Page 43 of Crossing Between
You think you're powerful, Soulbinder? You are NOTHING. A flickering candle compared to my inferno.
The Essencefeaster's attack intensified, clawing at my mental walls. Pain exploded behind my eyes, but I refused to stop. Below us, people began to collapse onto the street as I freed them from the demon's control.
"It's working," Kenji whispered, his voice filled with awe. "Zoey, it's working!"
I couldn't respond. Every ounce of my concentrationwas focused on the task. Cut, release, move on. Cut, release, move on. The pattern became my mantra.
These humans mean nothing to me,the Essencefeaster hissed.They are disposable. But you…I want you intact. Your power will sustain me for centuries.
His words slithered through my defenses, leaving trails of icy fear. I shook it off and continued my work.
"Fuck off," I severed another dozen connections with a burst of golden light.
More people dropped to the ground, free from his influence. Police officers in riot gear cautiously approached the unconscious forms, securing them. Others targeted those still infected, the ones too far gone for me to help. The crack of gunfire echoed through the night as they neutralized the threats.
The sight of them falling made my stomach turn, but I couldn't save everyone. Some souls had been too thoroughly corrupted or absorbed and no longer there, the Essencefeaster's poison too deeply embedded. Those were beyond my reach.
My magic was depleting rapidly. What had started as a raging river was now a trickle, barely enough to maintain my connection to the remaining victims. My vision began to blur, darkness creeping in at the edges. Still, I persisted, freeing as many as I could.
With a final push, I released a massive surge of power, cutting dozens of connections simultaneously. The effort nearly ripped me apart from the inside. A scream tore from my throat as golden light exploded outward from my body.
Impressive,the Essencefeaster sounded almost amused now, which terrified me more than his rage.But ultimately futile. You've merely delayed the inevitable.
I felt him withdrawing, his presence recedinglike a tide.
I'll be back for you, little Soulbinder. And next time, you won't escape me. Your soul will be mine to feast upon.
With those final words, he was gone, leaving behind a void that felt almost as disorienting as his presence.
I sagged in Kenji's arms, completely drained. The world tilted and spun around me, buildings outside and lights blurring together in a nauseating swirl. My legs gave out entirely, and even Kenji's strength couldn't keep me upright. He lowered me gently to the ground, cradling me against his chest.
"Zoey? Zoey, look at me," his voice was urgent, frantic. His hands cupped my face, turning it toward him.
I tried to focus on his features, but they kept swimming in and out of clarity. Something wet and warm trickled down my face. I reached up weakly, my fingertips coming away red.
"You're bleeding," Kenji's voice cracked with fear. "Fuck, you're bleeding from your eyes and nose."
I wanted to tell him I was fine, but my tongue felt swollen and useless in my mouth. The coppery taste of blood filled my throat.
"ELIAS!" Kenji's bellow echoed across the building, the raw panic in his voice unlike anything I'd heard from him before. "ELIAS, GET UP HERE NOW!"
The world faded to gray around the edges and Kenji's desperate face was the last thing I saw before darkness claimed me completely.
Chapter 30: Elias
The infirmary was chaos incarnate. Blood slicked the floors despite the orderlies' best efforts to keep up. The air hung heavy with the metallic scent of it, mingled with antiseptic and sweat. Moans and cries from the injured formed a hellish chorus that had been my soundtrack for hours now.
My hands trembled slightly as I finished closing a wound on a young officer's abdomen, the fifth victim I'd treated in the last hour. The possessed civilians had been armed and dangerous and our people had paid the price.
"You'll live," I told him, not bothering to soften my tone. I had no energy left for bedside manner. "Next!"
As I wiped my bloodied hands on a towel, the infirmary doors burst open. The crowd of medical personnel and patients parted like a wave as Kenji barreled through, his massive frame making him impossible to miss. But it was what, or who, he carried that made my heart stop.
Zoey lay limp in his arms, her head lolling against his chest. Blood streaked from her eyes and nose, painting trails down her pale face. Her chest still rose and fell with shallow breaths, but the sight of her unconscious form sent ice throughmy veins.
"Chen," I barked at the nearest healer, a harried-looking woman with blood splattered across her scrubs, "take over here."
I didn't wait for her acknowledgment before striding toward Kenji, my exhaustion forgotten. Up close, Zoey looked even worse. Her skin had a grayish tinge that I recognized all too well. Soul-sickness. Whatever she'd done had drained her dangerously low.
