Page 85 of Primal Hunger

The time has come for me to go, and we both know what comes next.

I flip on the radio, static exploding through the clearing around us. A quick twist of the dial has the sound dissolving, and the air in front of me trembles.

I suck in a sharp breath.

“Tyler?” I call out, my voice sounding much calmer than I feel. My eyes are glued to the shifting air above the radio, rippling like heat rising off scorching pavement.

“Erin?” This time, when Tyler’s voice comes through, the movement in front of me trembles harder, shimmering with a pale light that seems to grow brighter with every second that passes.

Oh. My. God.

It’s working.It’s working!

I can barely breathe as the air glows brighter, shimmering and splitting like a hole has been sliced through it with a hot knife. It’s small, about a foot from top to bottom, but it’s growing—slowly. Too slowly. If it doesn’t go faster and widen enough for me to pass through before the signal weakens again, I’ll miss my chance.

“Come on, come on,” I mutter.

Nearby, Syros shifts, but my eyes are glued to the portal opening before me.

“Holy shit, I see it!” Tyler calls through the radio. “Can you see it? What’s happening?”

“I can.” I force out the reply, my heart suddenly galloping in my chest. “It’s… glowing.”

He can see it. It’s happening. It’s working.I repeat the words silently to myself over and over, clinging to them like a prayer. Like the more I think them, the stronger the signal will grow, even though that’s not how any of this works.

Every muscle in my body is wound tight, ready to spring forward and dive through the portal at the first possible second. Is it the safest thing to do? No, there are probably a million things that could go wrong. The connection might not be strong enough for an object—or me—to pass through at all. The rift could splice me in half and spit the two parts out on the other side. I could blink out of reality and land in a different unknown world.

So many things could go wrong…

I swallow down my doubts, focused on the task at hand as the rip stretches and grows into a circle, reminiscent of the portal I saw on the solstice, only much smaller. The air inside the ring of light ripples, like a pebble dropped into a pond, and an image appears. It’s dark on the other side, illuminated by a nearby streetlight, and I can see a few trees and blades of grass swaying in the breeze.

After being completely transfixed on the growing portal for a full minute, I’m finally able to tear my eyes away to find Syros. I expect him to be on pins and needles as well, ready to lunge through the portal to rip Tyler in half as promised, but he’s staring at me, watching me like a hunter watches its prey.

“I don’t like this,” he growls, his voice a low rumble in his throat. “Something is off. Erin, I don’t think it’s safe.”

I’m only halfway listening when a crackle nearly snatches my attention away. I look back at the portal, now the size of a dinner tray. It’s nearly broad enough for me to dive through if I get a running start. The only problem is that it’s three feet off the ground, and I’m not graceful enough to leap through it like a gymnast.

Maybe Syros can throw me…

Movement through the portal catches my eye, and Tyler’s wide-eyed face comes into view. He’s wearing a beige denim jacket and jeans, with a backwards ballcap. I’m so relieved to see him that I forget I’m only wearing a tank top and the tattered remains of my leggings. I haven’t even looked in a mirror since before the Solstice—I probably look like hell warmed over.

“Holy shit, Erin!” He gasps, stepping closer to the portal as it continues to stretch open. He grips something just out of view—probably his cell phone—and stares at me like I’m a ghost. “You did it! You opened the portal!”

“I did it.” My words are barely audible to my own ears, but a swell of pride fills me. I’m so overwhelmed with emotions that the magnitude of what we’ve achieved is nearly lost on me; we created a bridge between worlds, which has likely never been done before outside of the Solstice.

I take a shaky breath.

Tyler’s gaze flicks to the edge of the portal right as it crackles with electricity. “This thing doesn’t seem very stable; I don’t know how long it’ll stay open.” His eyes shift back to mine. “Can you make it through?”

I step forward slowly, cautiously, afraid that something will blow up at any second and this will all backfire. Even as the thought crosses my mind, a spark of electricity cracks, and Syros growls in protest.

Tyler’s eyes widen even further. “Erin, what was that? Is it the Grim?” His face pales suddenly, terror clear in his expression. “Hurry, I’m right here. I’ll catch you.”

My stomach drops. The logical side of my brain is fighting to be heard, drowning out the undercurrent of adrenaline pumping through me. It’s just a jump. I can dive right through and be back home, if I could just get my feet to move.

I take a step forward.

“Erin,” Syros roars, sending goosebumps skittering up my arms. “Wait. You shouldn’t—”

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