found it excellent. “If that’s what it takes, then I’ll subject myself to your sorcery once more.”