Page 126 of In Between Death and the Devil

Everything faded in my awareness except for the narrow distance between the Wraith’s teeth and Bea’s skin. I stopped thinking and moved.

One step and I was behind them. Before the Wraith could turn, my hands thrust forward, making contact and forcing light into its body until it exploded with a bloodcurdling shriek.

Bea’s knees buckled and she hit the floor before I could catch her. I bent over her, but she waved me off, crawling towards Marcus. “Go. Help the others.”

The destruction of one of its comrades had startled the Wraith fighting Titus and Daphne, and they seized the upper hand. With a series of swift turns and alternating strikes, they moved to place their opponent between them. It hissed furiously, ducking to attack their feet.

Daphne jumped to avoid being tripped, while Titus slammed his shield into the floor.

“Maeve,” Titus called, as the Wraith popped up. “On my left,” he said, jerking his head to the right.

Left, or right? Which one? There was no time to decide, so I moved on instinct, light-stepping to Titus’s right.

The Wraith had moved in the same direction, and my hands seized its shoulders as Titus and Daphne both thrust their swords into its chest. It shattered in a burst of light.

Without missing a beat, the two of them turned to help Fen. I moved to follow, but the dome above us flickered. Fen’s well of power was dangerously low and draining fast. Like sand through an hourglass, our time was running out.

Adjusting the protective dome around us so Marcus and Bea were outside of it, I let their shields and weapons dissolve. It lessened the amount of power I was drawing but not enough.

Even with three assailants, the remaining Wraith was undaunted. It blurred, coming to a stop for a quick swipe at one of them before moving too fast to be seen again. Unless one of us got lucky with a strike, the second trial would be lost. There was only one way I could see us succeeding.

Trust what is.

I let the light in my limbs fade, leaving me defenseless. “Hey,” I shouted. “Leave my friends alone.”

Fen, Titus and Daphne froze, their eyes wide as the Wraith appeared at my back.

“Maeve, no.” Fen charged forward, but it was too late.

The Wraith wrapped its arms around me, claws digging into my skin as its mouth snapped towards my neck. I felt teeth prick my skin as I hauled up the last dregs of power, light bursting from my body, and the Wraith at my back exploded, leaving the smell of singed hair behind.

CHAPTER 33

The dome around us, and the remaining shields and weapons, guttered out. I’d drained every last drop of power from Fen, but we’d destroyed the Wraiths. We’d won. Barely.

Groans sounded from around us, Tempters who’d been attacked by the Wraiths sitting up. They looked deathly pale, but they were alive. They hadn’t been drained, at least not completely. Had it been an illusion? I looked over at Daphne, who crouched next to Marcus with Bea. Their injuries remained, so it clearly hadn’t been an illusion, but if no one died I wasn’t going to question it.

“We’re clear,” Titus called. “And we need a healer.” He went to check on the nearest Tempter as doors opened and heads poked out of rooms people had hidden in.

“Can you heal them?” Bea asked me. “Like Death does?”

“Maybe, if I weren’t out of power.” I looked over at Fen. The wall at the top of the stairs had remained, since I didn’t have enough power to take it down. Maybe now he’d believe that the limits on how much power I could draw were a problem.

His face was impassive, but our bond seethed with his anger. The vehemence of it shocked me.

“Either of you hurt?” a healer asked.

“I’m not,” I said, my gaze locked with Fen’s.

His eyes darkened at my words. “Neither am I.”

I sent him a glare and then turned to find something to do.

He grabbed my arm before I could take two steps. “We need to talk.”

“Oh, now you want to talk.” I yanked my arm free. “Well, you can wait. There are people who need help.”

“Maeve.” It was almost a growl, but I ignored him and walked over to where Titus was waving a healer off.