EVA

IT WAS SUFFOCATING SILENCE. The only sound Eva could comprehend was her own heart thrumming inside her ears, pumping with adrenaline to remind her that she was, in fact, alive. As she clung to Emrys' shirt, fingers intertwined with the drenched cotton, she allowed herself to find solace in the rise and fall of his chest.

He was alive, too.

Seconds had passed, but it felt like an eternity since his hellfire sliced the Barrier between realms—and, much to her pleasure, wherever he had taken them was much drier. The monsoon's memory haunted her. Eva had known Kali forever, yet it had somehow slipped her friend's mind to mention that she had the ability to control the weather.

Why would she hide something like that? And why would she try to kill them?

A long, shuddering sigh rocked Emrys' body.

Before Eva knew what happened, his hold weakened around her waist, and a flash of cold shocked her rain-soaked body. She opened her eyes to see his wings crumbling, their ashes caught in the same nighttime breeze that chilled her to the bone. The warmth of his body diminished, no longer enough to keep her shivers at bay. She pulled back, feeling his scruffy beard brush her forehead as she stopped being the human equivalent of cling wrap.

While he was alive, the faraway look in his eyes proved he was far from all right. Dimmed to hardly an ember's glow, they found her worried expression lazily.

"We... made it."

A half-smile tugged at his lips, but with one breathy gasp, his legs gave out.

Eva's eyes widened as he collapsed onto her. She braced herself for pain that never came. Even when they slammed into the ground, her body met a softness she had never experienced. The pillowy texture added a slight bounce to her fall, enveloping her in cushioned protection.

Emrys blinked slowly and forced steady heaves from his lungs. Planting his hands on the ground, he brought himself back to a sitting position. A moss-like substance squished visibly under his palms.

Once Eva had pulled herself to her knees, she wrapped her arms tight across her chest, as if it would keep her teeth from chattering.

Emrys' wet clothes squelched as he leaned toward her with an outstretched hand. His fingers hesitated just inches from her face, with the slightest glow coming to their tips. She met his gaze knowingly and nodded before he cupped his palm along her cheek.

Warmth spread from his touch to calm her quaking bones. Steam curled from his skin and teased her hair with light flounces.

It wasn't only her hair that dried from his touch—even her clothes, soaked through only a moment before, had their moisture reduced to that of a wrung-out washcloth. A relieved sigh fell from her lips.

His fingers tensed along her cheek. The warmth faded from his touch, and rough chills assaulted her once more. Golden light pulsed through his irises once, then twice, before their glow was lost to the shadowed night.

"No..."

His breathless words fell so quiet that Eva hardly heard them. Pulling his hand from her cheek, he focused intently on his fingers, as if he could relight them by willpower alone.

Eva wasn't sure if it was a trick of the barely-there light, peeking from the overhanging dark clouds in thin, violet beams, or if what she saw was no more than a hallucination after all they'd been through. But when her companion curled his fist in an attempt to release his power, the color left his skin.

Beginning at his fingertips and spreading to the center of his palms, his complexion faded to a sickly gray. Emrys relaxed the rigidity from his hand and dropped his arms to his side, feeling around for the opening of his satchel.

"What was that?" asked Eva. No matter how hard she tried to keep a brave face, her voice's sudden rise in pitch was a dead giveaway.

Never removing his eyes from his bag, he blew out a heavy sigh, as if debating whether to answer at all. "Damn cool down. Does weird things on this side of the Barrier."

Something about the indifference of his words, mixed with the slight tremble in his voice, made Eva hesitant to trust him. The expression on his face was plain as day, screwed up with worry and utter panic as he plunged his normal hand into the main compartment of his bag.

She strained to make out the objects he rifled through. It was nearly pitch black with the rays of light diminished behind dark clouds above—or what she had assumed were clouds.

Upon closer inspection, their blackened forms had many of the same characteristics: puffy, dense, and slow-moving in the troposphere. However, when they rolled near the filtrations of light, they expanded, overtaking it with web-like constructions until the patch of sky was entirely concealed by Darkness.

She tried to gaze out at the world around her, but instead found ominous, tree-like shadows at the perimeter of the clearing. Even so, her breath hitched in her throat, and a new sensation washed over her body, like a wave of static energy. She knew exactly where she was.

Fromir Woods.

A new vision whisked her away from the gloomy surroundings and into a world of radiance—one where she sat in the same spot, watching feathery clouds dance across a lavender sky. Sunlight streamed through the overhanging branches of a tree in the glade's core, gracing her with its warmth. The world was quiet, save for the leaves rustling in the afternoon breeze.

It lasted mere seconds before she was dropped back into the pitch black nothingness the clearing had become, where her shivers resumed with one gust of nippy wind. She turned to cast a curious glance behind her.

The Guardian loomed over the dell, taller and more grand than she ever recalled it being on Earth. Wispy limbs flicked in the breeze, draped across the immediate vicinity in a protective awning. Its whispering leaves called to her, luring her closer with a siren song that fell in perfect harmony with her ringing ears.

Movement caught her eye as Emrys tore the remnants of his shirt and flannel jacket from his body. He shoved the tattered fabric in his satchel before reaching for the black hooded sweatshirt crumpled on his lap.

It wasn't an abnormal sight. His wings had a terrible habit of tearing through clothing that wasn't made for them, and he wasn't the most careful adventurer to boot. He went through more shirts than anyone else she knew, so stripping down in the middle of the woods had been a common occurrence in her dreams.

Its familiarity didn't stop the tingling that began deep within her stomach. Swallowing hard, she passed silent thanks to the Darkness for hiding the redness that crept up her neck, suddenly much warmer to the touch than it should have been. Over the continued ringing in her ears, and the blood rushing inside her head, she could barely make out Emrys' muffled voice as he yanked the sweatshirt over his head.

When he finally emerged from the neck hole, his eyes met hers for a split second before wandering across her face, landing upon every area that had flushed with unwanted color—and it was in that moment that she remembered one of his unique abilities.

Emrys could see in the dark.

And, judging by the way he clamped his mouth shut, he had been speaking longer than she'd realized. The following pause worsened the betrayal of Eva's cheeks, so hot with embarrassment that she no longer needed the incubation of her companion's powers.

"You with me?" he teased, snatching a small item he must've fished from his bag while she'd been gawking.

Eva's eyes fell to the ground, her mind whirring to find any excuse. "Yeah, I... this is just a lot to take in."

A long moment passed before she found the bravery to look back at him. Emrys quirked a brow, but he didn't elaborate on his thoughts. Instead, he held out the object in his hand.

"Use this," he said. "You'll need something to light the way."

Eva took the device. Its glassy exterior had a familiar touch, smooth against her thumb when she swiped it along the edge in search of a power button.

Once she found it, Emrys' cell phone lit up with an image from the library, with shelves of romance novels adorning the lock screen. Though it felt like years had passed since their life had been so normal, the photo reminded her that it hadn't been long at all. She smiled as she pulled down the top menu to find the flashlight.

A beam of light nearly blinded her, showcasing the turquoise moss beneath them. Silver flecks danced across the surface, sparkling from illumination, though its dewy appearance was misleading. When Eva ran her palm across its surface, it held a more plush texture than the softest blanket she'd ever touched.

A low hum swelled from inside the phone. The flashlight dimmed and sputtered until finally giving way with a quiet pop.

"Fantastic." Emrys huffed. "Looks like I'll be your eyes for a while."

As he stood, his wobbling legs nearly sent him into a face full of moss. Eva scrambled to her feet to steady him. He grumbled softly under his breath while she grabbed his shoulders to keep him upright.

"Sit back down." Eva tightened her grip until he caught his balance. "You need to rest."

Emrys shook his head, though his labored breathing proved her point. "Hate to be that guy again, but we've got to keep moving."

"You can barely stand."

"I can't change back into my other form, and this one," said Emrys, gesturing to his face before yanking the hood over his disheveled hair, "is a wanted criminal. We've got to get underground before the Guild feels this magical surge and sends a platoon."

"But you're—"

"I'll be fine. We aren't going far."

Emrys didn't give her a chance to argue. Taking her hand, he whisked her toward the edge of the glade, stumbling over his own steps but not letting the weakness slow him down.

Meanwhile, Eva couldn't keep her focus in one spot. It didn't matter that her human sight refused to take in more than dark shapes. The unknown of her new world held fascinating possibilities; she couldn't resist snapping her neck in every direction for a better look.

"Watch your step."

She didn't realize Emrys had stopped moving until his words forced her brain down from the clouds. When she followed his eyes to the ground, her reflection stared back.

A stream wrapped around the clearing, no more than two feet wide and ankle deep. Its inky surface was still, leaving her reflection undistorted in mirrored confusion, with thin brows furrowed and auburn twist riddled with flyaways. However, the objects that stole her attention were her own eyes: two empty, black voids that watched with devious intent.

A lone Koi floated lazily near the riverbed, its pure white body aglow beneath the surface. Though its fins fluttered in a steady rhythm, the stream remained still. No ripples. No bubbles. Just a glassy finish that gave the illusion of water without any of its natural properties.

Was it even wet?

Curiosity burned inside her veins, fighting every part of her that knew she shouldn't be disrupting nature when they should be hiding. But, even as Emrys' sneaker-clad foot stepped unsteadily across the surface to the opposing bank, she bent over with an outstretched hand.

"Eva!"

The sharp tone, followed by a slight tug on her wrist, snapped her back to the present. She stood up straight to meet Emrys' hardened stare. His face twisted in a mixture of frustration and fear while he surveyed the area.

"Do you want to get us both killed?" he asked. "Come on."

Eva stepped over the stream just as he had, careful not to meet the water's surface. Once safely on the other bank, she pulled herself closer to his side. She wondered if it was the right move with his high-strung demeanor, but he seemed to welcome her closeness.

Leaning against her for support, Emrys led her deeper into the forest. Though his hood shaded all but a sliver of his face, his weary expression couldn't be masked, from the paling of his skin to the bags hanging below his eyes.

She squeezed his hand. "Where are we going?"

"The Elysian Lily," he said. "We'll be safe and warm there... and, after this, I think we could both use a stiff drink."

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