“We just need to keep looking,” Dhara encouraged. “We have little time.”

  Resha spoke up. “I’m afraid time has run out, Queen Dhara. I’ve been watching the Devil’s Heart forest, as you asked me to do.” The fairy wrung her hands while staring unblinkingly at the queen.

  “What has happened, Resha?” Dhara gently set down an old book on the table in front of her. The contemplative look on her face changed to one of worry.

  “The dragons emerged from their portal.” The fairy shifted its weight from one foot to another but said nothing more.

  “And?” Aviur made a hand motion to continue.

  “And that group of students you said to be watching for, well, they showed up.” Resha shifted on her feet again, and the lines on her forehead deepened. She licked her lips. “And, uh, the dragons…”

  “Out with it,” barked Aviur.

  “Well, the dragons opened the gate.”

  Aviur saw every royal pair of eyes land on the fairy. “What?” Dhara’s voice was shrill.

  “How long ago?” Ecthelion asked the fairy.

  “About twenty minutes,” she answered. “I meant to come quicker, but I couldn’t tear myself away from what was happening. I think I was in shock.”

  A few groans came from the group of royals, Aviur’s being the loudest.

  “Understandably so,” Nasima, the air queen, told Resha. “The gate has never been opened, and for good reason.”

  “It appears your pharaoh has found a way back into the underworld,” Beaumont, the earth king, said. He raised his eyebrows and glanced pointedly at Aviur.

  Aviur rolled his eyes. “Like any of you could have predicted that. Dragons, of all creatures. Why would they be willing to help anyone get into hell, especially via the gate? Regardless, we must go now.”

  “Wait.” Trill hurried forward, holding up her hands. “I have other news. Ra, the elementalist searching for his female, met with Viscious earlier today.”

  Aviur frowned. “What? What are you talking about?” He snapped at the pixie.

  Trill ignored his harsh tone or simply didn’t recognize it. “It was after he killed an acolyte.”

  Mutterings ran through the room. “I thought you said he was under control,” Ecthelion said to Aviur.

  Aviur narrowed his eyes at the other king. “He has shown remarkable control, considering his soul bonded is in hell being held captive by Osiris for a second time.”

  “What did Viscious want with Ra?” Agni, Aviur’s mate, asked.

  “He wanted to make a deal with the young pharaoh,” Trill answered, her wings fluttering nervously. “He offered to help get Ra into the underworld if Ra would agree to owe Viscious a favor sometime in the future. No questions asked.”

  “And if Ra didn’t agree?” Aviur asked, already knowing the answer but needing to hear it out loud.

  The pixie squeaked. “I’m sure you can guess the answer. No one refuses your dark counterpart. Viscious will kill him.”

  Aviur turned to look at Resha. “Is Ra with the others at Devil’s Heart?”

  The fairy nodded. “He was.”

  “What do you mean ‘was?’” Agni asked.

  “A group of dragons stormed through the gate of the underworld, along with the female dragon rider. Ra joined them.” Resha folded her hands behind her back and glanced at Dhara. “I meant to come sooner. I really did, but it was all so surreal. The dragons never get involved.”

  “Unless under a demon’s control,” Beval, the air king, said quietly.

  “Thank you, Resha and Trill,” Dhara said. “We will take it from here.”

  Aviur opened a portal to the Devil’s Heart, but he made sure it was concealed in the trees. He wanted to observe what was going on before anyone saw him, just in case the element of surprise was necessary. He took his mate’s hand in his and headed through the portal, knowing the others would be right behind him. “I’m going to kill Viscious,” he said to Agni.

  “You know there will be consequences.” She squeezed his hand tighter. They emerged in the forest, surrounded by trees. Aviur heard sounds coming through the foliage. He slinked forward and saw the group of students trying to hold the gate.

  Silently, Beaumont crept up beside him. “I think Viscious is going to be the least of our worries.” They watched demon after demon fly or run from the open gate to hell.

  Aviur heard gasps from the other royals as they all took in the scene before them.

  “Even Sepheron isn’t able to keep them from escaping.” Kairi pointed to the dragon king.

  “Let’s go.” Aviur sprang toward the group where Liam, Gabby, Tara, and Elias fought beside the dragon king and his warriors, woefully failing to keep the demons from passing through the gate.

  As Aviur reached them, he called on his power and shot balls of fire at the demons. “You all didn’t have time to ask for help before you decided to bring the wrath of hell upon the earth?” Aviur stepped up and took a position beside Elias.

  “No offense,” Tara said, her voice sharp with anger, “but none of you seemed to give a damn about our friends when we asked the first time, so NO, we didn’t ask for any help.”

  Aviur had no response for the earth elementalist. He might never admit it to anyone, but maybe leaving the students to work things out on their own wasn’t his best idea ever. “What’s done is done,” he muttered under his breath.

  “We are here now,” Agni told them.

  “Sorry, your majesty.” Gabby shot flames out of her hands in a steady stream at a pair of winged demons swooping overhead. “But it might be just a little too late.”

  “Nevertheless…” Agni turned her power on the evil beasts. A narrow bolt of pink fire flew from her hands, striking the demons and dropping them with the precision of a sniper.

  “How long ago did Ra go in?” Aviur dropped, and a leaping demon in the shape of a mutated house cat soared over his head.

  “Little bastards like to try to eat your face off.” Liam glanced at Aviur. “Make sure you don’t duck too slowly.” He pointed to his own forehead, where a bloody scratch trickled. “They will take a chunk out of you.”

  “It’s just a little scratch, babe,” Gabby said dryly. “There are no chunks missing.”

  “Except the ones in his brain,” Elias said. “How do you explain those? Did a demon pop you open and scoop out your gray matter?”

  Liam just chuckled, which told Aviur he had no comeback … this time.

  “And how long have the demons been emerging?” Beval asked.

  “About fifteen minutes,” Tara answered. “At first, we tried to stop them using magic from our soul bond. Sepheron, the dragon king, explained how to do it, but then Rory got a wild hair up her butt and broke our circle. She jumped on a dragon and took off through the gate with ten more dragons and Ra on her tail.”

  “How does the dragon king know anything about the soul bonded?” Nasima asked.

  “I don’t think that’s really important at the moment,” Agni pointed out. “We’ve got a bigger problem.” She pointed at the gaping hole that led into hell. Aviur felt his power growing as he watched dozens upon dozens of demons erupt from the darkness. Some flew through the air, others scurried across the land, and it looked like some even burrowed under the ground, judging by the long tracks of raised earth forming and moving in their direction.

  “Let’s go.” The fire king once again started running toward the dragons that battled the hoard. They were killing many, but not nearly enough.

  Aviur looked at his mate. “Don’t die.”

  “You’ve always had a way with words, my love.” She smiled at him. “I have no plans to leave this world. Not yet. You don’t die either, or I’ll let the dragons eat your corpse.”

  Aviur would have laughed at his mate’s morbid threat. She’d always been a firecracker—one of the many things he loved about her. He turned his attention back to the battle at hand and pulled in every ounce of power he possessed. With a bellowing curse, he released his royal fire upon the gate.

  Ra pulled Shelly’s arms around him and ran a thumb across the back of her hand—a silent plea for her to hold on tight. She gripped him tighter and pressed closer to his back. If they weren’t in the underworld, attempting to escape before this so-called “rightful lord of the underworld” made himself known, he would have allowed himself to find peace in her touch. But their impending demise and the impromptu visit from his ancestors put that thought on the back burner. Instead, Ra focused all of his efforts on getting them out alive. Osiris’s face was a mixture of shock, rage, and confusion. It was clear he didn’t know what to do with all the truth bombs the dragon was dropping. His eyes kept bouncing between Shelly and the beast, and he looked unsure of whether he wanted to run, hide, or fight.

  “This is probably the worst timing in the history of the world for an apology,” Shelly whispered, moving up next to Ra’s ear. He leaned back and lowered his shoulders so she could reach him better. “But in case we die—”

  “We won’t, Mery. I’ve dreamed of a life with you, and I will make it happen.”

  “I believe you,” she said, “but let’s be prepared for the worst, just in case. Better to be safe than sorry. That’s my motto.”

  “As you wish,” he said.

  “I’m sorry,” she told him, her voice wavering. “I don’t know what has happened to me while I’ve been down here, but I’ve had feelings that… I swear, I don’t know where they came from. It was like something came over me. I didn’t mean to have these feelings. I feel horrible. I’m a terrible per—”

  “You have done nothing wrong, Shelly.” Ra hoped she heard the truth in his voice. “The underworld can distort your thinking. This is Osiris’s domain. He has powers that could mess with your emotions. I know you love me. I can feel it through our bond.”

  She pressed her forehead to his back, and Ra ached to hold her. “It is a relief to feel you again,” she said. “I’ve missed you more than I’ve ever missed anything in my life. There was a gaping hole where you were supposed to be, and you were just gone.”

  “We’re together now. And I might not let you get more than a few feet away from me for the foreseeable future. You will have to be patient with me.”

  “I can do that. I will need the same.”

  “Whatever you need, Mery, it’s yours.”

  Shelly wanted to crawl into Ra’s lap. She wanted to beg him to forgive her, even though he said she had done nothing wrong. It felt so incredible to be back with Ra, but her guilt over her feelings for Osiris lingered. Thankfully, the words spoken by the dragon drew their attention, and she didn’t have to face that guilt just yet.

  “I’m going to ask you one more time to leave with us,” the dragon said to Osiris. “And then we will leave without you. I will leave without you.”

  “You can’t leave without a sacrifice,” Osiris pointed out.

  “Rory,” the dragon called over her shoulder to the girl sitting on her back. “Shed my blood.”

  Rory’s eyes grew even wider than they’d been. “I can’t.”

  “You can and you will, now.”

  Rory held up her hand and turned it palm down toward the scales. Then white light—thin and blade-like—hit the scales and, to Rory’s surprise, judging by her wide eyes, sliced directly through them. The dragon visibly tensed and made a growling sound in its throat. A moment later, dark red blood poured out of the beast.

  “The sacrifice has been made,” Kimba said.

  “For you,” Osiris challenged.

  Ra immediately took the blade in his hand and ran it across his palm. Then he grabbed Shelly’s hand and whispered, “I’m sorry, beloved.” And he sliced her palm as well. She hissed at the pain but otherwise showed no outward sign of discomfort. But inside, she swore—mother trucker, son of a biscuit—and clenched her throbbing hand.

  Osiris’s face took on a color of red that matched the fire burning in his domain, and his jaw clenched tightly. “Dammit,” he yelled and slammed his foot into the ground, right next to the massive crack. Shelly had the urge to give him a little nudge. Oops, did I just push the psycho imposter lord of the underworld into the pit of hell? My bad. She glared at the man who’d kept her from her soul mate. The room shook again, causing Osiris to stumble, but unfortunately, it was in the wrong direction. Dammit. She echoed his sentiment. “Fine, we will go. But”—he turned to look at her and Ra—“I keep my promises, little one. You chose wrong.” Then he lifted his hand and snapped his fingers.

  One second they were in the throne room of the underworld, and the next they were in the clearing that Shelly recognized as the Devil’s Heart. Her eyes immediately found her friends, who were currently in the fight of their lives against a horde of demons. “Out of the frying pan, into the fire,” she muttered.

  The dragon held out a wing, and Ra helped her down.

  “Thank you,” he said to the dragon. “Your kindness will not be forgotten.” The beast inclined his head and then lifted into the air, flying over the demons. Shelly nearly gagged as she watched the dragon open his huge muzzle and fly down, scooping several small demons into his mouth. Loud crunching and squelching sounds burst forth when the dragon slammed its maw shut.

  “Stay beside me, Mery.” Ra grabbed her hand and headed toward the group of students and elemental royalty.

  She watched the royal elementals using their powers to fight as well. It didn’t seem they were making much more progress than the students. How many demons were in hell, anyway? Surely the flood of imps would wane at some point. But even if it did, there were plenty topside to keep everyone busy.

  Shelly stumbled when the ground beneath her shuddered violently and then rolled like the waves of the ocean. Her eyes caught sight of Elias and Tara. They stood shoulder to shoulder, their hands focused on the ground, using their power to manipulate the earth. The tallest point of the crest hit the demons just as they exited the gate. Several demons went stumbling in different directions, losing their focus long enough that the dragons and royals could pick them off.

  Ra joined the fight, placing Shelly’s hand against his back. “Don’t let go,” he told her.

  She nodded and then felt power and heat race through him. Shelly allowed her own magic—bestowed upon her by the royal fire king—to flow into Ra, giving his own power a boost. As he focused on dealing with more of the demons, Shelly looked around, searching for Osiris. Her eyes darted across the clearing until they finally landed on the bastard. He took long strides toward the entrance, ignoring the battle, and seemingly unafraid of injury by elementalist magic, demon claws, or dragon fire.

  When he reached the gate, Osiris stepped directly in front of it. The instant he blocked the way, not another demon passed through. He held out his hand and gradually the split in the rock started to close.

  “Are you serious?” Shelly heard Gabby’s voice. “We’ve been out here fighting these psychotic beasts, and all he had to do is wave his hand and, poof, the gate closes?”

  When the rock was completely sealed, Osiris turned to face the group. The elementalists reined in their power, but none of the royals or Shelly’s friends lowered their hands. The dragons, too, looked alert, coiling their long necks as if ready to strike.

  Osiris cleared his throat and straightened his suit jacket. Then he looked around at the group in the field. “Would one of you unintelligent beings like to tell me why the hell you opened the gate?”

  “I ordered it.” A massive red dragon stepped closer to the lord of the underworld.

  “Sepheron.” Osiris narrowed his eyes at the beast. “Why did you do this? You knew the consequences.”

  “You took that which did not belong to you, Osiris,” Sepheron said. “You abused your power. Power that never should have been yours. You have no memory of this, but at one point in time, you did not fight on the side of darkness. You were not a part of the underworld. But your time there has corrupted you, perhaps beyond our help. Regardless, a choice is now laid before you. You can either leave the underworld, and we try to cleanse you of the darkness that has infested you, or you stay there and become a servant of the underworld’s true ruler.”

  “What are you talking about, Sepheron?” Aviur dropped his hands and marched toward the dragon. “If Osiris is not the lord of the underworld, then who is?”

  “Lucifer,” Sepheron answered. “Bearer of light, he who has fallen into the darkness because of his pride and greed. He is evil incarnate. And he will destroy every one of you.”

  “Then who is this guy?” Gabby pointed at Osiris. “I mean, other than the asshole who stole Ra’s girl.”

  “He is a royal elemental,” Kimba said.

  “Um, no,” Dhara said. “The four elements are represented by royals already, both light and dark. Each element can only have one king and queen. And he is definitely not one of us.”

  The dragon nodded. “True enough. Fire, water, air, and earth. The kings and queens of the light and dark elements are established. And he is not one of you. But there is a fifth element which you have forgotten, and he is the royal that bears its power.”

  “Kimba, what the ever-loving heck?” Rory stomped toward the dragon. Aston walked beside her, his hand grasping hers. She was pretty sure he was never going to let her take off after a runaway dragon again, especially not one storming through the gates of hell. The way he’d wrapped her in his arms as soon as she’d slid off Kimba’s wings told her he might not even let her out of his sight ever again. He spoke into her mind. “Never again. I can only be that selfless once, my wild Rory. Don’t ask that of me, please.”

  “I won’t.” She turned on Kimba. “Don’t you know anything about the BFF code?” Rory snapped at the dragon. “I’m pretty sure not telling your best friend that there’s fifth element, and that you know all about it, including that Osiris is one of the royals, GOES AGAINST THE CODE!”

  “I concur.” Rory heard Gabby speak up from behind her.