Page 51 of Cherish

“There’s a garden around the corner,” Hudson answers, moving next to his brother. “We should be able to open a portal there.”

“I’ll head out now. Give me two minutes to get it open and then bring Mekhi,” he tells Jaxon, who nods.

Eden follows him with the sleeping draught while Heather grabs a couple of blankets before leaving the room, too, with one backward concerned glance for Mekhi.

“Thank you for your help,” I tell the nurse as Jaxon moves to Mekhi’s bedside. “We appreciate it more than we can say.”

“Of course. I hope he’ll be okay,” the nurse responds.

“Thank you.” This time it’s Jaxon who answers, voice thick with the emotions that are running through all of us right now.

“You ready?” Hudson asks quietly.

“No,” Jaxon answers. But then he bends over and picks Mekhi up in a fireman’s carry. “Let’s get the hell out of here, shall we?”

He doesn’t need to ask me twice. I rush to the door and hold it open for him while Hudson fades down the hall and does the same with the door into the garden.

Part of me expects Jaxon to fade, but instead, he walks down the hall as slowly and carefully as if he were carrying a newborn. When we finally get to the garden, Eden and Heather are already gone and Flint is holding the portal open for the rest of us.

“You okay?” he asks Jaxon as he steps up to the swirling black-and-purple magic.

Jaxon ignores the question, though. And then he’s stepping through the portal, Mekhi securely hooked over his shoulder. As they disappear, I really hope the portal is easier the second time around. For all our sakes.

30

Like a Goth

to a Flame

Turns out, the portal is even worse the second time around. I swear, for a minute I’m certain I’m being flayed alive.

But thankfully, all my skin is intact, and so is the rest of me, when I finally tumble out of the portal and onto the ground in Turin, Italy. Everyone else is, too, including Mekhi, who is still sleeping peacefully—or at least as peacefully as anyone can when draped over Jaxon’s shoulder.

Once I’m on my feet, I take a moment to brush the city grime off my butt, then look around to try to figure out where the portal has delivered us. I was kind of hoping we’d be inside the Witch Court, but the traffic whizzing by on the street behind us definitely negates that idea.

A quick spin tells me exactly where we are: in the heart of Il Piazza Castello, right in front of the Witch Court. I’d recognize this place anywhere—not just because of the distinctive architecture of the buildings all around us but because of that damn creepy statue directly in the center of the piazza.

For the most part, it’s just a pile of rocks balanced on top of a fountain, but when you add in the sculptures of barely clothed men languishing on the side of it and the dark angel standing watch at the top, it gives off some very menacing vibes. It’s given me the creeps from the very first time I saw its double in the Impossible Trials, and now that I know it’s also the gateway to the Shadow Realm, it seems even worse.

But I have no time to obsess over statues right now. Not when I still have to figure out how toopenthe portal. I mean, it’s a fountain—so it’s not like we can just turn a knob and walk through a doorway. Clearly there’s a spell or something that activates a portal inside the fountain. I just need to find the right witch to ask…

The late-afternoon sun is blocked by gray clouds as we move toward the entrance of the Witch Court. A cold wind sweeps through the air around us, making me shiver.

“So who’s going to knock?” Flint asks as he saunters up beside me. I haven’t had a chance to ask him if he wants to talk about what’s going on at the Dragon Court, but given the way he seems to be avoiding Jaxon’s glances right now, I’d wager political intrigue is probably the last thing on his mind.

I shoot off a quick text to Macy, then wait to see if she’ll answer immediately. If she does, she might be exactly who we need to get into the Court without a lot of fuss, or she might even know who can tell us how to open the statue-portal. Besides, I’d just like to see my cousin, check on her. Maybe ask about the whole spooky-painful-portal thing.

“This place gives me the creeps,” Jaxon mutters as we wait for Macy’s response. “It’s so…extra.”

“I can see how that’s a problem for you, considering how cozy the Vampire Court is,” drawls a familiar voice from behind us.

I turn just in time to see the shimmery edges of a portal disappear—right after my cousin steps out of it.

“Macy!” I squeal, running to her. “I thought you were grounded. I wasn’t expecting the immediate meetup!”

She runs a hand through her shaggily cut hair. She’s changed the color since I saw her last—now it’s a dark, gorgeous sea green that somehow looks both beautiful and dangerous. Which is a pretty accurate reflection of everything about Macy these days.

Gone is the sparkly, bubbly cousin who always looks on the bright side, even when bad stuff happens. In her place is a witch who’s embracing her power in new and mysterious ways—one who definitely appears to be choosing chaos over joy.

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