Page 17 of Thorn & Ash

His face darkened. “I am no angel.” The words rumbled deeply in his throat, causing a chill to ripple over Mona’s form. “But… you could say I am the guardian of your soul. And all the souls of this river.”

“Are you the devil?”

Evander smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. It was a small curve of his mouth that made Mona wonder what a true smile looked like on his face. “No. My brother holds that title.”

“One of your five other brothers?”

“Yes. The youngest.”

The youngest is the devil? Mona thought. How strange. “Any sisters?”

Evander sighed, finally shifting his gaze to her. “You said you watched the forest all night. Does that mean you did not travel to any other realms?”

Mona shook her head. She’d tried that, too. She’d focused so intently on Prue that her eyes crossed and her vision blurred. But she’d remained in the same spot. All night.

“Maybe if you told me more about you and what role you play in all this, we might be able to figure something out,” Mona said. “After all, I told you about me and my magic. For instance, do you have any magic?”

“No,” Evander said quickly. Too quickly. Mona’s eyes fell to the moonstone around his neck.

There is definitely magic at play here. But she decided not to push the issue. Not yet, at least.

“Okay, well, do you have any kind of power over the souls or over the river? Maybe we can work on that. I’ve struggled for three days, and I don’t think there’s anything in my power alone to fix this mess I’m in. But maybe with the two of us together, we’ll have more success.”

Evander watched her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Mona resisted the urge to drop her gaze, finding his pensive look quite unsettling. Why did he have to look at her like she was a puzzle to be solved? It made her feel strangely… inhuman.

Evander closed his eyes briefly. “I originally thought perhaps your soul needed more time before the transition set in. This does happen occasionally, though not like… this.” He gestured toward her with his hand, and Mona knew he meant her disembodied ghost form.

She disagreed with this—time was not the issue here—but she waited for him to continue.

“But as I’ve watched the river flow, the other souls moving on as they should be, it’s clear to me there is something unique about you, Mona.” His otherworldly eyes fell on her once more, and a delightful shiver crept through her from the way he said her name. “It is not natural, given that it has not affected any other part of this river. But I fear if this problem goes unsolved, it will spread to the other souls, too.”

Mona couldn’t help but frown. So, he was only going to help her because she was diseased, and he didn’t want the contagion to spread? What a lovely thought. Once again, she felt like nothing more than some scientific experiment gone wrong.

“You seem upset,” Evander observed.

Mona blinked. Damn. He’d been watching her again. She smoothed her expression. “Of course I’m upset. It’s quite a predicament, isn’t it?” When he continued to stare at her, she said, “You did say you would help me. And you haven’t done much, to be honest.”

“What would you have me do?” Evander seemed unaffected by her accusation.

“You tell me!” Mona fought to keep her frustration at bay. How was he so calm about all this? “This is your domain, after all. If you see a soul in distress, what do you do to help it?”

“Sometimes I speak to them. Help them process their death and work through their grief and acceptance.”

Well, he certainly hadn’t done that with her. Mona wasn’t sure why that thought stung. They’d talked, yes, but they hadn’t once discussed the circumstances of her death. Perhaps he was worried her strange virus would spread to him and that was why he kept his distance.

“Other times, I sing to them,” Evander went on.

Mona’s eyebrows shot up. Goddess, she hadn’t been expecting that. “You… sing?”

Evander nodded. “Grief manifests itself in many ways. Souls have a unique melody that they often sing to work through their emotions. It’s quite beautiful, really.” His eyes met hers once more. “Especially yours.”

Mona blinked. “Mine? I don’t—I can’t sing.”

“No, but your soul does. I heard it when you first arrived. It was… unlike any melody I’ve ever heard.” His gaze grew distant and full of an emotion Mona couldn’t place. It made her insides feel warm. Too warm.

Suddenly uncomfortable, Mona clung to the one thing that helped her think clearly: curiosity. “What is my melody like? Could you sing it for me?”

Evander’s shoulders grew tense. “Well, I—”

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