Did he eat something at the bakery? His memory of last night was fuzzy at best, but he vaguely remembered a strawberry sauce. Or was it that Destiny’s dress reminded him of strawberries?
“How about I whip up some dinner while you’re getting the order ready,” Mike said. “Pete, you can get cleaned up at Destiny’s and y’all can come over to eat when you’re done.”
“I…” He was starving. There was no denying that, but could he really be stupid enough to trust these people?
Mike swiped a hand through the air, opening another portal. This time, a white house with blue shutters and a sign that readSweet Destiny’sstood on the other side. “I can get you home in a jiffy.”
“No, thank you.” Destiny raised her hands and shook her head adamantly. “Using demon transportation is entirely against the rules. I’ll make my own hole.”
“Suit yourself.” Mike shrugged and closed his portal. “I suppose that’s one good thing about Satan. He doesn’t care for rules.”
Destiny visibly shuddered at the mention of the devil, but she composed herself, straightening her spine and turning toward Pete. “Will you come home with me? If I don’t get Mike’s order ready, we’ll have demons running amuck all over the city.”
He took a deep breath and sighed heavily, his stomach growling once again on cue. It appeared he was, indeed, stupid enough to trust them. “I suppose I could eat.”
“Thank you.” Her smile rendered him incapable of doing anything but accepting her outstretched hand.
She waved her free arm through the air like Mike had done, but the fabric of reality didn’t tear. Her brow furrowed, and she tried again, and a third time. “What in heaven’s name?”
“Remember the email?” Crimson asked. “No more magic.”
Destiny let out a heavy exhale, dropping his hand and pulling out her phone. “I’ll call a ride share.” She typed on the screen. “Shoot. It’s fifteen minutes away.”
“Two steps and you can be home.” Mike opened another portal, revealing Destiny’s bakery literally two steps away. “The HA meeting starts in half an hour.”
Pete eyed the opening. Surely it wasn’t against the rules for her to use a simple mode of transportation. If it was, the rule was ridiculous…worthy of being broken. “I vote the fast way. We can’t have demons running amuck, can we?” He grinned and winked at Destiny.
She sucked in a quick breath and pressed a hand to her chest as if his simple gesture had a magic of its own. “I can’t. It’s against the rules.”
“Will it hurt you to go through?” If so, he’d never have suggested it. Otherwise…fluff the rules.
“Well, no, but…”
“It’s just a shortcut.” Sophie descended the steps. “A quick way from one place in this realm to another. I can get started on the order for you if you really need to wait for your ride.”
Destiny’s phone buzzed, and she frowned at the screen. “The driver canceled. It’s searching for another one.”
“You know how it is here, Des,” Crimson said. “It could be an hour.”
“I don’t know.” Destiny worried her lower lip between her teeth. “Maybe, since it would be for the greater good, I could… I just don’t know.”
Pete looked at the bakery through the demon’s portal. The edges of the tear were bright red when he’d first opened it, but now they were fading, the opening growing smaller. Mike’s eyes tightened, the exertion of keeping it open through Destiny’s indecisiveness taking an obvious toll.
Honestly, he couldn’t see what the problem was. She needed to get home, and her friend had given her a way. It wasn’t like she’d have to make a pit stop in Hell before she made it there. Or would she? There was one way to find out.
He stepped through.
“Pete, no! I can’t lose you again.” Destiny rushed in behind him.
CHAPTERSEVEN
“I can’t believeyou did that. I can’t believeIdid that.” Destiny wrung her hands and stared at the spot where the portal had once hung in the air. She was toast. Burnt toast. “I might as well grind up my wings and make divinity cookies out of them.”
Pete’s eyes widened in horror. “Is that really how they make them?”
She huffed and shook her head. “Of course not.”
“I’m going to prep dinner.” Mike started to pat her shoulder but let his hand drop to his side. “Everything is going to be okay.”
