Ryann smiled. “I’m still getting used to that word—magical. Although, some folks seem more magical than others.”
The Muppet Babies snickered. Does she mean me? Pfft, I was plenty magical. More magical than everyone at this table, Harley excluded. I wanted to peacock a little, but Adam wouldn’t have done that. He was modest, on top of everything else. Ugh, I hated him. Still, it stopped me from boasting about my magical prowess.
“Have they made you sign an NDA?” I asked, recovering.
“They have, but it’s okay. I’m just grateful to have this opportunity, and O’Halloran gave me some pointers about how to keep things quiet without jeopardizing a relationship.”
She had an answer for everything. That was one of things I liked most about her. She kept me on my toes. Sometimes so much so I felt like she had me en pointe.
“Hey, what happened to you? Did I miss something?”
I looked up as Ryann’s expression softened and she gazed at me with concern.
I shrugged, cool as a cucumber. “It’s nothing. Took a tumble, that’s all.”
“You don’t look good. Should you be up and about?”
“It looks worse than it is,” I replied.
“I could ask Adam to look at you on Sunday.” She paused. “Although, I suppose Dr. Krieger has you covered. I keep forgetting you guys have everything you need right here.”
I frowned. “Sunday?”
“Yeah—don’t tell me you forgot! Mom invited you to Sunday dinner, remember?”
“Oh… yeah. I’ll see how I feel.” If Jack the Ripper touched me, I’d roast him on the barbecue.
Ryann nodded, looking a little disappointed. “Of course. If you’re not feeling up to it, that’s fine, but I know Mom and Dad are looking forward to it. They’ve been missing their adopted third child.” She gave me a small smile that made my throat close, and I tried to think about Jacob to distract myself. Harley had tried to encourage him to reconnect with the Smiths, even if they couldn’t remember those days. But he’d refused, coming up with countless excuses. The real truth, however, was much simpler. It hurt too much.
Harley put her hand on Ryann’s forearm. “I’ll make sure he comes along.”
“Okay. Well, I need to be going. I’ll see you all later.” Ryann slid from the bench and got up, coffee and croissant still in hand. I tried to think of something to say that would make her stay longer. I wanted to ask her what she’d been up to, and just shoot the oh-so-casual breeze. I guessed it would have to wait until Sunday.
She turned, and my heart leapt. She’s going to stay, after all. “Oh, and Finch?”
“Yes?” My pulse was raging.
“You know I think the world of you, but can you please leave Adam out of our conversations? I know you think it’s funny to call him all those things, but there’s really nothing funny about serial killers. It’s beneath you.”
I withered like a shrub in an arid desert. “Sure. No serial killer jokes. Got it.”
“Wish me luck!” She smiled again.
A ripple of “good lucks” passed around the table as she turned and left, leaving me to stew.
“It’s not like you to pass up the chance for a witty comeback,” Santana said.
“She got you good!” Dylan laughed.
I tried not to meet anyone’s gaze. “I didn’t want to be rude.”
“Did that poltergeist lobotomize you, as well?” Wade grinned.
“Are you sure you didn’t meet a changeling instead?” Garrett added. “Where’s the real Finch? Come on, where are you hiding him?”
“How’s that for sympathy, huh?” I replied. “You try being Class A hilarious after having your chest gouged by a psycho spirit.”
“Poltergeist,” Tatyana corrected. “There’s a big distinction between spirits and poltergeists. You see, a spirit is a—”
Saskia rolled her eyes. “Geez, Taty, don’t bore him. He just escaped one near-death experience.”
As the sisters scowled at each other, I glanced at Harley. I was waiting for a dig, but it didn’t come. Instead, she offered a sympathetic smile. A comforting barnacle in a sea of ridicule. Does she know? Had she and Wade been gossiping in secret? See, this was why I needed someone. Everyone else had a person they could spill their secrets to, but I had to keep mine locked up for the gremlins to feed on.
I stared down into my coffee, only to jolt back. There was no coffee in this cup anymore. It had filled up with blood. Scarlet trickles sloshed over the sides. I looked around frantically, but nobody else seemed to have noticed.
Erebus. Another one of his hallucinatory tricks to put me on edge. A sign because I was keeping him waiting. Man, that guy sure was persistent. I guessed I couldn’t put him off anymore, not unless I wanted a nasty surprise in my bed. Or something worse.
“I should get going, too.” I clambered over the bench.
“Can’t handle the heat, huh?” Santana grinned. “You can give it but can’t take it?”
“It’s got nothing to do with… never mind. I’m just tired.” I balled my hands into fists. “Garrett, do you want to meet up later?”
He nodded. “We can swing by the burn unit, if you like.”
I scrunched my face into a sarcastic smile. “I’ll text you the details.”
“Call me if you need anything,” Harley said, saving me again. “And get some rest. Sister’s orders.”
I gave her a small nod before exiting the Banquet Hall, leaving the laughter and stinging puns behind. They hadn’t meant anything by it, but their jabs made me feel like I was being pushed to the edges of the group again. Sometimes I wished I could be more a part of their group. But all of this Erebus stuff made me feel like an outsider, anyway. Until I was free again, I couldn’t be part of their world... Geez, am I going to start singing Under the Sea, next? All I needed was a shell bra.
I trudged back to my room and went straight over to my desk, taking out an antique ring that Erebus had given me. It was a chunky gold monstrosity with a fat ruby in the center and strange etchings in the metal band—sigils and charms specific to the Lord of Darkness himself. But it wasn’t just a gaudy accessory. Oh no. This was a modified portal opener with a direct line to Tartarus, crafted by an ancient servant of Erebus.
Wishing I didn’t have to, I slid the ring on the middle finger of my right hand. The moment it was on, the world swirled around me in a dizzying vortex. The walls, the ground, everything all fell away.
The next moment, I landed in the darkest depths of Tartarus. As soon as I set foot in the shadowy otherworld, unable to see my own hand in front of my face, the noises started. Soft at first, they grew into a crescendo of growls and snarls and snapping jaws.
I formed a ball of Fire in my palms to light my way through the pitch black. I only had minutes to get to Erebus before the nightcrawlers came a-hunting.
Six
Finch
I broke into a sprint, the ball of Fire bobbing in my hands. Twisted faces and glinting fangs flickered in the glow.
Every damn time. I was tired of running this gauntlet. It was why I hated coming here, hated always rushing through the darkness as fast as possible. Why Erebus had crafted a grim underworld for an otherworld, I’d never know, but he really needed to hire someone to fix this place up. Maybe an interior designer. A few vases, a tree or two, maybe a water feature—that kind of thing.