~~~
Ten minutes later they were at the closest pass-through near their father's home in Indiana, two states over from where they'd entered Karavel. Glancing at each other, they each took a breath and gathered their energy. Since the pass-through wanted to keep the Anointed in, getting out of the dimension was more a matter of using the energy of their blood to punch their way out.
As soon as they crossed the bridge back into the mortal world, both their phones started chirping. Their cell plan didn't exactly carry coverage into different dimensions.
Cael pulled his phone out. "It's Dad. Left several texts. On yours too?"
Jake's thumb scrolled down his messages. "Yep. Needs help tracking some sort of little critters in West Virginia."
Another job. After finally letting everything out about Iason, Cael felt emotionally drained. Focusing on an easy gig with their dad would be a welcome distraction before digging in and tracking down all those demons. They'd probably need the help of their Dad and his 666 Squad with that anyway since the demons would have scattered all over the place by now. He rubbed a hand over his chest as though a physical pain resided there. "We could be there in a few hours."
"Or cut back through Karavel and get there in twenty minutes."
"Nah," the brothers said in unison. While Cael called their dad, Jake scrolled to the Muse album on his iPod and sped down the open road.
Four