Head shaking, I extended the ring back to him. “No.”

He rolled his eyes, looking at the washed-out sky and refusing to take it. “You are utterly without a sense of humor today,” he said, and my hand dropped. “We will simply be able to borrow upon and find each other’s chi with minimal disruption.”

These were more than just rings, and I wanted the truth of it. “Al,” I said forcefully. “What are these? You have one, too. I can see it under your glove.”

Shoulders slumping, he showed me his back. “Nothing,” he said, the wind almost obliterating his voice. “They’re nothing now but a way to yank your butt out of the fire.” He turned around, and his lost look surprised me. “Go through the line to reality,” he said, gesturing. “You should be able to hear me whether you’re in the line or not if you have the ring on. You’ll have a better chance fixing it if you work from the reality you made it from.” I hesitated, and he added, “Think of them as a scrying mirror, without the eavesdropping.”

Unsure, I looked at the simple band of tarnished metal. A private line to each other’s thoughts was a rather questionable connection—not a violation as such, but very . . . personal. It didn’t help that they looked like wedding bands.

Against my better judgment, I slipped the ring on my index finger. Wavering on my feet, I felt my consciousness expand. It was exactly like a scrying mirror, but the connection was tighter, far more intimate. I could feel not just Al’s presence, but sense his masculinity, his worry, his concern. I could sense the limits of his chi, and I knew to the last iota how much it could hold, the power he could wield. It wasn’t as much as I could. It wasn’t that he lacked. Female demons had a naturally elevated ability to harbor two souls behind one aura, as in having a baby.

“Mother pus bucket,” Al said breathily. “You’ve expanded your reach, Rachel.”

Apparently he could see my abilities as well. “Is it supposed to feel like this?” I asked, heart pounding as I flicked a quick look at him.

“This isn’t a good idea,” Al said, seeming as uncomfortable as I was. “We might be able to do this with scrying mirrors.”

I jumped when he took my hand to slip the ring from me. There was a pain in the back of his eyes that had nothing to do with me. My heart pounded, and not knowing why, I curved my fingers to make a fist. Al’s attention jerked up, and I knew I must’ve looked panicked as he froze. “Ah, I’m good,” I said, tense. “That is, if you’re okay.”

His lips twitched. “I didn’t expect it to be . . .”

“What?” I prompted when he faltered.