Page 154

She ground her teeth. Never once had a trace acted like this! But that was the point. She’d never asked for more of it before. No. Demanded more of it. She clenched her fist, but nothing happened. She strained her muscles like she was crushing a wine glass, and still nothing. She squeezed until her nails dug into her palms.

A lowly growl chuffed on the other side of the haze. The outline of Caiven’s massive head broke through the smog of the narrow passage, and a chill ran down her spine.

She had promises to keep. Lives to repay. Souls to protect. A standing to earn.

The Wraith chose you.

Lily lowered her hands, tracing her thumbs over her knuckles.

Thousands of years this has been in your fucking bloodline.

A gleam from his fangs.

You are strong enough.

His muzzle broke through the fog, and his eyes flashed.

Don’t be afraid.

The fire gathering in her chest cooled the aura.

Caiven lunged. Hands in fists, she thrust them up and screamed. Caiven was shoved to the ceiling mid leap. A sickening sound carried through the air as his underside was impaled by what looked like crystallized stalagmites.

Solid and sharp.

There was a sizzle and the stench and fumes of burning fur. Caiven’s wolf form whined and struggled against the trap, fracturing branches of the purple crystals. Lily set aside her awe, ducking under Caiven’s snapping jaw. Head low, she latched onto his right paw with both hands. She fed him the entirety of Aarin’s aura and then everything she could spare of the Wraith. She didn’t stop until his manic howling slowed. She fell backwards on her elbows, and Caiven dropped to the ground in an earth-shaking mass. Groaning, she scooted away and collapsed to the floor.

Her vision aligned to Caiven’s shifted form disintegrating before her eyes. Body limp, his lips twitched, and his eyes stared blankly ahead. His right limb was gone—ash slowly eating away at the scarred side of him like the slow burn of ember on clothing. A blinding light radiated from the orifices in his body, and his Diseased soul parted. It spoke to the Wraith, not in velvety whispers, but with utterances that were distant and lost.

It disappeared, leaving her nauseous and alone.

Lily caught her breath, watching until Caiven’s body was nothing but dust.

She headed back the way she came, into the long, wide concrete tunnel. Jarek’s bear form was gone. She looked one way, then the other, spying him walking back into the armory.

“Jarek!”

Lily was on him quickly. She grabbed at his shoulder to turn him to her, but was shoved to the wall, painfully so.

Jarek pinned her there with his forearm. Face pinched and jaw tight, he sliced so much malice into her that Lily’s body wanted to flee. The Serpent’s essence encircled him, and his canines were sharp points from the transition.

He looked exactly as he had the night before, when Aarin was caught in his shadows.

“Jarek—”

He pushed harder.

“It’s me.”

She tried to reach his Flare with her own, but he stared right through her. He had pushed himself too far. There wasn’t anything other than the Serpent hovering over her.

In the stillness, she swallowed back her fear of it, focusing solely on its vessel. Cautiously, she wrapped her hands around his arm.

“I should’ve moved slower. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Slowly, the god relaxed its coil. Jarek flinched, then he inhaled sharply, moving his arm to brace himself against the wall.

“Jarek?”