Riven's Pov
I dreaded every step that carried me closer to the demon realm. The thought of it settled deep in my bones, heavy and corrosive, a weight that seemed to twist the air in my lungs.
Sylas hadn't made it easier. He strolled ahead like we were going for a casual walk through the academy courtyard, humming something smug under his breath. He always did that—like he fed on my tension. And maybe he did. With him, it was hard to tell just how much of misery amused him and where he actually got worried.
The portal he created shimmered before us, slick and dark, not like the clean-cut transport gates in the movies. This one pulsed as if alive, veins of red light crawling along the edges of the oval rip, the air humming with heat and pressure. My wolf hated it. My incubus side tugged me forward like it was glad to be going back home. I resisted, my jaw clenching so tightly it ached.
