Page 44 of Crossing Between
"This way," I led Kenji down a side corridor, away from the chaos of the main triage area. We needed quiet. I needed to focus.
The hallway was dim and narrow, used mostly for storage, but it was private. "Put her down here," I indicated a cleared space against the wall where we'd stacked clean blankets earlier.
Kenji laid her down with uncharacteristic gentleness, his hands lingering as if afraid to break contact. His eyes, when they met mine, burned with fear and rage.
"The Essencefeaster," his voice raw. "She cut his connections to the possessed. Hundreds of them. Then she just collapsed."
I knelt beside her, placing my palms on her forehead and chest. Closing my eyes, I reached for the healing energy within me, feeling it respond sluggishly. I'd been working for hours already, my reserves running dangerously low. But for Zoey, I would find more. I would give everything.
The moment my power touched her, I flinched. The damage was worse than I'd feared. Not just magical exhaustion. Her life force itself was depleted. She'd channeled too much, given too much of herself.
"Get Varon," I ordered, not looking up. "Now."
"But—!"
"NOW, Kenji! Sheneeds blood."
He didn't argue further, vanishing with his oni speed back toward the main hall. I turned my full attention to Zoey, allowing my power to flow into her damaged body. The tentacles of my Kraken nature emerged unbidden, ethereal appendages that wrapped around her form, channeling healing energy into every cell.
"Don't you dare," I murmured, watching her face for any sign of response. "Don't you dare leave us, kærasta."
Minutes crawled by like hours. I poured everything I had into her, feeling my strength waning. My vision began to blur at the edges, but I refused to stop. If I had to drain myself completely to save her, so be it.
A soft gasp snapped my focus back. Zoey's eyelids fluttered, crusted with dried blood. Her lips parted slightly, taking a deeper breath than before.
"Zoey?" I leaned closer, cupping her cheek with my hand. "Can you hear me?"
Her eyes opened fully, clouded with confusion. I pressed my forehead against hers, overwhelmed with relief. "Thank the gods," my voice breaking. "Thank all the gods of the sea and sky."
"Elias?" Her voice was barely audible, cracked and dry. "What happened?"
I pulled back slightly to look at her properly, my thumb gently wiping a streak of blood from her cheekbone. "You nearly killed yourself, that's what happened. The Essencefeaster..."
"I don't remember," she interrupted, panic flickering in her eyes. "I can't remember what I did."
"Shhh," I soothed, stroking her hair. "It's alright. We can go over all that later. Right now, you need to rest and recover."
I continued channeling healing energy into her, though at a more sustainable rate. "I can heal the physical damage,but your life energy will need to replenish on its own. You'll be tired for several days, maybe longer."
A weak smile curved her lips. "Always the doctor."
"Someone has to keep you reckless fools alive," I was trying and failing to sound stern.
She reached up with a trembling hand, her fingers brushing my jaw. "Elias, I need to tell you something."
I caught her hand, pressing it more firmly against my cheek. "Save your strength."
"No, it's important." Her eyes, though tired, held mine intently. "Kenji and I are going to go on a date."
Something possessive twisted in my gut before she continued. I told my kraken to stop it. We loved both of them.
"And I want to go on one with you, too. I want us to talk, explore what being mates means." Her voice grew stronger with each word. "I want to figure this out, us, together."
The jealousy dissolved as quickly as it had formed, replaced by a warmth that spread through my chest. I hadn't realized how much I'd wanted to hear those words until they hung in the air between us.
I couldn't contain the grin that spread across my face. Without thinking, I leaned down and captured her lips with mine, pouring all my relief and longing into the kiss. Her mouth was soft, yielding, tasting faintly of blood and something uniquely Zoey. I lost myself in the sensation, in the rightness of it.
Footsteps pounding down the hall jolted me back to reality. I pulled away reluctantly, just as Kenji burst into view with Varon close behind him.
