"Now there are five rivers in the underground and they shift position. You can tell which ones are Phlegethon and Pyriphlegethon because they are rivers of fire and they pour into Acheron, Lethe will make you forget if you drink the water so don't drink any river water since you might not know which one is which. The ferryman, Charon, is on Acheron to take the souls across to be judged. Here's a coin-it will take you to the other side if he's already taken Devin across by the time you get there."

"Wait, where did you get the coin?"

Porter glanced down at the metal disk in his palm. "It's mine."

Eli closed Porter's hand back around his coin. "I've already banished you here. I'm not going to leave you on the wrong side of the river for eternity. I might be a weak bastard, but I hope I'm a good friend."

Porter cupped Eli's cheek. "You are the best friend. Be careful. I've done all I can to help you."

The ghost vanished, leaving Eli alone with Reaper.

"Time to find Devin."

Eli focused on Devin and pushed the idea of finding the wizard at the hellhound. He hoped Reaper would understand his thoughts if he projected them hard enough.

The hellhound barked and ran off. Eli hurried after him. Stray stones slid beneath his feet. Good thing he'd worn his running shoes. If he hadn't, he might have lost traction the third time rocks tried to trip him up.

His avatar didn't slow down. They rounded a corner and a wall of heat slammed into him. He didn't know which river he'd found, but one of the burning ones ran along their path. Reaper didn't slow-he barked and continued onward.

"I hope you know where you're going!" Eli shouted at the beast.

The black animal almost blended into the darkness. Only the light from the flames alerted Eli to his presence. His feet pounded across the cavern floor as he ran and ran until his lungs burned from the heated air and his feet hurt from running on the hard rock.

Sweat pooled in the base of his back and soaked his clothing. The repeated image of Porter stabbing Devin's chest seared through his mind over and over like a nightmare run on a loop.

The hellhound bayed, snapping him out of his introspection. Devin slowed down as he spotted Devin and Dragonspawn battling it out. A particularly good right hook from Devin knocked Dragonspawn back a few feet. Eli held back his shouts of encouragement. Right now Devin didn't need the distraction. He could possibly be in a fight to save his soul.

The ferryman, Charon, stood by, leaning on his pole, his feet balanced on the edges of the boat. A blast of energy slammed Devin against the cave, knocking him unconscious.

"No!" Eli screamed.

He ran down the hill but not in time to stop Dragonspawn from picking Devin up and tossing him to the ferryman then climbing aboard. Eli watched him hand something to Charon. The ferryman picked up his pole and before Eli could reach the boat, they were halfway across the water.

Tears dripped down Eli's face. He could almost hear Porter whisper, "Are you going to let that stop you?"

Eli kicked off his shoes and stripped off his shirt and pants. He didn't want anything to slow him down, but he left on his underwear because he didn't know who he'd end up finding on the other side. Eli took a deep breath then jumped in the water. With long strokes, he propelled his body across the river. He stretched his arms as far as possible while kicking with legs made strong from years of swimming. He might not have made the Olympic team, but years of summers with a pool had made Eli a powerful swimmer.

The boat reached the other side just seconds before Eli.

Dragonspawn grinned at Eli when he dragged himself out of the river, panting for air.

"You are too late, child, he's mine."

"Actually, he's mine." A bearded man came out of the shadows. He towered over Dragonspawn and Eli by several feet. Dark energy poured off him. Eli could see the tendrils of power swirling around his body. Dressed in Greek style robes and carrying a glowing staff it only took a second for Eli to figure out his identity.

Eli bowed low. "Please forgive me, Hades, Lord of the Underworld, for trespassing in your lands."

"Well at least one of you has manners," Hades said. His voice rumbled through Eli like a small earthquake, shaking his bones.

He didn't dare look up.

"Lord Hades," Dragonspawn began.

"Enough!" Hades cut him off. "I have nothing to say to you. You tried to avoid my kingdom. Your sins have been examined and now you will be judged."

Hades raised a hand. Dragonspawn screamed as his body dissolved. Eli watched through his lashes as Dragonspawn's ghost was ripped apart and evaporated. Hades turned his attention to him and Eli's heart skipped in his chest. The god of the underworld stepped closer to Eli. Reaper growled and stood protectively in front of Eli.

"Impudent pup!" Hades didn't sound annoyed-instead he gave the hellhound a considering look before returning his attention to Eli. "What are you doing here, necromancer? Isn't it enough to have the ability to speak to my people?"

"I came for my lover." Eli stood straight and stared Hades in the eye. He might never get out of here, but he wouldn't go down without a fight.

Hades approached the boat and peered inside. "He doesn't look that special."

Eli gritted his teeth. "He is to me."

"Prove it!"

"I followed him down here and just swam across two rivers."

"That river and what other?" Hades pointed to the water behind him.

"I don't know. I was trying not to drown, not study them."

"That one is the River Acheron." Hades sniffed at Eli. "Ah, before that you were dunked in the River Styx. That explains how you survived the River of Pain."

Eli looked back at the murky water then back to Hades. "How?"

"You made yourself invulnerable by swimming in the River Styx. I can't hurt you. No one can. Most people don't survive the treacherous waters."

Old mythology stories filtered through Eli's head. "Oh, hell."

Hades laughed.

Eli cringed.

"I've rarely had anyone come down here voluntarily. I'm tempted to keep you for myself," Hades mused, pulling at his beard.

Fear closed up his throat. Eli took a deep breath, battling panic. "If you send Devin back, I'll stay here." He stumbled over the words, but he meant every one of them. He would give up everything if it saved Devin. Devin had his brothers waiting for him. Eli had no one. After a few years, Devin could move on and live a useful life.

"So willing to sacrifice yourself, are you?" Hades raised an eyebrow. "I'm not going to let you go so easily. No, Elijah Lucius Trenton, you will become one of my warriors. You will hunt down the dark souls who think to escape my grasp and send them to me. In return, I'll release you and your lover back to Earth. Welcome to the Reaper Corp."

"Um... Thanks." At least now he knew what he'd be doing when he got out of school. Curiosity prodded him to ask. "What happened to Dragonspawn?"

Hades' smile sent slivers of ice down Eli's spine. "Don't worry. I'll make sure he gets what he deserves. Now back above you go."

If Eli thought returning would be easy, he quickly lost that foolish notion. His body felt hot, burning, as if someone had ripped him inside out before putting him back together, with bubble gum and omitting bits of his stomach.

He fell from a high enough spot that his body slammed into the floor with a loud thud. Coughing, he struggled to sit up. Hands rushed to support him. Eli looked into the matching faces of Dan and Dean. A quick pat-down proved his clothes had been returned to him before his expulsion from the underworld.

"Where's Devin?" Dean asked.

"He should be here..." He didn't finish the sentence before another body dropped on the floor by his feet.

Devin sat up, screaming.

Dan slapped him, the sound echoing in the room as Devin's head snapped to one side.

"Ouch." Devin cupped his cheek.

"Trust me, if I was making that horrible racket you would've slapped me too," Dan argued.

"Maybe, but you didn't just come from Hell." Devin rubbed his face.

"Technically, you never made it to Hell," Eli countered.

"Eli, you're all right!" Devin lunged across the space between them, squeezing Eli tight. "I had this horrible dream that you followed me to the underworld."

"You didn't dream that, Dev," Dean said. "He did go after you. I've never seen anything so fucking brave in my life."

Eli found himself the focus of everyone's attention. "I couldn't let you die. I just couldn't." He closed his eyes and let the tears fall. He couldn't imagine life without Devin. He'd fallen in love with him.

Dan pulled Devin out of Eli's arms to squeeze him tight then handed him over to Dean, who repeated the motion. All of the triplets discreetly wiped tears from their eyes.

"I'll leave you guys to talk." Eli felt awkward standing there. He wasn't one of them.

"No." Devin grabbed Eli's wrist. "You stay."

Dean gripped Devin's shoulder. "We can talk later. I can't tell you how happy I am to see you back."

Dan broke into the moment. "Hey, we'll clear out of here. Call us if you need anything. I think you two need to talk."

Before Eli could speak, everyone had already disappeared. The door slammed closed behind them.

Devin leaned back to look at Eli. "I love you. I was giving Dan a hard time about settling down, but if he feels even a fraction of the love for Farren that I feel for you, I can completely see his point of view now."

Eli's mouth was taken in a hot kiss. He melted beneath the outpouring of emotion coming off Devin. He let Devin push him to the floor and press his larger body against his.

Devin lifted his lips to meet Eli's gaze. "I can't believe you went after me."

"I-I couldn't let you die. Porter took me with him."

"Is he here?" Devin glanced around the room as if expecting to see the ghost.

"No. He stayed behind so I could save you."

Devin's eyes filled with tears. "He loved you too. I bet he only went there to save you. He knew you loved me. You do, right?"

"Yeah, I do." Eli couldn't believe he'd thought bad things about Porter, but he did stab Devin after all. "I wouldn't have wanted to go on without you."

"You would've. You're stronger than you think." Devin kissed Eli, a soft gentle brush of lips that quickly evolved into a firmer, pressing kiss. Eli lay back on the floor, pulling Devin with him. Devin broke free. "Bed. I'm not going to get bruised knees when I fuck you."

"Good plan." Eli's body hurt from the hard surface, so the bed could only be a step in the right direction.

Devin got to his feet then leaned down and helped Eli up. Eli groaned as his back made a crackling sound then settled into place as if he'd never been hurt. "Hades said I'm invulnerable."

"Really? What does that mean?"

"I don't know. I swam in the River Styx."

"Did you get your heel?"

It took Eli a minute to get the reference. "Yes, I fell underwater for a bit. Hades said people don't usually survive that. I guess that's why you give the ferryman your coin. Porter tried to give me his, but I refused."

"Good." Devin squeezed Eli's shoulder. "You wouldn't have forgiven yourself if you'd taken it, even to save me."

Eli smiled, glad that Devin understood him so well. His heart ached from emotion. "Come on. Let's go to bed."

They both needed reassurance.

"I want to have sex without a second person in my body. Three is a crowd in my opinion."

Eli choked on his laughter, glad Devin could joke about such a horrible experience. "Yeah, let's leave menages out of our relationship."

Devin smiled. "Definitely."

They stripped off their clothes without talking. Instead they exchanged looks and gentle touches. He could almost smell Devin's need. The second his underwear hit the floor, Eli climbed up on the bed. He took his time flashing his ass to Devin before rolling onto his back to finish watching the show.

Devin stood two feet away, his pants halfway down his thighs and his cock jutting obscenely toward Eli like a sexual divining rod.

"Are you going to finish the job?" Eli asked, amused.

"Sorry, I got distracted by your nakedness." Devin kicked off his pants and underwear. He walked to the bed then stood above Eli, his eyes scanning him as if he was a buffet and Devin wasn't sure what to try first. "You are a fine looking man, Eli Trenton."

Eli grinned. "I'm glad you think so. Now come and show your appreciation. I prefer action over words."

"Me too." Devin blinked rapidly. "I've never had a guy even willing to make me breakfast the day after, and you risked your soul. That's not something you can slap on a Thank You card, but it's something I'll never forget."

"Good, I don't want you to forget. I want you to remember so if you ever wonder how much I care, you can remember what I'm willing to do for you. I'm not a wolf shifter so I don't have that forever mate bond, I just have me."

Devin slid a finger across Eli's cheek. "Trust me. We have a bond just as strong. Besides, how could I find anyone as badass as my necromancer?"

Eli laughed. "I'm glad you don't find me scary."

"I find you amazing."

Devin scooted until his warm, naked skin touched Eli from shoulder to foot. Eli sighed at the sensation. The more he used his necromancer powers, the cooler his body temperature seemed. He'd been cold and hadn't even realized it.

"You bounced back pretty fast from being sucked down to the underworld." Eli didn't know if he'd be so calm about dying.