Page 50 of Wraithwound

“What the fuck was that, Lena?” he seethed.

But Lena couldn’t focus on his face because in the sky behind him was another moon, or was it a planet? It was enormous, taking up almost her entire field of vision. The surrounding auroras were unlike anything she’d ever seen. Iridescent greens and blues wove together, evoking a sense of awe so great her mouth fell open.

“What in the EverGods is that?!” she asked in return, pointing behind him.

Undeterred, Cross stood, blocking the celestial show.

“I need to go.” She rose, making sure to avoid putting weight on her bad ankle.

“Go? You’re not going anywhere. Not until you tell me what the fuck that was,” he said, a quiet calm coming over him. “Things get hard, and you just give up?”

A lump grew in her throat with the accusation, the burn of shame creeping up her neck and into her face. He wasn’t wrong. EverGods knew he wasn’t, but he wasn’t right either.

“You don’t know anything about me,” Lena spat.

“I know you’re still human. I’m not sure how or why, but unlike so many others, you’ve managed to maintain your humanity,” he said.

Humanity? Her humanity?! She’d lost that the minute she’d decided to pursue this course of action to save her brother! And as a result, she’d done unspeakable things. She hadn’t just killed. She had ripped beating hearts from human bodies!

“It’s not that I don’t want to live! It’s that I don’t want to end up killing ANYONE ELSE!” Lena fought the emotions that threatened to undo her. “I—I can’t—I don’t want to end up killing YOU!”

The anger drained out of his face momentarily, replaced by something softer. But then he seemed to remember himself, and his expression hardened.

“You do not get to use me, or anyone else, as a means to an end or to justify your inability to cope,” he said.

Lena blinked. And then blinked again. He was right. That was exactly what she’d done. To him and Taryk. Despite choosing to save Cross’s life because it was the right thing to do, it had also eased her guilt at a time when she was certain she’d die. It was true she’d rather die before she hurt anyone else, but she also felt she didn’t deserve to live. That was the reason she’d approached Taryk. And though Taryk didn’t appear to have any issue with ridding her of her life, she’d assigned him that task without considering what it might mean for him. It hadn’t been something she’d planned, but when the opportunity presented itself . . . And yet, while all of that was true, he didn’t have the right to judge her on her “inability to cope.”

The audacity of doing so sent anger flooding through her system, burning through the numbness that made her feel detached. Apathetic. It was true she’d burned her life down when she couldn’t cope with the loss of her grandfather and mother, but taking a life wasn’t something she could ever see herself making peace with, unlike him.

“That’s funny, coming from somebody who kills for a living. Or is murder something that eases you to sleep at night? You might find that not everybody can take life so easily, especially if they’ve sworn to preserve it!”

“You’re not going to hurt me.” He said it like it was final, a promise written in fate. His face was hard, but his tone had lost its bite.

“Let me go,” she said again. “You can’t keep me here.”

“You’re right. I can’t. You’re free to go anytime you wish. But you might want to wait until morning unless you’re ready to test yourself against tree stalkers, scales, or any other manner of death that would await you in the darkness.”

Spending the night in the woods was one thing, even if they were enchanted or cursed, but the plains were . . . different. The beasts that roamed freely here were deadly, having had centuries to hone their skills.

Lena closed her eyes, willing the sense of urgency now burning inside her to ease.

“Now. Would you consider joining me by the fire? I’ll tell you what I know about that,” he said, pointing behind him but keeping his gaze trained on her, “and you can tell me how the hell it is I’m not lying dead near the Drowning Woods.”

“No.” Lena shook her head. She felt both judged and utterly exposed in front of the soulbound.

He sighed. “Please?”

She considered denying his request again. After all, who was he to remark on her choices. And yet . . .

When Lena didn’t refuse, he tossed her a key. She stared at it, unsure of why she hadn’t said no. She had a feeling if she refused a second time, she’d miss an opportunity to learn more about wraiths. She reluctantly picked up the key. It didn’t escape her notice that he’d avoided her bad ankle, locking the shackle to her uninjured leg instead. She unlocked it and slowly made her way over to the fire.

It burned brightly, crackling softly in the quiet of night. They were now in a different part of the plains, still surrounded by craggy rocks and towering pines, but currently camped under a large overhang.

“Taryk?” Lena asked.

“He was still unconscious by the time I got you secured. I tied him to his horse and set him loose on the plains,” he said.

Lena gaped. “With all of those monsters out there?!”