She struggled with the weight of the entire crew, her wings beating the air with tormenting slowness. Buildings passed beneath us at tortoise speed.
No way could we lose our window of opportunity. I had no idea how serious Brooks’s injury was, but a demon dart had to be bad. I had to get her home quickly—Rosie’s magic saliva could heal her.
Adrik readjusted his hold on Brooks’s talons. “Can’t the eagle change into a dragon or some other massively powerful creature?”
No, I thought. Hurakan had once told me that only Itzamna had the power to turn into a dragon. “We’ll get there, okay?”
Quinn shrieked. She redoubled her efforts and flew across the night like everything depended on it. The second I looked down, my stomach clenched. Ik and another demon were racing on foot below us, keeping pace. Their necks lengthened and bent unnaturally so their beady eyes could watch our every move. A few cars cruised the street, but thankfully there were no pedestrians to get mowed down by the monsters.
“We’ve got company!” I shouted to Quinn.
“Are you joking me?” Adrik cried. “They’re unkillable—like cockroaches.”
I called on Fuego. A second later, my spear zipped toward Ik in a motion nearly untraceable to the human eye. Just as Fuego was about to hit the traitor, Iktan transformed into a column of silvery-purple mist. The spear stabbed the demon she’d left behind, and a loud cry echoed through the night.
My eyes searched frantically for Ik. How much time had I bought us? There. The deceitful monster reappeared, racing across the tree-lined street.
We had a fifteen-second head start, tops.
When we finally set down outside the laundromat, Brooks shifted back to her human form, then fainted.
I caught her before she collapsed. “She’s burning up!” All I could think was Please don’t let there be poison.
“It’s locked!” Quinn cried, banging on the door. “And the gate’s disappearing!”
I looked through the window and, inside a giant commercial dryer, caught sight of the familiar shimmer of a closing gateway—a swirl of gold and silver with flecks of blue.
“We have to break down the door!” I shouted.
Quinn’s eyes fell on Brooks, and I could tell she was torn, like she wanted to rush over and check out her sister’s injury. But her warrior training wouldn’t let her—she had to stay focused on the task at hand. Just when I predicted Quinn was about to shift into some massive ramming beast, Alana and Adrik shoved her aside and went to the door. They huddled so close I couldn’t see what they were doing. And then…
Click.
They swung the door open. Okay, they really were professional burglars.
My heart launched into the stratosphere. We were going to make it!
Or that’s what I thought until I saw Ik reflected in the window. She was only about thirty feet away, sprinting toward us with fangs and claws exposed.
Adrik screamed. Alana shoved him through the door as I threw Brooks over my shoulder, willed Fuego back into my grip, and hurried toward the flickering gateway at the rear of the laundromat. The demon’s footsteps were so close. Too close.
For a split second, I considered throwing Fuego at Ik’s ugly mug, but I couldn’t slow down long enough and I didn’t have a free hand to incinerate the monster, either. “HURRY!” I shouted.
The gateway glimmered weakly.
Ten feet.
Five.
Three.
Quinn threw open the dryer and jumped inside after Adrik and Alana. Just as it was about to disappear, I nose-dived into the portal, wishing I could watch as it slammed closed in Ik’s double-crossing face.
Here’s the thing about magical portals: They’re a lot like cars. Some ride like a dream; others are hunks of junk that should be sent to a scrapyard. Yeah, well, we got the junk.
The world spun violently. Hot, turbulent winds sucked the breath from my lungs. I clutched Brooks tightly as white goose down and staticky socks showered us. Then a sudden drop in air pressure made my ears pop. As I was catapulted out of the gateway and rolled across packed sand, I lost my hold on Brooks.
I scrambled over to where she lay near a bent palm tree. She was unconscious and hot to the touch. My heart dropped into my stomach. “Brooks?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Adrik and Alana get to their feet a few yards away. I quickly glanced over my shoulder to see waves rolling gently onto a small beach.
We had made it to Holbox. Thank the gods!
I jumped up, hurried toward the water, and from each hand shot a thick stream of fire fifty feet into the night sky. Rosie knew that red flames equaled SOS, as in Get here pronto!
When I got back to Brooks, Quinn was kneeling next to her and trying to keep Alana at bay.
“I’ve had first aid training,” the girl twin said. “Maybe I can help.”
“This will require something else,” Quinn said. But she let Alana kneel next to Brooks anyway.
“How about a little light?” Alana asked me.
I squatted and ignited a small flame in my palm, allowing Alana to see Brooks’s wound. “There’s something in her arm,” the godborn said. She was too calm, like she was used to escaping demons, falling through magical portals, and doctoring shape-shifters. “I need some tweezers or…” Her voice trailed off as she appraised our surroundings.
“If you guys had come with us sooner,” I growled, “this wouldn’t have happened.”
From behind me, Adrik said, “We don’t even know you! And I bulldozed some of those monsters, in case you forgot. It was totally cinema-worthy!”
“Blame won’t heal her, Obispo.”
Anger, frustration, and panic battled inside me, but I knew Quinn was right. We had to focus on Brooks. “Rosie’s on her way.”
Come on, Rosie. Where are you?
Quinn leaned closer. A small talon emerged from her index finger, and she used it to gently probe the wound. A stream of fresh blood ran down Brooks’s arm as her sister dug out a silver dart tip.
I barely breathed. “Was it poisoned?”
“She wouldn’t still be breathing if it was.” Then Quinn released a stream of threats and promises of revenge.
“Why wouldn’t it be?” I asked. “These are demons we’re talking about.”
Quinn shrugged. “How should I know? Maybe they ran out of poison. Maybe they weren’t in a killing mood.”
“They seemed like some pretty motivated murderers to me,” Adrik said.
I followed Alana’s gaze to her brother. The two shared a nod and a grimace. Then their irises changed to a deep blue-black, and I swear it was like their eyes were made of liquid. What the heck? They were definitely talking telepathically.
“It’s good she’s sleeping.” Quinn stroked Brooks’s hair. “That’s how nawals heal.” She stood and asked, “How far are we from your house, Obispo?”
“You live here?” Adrik asked. “Looks like a deserted island.”
I knew every inch of Isla Holbox, including this stretch of isolated beach on the north end. “About three miles to the house,” I said.
“She’s awake!” Alana cried. “She…she moved.”
I dropped to Brooks’s side, grabbing her hand. Her fingers wiggled. A second later, her amber eyes opened and stared right into mine. Relief spread through me. “Are you okay?”