Page 73 of Wraithwound

“I’m so sorry, that wasn’t me. You didn’t deserve that. I heard Row, but I had to be sure because to have lost a soulbound would have meant the loss of their family too.”

“What?” Lena said, horrified.

“Sera and Zebos joined for their twins. If one of them dies, one of their daughters dies too. If they both die . . .” he trailed off.

“So, if you hadn’t made it out of the woods, does that mean that Kiara—” she asked, unwilling to finish the sentence.

Cross nodded.

“What illness does she have?” Lena asked, unable to stop herself.

“The ageless death,” he said.

Lena gasped softly. That was the very illness her grandfather had been studying. Characterized by crimson streaks that originated in the affected limb, they spread slowly until reaching the heart and claiming the person’s life. It had been given that moniker after people realized it could kill anyone of any age at any time. If only they’d managed to find her grandfather’s journal after he’d passed, she’d likely know much more about it, but alas, it’d gone missing.

“Why did you save me, Lena?” Cross asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

She took in his face once more, noting his expression had shifted. Was that pain in his eyes?

Lena inhaled deeply; it was a question he’d asked before. She hadn’t really known how to articulate the answer then, but she did now.

“I found myself at a crossroads and knew I had two choices: I could either choose the monster and live or choose my humanity and die,” she said, finally admitting the words out loud.

Cross stared at her, his sapphire eyes glowing in the iridescence of the crystals as he took in the meaning of what she’d admitted. The silence between them seemed to stretch on, growing increasingly charged.

“Thank you for saving my life,” he said finally. But she knew he was thanking her on behalf of Kiara, too.

“Today, I don’t regret it,” she said, a ghost of a smile appearing on her lips.

“What exactly are you looking for in The Whispers?” he asked.

“Does it matter?” she asked softly.

“Why wouldn’t it matter?” Cross asked.

“Your debt has been paid. You’re free to get back to your family, your wife,” she said.

Cross’s brows furrowed in confusion.

“Wife . . .? Ah.” he said, standing. When he returned, he had two pieces of parchment in his hand. Unfolding the first, he turned it around and showed it to Lena. “This is Mirelle, Kiara’s mother. And this is Kiara.”

He unfolded another piece of parchment, so worn it was torn at the edges.

Oh.

“I would like to ensure you reach your destination safely. It’s the least I can do,” he said.

Lena considered this. But she was also aware she had previously considered the same proposition, and it had not gone well.

“I’ve made it this far. I think I can complete the journey on my own from here,” she said, feeling surer of herself with every word she spoke.

“Please, Lena,” he said.

“It’s your job to kill wraiths. To kill monsters,” she said delicately.

“It’s my job to kill those who might bring more misery and suffering to our world. You still have agency,” he said, vehemently.

But they both knew her control was tenuous at best.