Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Kellan

Luther's hurried footsteps crunched against the rocks of the gravel driveway behind me. "Mr. Stone. How can I get in touch with you? We don't have your number—"

I spun on my heel, halting Luther in his tracks.

Mr. Bogart stood in the doorway of his home, hands shoved into his pants, an all-consuming look of gloom etched into his features. The hunched shoulders and the permanent curve of his frown turned the knife wedged into my stomach.

Luther stood between us, but it didn't stop the invisible string that connected the two of us. I understood his heartache. It was the only reason I agreed to look for Josephine.

Because Deidamia needed to be stopped.

Her powers were rooted in the deepest and rawest evil in existence. There weren't many who could stop her or wanted to risk their lives to do it. She'd bound me to this fate. My molars ground together as I locked my jaws tightly.

"I will come back when I have news," I said. "Don't show up at my house and draw attention to it. You knowing of other realms puts me in a difficult predicament anyway. If anyone finds out—"

"They won't," Mr. Bogart said from the porch. "Your secret is safe with me. It's been safe with me for decades."

The memories resurfacing began to strangle me, so I stalked toward my pickup, opened the door, and slid into the warm cab. Sweat clung to me as I started the engine and backed out of the driveway.

Josephine's T-shirt sat beside me. It stared up at me in mock humor.

You will never find her.

The taunt slid down my spine like a dose of venom.

You can't save her.

Knocking my fist against the steering wheel, I attempted to beat out my frustration. It didn't work. No matter that I hit it repeatedly until blood smeared against my knuckles.

The lingering feeling of failure mixed with anger weighed me down. The drive to the cabin felt like hours, with each passing second another second Deidamia grew further away.

My truck tires slung gravel in my race into the driveway.

The low-hanging cypress trees swayed in the wind, blowing my dirty hair around my head and stirring the smells of home.

Unfortunately, I won't be staying long.

George woke when I stomped up the steps and opened the front door. He scurried in behind me, only to plop down on the grungy rug in my living room.

I wasn't a decorator by a long shot.

I kicked my bathroom door open, the small single bathroom sink was rusted but matched the rest of the house. My body ached and longed to take a long bath in the claw-foot tub.

But the images of Josephine being tossed around halted me from relaxing.

I tightened my fingers around the edge of the porcelain sink and hung my head low. Seconds ticked by while I tossed a handful of water onto my face and slicked it back over my head.

I grabbed my toothbrush from the holder and at least brushed my teeth. George began to snore from the living room. I envied the hell out of that dog. Then I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. My bedroom was small, the queen-sized bed the fanciest thing in my entire house.

Nothing beats a good night's sleep.

Snatching T-shirts, jeans, and underwear, I shoved them into my small backpack with Josephine"s T-shirt. My boots left a muddy trail from my driveway along my wooden floor, but I left it.

George didn't mind a little mess.

He hardly stirred when I walked out and propped the screen door open for him to come and go as he pleased.

The silence of the cabin called to me once more before I shut the door behind me. The sun had lowered in the sky, leaving twilight and I to dance in the woods.

The dead leaves and debris clung to my pant legs and boots. I pushed through it knowing the further I walked, and the closer to the bayou, there was less of a chance of being caught.

Only hunters and wanderers came into the woods.

Unless by accident.

If the gators did not get you, then count yourself lucky.

I stopped in a familiar clearing, which was just a small circle that wasn't bogged down in a swampy stew at my feet or overrun by brush.

Digging two small holes into the ground with the soles of my feet, I glanced up at the canopy of trees above me. The silence of the forest settled over me, warming me from the inside out and settling me into the presence.

Portal traveling hadn't always been my mode of transportation.

Before my immortality was set in stone, I had no idea of other realms. I'd been a normal kid from southern Louisiana.

It took more than the swing of an arm to open a portal. Finding your calm while you are raging with anger took practice. For some more so than others.

Tightening and untightening my fists, I blocked out the memories banging on my insides. Images worked their way into my thoughts. Flashes of their faces.

The bright blue liquid scorched down my throat, sucking my life away.

My jaw began to cramp from clamping my teeth together so tightly.

Until it all vanished. The images. The noise. Until everything went blank around me. Like tunnel vision, I imagined the portal that would lead me back into Hell.

The one that I vividly remembered from many moons before.

The one that ended my human life. And snatched away the family I'd always prayed for.

The wind picked up around me, blowing leaves around me in a mini tornado and cooling my internal temperature. Sprinkles of water began to rain down on me from the neighboring bayou.

The strength of the wind grew, pushing and pulling me until I knelt before it, the portal opening at my feet.

Blacks and purples swirled inside of it. The pull of the vortex made a vibrating sound that rattled my eardrums. It wasn't a sound you grew accustomed to.

Bracing my palm on my knee, I stood up slowly and stepped forward. The wind flung limbs and thorny vines at my face. A vibrant warning.

I took two more steps until I was snatched into the vortex and tossed into the darkness.

The twirling lasted seconds.

I landed in the middle of a vast field on my stomach, my face smashing against a few stray rocks. Blood leaked down my face, traveling toward the ground and marking my presence in this godforsaken realm.

I rolled over onto my back, and my backpack surprisingly making the trip with me and blocked the jagged rocks from poking into my skin.

I sat up slowly, my head spun, and vomit climbed my throat. I choked it down and rested my elbows against my bent knees.

The piercing sun beamed down on me. The flowers were bright iridescent orange.

I'd learned my lesson on touching unknown things a long time ago. Even though I wouldn't die, the pain of the death would still rock me.

The East Realm was oddly beautiful. It reminded me of a twisted version of Oz.

Everything was different but not in a bad way.

Almost as if we stepped into Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory.

The type of magical creatures varied from giants to fairies. There was no stopping what other realms held.

The unknown didn't scare me anymore.

It was the known that walked in my nightmares.

I stood up slowly. The distant sound of chatter from a village nearby caught my ear. That was where I needed to go. Finding Deidamia wouldn't be easy.

People knew of her.

They knew she delved in dark magic and her lack of morality. She was self-centered and didn't care about anyone but herself.

I'd have to tear the place apart or scare someone into telling me the truth.

Her castle was vague in my memories. I didn't know how I got there, but I remembered the wretched smell in her basement. The cauldron like some fairy tale had come to life.

The woods separating me from the town were thick with brush and trees. I slid my hand down into my boot and pulled out the knife tucked away there. Using the short blade to tear at the brush and thorny vines, I attempted to keep them away from my face.

Blood trickled down my cheek to soak into the top of my T-shirt.

Bleeding in a realm you weren't familiar with wasn't smart. The creatures in other realms weren't like the ones on Earth. The ability to smell blood like a vampire wasn't rare.

Shoving my way through the madness, I stopped once I made it to a clearing. The small creek running through it sparkled from the sun peeking through the canopy of trees.

I bent down in front of it and lapped it into my mouth like a dog. Cupping my hands, I brought it up to my mouth and drank. After countless handfuls of water, I sat back on my ass and stared around at the wilderness.

None of it looked familiar.

Standing to my feet, I dusted off my worn jeans and stepped over the small creek. One good thing about being an immortal was the inability to die. If that creek water turned out to be toxic, it'd only hurt for a bit.

The woods began to thin a few miles inward. I could see the cottages or what looked like a small town. Fire billowed up into the sky from someone's chimney.

Part of me was relieved I hadn't stumbled into a kingdom.

They were sophisticated, and most thought they were better than anyone who didn't own a small town or have a slew of employees to run their castle.

A low vibration hummed up the back of my neck, causing me to stop. The pounding of my heart drummed in my eardrums, and the soft sound of footsteps echoed behind me.

I swung around, bringing my knife out from my boot and holding it to my side. "Hello?"

Like they'd reply.

"You have two seconds to come out before I shoot."

With my imaginary gun.

Guns didn't do well in this realm. They didn't make it through the portals most of the time, and there were a lot of creatures too quick for a bullet. I had to wait for them to attack me to shove a blade in their skull.

It was very brutish, but I didn't mind. I'd become accustomed to it.

The snarling from my right grew closer.

The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, cementing me to my spot as a hellhound crept through the brush. His fang-ish teeth dripped drool, the ebony-colored fur stood on end and his skinny legs looked quicker than I'd ever be.

I chuckled humorlessly. "Great," I mumbled.