Page 144 of Wraithwound

Lena nodded, sadness growing in her chest.

“Now that the Goddess has been freed,” Draven said, even his voice was captivating, “we believe the tears between worlds will heal with time as she gets stronger, but we’ll see to it that no other creatures from our world make their way into yours in the meantime. It will be up to you and the humans to cleanse your world of what remains.”

A knowing smile grew on Runa’s face, and Lena turned to her.

“You feel drawn to him,” Runa said, more of a statement than a question.

Lena’s words got tangled on her tongue, “I⁠—”

“You’ve taken a part of me, and I, a part of you. Once you retrieve your aenigma and mate, you’ll no longer feel drawn to Draven. Your connection with Cross will push that part of me out.”

Lena could feel the blush creeping up her neck, and she could only hope the filth from the mountain made it less obvious, but then her brain caught up with everything Runa said.

“Retrieve my—wait. Mate with Cross?” she asked.

Runa’s smile grew wider. “Humans are so easily flustered,” she said, but then her smile faded slightly, and Lena was reminded of the choices they’d made, and what it meant.

“What do you mean retrieve Cross?” Lena asked, returning to herself.

It was Draven who responded: “When we fused our power, we had just enough to take out Malnik. Once Cross chose to enter the portal, he cut off Malnik’s source of power . . .”

“. . . and we decided to use our power to push Henry out instead,” Runa finished.

Lena blinked at the pair standing before her, hands joined discreetly at their sides.

When Lena didn’t reply, Runa continued, “Henry can shield Cross on SecaTerr. He told us as much, but you must go get him. He cannot remain there for long.”

Henry was alive, and he was shielding Cross on SecaTerr, just as he’d shielded her heart from Runa. And they were waiting for her. Lena couldn’t stop the tears from falling, and she covered her face with her hands. Wyn squawked from above and came to rest on her shoulder, nuzzling into her neck. Lena carefully lowered her hands as to avoid touching the animal who chittered softly beside her.

“There is more, Lena,” Runa said solemnly.

Lena wiped her tears on her filthy sleeves and met Runa’s eyes.

“You are now part wraith; there is no undoing that.”

“I know,” Lena said.

“Yes, you do know, but what you don’t know is that we need to consume to live,” she said.

A pregnant pause filled the air. Lena couldn’t bring herself to ask the question and was grateful that Runa seemed to pick up on it.

“We feed on energy, not souls. Although in the direst of circumstances you could consume the energy or lifeforce of another, but you don’t have to.”

“It is important to note that you are different,” Draven said, “and we’re not entirely sure how your transformation will impact you. What we do know is that you can metabolize darkness—our magic, somehow. Regardless, you will have to consume to survive.”

Lena’s mind was reeling. “But how?”

“The same way you did with the realm walker,” Runa said.

“Who?” Lena asked.

“The one you call Laney,” Runa said, giving her an exasperated look.

Lena turned to see that her friends stood behind her now, waiting. Riley stood among them, tucked into Taya’s side.

When Lena turned back to Runa and Draven, she was surprised to see a black cloud had begun to form behind them. Runa started towards it but then turned, examining Lena. She followed Runa’s gaze to her partially exposed shoulder. Lena hadn’t noticed her vest had been torn, exposing the awful scar and the sensitive skin there. Runa lifted a hand and sent a small burst of magic towards Lena’s shoulder. The onyx orb disappeared into her skin and then reappeared. Black wisps broke into small symmetrical shapes before shifting into hard, smooth plates that attached themselves to her skin. Lena pulled her head back, straining to see. Glimmering scales with gem-like tones shone from her shoulder, the colors soft but brilliant. Stunned, Lena gently ran her fingers over them. They were as hard as glass but flexible, moving with her skin. Lena looked up at Runa.

“That would have been a weak spot,” she said.