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. What s on the other side? Wyatt asked. Creatures long ago banished from walking the Earth.The Greeks called them Titans.The Christians call them demons.We call them the Tainted.They are driven only byinstinct and pure emotion desire and rage, lust and need. And you keep them from crossing over? The Tainted cannot cross the Break on their own.They have no free will, you see, onlyinstinct. I was definitely starting to see.I swallowed the almonds and chased them down with agulp of wine sweet and pungent as Amalie continued. Someone with knowledge of First Break and its powers can summon the Taintedacross it.Our duty here is to protect it from those who would try.Summoning even oneacross the Break could be devastating to this world. These Tainted, Wyatt said. Can they be controlled by the summoner? They are uncontrollable pure beings of consumption and need.Once the Taintedenters its host s body, it is unleashed and the host is no more. Host? They possess no physical form on the other side.They are energy and emotion.Part ofthe summoning is the presentation of a host. I dropped my goblet.It clattered to the table, splashing maroon liquid on the front of mydress, but I didn t care. That s it, I said. What s it, Evy? Wyatt asked, standing up.Alarmed. All of this, Wyatt.Tovin and the Bloods and me dying and you giving up your freewill for it and them holding us prisoner.It all makes perfect sense now. Wyatt frowned, not understanding.I sought help from Amalie, and she nodded sagely.She d known it all along; she was only waiting for us to figure it out.Damn her andbless her both. Tovin wants power, which means ensuring his dominance, I said. What better way todo that than by summoning a demon to possess a man whose free will he alreadycontrols? He ll have a lethal weapon that can t disobey. I d heard the expression all the blood drained from his face, but had never actuallyseen it in person.The color bled out of Wyatt s face, leaving him deathly pale.Hisblack eyes shimmered, a stark contrast to the pallor of his skin.Even his lips turnedwhite as he pressed them together.Nostrils flaring, he clenched his jaw so hard Ithought his teeth might snap. We believe that is his plan, Amalie said.Her words seemed lost on Wyatt.He stared at the table, hands in his lap, his entire bodyrigid.I was on my feet and by his side before I registered moving.He vibrated withtension, maybe even fear.The demon would have his powers, as well as his body. I touched his shoulder.He jerked as though stung.I turned his face toward me.Heavoided eye contact, looking everywhere but forward. Wyatt, I said. Look at me, damn you. He did.Some of the tension fled, but he remained pale and trembling.His eyes wereobsidian pools, never-ending and full of uncertainty.I had never seen him sovulnerable, not even when I died the first time.My heart pounded.Because sitting next to him, at the turning point of this entirefreaking mystery, I finally remembered my death.Nothing as dramatic as I d hoped for no remembrance of important words ornecessary information.Just flinching away from the light, as I d always done when thecloset door opened.Numb, unable to move, and without the energy to do so.I d hopedto bleed to death before anyone found me like that, broken and ruined.I remembered Wyatt kneeling over me, releasing my hands from the cuffs that boundthem.Unable to feel my arms or legs.Looking into his heartbreaking eyes, seeing themeasure of his devastation.Hating myself for causing him so much pain.My tonguehad been thick, my mouth dry.I couldn t speak, couldn t say I was sorry or that I lovedhim.I only managed a high-pitched keening sound.I had gazed at him until his facewent dark and the agony was finally over.He had looked much the same as he looked in Amalie s home ravaged, betrayed,alone.I wondered if my own expression was that much different. I didn t say anything, I said. When I died, all I saw was you, and I never said a word.You couldn t have known what I did or didn t learn, could you? His head turned slowly left, right, back to center.A simple shake.An even simpleraffirmation that left me cold.We had both been betrayed and manipulated by people wetrusted.I had been rustled out of my afterlife and fed lies disguised as good intentions.He had been fooled into a fate worse than death, tricked into playing a pawn in Hell schess game.But we weren t done playing, and Knights knew how to sweep in sideways. This is notyour future, I said. If Tovin ever said one truthful thing to you, Wyatt Truman, it sthat we belong together.Whether it s in life or in death, we ll prove that one thing right.You hear me? He blinked.Some amount of recognition sparked.Bright circles of color flared in hischeeks.The lines in his face smoothed out, and determination replaced terror. I hearyou. His voice was thick, not as convincing as his expression. I feel like such a fool. Tovin played on your emotions and manipulated you from the start.It wasn t yourfault. His left eye twitched. Don t patronize me, Evy. Then quit feeling sorry for yourself and help me figure out how to fucking dosomething about it, okay? He pushed my hand away and faced the table.Okay, fine.To Amalie, I asked, Once this thing possesses a host, can it be expelled? The death of the host body ejects the Tainted, yes, Amalie said. It will bemomentarily weakened, rendering it vulnerable to expulsion beyond the Break.However, sending something back across, as bringing it forward, requires greatknowledge of the inner workings of our oldest magic. Can you do it? She shook her head, light sparkling off her jewels. Few possess the knowledge, and Iam acquainted with none of them, save Tovin. What about the other elves? At this late hour, attempting contact will take too much time, and there is no guaranteethey will share their knowledge. I blew hard between clenched teeth. Okay, so what about capture? Let s say it infectssomeone and the host dies.Can we catch the Tainted before it finds another host? Likein a crystal or something? I know of no such method of capture, but that does not mean none exist. Wyatt snorted.I glared, but he didn t acknowledge me. Can you find out? I asked the sprite leader. Of course. It wasn t much, but it was a start.Only, Wyatt didn t seem willing to acknowledge thehopeful information.I gave up.He could wallow for a while, but I didn t want to see it.I put some food on a plate and poured another goblet of wine. Amalie, my apologies, I said. May I finish my meal in my room? The sprite nodded, her demeanor cool and calm, as if our argument had never happened.We d figured it out.We knew who our enemies were.We just needed time to plan acounterattack and beat Tovin at his own twisted game.At the door, I spared a look back at Wyatt.He didn t turn around.I sighed and left.Chapter Twenty-two 23:25My patience vanished with the last of the wine.The assortment of fruit, nuts, and rawvegetables had filled the ache in my stomach and refueled my energy, but could donothing for a different ache.That went deeper, the wound more raw.So many things had happened in the last two days that Tovin had never factored into hisplan.I had woken up in a different body than planned a fortuitous, if unexplainable,turn of events so Wyatt and I hadn t been imprisoned immediately and for theduration of the pact.Being out in the world, I d managed to gather more evidence of thecoming power shift and shown Tovin for the traitor he was
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