Page 119 of Dead Heat

We walked through the woods to the crossroads. West must’ve told the guards to expect me because they each gave me a gruff nod of acknowledgement and moved aside.

“Best of luck, Lorelei,” Xander said. “I heard you threw a helluva game night. Can I come to the next one?”

“If there is a next one.”

Alessandro reeled back. “You threw a party last night?”

“It was a small gathering.”

“And you didn’t invite me?” He shook his head ruefully. “It’s because of how I look, isn’t it?”

“It’s because I only had a limited number of chairs.”

“Whatever. You know where you’re going?” Alessandro asked, as the three of us passed through the crossroads.

“Yggdrasil, then we make an offering to Odin and hope he opens a portal for us.”

“If not?”

I shrugged. “Then we’ll have to go through the official entrance.” Which would make things harder but not impossible.

The incubus waved a hand at the trees. “Aren’t we just walking through the same woods?”

“You don’t feel the difference?” Max asked.

“No. Should I?”

“Not necessarily,” I said, although I felt it the moment we passed between the two large oak trees that marked the entrance to the crossroads. It began with a faint buzzing in my head and a tingle down my spine.

“It’s because of the mark,” Alessandro said. “I bet that’s why I can’t sense anything different.”

I doubted the mark was the cause of this particular issue, but there was no point in kicking the incubus when he was already down. Just like people, some supernaturals weren’t as attuned to their surroundings as others.

“I need everyone to clear their minds and focus on Yggdrasil.” I held up an illustration on my phone. “If imagery works better for you, then picture this.”

The forest grew darker, and the trees grew closer until our path appeared more like a hedge maze, and finally, a narrow corridor where a silver door awaited us at the end. There was no knob or handle, so I simply pushed.

We spilled into a place devoid of trees—except one.

Yggdrasil was the largest tree I’d ever seen. The ash tree was so large, in fact, that I was unable to see the top limbs that stretched straight into the sky.

“We made it,” Max said, sounding relieved.

Alessandro slapped the cherufe’s back. “Rock on, Max.”

Max gave him a thumbs-up in return. At least I assumed it was meant to be a thumb. Hard to tell when his hands were made of sticks and stones.

I aimed a finger at Alessandro. “Wait right here by the door. Do not pass go. Do not collect two hundred dollars.”

His face soured. “Now you’re just rubbing it in that I wasn’t invited to game night.”

I motioned for Max to join me at the base of the tree to make the offering. “Hail Odin, first and foremost among gods, hear my plea.”

“Laying it on a little thick, aren’t you?” Max whispered.

I shushed him and continued. “We seek passage to Helheim, to the land of the dead. As you are the one true god of death, we forsake all others and beseech you to grant us entry.”

Using the blade of my throwing knife, I sliced my palm and let the blood drip to the earth.

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