Page 75 of Wraithwound

At the question, Cross’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly before he schooled his features into a mask of indifference.

“Someone from my past,” was all he offered.

She wasn’t sure if she was influenced by her own boldness, the ungodly hour, or the slight sense of anonymity the darkened cavern offered, but the question found its way out of her mouth before she could stop it.

“Do you—do you see their faces?” she asked.

Cross seemed to think for a moment, staring off behind her before he answered.

“Perhaps, not the ones you’d expect. I let a wraith go once, a young man. He hadn’t turned completely and begged me to let him disappear into the Overgrown. I took him at his word, only to learn he’d gone back to his village,” he said, anger flickering in his gaze.

“How did you find out?” she asked.

“I followed his energy, or echo, back there several hours later to find he’d slaughtered half his village. Every time I disposed of a wraith after that, it was those faces I saw,” he said.

“I’m so sorry.” Lena considered how Cross must have felt when he was saved by a wraith, witnessed the turn, and then was forced to endure both the danger and the risk of keeping her alive. At least until he repaid his debt. “Were you tasked with investigating an echo in Virdeen?”

Lena thought back to the attack on her village and the strange creature the energy seemed to have lured there and to MontTier as well.

Cross’s eyes narrowed.

“Yes. How do you—that’s where you got that?” he said dropping his gaze to her chest and shoulder.

She nodded.

Cross looked away, seeming to get lost in thought. Thinking the conversation might be over, she shifted on her bedroll, planning to close her eyes. But then he spoke.

“How’s your friend there?” he asked, using the same term to refer to the eleuth that she’d previously used.

She turned to look at the small creature who still slept soundly at her side. “Better, I think. Thank you for helping us today.”

He gave her a curt nod before he too shifted to lie on his bedroll.

“You’re welcome.”

Chapter

Forty-Six

Soft chittering nearby roused Lena from sleep, and when she opened her eyes, it was the eleuth’s bright orange gaze that greeted her. She propped herself up on her arms and conducted a visual assessment. Its breathing looked stable, its eyes were bright, and its movement seemed a bit stiff but unhindered. The relief she felt nearly brought her to tears. The eleuth chittered again and then scampered toward the cavern opening, albeit a little slower than she was accustomed to seeing it move. She watched it go, feeling lighter than she had in days.

She sat up and ran her hands through her hair, frowning at the coarse texture that seemed more prominent on the left side of her head. Yawning, she looked around and didn’t see Cross, so she wandered back to the spring. She was still working her fingers through her hair when movement by the water caught her attention.

Lena froze mid-step, mouth falling open at the sight of Cross exiting the spring naked. Lena promptly clamped her jaw shut and spun so quickly she made herself dizzy.

“I’m sorry,” they said in unison.

“I thought you were still sleeping,” Cross said.

“I was—” she started saying. Wait.

Lena turned on reflex and then realized she hadn’t given him enough time to get dressed. Cross was pulling his pants on. She averted her eyes immediately but not before catching another glimpse of, well, everything. But it was the blisters and sores on his arm that she wanted to look at. She couldn’t help herself; every injury was like a call to action.

“I’m sorry, just let me know when I can look,” she said.

“Again? You mean?” he asked, amusement evident in his tone.

Lena’s cheeks reddened, and her pulse grew faster.