Page 47 of Unleashing Chaos

“Does this medium need to think we’re together too?”

Desi nods. “Yeah. All the mediums think as one being. If one of them realizes we’re faking it, all of them will. And it could get back to my father.”

“Wait, one being? What do you mean?”

“Think of it like this: the mediums all share one conscience, they share thoughts, function as one. Don’t let them fool you—they may look human, but they aren’t.”

I just shake my head as we enter the station; I have no idea what to say to that. Inside, everything is covered in dust—the counter, the linked plastic chairs in the waiting area, even the floor. We leave a trail of footprints as we walk through it, kicking up particles that catch the light. Desi guides me to a dark hallway in the back of the building. An exposed lightbulb hangs in the middle of the ceiling, with two steel doors on either side of the hallway. A hum of electricity comes from behind one, while the other is silent.

She nods to the quiet room, and I open the door. Bright light greets us along with a curvaceous blond wearing a low-cut shirt. The blond sits behind an oak desk with a large computer screen. They smack on a piece of gum and examine their pink, talon-like nails. “Can we help you?” they ask.

“I need to return to Infernis,” Desi says, and for the first time, her tone carries the air of a royal.

Their big brown eyes framed with false lashes ping-pong between us. “Papers.”

Desi digs out her identification and hands it to them. They set to work, pulling up her credentials on their computer, their nails clicking on the keyboard.

I lean in and drop my voice, saying, “Demons have passports?”

“How else would they identify angels and demons?”

“Of course,” I murmur and wonder what other wild discoveries await me.

The medium returns the identification card. “It says here that you have clearance to bring one human with you. Is this him?”

“It is,” Desi brightly says, holding up our clasped hands between us.

“You know the rules, he must return to this realm in two days.” They turn their attention to me. “This is your one and only chance to visit outside your realm while you are alive. Anything you see beyond this point must be presented as a dream or a near-death experience when speaking with other humans.”

“Yes, Desi explained everything to me,” I say, recalling the hours she spent giving me a crash course in Infernis customs and traveling between realms.

“All right, if you will follow us this way, we’ll open the portal for you.”

The medium opens a tall, steel cabinet. At first glance it appears to be storage for mops and brooms. But when they wave their hand, the cleaning supplies vanish. “Enjoy your stay in beautiful Infernis.”

Desi looks at me expectantly, and I sweep my arm out in front of me, delaying my entrance to the . . . portal for as long as possible. “After you,” I say. “I insist.”

Desi’s bottom lip disappears between her teeth, and I know she’s trying to keep herself from laughing as she steps inside the cabinet, holding her hand out to me.

“Come on, handsome. It’s a tight fit in here, so it’s a good thing you like me.” She gives me a wink and pulls me flush against her. “Hi,” she murmurs, sliding her arms around my waist, her fingertips slipping just under the hem of my shirt to graze my bare skin.

“Hello,” I reply, hoping she doesn’t notice the tremble in my voice. It’s difficult to keep my wits about me with her proximity and the feel of her skin on mine. I place my hands on her hips, doing my best to not let them wander. But she is so soft and warm in my arms. And when our gazes connect for a split second, I swear there’s fire in her eyes. Damn, I want to know what that burn feels like.

“No monkey business unless you’re a two-pump chump. It’s not a long ride,” the medium says before closing the door.

Everything around us goes pitch black, and my stomach flutters like I’m being dropped. I grip Desi as tightly as I can without being too rough, but when bright multicolor bursts flash all around us like stars exploding in a night sky, I groan as my stomach starts to turn.

I drop my head to her shoulder. “What are those? Stars?”

Desi’s voice is quiet and calm. “The energies of angels and demons. The In-Between is their final resting place when they choose to end their time in Infernis or Pax.” As though she senses my panic, she slides her hands up my spine and places her palms on the back of my head, rubbing my scalp slowly and gently. Just like she did the night I found out she was a demon and she found out I’m a ball of anxiety. So even in this moment when I feel like everything around me is impossibly overwhelming, she brings me back to a place of calm.

I lift my face and a sound that I can only describe as pure childlike wonder escapes my lips. I’m aware that I probably sound and look a little ridiculous as I gape at the spectacular sight around us. This is incredible. And I thought sci-fi movies had the best CGI. They have nothing on the In-Between.

With a shudder everything vanishes, giving way to a man in a suit. A toothy grin spreads under their well-trimmed mustache. “Welcome home, Princess Desideria.”

“Thank you,” she says, guiding me forward with a hand on my back. I look behind us, expecting to see a battered storage cabinet standing in the open. Instead, I find a free-standing, arched door at the curve of a horseshoe-shaped driveway.

“What happened to the ugly cabinet?” I whisper.

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