Page 109 of The Tracker's Dawn: Sunderverse
Mekare laughed. “Look at you, so pathetic. Gods, you’ve made it so easy with your gullible ways. I’ve known what you’ve been up to every step of the way.”
What?!Her words registered at some base level, even as I continued pumping, trying to jump-start Jake’s heart.
How had she known? I glanced up and got my answer. Slowly, Mekare shrank an entire foot, her hair shortened and turned entirely green. A moment later, Em stood in front of us.
“You!” Rosalina exclaimed.
The witch smiled innocently. “Emis for Mekare,” she said in a sweet tone. “Lovely home you have here Eric Lone.” Her hand gestured around vaguely.
Oh, God!She’d been here twice, by our own invitation. The first time after Damien’s daughter was killed, and the second after we got Rosalina and Gonira back. That last time, she must have pretended to sleep while we drank oakfire and talked all night.
“You left spells to spy on us,” Damien said, anger making his voice quake.
“Of course, I did. And how about that trigger I put in your lovely little head?” She directed the question at Rosalina and mockingly added, “Bach playing faintly beyond the walls.” She laughed.
So that was how she’d laid the trap, how she’d fooled us into going to that warehouse. My blood boiled.
“You twisted bitch!” Rosalina raised her gun and pulled the trigger. The bullet disappeared in midair.
The witch rolled her eyes and regained her true shape. “You are like a troop of clowns.”
“Maybe,” Damien said, his voice resonating with hatred. “But you, standing there full of glee while bleeding on the floor, take the top prize. Velthgrek, takeherblood!”
For a second, as Lucia still held the demon in place, its essence vibrated. Then, realizing what was required of her, she dropped her hands and released it. Like a bullet, the hungry tendril of smoke shot toward Mekare and, finding the wound in her ankle, slithered into her.
Without Lucia’s powers to hold it back, the demon had free range to go wherever it pleased. An instant later, the witch’s eyes went wide, and her hands flew to her chest. Her back arched as she cried out in pain. For several interminable seconds, she quaked on the spot, a wet, squelching sound coming from within her. At last, she went still, then fell face-first to the floor and didn’t move again.
Allowing myself only a second of relief and satisfaction, I pressed my hands to Jake’s chest and began applying one compression after another. I counted desperately, the way I’d been taught in high school, then lowered my mouth to his and blew, determined to breathe life back into him.
I pumped and pumped, but I was weakening quickly. I glanced around, a silent cry for help.
“I’ll do it,”Eric said as he shifted to his human form.
I started to move out of the way when I realized I had more to give, one last bit of my energy, of life, to transfer to Jake. I only cared ifhelived. Nothing else mattered.
Taking a deep breath, I reached for the things I’d held from Mekare, all the good, the love. Then, exhaling, I released everything into him, pushing the energy through my hands and pumping one last time.
As my strength vanished, my eyes rolled into the back of my head, and the world went dark.
* * *
“HEY, YOU,” JAKE SAIDas I opened my eyes.
He was lying down next to me, his head resting on a pillow.
I stared into his silver eyes, marveling at their clear beauty.
“Hey, you,” I responded in a hoarse voice. “Is it time for the cleansing?”
A vertical line appeared between his eyebrows. “You don’t remember?”
“Remember what?”
As soon as the question crossed my lips, everything rushed back with such violence that I gasped. I sat up as if spring-loaded.
“Jake!” I took his face in my hands and turned it this way and that. He looked all right. I patted his neck, his torso, his arms. He was whole, unharmed.
“You’re alive. You’re alive!” I exclaimed, wondering if I was in some sort of dream.
