Page 99 of Charming Her Monsters

“I can ask him,”I offer.

“Not now. Let’s all get settled first. Otherwise, they might fight if they don’t like his answer.”

“Okay. That’s smart, to be patient.”Then I say what I need to get off my chest,“Speaking of patience… All of us want revenge for your death and will help you find it. So how about you stop stealing my body and trying to run off?”

“I’ll try. I promise.”

“Do. Or do not. There is no try,”I sass.

“You are seriously quoting science-fiction to me?”he asks.“I thought you were strictly into fantasy-paranormal romance.”

“My horizons are broader than that, thank you very much.”

“Jade?” Maxum calls.

“Huh?” I snap out of my mental conversation with Osen to see all four guys are staring at me. “I’m coming!”

“Not yet, you aren’t.” Maxum winks and holds out his hand for me, pulling me through to our next destination.

Okay, not quite our final destination.

Maxum uses the same tactic to lose any potential tracker as we did when we traveled to the lake house. We crisscross through the realms and countries. Flint, Arran, and Maxum take turns giving me piggy back rides when my short, human legs have a hard time with the terrain.

Maxum asks me to come to him just before he opens a new portal. I’m losing count. Maybe our fifth? “Stick close to me.”

I don’t like the urgency or concern in his normally even-keeled demeanor. When I peek through the magical doorway, I see darkness, barren land, and orange flames in the distance. The vibes aren’t exactly welcoming.

“What the fuck?” I whisper.

We step through, and Maxum informs me, “It’s the second ring of hell.”

“You take me to all the best places.” I joke. But then I feel bad. It’s his origins, after all. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. I hate it.” He strokes his hand down my back and for a moment I wonder if he’s making the gesture to soothe himself too. He watches the rest of the guys join us and simultaneously keeps an eye out for danger. “Sure, it isn’t as what humans believe it is, but it’s usually an unregulated, lawless place. And its inhabitants are often out for themselves. It’s dangerous for anyone, but especially so for anyone not from here.”

There’s a smoky aroma in the air, but it’s not the inviting scent that Maxum naturally has.

“Let’s go,” Maxum says as he rushes toward what looks like a cavern.

Not to be a ‘fraidy cat, but I’m nervous.

Then I realize. I’m literally in hell. I don’t think many paranormal authors can claim that and mean it. Although, we often feel like we are when we run up against deadlines.

The atmosphere feels heavier, thicker. My breathing is labored as we tromp across the rough and barren landscape.

“Where are we exactly? Are we under the Earth like some humans believe?”

“No. It’s in another dimension layered over Earth’s plane, just as the fae realm is. And just like the fae realm, there is energetic overlap, where the mortal realm and hell bleed into each other. That overlap is destroying a lot of hell, just as it has with Elfhame.”

“Humans are destroying the other realms?”

“Not to mention their own,” Calder adds.

“So it’s not wrong when some fairytales say the fairies are dying off?”

“Where do you think those stories come from?” Maxum frowns. “The truth.”

“And there are a lot of supernatural beings who have contributed to the mortal’s literary world,” Calder explains. “Books even stolen from other realms and distorted to fit human sensibilities.”

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