Page 85 of The Night Rising
“I know, and I’m proud of you.”
That was good to know. But there were other things I wanted to know. “What happened at the other battle, the underworld gate?”
“Paimon sent Rotgar and two former princes, plus his demons and those Huddyriuns to attack us,” Shane said, his tone somber. “Even though it was a distraction, demon hunters, vampires, witches, and warlocks were fighting to protect the gate.”
Which meant, a lot of them were hurt. “How did it end?”
“When I realized Paimon’s real objective, I left, so I didn’t see what happened next, but Killian and Drake came in to check on the wounded in the middle of the night and told me.” He paused. “They lost a lot of lives, but they held the line. The demons and the princes didn’t get near the gate, and when they heard Paimon had fallen, they retreated as fast as they had come.”
“So it’s over?”
Shane nodded. “It seems to be, though the demon hunters won’t ease security around the gates for a long while.”
As they shouldn’t. Who knew how many allies Paimon had out there? Some crazy demon might want to continue his plan and attack again. I shuddered, hoping that never happened.
A glimpse of the battle came back to mind and I inhaled deeply. “What happened to Norah and Prince Cain? Are they back?”
Shane shook his head. “Paimon threw Norah through the portal, Cain ran after her, and now no one can find the key to open the portal again. Either the key was stolen or destroyed during the explosion.”
My chest deflated. Oh no, those two. They were now lost in a strange realm, going through who knew what … at least they were together. And I was sure Drake wouldn’t rest until he found a way to open the portal again and bring them back. Still, that didn’t sit well with me.
Someone snuggled at my back and I gently turned. “Hey you.” I opened my arms and Minsi nestled herself against me. “Are you okay?” She nodded, her chin grazing my collarbone. I kissed her forehead. “That is over. You’ll never had to go through that again. I promise.”
Shane spooned me from behind. I glanced over Minsi’s head and found Tyren watching us. I beckoned him over. He hesitated, but came. He lay behind Minsi and reached over, his hand on my arm, and Shane put a big, heavy arm around all of us. Despite everything, contentment filled my heart, and with a soft smile, I fell asleep again.
* * *
“She’s heating up again.”
“Stay away from her.”
“She needs to be moved somewhere else.”
I blinked, but couldn’t get a hold of myself, of my thoughts. I was drowning in fire, too hot to breath, to think.
“She’ll be fine.”
A hand pushed on my nape and then a cold liquid pooled at my mouth and dripped down my throat. I inhaled as the fire in my lungs, in my veins retreated. I wasn't bathing in fire anymore, but I was still too damn hot.
At least clarity seemed to return to me as I blinked and saw a crowd of people standing a few feet away, all of them behind the witch’s circle, except for Meredith, Kaz, and Shane. Even the second bed had been pushed away from me, and Minsi and Tyren crouched over it, their worried eyes on me.
“Hey,” I croaked, my throat dry. Shane helped me sit up, and Meredith propped some pillows behind my back. I was so, so weak, and still too hot. “They are right. I shouldn’t be here.”
“That’s what the witch’s circle is for,” Meredith said.
“I still think I should go somewhere else,” I insisted. “Maybe my previous room? It also has a witch’s circle, and it’s close to the infirmary, but not too close?” I wanted to go to a hut in the middle of the forest, where I couldn’t hurt anyone, but I doubt they would let me.
Meredith’s eyes narrowed. “I’ll talk to Thea.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, too weak to talk properly.
Shane put a hand to my forehead and glanced at Kaz and Meredith. “Can she take another elixir? She’s still burning up.”
“The last one is still working through her system,” Kaz said. “Give it a little time.”
The supernaturals fanned out, most of them returning to their beds, except for Rue, who stood with Tyren and Minsi, looking at me with love-filled eyes. There was a purple bruise on her shoulder and neck, and she had a few scratches on her face, but other than that, she looked okay.
“Thank you,” I said to her. “For standing up for Minsi.”