Page 46 of Wicked Ties
The Crone screamed around her gag and fought against the bindings holding her. It would only be a matter of time before she broke free, but if I made the deal before then, she’d be screwed. I pressed my finger over my mouth. “Shhhhh.”
Liesin eyed the book and ran his finger over his lip. I knew interest when I saw it and that look was solid interest. I held the book out toward him. “So, what do you say? Destroy one measly little contract in exchange for thousands more . . . do we have a deal?”
CHAPTER 20
MAZE
“What the actual hell?” Panic riddled my body as I watched Tilly disappear into that hole with the Crone right behind her. How? Why? We were so close to getting exactly what she needed to be whole again, and yet she grabbed a book and ran with it.
Astrid darted to my side screaming, “What happened? Where did she go? That wasn’t part of the plan!”
“When have you ever known Tilly to do everything according to plan?” I shoved the jars into the pockets of my army pants.
“Good point.”
The others all raced to my side, and we stood there staring at the ground like she would magically appear again. “I know where she went.”
“Where is she?” Beckett shifted from one foot to the other while sliding glances at Astrid. Tilly was my soulmate, but she was also Astrid’s best friend. They were like sisters before all of this, and they would be again if I had anything to do with it. I knew Beckett worried for Astrid. I would, too, if I was him. Women needed their besties.
“I’ve seen her draw that symbol before. It takes her to Liesin in the underworld. We need to get Nova and get down there now.”
Soto placed her hand on the ground and opened a hole. “I can take us there now.”
I shook my head. “The underworld is too vast. We need a direct line.”
Soto closed the hole just as Astrid opened her hand, and a piece of paper and a pen appeared. She quickly scribbled across it and handed it to Beckett.
The moment it touched his palm it erupted into flames. “She’ll have the message in a second.”
Medusa staggered to our group with her glasses firmly in place. “Astrid, honey, I’d love to go with, and you know, play with all the underworld things, but I’m exhausted.”
“Thank you for everything.” Astrid gave her a quick hug and opened a portal for her. “And I promise I’ll figure out your lava monster.”
Medusa gave a weak wave and stumbled through the portal and flopped down on a huge bed with silky purple sheets. Soto ran toward the portal. “There are BEDS like that?”
Kylian snagged her arm and held her back. “We have a mission to complete.”
“Right, but then I want a bed like that.” She pointed toward the portal.
“Done.” Kylian glanced at Astrid. “Right?”
Astrid rolled her eyes. “Interior decorating, at your service.”
Grayson scoffed. “Just don’t make a river run through it and destroy a city block in the process.”
At the same time Astrid and Beckett flipped him off, a hole opened in the ground and Nova hopped out. She looked so calm and cool while the rest of us were covered in mud, sweat, and injuries. We’d been dragged through war. She looked us up and down. “What happened to you?”
“Long story.” One I didn’t have time to tell. “We need to get to the underworld, now.”
“Let’s do it.” Nova didn’t ask questions. She knew how our crew rolled. She opened a hole in the ground.
“I could’ve done that.” Soto grumbled. “I’ve been on this wild ride before.”
“Then you know it works.” Nova chuckled and jumped in. It wasn’t that she could control the rocks and ground around her. It was that the skeletons in the ground dug so fast and moved to her power that she could travel from the underworld and back at will. It just so happened that she made a deal with Hades to live there . . . indefinitely.
I pulled my chariot card and threw it down. Green figures poured out of the card, forming that Roman-looking chariot.
Grayson jumped back. “What’s this then?”
