How did Adrian know? was my first coherent thought. We'd been sitting well below the window, so he wouldn't have been able to see the demon that now strode out from the castle and into the parking lot.
My next thought was a silent scream. How is he still alive? He should be ashes along with every other demon I'd killed in the Bennington realm!
But he wasn't. I didn't need to see the demon's pale, pale skin or his long black hair to recognize him. The shadows emanating from him were horrifyingly familiar. They curled around the demon, haloing him with pure, impenetrable darkness that swallowed all the lights behind him.
Adrian yanked me down until we were both hidden beneath the window again. Speak of the devil and he shall appear ran through my mind. Adrian had just said how much he hated the demon who'd raised him, and now Demetrius was here. Alive. And looking as frightening and powerful as ever.
Both of us barely breathed as we waited to see if we'd been discovered. An agonizing few minutes later, the sounds of a car starting up and pulling away had Adrian peeking over the ledge.
"He's gone," he said with relief.
"How is he even alive?" I finally asked aloud, still reeling. "I should've killed Demetrius when I wiped out the Bennington realm!"
"I thought you did," Adrian replied grimly. "But either he was too strong to be taken out by the slingshot, or he found a way out."
Then he shook his head as if to clear it. When he looked back at me, his expression was harder than the stone walls that surrounded us. "We need to get through that gateway, Ivy. Now."
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
WE DIDN'T KNOW how soon Demetrius would return, so Adrian gave up any attempts to be stealthy. After checking my tattoo to make sure that it wasn't glowing, he strode through the courtyard and up to the front of the house, flinging open the door as though he owned the place.
As expected, only the emergency lights were on, but compared to the tower, it was practically daylight inside. I followed Adrian, clutching the bag of grave dirt in my hand, as we entered the opulent castle.
A blazing fireplace lit up the large room, and under different circumstances, I would've loved to spend time there. As it was, I barely noticed the beauty around me. My quick, danger-evaluating glance registered that the walls were sand colored, the floor was Mexican tile and a huge chandelier hung between three balconies that overlooked the room. What held my full attention were the couches and chairs set up around the large fireplace, because none of them were empty.
"Who are you?" a wiry man wearing an early-nineteenth-century costume demanded.
"Don't worry, we're not staying," Adrian growled, catching my hand when I started to slow down. "Gateway, Ivy, remember?"
"There are at least a dozen people here," I hissed. "We can't leave them behind!"
"They might not be the only ones here," he reminded me, his voice very low. "You want them close by if we find out that Demetrius didn't come here alone?"
No, I didn't. Costa had once been taken hostage by a demon. I didn't want the same to happen to any of these people until we made sure that the gateway was here and it was demon-free.
"We'll be back," I told the crowd huddled by the fireplace, hurrying to keep up with Adrian's strides. "Don't anyone leave."
As soon as I said it, I realized the brutal irony of my directive. They couldn't leave. Not unless we helped them.
"You can't go up there!" the costumed man called after us, but I didn't stop. Neither did Adrian. He took the stairs two at a time once we reached the staircase, drawn to the second floor by a force I couldn't sense or see. I kept glancing at my hand as I followed. No eerie golden glow, no pain. So far, so good.
The second-floor staircase landing opened into an even more gorgeous room, with stained glass windows and a curved ceiling decorated with row upon row of engraved wood. It had another fireplace, with more artfully arranged furniture in front of it. This time, no one was gathered around the fireplace, and Adrian went right for it, shoving the fancy couches and chairs out of his way. Then he held out his hand, and I was shocked to see it disappear as if rubbed out by a magic eraser.
"The gateway's right here," he said, drawing his hand back, which made it whole again. "But it's so new, it doesn't feel stable yet. Come here, Ivy. It could close up any minute."
"I'm not going anywhere without those people," I protested.
Adrian made it to me in two long strides. "I'll come back for them," he said through gritted teeth. "I can go through without you, but you can't cross the gateway without me."