Page 235 of Lana Pecherczyk

“Ancestors save us, because I do.” Cloud scrubbed his face, blinking widely. “I trust you fuck faces.”

All the pretense. All the betrayal. The bravado. The things left unsaid, the ego, the vengeance promised. It all stripped away with two words.

This right here proved it wasn’t River who kept them from floating in the ceremonial lake. It wasn’t Ash, either. It was the one who spoke the truth.

River stepped back, palms out in surrender. “What are you going to do?”

“Restart her heart,” Cloud muttered, eyes closing as he repositioned his palms on Blake’s body, somewhere by her ribs. “Think about it. She could see the UV writing in my trove.”

Cloud … I saw everything on the wall.

Controlled lightning arced from his palms into Blake’s chest. Her body jolted violently, spine bowing off the bed. Blue Well-blessed marks ignited with inner fire.

Your glittery writing. Her letters.

Blake fell against the bed, hair dull again. Light faded from their bond. River watched his mate. Willed her heart to start beating. Remembered Cloud was fucking right.

Details he’d missed. Not only did he overhear her tell Cloud she’d seen the glittery writing, but she’d drawn them out. In the trove, she commented on things written in UV ink. Fuck. Even earlier, in the nesting caravan, she noticed the painted UV marks on her skin.

That was days ago.

“She’s not dying,” he whispered, hope creeping in. “She’s changing.”

Another controlled bolt. She arched off the mattress. Collapsed.

“Come on,” Cloud urged through gritted teeth. “Don’t make a liar out of me, Blake.”

His eyes filled with a blinding white light. Static skipped over his skin, illuminating the power-enhancing tattoos, lifting hisdark curls as surely as if Ash’s wind were here urging him on. He rubbed his palms and returned them to Blake’s body. He held his breath. Hesitated.

“Do it,” River said. “I trust you.”

Power released. The scent of ozone sparked. Blue light and rainbow shards spliced through the room. Blake jolted, gasped … then fell and went still.

She stayed there, eyes closed. But her chest rose and fell in a shallow rhythm.

“Blake?” River ran to her side. “BLAKE!”

He shook her shoulders, but she remained unconscious. Cloud slipped from the bed, making way for the healers rushing in.

Ada checked Blake’s pulse.

“She’s alive.” Her hand moved to Blake’s forehead. “Still not responding to mana.” To the smaller woman, she asked, “Do you have any insight?”

Clara’s lips flattened. She stared at Blake for so long that River thought she was giving up. Then she ran her finger down the newly lit Well-blessed patterns on Blake’s arm. She grabbed River’s marked hand and pushed up his sleeve, baring as much as she could. Her eyes widened as she pulled his arm close to Blake’s.

“Ada, come here.” Clara waved her to the same side of the bed. “Bring Reed with you.”

Jasper grumbled something about that not being his name anymore, but a stern look from Clara flattened his wolf shifter ears, and he pushed up his tunic sleeve to bare his marked arm. Ada did the same. Clara held them together and grunted with surprise.

“They’re maps,” she announced.

Chapter

Seventy-Three

“Maps?” River stared hard at the Well-blessed marks. “I don’t understand.”

They just looked like glittering swirls.