When the rage within threatens to destroy everything...
As if firestarter wasn't bad enough, adding assassin to her resume isn't exactly the teenage life Halen Windspeare always imagined. Facing a sinister demon, Halen must unleash her power to van...
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"We'll leave for Etlis in a day or two. You're not ready to travel." Dax leaned against the doorframe. His stormy gaze slipped over Halen, studying her as if searching for the lies she was hiding.
How much did he see? Panic rushed through Halen. Had he witnessed the shift in her eyes as they blurred over with Asair's stare? Could he see her demon passenger now?
"Are you sure you can handle a shower on your own?" He crossed his arms, the silver band of his Guardian bracelet hidden against his heart. "Tage is just in the other suite. She wouldn't mind helping."
"No!" Her voice rose a little too loudly for the cramped hotel bathroom. The last thing she needed was an empath digging through her emotions. If she had screwed up and hadn't killed Asair, but instead swallowed his soul, then no one could find out. After all her friends sacrificed, they would never forgive her. "I don't need Tage." She worked a smile onto her face.
"Okay, but all you have to do is ask." His unwavering gaze never left hers. He was suspicious, or maybe just worried; she couldn't quite tell, but his energy flashed like streaks of lightning in a summer sky.
"I'm just taking a shower." She snatched a bar of miniature soap from the counter and inhaled the citrus scent. Act normal. She peered up at Dax. "I'm sure I can handle this." Her smile broadened, though her pulse raced with fear at the thought of being alone with Asair. He was a master of manipulation and she wouldn't soon forget how within seconds of passing through his dimension, Asair had shredded her confidence with a simple smile, spinning her into his captured prey.
She should tell Dax. But then again, what if she was wrong? If Asair were alive, guilt wouldn't be tearing her up inside. The image of his corpse pressed her memories; she rubbed the crook of her arm, still able to feel the weight of his death. Asair was dead. She shivered.
"What's wrong?" Dax stepped forward, closing the space between them.
"I still feel him—Asair." She wrapped her arms around herself. "He showed me so much; his home, his Guardian's death." She hugged herself tighter, thinking of the three ladies with their necks bent, hanging from the trees.
"Hey, the Etlins will strip Asair's emotions and any of his memories from you. We'll figure all this out. Bit by bit."
"You honestly believe that's why I feel so crummy?" Though it sounded unbelievable to have stepped into Asair's memories and shared his emotions, so did having another soul lurking inside her. She preferred Dax's option to hers.
"I know so." He tucked her long swoop of bangs behind her ear.
Maybe she was confused, lost, even. She hadn't eaten in days or even had time to get her bearings. "What if I'm never rid of Asair? If his memories are tangled with mine, how will the Etlins ever unwind this mess?"
"They will." When he tilted his head, a lock of blond hair fell across his eyes. He swiped it aside. "The Etlins will do anything for you now that the portal is open. You have no idea how grateful they'll be."
