“I wasn’t going to let my brother die,” I answered her stonily. “You heard what they said.”

“They wouldn’t have killed him.”

“He was screaming.”

“Torture is different from death.” She dismissed me, turning toward Tyler, giving him a sweeping glance. “And he looks to me like he could’ve withstood a hell of a lot more than they gave him.”

“They told me I was going to die,” he growled, backing me up. “They said those bugs would suck me dry, and then they would ‘disassemble’ me. My sister did the right thing. Pack protects each other. That’s what we do. When one is in trouble, the other comes to their aid. We risk our lives for each other daily. It’s called honor.” He crossed his arms, his biceps straining through his ridiculous jumpsuit.

“Well, your little Pack better get ready to spend some quality time in Hell,” she responded in a bored tone, “because the real deal is here. You’ve been in limbo waiting for your sister to come free you, and it’s clear it’s dulled you to the peril you’re actually facing. Once the demon guards bring you to the detaining rooms, the Underworld will be a much different experience, I guarantee it. Now get back behind the minimal protection we have or you may be harmed in the blast. You won’t die, but while you’re regenerating from the nasty damage, you’ll be caught with no chance of escape.”

There was tapping along the outside of the door, along with quiet murmuring, which sounded a like a chant. I kind of wanted to see what a half demon, half dwarf looked like.

But then again, I could live without it.

I grabbed Tyler’s sleeve and tugged him back behind a partition, where all the supplies were kept. In the other mending room there had been a bathtub crossed with a bed. This one held the chair Tyler had been in, which resembled an evil-looking dentist’s chair, and contained nothing else, except a strange metal cabinet.

“Let’s shove the cabinet in front of us,” I said, grasping one side as I moved past it. It was solid, but not crazy heavy. “I have no idea what the blast will be like, but she’s right, I don’t want to spend any time regenerating.”

Tyler took the other side and we slid it forward, placing it in front of the entryway to the partition. Coming around the side, he whispered low, “Listen, Jess, the demoness may be right. If I was just in a holding cell, we may be in for much more. I can’t help but feel like this is all some kind of weird game.” He glanced around, eyeing everything with distaste. “Like we’re standing in the middle of a chessboard and someone is about to say checkmate.”

He was right. It did feel like that. Wolves are upfront in everything they do. Conniving and trickery are not in our nature. There is no reason to beat around the bush when simply crushing your nemesis with your fists is enough. “I totally agree,” I said. “Something’s off. I had to go through some craziness to find you, but come to think of it, the entire city should’ve been on lockdown once you arrived. They knew I was coming. And once the demons saw me escape to the Sholls, there should’ve been a red alert issued then. We had to come back here eventually. And why are the janitors running the courthouse? You should’ve been under heavy guard. My first thought is they knew I would come to you, so this is not a surprise, but why wouldn’t the guards and beasts have been waiting for me in front of your cell? It’s all strange. Demons do their own thing, but this feels too orchestrated. But we’re not going to find the answers until it’s all over.”

“I hear you.” He turned. “Now help me get out of this monkey suit.” He had the front zipper clasped between his finger and thumb. “It won’t give.”

I reached up to grasp it and it gave me a little shock. “It’s spelled.” I pushed some of my magic into it until there was an audible pop. Then I yanked the zipper down and Tyler peeled it off. “After seeing you on a street corner not too long ago in your Calvins,” I chuckled, “I hadn’t thought I’d see you in them again so soon.”

“Very funny,” he grumbled. “At least they left me my underwear. They’re very cleanly around here. They made sure I was washed daily with this weird gel. It cleaned whatever it touched. I didn’t even have to get undressed.”

“I know,” I said. “It’s cleaned me off twice so far. It eats everything. We could certainly use some of that at home. It would make life a lot simpler. I’m deeming it the only good thing about Hell.”

“Yeah, it works great at home, until it accidentally disintegrates my pet cat.” Tyler wadded up the jumpsuit and tossed it in a corner. His boxer briefs were black and luckily covered him well.

I laughed. “You don’t have a cat,” I pointed out. “So it won’t be an issue.”

“Well.” He shrugged. “You have one, so I thought maybe I might get one too. You don’t own the market on cats, you know. Maybe the rest of us are searching for our own furry cuddle pal.”

I thumped him in the chest. “That’s not funny. My cat is going to be cranky I’m not back yet.” I missed Rourke like crazy, and for my wolf it had been almost intolerable. I had to block out her constant yearning or it would have been overwhelming. Being apart was hard for both of us, but I knew it was harder on him at the moment. Being separated from a mate felt like an open, aching wound. I just prayed that if he was coming after me, he would show up soon. I didn’t want to leave him to be here alone.

There was a loud thud against the door, but not a blast.

“Is that all you have, sweetheart?” Lily called. “That wasn’t very—”

The explosion burst my eardrums and sent both Tyler and me flying backward. We smashed into the wall, the metal cabinet busting through the partition to land on top of us. It had indeed taken the brunt of the blast. Tyler kicked it off and we both sprang up and ran. “Lily!” I called, squinting through the dust the blast had caused as I sprinted toward the door. “Where are you? Are you okay?”

She was nowhere to be found.

She’d been right in front of the door, so it was possible she’d been vaporized. There was commotion out in the hallway and I poked my head out. It was hard to see anything, but her voice carried: “Well, what are you waiting for, idiots? Run!”