Page 48 of Unleashing Chaos

Desi laughs, and the sound is like wind chimes echoing over the breeze. “This is Infernis. We don’t need to hide the portals.”

“That makes sense,” I say, trying to find anything that signals I’m no longer in my realm. Nothing is out of sorts. Grass, trees, a small creature scurrying up a trunk, we could be anywhere.

Desi lifts her bag but I wave her off, laying it sideways on top of my rolling suitcase. When I intertwine our fingers again, my skin tingles at the touch, and I swear I feel her shiver. But I don’t look at her to confirm. I can’t.

It’s about to be a long two days.

She turns to the medium guarding the portal. “Did my father send transportation for us?”

They nod and gesture to the gilded carriage turning into the driveway. “There it is now.”

When the driver hops out of the carriage, I take a step back. The creature is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. It has a long tail and skin with a greenish hue. The demon is humanlike and at the same time not. It flashes Desi and me a smile, showing off two rows of pointed teeth, before loading our luggage.

Realizing I’m staring, I release a long breath and take in more of this new place. The stars shine brightly in the sky and the cool breeze rustles the red and orange leaves on the dogwood trees across the street. A quick hum of wonder vibrates in my throat.

“Are you okay?” Desi asks, her curls whipping around and nearly hitting me in the face.

“Yeah, it’s just—” I struggle to put my thoughts into words. “I expected this place to look ridiculously different from home. But it doesn’t. It’s just . . . enhanced somehow, I don’t know.”

It’s not the only thing that’s enhanced. Ever since we stepped out of that portal something about Desi has been different. I’ve told her before that she’s gorgeous, and I meant every word. But here? Here she’s resplendent. Everything about her is brilliant and dazzling. Her hair, her eyes, her—

Desi laughs as the driver opens the back of the carriage and we step inside. “What, you mean because we are about to take a horse and buggy to the palace instead of a car like normal people? And yes, we do have cars. My father is just extra AF.”

I smile at the human slang she has picked up since moving in with Cannon and me, attempting to focus on it instead of how radiant she is in the moon’s glow. “You have cars. That’s unexpected. Is it always night here?”

“It’s not night. It’s quarter ’til five in the morning. It only took us a few minutes to travel through the portal.”

“Right. Does your Circle look like this?” I ask, watching the scenery pass by. Antique light posts and storefronts with hand-painted signs line the cobblestone street. It’s like something out of a Charles Dickens novel.

“No. My father has a thing for nineteenth century New York. Each of my brothers has made modifications to their Circle to reflect their personal taste. Some are what humans consider futuristic and others very medieval.”

I turn to Desi, interested in her answer to my next question. “Then what will your Circle look like?”

She smiles and leans her head back against the seat, not taking her eyes off me. “Honestly, I haven’t let myself give it a lot of thought. I want my eternal partner to be able to help me decide so that he’s happy too.” She bites her lip, and that simple little action does something to me. Something that is going to make being close to her this weekend really damn difficult. “What do you think about a space-themed Circle? Or maybe something modern, like a graphic designer would envision?” She gives me a wink and I swallow hard, forcing myself to stay with the conversation.

“A Star Wars themed Circle?” I ask, keeping the mood light.

“It’s possible.”

“Wild.” I shake my head, soaking in the architecture and flora outside the carriage window.

It isn’t long before we’re pulling up in front of what appears to be a palace. We climb out of the carriage, and my jaw just about hits the ground as I look up at the building looming in front of us. It’s constructed with black and gray stone, with turrets and spires, and stained-glass windows depicting dark but oddly beautiful scenes from what must be Infernis’s long and storied history. No doubt it has countless rooms inside, and I want Desi to take me on a tour of every single one.

“My god,” I mutter, eyes scanning the massive home and everything around it. “This is incredible. This is where you grew up?”

The grin that spreads across Desi’s face is wide and proud, and I know immediately the answer is yes.

“Wait until you see the inside.” She grabs my hand, guiding me to the front steps. “Come on, handsome. Let’s go meet the fam.”

“Wait, wait. Desi?” I pull her back, nearly causing her to bump into me. “Am I underdressed? I feel like I need some tights and one of those ruffly dog collar things.”

She snorts with laughter. “Hades, no. Trust me, no one wears tights. Much less a Shakespearean shirt.”

“You know who Shakespeare is?”

She ignores my question. Her gaze travels up and down my body, taking in my tailored black slacks and the fitted no-tuck crimson button-down. “You’re perfect, Jace.”

Her compliment makes my insides do some weird melting thing. I’m not sure whether to fear the outcome or revel in the feeling. It’s something to analyze later.

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