Page 82 of Cursed By Fate

“I see. The last time I created a portal, I believe your exact words were, ‘One more illegal portal, Buttons, and you’ll find yourself trapped in the Phantom Zone.’”

“The important word in that sentence is illegal. The one I’m asking you to conjure is perfectly legit.”

“Because?”

“Because I’m the director of security and I need a portal.”

Buttons folded his arms. “And what’s in it for me?”

“Name your price.”

“A golf club membership. There’s a long wait list. I need to wait until someone dies, which as you and I both know, could take quite a bit of time.”

What was it with golf memberships on the island? “Okay. What if I can bump you?”

“How high on the list?”

“Not on it. Off it. No wait.”

He leaned forward; his gaze fixed on me. “I’m listening.”

“It’s an easy portal. Nothing fancy. Open it now and then again in a couple hours.”

Buttons cut a glance at the mess that was his research. “What about Anastasia?”

“You can continue your research while I’m gone. I only need you to pay attention to your phone so you can open the portal again when I want to come back.”

The wizard straightened to his full height. “Latitude and longitude?”

I gave him the coordinates.

Both white eyebrows took a leap. “Arizona?”

“Yes. I’m sort of on a tight schedule. How fast can you open it?”

He regarded me carefully. “What’s this clandestine trip about, Maya?”

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be clandestine.”

“Does it involve your demigod boyfriend?”

Good grief. Did everyone on the island know my business? It was a miracle I’d managed to keep my identity secret for as long as I had.

“Vale isn’t my boyfriend.”

“Why won’t you date him? Because it would be long distance?”

“I wouldn’t describe Savannah and Evermore as long distance.”

“Well, probably best not to string him along. Cut him loose to chase some other woman.”

“I’m not.” Did he know we’d kissed too? Was nothing sacred?

I cleared a corner of the sofa and sat to wait for Buttons to prepare the portal. Watching him work was like watching an artist lean into his true talent. Graceful yet precise.

The portal flared into existence, its edges burning with white heat.

I rose to my feet and slathered my exposed skin in sunscreen. “Thanks for this, Buttons. If anything wanders through the portal before you close it, just boot it right back.”