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There was nothing to stop her fro Pandemonia Could she abandon Thronos to save herself? To return to her family?

After that kiss

Look back over your shoulder at hiret it Still, at the threshold, Lanthe bit her lip and turned back

“Don’t!” His voice was rife with pain—as if he already knew she would leave him behind “Don’t run from me, lamb!”

Lamb

He hadn’t called her that since they were children She reether as they’d sat beneath his wings She’d sighed that she loved him His voice had been thick when he’d replied, “I-I love you too, laed his heels, she bit out a curse and waited for hi this!

He looked as shocked as she felt Yet then he cast her that deternized It meant he believed he was about to beat all odds and triu to reach her, but with his attention divided, his strikes weren’t as efficient She could see deround Some lay in wait between Thronos and Lanthe

He’d never reach her And azes had already turned to her Demons ready to kill Or worse

Think, Lanthe! She couldn’t use persuasion on this many, especially not the ones farthest back She frowned Did she even need to?

As Sabine had told her: Illusion is reality

Lanthe yanked off the chain around her neck, holding it in a fist above her head The pieces clanked loudly “Look what I’ve got!” A few de her command with sorcery, she yelled, “Look, Pandeht coiled all around her, until she was radiating as brightly as the lightning above

More warriors stilled, hushedover the crowd In the lull, Thronos backed toward her

She jostled the keys above her “Do you want these?” Her sorcery was reflected in the eyes of the closest derate theasps sounded

“I aoddess, the Keeper of Keys and the Queen of Hell” She pointed at Thronos “He is thehied at once

Brows raised, Thronos hastened to her He mouthed, Reader of Words?

Lanthe wasn’t done yet She told the crowd, “Though we leave you noill return with these keys”—return for old—“but only if you achieve peace here” Geopolitical stability makes for easier treasure transpo “Understood?” She slipped the necklace back on

When the unsteady threshold began to waver and shrink, Thronos sprinted for her Would the space be wide enough for theainst him on his way to the portal “You awaited me For the first time, you didn’t run froret this” Clasping her tight, he dove for the opening at the last second

The rift sealed behind the into a neorld

THIRTY-FIVE

Ahh!” Lanthe screeched to find herself under a pounding waterfall in waist-high water

She swiped her forear her vision

He pulled her fro out his dark hair “Where are we?” The demon blood that had coated hi to survey their surroundings, she blinked against the brightness of the day The sun was a blazing golden ball in the sky Past a field of bloodred wildflowers, she saw pink sand and a placid sea the color of new grass This huge waterfall and pool were the same shade

I know this pink beach I know this scent The air was sultry, s ofHawaiian Tropic, flowers, and sex

Oh, no, no, this couldn’t be!

Yet then the sun began to twinkle Feveris was usually sunny because its clouds were translucent; when they passed in front of the sun, they old, this is Feveris”

“We’re in the Land of Lusts?” Thronos said in the saht say, “For real, we’re Powerball winners?”

“This can’t be—I ai will it be till we’re robbed of control?” His voice was growing huskier

“Less than tenI was here before I hadme back I’d just wanted to see if the ru—because Thronos was sht struck his eyes, setting his irises aglow,s She felt the ue With his face relaxed, his scars seemed to fade

The first ti to collect her thoughts, she asked, “Why do you look so pleased with yourself?”

“For one, you’re alive More, you saved me from a demon arht us to Feveris Maybe you wanted to corowing on you”

She wanted to deny it, but couldn’t Sos for hiile sprout of affection poked its head above snow?

Illusion was reality Act like partners long enough, guess what you’ll become

Stupid sprout

“Already I feel the effects of this place” He raked his gaze over her body,her skin flush

“I do too,” she admitted Out from under the cascade, the water of this pool was bal her

Before, she’d worried about letting go with him She’d worried what he would think about her Now the decision had been taken from her Had she subconsciously steered them here?

“Why did you await ertips along her cheekbone, casting her a proud smile “Why did my brilliant er than the two of them? Because when he’d called her la their friendship? “I just did, okay? But I didn’t intend to come here!”