Page 98 of Crossing Between
"I did it....for you, Z." His voice skipped and crackled like an old record. "I wanted....to protect you."
"Ryan, what are you talking about? What did you do?" I reached for him, but my hand passed through his form as if he were made of smoke.
"They were....coming for you." His image flickered,portions of him disappearing then reappearing. "The Council....they knew what you were....at least what you thought you were...."
"The Supernatural Council? What do they have to do with this?"
Ryan's face contorted in pain. "Had to....become stronger....to keep you safe."
"By killing people? By becoming a monster?" My voice broke on the last word. "Ryan, you're my baby brother. I'm supposed to protect you, not the other way around!"
"Too late now." His smile was sad, resigned. "Was already....lost."
A spiderweb of cracks appeared across his face, starting at his temples and spreading across his cheeks, his forehead, his chin. I watched in horror as pieces of his skin began to fall away, revealing not flesh and bone underneath, but something ancient and inhuman. Bone-white and scaled like a dragon's skeleton.
"Ryan!" I screamed, trying desperately to reach him, to somehow pull him back from whatever was consuming him.
The last of his face fell away, leaving only those alien, reptilian features and eyes. Eyes that glowed with an unholy hunger, eyes I'd seen before in my nightmares.
Shanna's warning echoed around me. "Sometimes the people we want to save are already lost."
The creature that had been my brother lifted its head, regarding me with those terrible, hungry eyes. But when it spoke, the voice was unmistakably Ryan's.
"I gave everything to protect you. My body. My soul. And you left me to burn."
"No!" I struggled against the darkness, trying to reach him. "Ryan, I never left you! I've been searching for you!"
"You chose them." His voice was cold now, accusatory. "The monsters. The killers. You bound yourself to them while I suffered."
"I didn't know!" Tears streamed down my face. "Please, Ryan. Let me help you now. It's not too late."
The Essencefeaster, my brother, smiled, revealing rows of needle-sharp teeth. "Oh, Z. It was always too late."
He lunged for me, talons extended toward my chest, toward my soul.
I jolted upright with a scream tearing from my throat, my body drenched in sweat. The sheets tangled around my legs like restraints, and for a terrifying moment, I couldn't remember where I was.
Strong arms encircled me immediately. "Kærasta," Elias's deep voice rumbled against my ear. "You're safe. It was just a dream."
I turned and buried my face against his chest, sobs wracking my body. The nightmare had felt so real. Ryan's voice, his accusations, the horror of watching him transform.
"He's gone," I choked out between sobs. "My brother is gone and it's my fault. I didn't see it. I didn't help him."
"Shh," Elias stroked my hair, his touch radiating a gentle warmth that seeped into my skin, easing the panic that gripped me. I felt his healing power working through our bond, not to erase my grief but to help me weather it.
The bed shifted as Kenji moved closer, his warm hand finding mine in the darkness. "It's not your fault, Zoey," he squeezed my fingers. "You couldn't have known."
On my other side, Varon's weight settled against the mattress. He didn't speak, but his hand claimed my free one, his thumb tracing soothing circles across my knuckles. Through our bond, I felt his quiet strength flowing into me, steady and unwavering.
"He said he did it to protect me," I whispered, the words tasting like ash in my mouth. "He said he sacrificed everything, his body, his soul, for me."
"Demons lie," Varon's voice was gentle but firm. "Even if there's some truth to him wanting to protect you, the Essencefeaster is twisting everything."
I shook my head, the nightmare still too vivid. "You didn't see him. It wasn't just the Essencefeaster wearing Ryan like a suit. It was him, underneath it all. Like they're fused somehow."
Elias's arms tightened around me. "If that's true, then we'll find a way to separate them. You're a Soulbinder, Zoey. If anyone can save him, it's you."
"And we'll be right beside you," Kenji added, his usual playfulness replaced with fierce determination. "All of us."
