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“Youhaveto.”Wraithpointed at the open doorway.Evennow it was just a few feet away. “Go—don’t let the demon take us both!Youmust go while you can!”
“No!”Hannawas sobbing by now. “No,Wraith!Ican’t let you do this—Ican’t let you give yourself for me!Stopthis and come with me now!”
“Ican’t, little one.I’vegiven my word.”Helooked at her earnestly and she could see that his heart was breaking. “Ilove you,Hanna,” he said in a low voice. “AndI’llnever forget you or the time we spent together.Nowplease—go.”
ThentheDarkEntitywrapped its shadowy substance around the big warrior and suddenly both of them were gone, leavingHannaalone and weeping in theShadowLands.
24
HANNA
SomehowHannastaggered back through the doorway to theLandof theLiving.Shehardly knew how she managed though—her eyes were almost too blinded with tears to see anything.
Whenshe woke up the second time inUncleBruin’sarms, she found that he andAuntLunahad taken her out of the little girl’s hospital room—which was now crawling with medical staff—and they were all in a hallway of the hospital.
“Ohthank theGoddess!”AuntLunaexclaimed, whenHannaopened her eyes. “Iwas so afraid we’d lost you forever!Buthere you are, back in theLandof theLivingand you’re all right!”
“No,I’mnot!”Hannasaid, and began to sob.
Thenext few weeks were as dark and horrible as the previous weeks had been bright and wonderful.
Hannaspent every minute of every day thinking ofWraith—imagining the horrors that were being done to him, the torment he was enduring.Andall because she had stupidly left the door to theShadowLandsopen instead of closing it after she’d foundLittleLuna!
Myfault—everything that’s happening to him is my fault!He’sbeing tortured right now—maybe even raped and devoured alive—all because of me!she thought over and over again.Itbecame an obsessive thought—an endless litany of guilt in her head and the worst thing about it was her imagination insisted on conjuring horrible images to go along with the terrible words.
Hannabarely slept anymore because when she did, her thoughts turned into the most vivid and horrible nightmares she’d ever had.Butshe refused to letAuntLunagive her calming potion because she felt she deserved every bit of the torment.
“Mydear, you knowWraithwouldn’t want you to punish yourself this way!”Heraunt said desperately, whenHannahad refused any kind of help yet again several weeks after she had lost her ghost warrior. “Hesacrificed himself because helovedyou!”
“Iloved him too,”Hannasaid dully, pushing away the calming sleep draughtAuntLunahad concocted just for her. “He’sthe only manI’veever loved and now he’s gone.Buthe’s not just dead—he’s beingtortured for all eternity,AuntLuna!Andit’sall my fault!”
“It’snotyour fault!” her aunt tried to argue. “Please, sweetheart—don’t keep blaming yourself!”
“Whoelse shouldIblame?”Hannademanded. “I’mthe one who left the door wide open!I’mthe one who let him take my place in thePit.Ideserve every single sleepless night…every single nightmare.Nomatter how bad they get,Ican’t ever be in as much pain and agony as he’s suffering right now.”
Andshe turned and left her aunt’s suite to go back to her own, where she could be miserable in peace.
Throwingherself on the bed where she andWraithhad loved each other for such a short time, she began crying.She’dwept so much already that her lids were red and sore—the tears felt like acid etching their way down her cheeks, and yet she welcomed the pain.Itwas surely not even a tiny fraction of whatWraithwas enduring on her behalf…
Andthen she felt a hand on her head, stroking her hair gently.
“Littleone, don’t cry,” murmured a deep voice. “Pleasedon’t cry for me.”
Hannajerked her head up, staring wildly around.There, sitting on the side of the bed, wasWraith!
“Wraith!OhmyGod—Wraith!” she gasped and pounced on him.
25
HANNA
Wraithcaught her and held her tight in his arms, stroking her hair and murmuring that he loved her.
Hannawrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist and sobbed for joy.
“You’reback!Youcame back!You’reall right!”
Wraithlet her cry but when her sobs trailed off to sniffles, he pulled her gently away and looked into her eyes.
