Page 41 of Crossing Between
Varon's expression hardened. "Then we prepare." He looked at Elias. "Get her to my office. It's the most secure room in thebuilding."
"I'm not hiding," I protested, finding my strength. "If this thing is after me, I need to face it."
"You're not ready," Varon countered.
"None of us are," I shot back. "But it's here now."
Another inhuman shriek pierced the air, closer this time. The ground beneath our feet trembled. Outside, the infected people suddenly stopped their random attacks, all turning as one toward the police station. Their movements became more synchronized, more purposeful.
"It's controlling them," Elias murmured. "Using them as eyes."
Kenji burst through the doors, blood splattered across his chest. "Something's coming," he panted. "Something big."
The dread inside me crystallized into certainty. "It's the Essencefeaster." My voice sounded strange to my own ears. "And it's hungry."
"Of course, Quilith would be gone when a dragon's power would be useful," Varon ordered some civilians to help get the injured further into the building for safety. "They could at least find a way to make the damn infected people freeze."
That's when it hit me. Some of these infected were probably dead. I hadn't tried to let my magic out. I could try to save the souls still alive and get them away from the Essencefeaster. I grabbed Varon's arm.
"I need to go to your office. I think I can help." I stared at him with determination.
Varon's eyes widened slightly at my words. I could see the emotions warring on his face. Worry, fear, but also a glimmer of hope. His gaze searched mine, looking for any hesitation.
"You're sure?" His voice was barely audible over the chaos around us.
"I can try to save some of them," I insisted. "Youneed to trust me."
Varon's jaw tightened as he made his decision. "Fine." He turned to Kenji, who had just returned to his more human form. "Take her to my office. Protect her with your life."
"Always do," Kenji replied, his usual cocky grin nowhere to be seen. Without warning, he scooped me up into his arms. "Faster this way."
I yelped in surprise as he sprinted through the wreckage of the station, dodging overturned desks and shattered glass with inhuman agility. The building shook again as another unearthly shriek pierced the air. Closer now. Much closer.
Chapter 29: Zoey
"So what exactly is this brilliant plan of yours, Zoey?" Kenji looked down at me briefly as we raced down a hallway lined with bullet holes and splashed with blood.
I swallowed hard, watching the carnage blur past us. "Something stupid."
To my surprise, Kenji barked out a laugh, the sound out of place against the backdrop of destruction. "Those are my favorite kind of plans." His arms tightened around me and I felt one hand deliberately squeeze my ass as he adjusted his grip.
"Seriously?" I gasped, heat rushing to my face despite the dire circumstances.
"Just making sure you know I'm with you," he winked, his blue eyes flashing with that familiar mischief. "Besides, after this is over, you owe me a date. No getting out of it now."
Before I could respond, we reached Varon's office. Kenji kicked the door open and set me down gently inside. The room was untouched by the chaos outside with the neat stacks of paperwork on the desk, a half-empty coffee mug, and photos I'd never had a chance to look atbefore.
And a large window that faced directly onto the street where the infected fought with the remaining police officers.
My breath hitched as I watched the scene below. The infected moved with eerie synchronicity now, no longer random in their attacks. They were forming a perimeter, clearing a path for something. The air around them seemed to shimmer and distort, as if reality itself was being warped.
"It's coming," I whispered, the dread inside me building to a crescendo.
Kenji moved to stand beside me, his body tense and ready. "Whatever you're planning to do, now would be a good time."
I nodded, stepping closer to the window. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, reaching inside for that well of power I knew existed within me. The magic that had remained dormant for what it was meant to do for so long now stirred, responding to my call. It rose like a tide, warm and electric, filling me from my toes to the top of my head.
Unlike before, when it had burst forth uncontrolled, I tried to direct it, to shape it with my will. The power felt different now, less like trying to hold back a storm, and more like guiding a river down a particular path. I pictured the souls of the infected, seeing them as bright lights trapped in cages of shadow and corruption. Each one pulsed with a unique signature, distorted but not destroyed by the Essencefeaster's influence. I could feel their pain, their confusion, and beneath it all, their desperate desire to be whole again.
