“Oh, if only.” Cormack’s chuckle was full of delight. “I’m afraid my daughter would tear your hair out because she’s used to being queen of the castle.”
“In this case he’s talking about a literal castle, Sami,” Paris offered. “You should see the house he lives in. It has turrets and everything.”
“Oh, I definitely want to move in with you,” Sami supplied. “I want to do a little dance as I’m waving goodbye to my parents and everything. I’ve always wanted to live in a castle.”
“Don’t tease us,” Aric warned. “If you get our hopes up about moving out, we’ll be crushed when naked Sundays are off the table again.”
“Oh, you’re so gross!”
My heart skipped a beat when the gate sparked. It was happening. This time I was certain of it. There was something about to cross over from the other side. I opened my mouth to alert them but Oliver was already ahead of me.
“There’s a blip!” the vampire announced, his voice echoing throughout the chamber.
Zoe turned quickly, her eyes wide. “What does that mean?”
“Izzy?” Cormack started for me, but I knew he wouldn’t make it.
As if in slow motion, I turned away from the gate at the exact moment it flashed. It wasn’t a man who appeared on this side, however. It wasn’t Emmet Grimlock returning to his family. It was something else — a misshapen creature I recognized almost instantly.
“What the heck is that?” Aric barked, his fingers elongating into black claws.
Shifter, I reminded myself. He was paranormal, too. It wasn’t just his wife who could fight.
Speaking of his wife … . “Seriously,” Zoe echoed. “What is that?”
“Revenant,” Oliver replied. “It’s a revenant.”
My hands exploded into red flames as I lifted them, ready to unleash my magic. Before I could release a torrent of hellfire on the creature, purple flames flew from behind me and hit the creature dead center in the chest. I watched in dumbfounded fascination as the revenant absorbed the magic and remained standing.
I figured the magic wasn’t enough to bring the creature down and prepared to add my own firepower into the mix. Then the revenant made an odd face, tilting its head at an extreme angle and then exploding like a shrapnel bomb.
My mouth dropped open when I felt pieces of the revenant hit me, closing my eyes because I didn’t want to see the aftermath. That didn’t mean I couldn’t feel the bits of charred flesh and blood smacking against my face.
From somewhere behind me, Zoe let loose a screech. “Sami!”
“What?” the teenager challenged from her spot next to Paris. “I saved you. How can you possibly be mad about this?”
Given the fact that Zoe was covered in viscous goo — just like everybody else in the room except Sami and Paris — I had a feeling I already knew the answer.
“I’m totally going to take your phone away,” Zoe hissed. “No more internet for you.”
“Oh, but this isn’t my fault!” Sami’s complaint ended on a wail. “How come everything gets blamed on me?”
Three
Aric, Zoe, and Sami were still in the gate room when I exited the bathroom. It took longer than I anticipated to remove the revenant goo and I was still convinced that I had some in my ear. For her part, Sami seemed perfectly okay with what she’d done ... even though the expressions on her parents’ faces said otherwise.
“It was a monster,” the teenager persisted, folding her arms across her chest defiantly. “We’re supposed to fight monsters.”
“You didn’t know it was a monster,” Zoe countered. “For all you know, it could’ve been an angel. That’s the gate that leads to the other side. I bet there are angels over there.”
Sami hesitated and then looked to me for confirmation. “Are there angels over there?”
I wasn’t certain what I should say.
“No angels,” Cormack volunteered as he exited the men’s room. His suit jacket had gone missing, making me believe it was probably a lost cause, but he didn’t appear all that upset about the exploding revenant. “Well, at least I don’t think there are angels.”
Sami’s dark eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Have you been over there?”
“No.”
“Has anyone been over there?”
Cormack flicked his eyes to me and then held out his hands. “I know three people who have managed to cross the threshold and return.”
“Really?” Sami’s expression brightened. “So ... you’re saying they looked Death in the face, kicked him in the nuts, and escaped back to this side? I like that.”
Cormack chuckled. “Oh, I want to keep you.”
“Don’t threaten us with a good time,” Aric warned, although he appeared amused by Cormack’s response to his daughter.
“Just out of curiosity, did the people who crossed over kick Death in the nuts before escaping?” Zoe queried.
“No.” Cormack shook his head. “It’s not like that. However, I’ve never been on that side. If you have questions, talk to Izzy and Oliver. They were two of the three who managed to return.”
I shot him a dirty look. I couldn’t believe he’d opened me up to questions from the tyrannical teenager from Hell.
“You were over there?” Sami’s expression was serious as she regarded me. “Does that mean you died?”
“Sami.” Zoe shot her offspring a warning look and shook her head. “Don’t pry into Izzy’s private business.”
“We’re here to help, though,” Sami pointed out. “Don’t we need all the information before we can help?”
Zoe opened her mouth but didn’t immediately speak. That was enough to have Sami’s lips twisting into a smug smile. “That’s what I thought.” She extended her hand toward her father. “That’s twice in one month. You owe me fifty bucks.”
Aric rolled his eyes but dug for his wallet, riffling through the bills there before handing Sami two twenties and a ten. “I don’t know that I believe this counts.”
“What’s twice in one month?” Zoe snapped, suspicion evident. “What are you two even talking about?”
“I bet Sami she couldn’t render you speechless twice in the same month,” Aric replied, unruffled by his wife’s tone. “She pulled it off, so she gets her payment.”
Zoe’s eyes flashed with malice. “This time doesn’t count. I’m not speechless. I’m just ... thinking.”
“Uh-huh.” Amusement lit Aric’s features before he focused on me. “I’m sorry if you’re uncomfortable with my daughter’s questions. I wish I could say it’s going to get better. It’s not. It’s just going to get worse.”
I’d figured that out myself. “Yes, well ... .” I wasn’t used to spending time with children. Sure, Lily was always around, but she was an infant. I had no doubt she would grow into a mouthy monster like Sami at some point, but that was still years down the road.