Page 65 of Crossing Between
"Show yourself!" I demanded, but my voice sounded small and fragile in the endless void.
A chuckle, low and menacing, rippled through the air. "So brave. So foolish."
Something moved in the darkness. A shadow among shadows, circling me like a predator stalking its prey. I tried to call upon my magic, but it felt distant, muted in this strange dreamscape.
"Your blood is wasted on them." The voice was closer now, a whisper against my ear that made me flinch away. "You could be so much more."
I tried to move, to run, but my body wouldn't respond. I was frozen in place, helpless as the shadow circled closer.
"What do you want from me?" My voice trembled despite my efforts to sound strong.
"What do I want?" The shadow paused, and I felt its attention focus on me like a physical weight. "I want what was denied to me. I want what is rightfully mine."
The darkness behind me shifted, and I felt something move closer. A presence that radiated malice and hunger so intense it made my stomach churn.
"You and I, we're not so different," the Essencefeaster continued, its voice almost conversational now. "We both hold power over souls. We both understand what it means to be feared, to be hunted."
"I'm nothing like you," I spat, finding my voice again.
"No?" I could hear the smile in its voice. "You haven't even begun to understand what you are, what you could become."
Cold fingers brushed my hair, making me shudder. I couldn't see the Essencefeaster, but I could feel it circling behind me, its presence a chill against my skin.
"They're holding you back, you know," it whispered. "Your vampire, your oni, your kraken. They fear yourpotential. They know what you could become if you embraced your true nature."
"You're lying."
"Am I?" The voice was silky, persuasive.
Despite myself, doubt crept in.
"They care about me," but the words sounded hollow even to my own ears.
The Essencefeaster laughed, a sound like glass breaking. "They want to use you, just as I do. The difference is, I'm honest about it."
It moved around to face me, and for the first time, I caught a glimpse of glowing orange eyes in the darkness, burning with an ancient, hungry fire.
"I'm going to take everything you love," it promised, its voice dropping to a menacing growl. "One by one, I'll strip away your protections. And when you're alone, when you have nothing left, you'll come to me willingly."
The eyes moved closer, and I could almost make out a face beyond the glow—features that seemed almost human, yet twisted into something monstrous.
"And then, little Soulbinder, you will be mine."
It leaned forward as if to kiss me, those burning eyes filling my vision. I tried to scream, to move, to wake up. Anything to escape those eyes and the promise of ownership they held.
Just as its lips were about to touch mine, I jolted awake with a scream tearing from my throat. My heart hammered against my ribs, and cold sweat soaked my clothes. The remnants of the dream clung to me like cobwebs, the Essencefeaster's words echoing in my mind.
You will be mine.
The door burst open, and Varon rushed in, his eyes wild with concern. "Zoey? What happened?"
I opened my mouth to answer, but no wordscame out. Instead, a sob broke free, followed by another, and then I was crying uncontrollably, my body shaking with the force of it.
Varon was beside me in an instant, gathering me into his arms. I clung to him, burying my face against his chest as the terror of the dream washed over me in waves.
"He was in my dream," I managed between sobs. "The Essencefeaster. He... he said he's going to take everything I love. That when I'm alone, I'll go to him willingly."
Varon's arms tightened around me, his body going rigid. "It was just a dream, Zoey. He can't hurt you here."
