Page 28 of Run Like the Devil

Reality fell short, as it often did. It felt like getting a super-hot guy into bed only to have him poke my left labia for a minute before asking if I came. A lot of buildup for nothing.

Worse? All these steps and uphill walking made me wish I could gain and lose weight, because I would have one sweet ass by the end of it.Unfortunately, being dead and all, my body was what it was. I couldn’t get bigger tits or a tighter ass no matter how hard I worked.

“To the left is a wall, and to the right? A slightly darker wall,” Yazmor said, somehow managing to keep his cheery tone.

Which was impressive, given if he kept that up, he’d have to finish the walk with a blade in his side.

Hale didn’t seem to enjoy the commentary.

Actually…if Yazmor did end up with a blade in him, I really couldn’t discount any of the men as the one to do it. Hale would be most proud and admit it, but Gorrin and Tyrus were both more than willing to do it.

“Are we there yet?” I asked, ensuring my voice sounded exactly like a kid in the backseat on a long car trip.

“I never expected myself to wish for some horror from beyond to attack us,” Gorrin muttered.

“Can’t you just fly there, wings?” Hale asked.

“Can’t you?” Gorrin shot back.

“We all have decorative-only wings, so let’s not go down that path,” I reminded them.“None of us need to deal with wing envy.”

“I hope we don’t need all five of us when we arrive in the Plains,” Tyrus said as he took a spot beside me, his voice low so he spoke only to me. “I have a feeling we might lose one or two on the trip.”

“Well, at least if that happens, whoever kills them will get their power. That’s what matters, right?”

Tyrus didn’t smile, his gaze forward, but a twitch of his cheek made me chuckle. “Still,” Tyrus pressed. “We should probably stop soon.”

“How long have we been going? My cell stopped working as soon as we got on the Path.”

Tyrus lifted his wrist to peer at the watch there. “About six hours, if my watch is still working correctly. We’re nearing the area where the Path opens—once we reach there, we should set up for a break. Who knows what we’ll find after that, but we would be better ready to face it once rested.”

The idea of setting up some little campground seemed ridiculous. I got a sudden image of Tyrus making smores and Hale struggling to set up a tent and Yazmor chasing butterflies like some twisted little family.

Still, I couldn’t argue that he was right. My body was exhausted, both from the tension of our trip and the actual climbing. Some areas of the Path were just a sharp grade and others had actual stairs. The worst were the areas with jagged rocks at steps, and one slip had me nearly on my face.

Thankfully, Gorrin had been close enough to catch me, which had meant thus far, no one had actually bled yet.

I’d like to keep that going, like one of those counters at jobs that list how many days had passed since the last accident.

“You’re right,” I acknowledged as we neared the top of the Path.

Yazmor walked at the front like some overly excited tour guide, with Hale behind him. I had walked next, but now stood beside Tyrus, who had been behind me. Last came Gorrin, bringing up the rear. I appreciated him at the back because Yazmor would have complained about not being able to see anything and Hale would have just made comments about my ass.

I tried to stay calm as we neared that opening and the unknown that rested beyond.

It was strange, since between the four Lords, they knew what seemed like everything. Gorrin came from the Plains, Yazmor came from before this world had even been formed, and Tyrus and Hale had spent plenty of time in the Chasm and Earth to have a handle on most things.

So the five of us walking into something none of us knew shit about had me anxious, no matter how hard I tried to hide it.

No one had mentioned it, probably because they were just being nice.I’d bet they knew exactly how nervous this all made me.

Still, I refused to be the frightened one. I was an equal to these men, or so I kept telling myself. It was hard to believe it, to accept it, but I had pretended enough times in my life to manage it well enough.

We reached the top of the Path, the place where the walls on either side of us disappeared, and never had I realized just how much I appreciated a large open space.

At least, I thought that until I got a look at it.

The place made the Chasm downright cheery.

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